158: Mutant sea turtles, deep-sea pursuit

At the hour of the Pig along the East Sea coast, fierce winds howled and monstrous waves reached the sky. The originally calm coastline was swept by a sudden Evil Energy tsunami. Black waves dozens of zhang high, mixed with shattered fishing boats and shrill screams, slammed violently against the town's protective dikes. Under the impact of the tsunami, the dikes teetered on the verge of collapse as masonry flew. Coastal commoners supported the elderly and helped the young, fleeing in panic under the cover of Cultivators. The sounds of crying, wind, and waves intertwined, forming a scene of purgatory on earth.

"Roar—!"

A deafening roar echoed from the deep sea as a giant sea turtle, its body having ballooned to dozens of zhang, broke through the waves. Its originally bluish-gray shell was now covered in eerie black evil markings, emitting a dense aura of Evil Energy. Its limbs were as thick as iron pillars, and its claws were as sharp as blades, glinting with a cold light. Its head was several times larger than before, and its eyes were blood-red, filled with violent killing intent. This was exactly the "Evil Sea Beast" mutated after swallowing a fragment of the evil god core.

The Evil Sea Beast acted wantonly on the sea's surface, its massive shell slamming into the dikes. Each impact made the dikes vibrate incessantly as cracks continued to spread. It spat black columns of Evil Energy water from its mouth; wherever the water columns passed, the seawater boiled, fishing boats were instantly corroded into powder, and the Cultivators' protective spiritual power dissipated as quickly as melting snow.

"Beast, cease your insolence!"

A golden stream of light streaked across the sky as Lu Chen arrived like a god of war, holding the holy spirit sword and wearing the holy spirit armor. Seeing the tragic state of the coastal town, a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. The golden-green spiritual light of the holy spirit sword surged as a Sword Qi dozens of zhang long slashed toward the Evil Sea Beast.

*Clang!*

The Sword Qi struck the Evil Sea Beast's shell, producing a deafening boom. The black evil markings flickered as Evil Energy and Holy Spirit Power collided violently, sending sparks flying everywhere. The Evil Sea Beast was knocked back repeatedly by the Sword Qi, leaving a shallow sword mark on its shell, but it sustained no substantial damage.

"This Evil Sea Beast's defense is too strong!" Lu Chen's heart tightened. The sea turtle's shell was already incredibly hard, and with the Evil Energy enhancement from the evil god core fragment, its defense had reached a terrifying level.

Just then, the Sea Cultivation Saintess arrived leading dozens of Sea Cultivator warriors. The blue spiritual light of the heart of the ocean spread out, forming a massive water curtain barrier that blocked the Evil Sea Beast's next tsunami attack. "Lu Chen, this Evil Sea Beast's Evil Energy originates from the Black Stone Fragment inside its body. As long as we remove the fragment, it can return to normal; otherwise, it will only become increasingly violent!"

"I know, but its defense is too strong, I can't even get close!" Lu Chen said in a heavy voice. He swung the holy spirit sword again, and Sword Qi fell like raindrops onto the Evil Sea Beast, yet it remained unable to break through the shell's defense.

Enraged by their attacks, the Evil Sea Beast roared at the sky. Evil Energy surged around it, and the black seawater gathered into a massive vortex, drawing Lu Chen and the Sea Cultivation Saintess inside. The vortex was filled with corrosive Evil Energy, causing their protective spiritual lights to dim rapidly, putting them in a precarious situation.

"holy spirit cauldron · Evil Suppression!"

At this critical moment, a pillar of light interwoven with icy blue and golden-green shot from the horizon, piercing straight into the center of the vortex. Chu Feng, holding the holy spirit cauldron and standing upon a spirit boat, arrived quickly to provide support. The holy spirit cauldron hovered in the air, erupting with dazzling golden light. The holy spirit runes and flame runes engraved on the cauldron's body lit up simultaneously, emitting a powerful suppressing force that instantly tore the black vortex apart.

