Beads of sweat began to form on Tan Chang's forehead. This was because the hidden, powerful aura had suddenly gone still, as if lurking somewhere in the shadows.

It's a well-known fact that a biting dog never barks. Having once been a shadow of the Jiang Family, Tan Chang was all too aware of this. The other party was likely a formidable enemy!

However, a full day passed, and Tan Chang still hadn't sensed a single trace of the unknown expert's aura.

He's lying in ambush. He's definitely targeting Xu Yiyi!

Hiding in the tree's shadow, Tan Chang strove to slow his breathing and his heartbeat, confident that with his level of stealth, his opponent hadn't discovered him yet.

"No matter who you are, or what your purpose is, don't even think about harming the person I'm protecting!" Tan Chang snorted coldly, his nerves tightening as he expanded his Divine Sense to monitor any disturbance within a one-mile radius.

「Atop the canopy」

A snake, approximately three meters long, was coiled on a branch, its black markings giving it a dangerous appearance. It silently flicked its forked tongue, staring for a long time at Tan Chang below. It couldn't understand what this human was doing, lying in a tree's shadow for an entire day.

Closing its eyes, it released its Divine Sense to carefully scan its surroundings. That person still hadn't arrived.

For a moment, an endless chill reflected in She Jiu's greenish pupils.

It had once been an ordinary sea snake in the Pacific Ocean. By chance, it had consumed a floating Spirit Plant, which awakened its intelligence and set it upon the path of cultivation. Through another stroke of fortune, it became a disciple of a Demon King in the Sakura Country and was given the name She Jiu. For the next hundred years, it reigned supreme in those waters.

It had heard that dragons still lived in the distant seas of the East.

She Jiu was unwilling to remain a mere sea snake for the rest of its life. It wanted to shatter the shackles of its species, transform into a flood dragon and then a true dragon, and become the undisputed sovereign of the seas!

And so, She Jiu and his senior brother endured countless hardships to reach the coast of the East Sea—East Sea City—in search of that legendary opportunity. But they encountered resistance from the native Sea Demons. Most who resisted were killed by She Jiu and his senior brother.

Only that damn little conch Sea Demon had resisted time and again, even proclaiming it would "protect the peace across ninety miles of the Eastern Sea."

She Jiu knew well the principle of cutting the weeds by the roots. Moreover, the Sea Demon Beibei's lineage had guarded the East Sea's Dragon Palace Barrier for generations. So, when he heard that Beibei was hunting in this sea area, he rushed over, but—

His target wasn't here!

She Jiu was no fool. He knew he had likely been lured here by false information.

So, who wanted to trick me into coming here? Or is it... an ambush! he thought, his gaze icily fixed on Tan Chang in the shadows as understanding dawned. Could this be a trap set by the Sea Demon Beibei and the humans? It's very likely. Otherwise, why would this human's muscles be so tense, poised to strike? He's clearly prepared for a fight!

HISS...

She Jiu flicked his tongue, a cold sneer on his face. Although his Boundary couldn't compare to a human at the Divine Gate realm, he was only half a step away. His power was immense. In the Sakura Country, the mere mention of his name was enough to silence crying children; he was a demon in every sense of the word.

But this human in the tree's shadow... was pathetically weak!

The Sea Demon Beibei hasn't shown up, so I'll use this human to announce my arrival to the Martial Artists of the Hua Country!

WHOOSH—

She Jiu's figure shot toward Tan Chang like a bolt of lightning.

As a Seventh Grade Martial Ancestor, Tan Chang's Divine Sense was still quite sharp. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin as he activated a Secret Technique to merge completely with the tree's shadow.

BANG!

A deep crater ten meters in diameter was smashed into the ground, sending dust and debris flying everywhere in a shocking display.

"Hmm?" She Jiu's power was ultimately far greater than Tan Chang's. He quickly sensed his true location and sneered, "You're courting death!"

His tail, carrying terrifying power, smashed down viciously on Tan Chang's hiding spot.

With a thunderous crash, Tan Chang was forcibly blasted out of hiding. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, his face a mask of horror.

Because he saw that his attacker was a snake... A Demonic Beast?!

Seriously injured, Tan Chang's mind went blank. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. And it wasn't a land snake. Its beautiful markings and the faint, fishy scent indicated it was a sea snake.

"Where did this Demonic Beast come from..." Tan Chang's face turned deathly pale as he suddenly understood everything.

No wonder. No wonder the Flower Fairy's blessed land wasn't some famous mountain or sacred waters Inland, but the obscure Mount Haitang. It turned out she wasn't just targeting the Jiang Family, but also these creatures from the sea!

But this was no time for deep thoughts. Tan Chang roared, "Who are you? Why are you after Xu Yiyi? I'm a trusted confidant of Senior Flower Fairy!"

Xu Yiyi? Flower Fairy? She Jiu was confused. He couldn't understand what this human was saying, so he decided to just ignore it.

She Jiu's massive body writhed as he opened his cavernous maw, intending to swallow Tan Chang whole.

"Not good!" Tan Chang's expression changed drastically as he tried to retreat. But in a flicker, a terrifying pressure descended, pinning him in place.

This... is suppression by a higher Boundary!

She Jiu's thinking was simple. This human and the Sea Demon Beibei had set a trap to kill him, so he would kill them back with overwhelming force. He was sure his target would eventually show up. Once Beibei appeared, he could find the Dragon Palace's Barrier and seize the chance to defy his fate!

Tan Chang gave a bitter smile. He didn't want to die. He still had so many ambitions left to fulfill.

"Secret Technique—Transfer!"

Gritting his teeth, Tan Chang risked a drop in his Boundary to activate the technique, teleporting a hundred meters away. His figure swayed, on the verge of collapse; he had barely escaped with his life. Thankfully, he had escaped that cavernous mouth.

"Human, you're quite skilled at escaping," She Jiu said, his voice as cold as an ice cave.

RING! RING! RING!

The familiar bell ringing from the kindergarten made Tan Chang's expression change drastically.

Oh no, school's out!

From a distance, Tan Chang saw Xu Yiyi slowly walking out of the school with her backpack on. Anxious, he tried to rush over and protect her, but the backlash from his injuries caused his vision to go black, and he collapsed, unconscious.

She Jiu also saw the group of small children walking toward the gate. The battlefield was only a few hundred meters from the kindergarten.

He suddenly abandoned the critically injured Tan Chang and charged toward the children. Such delicious morsels!

Greed glinted in She Jiu's eyes as his body twisted, flying just above the ground toward the kindergarten gate. But just as he was about to reach them, a foot suddenly stomped down on his body.

"Wow, what a huge snake!" a woman's voice cried out in astonishment.

She Jiu looked up and saw a young man grinning down at him.

"A sea snake?" the man said. "This is a great restorative. Ruan Lan, I'll make you some Snake Gruel later."

"More seafood?" Ruan Lan's face turned green. Though they hadn't had sea snake in the past few days, the mere mention of the word "sea" was enough to make her panic.

"Then we'll have it some other time."

The young man knocked the sea snake under his foot unconscious with a stomp and tossed it into his Storage Space.

This man was none other than Xu Lai, who had come to pick up his daughter after work.

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