39: Chapter 39 Azure Cloud Boat

The qingming boat was a masterpiece by the Great Master of the Qingyun Sect's Artifact Refining Hall. It was sixty-five zhang long and twelve zhang wide, divided into upper, middle, and lower decks. The upper deck was for navigation, observation, hosting guests, and the living quarters of Elders and Core Disciples; it was elegantly decorated and filled with the most abundant Spiritual Qi. The middle deck housed ordinary Disciples and deacons, as well as meditation rooms, alchemy rooms, artifact rooms, and other functional areas. The lower deck was the cargo hold—the largest space, yet also the most crude and dim. It was primarily used for storing miscellaneous items, supplies, and housing the accompanying servants, as well as containing the massive core Formation that powered the qingming boat. The Spiritual Qi here was thin, and it was permeated year-round with a faint odor mixed with machine oil, dust, and low-grade spiritual materials.

Lin Wan chose to hide in the deepest part of the cargo hold, a secluded corner piled with broken Formation Flags, discarded Puppet parts, and expired low-grade spiritual materials. This place was close to the ship's keel, so the vibration and noise were slightly louder, and Disciples almost never came here; only a servant would come to sweep roughly every three days. He had set up a small composite Restriction in the corner beforehand, combining the power of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins and a Void Concealment Method, completely "erasing" his presence along with the three-foot radius around him. Unless a Nascent Soul expert probed this place inch by inch with their Divine Sense, it would be extremely difficult to discover him.

He had transformed into a piece of cold ship planking, a section of rusted keel, completely merging into the shadows of this giant vessel.

Every day, he monitored the movements within the ship through that strange "field" that fused spatial perception. He could "hear" Han Lingtian, Xu Feng, and the others on the upper deck solemnly discussing intelligence regarding the Secret Realm's anomalies, the Guixu Sea, and the "mysterious Sword Cultivator"; he could "see" the lingering tension and lingering fear on the faces of the Disciples on the middle deck as they cultivated and communicated; and he could also perceive the numb labor of the servants in the cargo hold, and their occasional whispered complaints about the dangers of the Secret Realm and the long journey home.

Time, on this qingming boat slowly sailing toward the exit of the Secret Realm, seemed to slow down as well.

On the third day, the qingming boat finally reached the exit checkpoint.

A terrifying Nascent Soul pressure, like a tangible force, permeated from the three tents in the center of the square, shrouding every cloud boat waiting for inspection. Under the manipulation of the Thousand Islands Alliance Cultivators, the crystal ball Magic Treasure that detected spatial fluctuations emitted a soft, yet seemingly all-seeing milky white light, sweeping across every inch of the qingming boat's hull, every corner, and every Cultivator.

Lin Wan held his breath and focused, pushing the convergence power of the Void Dao Seed to the limit, while simultaneously simulating his own faint aura into the complex and chaotic Spiritual Qi fluctuations emitted by the surrounding discarded spiritual materials. His heartbeat, blood flow, and even the fluctuations of his Divine Soul were reduced to freezing point under the combined effect of the Mind Splitting Technique and the power of the void.

The milky white light, like flowing water, washed over the cargo hold and over the corner where he was hiding.

He felt that the light seemed to pause for a brief moment outside his Restriction, as if it had detected some extremely subtle, discordant "emptiness." But immediately after, the light passed through without obstruction and continued to scan elsewhere. The complex Spiritual Qi fluctuations simulated by the Restriction, and the "concealment" of his own traces of existence by the Void Dao Seed, seemed to have successfully deceived the rough probe of this Magic Treasure.

The light swept over the entire cloud boat, and no abnormal alarms were triggered.

"Qingyun Sect, qingming boat, inspection passed. You may exit the pass." The voice of a Golden Core Cultivator from the Thousand Islands Alliance arrived.

"Thank you for your trouble." On the deck, Han Lingtian's calm response came through.

Immediately following, the qingming boat shuddered slightly, and its massive hull slowly ascended, sailing toward the multicolored vortex where the light was dim and spatial fluctuations were intense.

