The Demonic Qi swirling around the entire Flying Boat began to churn and roil violently.

That last punch had not only obliterated the physical shell but had also annihilated the Outer Celestial Demon possessing it.

The juvenile Feathered Whale was already about twenty feet long, and the stout man could only carry it tucked under his arm.

"Saint King, I will buy you time!"

The Mermaid who had escaped said to the stout man, her face set with determination.

The stout man shook his head. Although the Mermaid’s Cultivation was at the Late Stage Foundation Establishment, she could be annihilated with a wave of the hand by the Demon that had descended. It wouldn’t even need to act personally; it could corrupt her with its Demonic Qi alone.

She swept up the Feathered Whale and the Mermaid, bursting out of the Flying Boat.

Billowing Demonic Qi gathered and blocked her path, coalescing into a Taoist who appeared otherworldly and dignified.

"West Sea Great Saint, you are gravely wounded, yet instead of recuperating, you abandoned your body to fight me to the death. How unwise."

The Taoist sighed softly and said to the stout man.

With the Feathered Whale’s vigorous Life Force, the Seven Cities Profound Evil Demon Light—which was fatal to the Profound Whale—was not a serious threat. It would only need to find a safe place and, within a dozen or so days, it could completely grind away the Seven Cities Profound Evil Demon Light that had invaded its body.

Even if it were severely injured, it would just take a bit longer.

But the West Sea Great Saint had not chosen that path. Instead, she had sent her Divine Soul out directly, abandoned her physical body, and secretly followed behind the Flying Boat.

At her Realm of a Demon Saint, her Divine Soul could already leave her body and fly about, much like the Nascent Soul of a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Even if her physical body was destroyed, her soul could endure. But once she performed a possession, she would completely lose the chance to return to her original body.

The bloodline of a Feathered Whale was so noble it had the potential for Divinity Transformation. By possessing a Profound Whale, even with the West Sea Great Saint’s aptitude, it would be nigh impossible for her to reach the Nascent Soul Realm again.

This was equivalent to severing her own path of cultivation.

"A parent’s love for their child... You’re a Human Demon. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained it."

said the West Sea Great Saint, who had lost her original body. Once outside the Flying Boat, her soul manifested the original image of a Profound Whale, rammed through the Demon Shadow, and fled with her child and the Mermaid.

Seeing this, the Cyan Demon Ancestor, whose body had been stolen, roared with laughter.

"Martial Uncle, you plan for every contingency and have me wrapped around your finger, but did you foresee this?"

He was filled with an immense hatred for this Martial Uncle who had stolen everything from him.

The Human Demon’s expression hardened for a moment. The next instant, the agonizing shrieks of the Cyan Demon Ancestor echoed from within his Divine Soul.

"You imbecile. Did you really think that Feathered Whale could escape my grasp?"

Because the Feathered Whale possessed the bloodline of a Kunpeng, if it fell to demonic corruption, it would very likely inherit the ability of Breaking the Boundary. With this power, it could transport a massive number of Celestial Demons into the Nine Heavens World, no longer needing to rely on Demon Cultivators within the Nine Heavens World to perform Demon Summoning.

Demon Cultivators were, without exception, a selfish lot. Once they reached a certain level of Cultivation, their stance would shift dramatically. They would become even more wary of Celestial Demons than the Taoist Sects, guarding against them vigilantly. Compared to the great cause of the Demon Venerable, they cared far more for their own pleasure.

Some went so far as to treat Celestial Demons like livestock, enslaving them at will.

The Star Demon sealed within the Magic Altar was clear proof of this.

Presenting the Feathered Whale as an offering would remove a major concern for the Demon Venerable.

After the West Sea Great Saint possessed the Profound Whale, she lost many of her Divine Techniques, but her Escape Form’s speed in the water was still much faster than a normal Profound Whale. With a surge of Magical Power, she could travel dozens of li in an instant, rapidly increasing the distance between herself and the Demon Sect Flying Boat behind her.

At this point, Yang Jing had already commanded the Flying Boat to the surface of the ocean.

Although the windstorm in the sky hadn’t ended, it had weakened considerably. The shallow sea was still turbulent with undercurrents, and mountainous waves crashed down from time to time, but it was no longer as overwhelming as before.

The Flying Boat raised its Defensive Spirit Light again and struggled forward through the massive waves.

"How much Spiritual Qi is left in the Ruyi Nine Tripod Array?"

Yang Jing asked.

A soldier beside him used a Command Talisman to relay the message to the soldiers maintaining the Ruyi Nine Tripod Array, then immediately replied:

"Minister, there’s one tripod and three quarters remaining."

Yang Jing nodded.

"Continue to dive. Once we reach a depth of ten thousand feet, shut down the Defensive Spirit Light and proceed at full speed."

This area of the sea was the Profound Whale’s hunting ground. Before news of its death spread, there shouldn’t be any overly powerful Demon Monsters or Demons. The Flying Boat’s Primordial Magnetism system was quite efficient with Spiritual Qi; it was mainly the Defensive Spirit Light that consumed large amounts of stored Spiritual Qi.

If they shut down the Defensive Spirit Light, the Ruyi Nine Tripod Array on the Flying Boat could begin storing Spiritual Qi again.

"Yes, sir!"

The soldier repeated the order, then loudly used the Command Talisman to issue the directive to the soldiers in the control cabin. He only deactivated the Command Talisman after they repeated the order back to him.

After successfully commanding the Flying Boat to escape the Demon Sect’s pursuit, Yang Jing’s prestige among the soldiers had risen considerably. After all, not every officer was willing to expend a great deal of their Magical Power to protect their subordinates in a crisis.

Yang Jing nodded.

The windstorm was about to end. Once it did, they could return to the sky.

If he could help it, he truly did not want to remain at sea any longer.

After issuing the directives, Yang Jing returned to his personal cabin.

Zuoqiu Feng was sitting cross-legged on his Meditation Cushion, Refining an Elixir to recover her Vitality. Spiritual Qi was scarce on the Flying Boat, so she could only recover by Refining a Five Elements Pill.

When she saw Yang Jing approach, she opened her eyes, spread her arms, and burrowed into his embrace, clinging to him as her long, silky hair cascaded down. If anyone from the Zuoqiu Family saw the True Phoenix of the Zuoqiu clan acting so meek and dependent, their jaws would surely drop.