Wait a minute, where is my master?

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the sea churned with waves.

At this time, the sea outside the Nine Provinces was no longer calm and sunny.

It resembled a ferocious beast choosing its prey, fully revealing its own cruel nature.

In such severe weather, even the water bandits who usually scavenged the sea had chosen to honestly stay in their dens. Only the water demon beasts, favorites of the ocean, and bird spirits skilled in soaring the skies appeared occasionally.

Amid this extreme weather, a streak of golden light sped across the already turbulent sea surface at a speed that left afterimages, carving out a watery path.

"Roar!"

An unknown demon beast roared. A huge and ugly fish with prominent horns and bulging eyes suddenly leaped from the tumultuous waves.

It opened its gaping mouth and, with agility that belied the size of its body, swallowed the rushing golden light in one gulp.

Then...

The hideous fish hadn't even had the chance to fall back into the water when the golden light pierced through its back.

"Roar!!!"

Purple-blue blood sprayed out with endless chunks of flesh as the monster fish screamed agonizingly and fell back into the sea, attracting countless predators from the deep sea for a frantic feast.

A bloody banquet unknown to man began beneath the stormy sea surface.

Within the still swiftly moving golden light.

"Little Yu, how many has it been now? Are all the demon beasts from your Shui Clan so temperamental?"

Husky, holding a bun that smelled of Age Chicken, handed it to Yaoer as she spoke thoughtfully.

Even in the brutal competition of the Demon Realm, one wouldn't just see something passing by and bite it impulsively.

According to normal hunting rules, shouldn't one first assess the prey's strength based on experience, then analyze the pros and cons before deciding to strike?

Of course, that kind of analysis was usually the responsibility of the sacrifice in their tribe.

Little White primarily handled the last two aspects of hunting matters—charging in and collecting the spoils of war.

"Hmm, since we set out to sea, this should be the sixth one,"

Little Fish Demon took the bun, stated the number seriously before biting into it, and then explained.

"These demon beasts that sprang at us on our journey are actually not under the governance of the Shui Clan.

Grandmother mentioned that they have innate defects, generally low intelligence, and are utterly unmanageable.

These water demons may be huge and powerful, but they lack spiritual intelligence and can't shape-shift for their whole lives.

Normally, with numerous passenger ships passing through the sea, whenever they awaken, they jump out and swallow them.

The faster the passenger ship moves, the higher the cultivation of the guests on board, and to these monstrous fishes, that signifies more delicious prey. Your Escape Technique is speedy, and since it's skimming over the sea surface, it must have appeared to them as some exceptional delicacy."

"Little White, do you know what those two roars from that monster fish meant?"

Yaoer finished her explanation while also neatly eating up her bun.

Husky shook her head blankly.

She could understand what Little Red said, but she couldn't comprehend the language of the sea demons at all.

"Its first roar meant, 'Flying so fast, it must be delicious.' The second one meant, 'Ptui, mother's experiences are all lies, this food caused back pain.'"

As Yaoer spoke, she unconsciously stuck out her tongue and licked her three fingers clean of the remaining juices of the meat bun.

Meanwhile, Jin Xu, who was performing the Escape Technique and focused on flying,

involuntarily twitched the corners of his eyes after listening to their conversation.

"I'm glad I burst out from that monster fish's back. If it had been from the tail end... hiss!"

The little Taoist shook his head to dispel the strange thought and then asked aloud, "Little Yu, how much farther is it to your home?"

They had been traveling from Shangjing City for an hour already.

The time spent flying over the sea accounted for more than three-quarters of that duration.

But every time Jin Xu asked Yu Yaoer how much longer it would take to arrive, she always said it was still early.

This response inevitably made the little Taoist curious about the vastness of the ocean in the Nine Provinces Realm.

"Young master, concerning the distance to my home, we might need to fly for about another hour. However, I've sent a message to my grandmother letting her know we're coming back, and she hasn't replied yet.

I can't be sure whether she's actually at home.

How about we find a nearby island to wait on for a while? I remember there's a medium-sized island nearby called Youren Island. The island isn't large, but hidden in a secluded nook at the outskirts of a small hill, there's a natural Ice Spring. It's really refreshing to soak in.

I used to go there to play and relax."

"Ice Spring?"

The little Taoist was puzzled; he had only heard of hot springs before. What was an Ice Spring?

"It's a spring where the water is very, very cold! I heard that in the desert region where the Blazing Sun Sword Sect is located, this kind of soaking is also popular. But I've never tried it there, so I don't know how their Ice Springs are.

But the one I recommend, young master, you must try it. It's really especially comfortable!"

Seeing that Jin Xu was interested, Yu Yaoer began to persuade him enthusiastically.

"A spring where the water is very, very cold? That's indeed novel. Alright, lead the way, and let's wait there for grandmother to reply."

In his previous life, due to physical limitations, the little Taoist seldom even took cold baths.

Now that he had succeeded in his Strengthening Skill cultivation, he was somewhat tempted.

"Alright, the island is in this direction, about a hundred nautical miles... eh! Young master, you flew past it!"

As soon as Yu Yaoer pointed out the direction, Jin Xu immediately stopped over the sea and then gave his all to rush to the direction>.

Then...

He flew past it.

——————

At the docks of Youren Island.

After going through numerous dangers and experiencing the wild side of the sea, Yao Qinxiao had finally arrived at the place where the girl Yaner had asked him to meet.

"Whew, I used to travel near the coast and never thought that venturing deeper into the sea would be so dangerous. Thankfully the treasure ship from Hualong Commerce is sturdy enough, otherwise, even with my cultivation at the Void Refinement Realm.

Without a place to rest and recuperate in the sea, I would probably have suffered a lot.

If I were unlucky, I might even have vanished completely."

Dressed in a slightly disheveled blue robe, Yao Qinxiao spoke softly to himself, his face showing traces of lingering fear, clearly shaken by the journey.

However, in just a moment, the fear on Yao Qinxiao's face turned into a faint excitement.

He took out the handkerchief left to him by Yan Meishan, looked around, and after declining offers from three innkeepers who approached to tout their services,

this 'lovesick' disciple from Qingmu Academy stepped towards the direction of the small hill outside the town on the island.

Not long after he left,

"Boom!"

A streak of golden light fell from the sky, crashing onto the sandy beach near the docks.

It drew the astonished gazes of numerous cultivators and merchants.