The moment they crossed the vortex, a violent sensation of spatial tearing and dizziness struck, several times stronger than when they entered. The hull emitted creaking sounds of being unable to bear the weight, and the defensive Formation flashed chaotically. The cargo hold was even more violently shaken, with debris rolling about. Lin Wan stabilized his body while splitting a wisp of his consciousness to sense the spatial changes outside.

He could clearly "see" that the interior of the multicolored vortex was filled with violent, chaotic spatial turbulence and dense cracks. The qingming boat was like a small boat in an angry sea, struggling to pass through. A few relatively powerful spatial turbulences swept across the hull; if not for the qingming boat's sturdy materials and Formations, it would have long since disintegrated.

"This exit has indeed become extremely unstable. It seems that the anomaly that day caused significant impact on the spatial structure of the Secret Realm." Lin Wan realized in his heart. This also explained why the three Nascent Soul experts had to personally sit in command and strictly inspect to prevent unstable factors from flowing out.

After about a quarter of an hour, the violent jolting and the sensation of spatial tearing suddenly disappeared.

The view before him suddenly opened up; the azure sky, the vast sea, and the silhouette of the towering Qiandao City in the distance reappeared.

They were out.

The qingming boat slowly landed at the dedicated berth outside Qiandao City. Without lingering, Han Lingtian seemed eager to leave this place of trouble. After a brief negotiation with the Thousand Islands Alliance Cultivators, he ordered the departure. The qingming boat ascended again, turned, and sped through the air toward the Southern Region, the direction where the Qingyun Sect was located.

Not until the qingming boat had traveled a thousand miles and completely left the monitoring range of Qiandao City did Lin Wan breathe a sigh of relief. The most dangerous hurdle had been passed. But he did not leave immediately. He was still deep in the Xingluo Sea Area; if he appeared rashly and was discovered by other forces or hidden eyes, all his previous efforts would be wasted. It would be safer and more prudent to hide on this qingming boat, let the Qingyun Sect "bring" him back to the vicinity of the Southern Region, and then find an opportunity to leave.

Moreover... his gaze flickered, looking through layers of decks toward the bow of the ship. Han Lingtian, Xu Feng, Senior Sister Su Qing... these fellow Disciples, he hadn't seen them for many years. He wondered how they were doing and what changes had occurred in the Sect. Perhaps he could take this opportunity to gather some information.

Having made up his mind, Lin Wan continued to hide and began his life of "hitchhiking" in stealth.

The qingming boat moved extremely fast, traveling tens of thousands of miles a day across the vast Xingluo Sea Area. Along the way, there were occasional storms and Yao Beast attacks, all of which were easily resolved by the Cultivators on the boat. Lin Wan spent most of his time in deep cultivation, consolidating his Realm, deducing sword techniques, and studying the Void Dao Seed. Occasionally, he would split off an extremely weak, imperceptible wisp of Divine Sense to eavesdrop on the conversations on the boat.

From the Disciples' conversations, he learned that this trip to the Secret Realm, although the Qingyun Sect had some gains, the losses were also not small. Several Foundation Establishment Disciples had fallen, and they had also had several minor and major conflicts with forces such as the Skyfire Sect and the Xuanyin Sect. Regarding the "mysterious Sword Cultivator" and the "Void Dao Seed," these were the topics the Disciples talked about most privately, with various bizarre and absurd speculations. Some said the Sword Cultivator was a descendant of some reclusive sword Sect in the Central Plains, some said it was the Reincarnation of an ancient powerful being, and even more extremely, some said the Void Dao Seed was the key to opening the Treasure Trove of the "Guixu Sea," and obtaining it meant obtaining the Legacy of the Five Elements Sect and dominating the Southern Heavens.

Han Lingtian and the others were tight-lipped about this, but Lin Wan could feel that their interest in the "Guixu Sea" and the "Five Elements Hall" was very intense. Several high-level secret talks mentioned that the Sect seemed to possess some ancient clues about the "Guixu Sea" and was trying to exchange information with forces like the Heavenly Secret Pavilion in the Central Plains, planning to organize personnel to go and explore at the appropriate time.

