The night was as dark as ink. The small boat slowly sailed through the vast and quiet area.

Lin Xun was in deep thought. Yunpeng Market? What kind of place is it?

And the treasure auction…what clan is hosting it?

Lin Xun suddenly realized a problem. His priority should be to find out which sea region he was situated in. Otherwise, they might not be able to return to the Ziyao Empire or even get lost in the vast boundless sea.

“Oh right, the demon girl said before she left that she didn’t want to trouble us so she quickly left. That doesn’t seem right,” stated Toady.

“It is indeed a bit strange,” remarked Lin Xun

Toady speculated, “The demon girl came and left in a hurry. Don’t tell me she is fleeing from trouble…”

A brilliant ray of light tore the night sky like a bolt of lightning.

“It seems…your guess is correct.”

Lin Xun immediately noticed that the beam of light was incredibly powerful and full of murderous intent.

“Have you seen a girl in a yellow dress?”

With a swoosh, the light came to a halt not far away, turning into a thin figure.

He had green eyes and a distinctive mustache. His back was slightly crooked, and his face was pale and somewhat sickly.

Even so, he was threatening, aggressive and domineering. He stood proudly in the air and glanced down at Lin Xun and Toady.

Lin Xun and Toady exchanged a glance. As expected, there is trouble.

“No, we haven’t.” Toady looked a little irritated by the man’s rudeness. He questioned them like they were prisoners and spoke in a superior tone of voice.

“Ridiculous.”

The skinny man’s face darkened. “The demon girl’s aura is still lingering on your boat. How dare you lie through your teeth?”

“Haha, you can tell already so why are you asking us? Something is wrong with you.” Toady couldn’t stand the man any longer.

Originally, he planned to tell him the truth and keep the peace if he had a better attitude and was more polite. But now, he changed his mind.

Lin Xun had the same thought, so his gaze grew increasingly cold as he looked at the skinny man.

“How dare you! I asked you because I wanted to give you a chance to prove your innocence. It seems that you are that demon girl’s accomplice!” The man’s eyes were sinister and full of murderous intent.

“Is that guy’s head not screwed on right?” Toady asked Lin Xun.

Lin Xun suggested, “Shake his head to see.”

Toady couldn’t help but laugh hysterically. “What a good idea!”

They talked as if no one was around, taunting the skinny man.

“Just you wait.” The man’s face became dark and unpleasant and the corners of his lips trembled with rage.

He gritted his teeth, turned and left.

Lin Xun and Toady blankly watched him leave. Such an arrogant guy left with just a threat.

The man might look arrogant and domineering, but he wasn’t an idiot.

On the contrary, he knew the situation wasn’t good for him when he noticed that Lin Xun and today were acting fearlessly.

Out of caution, he decided to leave.

“Hahaha, damn it, I was almost deceived by him. He turned out to be nothing but a coward!” Toady laughed.

“Something’s wrong. Let’s capture him first!” Lin Xun vanished from the boat like an illusion and caught up to the thin man in the blink of an eye.

“This is bad!” The man’s expression changed dramatically and tried to flee with all his strength.

Lin Xun found the man more and more strange. “Fellow cultivator, it’s fate that we met. Why are you leaving in such a hurry?”

The skinny man warned in an imposing and powerful voice, “Hmph! I have other important affairs to attend to. How can I waste my time on you? Quickly get lost and don’t block my way. Otherwise, you will have to bear the consequences!”

PA!

Lin Xun slapped him on the forehead before he finished.

He shrieked in agony and staggered backwards.

“How dare you! Do you know who I am? Boy, it’s over for you. Now that you have angered me, no one in this world can save you!” he bellowed.

“Why are you still putting on an act? Let’s see how long you can pretend!” Lin Xun sneered as he charged forward and gave him another beating.

The skinny man screamed, again and again, going berserk with anger. His forehead became red and swollen from the beating, and his shrill cry reverberated endlessly across the night sea, driving the shoals of fish to flee in panic.

In the end, the skinny man succumbed and begged for mercy, “Young master, please spare me. Please forgive me!”

“Yo, you were very arrogant just now, why did you become like this?” Toady taunted, joining in the fun.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Suddenly, Toady donned a strange smile as though he discovered something. “Heavens! That guy turns out to be a soft shell turtle beast! This is easy to deal with then! Let’s make turtle soup later. It will be tasty!”

The thin man shuddered all over and almost wept with fear. He looked so discomposed that Lin Xun couldn’t help but shake his head.

