75: Chapter 75 Demons!! Demons!!

The person in the lead was not the expected naval commander, but an elderly man wearing purple robes and a high crown, with a refined, thin face, holding a jade ruyi. His Aura was as deep as the sea; he was clearly also a master of the Dragon Elephant Realm!

Judging by his attire and bearing, he was likely a prominent figure sent by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau of the imperial court.

Behind him stood three people side by side.

The person on the left, with red hair and a short beard, possessed an Aura as heavy and steady as a mountain; it was none other than Li Chongshan.

The person in the middle was a slightly chubby, fair-faced middle-aged man dressed in luxurious brocade robes; his smile was gentle, but sharp glints appeared in his eyes, suggesting he was the head of the Zhou family.

The person on the right was a tall, thin, cold-faced elderly man with a sword at his waist; naturally, he was the head of the Wang family.

The heads of the three great clans were all gathered here!

Standing half a step ahead of the three family heads was another person.

He wore dark black battle armor embroidered with golden ocean wave patterns. He wore no helmet, revealing a square, resolute face of about forty years old, with thick eyebrows like blades, a high bridge of the nose, and tightly pursed lips. His gaze carried an iron-blooded majesty born from long years on the battlefield and commanding thousands of troops.

Most striking were his eyes, which were a rare dark gold. As his gaze swept over the sea, it was so sharp it seemed capable of piercing through the water, reaching straight into the abyss!

"That is... Naval Inspector Xu Zhaoyang!"

On the storied ship, a well-informed physician exclaimed in shock.

"Xu Zhaoyang? That Inspector Xu who, ten years ago in the 'Angry Dragon Sea Battle', fought against overwhelming odds, slaying thirteen Viscera Burning Realm pirate leaders in a row, personally killed the head of the 'Angry Dragon Pirates', and was personally bestowed the title 'General Who Pacifies the Seas' by Your Majesty?!"

"It is indeed him! It is said that he entered the Dragon Elephant Realm many years ago, his cultivation is unfathomable, and he is the number one master of the military in Donghai Prefecture!"

The crowd was in an uproar, looking at the dark-armored figure with awe.

Even the Naval Inspector had personally taken the field! This showed how much the imperial court valued this matter!

Jiang Hanzhou's gaze also fell upon Xu Zhaoyang.

This Inspector did not radiate a terrifying Aura, but standing there, he was like a needle that calms the sea, making people involuntarily feel a sense of stability.

The vigor of the Qi and blood within his body was so immense that even from such a distance, Jiang Hanzhou could faintly perceive that terrifying power, like a dormant volcano, yet condensed like steel.

Just as everyone was whispering, Xu Zhaoyang on the ship's tower moved.

He did not order an attack, nor did he speak much with the old man from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau or the three family heads beside him; he simply stepped forward to the railing at the bow of the ship.

Then, under the gaze of countless eyes, he flipped his right hand, and an object appeared in his palm.

It was a rope about three feet long, entirely dark gold in color, with its surface covered in fine, scale-like patterns.

At one end of the rope was tied a golden hook carved into the shape of a Dragon head, gleaming with a cold light.

"Is that... the Dragon-Binding Rope?" someone whispered uncertainly.

Xu Zhaoyang held the golden rope, his gaze like lightning, sweeping across the sea area below, which was shrouded in a pale golden light net.

Dark golden luster swirled in his pupils, as if he could see through the scene beneath the seawater.

After a few breaths, a sharp light exploded in his eyes!

"Found you!"

The low shout resounded like a thunderclap; even across a distance of a hundred zhang, it clearly reached the ears of everyone on the storied ships behind, shaking their minds.

Before the words had faded, Xu Zhaoyang's figure was already like a giant roc spreading its wings, leaping down from the ten-zhang-high ship tower!

It was not a light glide, but rather like a meteorite falling to the ground, carrying the force of ten thousand jun, crashing straight toward the sea below!

"Inspector!" an officer exclaimed.

However, Xu Zhaoyang's downward momentum suddenly slowed as he approached the sea surface, and the dark golden rope in his hand was violently whipped out!

"Whoosh—!"

The golden rope broke through the air, emitting a shrill whistle, and the Dragon-headed golden hook at the end turned into a golden thread, piercing straight into the seawater!

It was not a random throw, but an incredibly precise shot toward a certain spot!

Just as the golden hook submerged into the seawater—

"Rumble—!!!"

The previously calm sea surface suddenly exploded with a massive water column over ten zhang in diameter!

The water column shot into the sky, reaching dozens of zhang high, as if a volcano had erupted on the seabed!

At the same time, the sky changed suddenly!

The previously bright sunshine was instantly obscured by thick, dark clouds that surged from nowhere!

The dark clouds were like ink, rolling and gathering, pressing low over the sea surface. Electric snakes darted through the clouds, and thunder rumbled, as if the heavens were enraged!

A violent wind rose from nowhere, whipping up vicious waves several zhang high. The eight naval warships swayed violently in this sudden storm; if not for the sturdy hulls and the faint stabilization of the Formation, they would likely have capsized long ago!

