On the Wavebreaker, both Xia Wei and Luo Gui were stunned upon seeing the contents of the sealed letter. As they anxiously waited for Lin Ye to appear, they immediately relayed the news to him.
"Bad news! They—they already know about the Bone Saint's inheritance!" Xia Wei said, her voice full of alarm. This treasure map had taken her immense effort to decipher. She had originally thought they were the first ones to seek the treasure. However, it turned out that the information had already spread far and wide, and large groups of experts had already made their way to the river where the Bone Saint's inheritance was said to be hidden—the Buried Bone River.
The Buried Bone River was a resource-poor stretch of water, but it had once been the site of an ancient battlefield. The environment had long since been ravaged by the forces of the ancient powers. Not only that, but the river was teeming with fierce wild beasts. These beasts were different from regular ferocious creatures. Unlike those, who at least had some degree of intelligence, wild beasts were mindless and brutal. Once they detected a presence, a fight would ensue, and if you turned to flee, they would pursue you relentlessly until you had no strength left.
Typically, once a person was targeted by a wild beast, it was a fight to the death.
The poor and treacherous environment had made the Buried Bone River a place that no one dared to enter. But Xia Wei had come to the conclusion that the treasure was hidden there. Now, the sealed letter she had obtained from Su Yuncang confirmed it: the gates had been closed, and no one was allowed to enter Upper River, with the exception of those heading for the Buried Bone River to partake in the exploration.
"What's so strange about that?"
Lin Ye yawned and stretched, loosening up his body.
The Wavebreaker was fast, but its space was small, and after nearly half a month on board, everyone was feeling cramped. Movement had been limited.
Lin Ye wasn't surprised at all that the Qingtian Sword Sect knew about the Bone Saint's inheritance. The treasure map was obviously a later copy—not the original. Though it was well-made, it wasn't the real deal. Someone had likely tricked the Seven Star Sword Sect and sold the map at a high price.
Clearly, someone in Upper River had already gotten wind of the news and replicated the map they had. At least, these people had the decency not to give you a confusing path; although there were many obstacles, the final destination was still correct.
But their timing was a bit late.
If people from Lower River, even from Central River, knew this secret, there was no way the people from Upper River wouldn't have noticed. Top experts weren't fools. The more powerful someone was, the more experienced they were.
The decision to seal the gates was swift. It would prevent outsiders from entering, and those who had obtained treasure would be trapped—unable to leave. Even if they didn't benefit from the subsequent explorations, they could trap everyone inside, ensuring no one got away with the treasure.
"How do you know all this?"
Xia Wei looked at Lin Ye in disbelief, as if there was nothing in the world that could surprise him. Everything seemed to fall within his expectations.
Lin Ye didn't answer her. He simply furrowed his brows and turned to look behind them.
"They're here really fast..."
"What?"
Xia Wei was stunned, but Luo Gui also seemed to feel something. He turned to look behind, and his expression became serious.
Boom!
Two figures shot through the air, streaking across the river.
Their terrifying auras instantly split the water's surface, leaving long trails behind them. Before they knew it, the small boat was surrounded.
Splash!
The Wavebreaker's surroundings were now sealed off by powerful pressure, rendering it unable to move forward.
Whoosh!
Li Changsheng and another person landed on the Wavebreaker.
Their aura was overwhelmingly strong.
"What do you want?" Lin Ye asked sharply, raising his guard, a trace of vigilance in his eyes.
He unleashed his Moonwheel Fourth Stage cultivation, his Cold Iron Sword gripped tightly in his hand.
Xia Wei and Luo Gui both hid behind Lin Ye. However, Xia Wei was completely shocked by Lin Ye's behavior. Why was he speaking to them? Normally, Lin Ye would have attacked immediately at the slightest provocation—no time wasted on words. He'd just draw his sword and strike.
Now, however, Lin Ye was deliberately putting on a show, as if preparing for a full-on battle.
Li Changsheng's domineering spiritual force swept over the three of them.
Even the Uwang Leopard was intimidated by Li Changsheng's force, retreating into a corner and refusing to move.
Li Changsheng narrowed his eyes, looking at the Cold Iron Sword in Lin Ye's hand. There was a hint of coldness in his gaze, but he also seemed doubtful. The sword wasn't what he had expected it to be. Furthermore, the small boat and its three occupants seemed rather ordinary. There was no way they could have killed Su Yuncang and the others.
"Search again!"
Li Changsheng waved his hand and didn't waste any more time on Lin Ye. He immediately motioned for his companion to continue their search.
Seeing them leaving, Lin Ye's expression softened, returning to his usual calm demeanor.
Xia Wei and Luo Gui, however, were left completely dumbfounded.
They never expected Lin Ye to have handled the situation like this.
"What... what... how did you...?"
Xia Wei couldn't even finish the sentence.
According to normal developments, wasn't Lin Ye supposed to subdue these two as well? The two were clearly from the Qingtian Sword Sect, and they had been searching so eagerly to catch the fugitive who had escaped earlier.
Even Luo Gui had expected a brutal confrontation, but he hadn't anticipated that Lin Ye would bypass it so smoothly.
After all, no one would believe that a Moonwheel Third Stage and Moonwheel Fourth Stage duo could defeat a Moonwheel Ninth Stage expert like Su Yuncang.
"What's so surprising? Am I the type to kill anyone I see?" Lin Ye said, nonchalantly.
"Using a little trick to avoid some trouble—what's wrong with that?" he added.
Just a little acting, pretending, and now we don't have to fight, saving time and avoiding unnecessary complications.
Xia Wei and Luo Gui were struck dumb by Lin Ye's words.
They probably wouldn't believe it if they heard it from someone else. But Lin Ye spoke it with such ease.
Li Changsheng and the others hadn't suspected Lin Ye because their strength was so weak. If they were true Solar Realm experts, their spiritual probing just now would have immediately revealed it. And any Solar Realm cultivator would have unleashed their power.
As for who Lin Ye was—they didn't care.
They easily and calmly bypassed Li Changsheng's search, which Xia Wei considered incredibly lucky. She didn't expect that Lin Ye could do this.
If it came down to a real fight, Lin Ye wouldn't have hesitated, but that would waste time.
Three days later.
The Wavebreaker approached a massive island, which directly pushed the river's current to both sides, sitting squarely in the middle of their path.
Terrifying auras radiated from the island.
Even the river around the island had frequent sightings of floating corpses.
The sky above the island was dim and gloomy, as if a decaying giant claw had taken the form of the heavens, covering the island.
Buried Bone River!
This was the site of the Bone Saint's inheritance.
Lin Ye stood at the bow of the boat. As they neared the Buried Bone River, his Nine Nether Blood Sea quickly responded, releasing a series of powerful auras.
Lin Ye's eyes opened wide.
On the island, there was exactly what the Nine Nether Blood Sea needed!
"Looks like we're at the right place," Lin Ye's eyes gleamed.
In the past month, his cultivation progress had been slow. It was time to quicken the pace.
The Blood-Slaying Treasures—if they weren't here at the Bone Saint's site, then the name Bone Saint meant nothing.
If anyone else knew what Lin Ye was thinking, they would probably die of shock. How many people in the world could achieve Moonwheel Realm cultivation in such a short time—and still be unsatisfied?
As the Wavebreaker neared the Buried Bone River, suddenly, eight chains shot out from the shore.
Whoosh, whoosh!
The chains crashed into the Wavebreaker, dragging it sideways with a mighty force.
"Want to enter the Buried Bone River? My Iron Horse Gang collects an entrance fee, is that okay?"