Although over two hundred people had disembarked from the ship, scattering across the vast sea made them instantly appear sparse and scattered. Moreover, as Lin Feng had emerged slightly later, many cultivators had already chased the Flying Shadow Fish far into the distance. At a glance, only a few figures speeding across the water were visible.
Lin Feng had chosen a direction devoid of others. After flying for a while, he looked back; even the sea vessel was now just a faint outline. Yet, despite traveling this far, he hadn't seen a single trace of the Flying Shadow Fish school—not a school, not even an individual fish.
One of the defining traits of Flying Shadow Fish, this type of demon beast, was their incredible speed. Another was their innate special ability: they were masters of illusory arts, skilled at creating lifelike illusions of themselves anywhere within a certain radius. This tactic was highly effective for both hunting prey and escaping predators. Sometimes, the illusions they created appeared just above the water's surface, making it look like a fish was flying through the air—hence their name.
As Lin Feng mentally reviewed the known details about Flying Shadow Fish, a faint shadow suddenly streaked towards him from the right—soundless and incredibly fast. Instinctively startled, he reflexively activated a protective spiritual light barrier while whipping around to face the threat.
Yet, as he turned, he saw the dark shadow pass straight through the shimmering barrier before him... and then pass directly through his own body…
"Flying Shadow Fish!!"
It took Lin Feng a moment to process this. He spun around hastily, only to see a bluish-grey fish, about the size of an adult's palm, flying in the air roughly ten meters above the water's surface. In the blink of an eye, it vanished into the distance.
Though it was only a fleeting glimpse, Lin Feng couldn't perceive it as an illusion. When he stretched his divine sense after it, he couldn't even catch the real fish beneath the waves.
"Such incredible speed…" Lin Feng couldn't help but marvel silently. Immediately, he surged his true essence, urging his sword faster as he pursued in the direction the Flying Shadow Fish had disappeared.
He chased straight ahead for several kilometers without success. Slowing down again, he expanded his divine sense to its limit, scanning the surrounding kilometer like radar, searching intensely.
"Chirp! Chirp!!"
Just as Lin Feng focused entirely on the hunt, Xiao Qiu on his shoulder suddenly chirped urgently. Slightly startled, he instinctively directed his divine sense straight along the direction the little creature indicated. This focused probing allowed him to scan further than his wide-area sweep. Instantly, he detected several objects moving at high speed underwater far to the right.
The moment Lin Feng's divine sense brushed these objects, they seemed stimulated, accelerating instantly. Unable to track them all, he locked onto just one. Finally, he clearly saw it: it was a Flying Shadow Fish!
The Flying Shadow Fish he'd locked onto seemed to sense the danger. With a flick of its tail, it dove deeper. In a blink, it was almost beyond the range of his divine sense. Lin Feng urgently pressed down on his flying sword, covering a hundred meters towards it. Skimming close to the water's surface, he willed the Crimson Soul flying sword back into his storage ring. Simultaneously, a blue light flashed around him, and he plunged seamlessly into the water without a splash or sound.
He was using the Water Veil Art. A transparent layer of energy enveloped him just three inches from his skin, acting like protective armor. Seawater couldn't touch him, he could breathe freely, and even Xiao Qiu nestled safely in his robes was unaffected.
Looking around, all he saw was the blue expanse of the sea. Pursuing the fish locked by his divine sense, Lin Feng chased for over ten minutes before finally closing the gap enough to see his target with his eyes. He then noticed another Flying Shadow Fish swimming beside the one he was tracking.
"Two of them…?" The thought barely formed before realization struck. "No! That one's an illusion! Huh? Wait, could that be the real one? Did I lock onto the illusion?"
Lin Feng soon discovered he genuinely couldn't distinguish which fish was real and which was the illusion. Probing with his divine sense yielded no difference; it was as if both were completely real.
How do I catch it?
The most straightforward method was to catch both. Easier said than done. At this moment, Lin Feng truly wished for a net-like magic treasure; that might have made things much simpler. But he didn't have one. He could manifest a net of exotic fire, but its effectiveness would be severely hampered underwater. The Devil's Light Ring was unusable—such a small fish would likely be obliterated. His flying sword or the White Tiger Raging Soul Talisman might work, but he doubted he could hit such a fast-moving target.
Various capture strategies flashed through his mind only to be dismissed. He couldn't settle on a reliable method. During these brief moments of hesitation, the 'two' fish ahead suddenly darted apart—one to the left, one to the right!
Startled and lacking time for further deliberation, Lin Feng swung his right hand. The Crimson Soul flying sword materialized instantly, shooting like lightning towards the fish heading left.
Hampered by the water's resistance, the flying sword couldn't achieve its full speed. The fish seemed to merely flick its tail casually, easily evading the blade. As Lin Feng tried to redirect the sword for another strike, the fish shimmered and vanished!
"The fake one!!" Lin Feng gasped, turning his head sharply to the right. The other Flying Shadow Fish was already hundreds of meters away. Redirecting the flying sword to chase it now was futile. His eyes narrowed. He flipped his right hand over, summoning the White Tiger Raging Soul Talisman. A brilliant white light erupted as the spectral tiger form coalesced instantly and lunged forward!
"ROAR!!!" The energy shockwave formed a tiger's roar. Unaffected by water as an energy entity, the White Tiger Soul closed the distance in an instant. It raised its massive paw and swatted down at the fish as if it were a fly.
What happened next left Lin Feng utterly dumbfounded. The tiger's paw passed through the fish... as if dispersing smoke. The Flying Shadow Fish vanished without a trace!
"That was an illusion too?!" Lin Feng stared, disbelief flooding his eyes. Comprehension dawned a heartbeat later. "No!! Tricked again!"
He whipped his head back to the left. Sure enough, a Flying Shadow Fish was streaking rapidly into the distant blue. Before his divine sense could lock onto it, it escaped beyond his range.
The earlier disappearance had likely been another illusory trick. Understanding this, Lin Feng was momentarily speechless. He hadn't expected to be thoroughly outwitted... by a fish.
Having chased for so long and even expended his White Tiger Raging Soul Talisman, only to let the fish escape, Lin Feng couldn't help feeling disheartened. He glanced around. He had no idea how far that frantic pursuit had taken him. His senses warned of several powerful auras approaching—likely formidable demon beasts. To avoid trouble, he immediately began swimming upwards.
Before long, Lin Feng broke the surface. He summoned the Crimson Soul flying sword and ascended back into the air.
"ARGHHHH!!!"
No sooner had he emerged than a blood-curdling scream tore through the air. It startled Lin Feng profoundly, instantly putting him into combat readiness. His gaze snapped towards the source of the sound.
About a thousand meters ahead on the water's surface, a human figure was plummeting downwards. Their body was a mangled ruin of flesh and blood, their life force completely extinguished. Before they hit the water, a fireball struck them, reducing them to ashes in an instant.
As the flames dissipated, an invisible force swept several items upwards, delivering them into the hand of a figure hovering in the air above…
Witnessing this scene, Lin Feng instantly understood: he had stumbled upon a deadly conflict between cultivators. To his surprise, he recognized both the unfortunate soul who had just been killed and incinerated... and the living cultivator who had noticed him and was now staring directly at him...