Nothing notable occurred along the way.
As they drew near the Chinan Island Chain, Qin Sang suppressed his cultivation once more to the Core Formation stage, following behind Zhou Jin and Ruan Yu.
The Chinan Island Chain had originally been unremarkable, considered a relatively remote corner of the Eastern Sea inhabited only by low-level cultivators. It had grown lively only recently.
Core Formation cultivators, rarely seen on ordinary days, now frequented the island chain, leaving the local cultivators walking on eggshells.
The rumors were still fermenting.
When Qin Sang's trio arrived, not many cultivators had yet been drawn to the Chinan Island Chain; most were still on their way.
After going ashore, Zhou Jin and Ruan Yu knew their way around. They located one of the island chain's markets and made contact with local factions to gather information.
Qin Sang initially followed them, but later strolled around the market alone, observing the cultivators coming and going.
There was visibly a significant number of outside cultivators, and their cultivation was far from weak.
Among them, Zhou Jin's cultivation was only upper-middle tier.
Some were surely there to try their luck.
Yet Qin Sang believed a large portion were scouts dispatched by various factions. With the whereabouts of Saint Huiguang and True Monarch Danyu shrouded in mystery, every power was desperate to confirm or debunk the news.
The market was a mixture of dragons and snakes, though no trouble had broken out yet. Everyone implicitly understood they were there to gather intelligence, so no one acted recklessly; crossing the wrong major power might put them in a position where even their sect could not protect them.
After walking for a while, Qin Sang detected no trace of any Nascent Soul cultivators. Few took things into their own hands as personally as he did.
"Fellow Daoist Qin, hold on a moment."
Zhou Jin's call came from behind.
Pretending he had not noticed earlier, Qin Sang turned at the sound to see Zhou Jin and Ruan Yu hurrying over, followed by three oddly dressed cultivators.
"How did you end up so far? We didn't dare release our divine sense in the city, so we spent quite some effort looking for you!" Zhou Jin grumbled good-naturedly.
"Didn't we agree to meet at the inn tonight?" Qin Sang feigned puzzlement, letting his gaze fall on the three figures behind them. "And these three are...?"
The trio consisted of two men and one woman.
The elder man and the woman were both at the Core Formation stage, while the younger man's cultivation was comparable to Ruan Yu's.
Their attire differed markedly from ordinary people, standing out even in the Eastern Sea.
Each had eight or ten colorful cloth pouches hanging from their waist. The pouches bore intricate patterns and faintly glowing restrictions, but did not resemble magic tools or mustard seed bags.
Not only that, the pockets on their clothes bulged as well, stuffed with unknown contents.
Even Foundation Establishment cultivators rarely carried so many items on their person; presumably, they possessed unique divine abilities.
Zhou Jin gestured with a smile. "Allow me to introduce you! Fellow Daoist Qin, these three are the Three Heroes of the Leng Clan. They possess formidable divine abilities and noble spirits. We met them three years ago in the north, never expecting to run into them here. Fellow Daoists, this is the Fellow Daoist Qin I just mentioned. We traveled together from Bieli Island, and he is a trustworthy, close friend."
"An honor to meet you!" Qin Sang cupped his hands.
The Three Heroes of the Leng Clan returned the greeting with a peculiar hand sign.
"How could we three siblings dare call ourselves 'Three Heroes'? It's merely a flattering label strangers slapped on us—quite laughable! Fellow Daoist Qin's aura runs deep as an abyss, inscrutable and profound. I imagine you, like Fellow Daoists Zhou and Ruan, hail from an orthodox Daoist lineage. Truly enviable," the elder man, named Leng Qi, said with a chuckle. His voice was raspy and grating, like the flicking tongue of a viper, excruciating to hear.
Qin Sang's eyes swept over his throat as he mused to himself.
These three were likely not true siblings. Their aura was bizarre—neither Buddhist nor Daoist, yet devoid of any discordance. In all probability, they had a formal heritage, though he could not tell which faction they belonged to.
