Cloudwater Lake.
Dongyi Island.
This isolated island in the middle of the lake originally belonged to Chenjian Dock. Ever since Duan Xiao met his demise, the water bandits on the island had scattered in panic, and within just a few months, the place had fallen into complete ruin.
The island was now overgrown with reeds, filled with crumbling walls and ruined structures. The mooring ropes at the pier had rotted away, leaving the place completely deserted, with weeds growing knee-high.
Yet at this moment, a different scene unfolded on the island.
Several campfires flickered within the ruined walls of the stockade, casting their light upon a few large tents.
Inside one of the large tents.
The candlelight flickered slightly.
A young man dressed in white was bent over a desk, staring intently down at a map spread across it.
He was exceptionally handsome, with a face as smooth as jade and refined features. At first glance, he looked like a young master from a noble family.
However, his eyes, cold as a winter pool, proved that he was anything but simple.
Thump, thump, thump!
At that moment, the tent flap was lifted, and a figure rushed inside, reporting in an urgent voice:
“Young Master, I have gathered the basic information!”
The young man did not even raise his head. His gaze remained fixed on the map on the desk as he said indifferently,
“Speak.”
“Understood!”
“The troops on the opposite shore have been confirmed to be the Tengxiao Camp of the Longxiang Army. They are led personally by Wang Xuanliang, the Tengxiao Colonel and eldest son of the Zhendong General. There are about three hundred of them, all fully armored and armed, with strict military discipline. They are definitely not ordinary soldiers.”
“On the northern shallows are the people from the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion, about ten in total, led by the ‘Songyang Hand,’ Shen Cang.”
“To the northeast is an old monk of unknown origin, accompanied only by a large monk who exudes a fierce, baleful aura. Your subordinate sensed that they are unfathomable, so I did not dare to act rashly.”
“There is also only one person to the west, but this person has an extremely foul temper. We only caught a glimpse of him from afar, and before we could even get close, we were warned by his divine sense. His divine sense was incredibly sharp and powerful—he is undoubtedly an expert of the Gangjin Rank!”
At this point, the reporter paused slightly, looked up at the white-robed young man behind the desk, and said in a low voice:
“As for the group to the south, they do not belong to any force in Nanxiang Prefecture. At first, your subordinate could not guess their origin, but I recognized one of them whom I have seen in the Southern Sea. His name is Han Shu, a direct descendant of the Han family.”
“The Han family?”
For the first time, the white-robed young man made a move. He slowly raised his eyes, showing a trace of interest.
“The elite Han clan of Xinyi Prefecture?”
“Indeed.”
The man continued his report:
“Your subordinate also uncovered an old matter!”
“In the nearby Changyun County, there have long been the so-called ‘Five Great Families’ entrenched there, and one of them is surnamed Han.”
“According to the local elders, this branch of the Han family migrated from another prefecture decades ago and has been rooted here for two generations now.”
“Oh?”
The white-robed young man leaned back in his chair, clapped his hands lightly, and chuckled with a click of his tongue.
“Every single one of them has truly calculated far in advance.”
“To start planting stakes here decades ago, all for the sake of coveting the Blessed Land of our Sea-Overturning Legacy... It is truly admirable.”
Though he was smiling.
The coldness in his eyes grew increasingly dense, like a thin layer of ice forming over a deep pool in the dead of winter.
“There is no need to worry about that monk and that eccentric, foul-tempered fellow for now. Someone else will deal with them.”
“For now, the ones most worth keeping a close eye on are the people from the Longxiang Army.”
At this point, his face darkened, and his tone grew a fraction more serious:
“Although Wang Zhifan has not shown his face, I am certain he has already arrived, hiding somewhere and waiting for his chance.”
“This man is highly socially adept and incredibly capable. In just over ten short years, he rose all the way from a minor Huajin cultivator to an Inner Gang Rank expert. He is by no means an easy opponent.”
“What is even more troublesome is that he has a backer in the Qi court—rumored to be a prince. Although he is only a two-character prince, a prince is still a prince, and the influence he can mobilize is not to be underestimated.”
He suddenly raised his head, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
“Therefore, for this trip to the Diaohai Blessed Land, the greatest rival of our Raging Sea Sect will be the Longxiang Army.”
This white-robed young man surprisingly hailed from a major sect of the Southern Sea!
The Raging Sea Sect!
He was one of the five core disciples of the Raging Sea Sect's leader.
Pei Heng!
And compared to the other core disciples of the leader, Pei Heng's status was far more honorable.
For he was a direct descendant of the Raging Sea Sect's old Daoist Master Xuanyuan.
Pei Heng was exceptionally gifted, having already entered the mid-stage Huajin Rank at the age of twenty-five. He was also renowned for his quick wit and clever strategies, making him unrivaled among the younger generation of the Raging Sea Sect.
The Raging Sea Sect disciples entering the Diaohai Blessed Land this time were led by him and two other core disciples of the leader.
And Pei Heng was determined to succeed on this journey, a blazing fire already burning in his chest.
Grandfather's lifespan is nearing its end... If I can enter the Blessed Land, obtain that entire Renwater Flame Apricot Tree, and present it to him with my own hands...
I will surely stand out and be established as the Daoist Successor of our Raging Sea Sect, enjoying the resources, offerings, and divine abilities of the entire sect.
When that time comes, achieving the Divine Ability Rank in this lifetime will no longer be a mere pipe dream!
At this thought, Pei Heng's heart grew even hotter, and his breathing unconsciously turned heavy.
As his emotions surged, he heard the servant speak again:
“Young Master, there are also the people from the Qingyuan Sword Pavilion...”
“They are of no concern!”
Dragged back to reality from his daydreams, Pei Heng waved his hand impatiently and sneered.
“Those so-called Four Sects of Nanxiang cannot even produce a single Daoist Master. If all four sects gathered together, they might give me a momentary headache, but a mere Qingyuan Sword Pavilion... Hmph.”
He gave a cold laugh, a trace of sinister malice flashing in his eyes.
“The Blessed Land is vast, so we might as well send them in to act as pathfinders for us. When they come out, we can simply slaughter them and seize their treasures. Wouldn't that be wonderful?”
Hearing this, the servant quickly cupped his hands, his face breaking into a sycophantic grin as he began to flatter,
“Young Master is truly—”
Boom!
Before he could finish his sentence.
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted outside the tent!
The large tent shook violently as if about to collapse. The map on the desk was sent flying by the shockwave, the candlestick toppled over, and the candlelight flickered wildly, on the verge of going out.
Immediately after, a roar swept past like rolling thunder, carrying an immense, tyrannical fury!
“Roar!!”
Pei Heng's expression changed dramatically, his composure instantly vanishing.
He tapped his foot against the ground and flickered out of the tent like a ghost.
On the distant stockade wall.
Zheng Tianwu and Pei Xiyue, the other two core disciples of the Raging Sea Sect's leader, were already standing there.
But at this moment, Zheng Tianwu was frozen in place like a stone statue.
Pei Xiyue's mouth was slightly agape, her beautiful eyes filled with utter shock.
The two of them stared blankly up at the distant horizon, their heads tilted back, as if their very souls had been snatched away.
“What is going on?!”
With a flash of his figure, Pei Heng landed beside them and looked in the direction of their gaze.
But the moment the words left his mouth, he froze as well.
Because.
He had seen a dragon.
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