Ye Xuanhan stood on the beach, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Its light turned the blue sea to orange, as if the water were burning from within. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture relaxed.

While the view in front of Ye Xuanhan was beautiful, the one behind him was not.

The main headquarters of the Han clan consisted of a large building surrounded by many smaller ones. Currently, though, the main building had been crushed into rubble, as if smashed by a giant wrecking ball. Normally, such destruction would have elicited panicked voices, yet the only sound was the crash of waves. The scene was desolate yet serene. The reason for the silence was him. In his anger, Ye Xuanhan had fought Han Jiulao. Even grievously injured, the man had been formidable. Ye Xuanhan needed almost five whole minutes to whittle him down, and in the end, the coward had fled, leaving his clan behind.

Pissed that the coward had escaped, Ye Xuanhan had unleashed his anger on the rest of the Han clan.

This was the result.

"Father would be furious," he sighed.

The Han clan was vital and important. They were the ones who had enabled the Nether Lotus Sect to advance unopposed.

"I wonder how long his next lecture will last," he said, showing no remorse for massacring an entire clan.

He was more concerned about his father's reaction than the clan he had just exterminated. He also cared little for the Nether Lotus Sect's efforts to subjugate the Wild Tide Region. While the Han clan was important for his sect, it was not that important to him. Moreover, while he had massacred the entire clan, it didn't mean no one remained. Han Jiulao was still alive, and he knew that several others had managed to teleport off the island. To regain the convenience of their teleporters, they just needed to catch the remaining Han clan members and force them to breed.

Thinking about it, Ye Xuanhan's expression twisted into a scowl. "Bunch of incompetents! How dare you fail this easy mission?"

They only needed to grab thirty mortals. Mortals. Capturing them should have been as easy as catching snails.

His anger shifted from the incompetent fools to the one truly responsible for the failures of Han Jiulao, Wei Shuren, and Hou Qiang, to a disciple from another great sect. Ye Xuanhan promised that when he found the man, he would strangle him to death, extract his bone and flesh, have his father create a woman from the remains, and rape her day and night. Because of him, he had lost thirty valuable women with specific constitutions, who surely would have tasted different from any others.

Luckily, he was marked.

As Ye Xuanhan turned to head back and prepare, he finally spared some attention for a faint qi presence nearby. He looked to his side, his gaze sharpening, and noticed a man lying on the beach as if he had just escaped from a sunken ship. He took several steps forward and noticed the man's black hair was streaked with white, like an old man's. The man lay on his stomach, so Ye Xuanhan nudged him with his foot, rolling him onto his back. His skin was pale, as if he had never been outside, and even with his eyes closed, the dark circles beneath them were prominent. From his appearance, Ye Xuanhan realized the man was not part of the Han clan.

"How interesting," he said.

The man wasn't unconscious but was diving deep into his own consciousness. From the qi cycling through his body, Ye Xuanhan knew the man was attempting a breakthrough from the Lock Opening realm to the Core Splitting realm. Usually, this process required a secure room, peak physical condition, and the attendance of a master to ensure any backlash from failure wasn't too severe. Yet this man had decided to attempt his breakthrough out in the open.

Ye Xuanhan smiled, amused by the thought of this man opening his eyes only to see a blade about to sever his head from his neck.

"Nah, clearly it's fate," he said to himself. "Might as well bring him in. Who knows, perhaps he's a pleasant enough guy."

Ye Xuanhan grabbed the man, hauling him into the air and over his shoulder. Then, he walked along the beach. "From the ink seeped into his fingers, I know this guy is either a scribe or a painter." He smiled. "Hopefully, he is a painter. A painter is always popular among girls."

Moreover, as he held the body, he could discern valuable information.

Usually, people at the peak of the Lock Opening realm had traces of qi seeped into their muscles and organs—not as thoroughly as Core Splitting cultivators, but still discernible. But while this man's muscles had traces of qi, the deeper parts of his body did not. It was a small indicator that this man hadn't been a cultivator for long. Less than a year, certainly, or perhaps less than six months.

To think he would find a talent like this just after decimating the Han clan. While his father would still be furious, bringing this man back might appease him.

"If you're a nice enough guy, we can be friends," he said to the person hanging on his shoulder, still attempting his breakthrough.

The person didn't acknowledge him, and he was fine with that.

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***

Lin Tubo rushed through a small forest on the outskirts of Blue Emerald Island, his feet crushing bushes and fallen branches, yet he made no sound as he ran.

In the past, he had underestimated this movement technique. His master had said it was useful, but he had thought his master was just being stingy, unwilling to share stronger and flashier techniques. But now, he was truly grateful for it. Not only had this technique allowed him to evade so many demonic cultivators during the fight today, but he had also killed many enemies using these silent steps.

Though mainly used for ambushes, the technique also enhanced his speed, allowing him to run slightly faster. And so, Lan Haishen had ordered him to run to a small cave nearby, and since he feared the man would kill him for disobedience, his life depended on the mission's success.

Soon, he emerged from the small forest and arrived at a small beach. The sun was already halfway submerged below the horizon, making the sea and sky glow a brilliant orange. Lin Tubo looked right, then left. Spotting a black cliff to his left, he rushed toward it. His body was sweaty and abused from the day's exertions, his qi nearly depleted, but he ran as fast as he could toward the cliff.