"Chu Feng, you've arrived at the perfect time!" Lu Chen rejoiced. Chu Feng's holy spirit cauldron could refine filth and evil, making it the key to countering the Evil Sea Beast.

Chu Feng landed beside Lu Chen, the holy spirit cauldron rotating above his head, continuously releasing purification and suppression forces to suppress the surrounding Evil Energy: "I sensed the Evil Energy disturbance in the East Sea while at the Sky-Burning Volcano and rushed here immediately. The energy of the Black Stone Fragment inside this Evil Sea Beast is extremely strong. We must use the holy spirit cauldron to suppress its Evil Energy first before we can extract the fragment."

"Good! We'll divide the work!" Lu Chen said immediately. "Sea Cultivation Saintess, use water Spells to restrain the Evil Sea Beast's movements and stop it from triggering tsunamis; Chu Feng, use the holy spirit cauldron to suppress its Evil Energy with all your might; I will look for its vital point and take the opportunity to extract the Black Stone Fragment!"

"Understood!" the Sea Cultivation Saintess and Chu Feng responded in unison.

The Sea Cultivation Saintess formed hand seals and chanted: "Ocean Power · Sea Binding!" Blue water ropes surged from the sea like countless giant pythons, entwining the Evil Sea Beast's limbs and neck. Although they were quickly snapped by the beast, they successfully restrained its movements.

Chu Feng pushed the power of the holy spirit cauldron to its limit, and the golden suppression force fell upon the Evil Sea Beast like Mount Tai. The Evil Sea Beast let out a pained roar as the Evil Energy within its body was suppressed by the holy spirit cauldron. The black evil markings on its shell dimmed, and its movements became sluggish.

Lu Chen seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The golden-green light of the holy spirit sword surged, and his figure flashed like golden lightning toward the Evil Sea Beast's head. The Evil Sea Beast tried to dodge, but bound by the water ropes and suppressed by the holy spirit cauldron, it couldn't move at all. Lu Chen's holy spirit sword pointed directly at the Evil Sea Beast's left eye—its weakness and the place where the Evil Energy was thinnest.

*Puchi!*

The holy spirit sword pierced accurately into the Evil Sea Beast's left eye. Golden-green spiritual light surged along the blade, rapidly purifying the surrounding Evil Energy. The Evil Sea Beast let out a shrill scream, its massive body shaking violently as it twisted frantically, trying to throw Lu Chen off.

"Chu Feng, give it more strength!" Lu Chen shouted loudly, gripping the holy spirit sword tightly and continuously injecting purification power.

Hearing this, Chu Feng injected all the spiritual power in his body into the holy spirit cauldron. The cauldron's suppression force surged again, and the Evil Sea Beast's struggles grew weaker. The Sea Cultivation Saintess took the opportunity to increase the binding strength of the water ropes, firmly trapping the beast.

Following the path of the left eye, Lu Chen slowly inserted the holy spirit sword deeper to probe inside its body. Soon, he felt a dense aura of Evil Energy—it was the Black Stone Fragment. The fragment was pulsing inside the Evil Sea Beast's body, emitting powerful Evil Energy that nourished the beast's form.

"Found it!" Lu Chen rejoiced. He circulated his spiritual power, and the tip of the holy spirit sword erupted with a strong suction force, attempting to pull the Black Stone Fragment out. But the fragment seemed fused with the Evil Sea Beast's body and wouldn't budge at all.

"It seems I can only cut it out with the holy spirit sword!" A flash of determination crossed Lu Chen's eyes. He twisted the holy spirit sword sharply, carving a wound inside the Evil Sea Beast as black evil blood gushed out. Seizing the chance, he reached into the wound and grabbed the Black Stone Fragment.

The fragment felt ice-cold in his hand, emitting Evil Energy even more active than before as it tried to break free from Lu Chen's palm. Lu Chen gripped the fragment tightly and recited the formula for the Black Stone Purification Art. Holy Spirit Power surged from his palm into the fragment, temporarily suppressing its Evil Energy.

