Chapter 965: Ying Fish Transforms into Dragon

Although Emperor Huaqing proposed a somewhat viable plan to help Li Yi escape, Li Yi was now under the watch of a Heavenly General and had no chance to slip out and release the Dragon Transformation Pill, nor could he incite any chaos.

Was he truly going to sacrifice his body to ally with that Rakshasa woman? Just as Li Yi was pondering this.

Suddenly.

He felt the dragon boat slow down.

This development made Li Yi realize that these Rakshasas had been incredibly lucky—throughout the journey, they had faced danger yet emerged unscathed, arriving safely at the territory of the Sheltering Beast.

But at this moment.

The Rakshasa controlling the dragon boat, Guang Sha, suddenly turned around and barked: “Human, you’ve guided us to the right Haiyu —come with me now to search for the Sheltering Beast. If you fail to find it, I’ll twist your head off.”

As he spoke, he gestured for Li Yi to follow.

“The opportunity has come,” Huaqing’s voice echoed in Li Yi’s mind: “Use this chance to throw out the Dragon Transformation Pill—but do it without them noticing. Otherwise, your life is over.”

“You don’t have to tell me—I know,” Li Yi said, taking a deep breath, his nerves tightening.

This was a true test of life and death. If he failed this trial, he would likely perish here, with no chance even of his soul crossing realms—he might vanish utterly.

Yet after years of cultivation, Li Yi had faced death countless times; his spirit had been forged into something unbreakable. Had he feared death, he would never have reached this point.

He followed the Rakshasa general named Guang Sha out of the cabin.

At this moment.

Dozens of Rakshasa elites outside all fixed their gazes on Li Yi, including several Rakshasa women. Though their strengths varied, the weakest were Heavenly Soldiers, and the strongest was the Heavenly King named Chi Li.

In the Heavenly Realm, such strength was already elite.

Clearly, their mission to the Gui Xu Sea was not merely exploratory—they had a task to complete.

“Friend, you’ve traveled far,” Chi Li, the Heavenly King, approached with a smile. Though his face bore the visage of a demon, he radiated an unexpectedly gentle aura.

But all of it was an illusion. If he were truly as kind as he appeared, he would never have resorted to coercion.

“I hope that after this task is done, the Heavenly King will honor your promise and let me return to report to Emperor Huaqing,” Li Yi said.

“Naturally,” Chi Li chuckled. “Guang Sha pilots the dragon boat according to your route. This should be the place you said the Sheltering Beast appears, correct?”

Li Yi scanned the surroundings. Though every patch of ocean looked identical, to cultivators it was not—the moment one had been here and sensed the realm, one could precisely determine whether they had visited before.

“There’s a slight deviation, but close enough. I’ll lead the way. You Rakshasa elites may follow me—I can guide you precisely to the Sheltering Beast.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yi soared into the air and flew toward a direction.

Guang Sha immediately moved to stop him, but Chi Li’s glance halted him.

For them, obtaining the Sheltering Pearl was paramount—that was their mission. As for what this human Heavenly Soldier might be scheming, let him play his games. After all, with his strength, he could cause no real trouble.

“Follow me, everyone,” Chi Li moved first.

The other Rakshasas and Rakshasa women followed immediately, leaving only a few weak clan members to guard the dragon boat.

At this moment, Li Yi had no intention of delaying or playing tricks—he genuinely led the elites toward the Haiyu where the Sheltering Beast dwelled.

Because he needed an opportunity to throw out the Dragon Transformation Pill—and that required the Rakshasa elites to stop paying attention to him.

“After all this effort to leave the Gui Xu Sea, we’ve circled back to the same spot—what bad luck,” Li Yi sighed inwardly.

As he continued flying forward for a distance.

Suddenly, a divine light split the sea and shot straight toward Li Yi—the power of this strike was staggering, rivaling that of a Heavenly General.

“Sheltering Divine Light? It’s the Sheltering Beast—we’ve found it!”

“Truly the Sheltering Beast—it’s here, and there seem to be many.”

“Sheltering Beasts always travel in groups. Find one, you find a whole school.”

The Rakshasa elites roared in excitement. They had wandered this Gui Xu Sea for years, and today, at last, they had found their target—on the verge of completing their mission.

Before Chi Li could issue an order, the Rakshasa elites surged toward the Haiyu , ready to hunt the Sheltering Beasts.

As for Li Yi.

No one cared. No one paid him any mind. Most of the Rakshasa elites assumed that a human Heavenly Soldier struck by a Heavenly General-level Sheltering Divine Light was surely dead.

And that suited them fine—this was a convenient way to eliminate a nuisance.

At this moment.

Li Yi, struck by the Sheltering Divine Light, did not die as they expected. Instead, he barely withstood the blow thanks to his Black Gold Star Armor.

But even this single strike tore a grotesque gash in his armor. The residual force surged through him, spewing blood from his body, nearly splitting him in two, before he collapsed helplessly from the sky.

Boom! Li Yi plunged into the Gui Xu Sea, grievously wounded.

