Although Shen Yixuan had also recovered his strength, he wasn’t as blindly optimistic as the others.

As the captain, his intuition told him things weren’t that simple.

’The rules are gone? Why?’

’And the vibration frequency of this seawater... something’s not right!’

He snapped his head up and looked around.

The sea, which had only been turbulent before, was now bubbling furiously like a pot of boiling water!

The clouds in the sky pressed lower and lower, turning as black as ink, as if something terrifying was brewing.

"Let’s go! Don’t stop!"

Shen Yixuan’s expression changed as he shouted.

"What’s there to be afraid of, Captain? We’ve all recovered our strength. We’re not afraid even if there are Demon Beasts..."

A student from Modu Martial Arts University said nonchalantly.

Before his voice had even faded.

SPLASH—! SPLASH—! SPLASH—!

Countless sounds of something breaking the water’s surface rang out, as dense as a torrential downpour!

Below, a dense, overwhelming mass of black shadows burst out from the sea!

They were... flying fish!

But these weren’t ordinary flying fish. Each one was two to three meters long, with sharp, serrated fangs, and emanated a bloodthirsty red glow. They were flying Demon Beasts!

Their numbers... were in the tens of thousands! No, hundreds of thousands, even millions!

As far as the eye could see, the entire surface of the sea was covered by these fish!

They swept toward the group in the air like a black tsunami!

"So many?!"

The student who had been boasting just moments ago instantly turned pale with fright.

If it were a few, or even a few dozen, they wouldn’t have been afraid.

But this was millions of them! A large enough swarm of ants could kill an elephant!

And it wasn’t just the sea!

"SCREEECH—!!!"

In the sky, the circling seabirds suddenly seemed to be stimulated by something. Their eyes turned blood-red as they dove crazily toward the group!

All the Demon Beasts in the entire Spiritless Sea Region had fallen into a state of extreme frenzy and excitement due to the sudden disappearance of the suppressing rules!

This was... a Demon Beast stampede!

"Defense! Form up! Punch through!"

Shen Yixuan waved his folding fan, and a sharp Wind Blade shot out, instantly mincing a swarm of flying fish in front of him.

"Don’t get bogged down! Run!"

Only then did everyone react, flying desperately toward the outer edge.

Fortunately, they were already at the outermost edge of the sea region, and the Demon Beasts they encountered were mostly Low Tier creatures of the Fourth and Fifth Grades.

Although their numbers were terrifying, as long as they weren’t surrounded, they still had a chance if they focused solely on escaping.

Luo Qingyu brandished her long whip like a fiery dragon, lashing away all the approaching Demon Beasts.

Although Qin Feng’s Black Eagle was exhausted, it unleashed astonishing Speed under the boost of its master’s Qi Blood.

Even Xiao Tian, who had been playing dead before, now brought out his Celestial Tier Defense Treasure Armor. Shrouded in a golden light, he charged forward head-on.

"We can’t keep this up! These bastards are getting crazier!"

Zhao Cheng yelled as he hurled fireballs.

As time passed, even more powerful auras seemed to be rushing up from the depths of the sea.

This once-silent, desolate place was now turning into a meat grinder!

...

If the outer edge was just a meat grinder...

Then the depths of the sea region were now a true hell!

There was no dense swarm of Low Tier cannon fodder here, because this was a battlefield for the strong!

Any creature that dared to show its face here was at least a Seventh-Grade Grandmaster Level Demon Beast!

Eighth-Grade Grandmaster Level Sea Beasts were everywhere!

Even... in the deeper darkness, several terrifying auras of the Ninth Grade King Realm were awakening!

Previously, suppressed by the "Mortal Rules," these terrifying deep-sea overlords had been completely held down. They could only lie dormant on the seabed or rely on their physical strength to move.

No one could do anything to anyone else, maintaining a delicate balance.

But now, the shackles were broken!

Their power had returned!

The ferocity suppressed for countless ages erupted completely at this moment!

Fighting for territory! Contending for the throne! Devouring the weak!

RUMBLE—!

Underwater mountains collapsed, and magma spewed forth.

Two behemoths, each over five hundred meters long, were locked in a deadly battle. Every collision stirred up monstrous waves.

And within the cracks of this apocalyptic battlefield...

A tiny, pale-golden sphere of light was being tossed about by the undercurrents, looking extremely precarious.

Gu Yuexi’s face was pale, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.

She was struggling to maintain the Divine Thought Cage, trying to survive amidst the aftershocks of the behemoths’ battle.

’Too dangerous!’

’Just now, the aftershock from the tail swipe of an Eighth-Grade Sea Serpent nearly shattered my shield!’

’If I were at my Peak, I could have slapped these Eighth-Grade and Ninth Grade things to death with a single blow.’

’But now, I can only find ways to avoid them!’