"Roar—!"

As the Black Stone Fragment was removed, the Evil Sea Beast let out an unwilling roar. The Evil Energy within it dissipated rapidly, and its massive body began to shrink. Its originally violent eyes gradually regained clarity. However, because the Evil Energy had corroded it too deeply, its life force was also fading fast. Finally, it crashed heavily onto the sea's surface, kicking up a massive spray, its breath completely gone.

Lu Chen put away the Black Stone Fragment and sighed as he looked at the thousand-year-old sea turtle that had returned to its original state. This turtle should have spent a thousand years peacefully in the deep sea, but due to the contamination of the evil god fragment, it had met such an end.

The Sea Cultivation Saintess stepped forward to examine the turtle's corpse, her eyes full of regret: "Its Origin has been completely corroded by Evil Energy. Even with the fragment removed, it cannot survive."

Chu Feng put away the holy spirit cauldron and looked at the Black Stone Fragment in Lu Chen's hand, his brow furrowed: "This fragment is more active than the one we saw at Tongtian Peak, and its Evil Energy is stronger. It seems its power increased after devouring the sea turtle's Origin."

Lu Chen nodded. His spiritual sense probed the fragment, and he could clearly feel the pure Evil Energy contained within, several times stronger than the fragments after they had first split. "These fragments possess strong devouring and evolution capabilities. If we don't recover them quickly, I fear they will cause an even greater crisis."

Just then, the three of them simultaneously sensed a disturbance in the water below. They looked down to see that where the Evil Sea Beast had fallen, the seawater was turning darker, like ink. Amidst the silt on the seabed, patches of tiny black algae were actually growing. These algae emitted a faint Evil Energy and were growing rapidly, spreading continuously.

"This is..." The Sea Cultivation Saintess's expression changed. "These black algae were spawned after being contaminated by Evil Energy. They can absorb the energy of the seawater and Evil Energy to reproduce rapidly. If not cleared in time, they might cover the entire East Sea floor and further pollute the marine environment."

Lu Chen thought to himself: It seems the harm caused by the evil god fragments is far more serious than imagined. They can not only contaminate marine life but also spawn malevolent plants and destroy the marine ecosystem.

"Chu Feng, stay in the East Sea for now and assist the Sea Cultivator Clan in recovering the scattered Black Stone Fragments while also clearing these black algae," Lu Chen said solemnly. "I will take this fragment back to the Continental Council and have the Hundred Herbs Valley and Artifact Refining Pavilion study purification methods to find a way to completely eliminate the fragments' Evil Energy as soon as possible."

"Alright!" Chu Feng nodded in response. "Don't worry, I will fully assist the Sea Cultivation Saintess and strive to recover all the fragments and purify the East Sea soon."

The Sea Cultivation Saintess also said, "Lu Chen, be careful on your way. We will push forward the fragment recovery work in the East Sea as quickly as possible. If there's any situation, we'll notify you immediately."

Lu Chen nodded and, without further delay, turned and flew toward the Continental Council. The Black Stone Fragment in his hand emitted a faint Evil Energy, like a hot potato. He knew the crisis in the East Sea was not yet over; the scattered fragments, the spawning black algae, and the contaminated marine environment all needed to be resolved one by one. And all of this was merely a small interlude before the thousand-year deadline; even greater challenges awaited them.

On the surface of the East Sea, the wind and waves gradually calmed. The people of the coastal towns began to return to their homes, clearing debris and rebuilding. The Sea Cultivator warriors and Chu Feng steered spirit boats toward the deep sea, beginning the arduous task of recovering Black Stone Fragments and clearing the black algae. Deep beneath the ocean, those scattered Black Stone Fragments were still emitting Evil Energy, and the black algae continued to spread. A battle for the ecology of the East Sea and the peace of the continent had only just begun.