Fortunately, his Primordial Spirit was protected by the sacred treasure Crimson Lotus, untouched by the Sheltering Divine Light. Though his injuries looked horrific, to a cultivator, as long as the Primordial Spirit remained intact, even the most severe bodily damage could be mended.

“Cough! Cough!”

Li Yi felt his body dissolving, agony searing every inch of him. The Sheltering Divine Light continued ravaging his flesh. As time passed, his wounds did not heal—they worsened. Even the body of a divine being could not withstand this divine light.

But at least he lived.

“Still alive? So that’s it—his armor fused with a star core, granting extraordinary defense,” Chi Li observed Li Yi’s condition, having assumed the human cultivator was dead.

Yet somehow, he still had life.

His armor had saved him.

Too bad the armor had fused only a small fragment of a star core—not built entirely from it—so it couldn’t protect his whole body, leaving him critically wounded.

“He’ll probably die here in the Gui Xu Sea,” Chi Li turned away, no longer paying attention to Li Yi, instead locking onto a Sheltering Beast King.

Though every Sheltering Beast produced a Sheltering Pearl, only a Heavenly King-level pearl was worth the journey.

Instantly.

Chi Li brandished a crimson sword and charged forward.

The Sheltering Beast school, now enraged, unleashed countless Sheltering Divine Lights. Some Rakshasa elites, trying to endure a direct hit, were instantly cleaved in two.

Yet some Sheltering Beasts were slain by the Rakshasa elites, their Sheltering Pearls extracted.

Both sides refused to yield, igniting a brutal battle.

Meanwhile, the ignored Li Yi drifted like a leaf on the ocean’s surface, tossed by the battle’s residual power—any misstep could swallow him whole, leaving no trace.

Yet no one noticed that three golden pearls fell from Li Yi’s body, sinking into the depths of the Gui Xu Sea.

They were the Dragon Transformation Pills sent by Huaqing.

As soon as the Dragon Transformation Pills’ aura appeared.

Nearby Sheltering Beasts went mad, surging toward the spot. Even creatures from distant Haiyu sensed the aura and began rushing here.

For these dragon-blood descendants, only by transforming into true dragons could they join the True Dragon Clan—and ascend beyond all limits.

Such immense temptation drove them into frenzy.

Moreover, the Dragon Transformation Pill was an object of extreme rarity—otherwise, Huaqing would never have kept it hidden for so long. But now, even Emperor Huaqing could no longer intervene.

If he didn’t sacrifice something, both he and Li Yi would die here.

After all, no matter how precious the Dragon Transformation Pill, it paled beside one’s life.

“Leave this Haiyu immediately—the Dragon Transformation Pill has drawn powerful beings here. There are already several Heavenly King-level auras approaching. If these Rakshasas still want the Sheltering Pearls, they’ll all perish,” Huaqing urged.

The waters were now thoroughly stirred.

This was the perfect moment to flee.

Otherwise, Li Yi would never escape—because any movement would draw the Rakshasa elites’ attention, and that would be true peril.

“I can now confirm—your idea was absolutely terrible,” Li Yi coughed weakly, drenched in blood, yet gritted his teeth and dodged spatial rifts, fleeing toward the edge of the Haiyu .

Yet even under these conditions, his actions were noticed.

“Human, trying to escape in the chaos? Not so easy,” Guang Sha, the Rakshasa, immediately locked onto him and charged forward with a snarl.

Though securing the Sheltering Pearls was vital, they could not risk provoking Emperor Huaqing. They must kill this subordinate here in the Gui Xu Sea—so there would be no witnesses.

But the instant Guang Sha lunged.

From within the Gui Xu Sea, a terrifying figure leapt out.

“What?”

Guang Sha’s eyes widened in horror—it was a Heavenly King-level Ying Fish, its body fish-like but with dragon’s head and wings on its back. No—wrong—it was transforming, shedding its fish form to become a true dragon.

Clearly, this Ying Fish had seized one of the Dragon Transformation Pills and was now undergoing transformation. Guang Sha’s sudden appearance was perceived as an attack, and it roared in fury.

The roar, part beast, part dragon, shook the entire sea.

Guang Sha spat blood, his body shattering into fragments—gone, not even bones left.

“Incredible,” Li Yi watched, his eyelids twitching.

One roar—and a Rakshasa Heavenly General was reduced to dust.

The gap in power was truly immense.

“Ying Fish transforming into a dragon? What nonsense—why would such an absurd thing happen in a Sheltering Beast Haiyu ?” Chi Li, sensing the battlefield’s shift, roared in fury.

Worse—he saw the seas around him overturned, waves rising to obscure the sky. One after another, Heavenly King-level auras appeared, drawn by something, rushing into this Haiyu .

Under these circumstances, the Rakshasa elites were terrified.

They all turned to Chi Li.

“Go.”

Chi Li roared. Clearly, he would not obtain the Sheltering Pearl of the Beast King today—but he had gathered some lower-grade pearls. That was barely enough to fulfill the mission.

If they didn’t leave now, everyone would drown here.

Moreover, Chi Li had a hunch—this unnatural change didn’t seem natural. It felt… orchestrated.

But now there was no time to investigate.