Gu Mian floated at the center of the battlefield, her long black hair drifting like seaweeds in the water.
Her eyes tinged crimson.
"Everyone—keep them separated!" she commanded through spiritual transmission.
Gu Ruisheng laughed loudly.
His Eternal Fire erupted even beneath the sea, burning with a strange golden flame that the water could not extinguish.
BOOM!
His spear slammed into the shell of the second crab.
The monster screeched.
But the shell only cracked slightly.
Gu Ruisheng's expression changed.
"…That hard?"
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
One of the crabs moved with terrifying speed.
Its claw slammed toward Gu Yunchen again.
Gu Yunchen's eyes flashed.
"Stop."
A ripple of Mind Control spread through the water.
For a brief moment the monster froze.
But only for a moment.
CRACK!
The mental resistance shattered violently, sending shockwaves through Gu Yunchen's consciousness.
He spat blood.
"Careful Papa!" Gu Yan shouted.
Gu Yan immediately activated his ability.
Golden Healing Essence flowed through the water like warm sunlight, instantly repairing Yunchen's damaged mind.
"Thank you, Baobei," Yunchen said calmly.
But the situation was already spiraling.
Gu Bai raised his hand.
The water around the second crab suddenly slowed.
Its movements turned sluggish.
"Time distortion active," Gu Bai said quietly.
Then—
CRASH!
Invisible telekinetic pressure slammed the creature downward, smashing it into the ocean floor and creating a massive crater.
Sand and debris exploded everywhere.
But the monster roared and burst free.
Even time manipulation was not enough to restrain it completely.
For the first time in years…
The Gu family realized something.
These enemies were truly dangerous.
Gu Shao stepped forward silently.
A strange blue-white flame spread from his palms.
Cold Fire.
It burned without heat, freezing anything it touched.
"Let me test something."
He shot forward like an arrow.
FWOOOSH!
Cold fire wrapped around one of the crab's legs.
Instantly—
CRACK!
Ice formed along the joint.
Then—
BOOM!
The crab smashed its own leg against the seabed, shattering the ice and sending Gu Shao flying backward.
Gu Yan rushed forward and caught him.
"You alright?"
Gu Shao wiped blood from his lips.
"…These things are monsters."
Gu Mian moved in.
Her fingers sliced through the water.
A droplet of blood energy floated from her palm.
The water around it warped.
"Space Lock."
The droplet expanded into a crimson spatial seal.
The second crab suddenly froze.
The entire space around it collapsed inward like a cage.
Then—
CRUNCH!
The shell finally cracked.
Dark zombie energy exploded outward.
But the crab still refused to die.
Instead it went berserk.
Its claws spun violently, smashing the ocean floor and sending shockwaves that knocked hundreds of nearby warriors away.
Even the powerful Gu family members had to retreat briefly.
Across the battlefield, millions of warriors watched.
Some were still fighting sea zombies, but their eyes kept drifting toward the center.
"Are those… the leaders fighting?"
"My heavens…"
"They're actually struggling…"
Even the strongest Grandmasters had never seen the Gu family pushed this far.
Yet strangely—
Instead of fear…
Morale rose.
"If even they have to fight seriously…"
"Then this battle truly matters!"
Suddenly—
A claw moved faster than anyone expected.
SLAM!
It struck Gu Yunchen directly.
The crabs knew Gu Yunchen had to be taken out.
Else, he could completely control their minds.
These monsters were by no means stupid.
The impact sent Gu Yunchen crashing hundreds of meters through the water before smashing into the seabed.
Gu Yan immediately rushed to him.
"Papa"
Blood clouded the water.
Several ribs were broken.
Gu Yan quickly healed him again.
But before he could fully recover—
The crab attacked again.
This time—
A massive vine suddenly burst from the seabed.
The vine wrapped around the crab's claw like a living chain.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds an entire forest of sea-plants erupted from the ocean floor.
Everyone turned.
Mu Qian floated calmly in the water, eyes glowing emerald green.
His aura was terrifying.
Plant manipulation normally shouldn't dominate the ocean.
But Mu Qian having been around a family of freaks from the onset, also became different.
He raised his hand.
"Release."
The vines tightened.
CRACK!
Even the Emperor-level shell began to split.
Gu Ruisheng whistled.
"Well… look who decided to show off."
Mu Qian didn't answer.
Instead he glanced at his injured husband.
"I'll handle this one."
Another figure arrived beside him.
Gu Ming.
The ocean floor trembled.
"Earth Domain."
Massive stone pillars erupted from the seabed.
Then dark wind spiraled around them like blades.
"Dark Gale."
Corrosive winds sliced repeatedly against the crab's shell.
Each strike weakened it further.
Mu Qian's vines tightened again.
CRACK!
The second Emperor-level crab finally collapsed.
Its enormous body stopped moving.
The battlefield erupted with cheers.
But the other monster became even more violent.
The ocean shook as it attacked wildly.
Gu Ruisheng grinned fiercely.
"Good. I wasn't satisfied yet."
Golden flames erupted around him.
His Eternal Fire suddenly expanded into a massive phoenix shape.
"Let's end this!"
Gu Bai slowed time again.
Gu Shao froze the monster's joints.
Gu Ming trapped it with stone pillars.
Mu Qian restrained it with endless vines.
Gu Yan constantly healed everyone.
Gu Yunchen used mind control to disrupt their movements.
Finally—
Gu Mian opened a massive Spatial Rift.
"Everyone!"
They understood immediately.
All attacks focused at once.
Flames.
Ice.
Wind.
Time distortion.
Telekinesis.
Plants.
Earth.
Blood energy.
Everything struck the crab simultaneously.
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion shook the entire sea.