And within that massive water column, a gigantic black shadow slowly emerged.

The first to emerge from the water was a pair of hideous giant horns, curved like a crescent moon, yet as massive as the main mast of a storied ship!

The horns were dark purple, covered in rough nodules and spiral patterns, with tips gleaming with a ghostly cold light.

Following that was a massive head, like a small mountain, covered in thick, dark cyan skin!

The head resembled a giant python but was even more hideous. On top of its head grew those giant horns, and in the center of its forehead was a single vertical eye, with twisted black blood vessels covering its eyelids.

On both sides of the head were two rows of six scarlet compound eyes in total, each the size of a millstone. At this moment, they all opened simultaneously, shooting out rays of violent, chaotic, and endlessly malicious light!

Its giant mouth slowly opened, revealing three rows of staggered, guillotine-like sharp teeth that glimmered with a metallic cold light. Deep in its throat was rolling pitch-black darkness, as if connected to a bottomless abyss.

Ink-green saliva, exuding a foul and filthy stench, dripped from between its teeth. As it fell into the sea, it actually made a "hissing" corrosive sound, emitting billowing green smoke!

As the head rose completely, the massive body connected beneath it, winding like a mountain range, also gradually emerged from the sea.

The body was unimaginably thick, with a diameter of at least over five zhang, covered in heavy scales of mixed dark cyan and ink-black. Each scale was the size of a tabletop, with edges as sharp as knives, and foul mucus flowing over the surface.

On both sides of its body were dozens of pairs of short but strong appendages, ending in sharp hooks, which paddled in the water, churning up monstrous waves.

Even more terrifying was that on the monster's exposed back grew countless black flesh-tentacles, twisting and squirming like octopus tentacles. At the tip of each tentacle was a suction-cup mouthpart filled with fine teeth, dancing crazily and making teeth-grinding "hissing" sounds!

Its total length was likely over a hundred zhang!

Most of its body was still hidden beneath the sea surface, but the exposed part was already like a moving mountain of terror!

"This... this is... a Monster?!"

On the storied ship, all the physicians, including several old Jianghu veterans, were now pale as paper, trembling all over, their teeth chattering, barely able to stand.

The Aura emitted by the monster was like solid ice water mixed with filthy mud, instantly engulfing the entire sea area!

Chilly, violent, chaotic, insane, hateful... all sorts of negative emotions surged like a tide, battering everyone's minds!

Many physicians with weaker cultivation immediately had bloodshot eyes, rapid breathing, and Heart Demons arising; they were on the verge of going mad!

Jiang Hanzhou gripped the ship's railing tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His pupils contracted like needles, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible giant hand; every beat was heavy and difficult.

Fine cold sweat oozed from his forehead, and the clothes on his back were instantly soaked.

It was not fear, but his body's most instinctive trembling and warning when facing an existence far beyond its own level, capable of posing a destructive threat!

This monster... was too strong!

Strong to the point of being unimaginable!

Merely being affected by its Aura, Jiang Hanzhou felt that his own Viscera Burning Realm Major Achievement cultivation, which he had worked hard to cultivate until now and which was enough to look down on his peers, was as small as an ant looking up at a mountain in front of this monster!

That Monster Qi, vast as the sea and filthy as an abyss, far exceeded any Martial Artist he had ever seen, and even... far exceeded Dragon Elephant Realm masters like Li Chongshan and Xu Zhaoyang!

If he were to face this monster, let alone fight, it would likely only take a casual swipe of its claw or a single breath for it to smash him to pieces, not leaving even a scrap behind!

Was this, then, a Monster?

Was this the existence that was completely different from humanity, representing pure destruction and filth... a natural enemy?!

Jiang Hanzhou took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his churning Qi and blood and his palpitating mind, but an unprecedented light erupted in his eyes.

In that light, there was shock and awe, but deeper down, there was a nearly burning... inquiry and desire.

He wanted to know, how exactly did such an existence come to be?

How to fight it?

And how should humanity... contend with it?!

At this moment, the monster's fully revealed, massive body suddenly shuddered, and its six scarlet compound eyes locked simultaneously onto Xu Zhaoyang, who was hovering in mid-air holding the golden rope.

"Roar—!!!"

An indescribable roar erupted from its giant, tooth-filled mouth!

The sound was not merely a loud noise, but a terrifying demonic sound mixed with mental shock, filthy erosion, and spatial tremors!

Wherever the sound waves passed, the sea surface exploded, the air twisted, and even the pale golden Monster-catching light net fluctuated violently!

Xu Zhaoyang bore the brunt of it, but his figure was as steady as a mountain, and the golden rope in his hand suddenly pulled taut!

At the other end of the golden rope, that Dragon-headed golden hook was clearly hooked deeply into the gaps between the scales on the monster's back!

The monster felt the pain and twisted its body crazily, turning the sea and sky upside down!

The great battle was on the verge of breaking out!