Chapter 99: The Master of Nameless Island (Part I)

It was unthinkable that my first time venturing out, I would encounter a Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent. I had exhausted my strength and Nether Energy trying to profit from it, only to be ambushed by a formidable expert. I truly could not tell if this luck was a blessing or a curse.

Jiang Feng gulped down mouthfuls of water. Having once plummeted into the ocean before, he held a deep aversion to this sensation. Yet, he had no time to dwell on it; within his vision, blurred by the churning currents, a vague human silhouette emerged.

The assailant’s speed was terrifying, his momentum savage. Jiang Feng’s Nether Energy and Nether Soul power were already depleted from the standoff with the serpent; facing this mysterious figure, he stood little chance of victory. Most importantly, since this man dared to claim the Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent as his prey, he surely possessed a cultivation level far surpassing the beast. If such a person launched an attack, it would be impossible to withstand.

Jiang Feng could not even make out the man's features. He only saw the water splitting violently as the figure charged through. Shadows danced, and the relentless sound of underwater explosions echoed, chilling Jiang Feng to the bone. Because the water was a connected medium, the shockwaves caused by the stranger rippled through the surrounding currents, shaking Jiang Feng so violently he felt as though his very body were about to disintegrate.

The power was immense!

However, he was no longer the same Jiang Feng. Especially after his battle with Xuan Xingzi, his mental state had vastly improved. If he could survive the likes of Xuan Xingzi and the Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent, then surely, if he fought with all his might, there was still hope!

As the figure closed in, Jiang Feng hesitated no longer. He unleashed his Xuantian Divine Palm. The remaining wisps of his Nether Energy surged forth, each palm print imbued with a desperate, life-or-death resolve, instantly parrying the shockwaves the stranger had stirred up. The attacker paused, seemingly surprised that Jiang Feng still had the strength to resist after such a long struggle with the serpent.

The power of the Xuantian Divine Palm had never been particularly high, but it grew in tandem with the user's cultivation. Although Jiang Feng was low on energy, his combat instincts had improved significantly. With just three strikes, he forced the shadow back, causing the currents to churn violently—a feat achieved purely through the shockwaves of his palm technique.

These palm prints tore through the water, striking the opponent repeatedly. They hammered against the man’s protective Nether Energy, creating a resonant, metallic clanging and sparks that flew through the water. Regrettably, however, they failed to shake the stranger's defenses.

The man had stopped, allowing Jiang Feng to finally see his face. He was a middle-aged man in black robes with three long wisps of beard. His hair was like seaweed, dark and lustrous—a sign of the rejuvenation that comes with profound cultivation. The man’s eyes were filled with malice, his expression gloomy, and a cold, sinister smile hung on his lips. He was clearly accustomed to murder and pillage, a battle-hardened veteran who would kill without a moment’s hesitation.

Jue, witnessing this, showed a flicker of relief before his brow furrowed in deep concern. "Though his cultivation is inferior to Xuan Xingzi's, he is a rogue Nether practitioner from overseas. To survive this long with such cultivation, he must possess mysterious and troublesome Nether arts, or else he is a master of treacherous, calculated schemes."

Jue’s reasoning was sound. For practitioners, the Samsara Sea was a paradise for finding treasures and Nether beasts, but it was a harsh place to live. Those attempting to establish sects here faced not only natural disasters like tsunamis and typhoons, but also the Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent and predatory villains eyeing their territories. This man clearly possessed unique skills to have carved out a foothold here.

"Heh, heh. To think I laid in wait for that Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent for over a month, using countless pills to lure it from the deep, only for a clueless brat like you to try and snatch it first. You deserve to die!"

The man did not linger. With a fierce push, he neutralized the shockwaves from Jiang Feng’s palm. Simultaneously, he reached back, conjuring a milky-white palm print of Nether Energy, half an acre in size, and slammed it toward the Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent as it struggled to break free from the biting Eight-Dragon Sound-Kill attack.

*Pop!*

Thousands of tons of seawater seemed to be forced aside by this single grab. Even Jiang Feng’s palm energy was swept away. When the blow struck the serpent, the beast shrieked in agony, its body thrashing as it was lifted into the water.

