The deck tilted downwards on one side and rose upwards on the other, the opposite of the capsizing situation earlier.
Despite his supreme cultivation, Zuo Lizhou, who lunged forward in these circumstances, was inevitably affected to some extent.
Moreover, the turbulent, waterfall-like flow of water cascading onto the deck formed a barrier.
Wu Zhao raised his hand, clutching a protective amulet. A burst of spiritual light erupted, and he met the incoming attack with a palm strike.
With a 'boom,' water splashed everywhere. The commotion was significant, though it seemed unremarkable in the current environment.
The spiritual light formed a barrier.
The punch was blocked, but the martial intent was incredibly powerful, still managing to pierce through the spiritual light.
Wu Zhao was indeed affected. With one hand occupied, he lost his footing and was swept away by the seawater along the sloping deck.
Under the blast of spiritual light, Zuo Lizhou also plunged downwards, and after hitting the water, was carried far away by the current.
Chen Fan watched this scene with a hint of regret.
While destroying the freighter with torpedoes was his masterstroke for reversing the situation, it also made it nearly impossible for him to kill Wu Zhao and Zuo Lizhou.
Of course, opportunities still existed.
One side of the broken ship fell, reaching a point of balance, before continuing to tilt and sink.
As the ship maintained its balance, Chen Fan drew the Amatsukumo Sword and strode forward.
The ship continued to tilt, but this angle had little impact on him.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared, accompanied by a rolling surge of sinister energy.
Yin Yazhi!
Following him, a flying dagger whistled through the air, aimed at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan's gaze sharpened, and he swung his sword.
The sword energy surged, and within it, a phantom of a Yamata no Orochi appeared, striking the flying dagger directly.
With a 'ding,' the flying dagger dimmed, and Chen Fan sliced it directly into the sea.
The sinister energy swept over him, and a black banner unfurled, enveloping him and obscuring his senses, attempting to drag him underwater.
Yin Yazhi must have received orders from Wu Zhao to seize this opportunity and kill Chen Fan.
However, the Amatsukumo Sword erupted with ferocious, sky-shattering power, its light piercing the heavens.
The black banner split from within, a beam of sword energy tearing it apart, as if trying to cleave the night itself.
Yin Yazhi's expression changed. He flickered and appeared behind Chen Fan, his palms striking. Amidst the black sinister energy, patterns and symbols flashed, and a cold arc of lightning appeared between his palms.
Chen Fan, however, used the ship's tilt to spin around, gaining the advantage from above, and brought his sword down.
With a 'bang,' the sinister energy shattered, and Yin Yazhi stumbled backward. Off-balance, he slid down the sloping deck.
Chen Fan had no immediate intention of pursuing. While the broken ship hadn't yet sunk, he ran frantically towards its high-prowed stern.
Soon, before the ship tilted into the water, he leaped into the sea.
He still held the Amatsukumo Sword, but it had no effect on his swimming speed. He quickly distanced himself from the sinking ship.
When such a vessel sinks, it creates undertows and whirlpools that can drag those in the water down.
Naturally, for a master like Chen Fan, such pulling forces had little impact.
The freighter sank, its lights shattered, leaving the sea surface in darkness, with only the sound of surging water and the scattered shouts and screams of those within it.
In the vast ocean, even martial arts masters could drown if they reached their limit.
Moreover, in the winter weather, the frigid water temperature was extremely lethal.
Chen Fan, however, was unconcerned and continued swimming.
Looking back, he saw many dark figures desperately swimming away from the sinking ship.
The huge, dark hull continued to descend, more than half of it submerged.
Even martial arts grandmasters appeared small and powerless in the face of such a major event.
After all, martial arts grandmasters could not walk on water. They might be able to stand on a small piece of wood or even take a few steps on the surface, but they ultimately could not defy the laws of physics.
Chen Fan swam a hundred meters away and then took out his mobile phone, dialing a number.
This was a specially made phone, waterproof and satellite-connected, capable of receiving signals even in the vast ocean.
"I'm about 300 meters southwest of the sunken ship. Arrange for a kayak to come pick me up."
"Be careful, there are many experts around. Don't let them steal the kayak!"
After dialing, Chen Fan issued his orders, speaking not in the language of Great Xia, but in the universal international tongue.
He hung up the phone and floated on the water, waiting.
Shortly after, a kayak with lights approached him from behind.
Upon seeing the lights, Chen Fan swam towards it to prevent other martial arts experts from reaching it first.
As he approached, two men in diving suits aboard the kayak pointed guns at Chen Fan.
"It's me, Dark Night!" Chen Fan said.
"Our esteemed Lord of Dark Night, it's rare to see you in such a disheveled state?" said one of the men with an Asian face and a close-cropped haircut.
"Dark Night, we've arrived in good time, haven't we?" said the other, a hulking man, like a polar bear.
"Long time no see."
Chen Fan leaped from the water and landed on the kayak.
The two men stood up and embraced Chen Fan.
"Long time no see, you've been gone too long," said the short-haired man in Chinese.
"Who asked you to owe me a life?" said the bear-like strongman.
"Who's controlling the submarine?" Chen Fan asked.
"It's my people, there won't be any problems," said the strongman.
Chen Fan nodded and said, "Alright, it's time to get to work. Paddle towards the ship, let's beat the dogs that have fallen into the water!"
"I love jobs like this the most," the short-haired man chuckled. "Dark Night, it's always most satisfying to cooperate with you. I just need to make the final move and finish off the remaining enemies."
His gaze was deep, and his aura was quite strong, clearly a master.
The other burly man exuded an even more formidable presence, with a fierce appearance and deep-set eyes, typical of Slavic racial features.
Both were top-ranked experts in the underworld. One was codenamed Ze, the other Ivan, hailing from Aolai Country and Stone Country respectively.
In their respective countries, both were legends of the underworld, possessing immense power.
Ivan, in particular, though the name was common in Stone Country, had once been one of the world's largest arms dealers.
The submarine was Ivan's asset, equipment retired by Stone Country years ago, docked at the port of Vladivostok.
This was why Chen Fan could deploy the submarine to fire at the freighter; if the distance were too great, there wouldn't be enough time.
The two men had no affiliation with the Dark Night organization, but they were old acquaintances of Chen Fan.
"I really want to know who forced you, Dark Night, to borrow a submarine from me!"
Ivan said this, exchanged a look with Ze, and paddled the kayak towards the sinking ship.