The waves surged, and both Chen Fan and Yin Yazizi, locked in their struggle, could no longer take to the air. They grappled in the water, the contest to see who would falter first.
On the other side, the raft was steadily losing air, sinking lower and lower. Seawater began to flood in. Su Yingxia, panicking, frantically scooped water out. Ivan, however, remained composed. He stared at the towering waves, then suddenly flipped over and plunged into the water, vanishing from the surface.
The battle continued. With each exchange, Yin Yazizi sustained more wounds. Fighting in the water put him at a significant disadvantage against Chen Fan, who wielded a long sword. His Yin Sha Qi was immensely powerful, but the ocean's resistance prevented it from taking form, greatly diminishing its efficacy. Yet, his extraordinary strength allowed him to sustain the fight, his palms channeling Yin Sha Qi imbued with potent mental energy, condensing into principles and reason.
He was determined to kill Chen Fan, but knew how difficult it was under the current circumstances. Just as he prepared to disengage, he felt his leg suddenly grow heavy, something pulling at him. His expression shifted, and he struggled desperately. However, his legs were submerged, and his internal energy was far less effective than usual. Despite a powerful kick, he couldn't break free. He was dragged down by an immense force. Chen Fan's long sword was already descending towards him.
With a sweep of his gaze, Yin Yazizi noticed two fewer people on the raft and understood what had happened. Annoyance flooded him. He should have dealt with Chen Fan's allies on the raft first. He slapped the side of Chen Fan's sword with his palm, narrowly deflecting it. He quickly relaxed, allowing Ivan, from below, to pull him down. He knew he couldn't escape without dealing with Ivan. He disappeared beneath the waves, and as he submerged, he saw a figure below pulling him into the depths.
He contracted his body, unleashing his internal energy. Despite the water's immense resistance, Yin Yazizi exerted his full power this time, kicking Ivan away. He ascended rapidly. However, a sword then plunged down from above. Yin Yazizi quickly reached out to block. The water's resistance severely hampered his sideways motion. He could only grab the sword's blade. His palm was immediately cut, blood flowing. But at this moment, he felt nothing, only desperately trying to prevent Chen Fan's sword from piercing him.
Alas, Chen Fan had plunged down from above, his sword in front, wielding far more power than Yin Yazizi had ascending. He couldn't withstand it and the sword pierced his shoulder blade. Pain surged, and Yin Yazizi trembled. Using the sword as leverage, he kicked Chen Fan, sending him flying. The long sword was freed from his body. He quickly swam towards the surface. But just then, his feet felt heavy again. Looking down, Ivan had returned and grabbed his leg.
Infuriated, Yin Yazizi kicked Ivan away again. But at that moment, he felt a chill in his chest. The Sky Gathering Cloud Sword had pierced through his body. While submerged, his formidable power was reduced to less than thirty percent, yet Chen Fan had succeeded. As he struggled, Chen Fan released the sword and, from behind, wrapped his arms around his neck. Yin Yazizi thrashed violently, the immense struggle churning the water. But in the water, if Yin Yazizi was a hippo, Chen Fan was a flood dragon, intimately familiar with underwater combat. Thus, Yin Yazizi felt himself suffocating, his struggles only tightening Chen Fan's grip. His strength ebbed away, and finally, he plunged into boundless darkness.
Sensing Yin Yazizi's life force vanish, Chen Fan released his neck and pulled the Sky Gathering Cloud Sword from his body. Yin Yazizi sank into the sea. Ivan made a gesture to Chen Fan and surfaced. Chen Fan, gripping his sword, followed. Ivan gasped for air, "Ah, I'm suffocating. My strength isn't what it used to be these past few years." Chen Fan replied, "Thanks, Ivan." "Haha, just remember you owe me a favor. The favor of the Lord of the Night is a life-saving asset," Ivan said. "Alright, just don't provoke enemies that are too powerful, or I might not be able to save you," Chen Fan warned. "Haha, you know I've become more cautious with age. If it wasn't for Night looking for me, I would never have gotten involved in this," Ivan said.
The two swam towards the raft. The raft was leaking more severely and was already waterlogged. However, as military equipment, it wouldn't sink even with a leak, just couldn't carry as much weight. Ze had already returned, saying, "Night, that guy is finished." Chen Fan gave a thumbs-up. Despite Ze's roguish demeanor, he was a true powerhouse. In the global underworld, few could claim to be stronger than him and easily kill him. "The raft is broken. What do we do next?" Feng Qianluan and Su Yingxia also looked at Chen Fan. "Retreat," Chen Fan said, looking at the dark, turbulent sea. "Paddle further out and contact the submarine." Wu Zhao was still missing, and Zuo Lizhou was surely alive, but Chen Fan decided to cut his losses. Adrift on the vast ocean in a raft offered an advantage, but finding people was not easy. Furthermore, intelligent individuals like Wu Zhao would immediately dive into the depths to evade confrontation, making pursuit impossible. The visibility in the sea at night was extremely poor; beyond ten meters, all trace of someone was lost. Even for cultivators, their senses wouldn't extend beyond five meters. In such conditions, capturing Wu Zhao would be no easy feat. Now that Wu Zhao's identity was confirmed, the threat from the Brotherhood had significantly diminished. "The raft can only hold two people at most now. Let's swim holding onto it," Ze said, diving into the water. Thus, Chen Fan and the others held onto the raft, confirmed their direction, and left the area.
After traveling about two to three kilometers, the water ahead showed massive disturbances. The outline of a dark, colossal object emerged from the surface. It was a submarine! This was large-scale military equipment that had flowed out of Stone Country in the 1990s, and Ivan had somehow acquired one. "Ladies, we need to dive and enter the submarine. Do you need help? I can carry you," Ze said with a grin, extending his hand to the two women on the raft. Feng Qianluan ignored him, flipped over, and dove into the water. With her Dark Energy level of cultivation, she didn't need Ze's help and had no liking for the glib, scoundrel. Su Yingxia hesitated, looking at Chen Fan. "Miss Feng, take Su Yingxia with you," Chen Fan said, signaling Ivan to destroy the raft and swim towards the submarine ahead. The submarine's side door had already opened, flooded with seawater. After the five entered, the door closed, and the inner door opened. Splashing water, the five entered the decompression chamber and then the submarine's interior. There were not many people inside the submarine, only about twenty, all veterans from Stone Country. Upon seeing Chen Fan, they looked at him with admiration. "Is this the Lord of the Night?" a burly Stone Countryman, resembling an adjutant, asked Ivan. "Yes, this is the Lord of the Night, folks. What you see before you is a living legend!"