"The Sect is also eyeing the Guixu Sea... It seems this Guixu Sea is truly a gathering place for storms." Lin Wan pondered. However, having the Sect's power involved was not necessarily a bad thing for him. At least, he could try to obtain some information about the Guixu Sea through the Sect's channels. Moreover, if he could secretly follow the Sect's team into the Guixu Sea, perhaps he could save a lot of trouble and use their strength.

It was just that his current identity must absolutely not be exposed. At least until he collected all five Five Elements tokens and possessed enough self-preservation power, he could not let the Sect, especially the lineage of the Ghost Hand Daoist, know that he was still alive and possessed a great treasure.

Thus, another peaceful half-month passed on the qingming boat.

On this day, the qingming boat had already entered the border area between the Southern Region and the Xingluo Sea Area, less than ten thousand miles away from the "Tianyun Mountain Range" where the Qingyun Sect was located. According to the itinerary, they would arrive at the Sect gate by dusk tomorrow.

Late at night, the moon was bright and stars were sparse.

Lin Wan was in deep cultivation when suddenly, the warning Restriction he had set at the entrance of the cargo hold passage transmitted a trace of extremely weak fluctuation.

It was not the servant responsible for cleaning. The servant's footsteps were heavy, sluggish, and carried a specific Spiritual Qi fluctuation. But the fluctuation coming now was light, swift, refined in spiritual power, and... carried a hint of deliberate restraint and concealment.

Someone had infiltrated the cargo hold? And their cultivation was not low, at least Foundation Establishment Late Stage, or even... Golden Core?

Lin Wan's heart tightened; he immediately raised his concealment state to the limit, while simultaneously expanding his "field" of perception to the maximum, locking onto the direction from which the fluctuation came.

He saw a blurry, pale blue figure like rippling water appear silently at the entrance of the cargo hold passage. The figure was shrouded in a layer of hazy water mist, making it impossible to see her face, but the figure was slender, clearly a woman. She seemed quite familiar with the environment of the cargo hold; after a slight pause, she sneaked toward the depths of the cargo hold, the area where the core Formation driving the cloud boat was located.

The target was the driving core of the qingming boat? What did she want to do? Sabotage? Or steal something?

Doubts arose in Lin Wan's heart. The qingming boat was an important asset of the Qingyun Sect, heavily guarded; this person could silently infiltrate the cargo hold, definitely not an ordinary Disciple or an external enemy. Was it an inside job? Or was there another plot?

After a moment of thought, he decided to follow and see. Anyway, he was going to leave soon; helping the Sect solve a small problem before leaving could be considered worth the "hitchhike." Moreover, he vaguely felt that this matter might not be that simple.

He was like a real ghost, tailing far behind that pale blue figure, maintaining a safe distance, while using the power of the Void Dao Seed to completely "embed" his aura and figure into the shadows and structure of the cabin, so that even if the woman turned back, she would never find him.

The woman was indeed familiar with the cargo hold, twisting and turning, avoiding several inconspicuous warning Restrictions, and soon arrived at the periphery of the area where the driving core was located. This was a more spacious area, with a huge metal sphere standing in the center, several zhang high, engraved with complex Formation patterns throughout, and emitting majestic Spiritual Qi fluctuations; it was the "Floating Spiritual Gathering Driving Core" of the qingming boat. Around the sphere, several Foundation Establishment Late Stage deacon Disciples were taking turns on duty, currently sitting cross-legged on futons on the periphery, eyes closed to regulate their breath; they seemed lax, but in reality, their Qi was connected, forming an invisible warning net.

The pale blue figure stopped in the shadows, seemingly observing as well. A moment later, a strange pale blue, water-drop-shaped Talisman appeared in her hand. She flicked her finger, and the Talisman turned into an imperceptible point of blue light, silently sinking into the ground.

The next moment, with the point where the blue light sank as the center, a layer of extremely faint, water-ripple-like blue halo rapidly spread, silently sweeping over the few guarding Disciples.

The bodies of those few Disciples shuddered slightly, a look of confusion appeared on their faces, and then their breathing became deeper and steadier, as if they had fallen into a deeper level of meditative state undisturbed by the outside world. The invisible warning net they had set up also experienced an extremely brief stagnation and loophole.

"A powerful Soul-confusing Talisman? To be able to affect the minds of several Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators simultaneously without being detected? This woman's methods are extraordinary." Lin Wan evaluated in his heart.

