The first day of the general ocean battle was chaotic.
Millions of warriors plunged into the sea at once, their jade pendants glowing faintly against the black waters as they fought endless waves of zombie sea creatures.
Sword lights flashed beneath the waves, abilities burst like fireworks underwater, and the sea trembled with constant explosions.
After the first day, however, the command council quickly realized that such a large-scale assault could not continue safely.
Even powerful cultivators could not fight endlessly without rest.
Thus, a new battle system was implemented.
"Eight batches," Gu Ruisheng declared during the meeting aboard the royal battleship. "One million warriors per batch."
Gu Yunchen nodded.
"Each batch fights for four hours."
Gu Shao leaned over the map of the ocean battlefield.
"That means eight batches a day," he said. "Every warrior fights once daily."
Tang Guo added calmly,
"After four hours, the next batch replaces them. This ensures constant pressure on the infected waters."
Everyone present agreed.
It was efficient.
It was sustainable.
And most importantly—
It would win the war.
The system worked perfectly.
Each day, eight million warriors fought in rotating waves beneath the ocean.
They pushed forward slowly but steadily.
Zombie fish attacked in enormous swarms, their rotting bodies moving with terrifying speed.
Gigantic octopi lashed their infected tentacles through the water.
Leeches the size of small boats clung to ships and tried to drain the life force from warriors.
Worst of all were the zombie crabs.
Their shells were like iron fortresses.
Blades shattered against them.
Spears bounced harmlessly away.
But humanity had something the sea creatures did not.
Mana.
Spirit Qi.
Fire abilities boiled the ocean around the beasts.
Ice techniques froze entire groups of enemies.
Lightning flashed through the water like divine punishment.
Without the apocalypse bringing these powers into existence—
humanity might have been wiped out long ago.
While the warriors fought, Tang Guo took on a vital role.
His Spiritual Qi Spring had reached an extremely high level.
This made him uniquely suited to purifying zombie cores because Gu Mian had another task.
Day after day he worked within a purification chamber aboard the flagship.
Crates of blackened zombie crystals arrived constantly.
Tang Guo would sit cross-legged before them.
He absorbedthem into his spiritual spring, then returned them in the crate ten minutes later.
The corrupted energy burned away.
One by one, the zombie cores transformed into pure, shining crystals.
An assistant would then record them.
"Batch 5, warrior unit 213 — 78 kills."
Another assistant placed the purified crystals into bags.
Each warrior received the same number of crystals as the monsters they personally killed.
It was fair.
It was motivating.
And it accelerated cultivation tremendously.
The sea monsters also left behind valuable materials.
The shells of zombie crabs…
The scales of massive infected fish…
The armor plates of mutated sea beasts…
After being purified by Gu Mian, these materials became extremely valuable crafting resources.
Once storage compartments filled up, ships transported the materials back to land.
The war at sea was slowly turning into an enormous treasure harvest.
Time passed.
Four hours of battle.
Twenty hours of rest, cultivation, and duties.
Every citizen fought once per day.
The rest of the time they cultivated.
Months turned into years.
Cultivation levels skyrocketed.
Originally:
Most people were Tutor Level or Master Level.
Now:
The majority had reached Grandmaster Level.
The original hundred thousand warriors who began the expedition had already stepped into the terrifying realms of:
King Level
Emperor Level
There was rotation
Gu Mian insisted on fairness.
"No citizen should be left behind," she said during a council meeting.
Thus a new rule was created.
Every month:
Warriors at sea rotated with citizens on land.
This allowed everyone in Hua Country to train and fight equally.
The result was unprecedented.
Hua Country moved in unison.
They were becoming a civilization of cultivators.
Two more years passed.
The ocean war continued.
Finally—
Every citizen had reached Peak Emperor Level.
The speed of cultivation shocked even Gu Mian herself.
One evening she gathered the Gu family in the flagship strategy room.
"This is too fast," she said seriously.
Gu Yunchen frowned.
"You think it's dangerous?"
"Yes," Gu Mian replied.
"The energy of the atmosphere increased after the apocalypse, and everyone is consuming huge amounts of purified zombie crystals."
She folded her arms.
"If we keep advancing, people might lose stability in their cultivation."
Gu Ruisheng nodded thoughtfully.
"So what do you suggest?"
Gu Mian's answer was simple.
"Suppress breakthroughs."
Everyone in the family agreed.
Even Gu Mian herself stopped advancing further.
They stabilized their power instead.
*****
Four years after the war began—
The ocean was finally almost clean.
Only a small infected region remained.
But that final region contained something terrifying.
Three enormous figures slowly rose from the depths.
Zombie crabs.
But these were nothing like the others.
Each one was the size of a mountain.
Their shells were jagged with black corruption.
Their eyes glowed with crimson hatred.
And their aura shook the ocean.
