52: East of the sea

The surging dark green seawater was cleaved by the Moon Shuttle's sharp, silvery stream of light, leaving a long white wake behind it.

The terrifying thunderous Formation that eternally roared and isolated the inside from the outside of Xuanlei Island had been left far behind by Lin Feng, turning into a suppressive, lead-gray cloud wall shimmering with destructive lightning at the edge of the sky.

He stood steadily at the front of the Moon Shuttle, his ordinary middle-aged face, transformed by the thousand illusions mask, showed no ripples, only a pair of eyes as serene as an abyss, reflecting the even vaster and more unfathomable deep blue ahead.

The sea breeze, carrying the scent of saltiness and freedom, blew against him, rustling his plain gray Magical Robe.

With a flip of his wrist, a warm Jade Slip appeared in his palm. Lin Feng immersed his Spiritual Consciousness into it, and a sea region map, a hundred times more detailed than the one stored by the Lin Family of Azure Wave Island, slowly unfolded in his mind.

His attention did not fall on the familiar direction of the West Flow Sea Region, but directly to the east, towards the area marked with more densely packed islands, more complex ocean currents, and more danger symbols and names of powerful forces—the Eastern Sea Region!

“Eastern Sea…” Lin Feng silently recited in his heart, and the information stored in the Jade Slip surged into his mind like a tide.

The vastness of this territory far surpassed that of West Flow. Islands were scattered like stars on a chessboard, and the Spiritual Qi was generally a notch higher. The forces nurtured within were naturally more formidable and complex.

Heavenly Craft Island! This was the leader of Artifact Refining in the Eastern Sea Region, its name resounded like thunder.

The island gathered many Artifact Refining Grandmasters and skilled artisans. It was rumored that the purity and ferocity of the earth fire in its core region were unparalleled in the sea region, and there were even rumors that several strands of “Heavenly Craft Divine Fire” seeds originating from ancient times were enshrined deep within the island!

The Magical Artifacts and Magic Treasures produced by Heavenly Craft Island were of excellent quality and astonishing power, making them highly coveted by countless Cultivators.

Its status was transcendent, subtly holding the leading position in Artifact Refining in the Eastern Sea, with its influence radiating to several surrounding sea regions.

Star Luo Sect! This Sect was established based on the Dao of Formation. According to scattered records in the Jade Slip, the Star Luo Sect's mountain gate was located in a naturally formed massive stellar magnetic field. The Formation Legacy within the Sect was profound and mysterious, especially adept at deploying Formations by borrowing the power of stars, reaching extremely high Realms in offense, defense, confinement, and illusion.

Its mountain-protecting Grand Formation, “Zhou Tian Star Dou Restriction,” was renowned, rumored to have once caused a Nascent Soul Cultivator to return in defeat after a forceful attack.

Star Luo Sect Disciples traveling the sea region often displayed Formation Plates and Formation Flags, and ordinary people dared not easily provoke them.

In addition to these two giants, the Eastern Sea Region was home to numerous Cultivation Families, large and small Sects, and countless Loose Cultivator forces. Resource disputes, territorial encroachments, and overt and covert struggles never ceased.

What made Lin Feng even more vigilant was the “Demonic Traces” vaguely mentioned in the Jade Slip—on some islands or sea regions, there were often tragic incidents where Mortal villages or even small Cultivator gathering points were massacred, with their essence, blood, and souls completely lost. The methods were cruel, suspected to be the work of evil Cultivators practicing Demonic Techniques, their whereabouts mysterious and impossible to guard against.

This place offered both opportunities and dangers, far more magnificent and perilous than the West Flow Sea Region.

“Foundation Establishment Pill… Cover Sea Sword Embryo Materials… and the massive amount of Spirit Stones needed to support the Spiritual Vein's advancement…” Lin Feng withdrew his Spiritual Consciousness, his gaze fixed on the deep eastern horizon where the sea met the sky. An invisible vortex seemed to be drawing him in. “Eastern Sea, it begins here.”

The Moon Shuttle suddenly accelerated, transforming into a faint silver streak of light that almost merged with the sea and sky, breaking through the waves towards that deep blue intertwined with wealth and danger!

Several months passed as the Moon Shuttle traveled at a steady pace and Lin Feng cautiously avoided dangers.

He bypassed areas with abnormal Spiritual Qi fluctuations and frequent Yao Beast sightings, and skirted around islands marked as powerful territories, like a fish well-versed in the art of survival, quietly infiltrating the heartland of the Eastern Sea Region.

