The red-shirted girl bit her lip slightly upon hearing this, shifting her gaze from the bearded man. She rapidly made a series of hand gestures, urging the flying boat to speed forward.

The black-clothed youth beside her waved his hand, sending a gentle green light from his palm into the bearded man’s body.

The bearded man’s complexion improved visibly. He nodded slightly to the black-clothed youth.

At this moment, the vast expanse of blue lightning dissipated, revealing the gigantic form of the Thunderworm Beast once more.

The beast’s injuries were visibly more severe than before. The number of wounds on its skin had doubled, many areas had turned black, and blue blood stained half of its body.

But immediately, the Thunderworm Beast let out a screech, and its massive body swayed, causing streaks of blue lightning to re-emerge across its surface.

At the same time, the blue blood on its body suddenly blazed up, transforming into clusters of blue flames.

The flames and lightning intertwined, instantly forming a dense blue mist that swirled around the beast's enormous body.

The next moment, the blue mist violently exploded, then dissipated without a trace.

The massive body of the Thunderworm Beast also vanished.

"Careful!" The black-robed youth, who had been closely watching the situation behind them, shouted with a drastic change in expression upon seeing this.

The red-shirted girl and the bearded man had also been using their spiritual senses to monitor the movements behind them, and their faces also showed surprise.

But before the three of them could react, the space in front of the flying boat rippled, and a sea of blue mist emerged out of nowhere, swiftly enveloping the azure flying boat along with the three individuals aboard.

Once the flying boat was engulfed by the sea of mist, it immediately felt as if it had sunk into a quagmire, unable to move.

The bodies of the three individuals aboard tensed up as they were enveloped by a powerful, invisible force. Although they weren’t completely immobilized, even lifting their hands and feet became extremely difficult, causing their expressions to change once more.

A flash of blue appeared in the mist ahead, revealing the massive form of the Thunderworm Beast, its body larger than before, like a mountain blocking their path.

A vast aura emanated from it, faintly reaching the Refinement Void stage.

The bearded man and the red-shirted girl were terrified, a hint of despair showing in their eyes. The black-robed youth’s expression also darkened.

The Thunderworm Beast's eyes were filled with icy coldness as it opened its fearsome maw.

*Chih chih chih!*

Streams of blue lightning shot out from its mouth, transforming into over a dozen thick lightning whips that struck the flying boat with incredible speed.

At the same time, the surrounding blue mist churned violently, enveloping the three of them in layers.

The blue mist transformed into an enormous blue sphere, rolling and spinning endlessly, with arcs of electricity flashing within, creating deafening roars. It was impossible to tell what was happening inside.

Just then, the tumbling blue sphere suddenly stopped, ceasing its rotations.

The next moment, the sphere abruptly expanded outward, then exploded with a deafening boom, revealing the figures of the black-robed youth and the other two.

In the black-robed youth’s hand was a scarlet giant fire sword, several dozen feet long, burning with rolling scarlet-gold flames, emitting terrifying spiritual power fluctuations.

His face was deathly pale, his clothes tattered, and a trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

The bearded man and the red-shirted girl appeared to be in worse shape, their clothes ragged and their faces ashen. The bearded man, in particular, was covered in blood, his left arm severed at the elbow, blood gushing out.

The azure spirit boat was nowhere to be seen, but two pieces of debris could be vaguely spotted amidst the sea of mist behind them.

The firelight on the surface of the giant fire sword in the black-robed youth’s hand flashed, quickly shrinking it, then transformed into a half-foot-sized crimson spirit talisman, with a fire sword pattern engraved on it.

Intense fire spiritual power emanated from the talisman, yet it was extremely unstable.

The light on the surface of the talisman flashed, and with a *chi la* sound, it spontaneously combusted, turning into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye.

A look of regret flashed across the black-robed youth’s eyes, and he abruptly turned his head away, refusing to look.

"Let's go!"

He shouted loudly, his whole body radiating green light as he transformed into a green blur, fleeing forward with incredible speed.

The bearded man and the red-shirted girl also mustered their remaining strength, summoning their escape lights and fleeing forward.

The three of them escaped a distance in the blink of an eye.

Behind them, the exploding blue mist fluctuated, and the massive form of the Thunderworm Beast emerged.

A long gash now marred its abdomen, blue blood gushing out. Although its injuries appeared to be significant, they were far better than those of the black-robed youth and the other two.

Although the three of them had escaped a distance, the Thunderworm Beast didn't seem worried at all. A hint of mocking laughter flashed in its eyes.

Its massive body rolled over, and the surrounding blue mist enveloped it, creating booming sounds as it rapidly chased after the three.

The black-robed youth and the other two were injured, and their escape speed was much slower than before. The sea of mist transformed by the Thunderworm Beast was vast and mighty, yet its speed was not slow at all.

The distance between the two sides rapidly decreased.

The black-robed youth and the other two were greatly alarmed, but there was nothing they could do.

The distance between them grew closer and closer, and soon it was reduced to less than ten miles.

By now, the three had exhausted almost all of their magical power, and all their magical treasures had been used up. They couldn't help but show expressions of despair in their eyes.

Just then, a streak of azure rainbow light appeared from the distant horizon without any warning, flying over with incredible speed.

A vast aura emanated from the azure rainbow, far surpassing the three of them and the Thunderworm Beast behind them.

The black-robed youth and the other two were stunned, then overjoyed.

"Senior! Help!" The three of them shouted in unison.

The azure rainbow light paused slightly, and a light exclamation came from within, slowing down its speed.

