Eddie brandished his Ashen Blade, joining Jean in the fight. Despite his exhaustion and inability to use Innate power after the intense battle with Tucker, his skills in 'Circular Slash' and 'Positive Pole Power' control of fire were more potent than ever.
The purple flames of the Ashen Blade formed a tangible blade of fire, fiercely striking at a heretic expert riding a golden tiger shark. Seeing the danger, the expert quickly dived deeper with the shark.
Normally, Eddie would have been more cautious, but there was no time to spare. He summoned Little Wenli, signaling her to attack the enemies in the lake.
He didn't bother with subtleties and, grabbing Jean and Laura, who were not adept at underwater combat, plunged into the lake.
He was determined to force his way through and rescue Mother Grace, leaving the water-savvy heretics to Little Wenli.
Laura screamed in surprise, not expecting such a brute-force approach from Eddie.
The enemies hadn't been dealt with yet, and their combined underwater fighting abilities were perhaps only a tenth of their opponents. Could they really make it through?
However, what happened next was faster than Eddie's actions. The Stone Medusa and Storm Mermaid summoned by Little Wenli excelled in underwater combat.
They quickly entered the water ahead of Eddie, Jean, and Laura, even overtaking the last to dive in, Little Wenli herself.
In water, the Stone Medusa and Storm Mermaid reigned supreme.
The Storm Mermaid blew her storm horn, creating a massive whirlpool that engulfed everything. Only the Stone Medusa was exempt as she swiftly pulled Jean and Eddie, who was holding Laura, toward an underwater passageway.
As a golden tiger shark approached, the Stone Medusa turned and glared at it. The shark, terrified, immediately turned and leaped out of the water, as if seeing its natural predator.
Nearby, a golden swordfish and a giant golden octopus hovered cautiously, not daring to approach. Meanwhile, the three heretic experts were struggling against the increasing whirlpool, barely able to stay in place and unable to move freely. Their subordinates, numerous men and their water-borne beasts, were sucked into the whirlpool, unable to escape.
The golden tiger shark, which had leaped out of the water to avoid the Stone Medusa's attack, was suddenly struck by a thunderous lightning bolt from the sky before it could return to the water.
The golden tiger shark saw a terrifying creature hovering lightly over the lake, summoning lightning to strike any beasts that surfaced – it was the Thunder Naga.
The three heretic experts emerged from the water, witnessing the Stone Medusa and Storm Mermaid's entry.
They knew the battle was not in their favor, as these two were lethal underwater. The Medusa could petrify living beings, sending them to the abyss, while most mermaids were delicate except for the Storm Mermaid, who could stir up the sea and not even whales dared to provoke her.
But what truly drove them to despair was the appearance of a third fearsome creature – the Thunder Naga.
Stone Medusas rarely interacted with humans, hiding in secluded islands or underground lakes. Storm Mermaids roamed the endless seas, loving freedom and play, seldom attacking others.
However, Thunder Nagas were born for slaughter. Whether deep-sea or shallow-sea Nagas, they were all ruthless warriors, relentlessly pursuing their targets.
The most terrifying among them were the Thunder Nagas.
Thunder Nagas were exceedingly rare, and even at birth, they possessed immense power, often rising to be holy beasts.
They could easily summon lightning, devastating enemies both underwater and on the surface.
Not native to the Dragon Ascension Continent, they were brought from the Tower of Heaven and the Abyss of Demons long ago, and even as a small group, they dominated the ocean.
Tales of former sea overlords like the Giant Squid King and Man-Eating Shark King being slain by Thunder Nagas, their charred corpses floating on the sea, were common.
The Thunder Naga in this lake was of diamond-level strength, holding the legendary 'Thunder Orb.'
Lightning summoned by the Thunder Naga struck with deadly precision, instantly killing any creature it hit.
The heretic experts, fearing for their lives, fled the lake to escape petrification, the whirlpool's grasp, and most of all, the sky's deadly lightning.
The golden octopus was hit by an arrow, its tentacles petrified, and torn apart in the whirlpools created by the Storm Mermaid.
Only its bare head remained. As it attempted to escape by jetting water, a small metallic creature from Little Wenli's hand, disregarding all ink, burst out of its wound and forcefully seized the magic crystal from the octopus's skull.
Another creature, a golden swordfish, was incredibly fast and almost reached the shore. Its master urgently tried to recall it into the summoning crystal, but a golden arrow shot out of the water, pinning the fish's tail.
Then, a bolt of lightning summoned by the Thunder Naga struck the swordfish. A mini-tornado lifted the petrified fish into the air before dropping it heavily right in front of its horrified master.
Little Wenli emerged from the water and effortlessly sliced the struggling golden swordfish into three pieces.
"No!" The heretic master, seeing his beloved beast die before his eyes, howled in anguish.
"Let's go, this isn't the time to grieve. We must save ourselves!" his companions, two other heretics, dragged him away and rushed into the underground river, fleeing faster than ever.
In the lake, the gravely injured golden tiger shark watched in despair as its master abandoned it to escape. Facing the impending attacks from the Thunder Naga, Stone Medusa, and Storm Mermaid, and the approaching Little Wenli, it made a smart move – surrendering. It turned belly-up on the water surface, showing no resistance, hoping to be spared.
