At the river mouth.
Donggua stared dumbfounded as the two approached from the distance. By the time he snapped out of it, they were already standing before him.
He didn't know whether Xie Lingyu's breakthrough right in front of him was meant as intimidation — to keep him in line.
But standing before Chu Xingchen, he didn't have the courage to be anything but obedient.
Donggua's thoughts were a tangled mess, but he quickly discarded all the useless ones and stepped forward to greet them. "Senior Chu, I heard you have orders?"
Chu Xingchen studied Donggua for a moment, then offered a warm smile and a gentle nod:
"Yes, I do have something to trouble you with."
"Your orders," Donggua replied, then hurriedly added, "But recently, with your disciple's help, I've corrected quite a bit of intelligence. I've also been of considerable assistance."
Good deeds done in secret were worth nothing — good deeds shouted aloud were worth their weight in gold.
Donggua understood this crude but obvious principle well enough, especially given his track record of being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Chu Xingchen raised a hand. A great wisp of light drifted from his spatial ring, and in moments, it expanded into a rather imposing grand vessel.
Only after finishing this did Chu Xingchen answer:
"Baiqing told me — you've been doing well lately. That's why I called you here today."
Donggua's expression stiffened slightly as he glanced at the grand vessel behind him. A very bad premonition stirred in his chest, but he forced a smile and asked:
"You're planning a pleasure cruise…?"
"If you want the pleasant way to say it, sure." Chu Xingchen walked toward the vessel first, then asked in a leisurely tone, "There's also the unpleasant way to say it. Interested?"
Xie Lingyu followed behind Chu Xingchen, her gaze flicking sideways to Donggua, whose expression had genuinely frozen.
If Chu Xingchen put it that way, Donggua naturally didn't want to hear it.
But this boat — he figured he had no choice but to board. In a sense, he and Chu Xingchen really were grasshoppers on the same rope now.
Donggua also understood he had a flaw — even when it was time to play dumb, he wasn't very willing to play dumb.
"What's the unpleasant way to say it?" Donggua gritted his teeth, following while pressing the question.
Chu Xingchen's lips curled into a faint smile. He tossed the command talisman for controlling the vessel to Donggua:
"Then naturally, it's throwing an egg against a rock. We're going to give Xu Linglong trouble."
"We've turned the entire Eastern Divine Continent upside down, and intelligence analysis points to Xu Linglong being near the East Sea. We set sail from here."
"Combining the full strength of our three people — find Xu Linglong and kill her, or be killed by her."
Donggua instinctively caught the command talisman. After hearing these words, the talisman — something that should have weighed nothing to him — suddenly felt so heavy he could barely hold it.
Chu Xingchen gazed out at the ocean, his tone cheerful: "Donggua, which probability do you think is higher?"
"Three people…" Donggua murmured, then grasped at hope. "I don't count as a person. Surely Senior Chu brought Bai Xuanling along for an ambush, and we're luring Xu Linglong to her death?"
"Sorry, I misspoke." Chu Xingchen's tone was languid. "Two humans and one demon — once our powers combine, we'll definitely be able to lop off Xu Linglong's head and kick it around like a ball."
Donggua didn't respond. His gaze swept the surroundings — he was certain there were Tribulation Transcendence cultivators hidden nearby.
Chu Xingchen was probably saying all this specifically for Xu Linglong to overhear.
After all, who in their right mind, living perfectly well, would go looking for death?
Donggua gripped the command talisman tightly. In the end, he activated the vessel and began heading toward the depths of the East Sea. At the same time, he started laying on the flattery:
"Relying on Senior Chu's cultivation, it's certainly possible."
Chu Xingchen leaned one hand against the railing, his expression calm and unperturbed:
"Naturally."
Saying he hadn't brought anyone wasn't entirely true — three specially selected Tribulation Transcendence cultivators were concealing their cultivation and tracks, moving to shadow Chu Xingchen's direction. They were simply too far away to arrive immediately.
But only at such a distance could they ensure Xu Linglong couldn't detect anything.
The rest were positioned to split the situation, ensuring that when other Celestial Demons besides Xu Linglong tried to go all-in to kill Chu Xingchen first, they could hold out until reinforcements returned.
Of course, to meet these conditions, there was one extremely important prerequisite — Chu Xingchen had to withstand Xu Linglong's initial attacks and hold out until the three Tribulation Transcendence cultivators could return.
In the past, Chu Xingchen at Mahayana might have struggled.
But now, Chu Xingchen was also at Tribulation Transcendence. There might still be a gap in cultivation, but with the Primordial Chaos Twin Spirit Beads and the Wanban he'd taken back from Cui Hao…
Once fighting actually started — setting aside whether he could beat Xu Linglong — holding out until support arrived would be no problem.
Naturally, this obvious trap would make anyone with eyes suspicious.
But Xu Linglong hadn't taken the bait when he was being reckless before. If he didn't play rougher, she still wouldn't bite.
Sometimes in this world, you had to take unconventional paths — make people suspicious, make them hesitate.
Let's see just how much Xu Linglong believed that his cultivation hadn't recovered and he was still injured.
Naturally, just Chu Xingchen wandering the East Sea wasn't enough.
At the same moment, Bai Xuanling and Huang Miao would personally lead teams to sweep through every location Chen Baiqing's analysis suggested for the cross-realm formation, conducting a full-scale search.
With both Gods of Slaughter ensuring they weren't at Chu Xingchen's side — especially with the only living True Immortal, Bai Xuanling, absent — this was the biggest opportunity.
Now, let's see if Xu Linglong could still keep her mind as still as water.
Chu Xingchen's gaze drifted back to Donggua clutching the command talisman. For this, he'd specifically brought Xu Linglong's monitoring device — Donggua.
Fake — but a fake that was interesting, wasn't it?
When Donggua met Chu Xingchen's backward glance, he instinctively asked:
"Senior Chu… where are we heading?"
"Wherever your gut tells you." Chu Xingchen smiled. "You're so terrified of Xu Linglong — head wherever scares you most."
Donggua hesitated: "That's…"
Chu Xingchen immediately cut in: "Or I could dangle you off the bow as bait. After all, Xu Linglong sent a clone here personally — I think luring the real body might actually be possible."
Donggua's hesitation vanished instantly. He began operating the command talisman with a grave expression:
"Rest assured, Senior Chu. I will definitely find Xu Linglong for you."
Xie Lingyu walked to Chu Xingchen's side, her gaze deep as she stared ahead at the seemingly endless ocean.
Chu Xingchen smiled and asked: "Are you nervous?"
"No." Xie Lingyu shook her head slightly, then spoke with conviction. "Quite the opposite — I'm looking forward to it."
Chu Xingchen asked in confusion: "Looking forward to what?"
Xie Lingyu's lips curved into a smile as she reached out her hand.
She flashed a peace sign.
Chu Xingchen understood and smiled.
He flashed a peace sign too.
[
Dear Readers,
I need your help. My financial situation is critical, and I can't continue without support.
Despite this, I'm still posting multiple high-quality, human-polished chapters daily because I love what I do—but I can't sustain this alone.
Support Tiers (All tiers receive a guaranteed 150+ chapters/month across all fics!):
• $6/month: 20+ chapters ahead + high-speed daily updates
• $8/month: 40+ chapters ahead + exclusive character images
• $10/month (Best Value): 60+ chapters ahead + character images + Community Chat access
Important: Subscribe through your web browser (not the Apple App) to avoid a 30% fee and payment delays.
Even a small contribution helps immensely. If you can't subscribe, please share my work with someone who might enjoy it.
Thank you for reading and considering support.
Patreon: patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
]