"What?!"
Lin Feng instinctively halted mid-flight. The words "How do you know?!" nearly escaped him, but he caught himself just in time. Instead, he blurted, "What Blue Moon Sect ruins?"
His shock was genuine. Tiger Sha detected nothing amiss, only raising a thick brow in puzzlement. "Huh? You really don't know?"
Lin Feng's mind raced, yet his expression remained perfectly baffled. He nodded, weaving truth with lies: "Yes. I've been secluded on an island nearby, cultivating in isolation for over half a year. I only emerged today. I was en route to meet someone when I crossed paths with you, Brother Tiger Sha."
He gestured vaguely toward the direction of his supposed retreat.
"Ah, I see!" Tiger Sha's doubt vanished. A broad grin split his face. "Then you've surfaced at the perfect time! Join me in hunting those ruins! If fortune favors us and we find them—riches beyond dreams!"
Lin Feng's pulse hammered with questions. He forced calm into his voice. "Brother, what are these Blue Moon Sect ruins you speak of?"
"It's the remnants of an ancient sect!" Tiger Sha's eyes gleamed. "Rumored to be a Rank Seven institution from millennia ago! The whole Star Sea is buzzing! Everyone knows!"
Lin Feng's eyelid twitched. "Rank Seven sect ruins? Truth? Where?"
"Whispers place them in the Dragon Current Seas," Tiger Sha shrugged. "But the exact spot? Unknown. For three months, nearly every capable soul across the Star Sea has scoured these waters. Still, no one claims discovery. Some even call it a hoax. Many have given up."
"Three months?" Lin Feng pressed. "Where did the news originate?"
"Hard to say. Seems it bubbled up from Black Dragon City. Spread like wildfire. The source is long lost."
"..."
Lin Feng fell silent, digesting the implications. The secret was out. The Blue Moon Sect's existence was now common knowledge. How? Did An Yuexi have a hand in this? With countless cultivators—many far stronger—swarming the Dragon Current Seas like sharks scenting blood, was the original plan even feasible?
A cold prickle of doubt touched his spine. Treasure tempted, but survival mattered more. Meet An Yuexi first. Decide then.
Tiger Sha watched him, anticipation bubbling. "Well? Brother Mu Feng! Fancy trying our luck? Even if the big monsters snatch the main prize, scavenging the edges could yield immense rewards!"
Were it his mission alone, Lin Feng might have confided in Tiger Sha. But he was merely An Yuexi's ally. Bringing an outsider felt presumptuous. He shook his head gently. "I must decline. My prior commitment stands—I must meet my contact. And you, Brother Tiger Sha, must stabilize your nascent soul. That's paramount."
"True enough." Tiger Sha nodded, pulling a dull gray pearl from his spatial ring. He pressed it into Lin Feng's hand. "Take this Communication Pearl. Need me? Activate it within a thousand li. Tiger Sha will come swift as thunder!"
Lin Feng accepted it without demur. "Likewise. If ever I can aid you, summon me without hesitation."
Brief as their acquaintance was, Tiger Sha's blunt honesty resonated. A worthy friend.
"Good! Since duty calls, I'll not delay you." Tiger Sha clapped Lin Feng's shoulder, pointing to a small island northeast. "I'll consolidate my cultivation there. Afterward, I'll linger in these seas. Change your mind? Use the pearl!"
Lin Feng clasped his fists. "Farewell, Brother Tiger Sha! Until we meet again!"
...
Aloft once more, Lin Feng flew unerringly toward Fanfin Island. This time, the journey proved uneventful. Within half a day, his destination rose from the azure waves.
The rendezvous point was a mountain on the island's northern shore. Lin Feng landed atop its peak, senses flaring. Only mundane flora and low-level beasts (Rank 3 or below) inhabited the island. No rare spiritual herbs. No signs of other cultivators. Safe.
Satisfied, he settled against a large boulder. Resting, he inspected the spoils from the violet-robed cultivator and his comrades.
The Nascent Soul cultivator's spatial ring proved disappointing—no treasures that quickened Lin Feng's pulse. Earlier, Tiger Sha had explained: The violet-robed man was a new Nascent Soul cultivator. They'd clashed months prior over a rare spirit herb. After advancing, the man sought revenge, only to find Tiger Sha far stronger than expected. Tiger Sha destroyed one of his supreme-grade spirit artifacts but suffered grave wounds, fleeing to a remote island. There, fortune born of misfortune, he sensed his breakthrough and faced his tribulation. His enemy's swift pursuit nearly proved fatal—until Lin Feng intervened.
Tiger Sha had also warned: The trio served the Black Shark Fiend—a notorious rogue cultivator within Black Dragon City's sphere. Nascent Soul Perfection realm. Stuck there for two centuries. Hailed as the foremost expert below Deity Transformation in the Star Sea. Those who crossed him… fed his mount: a Rank Four Frostwing Black Shark.
Yet Lin Feng felt little fear. No witnesses existed to their deed. Even if the Fiend learned of it, finding one man in the vast Star Sea? Near impossible.
After organizing his gains, Lin Feng sank into meditation atop the peak, awaiting An Yuexi.
...
Three days slipped by. Lin Feng remained vigilant. Several groups of cultivators passed nearby. One trio flew directly overhead, spotting him but offering no threat.
"Three Nascent Souls…" Lin Feng murmured, watching their vanishing contrails. His brow furrowed. "So many drawn by the ruins…"
Nascent Souls. Deity Transformation experts. Possibly even Void Refining masters. Could he and An Yuexi alone navigate this storm? Find the ruins? Seize its treasures? Escape alive?
"Hmm?"
A ripple of energy snapped him from his thoughts. He turned sharply. A streak of azure light arrowed toward the peak.
As it neared, Lin Feng sensed her aura—An Yuexi. Relief washed over him; he'd feared the worst.
He rose, moving into clear view. The azure light descended, coalescing into a slender figure—a middle-aged woman he didn't recognize. The Thousand Faces Illusion, naturally. Her eyes swept over him; Lin Feng too wore a borrowed face. Recognition sparked through altered features.
She approached, her voice deliberately husky. "You arrived early. My apologies for the delay."
"No need. I came ahead by a few days." Lin Feng's smile faded as he scrutinized her. "You're injured?"
Her complexion was pallid, eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Her spiritual energy felt thin, frayed—like someone recently risen from a sickbed.
A wry smile touched her lips. "I… encountered trouble. But I'm recovering."
Lin Feng didn't press. Instead, he produced several luminous healing pills. "Restore your strength first. We'll talk after."
Gratitude flickered in An Yuexi's eyes. She accepted the precious pills without protest. "Thank you." Settling cross-legged, she swallowed them and closed her eyes, cycling her energy.
...
Lin Feng moved to the edge, scanning the horizon from which she'd come. No pursuit. Satisfied, he leaned against a gnarled tree, keeping watch.
An Yuexi had arrived in the afternoon. Dawn painted the sky when her eyes finally opened. The exhaustion had lifted; color had returned to her cheeks.
"I am restored." She rose, offering a graceful bow—a discordant gesture from her matronly disguise. Her voice, now clear as a lark's song, felt equally jarring. "My deepest thanks… Mu Gongzi."
"Spare the formalities, Miss An." Lin Feng waved a hand, his gaze intent. "What happened? And how… how did the secret of the Blue Moon Sect ruins become known to all?"