Taking advantage of this brief loophole, the pale blue figure slid out of the shadows like flowing water, instantly passing through the guard area and arriving before the huge driving core sphere. She did not touch the core, but instead squatted down, quickly groping for something in an extremely hidden, dust-covered groove beneath the sphere's base.

A moment later, she seemed to have found her target. A point of spiritual light lit up at her fingertips, and she carefully removed from the groove... a metal flake only the size of a fingernail, entirely dark gold in color, with fine cloud patterns on the surface?

What was this? Lin Wan's gaze focused. Looking at the position where it was placed and the degree of concealment, it was definitely not an original component of the qingming boat. It looked more like some tracking or surveillance Magic Treasure placed here in secret by someone in advance? Or something else?

The woman took out the metal flake, quickly wrapped it with a special Talisman paper, sealed it into a jade box, and carefully put it away. Her movements were clean and efficient; she was clearly premeditated and knew the location of the target like the back of her hand.

After doing all this, she seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, no longer lingering, and turned to return the way she came.

However, the moment she turned—

"What kind of petty thief dares to sneak onto our Qingyun Sect's cloud boat and steal confidential information?!"

A cold, sharp shout, like a thunderclap, suddenly exploded in the cargo hold! The voice contained powerful Golden Core pressure and sharp Sword Intent, instantly shattering the layer of pale blue Soul-confusing halo in the cargo hold!

The few Foundation Establishment guard Disciples who had fallen into a "meditative state" suddenly woke up, their expressions changing in horror, and they jumped up one after another, Magic Treasures in hand, surrounding the driving core and the pale blue figure.

At the same time, at the entrance of the cargo hold, a flash of spiritual light appeared, and two figures appeared like ghosts, blocking the way.

The leader was dressed in black and holding a sword, with a cold expression; it was Han Lingtian! Beside him was Xu Feng, dressed in green robes with a solemn expression.

Their eyes were like lightning, instantly locking onto the pale blue figure surrounded in the center, shrouded in water mist, both eyes filled with cold murderous intent.

"Senior Brother Han, Senior Brother Xu, it's a misunderstanding..." The pale blue figure seemed to be startled as well, but quickly calmed down. The water mist fluctuated slightly, and a deliberately lowered, slightly charming female voice came out.

"A misunderstanding? Sneaking around, infiltrating the Forbidden Ground, and stealing the Mother Talisman of the 'Mother-Child Sensing Talisman' placed by our Sect at the drive core—is that also a misunderstanding?" Han Lingtian's voice grew colder. The heavy sword in his embrace was already unsheathed by three inches, and icy Sword Qi permeated the area, lowering the surrounding temperature by several degrees. "Speak, who are you? Who instigated you? To whom did you give the Mother Talisman of the 'Mother-Child Sensing Talisman'? What is your objective?"

Mother-Child Sensing Talisman? Lin Wan's heart stirred. This was a sophisticated type of tracking and surveillance Talisman. The Child Talisman could silently attach itself to target objects or human bodies, while the Mother Talisman could sense the Child Talisman's location from a long distance and even spy on parts of the surrounding scene. This woman had actually managed to accurately locate the Mother Talisman that Han Lingtian had secretly placed here and intended to steal it... Could it be that someone within the Qingyun Sect was using this Talisman to monitor Han Lingtian, or perhaps this qingming boat? Was this woman here to retrieve evidence, or was she acting under orders?

"Senior Brother Han is truly observant." The woman seemed to know that denial was impossible, and her voice within the water mist carried a hint of helplessness. "This younger sister is also acting under orders and has no choice in the matter. As for the person who instigated this, Senior Brother Han surely has an idea. The Mother Talisman is here; I will return it to its original owner. I only ask that Senior Brother Han be magnanimous and let me leave. Let us treat this matter as if it never happened, how about that?"

As she spoke, she took out the jade box and held it in her palm.

"Under orders? Under whose orders?" Xu Feng shouted in a deep voice. "If you don't explain clearly, don't even think about leaving today!"