On this day, a continuous stretch of dark shadows appeared on the horizon.

As the distance closed, the outlines of the shadows rapidly became clear and enlarged, finally transforming into a giant island so vast it was suffocating, like a primordial beast prostrate on the azure sea.

On the side of the island facing the sea, relying on a natural deep-water harbor and gentle slopes, a magnificent city rose from the ground!

Tianfeng City!

The massive city wall, over a hundred zhang high, shimmering with metallic luster and complex Talismans, stretched like a profound black Dragon along the coastline, firmly embracing prosperity and bustling activity.

At regular intervals along the city wall stood ferocious siege crossbows and towers emitting powerful Spiritual Power fluctuations, their spires embedded with large crystals that shimmered with dangerous halos under the sunlight.

Several immensely wide city gates stood open, receiving an endless stream of people. Escaping lights were like rain, and various flying boats and Magical Artifacts carried Cultivators rising and falling, cutting through the sky, weaving a vibrant immortal painting above the city.

The air was filled with dense Spiritual Qi, mixed with sea breeze, Medicinal Pills, Spiritual Materials, and the complex aura unique to countless Cultivators gathered together.

Lin Feng reduced the Moon Shuttle's speed to the minimum, reined in his aura, and only revealed the fluctuation of a Qi Refining Ninth Layer Early Stage Cultivator. Following the flow of people entering the city, he quietly landed on the large flying boat parking area specially designated outside the East City Gate.

After paying a five Low-Grade Spirit Stone entrance fee, he stepped into this famous large market city of the Eastern Sea Region.

The clamor of voices instantly engulfed him.

Before him was the wide main street, Tianfeng Avenue, capable of accommodating ten carriages abreast. The ground was paved with neatly cut, subtly luminous Azure Gang Stones.

On both sides of the street, pavilions stood in dense rows. Grand commercial buildings several stories high displayed huge gilded signboards: “Myriad Treasure Pavilion,” “Pill Cauldron Tower,” “Thousand Mechanism Hall”… truly magnificent; smaller shops, each with its own unique character, sold Talismans, Spiritual Plants, Ores, Magical Robes, Spirit Beasts, a dazzling array of goods, their Spiritual Light and precious aura almost blinding to the eye.

Even more countless stalls lined the street, their owners either shouting loudly or meditating with closed eyes, displaying various strange and peculiar items in front of them, from unknown Ores covered in dirt to incomplete ancient Jade Slips, and even low-grade Yao Beast cubs on their last legs, a complete assortment.

Bargaining, disputes, the hum of Magical Artifacts, the cries of Spirit Beasts… all merged into a bustling scene of human activity.

“Senior! Senior! Are you new to Tianfeng City? Do you need a guide?” A slightly young but clever voice sounded beside Lin Feng.

Lin Feng turned his head and saw a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a faded coarse cloth short jacket. His cultivation was only Qi Refining Third Layer, his face was dark, but his eyes were astonishingly bright, looking at him with anticipation and a hint of nervousness.

“Oh? Are you very familiar with this city?” Lin Feng's tone was calm.

“Familiar! Extremely familiar!” The boy's spirits lifted, and he patted his chest, “This junior, Wang Xiaoliu, has been rolling around in the docks and streets of Tianfeng City for ten years! Senior, what are you looking for? Buying Medicinal Pills, scavenging for Materials, searching for an Immortal Cave, or inquiring about news? Or… hehe, want to go to some ‘special’ places to broaden your horizons? This junior knows it all! Guaranteed to save Senior trouble and effort, and prevent you from wasting Spirit Stones! It's only three… no, two Low-Grade Spirit Stones a day!”

He held out two fingers, his face sincere.

Lin Feng pondered for a moment.

Being new to the place, having a local guide who knew the ropes would indeed save a lot of exploratory effort.

“Alright. First, take me to find an Immortal Cave with decent Spiritual Qi and a quieter environment to settle down.”

“Alright! Senior, please follow me!”

Wang Xiaoliu was overjoyed and immediately led the way with light steps, “Speaking of quiet Immortal Caves with ample Spiritual Qi, the top choice is naturally ‘Cuiyun Residence’ in the north of the city! Backed by Cuiyun Mountain, that place is where a branch of Tianfeng City's earth Spiritual Vein is located, drawing up a second-grade Spiritual Vein! The Immortal Caves are divided into Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow grades. A Yellow-grade costs ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones per day, while a Profound-grade costs thirty, but the Spiritual Qi definitely justifies the price! Senior, what do you think…”