As he ran, Lin Tubo sighed. "Damn, I don't want to do this."

Not long ago, he had been sitting on a small rock just behind Lan Haishen. The private meeting between the upper echelons of Blue Emerald Island's remaining cultivators had just finished, and another was about to commence. For this meeting, everyone was invited, including Liu Xing.

Lin Tubo had thought the meeting, while tense, would at least be civil. After all, the island's future hung on this meeting. Yet, chaos had soon erupted, and in the end, two factions emerged. The first followed Lan Haishen, while the second followed Lady Oracle.

The divide between them was caused by another disciple of the Purple Moon Sect named Yu Yongrui. Lan Haishen's faction wanted him dead. As he was a disciple of the Purple Moon Sect, which backed the Nether Lotus Sect, he was seen as an enemy. Of course, Lady Oracle did not want that. After all, Liu Xing was among them. He was also a disciple of the Purple Moon Sect, which meant that if they killed Yu Yongrui, they would also have to kill Liu Xing.

Lin Tubo was currently part of Lan Haishen's faction, but only by accident.

Curious about the important meeting, Lin Tubo had tried to get as close as possible to its center. It was just a coincidence that the perfect spot was right behind Lan Haishen. So, when the division occurred, people converged behind either Lady Oracle or Lan Haishen. He had no intention of joining Lan Haishen. He felt grateful to Liu Xing—after all, his little shark had saved him three times—and letting Bewitching Princess go wasn't a fatal mistake in his book, either. Still, when the division happened, it would have been awkward—and terrifying—to switch groups, as he was sure Lan Haishen would kill him for it.

He was sure a fierce debate was happening between the two groups right now. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if a battle broke out. Still, he had faith that Lady Oracle would try to resolve the conflict peacefully, or at least without a meaningless bloodbath.

Soon, Lin Tubo arrived at his destination. Looking up, he saw the small cave Lan Haishen had told him about—the message sent directly to his mind amidst the chaos—where the means to contact the outside world were stored.

Lin Tubo jumped from rock to rock, and when there were no more large enough for a foothold, he began to climb with his hands and feet like a gecko. After a while, he arrived at the small cave.

As he moved deeper into the cave, he suddenly sensed a massive surge of qi. He instantly turned and looked from the cliff's edge toward the center of the island. There, a giant stone turtle was hovering in the sky. He sensed the overwhelming qi emanating from the turtle and Liu Xing, who stood on its head.

Lin Tubo couldn't help but gulp. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and his feet began to tremble. He was only a cultivator at the fifth stage of the Lock Opening realm. Feeling Liu Xing's qi was akin to standing before a raging storm. But the qi he felt was not only Liu Xing's. He could feel the distinct, fluctuating qi of several other people as well. Four of them were strong, while the others, though not as formidable, were still terrifying. Their qi clashed, making the very air around him feel heavy.

Soon, a voice reverberated in his mind, stealing his attention. When the voice finished speaking, Lin Tubo was struck with a raging dilemma. In the end, another of Lan Haishen's mental messages reverberated in his mind—this time a threat—making him realize he was a mere worm in a clash of titans.

Lin Tubo turned and rushed toward the back of the cave. There, he channeled his qi into a rock the size of his palm, revealing a secret compartment filled with communication orbs, jade slips, and many other treasures. All of these treasures were for communicating with others. Some required a matching treasure on the other side, some could only broadcast one-way messages, some could only receive messages, and so on. Initially, all these treasures had been useless. While the Nether Lotus Sect occupied the island, communication with the outside world was difficult, and communication beyond the Wild Tide Region was impossible. Many believed this was because of the Han clan, and since the Han clan's patriarch was now either grievously injured or dead, it was the perfect time to try contacting the outside world.

Lan Haishen's order was simple. Lin Tubo just needed to broadcast a short message.

Soon, he activated all the treasures. Then, he cleared his throat and said slowly yet clearly, "This is a message from the Wild Tide Region. I repeat, this is a message from the Wild Tide Region." He paused for a moment, trying to calm himself. "Currently, a heaven-defying treasure has emerged in this place. A pill called… Heaven Severing Pill. A disciple of the Purple Moon Sect, Liu Xing, is tasked with getting this treasure. The Nether Lotus Sect, a demonic sect, is also trying to get their hands on it. We, the people of the Wild Tide Region, have suffered because of them, and hence, we invite every cultivator who hears this message to come here and get the Heaven Severing Pill before they do. This message is a plea for help and also our way to spite this despicable and treacherous person. I repeat…"

Lin Tubo repeated his message. As he broadcast it, he felt bad for Liu Xing. Truth be told, the message was just Lan Haishen's way to spite Liu Xing. Lin Tubo didn't actually know if the message was true. Still, since Lan Haishen seemed to have the support of that creepy cultivator with mental attacks—and could therefore gather information without asking—he wouldn't be surprised if it were true. Additionally, there was a chance they had gotten the information from Yu Yongrui, or perhaps from one of the mortals Liu Xing had saved.

The point was, now that the message had been broadcast, he imagined many people would be interested in this pill, making Liu Xing's competition to get it that much fiercer.

After he finished the broadcast, he sighed and observed all the treasures he had used. When he saw that none of the communication orbs with purple marks were glowing, Lin Tubo frowned. It seemed his message… had not been delivered to the Purple Moon Sect, while the others… had.

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