"Wuwu!"
The monstrous beast, utterly oblivious, let out two more urgent cries. Then, waves gathered once more, sweeping in with overwhelming might.
"Enclose!"
Bai Shengyi’s face darkened. Her Samsara Brush appeared, and with a slight movement of her left hand, the character "Enclose" shot towards the beast!
With a tap of her toes, vines sprouted from beneath her feet, burrowing into the vast seabed. Her spiritual power and the semi-circular barrier drawn by the Samsara Brush formed a double layer of protective shields, safeguarding both herself and Feng Wuya.
"Splash!"
Seawater, reeking of foul odors, descended. Under the crushing water pressure, Bai Shengyi silently closed in on the beast…
The moment the water receded, Bai Shengyi whipped her lash violently towards the temporarily immobilized beast!
"Wuwu!"
"Crack!"
The whip landed with a dull thud, no more effective than a tickle, only further enraging the beast. It cried out in urgency, beginning to gather waves again.
"What are you doing? Are you trying to get us killed!"
Not far away, Bai Murong shouted in despair.
She had also accidentally fallen into the sea, and it was Li Shiqing's quick reflexes that pulled her back onto the shore.
Although Li Shiqing's movements were swift, she had inevitably gotten stained with those dark, dirty, and foul-smelling substances.
Bai Murong truly hated Bai Shengyi. If it weren't for Bai Shengyi, Li Shiqing might have already taken her away from this area, avoiding this encounter with the beast.
"Don't spout utter nonsense and spew filth from your mouth!"
Feng Wuya, who had been stunned by Bai Shengyi’s sudden change in strategy to counter-attack, heard Bai Murong's words and immediately retorted, "She's dealing with the beast! If you don't want to help, at least don't slander her. How can you be so wicked!"
"I… I didn't!" Bai Murong had never been scolded like this by a male cultivator before. Her eyes widened in grievance, and tears began to stream down her face.
She recognized Feng Wuya as someone from an reclusive family and felt an intense jealousy that Bai Shengyi could garner such protection from a man of extraordinary background.
Clenching her fists, she tugged at Li Shiqing's sleeve, "Sister Li, how can they think of me like that? It's clearly Sheng Yi…"
"Rongrong! Don't cry. Once I help Fellow Daoist Bai defeat this beast, we'll be safe." Li Shiqing, however, kept her gaze fixed on Bai Shengyi's battle in the distance and abruptly interrupted her. "I'll leave my flying sword with you. Don't wander off."
"Sister Li!"
Bai Murong watched as her sleeve was brushed away, now empty. Li Shiqing had already rushed towards Bai Shengyi, and she was utterly astonished.
"You're all mad! You're all mad! That's a beast at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage. How can you possibly defeat it!" Bai Murong stood on the flying sword, her heart filled with panic.
But it wasn't just Li Shiqing and Bai Shengyi who were "mad."
"Fellow Daoist Bai, I'll help you!"
"Me too!"
…
Seeing someone had managed to trap the beast, the other cultivators, though still afraid, thought that with so many of them, could they really not deal with a mere shapeshifted beast?
Thus, those who still had the strength to resist began to move towards Bai Shengyi!
"Slap, slap, slap!"
Bai Shengyi landed several more lashes on the beast, but they still didn't inflict significant damage.
She circled the struggling beast, a headache forming.
"Fellow Daoist Bai, what's wrong?" Feng Wuya was the first to reach Bai Shengyi's side.
Bai Shengyi spread her hands. "This beast has no consciousness, and I can't find its eyes or mouth. What species is it?"
"I don't recognize it." Feng Wuya's expression was also solemn. "Let me try."
As he spoke, the small handkerchief in his hand transformed into a long sword and lunged at the beast.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound echoed, and the long sword reverted back into a small handkerchief.
"Stop wasting your spiritual energy. This isn't a monstrous beast, it's a spirit beast called a Sun-Devouring Corpse. Its aura just resembles that of a monstrous beast," a female cultivator wearing a snow-white ice-silk veil called out from not far away.
Feng Wuya's eyes lit up when he saw her. "Sister Feihua, you're here too. Do you know the weakness of this spirit beast?"
He was genuinely excited. Luo Feihua was the sister of the heir of the Luo family, one of the reclusive families. Although she hadn't reached Foundation Establishment yet, her strength was still not to be underestimated, especially since the Luo family was the only one among the fifteen great families to pass down their techniques through beast taming.
Luo Feihua completely ignored Feng Wuya, instead nodding at Bai Shengyi and Li Shiqing.
"Fellow Daoist Bai's initial idea was correct, but the Sun-Devouring Corpse has no mouth. Its only weakness is its eyes. Its eyes are also where it emits the 'wuwu' sound. You must find its eyes."
Upon hearing this, and seeing the others rush to help, Bai Shengyi's heart stirred.
She called out loudly, "This net of mine can only trap it for another quarter of an hour. Esteemed fellow cultivators, could I trouble you all to help me find its eyes?"
She knew that her strength alone would surely not be as effective as the combined efforts of so many people.
"Since this is just a spirit beast, its strength will definitely not exceed the late Foundation Establishment stage. If we all work together, we can still eliminate it quickly!" Bai Shengyi reasoned.
She wasn't just making empty promises to the crowd. The assessment had a time limit, and escaping for a quarter of an hour wouldn't get them very far. It was better to join forces and eliminate this hidden danger first.
"Alright, I'll go to the seabed first." Li Shiqing was the first to speak. Without looking at Bai Shengyi, she plunged into the seawater.
Bai Shengyi ignored her and addressed the crowd, "Are there any others willing to go into the water?"
The crowd was silent for a moment, and only two male cultivators stepped forward.
"I'll go down with you," Bai Shengyi said.
"Fellow Daoist Bai!" Feng Wuya frowned, disagreeing. "You have wood spiritual energy; it's better not to go into the water."
Besides, the water below was foul and pungent. Even he, a man, couldn't stand it. How could a young lady endure it? Li Shiqing was an exception, as she had water spiritual roots, making her more comfortable in the water than on the surface.
Bai Shengyi understood his concerns, but if others were coming to help, she couldn't push all the difficult, dirty, and dangerous tasks onto them, could she?
Moreover, these two cultivators were only at the Qi Condensation stage. If anything happened, she could provide assistance.
She shook her head at Feng Wuya. "I'm fine. The depths are dangerous, and three people are too few. Someone has to go. Also, I'm worried about Chu Tianle, so it's better to go down and check. You and Fellow Daoist Luo, please focus on searching the area above."
"I'll leave the surface to you all!" Bai Shengyi cupped her fists towards the crowd and, along with the two male cultivators, leaped into the water with a "plop."
"Let's go. Everyone be careful. The Sun-Devouring Corpse can control water waves, but that's its only trick. Moreover, the closer you get to itself, the smaller the water waves around it. So, with Fellow Daoist Bai's net, we are still quite safe."
Since only Luo Feihua was familiar with the Sun-Devouring Corpse, it was natural that everyone on the surface followed her command.
Although Feng Wuya was worried about Bai Shengyi and Chu Tianle, he also knew that now was not the time to look for them. Listening to Luo Feihua's words, he quickly began his search.
He was at the Foundation Establishment stage, making his flight the most free and swift. Therefore, the areas he had to inspect were also the most dangerous, allowing no room for carelessness or distraction.