"No way, Daoist Bai, I thought we were at least friends?" Feng Wuya stretched his voice exaggeratedly. "It's not strange for friends to lend a hand."
After speaking, he held his small handkerchief to wipe the bloodstains from his face.
Bai Shengyi did not speak, but looked at Chu Tianle, "And you, what are you here for?"
Chu Tianle suddenly had an epiphany.
He suddenly realized that Bai Shengyi might not be angry that he didn't help her yesterday, but because his attitude had favored Sister Li from the start.
He was Bai Shengyi's teammate. Even if he liked Sister Li, he had to fulfill his duties as a teammate first.
Moreover, it was he himself who had actively sought to team up with Bai Shengyi.
"I'm sorry." Chu Tianle looked at Bai Shengyi earnestly and repeated, "I'm sorry about what happened yesterday."
"Shengyi, I know my attitude yesterday disappointed you, and as a teammate, I shouldn't have abandoned you. However, there's one thing I still want to tell you, you and Sister Li might really have a misunderstanding..."
He watched Bai Shengyi's increasingly indifferent expression and his voice faded, "Never mind, consider it as if I didn't say anything. Actually, some things, I haven't figured them out yet."
"Daoist Bai, ignore him, he's just a lunatic drunkard."
Feng Wuya slapped Chu Tianle on the back and said to Bai Shengyi, "Let's talk about something practical, isn't the sky getting dark too early?"
Feng Wuya's words made both Bai Shengyi and Chu Tianle's hearts tighten. They couldn't care about anything else and quickly became alert, observing the surrounding situation.
They saw that the sky, which had been clear and bright moments ago, suddenly seemed to have had its sunlight stolen, causing darkness all around.
At the same time, the calmness on the sea surface was broken.
"Look!" Not far away, a cultivator shouted, "What is that?"
On the deep blue sea surface, wisps of black smoke emerged, the waves grew higher and higher, and from the center of the surf, a shapeless thing, completely black, emerged.
"Is this a demon beast?" Feng Wuya looked disgusted. It was too monstrously ugly.
Bai Shengyi had already tightened her whip and said to the two, "Regardless of what it is, we have to retreat quickly."
Due to the spiritual power augmentation, Bai Shengyi's senses were more acute than cultivators of the same level. She could clearly see that the thing was not its lower body in the water, but suspended in the air above the sea.
To be able to do this, if it were a demon beast, it would be at least fifth tier, equivalent to the late stage of Foundation Establishment for humans.
"You're right."
Neither Chu Tianle nor Feng Wuya had any objections.
They only had an hour, and if they encountered this unknown monster, they didn't know how much time it would waste.
"But where should we retreat to?"
The vast sea, boundless and endless, they stood on the sea surface, as insignificant as mosquitoes and flies that had strayed into a pond.
"Got it! I suddenly remembered I have a Yuqing Compass." Feng Wuya took out a compass-like spiritual artifact.
Chu Tianle frowned, "Be serious, isn't this for finding herbs? What use could it possibly have!"
"Chu the Madman, watch your words!" Feng Wuya rolled his eyes and explained, "Have you two forgotten? Qianlian Sea is a dead sea, with nothing in it. Where there are herbs, wouldn't that be the shore?"
"That's not right..."
Bai Shengyi frowned, feeling that Feng Wuya's words seemed a bit off, but she was not familiar with these matters and couldn't quite articulate it.
"Never mind, let's hurry! That thing is coming towards us!" Chu Tianle said urgently, "It really is a fifth-tier demon beast!"
"Go!"
Chu Tianle and Feng Wuya stood on Bai Shengyi's left and right, always ready to help her.
Bai Shengyi sensed the increasingly strong foul smell from behind and could not delay further. She channeled her spiritual energy and followed Feng Wuya at full speed.
"Help!"
"Fellow Daoists, save us!"
"Where is the academy's immortal ship? Where are the seniors? Are they just going to let us die like this?"
...
Realizing that there was a fifth-tier demon beast in Qianlian Sea, the cultivators who had arrived at the sea surface last were close to despair.
Most of them were at the Qi Refining stage. Being able to successfully disembark and reach the sea surface was already the result of their best efforts and complete exhaustion.
But now, there was a high-level demon beast in front of them, and the immortal ship that brought them to Qianlian Sea had disappeared, leaving them with no way out.
"Have the academy's seniors really left?" Bai Shengyi couldn't help but ask.
A fifth-tier demon beast was no easy foe. Without rescue, these Qi Refining cultivators would likely perish.
"Of course not." Chu Tianle pointed to the front right, "Look over there!"
Bai Shengyi followed his gaze and saw a red-clothed man wearing a mask, lazily sitting on a large tiger.
The large tiger flapped its wings, and below, if anyone cried for help, it would open its mouth and carry them up.
Bai Shengyi felt that both the man and the tiger looked somewhat familiar, especially the large tiger, which seemed to be of the same species as Xiao Yuer?
And she didn't know if it was her illusion, but she felt that the tiger and the man seemed to be looking at her as well.
"This is the academy's vice dean. Shengyi, don't worry about the other examinees. The vice dean won't stand by and watch them lose their lives, it's just that their assessment might end here."
Chu Tianle was right. The next moment, a cold and hoarse voice could be heard.
"Those who actively seek help are eliminated!"
No one knew what method the other party used. Bai Shengyi and the others, from such a distance, could still hear it as if it were in their ears.
"Woo..."
"Who is crying?" Feng Wuya asked in confusion.
Bai Shengyi said gravely, "It's not a person crying, it's the sound made by a demon beast. We can't leave."
Just as Bai Shengyi finished speaking, the sea surface suddenly churned with monstrous waves ten zhang high, crashing heavily towards them cultivators!
"Careful!"
Bai Shengyi was suddenly pushed aside by Chu Tianle, and then, the waves instantly submerged Chu Tianle and Feng Wuya!
And after the waves disappeared, both of them had vanished without a trace!
"Chu Tianle! Feng Wuya!"
Bai Shengyi quickly stopped and concentrated all her attention on searching for the two. She called out their names several times, but the waves on the sea surface churned, and there was no response.
Just as she was about to dive into the sea to look for them, she heard Feng Wuya's resigned voice.
"Daoist Bai, don't go into the sea yet."
He kept wiping the dirty black grime from his body, and at the same time, he had to quickly explain to Bai Shengyi.
"There's something at the bottom of the sea, Chu Tianle can handle it. That thing is smelly and dirty, ugh..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but gag, his entire face turned pale, and he swayed unsteadily.
Bai Shengyi quickly pulled him up, "Are you alright?"
Feng Wuya waved his hand, "I was just overwhelmed by the smell. Can't you smell the stench on me?"
He was really about to cry from the smell!
Bai Shengyi had already smelled it. Inadvertently, she took a breath and almost passed out.
"I..." She swallowed the profanity that was about to escape her lips and looked coldly at the culprit who caused all this.