One person: I, Daoist Master, am a cultivator of immortality!

With a deafening roar of cannon fire, projectiles were unleashed from the ironclad warship's cannons. However, before these shells reached within 10 meters of him, they were stopped by the columns of water rising from the Yalu River. Logically, water alone should not be able to intercept cannonballs. Yet, this happened nonetheless; the gentlest of waters stopped the mighty ships and powerful cannons.

"If you think you can wreak havoc on me with just this one ironclad warship and these dozen or so cannons, you're being far too naive. Guns are indeed powerful these days, but they are not the means for you to show off your might in front of me. A dragon overturns the sea, and turbulent waves soar into the sky!"

Sun Yao gently raised his right hand, and countless river dragons rushed towards the iron-clad sword. Water is indeed the softest thing in the world, but it is not necessarily the hardest. Even a drop of water can wear away stone, let alone these river dragons that come with tremendous force.

The Tsuchimikado family's ironclad warship was tottering under the onslaught of the raging torrents, its cannons unable to aim, and shells flying in all directions. Sun Yaoping raised his hands and forcefully ripped the ship upside down, causing the river water to instantly reverse, flipping the ironclad warship over.

"A ghost or a god! It must be a ghost or a god! How could a mortal possibly achieve this?! This must be a ghost or a god!"

The Onmyoji of the Tsuchimikado family didn't panic, but the naval personnel on the ironclad ship were in no position. They had never experienced anything like this before; even the Onmyoji aboard couldn't achieve such a feat. Naturally, they categorized Sun Yao as a demon or god, since in their minds, only deities could accomplish such a feat. And since Sun Yao was their enemy, he was naturally considered a demon or god.

"Quiet down, everyone. Don't panic. He's not some kind of ghost or god; he's just a cultivator from the Central Plains."

The ironclad warship was capsized by the river, and all the soldiers of the lower-ranking navy abandoned ship and fled, now submerged in the water. The Onmyoji of the Tsuchimikado family, however, were different. They had been on deck and naturally wouldn't have rushed out in such a panic like the lower-ranking navy soldiers. When the ironclad warship capsized, they had already used various methods to prevent themselves from falling into the river. (I won't use the analogy of the Eight Immortals crossing the sea here; it doesn't seem quite right. Ahem, as for why it doesn't seem right, you can all comment.)

These Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado family had all sorts of methods: some flew on paper figures, some summoned a large bird to carry them, and others summoned various aquatic creatures to stand on. In short, their methods were incredibly diverse, but very few actually fell into the water when the boat capsized.

Of all these Onmyoji with their diverse methods, the one who caught Sun Yao's attention the most was the person who had spoken to him at the bow of the ship. Because at this moment, this person, like Sun Yao, was standing on the water. Upon closer inspection, this person was actually standing on the palm of a monster. This monster was entirely black, bald with hair, resembling a giant yet its features were indistinct.

"It seems you do have some skills, no wonder you dare to interfere with the transformation of the dragon into a dragon. But I have already said what I meant, no one can stop it on this path of transformation. Your interference is undoubtedly a slap in my face. If you are unwilling to leave, then stay here today and be scapegoats for the lonely water ghosts under the Songhua River."

With a wave of his hand, Sun Yao sent the river water transforming into a dragon that charged towards the giant-like monster. He unleashed a barrage of attacks—impact, biting—on this colossal creature, but the monster suddenly shuddered, scattering all the dragons formed from the river water around it.

"Umibozu is one of the shikigami that my Tsuchimikado family has worshipped for generations. Its power is far beyond what these dragons formed from the river water can do. Your strength is inferior. If I may, I do not wish to be your enemy. Hand over that dragon, or don't blame me for being impolite."

The Onmyoji waved his folding fan and used it to cover his mouth, but his voice was not obstructed by the fan.

"Then I'll see how much this monster worshipped in your era can hinder me. Turning the river upside down is nothing more than a thought away for me." After Sun Yao finished speaking, he made several hand seals in succession, and whirlpools began to appear on the surface of the river.

The sea monster was located at the very center of the whirlpool, and the swirling current caused it to let out a pitiful cry. However, this was merely a cry of pain; it did not cause it any real harm. After all, the sea monster was too large, and the whirlpool was hardly a threat to it. It could cause it pain, but it couldn't inflict any real damage.

"Just go into the whirlpool! Umibozu, break free and deliver the fatal blow!" Upon hearing the Onmyoji's command, Umibozu suddenly shook his body, struggling to break free from the whirlpool. Then, he swung his massive arm and threw a punch at Sun Yao.

Given its enormous size, a solid punch from it would either kill or severely injure it. Of course, that's for ordinary people. As for Sun Yao, this punch might not break his Golden Light Spell, but why should he take it head-on?

However, he didn't choose to dodge; instead, he decided to take the punch head-on. The psychological pressure on an enemy is different when they directly counter the punch versus when they dodge it. It was clear that the Onmyoji of the Tsuchimikado family highly regarded the Umibozu's strength; defeating him directly would undoubtedly have a significant impact on his confidence.

Sun Yao clenched his right fist, and the next moment, the endless river water condensed into a giant fist beside him.

"Kanshui - Frozen! Break!"

Sun Yao raised his left hand to his chest like a sword, and the next moment, the huge fist of river water beside his right side condensed into a fist of ice. Sun Yao swung his right fist out, and the huge fist of ice swung out in sync with his right fist, meeting the fist that the Sea Monk was swinging at him.

Their fists collided head-on, the force of their blows violently striking the river's surface, sending waves surging. For a moment, neither gained the upper hand, but Sun Yao quickly gained the upper hand. With the endless river water as his support, he continuously propelled his icy fist towards the Sea Monk. The Sea Monk was indeed very strong, but compared to the endless, towering waves, its strength was nothing.

The waves crashed against the Fist of Ice, one after another, relentlessly impacting it. Umibozu could feel the power of the Fist of Ice, which was striking him repeatedly, growing stronger with each blow. Almost every second, the power of the Fist of Ice increased; this was perhaps the principle of water transforming from the softest to the hardest.