Gu Yunchen whispered:
"Emperor Level…"
Gu Ruisheng corrected him quietly.
"Peak Emperor Level."
The largest monsters anyone had seen since the apocalypse began.
Six members of the Gu family floated above the battlefield.
Behind them, millions of warriors watched.
The atmosphere became tense.
Gu Shao cracked his knuckles.
"Well… looks like we finally met something interesting."
Gu Bai smirked.
"About time."
Gu Yan sighed.
"Just try not to get yourselves killed. Healing you people is exhausting."
Gu Mian looked at the monsters calmly.
"Everyone ready?"
Five voices answered together.
"Ready."
Then—
They moved.
The first crab attacked.
Its claw slammed downward like a falling building.
BOOM!
The ocean split apart.
But the Gu family had already moved.
Gu Bai raised his hand.
"Stop."
Time froze.
For three seconds the entire battlefield paused.
Water hung motionless.
Bubbles stopped rising.
Even the monster's claw froze in mid-air.
Gu Bai shouted:
"NOW!"
Time resumed.
Gu Ruisheng stepped forward.
"Eternal Fire!"
A massive golden flame exploded from his palm.
Unlike normal fire, Eternal Fire burned even underwater.
The flame struck the crab's shell and spread across it like a living sun.
The crab roared.
But its armor held.
Gu Shao followed.
"Cold Fire!"
Blue flames burst forward.
Cold Fire didn't burn—
It froze energy itself.
When the blue flames touched the monster, parts of its shell crystallized instantly.
Gu Yunchen's eyes glowed silver.
"Mind Control."
Invisible waves shot toward the crab's brain.
For a moment—
The giant monster hesitated.
Its movements slowed.
Gu Ruisheng seized the opportunity.
"Space Cut!"
A blade of spatial energy sliced across the crab's leg.
CRACK!
The shell split open slightly.
The second crab joined the fight.
Its massive claws swung toward Gu Shao.
Gu Yan shouted:
"Careful!"
But the claw was too fast.
CRASH!
Gu Shao was smashed into the ocean floor.
Shockwaves rippled outward, throwing dozens of nearby warriors away.
The watching army gasped.
But before panic spread—
Gu Yan raised his hands.
"Essence Healing!"
Green light exploded across the battlefield.
Life energy flowed into Gu Shao's body.
Broken bones healed instantly.
Moments later—
Gu Shao burst out of the seabed laughing.
"Now THAT hurt!"
Gu Mian finally moved.
Her eyes turned crimson.
"Blood Domain."
The seawater around the battlefield darkened.
All blood within hundreds of meters responded to her command.
Zombie energy inside the crabs began to destabilize.
At the same time—
She opened a spatial rift.
"Space Compression."
Invisible pressure crushed down on the monsters.
Even their massive bodies slowed.
The third monster suddenly attacked Gu Yunchen.
Its claw came like lightning.
Gu Yunchen barely dodged.
The claw scraped across his side.
Blood spread into the ocean.
"Father!" Gu Yan shouted.
Gu Bai's eyes flashed cold.
"You shouldn't have done that."
He raised both hands.
"Time Acceleration!"
The space around the crab suddenly sped up.
Its movements became chaotic.
Its coordination collapsed.
Gu Bai then clenched his fist.
"Telekinesis."
The giant crab was lifted slightly from the ocean floor.
An impossible feat—
But Gu Bai forced it upward with sheer power.
Gu Ruisheng shouted:
"Everyone together!"
Gu Shao gathered blue flames.
Gu Ruisheng ignited golden fire.
Gu Yunchen seized control of the monster's mind for a brief moment.
Gu Bai held it in place.
Gu Yan reinforced everyone with healing energy.
And Gu Mian—
Opened the largest spatial tear yet.
"Blood Spear."
Millions of blood droplets condensed into a massive crimson spear.
"NOW!"
The combined attacks struck.
Golden fire.
Blue fire.
Mental shock.
Time distortion.
Telekinetic pressure.
The Blood Spear pierced directly into the cracked shell.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The ocean exploded.
A massive shockwave threw warriors hundreds of meters away.
When the water settled—
The first crab collapsed.
Dead.
Inspired by the Gu family's battle, the surrounding warriors roared.
"Attack!"
Millions surged forward.
Other zombie sea beasts were slaughtered rapidly.
Abilities flashed across the ocean like stars.
The tide of battle turned completely.
But the last two Emperor crabs were furious.
They attacked together.
Claws slammed into Gu Ruisheng and Gu Bai.
Both were thrown back violently.
Gu Yan immediately healed them.
Even Gu Mian's breathing became heavier.
For the first time in years—
The Gu family felt pressure.
Gu Ruisheng wiped blood from his mouth.
He grinned.
"Now THIS is a fight."
Gu Mian nodded calmly.
"Let's finish it."
The final battle for the ocean had truly begun.