"I don't know how the secret of the Blue Moon Sect ruins leaked," An Yuexi confessed, her brow furrowed with frustration. "After we parted, I escorted Xiao Lü inland and stayed there awhile. When I returned to the Star Sea, the news was everywhere. It likely spilled from the Great Wave Alliance."
She paused, the weight of the situation tightening her voice. "As for my injuries... When I learned the secret was out, I grew anxious. I went to Black Loong City to investigate the source and the Qin Family's movements. But several evil cultivators targeted me. During the fight, my identity was exposed… and the Qin Family joined the hunt." Her voice dropped, shadowed by the memory. "I barely escaped. I hid on a nameless islet to heal… until now."
"..."
Lin Feng's frown deepened. Recklessly bold, he thought, recalling her near-capture in Black Loong City half a year prior. Yet seeing her dejection, he swallowed the rebuke. "Did you discover anything? How far along is the Qin Family's search?"
"Unknown…" An Yuexi shook her head wearily. "But they haven't found it. Otherwise, more Qin experts would remain in the city. I wouldn't have escaped."
Is that truly so?
Unease prickled Lin Feng's instincts. His gaze flickered instinctively toward the horizon where she'd appeared. "What now? Proceed with the original plan? Dive for the ruins?"
"Absolutely!" Determination steeled her voice. "Yes, crowds scour these seas, but they hunt blindly. The ruins' location is impossible to stumble upon. Our chance remains strong!"
Seeing Lin Feng's silent doubt, desperation flickered in her eyes. After a long pause, her tone softened, almost pleading. "Mu Gongzi… We proceed with utmost caution. If formidable cultivators guard the ruins… we withdraw. Agreed?"
An Yuexi had no choice. Alone, the depths were suicide. Even with Lin Feng, hope felt fragile—a single Rank Five sea beast could shatter their plans. Yet abandoning the quest without trying was unthinkable.
Meeting her beseeching gaze, Lin Feng sighed inwardly. He too craved the ruins' treasures. Surrender without effort would haunt him. "Very well," he conceded. "We plunge into the sea as planned. When?"
"Now." Relief washed over An Yuexi. "The journey demands time."
"Then we go."
Twin streaks of sword light pierced the sky as they soared westward.
...
Long after their departure, two figures materialized like ghosts atop the deserted peak. After a brief pause, they vanished skyward—tracking Lin Feng and An Yuexi's exact path.
...
Two days later. Open ocean.
"The ruins… are here?" Lin Feng scanned the featureless expanse, finally staring at the churning waves beneath them. Surprise tinged his voice.
The entire Star Sea knew the ruins lay within the Dragon Current Seas. Yet here they hovered at its outermost fringe—nearly beyond its boundary. No wonder thousands found nothing. The search concentrated on the central waters. These desolate margins were ignored.
An Yuexi nodded, her gaze fixed on the dark water. "This region. The precise location requires confirmation… below."
"Then we descend."
Swords vanished into spatial rings. Twin splashes whispered against the swell as they plunged, shielded by water-warding arts. The sea swallowed them whole.
Lin Feng activated the Water Veil Art. A shimmering azure aura enveloped him, granting fluid mobility. Beside him, An Yuexi moved with innate grace—her Water Spirit Root and advanced technique making the depths a second home.
At two hundred meters, a Rank Three Serpent Eel lunged from the gloom. Lin Feng extinguished its threat with a contemptuous flick of his Crimson Soul Flying Sword.
Deeper they sank. Light faded, then vanished. Utter blackness where a raised hand vanished before the eyes. Yet Divine Sense painted the seascape clear: jagged ridges, drifting silt, and lurking predators.
The crushing pressure mounted—a relentless siege demanding constant spiritual energy. Lin Feng drew on his ample reserve of supreme-grade Spirit Restoration Pills. Without them, this depth would be a tomb.
"A seafloor peak… Finally." Relief warmed Lin Feng's thoughts as his Divine Sense brushed solid rock. Deeper would have crippled us. Their descent, miraculously smooth, had demanded constant vigilance—evading beasts or unleashing the Devil Ray Ring's lethal light when evasion failed.
They alighted on the barren summit. Lin Feng's Divine Sense unfurled—revealing a jagged mountain rising two hundred meters from the abyssal plain. His perception stretched barely a kilometer. The greater terrain remained a mystery.
"Miss An? Direction?" Lin Feng's gaze sought her, scanning the perpetual night.
This journey had reshaped An Yuexi's view of him. Earlier, a Rank Four, Tier Three Abyssal Crawler had sent terror through her veins. Lin Feng hadn't flinched. Molten Fire erupted, blunting the beast's assault. Then the Devil Ray Ring flashed—a beam piercing its eye, ending its life instantly. Her shock had lingered. Inviting him was the wisest choice. Hope, fragile but real, had taken root.
Now, sensing his question, she withdrew her own Divine Sense, a spark of triumph in her eyes. "The location is correct! But I need wider topography to pinpoint the entrance."
They explored the skeletal ridges flanking the peak. An Yuexi's excitement grew palpable. Finally, she pointed northeast. "There! The ruins… are close."
An Yuexi led. Lin Feng guarded, his senses screaming alarms. Since reaching the depths, ancient, terrifying auras had brushed his awareness—slumbering leviathans best undisturbed. They moved like wraiths, suppressing their spiritual signatures. Detection meant death.
"Churrr!"
Half a day later, Xiao Qiu's soft chirp shattered the silence. Lin Feng froze, glancing down at the furry head poking from his robe. Then, grim-faced, he spun towards the suffocating darkness behind them.
"What is it?" An Yuexi whispered, tension coiling her muscles as she followed his stare.
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, piercing the infinite black void. His voice dropped to a thread.
"We… are being followed."