159: Chapter 158

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.

Tianshui Sect.

The Sect Master sat in the grand hall, clutching a transmission talisman in his hand; he had been holding it for a long time.

The spiritual light on the talisman had long since extinguished, and not a single word had been sent back.

He tried once more. Still no response. This was already the seventh day.

Seven days ago, he had sent two Foundation Establishment Late Stage Elders to hunt down a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage sea monster. Two Late Stage against one Middle Stage was a sure thing; he hadn't given it much thought. He even felt it was overkill and that sending just one person would have sufficed. But that beast had destroyed three islands and cut off his source of Immortal Sprouts for the year. He couldn't swallow that resentment, so he sent two people to ensure it died cleanly.

Three days.

At most three days, and they should have returned.

He didn't take it seriously the first two days. Perhaps they were delayed on the road, or perhaps they had chased the beast too far. On the third day, he tried a transmission, but no one replied. On the fourth day, he sent another, still with no reply. Fifth, sixth, seventh day—he sent them every day, waited every day, and every day he failed to get a response.

His heart sank bit by bit.

The Sect Master was a cautious man. He had managed to keep the Tianshui Sect afloat in this dog-eat-dog sea region precisely because of his caution. He didn't dare to think of the worst, but he couldn't help but do so. Maybe the beast wasn't Middle Stage Foundation Establishment, but Late Stage. Maybe it had broken through and was in the Golden Core Stage. Maybe those two Elders were already dead.

He sat in the hall, his expression shifting between light and dark.

A few people stood below him, all Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Sect. There weren't many left—only five or six if you counted them. After those two left, these were all that remained.

"Sect Master," someone below spoke up, "how about... we wait a bit longer?"

The Sect Master didn't speak.

Wait longer? Wait for what? Wait for those two to swim back on their own? Wait for that beast to leave? He stood up, walked a few steps in the hall, and sat down again.

He couldn't leave the Tianshui Sect. If he left, what if other Sects took advantage of the void? Tianshui Sect wasn't the only one in this sea region. To the north was the Linghai Sect, and to the south was the Bichao Sect—both were eyeing his territory. If he left for three days, it wasn't certain the Tianshui Sect would still be there when he returned.

"Send people to look for them," he finally spoke. "Send ships to search in the direction they went. Report back immediately if you find any clues."

"Yes."

Three days after the ships were sent out, they returned with news.

On a remote small island, two corpses were found. They had been picked apart by sea birds and fish until they were unrecognizable, but their clothing, tokens, and Storage Pouches were all there, confirming their identities—they were the two Elders.

There were no signs of a struggle near the bodies, no fragments of Magical Artifacts, and no residue of spiritual energy. It was clean, as if they had been casually tossed there.

It didn't look like they were killed by a Yao Beast. A Yao Beast wouldn't eat someone so cleanly; it would crush the bones.

But it looked like... they were killed by a person. After hearing the report, the Sect Master remained silent for a long time.

"What about the beast?" he asked.

The messenger shook his head: "Nothing was found. There was nothing on the sea."

The Sect Master fell silent again.

A Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yao Beast, two Foundation Establishment Late Stage Elders went to kill it, and the result was the Elders died while the Yao Beast vanished. Either the beast wasn't Late Stage but Golden Core Stage, or... someone killed his Elders and took the Yao Beast. Regardless of the possibility, it wasn't something he could handle. He couldn't beat a Golden Core Stage Yao Beast. And someone who could kill his two Elders was even more out of his league. But he couldn't just let it go. Two Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivators—half of the Tianshui Sect's foundation—gone just like that. If he didn't do something, who would respect him in the future? Those small Sects and Loose Cultivators would think the Tianshui Sect was an easy target.

He thought for a long time and finally made a decision. He called over the only remaining Foundation Establishment Late Stage Elder and told him to prepare a transmission talisman. The Elder was stunned for a moment and asked, "Sect Master, to whom should I send it?"

"Wanze True Mansion."

The Elder's expression changed slightly, but he didn't dare ask more and turned to prepare.

Wanze True Mansion.

That was the true overlord of this sea region.

With the giant main island, Wanze Island, as its core, it was surrounded by thirty-six spirit islands and seventy-two reefs, enveloped by the endless deep sea, far from the mainland—a pure maritime immortal Sect.

Compared to it, the Tianshui Sect wasn't even fit to carry its shoes.

Normally, no matter what happened, the Tianshui Sect wouldn't dare trouble Wanze True Mansion.

But a Golden Core Yao Beast was no small matter.

A Golden Core Yao Beast could wipe out his entire Tianshui Sect.

He couldn't handle this; he had to report it to the higher-ups.

The transmission talisman was ready.

The Elder stood before the array, holding the talisman and looking at the Sect Master.

The Sect Master nodded.

The talisman lit up, and the Elder's voice was transmitted: "A Golden Core Stage Yao Beast has been discovered in the Tianshui Sect's sea region. The Tianshui Sect is unable to deal with it and requests support from Wanze True Mansion." The talisman turned into a beam of light and vanished into the horizon.

The Sect Master stood at the entrance of the hall, gazing at the receding light, not moving for a long time.

Less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after the talisman flew out, it flew back.

