From the water rose a monstrous form—scaled, shadowy, gleaming with malice. Clawed limbs clung to the side of the boat, dragging deep gouges in the wood with a metallic screech. Its head breached the surface, eyes like twin coals burning through the fog, mouth opening wide to reveal rows of jagged fangs.
Panic erupted among the villagers. The captain shouted for balance. One of the oarsmen screamed and backed away, only to be grabbed by a dripping, boneless tentacle and dragged into the sea with a splash that left only red foam behind.
"Defensive formation!" Longxuan shouted.
Jiang Fenglie was already moving. He carved a seal in the air, and lightning cracked downward from the sky, striking the creature's flank. It staggered—but barely.
From behind, a second beast surged out of the mist—this one resembling a monstrous serpent with antlers, lashing the boat with its tail.
"Zhenhai, behind you!" Fenglan cried.
Too late. Zhenhai's body twisted mid-spin as he tried to parry the tail strike, but it clipped his shoulder, sending him sliding across the deck.
"Fenglan!" Zhenhai shouted just in time to see his twin leap at the enemy, saber drawn in a clean, descending arc.
Fenglan landed a blow—but a sinewy arm coiled around him and slammed him into the mast.
Longxuan's eyes darkened. He raised his hand, summoning his ancestral sword Lingxu. The blade blazed with dragon script, humming with dormant power. Spiritual energy flared around him, taking the form of a jade dragon that coiled and roared silently as he struck.
A wave of celestial fire burst from his blade, engulfing one of the beasts. It screamed in psychic agony, flesh hissing beneath the flames—but did not die.
Another roared, this one larger, charging straight for Longxuan.
He gritted his teeth and braced himself.
But then—
A rupture in the air. A streak of light that cut through the fog like a blade through silk. A presence descended—no, crashed—from above, splitting mist and sea alike.
Steel sang.
A sword slash cleaved the beast's arm clean from its shoulder. Black blood steamed into the air.
Longxuan's eyes widened as the silhouette of a man landed before him.
A robed figure. An old man—or so he appeared. Threadbare garments, gray hair tied sloppily behind his head, a wine gourd swinging lazily from his hip. And yet—he moved with grace that could not be faked.
"...Tianzun?" Longxuan whispered.
The man turned slightly, a dry smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Didn't I tell you not to die foolishly?"
Behind Longxuan, Fenglie and the Liu Twins stumbled onto the scene. Their expressions froze in disbelief.
"Wait—Tianzun!?" Fenglan gaped. "Since when did he get old?!"
Zhenhai narrowed his gaze. "His Qi… it's like a void. No presence at all. I can barely feel it—and yet…"
Mo Tianzun stepped forward onto the bow, facing the sea monsters. His eyes narrowed.
"You all may rest," he said, voice calm as the wind. "This sea does not belong to you."
From the deep, more beasts emerged. Serpents, squid-things, leviathans made of mist and bone. But Tianzun raised a single hand.
The ocean churned.
A whirlpool formed beneath the boat—contained, controlled—its eye gleaming like obsidian. From his hand, a blade emerged. Not summoned. Simply remembered.
The sword was black as night and burned with abyssal light.
Then Mo Tianzun moved.
He was a whisper. A blur. Wind shaped like a man. His strikes left golden afterimages that lingered long after he'd vanished.
One beast lunged—its head was gone in a blink.
Another opened its maw—its body split in two.
Fenglie could barely follow. "How is he… hiding that much power?"
"He's not just hiding it," Fenglie murmured. "He sealed it."
The mist began to peel away. The sea calmed. The sky cracked open with light once more.
Longxuan stood, sword limp at his side.
Mo Tianzun turned, and their eyes locked.
Longxuan walked forward, slowly, breath uneven.
"You said you wanted to hide. That no one should know you're alive. But now Fenglan, Zhenhai, and Fenglie know."
Mo Tianzun didn't reply immediately. His wine gourd clinked as he lowered his sword. Then he smiled faintly.
"My lover was in danger," he said. "I won't let anything hurt him. Not again."
Fenglan coughed loudly from the side. "Okay, uh, romance later—can someone explain how Xuanji turned into a drunk old man? And also, who exactly is this 'lover' here?"
Longxuan turned bright red and quickly pointed his sword at Fenglan. "Shut up."
Zhenhai sighed. "It's obvious. Only one person could make Tianzun break his vow of concealment."
Mo Tianzun raised a brow. "I didn't break anything. I just… revised it."
Then, calmly, he walked to the railing, stepped up, and backflipped onto the dock, robes fluttering like smoke.
Longxuan sighed deeply, rubbing his face.
Fenglan leaned toward Zhenhai. "So, do you think if we flirt hard enough, we'll get rescued like that next time?"
Zhenhai smacked his twin upside the head.
Romance, reunion, and sarcasm danced across the remains of the battlefield—and despite the chaos and fog, the warmth of laughter echoed through the sea air.