As Zhou Jin continued explaining, Qin Sang learned that the Three Heroes of the Leng Clan had also been drawn here by the legends of the ancient immortal sect. They had arrived a few days earlier than Zhou and Ruan and had already gleaned some intel.
Seeing more and more experts gathering in the Chinan Island Chain, the three had decided to set out to sea as soon as possible to seize the initiative. They had been in the middle of recruiting companions when they happened to run into Zhou and Ruan.
"I trust Brother Zhou's character. With the help of you three, we should be certain of success. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Qin? So far, we haven't heard of anyone finding the ancient immortal sect. If we truly have such fortune, we can rely on our own abilities when the time comes."
Leng Qi spoke with considerable confidence, extending an open invitation.
As he spoke, Leng Qi made no attempt to conceal anything, directly producing a jade slip and handing it to Qin Sang. "Take a look, Fellow Daoist. This is the information we've gathered. While we haven't found any ancient immortal sect ruins, it hasn't been a fruitless endeavor either. Legends about immortals in the Chinan Island Chain are noticeably denser than elsewhere, and quite unique. They couldn't have arisen out of nowhere..."
The jade slip contained various legends as well as a sea chart of the waters near the Chinan Island Chain, marking several islands designated for thorough investigation.
Leng Qi was remarkably generous.
Even before Qin Sang had agreed to join, he laid out the information they had painstakingly gathered.
After reviewing the jade slip, Qin Sang thought for a moment and agreed.
Leng Qi was overjoyed, his demeanor noticeably warming up.
That night, Leng Qi arranged lodgings for them at an inn.
At noon on the third day, Qin Sang and his companions headed to the pier as agreed, easily locating a treasure ship.
Sensing the auras aboard from afar, Qin Sang inwardly scoffed. Gathered on this small vessel were no fewer than twenty Core Formation cultivators.
Even in Zhongzhou, where the Dao of cultivation flourished, such a scene was rarely witnessed, let alone in the Eastern Sea.
Leng Qi led the three aboard, immediately drawing a flurry of scrutinizing gazes before they were withdrawn one after another.
Acting as if he noticed nothing, Qin Sang led Zhou Jin and Ruan Yu to a round table and sat down.
Whenever someone nearby struck up a conversation, Zhou Jin handled it.
Qin Sang leaned back against his chair, resting with his eyes closed. Extending his spiritual sense, he detected no trace of any Nascent Soul cultivator, nor did he feel anyone prying into him.
After waiting a short while, more people boarded in succession.
By the time the sun climbed high into the sky, Leng Qi entered the cabin to announce their departure. The treasure ship shuddered faintly and sailed out of the dock.
Once the initial unfamiliarity faded, the cultivators in the cabin soon grew lively.
Yet by tacit consensus, no one pried into another's origins.
With so many Core Formation cultivators gathered together, few things could threaten them. Everyone appeared relaxed, chatting about heaven and earth. When the ancient immortal sect ruins came up, their faces lit up with excitement, as if their sole purpose was indeed to uncover the sect.
Leaving the Chinan Island Chain behind, the islands grew noticeably sparser.
Leng Qi steered the ship himself, combing through one island after another according to the planned route.
At each stop, Qin Sang went ashore in person.
Unsurprisingly, the credibility of these dubious legends was virtually nil. There was only one deserted island after another; where could there be any trace of an ancient immortal sect?
After repeated disappointments, everyone's enthusiasm gradually waned.
...
On this day, their journey was half complete.
The treasure ship cut swiftly across the sea, trailing a white line in its wake.
Noticing Qin Sang, Zhou Jin, and Ruan Yu standing by the bulwark, Leng Qi grew curious and walked over to ask what they were looking at.
Suddenly, he heard Qin Sang bark in a low voice, "Below!"
*Whoosh!*
Zhou Jin crossed his hands, and a beam of light shot out from his grip, plunging into the sea in a flash.
Immediately after, with a loud *splash*, the beam of light returned. It was a magic treasure shaped like a jade ring—and locked inside was a bizarre fish demon!
Chapter 1551