In Hai Teng's mind, the words "Dao of Heaven" suddenly flashed, but he remained silent.

Xu Hei looked at Hai Teng, and after a long gaze, he spoke in a low voice, "An old acquaintance. Since we stand on opposite sides now, meeting is not as good as forgetting."

Meeting is not as good as forgetting.

Hai Teng had completely stood on the opposite side. Since that was the case, what was the point of Xu Hei revealing his identity?

He didn't know what Hai Teng had gone through or how he was bewitched by this sea dragon, but the situation had already unfolded. His only option was to cripple Hai Teng and take him back, then perhaps they could have a proper conversation.

For the sake of their past friendship, he would spare Hai Teng's life.

However, given the current situation, what he needed to consider was not whether to spare Hai Teng's life, but whether he should escape.

"What should we do?" Xu Hei transmitted his voice.

Daoist Sparrow said solemnly, "The Thousand Mechanisms Grand Formation is left at the sect. There's no time to lose, retreat immediately!"

In the instant the three of them conversed, the white light ahead solidified, forming a tangible entity that suddenly descended onto the starry sky teleportation array.

It was a tall, blue-skinned humanoid creature. Apart from the gills on its face and scales on its body, it looked no different from a human.

The clan leader of the Merman Clan, Gong Jiang!

As a cultivator at the Divine Transformation Stage, he could perfectly transform into a human form, but he deliberately retained some features of the Jiao Ren.

At this moment, he held a palm-sized Jiao Ren statue in his hand, with red hair, a human face, and a snake body, emitting dazzling water ripples that spread like notes played on a harp.

"Water God, protect my clan!" Gong Jiang shouted.

In an instant, Xu Hei and the others seemed to be caught in a vortex, continuously being pulled, while the distant space grew further away, as if the distance that could be crossed in a single teleportation had been stretched dozens of times!

"This is the Merman Clan's divine ability, 'Sea-Splitting Prison'!" Daoist Sparrow said.

Daoist Sparrow showed no intention of stopping to fight, as more and more light dots appeared within the starry sky teleportation array, indicating more enemies were about to arrive.

With a wave of his sleeve, countless sparrows flew out, rushing into the vortex ahead, exploding themselves.

"Boom! Boom! Boom..."

Under a series of violent explosions, the water-like vortex became stagnant, and the elongated space briefly returned to normal.

Xu Hei and Night Owl made a decisive move, using the art of teleportation repeatedly, finally escaping the area.

Gong Jiang raised his hand and grabbed, the vortex aimed at Xu Hei, and the suction erupted across the air.

"Explode!"

Daoist Sparrow pointed forward again, and a large crow flew into the vortex, exploding with a loud bang, transforming into a sky-covering black curtain that enveloped the firmament.

Gong Jiang let out a muffled groan, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, his arm largely corroded by the darkness, forcing him to retract it.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, Xu Hei and the others disappeared beyond the horizon.

Gong Jiang held the Water God statue in his other hand, softly chanting, "Children, your god has returned!"

This voice transmitted through the layers of seawater, with a frequency beyond human perception, audible only to powerful cultivators and the demonic beasts in the sea.

Centered around the Water God statue, invisible ripples spread rapidly across the entire East Sea.

In just a few breaths, most of the demon clan in the East Sea heard that familiar call, their bloodlines resonating, all looking towards the sky.

"It's the Ancestor!"

"The Ancestor has returned!"

"That is our god!"

At this moment, more than half of the demon clan in the East Sea seemed to be guided by their ancestor, gazing at the sky with reverence.

The Water God's statue reflected over the East Sea, appearing above each of their heads, like a divine figure, sacred and inviolable.

As Xu Hei departed, a sweep of his divine sense revealed this scene, stirring a tempest within his heart.

"What is going on?"

Xu Hei transmitted his voice to Night Owl and Daoist Sparrow.

Night Owl also wore a look of confusion.

Daoist Sparrow shook his head and said, "I don't know much either!"

As the Sect Master, he had access to many secrets. He knew the Sea Dragon King was sealed, but he knew nothing about why or the circumstances surrounding it.

After a moment of silence, Daoist Sparrow said solemnly, "The ancient history was destroyed by the third-generation Ancestor. If you want answers, you can only ask the third generation."

The third-generation Ancestor referred to Mo Wuyou, the City Lord of Wuyou.

"Wasn't he taken out by you guys?" Xu Hei asked.

"He still has a trace of divine sense in Wuyou City," Night Owl said.

At this moment, Xu Hei's heart was extremely unsettled. He felt like an ant in the dark, knowing nothing, understanding nothing, like a frog at the bottom of a well, gazing at the sky!

Night Owl and many cultivators of the Divine Puppet Sect on the East Sea shared the same feeling.

To know oneself and the enemy is the key to victory.

If they didn't even know what their opponent was, how could they fight?

"I'll leave for a while! Also, as long as I'm alive, the East Sea will never fall. This promise will always hold!"

After leaving these words, Xu Hei quickly changed direction, heading straight for Star Island.

"Xu Hei!" Daoist Sparrow called out, transmitting his voice from afar, "The previous Sect Master instructed that pursuing history is a taboo of the Divine Puppet Sect. If it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't have told you this. Take care."

Xu Hei nodded, his steps unceasing, quickly leaving.

…………

After the Water God's words spread.

In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, on Star Island, the cultivators of the Divine Puppet Sect under Xu Hei were besieged by a large wave of the demon clan, resulting in a fierce battle.

By the time Xu Hei arrived, thirteen members of the Divine Puppet Sect had already fallen, and half of the demon clan had perished. The rest were all killed by Xu Hei in an instant.

Wang Yimao, holding a blood-colored scythe, saw Xu Hei's arrival and hurriedly said, "Ancestor, these beasts attacked without provocation. We had no choice but to fight back. You can't blame me for this!"

Beside him lay a large number of sea beast corpses, of various rare species.

Xu Hei had ordered him not to attack the demon clan, but since the demon clan had already attacked, not fighting back would mean death.

Xu Hei glanced around and quickly said, "Gather all the teams and retreat to the Penglai Sea. Do not go out without my orders!"

"Yes!"

Wang Yimao immediately took out a communication talisman.

As Xu Hei's capable assistant, although he was single-minded, his actions were swift and decisive. He immediately planned safe routes for each team and arranged for experts to assist them.

This ensured minimal threat during the retreat.

Watching Xu Hei teleport away, Wang Yimao muttered to himself, "I said from the start that suppressing them with force would have avoided all this trouble."