"A sixth-rank demonic beast? Impossible!" He Ze was the first to dismiss the idea, immediately refuting Zhang Yiyi's claim. He prided himself on having the sharpest spiritual sense among the team, and he hadn't detected any powerful beastly aura nearby. If a sixth-rank demonic beast, equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage, was present, its sheer oppressive aura would've crushed them already. How could everything seem so calm?

"Han Lin, you must be mistaken. There's no way a beast like that could be here..." He Jie chimed in, equally skeptical and unable to understand Zhang Yiyi's sudden urgency.

But before she could finish speaking, Zhang Yiyi leaped forward, moving as swiftly as lightning. Her sword slashed fiercely toward a specific spot ahead. Without waiting to see if she hit her target, she retreated just as swiftly, shouting, "Run!"

He Ze's face turned pale, realizing Zhang Yiyi wasn't bluffing. Without asking further questions, he immediately steered the ship at full speed toward the open sea.

At the same time, Zhang Yiyi's strike landed precisely, hitting something hidden in the water that had been lying in wait to ambush the ship. A piercing scream tore through the air moments later, confirming her blow had struck true.

The once-calm sea erupted into towering waves laced with a strong stench of blood. A massive shadow emerged from the depths, revealing a sixth-rank demonic beast. Its immense aura could no longer be concealed, and its lantern-sized eyes locked onto the ship, burning with hatred and bloodlust.

"Roar!"

The beast was furious that its ambush had been discovered and thwarted by a mere human cultivator. Injured and enraged, it dragged its colossal body toward the ship in pursuit.

The team no longer doubted Zhang Yiyi's warning. This was indeed a sixth-rank demonic beast—specifically, the notoriously difficult-to-handle Scarlet-Tailed Beast.

Without needing further urging, He Ze pushed the ship's speed to its limit. But even so, despair began to settle in their hearts.

If it had been a fifth-rank beast, they might have stood a chance by combining their efforts. But against a sixth-rank beast, they were hopelessly outmatched. Had Zhang Yiyi not struck first, they might already be dead, swallowed whole without even realizing it.

Who could've known that demonic beasts were growing smarter, learning to suppress their aura to approach prey undetected?

As the Scarlet-Tailed Beast closed the gap rapidly, its speed far exceeding that of their ship, the group's hope of escape dwindled. Once it caught up, their strength was no match for its power. They could only await their fate as the beast's next meal.

"Damn it! If we're going to die, I'll take it on!"

Realizing escape was futile, Zhang You charged out, his eyes bloodshot. He refused to die cowering—if nothing else, he'd land a blow on the beast before the end.

"Run, Ah Jie!" Liu Song followed suit, hoping to buy his partner even a sliver of a chance to escape.

"Song-ge!"

He Jie instinctively wanted to rush after him, completely disregarding Liu Song's plea for her to run alone. But before she could act, Zhang Yiyi grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"What are you doing?!" He Jie roared, venting her fury at Zhang Yiyi, glaring at her as though she were an enemy. "Don't stop me from helping him!"

He Jie and Liu Song had always been close. How could she possibly abandon him to save herself? Even if she couldn't make a difference, she'd rather die by his side.

Even He Ze stopped piloting the ship, leaping out with his weapon to join the fray. Though he said nothing, his actions made it clear—if they lived, they would live together; if they died, they would die together.

Seeing this, Zhang Yiyi released He Jie without further resistance. She knew all too well they were no match for a sixth-rank demonic beast. Fighting together was tantamount to seeking death, while splitting up might leave a slim chance for one or two to escape.

But the team's resolve was admirable. Foolish, perhaps, but at least none of them were cowardly enough to abandon their comrades.

Unfortunately, their strength was simply too weak. Against a sixth-rank beast, they had no hope. In mere moments, each of them was severely injured.

Then, the Scarlet-Tailed Beast swung its massive tail, slamming into He Jie with devastating force.

"He Jie!"

Liu Song let out a shout, but it was too late to rescue her. His arms, already stained red with blood, instinctively moved to catch the falling figure.

Zhang Yiyi sighed, quickly flying over to catch He Jie herself. Bringing her back onto the ship, she commanded, "Don't move! I'll help!" She promptly shoved a pill into He Jie's mouth to stop the stubborn woman, who still seemed intent on fighting despite her injuries. "When they return, focus all your efforts on steering the ship and escaping. I'll lure the beast away and come back for you when it's safe."

Without waiting for a response, Zhang Yiyi turned and flew straight toward the Scarlet-Tailed Beast.

"Go now! I'll divert its attention!" she shouted before unleashing another powerful strike with her sword and dashing westward at lightning speed.

Whether it was the fresh wound her attack left on the beast or its lingering hatred from the earlier injury, the Scarlet-Tailed Beast locked its focus on Zhang Yiyi without hesitation and gave chase, completely ignoring the others.

Taking advantage of this distraction, Liu Song and the rest scrambled back onto the ship. Though heavily injured, they swallowed their pills and wasted no time in steering the vessel at full speed away from danger.