"Why must Senior Brother Xu be so aggressive?" The woman sighed softly. "Some things, once known, are of no benefit to you. Senior Brother Han, you should be clear that the Sect is not a monolith. Some people and some matters are not things you can contend with right now. Let me go, and it will be for the best for everyone."

Cold light flickered in Han Lingtian's eyes; he was clearly weighing the pros and cons. This woman was able to sneak onto the qingming boat and knew the location of the Mother Talisman; the person behind her must hold a high status within the Sect. Forcibly capturing her would certainly allow him to extract some information, but it could also alert the enemy and even trigger uncontrollable conflicts. Especially during this eventful autumn, with the Secret Realm undergoing strange changes and unrest brewing in the Guixu Sea, the Sect needed stability more than ever.

But to let her go like this would be no different from releasing a tiger back to the mountains, and that mastermind behind the scenes would surely take more actions in the future.

Just as Han Lingtian was pondering, another unexpected change occurred!

A strange gleam suddenly flashed in the eyes of the woman holding the jade box, and a blinding golden light suddenly erupted from the box! A violent, chaotic, and self-destructive Spiritual Qi fluctuation instantly burst forth from it!

"Not good! She wants to destroy the Talisman to eliminate the evidence!" Xu Feng's expression changed drastically.

However, the golden light did not attack Han Lingtian and the others. Instead, it transformed into countless fine golden threads that, like living things, frantically drilled in all directions—especially toward the drive core sphere and the complex Formation conduits surrounding it! Wherever they passed, the Formation's spiritual light fluctuated violently, emitting piercing shrieks. It seemed they intended to detonate the auxiliary Formations around the drive core to create chaos, seize the opportunity to escape, and perhaps... severely damage the qingming boat!

"You dare!" Han Lingtian roared in anger. His heavy sword finally fully unsheathed, transforming into a thick black sword screen that slashed toward the golden threads, attempting to intercept them. Xu Feng also attacked simultaneously, shooting out several rays of azure light.

But there were too many golden threads, they were too fast, and they contained a strange power to break Restrictions. In their haste, Han Lingtian and Xu Feng were unable to fully stop them! It looked as though several threads were about to drill into several key Formation nodes!

Once the nodes were destroyed, although the drive core might not explode, it would inevitably be damaged. The speed of the qingming boat would be greatly reduced, and it might even be forced to land—the consequences would be unimaginable!

At this critical moment—

"Freeze."

A calm, indifferent voice, which seemed to contain no emotion yet carried an unquestionable authority, suddenly rang out in the bottom cabin.

As this voice fell, the space within a ten-zhang radius centered on the jade box suddenly solidified!

Time seemed to have been pressed with a pause button.

Those frantically shooting golden threads, like insects frozen in invisible amber, stiffened in mid-air, and even the destructive spiritual light flickering at their tips stood still. The figure of the pale blue woman who was preparing to escape also jerked to a halt, her eyes filled with incredulous horror. Even the black sword screen slashed out by Han Lingtian and the azure light shot by Xu Feng seemed to fall into a quagmire, their speed dropping sharply.

Only the shadow from where the voice came slightly twisted.

The next moment, a gray, hair-thin, void sword mark that seemed not to exist in the current world silently shot out from the shadow, gently brushing across the jade box that was about to burst, as well as all the golden threads extending from it.

"Chii..."

With a soft sound, the jade box silently split into two, revealing the dark golden Mother Talisman of the "Mother-Child Sensing Talisman" perfectly intact. As for the golden threads, it was as if their Souls had been extracted; they instantly lost all spiritual light and momentum, turning into specks of golden dust that slowly drifted away and vanished.

The solidified space resumed its flow.

Han Lingtian's sword screen struck empty air, and Xu Feng's azure light also missed. The pale blue woman, due to the sudden loss of control over her Spiritual Qi, staggered and groaned, the water mist shrouding her body fluctuating violently and nearly dissipating, revealing a pale, beautiful, yet terrified unfamiliar face.

"Who?!" Han Lingtian and Xu Feng turned their heads abruptly, looking toward the shadow, their faces filled with shock and vigilance. That "space solidification" move just now, and the nonchalant way of defusing the crisis, was definitely not something an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator could do! When had this person been lurking here? Was it a friend or a foe?