The streak of light streaked across the sky and fell straight into Xiao Wangzhou's hand. Before he could even sit down, the talisman in his palm grew hot and burned into a ball of fire. A voice came from the fire, cold as if squeezed through teeth: "One Golden Core Middle Stage deacon has been dispatched to handle it. He will arrive in one day."

Xiao Wangzhou clutched the ashes and let out a long breath.

Golden Core Middle Stage. That's enough.

Forget Middle Stage, even if an Early Golden Core Stage one came, he would be thanking his lucky stars.

Even if that beast was Early Golden Core Stage, a Middle Stage one coming would make it certain.

He stood up, his legs a bit weak. He leaned against the edge of the table for a while before recovering.

He had never been this scared in his life.

Two Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators, gone just like that.

That was half of his Tianshui Sect's foundation.

He didn't dare imagine what it would be like if that beast swam to the Tianshui Sect.

"Someone!" he shouted, his voice still trembling slightly. "Prepare to welcome the distinguished guest. Put on the grandest display, the best arrangements. Go take out those bolts of silk from the warehouse and lay them out as a path. Bring out that jar of century-old vintage; the guest will want to drink when he arrives. Have all Disciples change into clean robes and stand in front of the grand hall—not a single one missing. Also, go pick the best fruits on the island, the freshest fish, and the fattest crabs. Go do it. Hurry."

The people below got busy.

Some moved silk, some wiped the hall, others changed clothes. A few young Disciples didn't know what was happening and asked each other, only to be scolded by their Elders and told to stand properly.

Xiao Wangzhou personally stood at the entrance of the grand hall, watching the sky.

The sun rose and set.

He stood from dawn until dusk, his neck stiff, yet there was still nothing on the horizon.

An Elder beside him approached and spoke cautiously: "Sect Master, could he have been delayed on the road? How about... going back to rest first?"

Xiao Wangzhou didn't move.

He didn't dare move.

What if the distinguished guest arrived and saw he wasn't there? What if he got unhappy? What if the guest hadn't wanted to come in the first place and saw him being disrespectful and just turned around? He couldn't afford to offend him. He couldn't afford to offend anyone.

"Wait a bit longer," he said.

They waited for another hour.

It was completely dark, and nothing could be seen on the sea.

Xiao Wangzhou's heart sank bit by bit.

Was he not coming? Did that deacon think the journey was too far and didn't want to make the trip? Or did Wanze True Mansion think Tianshui Sect was making a mountain out of a molehill and couldn't be bothered? Just as he was letting his thoughts run wild, a Disciple standing on high ground suddenly shouted: "What is that!"

Everyone looked up.

Something was flying over the sea.

It was huge, a dark mass that covered half the sky.

It flew very low, almost skimming the surface of the sea, kicking up a mist like a veil that trailed long across the water.

Xiao Wangzhou narrowed his eyes to look closely.

It was a fish. A very large fish. How large? It was probably a hundred zhang long.

Its body was flat, its tail like a giant fan, swaying back and forth, propelling it forward a great distance with every flick.

Its scales shimmered with silver light under the moonlight.

The fish wasn't flying on its own. There was a person on the fish's belly. That person was very small, almost invisible, but they were indeed there, grabbing a fin with one hand and dragging the entire fish, slowly flying this way. Like dragging a dead dog.

Xiao Wangzhou swallowed hard.

In all his years, he had never seen anything like this.

A Golden Core Stage Yao Beast being dragged like a dead dog. How much power would that take?

He quickly straightened his robes and led his people to meet him.

As the person flew closer, he could finally see the man's appearance.

A middle-aged man with a cold, hard face, thick eyebrows, and a very cold gaze. He wore a deep blue robe, and a token hung from his belt—the mark of Wanze True Mansion. He dragged the giant fish, suspended in mid-air, looking down at the group of people below.

Xiao Wangzhou hurried forward and bowed respectfully: "Elder Xiao Wangzhou of the Tianshui Sect respectfully welcomes the distinguished guest's arrival."

The man did not return the salute, nor did he even look at him directly.

He merely glanced at Xiao Wangzhou and then at the people behind him, his gaze indifferent, as if looking at a pile of stones. "From the Tianshui Sect?" he asked.

"Yes, yes." Xiao Wangzhou nodded repeatedly.

"The problem is solved," the man said, tossing the giant fish downward.

The fish crashed into the sea, splashing water over a dozen zhang high. The waves surged up, nearly sweeping away the Disciples standing at the very front.

The fish floated on the water, belly up, motionless—it was dead.

Xiao Wangzhou was stunned: "Sol... solved?"

The man had already turned to leave.

"Wait!" Xiao Wangzhou quickly chased after him. "Senior, is... is this that Yao Beast?"

The man looked back at him, his gaze like he was looking at an idiot: "If it's not it, then what is it?"

Xiao Wangzhou opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

He looked at the giant fish floating on the sea, then at the man, and said cautiously: "Senior, what this Junior's subordinates reported... wasn't this one. It was a crab-type Yao Beast, covered in a shell. Though similar in size, it was much more ferocious. It has already destroyed three islands and eaten over a hundred people. My two Elders died at the hands of that thing."

The man's brow furrowed.

It was slight and fleeting, but Xiao Wangzhou saw it. His heart skipped a beat.

"Not this one?" the man asked, his voice even colder than before.

"N-no." Xiao Wangzhou's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.