"Hmph! Beast! Where do you think you're going?" The mysterious man ignored Jiang Feng entirely, worried only that the serpent, upon successfully evolving into a dragon, would gain such power that he could no longer subdue it.

Unfortunately, the serpent was currently at its weakest, unable to recover its strength while undergoing its transformation. Otherwise, as a Red-Eyed Dragon, it would have feared no practitioner. Now, it was at the mercy of others.

The man’s massive palm print clamped onto the serpent's neck, lifting it high before he hurled it violently across the sea surface.

The massive serpent traced a perfect parabola in the air before plummeting back toward the water. Seeing this, Jiang Feng’s skin crawled. If the serpent hit the water, its colossal weight would churn the surrounding hundreds of feet, and Jiang Feng, still submerged, would be tossed about like a helpless starfish, violently forced to the surface and then slammed back down. His bones, even if forged of steel, would not survive such a battering.

"Run!" Jue urged, terrified by the man’s monstrous, heaven-defying methods.

Even Gui Yue, who had been dormant in the depths of his mind, could no longer sit still. "I am injecting all my Ice Soul Fluid into your body! It will be cold and painful, but stay focused and escape! If you are caught in the shockwave when that serpent hits the sea, you will be crushed to dust!"

Jiang Feng concentrated, casting aside all extraneous thoughts—even his desire to live. Every ounce of his energy was devoted to resisting the pressure of the Ice Soul Fluid surging through him.

The fluid flowed from his consciousness like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, branching into his flesh, meridians, and bones. Instantly, his body was enveloped in a cold, white light, as if he were turning into an ice block. The bone-chilling cold in the deep sea nearly caused him to lose consciousness, but he endured. Only by enduring could he break through this predicament.

Finally, the fluid fully permeated his body. A mysterious, powerful strength surged from the depths of his soul, exploding instantly. He was launched through the water like a sharp spear, piercing the currents.

The cold water moved against him, forcing its way into his ears as if to pierce his eardrums. Because of the intense impact, his breath grew short, and in this critical moment, he gasped.

That fatal gasp allowed the water to swarm into his body like rats seeking a hole, invading his veins and heart. He could feel tiny, vibrant blood-flowers blooming within his flesh—a painful, tragic beauty.

"Don't breathe! Hold your breath!" Jue shouted, his voice distorted.

Gui Yue looked pale; the massive injection of Ice Soul Fluid had drained the cultivation she had painstakingly recovered. She was now completely spent. If Jiang Feng faced another such crisis, she would have no power left to reshape his body. She was now even weaker than Jue; a single flicker of force could extinguish her.

*Pfft!*

The crushing pressure from all sides vanished instantly. Jiang Feng burst from the water like a dolphin, his body glistening with droplets under the scorching sun—a strange, aesthetic beauty. As he breached the surface, he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood, as if expelling the phantom blood-flowers from his flesh.

*Boom!*

A deafening crash erupted directly in front of him. Only then did he realize that in that split second, he had truly outpaced the Red-Eyed Black Water Serpent.

The serpent’s body, like a towering mountain, plummeted from the sky. The world seemed to lose its color. All focus on the ocean converged on the serpent, which had been dizzied by the mysterious man's throw.

As it hit the water, the sea erupted like volcanic lava, spraying in all directions. Other Nether beasts nearby were caught in the jets of water and flung into the sky, defenseless.

Seizing the moment while the man was preoccupied with the serpent, Jiang Feng gathered his recovered Nether Soul power. He condensed it into a sharp, tree-ring-like spiral and struck, intending to land a vicious blow on the mysterious man’s back.

The man had calculated against him; now, Jiang Feng would use the man's own methods against him.

It was a technique of applying Nether Energy—old wine in a new bottle. By channeling his Nether Soul power into a high-speed, piercing spiral, he created a lethal move capable of shattering defenses. Though Jiang Feng could not say he had mastered his soul power to perfection, he had become proficient enough to control it with a single thought.