Within the shadow, there was silence. That gray sword mark had long since dissipated without a trace, as if it had never appeared.

Only the intact Mother Talisman of the "Mother-Child Sensing Talisman" lay quietly on the ground, with the jade box split into two halves beside it.

Seeing the situation was bad, the pale blue woman took advantage of Han Lingtian and the others being distracted. She bit the tip of her tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood. The water mist around her instantly turned deep blue, and her figure, like melting water, was about to escape into the deck of the cabin beneath her feet—it was a rare water-escape secret technique!

"Want to leave?" A fierce glint flashed in Han Lingtian's eyes. He raised his heavy sword again, intending to Seal the space.

However, another gray sword mark, starting later but arriving first, gently tapped onto the "water flow" the woman was about to merge into.

"Puff..."

The woman's figure shook violently, and the deep blue water mist collapsed with a boom, revealing her true form. She stumbled out, her face as pale as gold paper, and her aura withered. Clearly, that sword strike had broken her escape technique and caused her significant internal injuries. She looked toward the shadow in sheer terror, with no trace of luck left in her eyes.

"Senior... spare my life..." She opened her mouth with difficulty, her voice trembling.

Within the shadow, there was still silence.

But a vast, desolate, and terrifying Sword Intent that seemed capable of devouring everything and returning all things to ruins slowly permeated the area like an invisible tide, shrouding the entire bottom cabin. Under this Sword Intent, Han Lingtian, Xu Feng, and even those few Foundation Establishment Disciples felt their Divine Souls tremble, as if their very existence was about to be "erased" by this will.

"Reveal the person who instigated this, and you may keep your corpse intact." That calm, indifferent voice came from the shadow once more. It carried no Killing Intent, yet it made the woman feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

The woman's face was deathly pale, her eyes filled with a mix of struggle, fear, and despair. She knew that in front of such a mysterious expert, she had no power to resist. If she didn't speak, she would immediately be turned into nothingness. If she spoke, perhaps... there was still a glimmer of hope? At the very least, she might be able to die quickly?

"It is... it is Elder Liu of 'Tianquan Peak'... He... he asked me to take the opportunity to steal the Mother Talisman and... when necessary, destroy part of the drive Formation of the qingming boat to delay your return to the Sect... to... to buy time for the subsequent plan targeting you, Senior Brother Han..." The woman said intermittently and with difficulty.

Elder Liu of Tianquan Peak? Cold light exploded in Han Lingtian's eyes. Tianquan Peak was the branch within the Sect in charge of punishment and discipline, and it held significant power. This Elder Liu was at the Late Stage of the Golden Core Realm. Usually, they didn't have much interaction, and on the surface, he was even quite polite. He hadn't expected that he was secretly monitoring him, and even intended to sabotage the qingming boat?

"A plan targeting me? What plan?" Han Lingtian took a step forward, his pressure intensifying.

"I... I don't know the specifics... I only heard that it seems to be related to... to the instructions of Great-Uncle Ghost Hand... and also... regarding Junior Martial Uncle 'Lin Wan'..." The woman's voice became barely audible toward the end.

Daoist Ghost Hand! Lin Wan! These two names exploded like thunder in the hearts of Han Lingtian and Xu Feng! They also caused Lin Wan, who was in the shadow, to be deeply shaken!

Daoist Ghost Hand was indeed still causing trouble in the dark! Furthermore, he seemed to be colluding with Elder Liu of Tianquan Peak, targeting Han Lingtian directly, and even... implicated the "deceased" him?

What were they trying to do? Was dealing with Han Lingtian intended to clip the wings of Revered Master Yue Lingyun? And why deal with him, a "dead man"? Could it be that they had sensed something?

Countless questions instantly flooded Lin Wan's mind. But he forcibly suppressed them and continued to hide. Now was not the time to reveal himself.

"Junior Brother Lin Wan?" Han Lingtian's expression grew even uglier, his voice filled with suppressed anger. "Junior Brother Lin long perished in the Tianqiong Secret Realm; what does that have to do with Great-Uncle Ghost Hand? What else are you trying to do?!"

"I... I really don't know... Elder Liu only asked me to take the Talisman and destroy [the Formation] when necessary... The rest is not something a small character like me could know..." the woman pleaded sorrowfully.

