Jiang Wang was of course aware that the sharp-faced sea creature was still hunting him. That conversation overheard through the sea beasts was his opponent’s declaration of challenge.

He hadn’t refused, but neither had he accepted.

It was like two children playing hide-and-seek, agreeing to hide in a certain spot, only for one to go home before the other even finished counting.

Leaving the other to search in vain, over and over again, after counting.

After quickly recuperating on the floating island, Jiang Wang chose a completely different direction and set off once more.

He had no desire to get entangled with anyone.

His sin-cleansing progress was currently at thirty-four. If he was lucky enough to maintain his fastest rate of killing thirteen commander-level sea creatures a day, he would still need at least five days of relentless fighting to complete the purification, even after accounting for the time spent returning to the floating island for supplies.

The ambush on Granny Azure Pearl and his initial hunting attempts had already consumed seven days. He simply didn’t have any time to waste.

The first thing Jiang Wang did after leaving the floating island was to control some sea beasts and send them out to scout.

The previous hunting method had proven effective, so he naturally wanted to continue.

“Yu” was a common surname among the sea race. However, unlike humans, sea creatures with the surname “Yu” five hundred years ago and five hundred years hence were not necessarily related.

Sharing a common origin with the water tribes, the sea race also possessed naturally long lifespans. However, due to the harsh environment of the Canghai Sea, few actually lived long lives. Furthermore, they had difficulty conceiving offspring, making inheritance a rare feat.

Within the sea race, bearing children was considered an act of “merit.” The stronger the parent and the better their bloodline, the more merit they would receive.

A sea creature who reached the rank of King, doing nothing but striving to produce offspring, might ultimately earn more merit than their peers who spent their days warring in the Misty Realm.

King-ranked sea creatures experienced another leap in lifespan and possessed an enhanced ability to withstand the dangers of the Canghai Sea, often leaving behind many descendants over the course of their long lives.

Yu Wangu was a product of this environment.

The sea race was known for its weak familial bonds. His True King ancestor had countless descendants, making it impossible to care for them all individually.

Such was the case for most True Kings of the Canghai Sea. They only cared for descendants who inherited innate divine abilities. Therefore, Yu Wangu was fortunate.

But his misfortune lay in the fact that eight others in his large family also inherited innate divine abilities. His strength ranked near the bottom.

Therefore, he needed to work hard to prove himself, diligently cultivating and honing his skills to gain more recognition.

Slaying powerful human cultivators was undoubtedly the best way to prove himself and earn glorious military merit. This was why he relentlessly pursued Jiang Wang.

However, after searching for and killing a full thirty-seven sea beasts over five hours…he flew into a rage.

That damned human had actually run away!

He was certain that the fellow had fled rather than hiding somewhere to wait for an opportunity. This was the answer pieced together from the bloodied information of the thirty-seven controlled sea beasts.

This was supposed to be a life-or-death struggle, a bloody clash between strong sea creatures and human cultivators. Sharpening their blades, scheming against each other, finally risking their lives in a desperate battle to elevate themselves amidst hardship and danger.

What a glorious and exciting affair it should have been!

To that end, he had detoured, concealed himself, feinted, and bluffed. In short, he had made ample preparations and put on a good show, searching out those sea beasts one by one with the utmost caution and focus.

And the result…his opponent had already fled?

Yu Wangu felt like a fool, completely manipulated from beginning to end.

The thirty-eighth sea beast, the last one previously controlled by Jiang Wang, exploded before him. Countless solidified clumps of blood scattered like red pebbles on the ground.

“Coward! Humans are all soft bones!”

His anger was far from dissipated. He cursed and turned back.

Humans needed to resist the corrupting influence of the Misty Realm, and so did the sea race. However, he had not been away from his sea nest for long. His decision to return was solely due to the frustration and annoyance in his heart.

Despite his disdainful words for human cultivators, he secretly acknowledged their strength. In his current emotionally unstable state, hunting in the wilderness was no longer appropriate and would be irresponsible.

But he stopped again shortly after.

Because his innate divine ability allowed him to sense familiar bloodied information once more – sea beasts controlled in the same way had appeared on the other side of this area. It was far away, but it was definitely there.

The shrinking turtle had finally dared to show his face, did he think he had shaken me off?

Yu Wangu was about to charge over directly, but after a moment’s thought, he gave a cold laugh. He took out a conch shell and spoke a few quick words into it.

Then he turned and headed in the direction of the sensed sea beasts.

In Jiang Wang’s view, the sea creature pursuing him was likely similar to Granny Azure Pearl, able to detect abnormalities in the sea beasts due to a mastery of beast taming.

So, he deliberately abandoned all the sea beasts he had previously controlled, using them as decoys to lead his opponent astray, while he returned to the floating island, carefully recuperated, and then ventured out again.

He still used sea beasts as effective tools for reconnaissance, selecting targets, concealing himself, luring them in, and ambushing them in one smooth motion.

But this time, after only killing the third commander-level sea creature, four of his ethereal soul serpents suddenly vanished at the same time!

This meant that four of the sea beasts he controlled, which were circling him, had simultaneously lost contact. And he hadn’t even received any information through the soul serpents.

Just as Jiang Wang was stunned, two more controlled sea beasts died.

He immediately realized that the sea creature hunting him was back. And because of some means possessed by the sharp-faced sea creature, these sea beasts he was currently controlling had, in turn, marked his location.

And he was already surrounded!

There was more than one opponent!

That sharp-faced sea creature was at least a middle-level commander, difficult enough to deal with on his own, let alone with the helpers he had brought this time.

Without a word, Jiang Wang immediately dispersed all of his ethereal soul serpents.

He didn’t blame himself. He hadn’t made any mistakes in this pursuit. After all, he didn’t know his opponent’s abilities, nor could he have imagined how his control of the sea beasts via the soul serpents, such a hidden connection on the spiritual level, could have been discovered and locked onto by his opponent.

Sometimes, you don’t win simply because you don’t make mistakes. Because your opponent is also strong, with their own experiences, stories, wisdom, and decisions.

He needed to save himself!

This was Jiang Wang’s only thought.

Firstly, the opponent was definitely prepared.

To avoid repeating the previous failed pursuit, the helpers he brought would definitely be able to help him catch his opponent, whether they excelled at tracking, were very fast, or had the ability to lock down the enemy’s escape routes.

Including the sharp-faced sea creature, there were at least six opponents, making it impossible to confront them head-on.

Secondly, judging from the locations where the sea beasts died, he was already surrounded. He couldn’t afford to be optimistic. The chances of breaking through were not high, because if he were the hunter, his first consideration would be the possibility of the opponent breaking through, and he would definitely prepare for it in advance.

Thirdly, the opponent could only lock onto the controlled sea beasts, but not him! Otherwise, they could have quietly approached without alarming the sea beasts. After all, although he controlled the sea beasts, their field of vision was very limited. If that were the case, his fate would already be predictable.

He wasn’t locked on…this was where his chance lay.