"What about her?" He Jie asked, her voice laden with guilt and worry. Though she had sustained the worst injuries, the high-quality pill Zhang Yiyi had given her had restored much of her strength. The thought that Zhang Yiyi had risked her life to lure the beast away filled her with shame—especially since she had blamed Zhang Yiyi earlier.

"When we reach a safer spot, we'll wait for her there," Liu Song said, sitting beside his wife and supporting her gently. In such a desperate situation, hesitation wasn't an option. He had thought they were all doomed, but a temporary teammate—someone who had only just joined them—had sacrificed herself to give them a chance to escape.

"But she..." He Jie's voice trembled as she recalled the overwhelming power of the sixth-rank Scarlet-Tailed Beast. Zhang Yiyi, just like her, was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. The odds of her survival seemed slim.

"She'll be fine. Trust me, she'll come back safely," Liu Song assured her, his words both comfort and conviction. The strength Zhang Yiyi had displayed with her two sword strikes was extraordinary, far beyond what an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator could achieve.

"That's right," Zhang You chimed in, now recalling Zhang Yiyi's unusual abilities. "Her first strike injured the Scarlet-Tailed Beast—a feat none of us could accomplish. Even He Ze, with his spiritual sense, didn't detect the beast lurking nearby, yet she did. And while the rest of us couldn't even scratch the beast, she made it bleed with just one strike."

"Yes, Han Daoyou is exceptional. She'll escape and rejoin us, no doubt about it," He Ze added, whether genuinely believing it or simply trying to convince himself. "She's strong, and while she may not be able to kill the Scarlet-Tailed Beast, escaping on her own is far easier than all of us trying to flee together. She'll make it."

The group fell silent after that, the only sounds coming from the ship cutting through the water as they fled at top speed.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yiyi's situation was dire. Compared to being hunted by the Wang family patriarch in the past, her current plight wasn't much better. Thankfully, the beast, though powerful, lacked the intelligence of a human cultivator, making it slightly easier to handle.

To keep the beast focused on her and buy the others more time, she gave everything she had. Each time she gained some distance, she turned back to deliver another strike, enraging the Scarlet-Tailed Beast and ensuring it remained fixated on her. It had completely forgotten about the others.

Her strategy worked, but it came at a cost. For two days straight, she ran, the beast relentlessly pursuing her. She used a mid-grade spirit stone to replenish her energy, occasionally throwing talismans behind her to slow the beast's advance. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her, threatening to drag her down.

The only silver lining was that in this world, both cultivators and beasts seemed slightly weaker than their counterparts in the Hua Ren Great World. While the Scarlet-Tailed Beast was terrifying, it was far from the level of a true Nascent Soul cultivator.

Still, this couldn't go on forever. The beast's persistence was beyond her expectations—it seemed determined to chase her down and devour her.

"Fine! Let's see who outlasts who!" Zhang Yiyi gritted her teeth, clutching another spirit stone to replenish her energy. The resources she had burned through in the past two days—spirit stones, talismans, even rare thunder pearls—filled her with regret. She wished she could turn around and kill the beast just to make up for the loss.

Another day passed. Both Zhang Yiyi and the Scarlet-Tailed Beast were visibly slowing, their exhaustion evident. Realizing that the sea was the beast's natural territory, giving it an inherent advantage, Zhang Yiyi decided to change tactics.

Instead of running, she stopped and launched a direct attack.

Unlike her previous harrying strikes, this time she fought head-on, unleashing one powerful sword strike after another. The Scarlet-Tailed Beast initially thought she was playing the same game as before, but as her attacks grew fiercer and more precise, it realized she was serious.

The battle raged on the open sea, turning the waters red. It was unclear whose blood stained the waves more—hers or the beast's.

Zhang Yiyi fought with relentless determination, her body bearing fresh wounds, including a bloody scar on her once-flawless face. Yet she pressed on, her strikes becoming sharper and more brutal.

The beast wasn't faring much better. Its massive body was riddled with sword wounds, far outnumbering Zhang Yiyi's injuries. The blood soaking the sea was overwhelmingly the beast's.

Demonic beasts had an innate sense of danger, and as the Scarlet-Tailed Beast realized it couldn't kill this seemingly fragile woman, fear began to replace its desire for revenge. Her sword was unyielding, and she dodged its attacks with uncanny agility, depleting its strength.

Finally, with a powerful execution of her starry sword technique, Zhang Yiyi's sword energy condensed into a tangible, unstoppable force. The attack struck the beast with a resounding crash, severing one of its massive legs and sending it hurtling a thousand meters away.

"Roar! Roar!"

The beast howled in agony, blood gushing from its wound. Overwhelmed with pain and fear, it abandoned its vengeance, retreating into the depths of the sea.

Zhang Yiyi didn't pursue it further. Though she had bested it for now, she knew she lacked the power to kill it outright.

As the danger finally passed, she exhaled deeply. The days of being hunted had been grueling, but she had survived. Without lingering in the blood-soaked waters to avoid attracting other high-rank beasts, she quickly turned and left, seeking a safer place to recover.