Jiang Wang chose the circuitous route, for the distance to the floating island was exceedingly vast, offering no guarantee of safety. Yet, to Jiang Wang, Granny Bamboowisp represented a greater peril than the sea race.

The sea race was, without doubt, far mightier. However, the sea race was, after all, unaware of Jiang Wang’s identity. Unless he stumbled directly upon them, they would not specifically target him.

He needed to acclimate himself to this environment, and it would be best to lay groundwork in advance, securing a geographical advantage. Just as he had initially chosen to await Hai Zongming at Camel Peak Mountain, so as to maximally diminish the power of the latter’s water element Dao techniques.

He was certain that Granny Bamboowisp was lurking in the inner perimeter, guarding him, while he was positioned in the outer perimeter, guarding Granny Bamboowisp. This was a gamble.

If Granny Bamboowisp possessed sufficient patience to constantly guard near the floating island without moving, and focused more energy on squatting than on hunting the sea race for Jiang Wang, then he certainly could not complete his sin-washing ahead of time. He would be forced to seek supplies at the floating island. In that scenario, the geographical advantage would lie with Granny Bamboowisp.

Jiang Wang resolved to take this gamble. To entrust victory to mere good fortune was foolish. However, he gambled not on luck, but on his own judgment of Granny Bamboowisp.

He could choose not to gamble, and directly hunt the sea race, striving to complete his sin-washing sooner. But there was no knowing when Granny Bamboowisp might catch up. In a sudden encounter, what was tested most was the true combat power of both sides. Jiang Wang was undoubtedly at a disadvantage. To win, and to win swiftly, he needed instead to wait.

It was after “passing by” the fifth colossal stone that Jiang Wang discovered, within the labyrinthine world, these suspended colossal stones were not fixed in place. To confirm this finding, he retraced his steps. The distance between the two colossal stones had indeed shortened, and their positions had shifted.

The movement of the colossal stones was agonizingly slow, and due to the lack of fixed reference points, it was exceedingly difficult to discern. The crucial implication of this discovery was that the idea of using the colossal stones as beacons to construct a mental map was rendered futile. A thing that could not be anchored could not, of course, serve as a beacon.

More lamentable was that Jiang Wang had originally planned to make special arrangements on certain colossal stones, in order to lure Granny Bamboowisp there later. This, too, was now clearly unfeasible. By the time he painstakingly lured Granny Bamboowisp to that spot, the colossal stone would likely have carried his arrangements away with it.

Fortunately, there was the directional instrument. Otherwise, let alone ambushing Granny Bamboowisp, even avoiding becoming lost would be a significant challenge.

This was the eighth black dot Jiang Wang encountered. Although the colossal stones shifted, Jiang Wang still subconsciously recorded some information. It might not necessarily be useful, but having more preparations was never a bad thing.

When this black dot gradually revealed its outline in his field of vision, Jiang Wang realized it was not a colossal stone, but a fish.

A fish approximately three *zhang* long and two *zhang* high, with black scales and a gaping maw filled with interweaving sharp teeth. It swam through the air, and had clearly already spotted Jiang Wang. With a sudden acceleration, it surged towards him!

This was the first sea beast Jiang Wang had encountered in the labyrinthine world, and it greatly surprised him. Not because this sea beast was too powerful, but… too weak. Compared to the eight-tentacled sea beast Jiang Wang had previously slain near Youxia Island, it was vastly inferior.

The black giant fish crashed near him, its maw of sharp, interweaving teeth opening wide, a pungent fishy odor assailing his senses. Jiang Wang drew his sword! A single, elegant vertical sword stroke appeared in the air.

Before the black giant fish could reach Jiang Wang, its entire body was severed in half from the middle. Propelled by inertia, the two halves sped away from Jiang Wang on either side. Internal organs, fresh blood, chunks of flesh – each flew in a different direction.

Truly too weak, possessing at most the combat power of a cultivator in the Zhou Tian realm. Was this a young sea beast, or perhaps, the weakest type of sea beast? Before this, Jiang Wang’s concept of the strength of sea beasts was based on that eight-tentacled sea beast, leading him to believe they should, at the very least, possess the combat power of an Inner Mansion realm cultivator.