’In a "high-stakes game" like this, it’s like dancing on a knife’s edge!’

’Damn it! Why isn’t this dead mosquito awake yet!’

Gu Yuexi glanced down at Chu Sheng in her arms.

The guy was still asleep!

And the fluctuations of his aura were growing more and more intense.

If Chu Sheng were awake, with his Instant Teleportation Ability, he could escape this chaotic deep sea in an instant.

But now...

’Hmph, it’s fine.’

’With me here, you can sleep soundly!’

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Yuexi’s eyes.

She forcefully squeezed out the Mental Power in her Sea of Consciousness, not only to maintain the shield but also to constantly perceive the changes in the surrounding currents and the auras of the Demon Beasts, predicting their deadly Attacks.

She moved against the current!

Like a fish swimming upstream against a tsunami, she used the gaps and turbulence created by the battling behemoths to inch her way toward the surface.

Several times, she escaped death by a hair’s breadth, grazing past the fangs of those behemoths.

’I, Gu Yuexi, have been reborn! How could I possibly die in a place like this!’

"Break... open!"

With a sharp cry, her Mental Power formed a sharp sword, cleaving open an oncoming undercurrent. She then rushed toward the outer region, taking Chu Sheng with her.

...

「At the edge of the Spiritless Sea Region, high in the sky.」

Two figures stood in mid-air. It was Old Chen from Jing University and the female tutor from Huaqing.

At this moment, both their faces were extremely grim.

They could clearly sense that the once-silent sea region ahead had now turned into a boiling powder keg.

The soaring demonic aura and the chaotic, violent Energy fluctuations made their hearts pound in fear, even from a great distance.

"The rules... have completely collapsed."

Old Chen muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"The Spiritless Sea Region existed because a mysterious power was suppressing it. Now that power is gone. This place... can’t be called the Spiritless Sea Region anymore."

"At best, it’s the ’Former Spiritless Sea Region’."

The female tutor from Huaqing furrowed her brow, her voice anxious.

"This isn’t the time to worry about names! It’s a Demon Beast stampede! If those kids run into it..."

"It’s too dangerous! They could really die!"

She subconsciously prepared to rush in and save them.

"Stop!"

Old Chen grabbed her, his voice deep and serious.

"You can’t go in!"

"Old Chen! Look at the time! Are we just going to stand here and watch them die?!"

The female tutor said angrily.

Old Chen pointed to the empty space above them, then to the distant sea.

"Do you think we’re the only ones here?"

"The White Eagle Empire, Europe, the Sakura Country... how many pairs of eyes are watching this place?"

"This is the ’Desperate Situation Test’! The rules are the rules! The moment a tutor from Great Xia takes a single step inside, regardless of whether they save anyone, Great Xia’s eligibility to compete will be immediately revoked!"

"This Martial Dao competition isn’t that simple! It’s not just about a few students’ lives, it’s about the fate of Great Xia!"

Old Chen’s hand was trembling slightly. It was clear his heart wasn’t as calm as his expression.

But he had to restrain himself.

Great Xia disdained cheating, and besides, he knew it would be useless.

The stakes of this Martial Dao competition were incredibly high, which was why it was being held even at a critical time of Alien Race invasion.

"But..."

The female tutor gritted her teeth, her eyes red-rimmed.

Just as the two were waiting anxiously...

"They’re out!"

Old Chen’s eyes suddenly lit up as he pointed ahead.

Amidst the violent wind and waves, a massive Black Eagle stumbled out.

On the eagle’s back, three figures were desperately fighting off several giant seabirds in pursuit.

It was Qin Feng, Shen Yixuan, and Luo Qingyu!

They looked utterly wretched—soaked to the bone and covered in injuries—but at least their eyes were still clear.

The Black Eagle let out an exhausted cry, on the verge of plunging into the sea.

"Quick, catch them!"

This time, Old Chen didn’t stop her.

Because they had already crossed the boundary line of the desperate situation!

The female tutor from Huaqing flickered, instantly appearing beneath the Black Eagle, and a gentle force caught the falling group.

Immediately after.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Several more figures burst out of the overwhelming Demon Beast tide.

It was Zhao Cheng and the others!

One had to admit, Xiao Tian’s Celestial Tier Defense Treasure Armor was truly effective. Under the dense Attack of the beast tide, it had protected several people as they carved a bloody path out.

At this moment, Xiao Tian was covered in dust and grime. His once-unbeatable arrogance seemed to have been worn down considerably after experiencing a true high-altitude fall and a life-or-death beast tide.

His gaze had become much deeper, no longer as disdainful of everything as before.

"Is everyone out?"

Old Chen’s gaze was like lightning as he quickly scanned the group.

The next second, his heart sank.

One, two, three... nine.

One is missing!