Xu Hei's heart was a mix of emotions, unsure how to express them.

Memories are heavy, and history even heavier. Sometimes, it's better to know nothing at all than to know too much.

The more he cultivated, the more he felt his own insignificance.

The more he knew, the more he felt his own inadequacy.

He recalled Daoist Sparrow's advice and Mo Wuyou's warning before he left; they weren't without reason.

But now, knowing everything, Xu Hei could only bear the consequences.

No matter who he faced.

Suddenly, Xu Hei's heart tightened, sensing a figure standing behind him. He quickly turned around to see a white-bearded elder Taoist.

This person held a horsetail whisk, his face aged, exuding an aura of a sage with an immortal demeanor. A Bagua Yin-Yang diagram faintly appeared on his forehead, calmly gazing at Xu Hei.

Xu Hei's heart trembled, but quickly he understood and said, "Perhaps I should call you, Senior Tian Jizi?"

Tianji Shangren neither confirmed nor denied, simply saying calmly, "Do you believe this part of history?"

"I believe," Xu Hei nodded.

"Then aren't you curious why we five made such a decision?" Tianji Shangren asked with a hint of a smile.

"The Dao of Heaven is just like that..." Xu Hei instinctively wanted to answer.

But suddenly, he frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, "I don't understand."

Given their personalities, only Heavenly Demon Scattered Person and Mo Ban might do such a thing. Tian Jizi believed in karma and retribution, unlikely to actively do evil. The Green Emperor was someone who saved all beings; she might not agree to trap and kill the Azure Sea Dragon King.

Tianji Shangren slowly said, "I can only tell you, according to the calculations of the Tianyan Art, if we didn't act, 350,000 years later, which is today, the Divine Continent Star would surely perish!"

Xu Hei remained silent.

In fact, without the Tianyan Art's calculations, anyone could guess that if the Divine Continent Star fell behind others, it would face dire consequences.

"Xu Hei, what do you plan to do?" Tianji Shangren asked.

Xu Hei took a deep breath, his eyes still firm, and said slowly, "I won't meddle in the affairs of the previous generation, but as a person of the Divine Continent Star, I will defend the East Sea to the death."

With that, Xu Hei's figure flashed, teleporting continuously across the sea towards the east.

At Xu Hei's forehead, the pattern of a cauldron became increasingly clear, resonating with the laws of heaven, perfectly reflecting his inner self.

The strong survive, the weak perish, devouring is the Dao.

…………

Penglai Sea.

Hai Teng sat cross-legged above Martial Arts Island, his aura calm, without any fluctuation of spiritual power, simply gazing peacefully at the people below and the gathered beasts.

Xu Hei's Divine Puppet Sect troops were all assembled on Penglai Island, occupying various positions on flying boats.

The demonic beasts of the Penglai Sea also hovered in different places, nervously watching Hai Teng in the sky.

"Hai Teng, why not sit down and talk?" Jing Wuji suggested.

"Yeah! Since you're a friend of the Ancestor, we're all family here, let's talk things over," Wang Yimao said with a forced smile, standing on a flying boat.

Hai Teng glared at Wang Yimao, saying, "I feel sick just looking at humans!"

Suddenly, an invisible pressure descended, and Wang Yimao's body was enveloped in protective barriers, but they shattered instantly. He spat blood with a "pfft," retreating several steps, and the flying boat was on the verge of collapse.

Now, Wang Yimao dared not utter another word.

The entire scene fell into a dead silence.

The people of the Divine Puppet Sect were on high alert, but no one dared to flee, as it was even more dangerous outside.

Hai Teng did not immediately start a massacre; he simply sat quietly in the sky, closing his eyes as if waiting for something.

Everyone, both humans and beasts, held their breath, waiting silently.

Time passed by the second.

A gentle breeze blew, the sky gradually darkened, and the dim sunlight cast on the sea, with the distant sunset and afterglow creating a breathtaking twilight scene.

Hai Teng sat in the twilight glow, his face illuminated red like a statue.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!"...

Suddenly, space rippled violently, as if someone was crossing the sea, teleporting continuously.

Hai Teng finally opened his eyes, looking towards the horizon.

In his gaze, a long-lost spark ignited.

The figure drew closer, covering thirty thousand miles in an instant, ignoring the barriers of the Penglai Secret Realm, crossing the sea.

"Finally here!" Hai Teng exhaled a hot breath, watching the approaching figure from afar.

The distant youth wore white, his appearance unremarkable, the kind that would be lost in a crowd, with no expression on his face.

He was Xu Hei.

Hai Teng, in a blue robe, with long blue hair like a waterfall, eyes like flames, and a vortex mark on his forehead, his skin covered in blue dragon patterns, slowly stood up. The sea surged behind him, like a dragon king of the sea, exuding immense majesty.

On Martial Arts Island.

A battle platform rose.

Hai Teng descended with a thunderous crash, landing on one end of the platform.

Xu Hei stepped forward, teleporting like a breeze, landing on the other end of the platform.

The two exchanged no words, merely gazing at each other, their internal auras gradually rising.

The undetectable fluctuations climbed from the Great Perfection of the Elemental Infant stage, surpassing it, reaching the initial stage of Divine Transformation.

Space distorted, fierce winds howled, and terrifying spiritual power pressure descended, causing countless cracks to appear on the platform. Everyone's faces were filled with horror as they retreated, yet their eyes remained fixed on the arena, not daring to move.

This was a battle of the Divine Transformation stage!

"Hai Teng!" Xu Hei stared at his opponent.

"Xu Hei!" Hai Teng gritted his teeth.

"Boom!!"

Hai Teng struck first, a spear emerging from his sleeve, aiming for Xu Hei's forehead.

Xu Hei wielded the Demon God Cauldron, spinning it with a roar, colliding with the spear. With a crisp "clang," countless people were shaken, their heads bleeding, the spear shattered instantly, turning into a mass of dragon scales, returning to Hai Teng.

Hai Teng bit his tongue, the flames in his eyes burning even fiercer. The sea rose beneath him, dark clouds pressed down from the sky, the vortex on his forehead spun wildly, his body expanded, transforming into a sea dragon in the blink of an eye!

"Xu Hei, do you know what happens if humans are allowed to develop without limit?"

Hai Teng's voice boomed like thunder, his form a blur, charging at Xu Hei. He was like a tidal wave, as if Xu Hei faced not a dragon, but an endless ocean.

"What do you think will happen?"

Xu Hei's palm spun the Demon God Cauldron, unleashing a terrifying devouring force, meeting the charge head-on.

"I don't know about humans, but marine life will surely go extinct! Xu Hei, that's the answer I saw from Penglai Island!"

Hai Teng roared, colliding fiercely with the Demon God Cauldron.