Golden-tier beasts and above generally possess intelligence not found in ordinary creatures. They often defect when defeated, unlike bronze-tier or normal creatures, which might flee in panic without understanding the concept of surrender.
Little Wenli hesitated with her double blades but eventually spared the tiger shark, seemingly unimpressed by it as if the golden tiger shark was just a useless beast in her eyes.
Little Wenli, after some contemplation, produced a summoning crystal and handed it to Stone Medusa, who hesitated before reluctantly attempting to contract the golden tiger shark. After two failed attempts and nearly killing the shark in frustration, with Little Wenli's urging and assistance, the third attempt was successful.
The terrified golden tiger shark, trembling, transformed into a ball of golden light and entered the summoning crystal. When Stone Medusa summoned it again, the shark, despite its injuries, eagerly showed its loyalty, attacking the disoriented beasts caught in the whirlpool.
However, Stone Medusa paid it no attention and followed Little Wenli, chasing after their master, Eddie.
Meanwhile, the mysterious woman was struggling against the winged woman and the man with wolf claws.
If not for the fatigue from a previous battle, she wouldn't have been in such a difficult situation. She resisted their attacks fiercely, ignoring their vulgar taunts.
Whenever they tried to bypass her, she used her wind teleportation ability to block them again.
She used her instant summoning shield to defend against their frenzy. She was determined to prevent them from reaching Inan, who was injured and fleeing with Mother Grace.
The wolf-clawed man suggested using black smoke to disorient their opponent, allowing his companion to sneak attack while he "dealt" with the mysterious woman. The winged woman agreed, seeing it as an opportunity to capture the key to the 'Heaven-Reaching Tower'.
In a distant underground passage, Inan carried the unconscious Mother Grace, driven by the single-minded goal of enduring just a bit longer, believing Eddie and the others from the Great Xia Kingdom would soon arrive to rescue them.
Despite her injuries, she kept running forward in the pitch-black tunnel, holding onto hope and determination.
Above them, the sky was filled with dark clouds as thunderous lightning strikes were unleashed by the Thunder Naga.
The heretics who had managed to escape to the shore found themselves still under threat, now from the relentless assault of the Naga's lightning.
These events unfolded rapidly, setting the stage for an intense and pivotal confrontation, as Eddie and his allies raced to save Mother Grace and thwart the sinister plans of the Myriad Demons Sect and their allies.
As Eddie pursued his enemies through the tunnel, he encountered a wicked woman with wings on her back, who, upon seeing Eddie's terrifying, demon-like presence, panicked and tried to flee.
Jean and the mysterious woman blocked her escape path, fearing she might pursue Inan. Relieved to find an escape route, the wicked woman made a break for it.
However, just as she thought she had evaded her pursuers, a terrifying aurora light shone in front of her, cast by Laura, the master of Kinwind City.
Laura's aurora, while requiring long charging times, unleashed a destructive force that no enemy could withstand.
Without the protection of a spiritual weapon, the wicked woman desperately tried to fly away, but her efforts were futile against the overwhelming power of the aurora.
Moments later, amidst the debris, the wicked woman emerged, scorched and in agony.
Though her body, reinforced by the strength of a level-7 overlord, was not fatally injured, the wings granted by her battle beast were completely incinerated.
Jean raised her sword, ready to deliver the final blow, but the wicked woman, terrified, begged for mercy.
Eddie, cold and merciless, pushed Jean aside, grabbed the wicked woman, and declared, "Those who plot against my family, regardless of gender or status, shall be shown no mercy!"
In a desperate attempt, the wicked woman lunged at Eddie's eyes, hoping for a final, mutual destruction.
Eddie, however, responded with a fierce shout, throwing her to the ground and stepping on her spine. Without hesitation, he twisted her head, executing her swiftly and decisively.
Despite considering dismembering her as a warning, Eddie ultimately chose a quick end for her.
Jean questioned Eddie's decision, suggesting that capturing and interrogating the woman might have been a better choice.
She understood the need for justice but hoped Eddie wouldn't lose his rationality in his quest for revenge.
Capturing the woman would have meant extra precautions and possibly hindered their primary mission to rescue Mother Grace.
Eddie was in a state of shock upon discovering that Mother Grace's condition was not a feigned death but an actual life-threatening situation. He had initially mistaken her state for a protective technique similar to what he had seen before, but Jean, Laura, and the mysterious woman quickly corrected him. They urged him to perform artificial respiration, a method Eddie had previously used to save Laura.
In a panic, Eddie pushed aside the flustered Laura, who was clumsily trying to help, and leaned over Mother Grace.
As he prepared to perform the life-saving procedure, Eddie hesitated, realizing the gravity of the situation.
Mother Grace was not just any person; she was his mother, and the thought of performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation in front of Jean, Laura, and the mysterious woman made him extremely anxious and self-conscious.
"You have to do it, Eddie! There's no time to waste!" Jean shouted, urging him to act quickly.
Eddie, feeling immense guilt and pressure, knew he had no choice but to proceed with the emergency procedure, despite the awkwardness and discomfort of the situation.