Han Lingtian and Xu Feng exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity and anger in each other's eyes. This matter was even more complex and serious than they had imagined. The infiltration and actions of the faction of Daoist Ghost Hand within the Sect were likely far beyond their expectations.

"Take her down, Seal her cultivation, and keep her under strict guard! After returning to the Sect, hand her over to Revered Master and the Sect Head for disposal!" Han Lingtian ordered in a deep voice.

Xu Feng stepped forward, took out a specially crafted Spirit-Suppressing Chain, locked up the woman who had no power to resist, and applied several sealing Talismans.

After dealing with the woman, Han Lingtian and Xu Feng cast their gazes toward the shadow again, their expressions complex, carrying gratitude as well as deep vigilance and suspicion.

"Might I ask which Senior expert helped us? Han Lingtian is extremely grateful! I invite the Senior to reveal themselves so that I may thank you in person!" Han Lingtian cupped his fists and said respectfully toward the shadow. The other party's strength was unfathomable, and their action just now was clearly to help; although their movements were mysterious, etiquette could not be neglected.

Within the shadow, there was silence for a moment.

Just when Han Lingtian and Xu Feng thought the other party was unwilling to reveal themselves, that calm and indifferent voice sounded again, though it seemed a bit more distant:

"I merely saw an injustice and intervened. Leave this woman to you; take care of yourselves. Unrest in the Guixu Sea is about to arise, and you must also be vigilant within the Sect."

Before the words had even faded, the space at the shadow slightly rippled and then returned to normal. That vast Return-to-Ruins Sword Intent also receded like a tide, disappearing without a trace.

Han Lingtian and Xu Feng hurriedly used their Divine Sense to investigate, but they could no longer capture any trace, as if everything just now had been but a dream. Only the cracked jade box on the ground, the intact Mother Talisman, and the imprisoned woman proved that everything that had just happened was real.

"Who... exactly is this Senior expert?" Xu Feng muttered, his eyes filled with shock. "The Sword Intent just now... I have never felt anything like it. It was neither pure Five Elements nor a single attribute; it seemed... to contain some higher-level Dao of 'Nirvana' and 'Void'."

Han Lingtian also frowned, slowly saying, "This person's cultivation is unfathomable. Being able to easily solidify space and resolve that self-destructing Talisman, their methods have likely touched the threshold of 'Law'. Moreover, they seem to have some understanding of the Sect's internal affairs... reminding us to be vigilant about the Guixu Sea and the interior of the Sect..."

The two looked at each other, both seeing the heaviness in the other's eyes.

The Secret Realm's strange changes, the opening of the Guixu Sea, the secret actions of Daoist Ghost Hand, the turbulent undercurrents within the Sect, and now the appearance of a mysterious expert... The world, it seemed, was truly about to fall into chaos.

"Let's deal with the matter at hand first. Keep this person under watch and accelerate our return to the Sect! Everything else will be decided after reporting to Revered Master and the Sect Head!" Han Lingtian took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

The qingming boat accelerated again, speeding toward the direction of the Qingyun Sect's mountain gate.

And in the corner of the bottom cabin piled with discarded parts, the Restriction set by Lin Wan had long since been removed, and he was nowhere to be seen. Only in the air did there seem to remain a trace of an extremely faint, ash-like aura that seemed capable of devouring everything.

He had already left.

After acting to resolve the trouble and obtaining key information, he had taken advantage of the moment when Han Lingtian and the others were distracted to quietly cast "Void Escape", leave the qingming boat, and merge into the vast night and mountains and seas below.

It was time to deal with his own affairs.

Daoist Ghost Hand, Elder Liu of Tianquan Peak, the Guixu Sea, the Five Elements Hall, the void five elements token, the ten-thousand-year sunken silver, the North Sea Market...

One clue after another, like invisible threads, intertwined before him, pointing toward a future that was even more magnificent and even more perilous and unpredictable.

His gaze turned toward the north, to the place rumored to be frozen for ten thousand miles, yet hiding countless secrets and opportunities—the Northern Plains.

North Sea Market, ten-thousand-year sunken silver, here I come.