When the light faded…
The remaining Emperor-level crab collapsed slowly.
Its enormous body trembled once… twice… then finally became still.
Dead.
For several seconds the battlefield was silent.
Then the communication channels exploded.
"We did it!"
"The last one is dead!"
"The sea is clean!"
"The sea is purified!"
"We won!"
Millions of warriors floating across the vast battlefield felt the same strange emotion—relief.
Even the Gu family finally relaxed.
Gu Ruisheng laughed loudly.
"Now THAT was a fight!"
Four years.
Four long years fighting beneath the sea.
Four years of endless monsters, darkness, and battle.
And now…
It was over.
Gu Mian exhaled slowly, her blood domain fading away.
Even she looked slightly exhausted.
She moved into Gu Ruisheng's arms as Gu Ruisheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and laughed loudly.
"That one was actually worth fighting."
Gu Shao floated nearby, shaking his numb arms.
"If they were any stronger, we might have had real trouble."
Gu Bai rolled his eyes.
"You say that like you weren't nearly crushed twice."
Gu Yan was already moving between them, releasing waves of healing essence to remove lingering injuries.
Mu Qian walked quietly to Gu Yunchen's side.
"You're lucky."
Yunchen smiled faintly.
"You came fast."
Mu Qian gently helped Gu Yunchen up.
"You always push yourself too far. What do I do with you."
Yunchen smiled weakly.
"…But we won love."
Mu Qian glanced at the three enormous corpses below them.
"No… we just finished in time."
Below them lay the three largest monsters humanity had faced since the apocalypse began.
Each Emperor crab was enormous.
Their shells were the size of small islands.
Their claws alone were longer than warships.
Even dead, their presence was terrifying.
Across the battlefield, warriors began reporting in.
"Sector A cleared!"
"Sector C no remaining zombie signatures!"
"The infection is gone!"
Gu Ruisheng looked around at the endless blue water.
After four years, the black infected sea had finally disappeared.
The ocean was clear again.
Leaving the Emperor-level monsters in the sea was impossible.
Their bodies were priceless resources.
Gu Mian gave the order.
"Bring in the towing ships."
Soon the fleet began to move.
Specialized battleships approached the massive corpses.
Thousands of reinforced chains were lowered into the water.
Even for cultivators, moving the bodies required machines.
Each crab weighed more than entire naval fleets.
The chains locked around their claws, legs, and broken shells.
"Tow formation ready!"
"Engine arrays active!"
"Begin movement!"
Slowly…
Very slowly…
These chains stretched taut.
The gigantic corpses began to move.
From the sky, the sight was unbelievable.
Hundreds of battleships pulling many gigantic monsters.
Millions of warriors escorting them.
Three super gigantic shadows drifting beneath the clear ocean surface.
The fleet began the long journey back to land.
**The Voyage home**
The trip to W City took several days.
For the first time in years, the warriors did not need to fight.
Many simply sat on the decks of the ships.
Some cultivated.
Others slept.
Some stared quietly at the horizon.
The war at sea had changed everyone.
When the apocalypse first began, many of them had been young survivors.
Now they were hardened Emperor-level warriors.
The children who had survived the collapse of Hua Country had all grown up.
No new generations had come after them.
No families waiting at home.
Only comrades.
Only those who had survived together.
Eight million warriors returning from war.
And the two million warriors who had stayed behind to support them.
Together, they were all that remained of Hua Country.
When the fleet finally reached the shores of W City, the harbor was already filled with people.
The two million warriors responsible for logistics had gathered there.
When the Royal battleship appeared on the horizon, silence spread across the shoreline.
Then more ships appeared.
And more.
An entire fleet stretching to the horizon.
Behind them—
Three colossal shapes in the water.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"Those… are the Emperor-level monsters they fought?"
"They're enormous…"
Even from kilometers away, the Emperor crabs looked like mountains floating in the sea.
The fleet slowly entered the harbor.
Battleships anchored in perfect formation.
Heavy cranes and reinforced platforms had already been prepared.
Chains tightened.
Engines roared.
Slowly, the enormous corpses were dragged onto specially constructed docks.
Monster upon monster were lowered.
Hours later.
The ground trembled as the first crab was pulled onto land.
Workers and cultivators worked together to secure the bodies.
Even dead, the monsters were terrifying.
But they were also treasure.
Their shells, scales, cores, and materials would benefit Hua Country for years.
When the final crab corpse was secured, a signal flare shot into the sky.
For a moment, everyone stood silently.
Then someone began clapping.
Another joined.
Then another.
Soon the entire harbor was filled with thunderous applause.
Eight million warriors had returned.
Four years of war had ended.
The sea had been purified.
No one had expected such a victory when the apocalypse first began.
There were no children watching the celebration.
None remained.
The survivors of Hua Country had all grown into adults long ago.
But standing there together—
These ten million warrior citizens—
They felt something close to pride.
Food was brought out.
Music played across the harbor.
Even the normally serious commanders relaxed.
Warriors sat along the docks, sharing stories of battles and victories.
The Gu family stood quietly on the harbor wall overlooking the city.
Behind them stretched W City, and many cities beyond, all strongholds of Hua Country.
Ahead of them stretched a clean, peaceful ocean.
Gu Yunchen looked out across the water.
"Four years."
Gu Ruisheng nodded.
"Four years and eight months to be precise."
"Worth it."
Mu Qian glanced at the massive crab corpses behind them.
"At least we brought souvenirs."
Gu Shao laughed.
Gu Yan simply shook his head.
Gu Bai looked up at the stars beginning to appear in the night sky.
Gu Mian remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"The sea is finally ours again."
And that night, the people of Hua Country celebrated the end of the ocean war.