I unfurled the Kunlun Star Chart, fingertips brushing across the faintly luminous region deep in the Eastern Sea. The points of light on the chart leapt like living things, generating a faint resonance with the tidal sword-markings along my arm.

The System Elder's voice rang out in my mind: "Rookie, don't expect the star chart to guide you right to the doorstep. The ink of the Eastern Sea's shark-folk tribe can corrode spiritual sense — you're in for a treat soon enough."

I let out a cold snort and tucked the star chart into my qiankun pouch. The Zhenhai Sword trembled softly at my waist, the water-ripple patterns along its blade shimmering against the dark-gold talismanic script, as though it sensed the challenge that lay ahead. The spiritual energy of my mid-Nascent Soul stage surged through my meridians; with every breath, I could feel the undulation of the Eastern Sea's spirit currents.

"Old man, just how potent is the shark-folk tribe's ink?" I asked, simultaneously activating the Tide Saint Body Art and diving into the seabed as a streak of blue light.

"The ink is unique to the Ink-Scale Shark Folk. It can corrode spiritual-energy shields of cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage and produces a brief disruptive effect on those at the Nascent Soul stage. Ink-Scale Shark Folk at the late Core Formation stage excel in water-manipulation and sonic attacks. You'd best be careful."

I nodded, my mind already made up. The Zhenhai Sword could not only draw upon the power of seawater — it also harboured the sword-intent of the Dao Ancestor, making it precisely the right counter against creatures of sinister, baleful energy.

The scenery of the seabed grew increasingly eerie. The water, once clear, turned turbid by degrees, and wisps of black ink could be dimly seen drifting through the depths. I suppressed my aura and wove between coral formations like a darting fish.

Suddenly, a fierce, rank stench surged toward me. Ahead loomed a vast forest of black coral. At its heart, a nest built from enormous shells and reef-stone flickered in and out of view, and countless shark-folk patrolled its perimeter — humanoid above the waist, piscine below, their skin an unsettling shade of ashen black, their eyes flickering with wary light.

"System, locate the leader." I murmured.

Ding! The leader is positioned at the centre of the nest. Aura fluctuations match the profile of a late Core Formation stage Ink-Scale Shark Folk.

I drew a deep breath, abandoned all concealment, and burst forward, driving straight toward the nest.

"Who goes there?!" The patrolling shark-folk let out piercing cries and spat volleys of black ink that came shooting toward me.

I neither dodged nor evaded. The Zhenhai Sword cleared its scabbard in an instant, and a blaze of gold and blue erupted outward.

"Zhenhai Sword Art, First Form — Vast Seas Run Wild!"

With a low shout, I drew upon the surrounding seawater, raising a colossal wall of water before me. The black ink struck the barrier with a sharp, hissing corrosive sizzle; the wall thinned rapidly, but it held.

"You court death!" A furious roar rolled out from the centre of the nest. A massive shark-folk figure came crashing through the waves. His scales were a deep, abyssal black shot through with a metallic sheen; in his hands he gripped an enormous spear fashioned from fish-bone, radiating a dense and malevolent evil aura.

"The Ink-Scale Shark Folk chieftain!" My gaze sharpened, and my grip on the Zhenhai Sword tightened.

"A human cultivator — you dare trespass upon our domain!" The chieftain bellowed. He swept the fish-bone spear in a savage arc, and a torrent of black water shot toward me like an arrow.

I twisted aside and flicked my wrist in the same motion. The Zhenhai Sword traced a clean, sweeping arc and cleaved straight through the black torrent.

Puchi!

The surge was cut apart with ease — but the chieftain did not relent. He threw open his maw and unleashed a piercing sonic blast. The seawater around me erupted into a boil in an instant, forming enormous whirlpools that came rolling toward me in waves.

"Bad — sonic attack!" My heart lurched. I hurriedly circulated the Tide Saint Body Art, condensing a veil of water around my body to deflect the impact of the sonic assault.

End of Chapter 94: The Kunlun Star Chart