The black-robed youth and the other two were overjoyed at this sight.

The Thunderworm Beast in the rear looked at the azure rainbow in mid-air, a hint of fear flashing in its eyes. However, it then looked at the three individuals in front, and a fierce light reappeared.

It suddenly stopped its escape light and opened its mouth wide.

A booming sound rang out in the sea of mist, and countless blue arcs of electricity emerged, then rapidly converged toward its mouth, transforming into a massive lightning ball several dozen feet in size in the blink of an eye.

With a *boom!*

The massive lightning ball struck out, heading toward the black-robed youth and the other two.

The Thunderworm Beast spun its body, and the surrounding blue mist rolled and surged, enveloping its body as it fled toward the rear.

The massive lightning ball was extremely fast, catching up with the three in an instant, about to engulf them.

"Hmph!" A cold snort came from the azure rainbow in mid-air.

Then, a flash of light, and a bucket-thick pillar of azure light descended from the sky, striking the massive lightning ball.

With a soft "pu" sound, the massive lightning ball was easily pierced by the azure light pillar, collapsing like a house of cards.

The Thunderworm Beast was greatly alarmed at this sight. The sea of mist around it violently churned, emitting booming sounds, as it rapidly swept away toward the distance.

Another cold laugh came from the azure rainbow in mid-air, and another azure light shot out, its speed far exceeding the Thunderworm Beast's, catching up with the blue sea of mist in a flash.

The azure light flashed, transforming into an enormous azure sword Qi several hundred feet long, plunging into the blue sea of mist.

*Chi la!*

The blue sea of mist split open in response, then collapsed, revealing the body of the Thunderworm Beast within.

The massive body stopped in mid-air, and a red line appeared on it from the middle. The next moment, the massive body split in half.

The two halves of the body, along with large amounts of blue blood mixed with internal organs, fell down with a crash, landing on the sea.

The black-robed youth and the other two had also stopped, staring dumbfounded at the scene before them.

The azure rainbow in mid-air dissipated at this moment, revealing a middle-aged man with a square face and thick eyebrows.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving our lives! In our haste, we took the liberty of calling out to you. Please forgive us." The black-robed youth and the other two exchanged glances, then quickly flew over, bowed deeply, and said with the utmost respect.

The other party was able to kill the Thunderworm Beast with a single blow, indicating that he was at least a Body Integration stage cultivator, or even a Grand Ascension stage expert. Therefore, the three of them were extremely cautious in their words.

The square-faced middle-aged man glanced at the three of them, his gaze lingering slightly on the black-robed youth, and said faintly, "Are you all Blackwind Island cultivators?"

"Indeed. The three of us have lived on Blackwind Island for many years. I grew up in Blackwind City and am very familiar with it. If you need anything, Senior, I am at your service," the black-robed youth said immediately.

"Judging by your tone, you sound a lot like a wind scout," the square-faced middle-aged man said with a faint smile, his eyes flashing slightly.

"Senior has discerning eyes. I did work as a wind scout for a while," the black-robed youth said with a smile.

"Oh, what's your name?" the square-faced middle-aged man asked.

"Junior is Mu Xue, and these two are Fellow Daoist Fang Xi and Fellow Daoist Fang Wei," the black-robed youth replied respectfully.

The square-faced middle-aged man raised his eyebrows, pausing for a moment without speaking.

This person was none other than Han Li, who had finally arrived near Blackwind Island after traveling for nearly a month.

He hadn't expected to encounter Mu Xue here. If he wasn't considered an acquaintance, he wouldn't have stopped and taken action. After all, it was common for cultivators and demonic beasts to suffer casualties in their battles, which was perfectly normal.

Come to think of it, this young man was only a Core Formation stage cultivator back then, but now, many years later, he had actually cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage.

Although he had received help from the spirit stones and cultivation methods he had given him back then, his speed was still quite fast.

Mu Xue naturally didn't recognize him, and he had no intention of acknowledging him.

Seeing that this senior was a bit strange, Mu Xue and the others didn't dare to disturb him. They exchanged glances and stood quietly to the side.

"This place is not safe. I'm going to Blackwind City, so I'll give you a ride," Han Li said after a moment of silence.

After saying this, he patted his storage pouch, and a ball of azure light flew out, transforming into a palm-sized, exquisite spirit boat. Its shape resembled an azure flying bird, which was the Azure Ibis Flying Boat.

Under the urging of the hand gestures, the flying boat quickly grew larger, transforming into a several dozen-foot-long vessel. On both sides of the flying boat, azure lights flashed, each revealing four fluffy azure wings, like the wings of a fledgling bird, flapping quickly, looking extremely agile.

"Wow, so cute!" the red-shirted girl exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

The bearded man had slightly treated his injuries and, hearing the girl's words, his expression changed slightly as he turned and glared at her.

The red-shirted girl immediately realized that this senior was a man, and it was alright to praise his flying boat as profound, but using the word "cute" to describe it was indeed inappropriate.

The girl's pretty face turned slightly red, and she quickly lowered her head.

"It's fine, it's just a change in the restrictions. Come on up," Han Li said with a gentle smile.

Mu Xue and the red-shirted girl quickly flew up and landed on the flying boat.

The bearded man looked at Han Li, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but he didn't move.

"Senior, please forgive me for taking advantage of your kindness, but this Thunderworm Beast..." He glanced at the demonic beast's corpse on the sea surface below, hesitating to speak.

"This thing is useless to me. If you want it, go and collect it yourself," Han Li said indifferently without turning his head.