Who would have imagined that the arrogant and showy guy would become so cowardly?

……

On the small boat, the skinny man had already confessed before Lin Xun could resort to any torture to interrogate him.

It turned out that his name was Wu Yang and was a thousand-year-old turtle sprite after years of cultivation, and now he served the saint of the Azure Turtle Clan, Qing Yunyang.

Azure Turtle Clan!

Lin Xun’s expression changed, thinking of an old friend.

Toady remarked disdainfully, “With your ability, do you think you can kill the demon girl? What a joke!”

“I am just a spy, responsible for tracking down the whereabouts of the demon girl. Someone else will take action when required,” Wu Yang hurriedly explained.

Lin Xun asked curiously, “How did that demon girl anger your Saint?”

Wu Yang gritted his teeth, “That woman stole the treasure of our Azure Turtle Clan a few days ago. If she isn’t captured and killed, then our Azure Turtle Clan will lose face!”

“What kind of treasure?” Toady’s eyes lit up.

Wu Yang hesitated, stuttered and refused to answer.

Irritated, Toady was about to resort to torture. Who would have thought that Wu Yang would be so spineless and reveal everything to him? Toady despised him even more.

The treasure turned out to be called the Thousand Opportunity Flag, an ancient treasure with mysterious uses.

The treasure was rumored to contain unfathomable secrets, able to deduce one’s own path, find flaws, and solve many cultivators’ problems to prevent a cultivator from walking down the wrong path.

“What an amazing treasure!” Toady’s eyes gleamed covetously.

The ancient treasure was indeed very rare and unique with marvelous uses.

“Yes, only the saint of the Azure Turtle Clan is qualified to activate the treasure. Who would have thought that the demon girl would steal our treasure?” Wu Yang sighed.

Lin Xun remembered that the beautiful girl was called Ahu. Did Wu Yang tell the truth?

Lin Xun questioned the cowardly and spineless Wu Yang about other matters, and he very cooperatively answered everything.

The sea region they were in turned out to be called the Southern Sea and was still part of the Spirit Burial Sea even if they were tens of thousands of miles away from Return Dominion.

The Southern Sea consisted of many clans and sects who either occupied the depths of the sea or the islands on the sea.

The Azure Turtle Clan was one of them.

Lin Xun and Toady looked at each other, inwardly on the alert.

They had offended too many clans. Even though they had escaped, they were still at risk of danger as long as they remained in the Southern Sea.

“We must leave as soon as possible!” Lin Xun made a decision and then continued to inquire about the Yunpeng Market.

“Young masters, I have already told you everything I know. I hope you will give face to the Azure Turtle Clan and spare my life.”

In the end, Wu Yang begged, “The saint of our clan is nearby now if he knows...”

“Are you threatening us?” asked Toady.

Wu Yang frantically waved his hands. “I don’t dare to, but given your strength, I’m afraid...I’m afraid...”

Lin Xun gave a halfhearted smile. “You’re afraid that I won’t win against your Azure Turtle Clan, is that right?”

Wu Yang looked away awkwardly.

“Don’t worry, I will release you when I see your saint.”

“Do you want to meet the saint of our clan?” Wu Yang couldn’t believe what he heard. Who are these two guys? They are too fearless. Are they not afraid of death?

……

“Do you really plan to do that?” Toady asked in bewilderment.

Wu Yang had already been knocked out to prevent him from overhearing their conversation.

“It can’t be helped. You also heard from that guy that we need someone’s recommendation to participate in the treasure auction.” Lin Xun sighed. “If we can’t participate, then we can’t get our hands on the Grand Universe Ark, and without it, we can’t cross Spirit Burial Sea.”

Toady frowned. “Do you really believe in the demon girl’s nonsense?”

Lin Xun shrugged. “It doesn't matter whether it’s true or not. We will know after we give it a try.”

“But why do you want to meet the saint of the Azure Turtle Clan? Don’t tell me you want him to recommend you for the treasure auction?”

Lin Xun’s lips curled into a ruminative smile. “Like I said, if you don't give it a try, how will you know if it will succeed or not?”

One day later.

In the early morning, the sapphire-like sea glittered under the bright rays of the morning sun, looking more vast and magnificent than usual.

Soon, a bugle sounded from the distant sea surface, shaking the world.

“They’re here!” Wu Yang’s spirit was instantly lifted.

“What an amazing formation!”

Lin Xun and Toady looked over and saw a majestic team emerging from the distant sea like a black mass.