The wind howled and monstrous waves surged. The sea, calm and placid just fifteen minutes ago, was suddenly blanketed by dark clouds. A profound darkness fell between heaven and earth, as if night had arrived early.

The sea churned violently as waves dozens of zhang high rolled in, unleashing a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar that threatened to burst eardrums.

Gales, drawn down from the Nine Heavens, tore through the atmosphere and swept up the waves. Billions of pounds of seawater were lifted high into the sky, only to cascade back down like waterfalls, threatening to submerge the entire world.

The Flying Boat was tossed about in mid-air like a leaf.

Fierce gales scraped against the Defensive Spirit Light, producing a grating, ear-piercing sound. The same Defensive Spirit Light that had effortlessly withstood the attacks of over ten thousand Evil Owls now flickered like a candle in the wind.

The Spiritual Qi stored within the Ruyi Nine Tripod Array was being rapidly consumed.

Yang Jing’s eyes widened. Nine Breath Gang Wind, Sanmei True Wind, Soul-Scattering Demon Wind...

Within the howling gales, he could identify all sorts of astral winds rarely ever seen.

This was truly a wind calamity, the kind that struck terror into the hearts of maritime merchants. The turbulent Spiritual Qi and turbid baleful energy above the vast ocean had drawn down the endlessly howling astral winds from the Nine Heavens to the sea’s surface.

Even merchant fleets that spent their entire year at sea might only encounter a natural disaster of this magnitude once every decade or two. Faced with these ceaseless gales, even a convoy of giant transoceanic vessels would have their formation broken and scattered.

In the face of such a wind calamity, even Golden Core Cultivators were not masters of their own fate.

Their current situation was already the result of Yang Jing and Iron Head having noticed the signs ahead of time and taking evasive action. Had they blundered headlong into the calamity, the boat would have been destroyed and its crew killed by now.

But even though the Flying Boat was already retreating at full speed, the howling gales still caught up to it.

Facing such a terrifying natural disaster, Yang Jing felt a flicker of doubt for the first time. ’Should I have ignored my Sword Heart’s warning and just headed straight east?’

He instantly quashed the doubt in his heart and issued a command.

"Dive!"

Yang Jing had made his decision.

The sea was dangerous, but if they stayed in the sky, it wouldn’t be long before the Defensive Spirit Light was shattered by the gales.

The Flying Boat pushed its Spiritual Qi output to the maximum and plunged straight toward the ocean’s surface.

As a colossal wave surged, Zuoqiu Feng’s expression turned grim. With a grim expression, Zuoqiu Feng brandished the Five Evils Demon-Slaying Flying Saber and sliced the mountain-like wall of water in two.

BOOM!

The Flying Boat was equipped with a Water Repelling Restriction. It plunged into the ocean and began its descent into the depths.

Countless terrified schools of Demon Fish followed close behind the Flying Boat. They too were utterly helpless against the wind calamity.

Some Demon Fish that couldn’t get out of the way in time were crushed by the waves slamming down from the surface.

Even in the shallow depths, undercurrents still surged, striking the Defensive Spirit Light from time to time and causing it to flicker erratically.

The entire seabed was pitch-black, illuminated only by the faint glow of the Flying Boat’s Defensive Spirit Light. The vessel continued to dive deeper, and only after it descended to a depth of over a thousand zhang did the waters finally grow quiet again.

The Demon Fish that had been following the Flying Boat scattered in fright.

Yang Jing glanced around. Many of the soldiers on deck looked uneasy. Although they had numerous experiences at sea, they had never dived into the ocean’s depths in a lone vessel like this.

On the continents of the Nine Heavens World, the presence of Cultivators meant the Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membrane was strong enough to repel Celestial Demons from beyond. But in the boundless ocean, where Cultivators were nearly extinct, the Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membrane was stretched to its absolute limit.

In some regions of the sea bordering the Northern Continent, the Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membrane didn’t exist at all, leaving patches of the ocean as true Demon Realms.

Therefore, unless forced into a desperate situation, a Flying Boat navigating the seas would never dive beneath the waves.

He didn’t say much to try and rally their morale.

These soldiers were Cultivators themselves who had served in the Northern Domain far longer than Yang Jing. They had followed Iron Head on campaigns to wipe out Demon Cultivators; anyone lacking a firm will had been weeded out long ago.

Those who remained on the Flying Boat were elite Sharp Warriors, hand-picked from the vanguard.

"Yinjiao, how much longer until we reach the Dong Kingdom?"

Yang Jing took out the Nautical Chart and spread it on the deck.

This Nautical Chart depicted the vast ocean between the Western, Central, and Northern Continents. On it, several areas were heavily marked—all of them Demon Realms not covered by the Heaven and Earth Embryonic Membrane.

These were not like the shrinking Demon Realm in the Liao Kingdom; these Demon Realms had existed for tens of thousands of years. Inside one, it was almost no different from being in the void beyond the heavens.

Furthermore, these Demon Realms were not stationary; they moved slowly throughout this vast expanse of sea.

Every sixty years, the Sects of the Western, Central, and Northern Continents had to organize manpower to survey the Demon Realms and chart their boundaries.

Yinjiao examined the Nautical Chart carefully. Even during the recent wind calamity, he hadn’t lost his bearings and easily determined the Flying Boat’s position.

Looking at their position on the chart, Yang Jing slowly let out a breath of relief. ’Good. We haven’t gone too deep into the West Sea. We’re still only a little over twenty-five hundred li from the Western Continent.’

For the Flying Boat, this wasn’t a great distance.

After confirming their heading, the Flying Boat proceeded southeast through the water.

The Martial Might-level Flying Boat was propelled by Primordial Magnetic Power, allowing it to move freely even in the deep sea.

It was pitch-black underwater and thick with turbid baleful energy. Even the Grotto Dark Dharma Eye could not see far, let alone one’s Divine Sense. Fortunately, Yang Jing possessed the Five Elements Divine Techniques and was proficient in Water Escape, allowing him to sense his surroundings through the seawater itself.

Though he couldn’t match his disciple’s skill in underwater navigation, Yang Jing’s Spiritual Sense in the water otherwise surpassed even that of Yinjiao, a pure-blooded Flood Dragon.