After the Demon Sect Flying Boat was disconnected from the Spiritual Eye Object, most of the Restrictions on board failed, including the Water Repelling Restriction.

Now submerged deep in the ocean, immense water pressure instantly bore down on the Flying Boat. The Nine Nether Demon Iron hull boomed like a hollow drum, a sound that would strike terror into anyone’s heart.

Under the immense pressure, seawater shot into the Flying Boat in powerful jets, blasting a hole straight through anyone they struck.

A few moments later, the Flying Boat began to flood.

Too many people could lead to leaks, so the Cyan Demon Ancestor had deliberately kept the crew small. There were just over fifty people aboard the entire Flying Boat.

The Demon Cultivators in the control cabin were the first to fall. They were possessed by the Celestial Demons almost instantly, their bodies left as empty shells. But many survivors remained in the other cabins. They were still unaware of the terrifying change that had befallen the Cyan Demon Ancestor and, following their training, were doing their utmost to repair the damage, using Curses to seal the leaks and drain the flooding seawater.

The Eastern Demon Sect was a top-tier Demon Sect, and the Demon Cultivators accompanying the Cyan Demon Ancestor on this voyage were all elite disciples.

Thanks to their frantic repairs, they actually managed to plug the leaks, however tenuously. A team of Demon Cultivators, led by one at the Foundation Establishment Realm, even began preparing to restore the Flying Boat’s Spiritual Qi supply.

Just then, a squad of Demon Cultivators in the robes of the Eastern Demon Sect marched in single file through the Flying Boat’s passageways. Thick Demonic Qi billowed from within their Magic Robes. Their footsteps were heavy and bizarre, their gait unnatural.

The Outer Celestial Demons were possessing their bodies.

A series of warped cries welled up in their chests and escaped their throats, reverberating through the ship, around every corner, and into every cabin.

Being a Demon Sect Flying Boat, the vessel was naturally covered in Banishment Restrictions for Celestial Demons, meant to prevent the various fiends sealed within from losing control.

Amidst the twisted, hissing Demon Summoning cries, these Restrictions faded away like drawings in the sand, washed out by one wave after another.

The entire Flying Boat was powered by a Star Demon of the Great Celestial Demon Realm. Unlike the Artifact Refiners of the Taoist Sect, Demon Cultivators were incapable of precisely inscribing an Elemental Magnetic Restriction onto a sphere Refined from various Spiritual Golds to act as a power source. They had devised an alternative: summoning a Star Demon from the Outer Realm and sealing it within a Magic Altar to drive the Flying Boat.

The Star Demon was a master of the Celestial Star Escape Technique. While not as stable as an Elemental Magnetic Restriction for propelling the Flying Boat, it had its own distinct advantages.

The Magic Altar that sealed the Star Demon was, naturally, of paramount importance to the entire Flying Boat. After all, if the Star Demon were to escape, the vessel would not only lose all power but also face the creature’s frenzied retribution.

The Artifact Refiner who designed the Flying Boat had placed all manner of Banishment restraints and bindings upon the Star Demon.

Upon sensing that the Spiritual Qi supply had been severed, the Demon Cultivators responsible for the Flying Boat’s power systems immediately brought out offerings they had long prepared—Essence Blood, corpses, and viscera. They intended to appease the Star Demon, a Celestial Demon that had been trapped within the Magic Altar for nearly a century.

As the piercing, eerie Demon Summoning cry arrived, the ritual cloths wrapped around the Magic Altar were the first to change. The densely packed Demon Script smeared across them instantly began to fade to white. A moment later, the cloths rotted into a pile of ruined fibers and fell to the ground.

A dreadful presence descended. All the Demon Cultivators in the Power Cabin instantly knew something was wrong; the hairs on their backs stood on end.

"This is bad! Another Celestial Demon has gotten out!"

But before they could react, the husks controlled by the Celestial Demons marched neatly into the Power Cabin in single file.

Having been completely possessed by the Celestial Demons, their appearances had changed drastically. They wore tall, conical hats, their faces hidden in the shadows cast by the brims, and their bodies exuded the peculiar stench of rotting corpses.

The withered hands extending from beneath their robes each dragged a Lock Chain that radiated a ghastly Demonic Qi.

The Cyan Demon Ancestor was bound tightly by these Lock Chains, his head hanging low. He was unconscious, seemingly dead.

CRACKLE! POP! A series of small explosions erupted from the bodies of the Demon Cultivators responsible for tending to the Star Demon. Because they had to spend long periods in the Power Cabin, living day and night with the Star Demon, they had all been issued various Exorcism Magic Talismans and Magical Artifacts. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

In just a few moments, these Magic Talismans and Magical Artifacts completely self-destructed.

"Run!"

The Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator in the lead tried to use an Escape Technique to flee, but the Qi Cultivation Stage Demon Cultivators behind him were instantly possessed by the Celestial Demons.

A few breaths later, the Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator and his subordinates stood silently with the other husks, forming a bizarre Grand Array. Viscous, greasy Demonic Qi coalesced into various banners, and a long, drawn-out chant echoed throughout the Power Cabin.

The many Restrictions laid upon the Magic Altar were peeled away, layer by layer, like an onion.

Finally, the Magic Altar itself, cast from Profound Evil Copper Essence, was exposed.

The Star Demon imprisoned within began to utter all sorts of bizarre phrases in the tongue of the Celestial Demons. It was ecstatic. ’Imprisoned for a century, and now, I’ll finally be free!’

The next moment, the Demonic Qi Lock Chains wrapped around the Magic Altar. A shimmering, ape-like Celestial Demon was yanked out from within. It first let out a joyous cry, but then, realizing something was wrong, it began to shriek a stream of high-pitched curses.