Aboard the cruise ship.

The terrifying dark cloud that had emerged in the distance suddenly vanished, causing both the guests and the heads of the wealthy families to widen their eyes in shock.

It appeared so suddenly.

And disappeared just as abruptly.

What on earth was that thing?

On the fourth floor of the ship, Wan Yuanshan, the Family Head of the Wan Family, paced back and forth for a long time before finally stamping his foot. "No, we must send a search party to find the Martial Ancestors."

More than two hours had passed since six o'clock. The twelve people who had set out to cross the sea had all vanished without a trace.

The sentries stationed on Sea Temple Island kept sending messages, confirming that no one had landed.

Every previous competition had been exceptionally bloody and brutal, with only a scant two or three people managing to reach Sea Temple Island alive. But even so, a victor should have been decided by eight o'clock. Instead, everyone was completely in the dark, knowing nothing.

"I support sending a search party," Niu Guihua said, her voice taut with worry. Niu Taishan was her biological brother and the main pillar of the Niu Family.

If her brother died… her status in the Niu Family would plummet, and the Niu Family's position in Hua City would suffer the same fate.

She would rather their family lose this year's *Crossing the Sea* than see Niu Taishan come to any harm. They had to find out what happened, and quickly!

"There are figures in the distance!" Old Jiang Ba squinted toward the horizon. His words sent everyone rushing to the railing to look.

As the dark shapes slowly drew closer, they were identified as Xu Huang, Feng Lang, and the others.

The Martial Ancestors, now awake from their unconscious state, moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, they leaped from the sea's surface onto the fourth-floor deck. Their expressions were grim, and the atmosphere was exceptionally oppressive.

"Brother!" Niu Guihua joyfully grabbed the hand of the tattered-clothed Niu Taishan, inspecting him from head to toe. After confirming her brother was unharmed, she let out a long sigh of relief.

But while some were overjoyed, others grieved.

Su Daiyi's face turned pale. Staggering back two steps, she searched the crowd... Xu Lai was not among them.

Old Jiang Ba clenched his fists and exhaled sharply, slamming the iron railing in frustration.

No one asked where Xu Lai was. Based on the experience of past Crossings, if someone didn't return… it meant they were dead, their body lost to the depths of the sea.

Su Daiyi covered her face and began to sob quietly. For reasons she couldn't explain, the world before her turned to gray, and life seemed to lose all meaning.

"Martial Ancestor Xu," Wan Yuanshan said, suppressing his excitement. He cupped his fist in respect and asked, "May I ask who the victor is this time? Is it my Wan Family?"

Nonsense. The victor is clearly my Ling Family! Ling Chaoyang sneered inwardly but also turned his gaze to Xu Huang, awaiting his answer.

"Elder Wan," Xu Huang said bitterly, "I, Xu Huang, owe you a favor this time. For this *Crossing the Sea*… I lost!"

Wan Yuanshan looked bewildered. "Huh?"

Ling Chaoyang's jubilant smile had just begun to form when it froze on his face. Feng Lang, the Grandmaster his Ling Family had invited, also spoke in a grave voice, "Family Head Ling, I lost as well."

Ling Chaoyang was speechless.

"Sister, our Niu Family failed."

"Family Head Bai, I swear I will give it my all next time. This time… I was defeated."

One by one, all eleven Martial Ancestors announced their defeat.

The Family Heads stared at each other, completely baffled. What was going on? If they all lost, then who won?

"Congratulations, Miss Su. Congratulations, Family Head Jiang." Xu Huang walked over to Su Daiyi and Old Jiang Ba and bowed deeply. "I owe Senior Xu Lai a tremendous favor. If the Su Family or the Jiang Family ever need anything from me, just say the word. I will go through fire and water for you!"

Wan Yuanshan was dumbfounded. Xu Huang was the kind of person who valued personal gain above all else. Why was he being so respectful to this young woman?

But then, Feng Lang, Niu Taishan, and the others also bowed, echoing the same promise.

Wiping away her tears, Su Daiyi gave a self-deprecating scoff. "Mr. Xu is dead. Are you all here to mock me?"

"We wouldn't dare!"

"Mr. Xu isn't dead! He saved us."

"Mr. Xu… was the first to cross the sea."

...

After leaving them, Xu Lai had teleported back for a moment. He had materialized a copper coin taken from Sea Temple Island and floated it before Feng Lang, then returned to Haitang Court.

Both Feng Lang and Xu Huang had snapped out of their shock. They woke Niu Taishan and the others, one by one, and told them how Yomotsu Hiraka and the Thunder God of Sakura Country had died at Xu Lai's hands.

Naturally, Niu Taishan and the other nine Martial Ancestors refused to believe it. That was a Great Demon and a Demon King! How could a member of the Human Race possibly kill a peak Demon King Realm expert?

But when Feng Lang and Xu Huang both swore a Daoist oath, and everyone felt the spiritual energy surging within their bodies, they gradually came to believe it. If not for that, how could they have survived such a catastrophe and even received an opportunity for a breakthrough?

Niu Taishan took the initiative to explain what had happened, but he concealed Xu Lai's true Boundary. He merely said that the group had encountered a powerful enemy and that Xu Lai had turned the tide, saving them all. A cultivator in his twenties at the Divine Gate Realm was something they themselves could barely believe—how could they possibly tell others?

All they could do was brace themselves and say, "Senior Xu Lai's Boundary is far above ours. We... are thoroughly convinced of our loss."

"So, the victors are the Jiang Family and the Su Family?" Old Jiang Ba's vision went black for a moment. Happiness had come so suddenly, so unexpectedly that his heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

Su Daiyi anxiously grabbed Xu Huang's sleeve. "Mr. Xu… is he really not dead?"

In the past, forget an ordinary person, even a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist who dared to grab Xu Huang's clothes would have died without a proper burial. But now, Xu Huang simply nodded, a kind smile on his face. "Yes."

Su Daiyi smiled through her tears. "As long as he's not dead, that's good, that's good…"

Her smile brightened the night sky, making even the cold sea breeze feel incredibly warm.

This scene was a revelation to the Martial Ancestors. No wonder a peerless expert like Xu Lai would intervene on behalf of the Su Family—it was all for the Su Family's young miss.

We must get closer to the Su Family in the future. All the Martial Ancestors had the same thought. With a peerless expert like Xu Lai backing them from the shadows, the Su Family's future was limitless.

Meanwhile, Wan Yuanshan, Ling Chaoyang, and the other Family Heads all let out a long, collective sigh. They knew that from this day forward, the Su Family of Hangcheng and the Jiang Family of Liu City would hold immense sway in the Jiangnan region. So much so that other families could not afford to ignore them. They might even be able to make their voices heard in Jiangbei.

「Haitang Court.」

As expected, Xu Yiyi was still awake. Dressed in cute little bear pajamas, she was lying on Ruan Tang's lap, reading a children's book.

"Mommy, it's already 8:28 PM. Why isn't Daddy home yet?" Xu Yiyi whispered. "Does he have another lady friend…?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Ruan Tang said helplessly, putting down the fashion magazine she had been reading on the sofa.

"But Qian Xiao told me that men turn bad when they get rich. What if Daddy is hiding a secret stash of money?" Xu Yiyi worried.

Xu Lai was speechless. Having just teleported home, he overheard his daughter already plotting against him.

Standing behind the sofa, he reached out and tickled Yiyi's little feet, feigning a fierce voice. "Talking bad about me again, are you!"

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