But the sea beast he encountered in the labyrinthine world was entirely different from his expectations. The eight-tentacled sea beast encountered at Youxia Island, though out of control and driven by madness, still exuded a palpable influence over yuan force, possessing the instinct to manipulate it and unleash spells. The one he encountered now, however, possessed only pure physical strength, devoid of any intelligence.

It felt more akin to a fierce beast, yet without the bloodthirsty madness of one. Or perhaps, in terms of physical strength, it was similar to a fierce beast. In terms of intelligence, it was like an ordinary wild beast.

As the giant fish’s death throes and inertial momentum dissipated, its body, internal organs, and blood instantly scattered. Some floated upwards, some fell downwards, some drifted left, some drifted right… It looked as though it had been torn apart by five horses, the bloody scent scattering widely at once.

Jiang Wang immediately retreated. When he had flown a considerable distance and looked back, he discovered thirteen black dots had appeared there! He knew they could not be floating colossal stones.

Thereafter, Jiang Wang encountered two more sea beasts. He tested them slightly and found that these sea beasts were indeed relatively weak. The black giant fish was not an isolated case. This was also quite reasonable; any racial group had strong and weak individuals. Human cultivators who tamed sea beasts would certainly choose to capture the powerful ones.

But Jiang Wang had a vague feeling that it might not be entirely so. This area was very far from the floating island and belonged entirely to the wilderness. The combat power of sea beasts should be at an average level, and they shouldn’t be this weak… unless, this was the common level of combat power among sea beasts, and the truly powerful ones were exceedingly rare.

The anomaly appeared with his fourth encountered sea beast. By this time, he had already passed ten colossal stones. It was a frog-shaped sea beast with a large belly and face, green skin, red eyes, and a pair of curved horns on its head like those of a water buffalo. With a kick of its hind legs, it leaped high, descending like a small mountain.

This sea beast, compared to the previous three he had encountered, was stronger. It should possess the combat power of a Tong Tian realm cultivator. It was definitely stronger than ordinary Tong Tian realm cultivators, but it would not be a match for a Teng Long realm cultivator.

But most importantly, suspended from the two curved horns of this frog-shaped sea beast was a woven vine chair. And on that vine chair sat a burly figure. Two large axes stood at its feet, one in each hand, serving as supports.

A sea race member! Only then did Jiang Wang realize he had encountered the first sea race member since entering the labyrinthine world. He had truly made contact with the sea race.

The moment he saw the other, that figure had already soared upwards, flying higher and faster than the frog-shaped sea beast. It was the first to raise its large axe and chop down! It had a pair of blue eyes, was bald, and wore plate armor. The arms holding the axes were knotted with muscle. Before the figure itself had fully descended, the explosive whistling of wind-breaking sound had already arrived.

There was no communication. Between the human race and the sea race, meeting in the wilderness, there was no need for communication to begin with. And the fact that Jiang Wang could observe him so clearly in the flash of lightning and flint, and even have the leisure to appraise his axe technique, was naturally because… he was stronger!

With just a single horizontal sword draw, sparks flew. That burly sea race member, borrowing the power of the frog-shaped sea beast and the momentum of its own high jump, was still easily repelled by a single sword strike! Obvious nicks had already appeared on the blades of its two large axes.

This sea race member was clearly not foolish. After one strike, it realized it was no match. Instantly, it raised and then dropped its two axes, transforming into giant claws! Before Jiang Wang, a colossal crab-shaped sea beast appeared, its entire crab shell like black iron, its large claws raised like giant axes. Its momentum had not only doubled, but even the Tong Tian realm frog-shaped sea beast that had originally intended to charge forward and bite Jiang Wang now stopped in place, seemingly intimidated by the former’s power.

A thought flashed through Jiang Wang’s mind! This was the kind of sea beast he had encountered at Youxia Island! The sea race and the water race, these two branches of the same origin, were actually already fundamentally different! Could it be… that those tamed guardian sea beasts on the near-sea islands were actually the original forms manifested by the sea race?

(Also, there’s the annual writer event on dian niang. Searching for works can find the author. Top fifty can get a fan title. I just learned about this and found I’m in 105th place? Not bad, huh. Everyone drew a free Wen Hao symbol from the lottery, you can vote for A Shen. We emphasize participation. Don’t spend money, don’t spend money, don’t spend money. Again, emphasize participation, happy salted fish!)