The tentacle was a life-saving gift he had given to Xu Hei. Could the person in front of him be...

"Did you kill Xu Hei?" Wang Zhen asked.

"..." Xu Hei was momentarily speechless.

With no other choice, he transformed into the form of a Black Dragon, regaining his former aura.

Only then did the demonic beasts realize the truth.

"Xu Hei?"

"Is it really you?"

"Holy crap, Xu Hei is back!"

Exclamations erupted all around, and all the demonic beast elders widened their eyes.

However, Xu Hei had changed so much that he seemed like a completely different person. His appearance, aura, and cultivation were all vastly different. If Xu Hei hadn't revealed himself, they wouldn't have recognized him.

They would have believed it if someone said another Black Dragon was impersonating Xu Hei.

"Xu Hei, is it really you?" Elder Tiger Whale flew over and asked.

"That's right." Xu Hei nodded, taking out his identity token from back then. He looked around and said, "It's been a hundred years. How have you all been, elders?"

Jing Wuji replied, "Thanks to the Demon Lord's blessing, our cultivation has greatly improved, and the Penglai Sea has developed well."

"Although reaching Divine Transformation is hopeless, being able to cultivate to the late Elemental Infant stage is already satisfying," Elder Tiger Whale said.

In the hundred years that had passed, all these demonic beasts had reached the late Elemental Infant stage, with a few even reaching Great Perfection, similar to the Water Kylin of the past.

The Demon Lord had fallen, returning the spiritual qi accumulated over ten generations, benefiting all beings and causing a surge in strength among the creatures of the East Sea. Any demonic beast living in the East Sea had experienced some breakthroughs, greatly enhancing the power of the entire sea region. They would not be powerless against a disaster like the sea god again.

However, Xu Hei was puzzled to find that the humans on Penglai Island were gone, leaving only demonic beasts.

"Xu Hei, what is your current cultivation level?" Elder Tiger Whale probed.

Xu Hei didn't hide it and calmly said, "Divine Transformation!"

As he spoke, he revealed a hint of his cultivation, immediately causing the demonic beasts to be shocked and awed, as if they were witnessing a deity.

"Divine Transformation stage!"

The demonic beasts gasped. Although they had speculated, seeing it with their own eyes still felt like a dream.

"This means our Penglai Sea now has two Divine Transformations!"

"Hahaha, that's wonderful!"

"If the sea god dares to appear again, we'll make sure he has no place to be buried!"

The demonic beasts were overjoyed.

Listening to their discussion, Xu Hei was surprised and asked, "Two Divine Transformations?"

"Yes! Hai Teng also broke through to the Divine Transformation stage," Elder Jin of the Sea Serpent lineage said. "However, Hai Teng left thirty years ago and hasn't been heard from since. We don't know where he went."

Hai Teng's Divine Transformation was something Xu Hei hadn't expected.

Those who reached Divine Transformation were always people of great fortune and destiny, with countless others falling before one could succeed—a true general standing on a field of bones!

Xu Hei's own journey showed how difficult it was to reach Divine Transformation. Who knew what Hai Teng had gone through?

Xu Hei then inquired about events that had occurred after he left, and the elders told him everything truthfully.

But when Xu Hei asked about Penglai Island, their expressions visibly changed.

"What happened to Penglai Island?" Xu Hei frowned.

The demonic beasts exchanged glances, communicating silently for a while before Elder Tiger Whale spoke, "Xu Hei, do you remember Meng Sheng from back then?"

"I remember!"

Xu Hei nodded. Meng Sheng was one of the three island masters of Penglai Island, who had attempted to seize demonic beast territories through high-tech means and was severely beaten by him.

"A few years after you left, the teacher passed away."

"And after the teacher's death, Meng Sheng faced no obstacles and began using various means, openly and secretly, to seize our demonic beast territories."

"This person was very good at manipulating people's hearts and understanding the needs of demonic beasts. In just three years, his support rate exceeded eighty percent, and he was elected as the leader of this realm," Elder Tiger Whale said.

"What did you say?"

Xu Hei's eyes changed noticeably.

Meng Sheng, who had been taught a lesson by him back then, had not repented and still sought to dominate the Penglai Sea.

"To my shame, I was also a supporter of Meng Sheng back then," Jing Wuji sighed.

"However, some of Meng Sheng's measures did indeed bring benefits. The rapid development of the Penglai Sea owes at least half to Meng Sheng. Many things he introduced are still in use today," Elder Yunhe said.

"For example, these algae that can decompose demonic beast waste and convert it into spiritual qi were an excellent species introduced by Meng Sheng."

"And a type of shrimp that provides ample blood and energy, reproducing rapidly, was also cultivated by him."

"Every newborn demonic beast, once enlightened, must undergo a year of mandatory knowledge infusion, a rule set by Meng Sheng."

"There are countless such examples."

Elder Yunhe displayed a handful of green algae and a small type of krill.

As Meng Sheng's assistant back then, Elder Yunhe knew how advanced these ideas were. The advanced replacing the outdated was not without reason.

It was no wonder Meng Sheng's supporters exceeded eighty percent. His leadership was, in a sense, the will of the people, not just a result of cunning and force!

Wang Zhen lay silently at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion, smoking a pipe.

Xu Hei also fell into silence.

"What happened next?" Xu Hei asked.

"Later..." Jing Wuji sighed and said, "Under Meng Sheng's governance, after fifty years, Penglai Island reached its peak. They began land reclamation and implemented survival of the fittest, eliminating inferior demonic beast species and keeping only the superior ones."

"In just ten years, half of the demonic beasts were weeded out, while the human population nearly doubled. But our overall strength far surpassed before."

"A few years later, Hai Teng returned, and you can naturally imagine what happened next."

After hearing their account, Xu Hei fell into a long silence.

With Hai Teng's temperament, upon returning and finding things like this, he would undoubtedly start a massacre.

The result was the complete annihilation of humans, leaving none behind.

"Territory is limited. In a zero-sum game, there is no perfect way to expand; one can only devour others!"

"Meng Sheng initially aimed for mutual progress, but when development reached its limit and territory was insufficient, he began eliminating some of the inferior ones to expand his domain."

"Hai Teng likely exterminated all humans because he realized this."

Various thoughts flashed through Xu Hei's mind.

In just a hundred years, the Penglai Sea and Penglai Island had developed into such a situation, perfectly aligning with the laws of heaven.

Xu Hei's figure flickered, and he arrived at Martial Arts Island.

The place was empty, with only a few tombstones standing there.

From left to right, they were for the teacher, Water Kylin, Mo Xuan, and the fallen leaders of past generations.