Gao Feng's gaze was cold and sinister as he hovered in midair, staring chillingly down at the Three Heroes.
"An extraordinary treasure has appeared on Fangshan Island. Hand it over, lest Fangshan Island suffer an undeserved disaster."
Trembling and doing his best to suppress his fear, Hero Yan said, "Senior Gao, the alliance has rules: members are not permitted to rob one another."
Gao Feng remained unmoved. "Rob? If you offer it to me of your own accord, how could that be considered robbery?"
Even as he spoke, a figure burst from the ocean surface, looking at the Three Heroes with a faint, mocking smile. "Yan Chuan, Fangshan Island has struck good fortune. As a neighbor, taking a share of the spoils wouldn't be asking too much, would it?"
It was Fangshan Island's neighbor, the Tiger Shark Clan Chief, possessing superior early Soul Formation cultivation.
The two of them were the Soul Formation cultivators closest to this place.
"Heh, something our Five Elements Sect has set our sights on—since when does every piece of trash dare reach for it?" Lu Yang sneered.
Meng Jingzhou, Tao Yaoye, and the others walked out of the cave entrance one after another to back him up.
"You're the Five Elements Sect disciples from True Monarch Ma's banquet!" Gao Feng wavered slightly at the sight of Lu Yang, and the Tiger Shark Clan Chief did the same.
He didn't fear the Five Elements Sect. The East Sea was vastly distant from the Five Elements Sect; could it be that just because someone bullied a few Five Elements Sect disciples, the Five Elements Sect would dare extend its reach into the East Sea?
Although the East Sea was chaotic internally, it presented a united front against outsiders. The alliance's upper echelons would never permit the Five Elements Sect to meddle.
What he feared was True Monarch Ma.
Gao Feng gritted his teeth, not even leaving behind a harsh word, and turned to leave.
The Tiger Shark Clan Chief's face was dark enough to drip water. He dove back into the sea, pretending nothing had happened.
Seeing the two Soul Formation cultivators leave, the Three Heroes breathed a sigh of relief, feeling they had finally escaped a calamity.
"That's it?" Man Gu scratched his head. Judging by the tension just now, he had thought a fight was about to break out.
"Of course things aren't that simple," Lu Yang said, shaking his head.
"Gao Feng only left temporarily out of fear of angering Old Ma. In that case, wouldn't everything be fine as long as he doesn't let Old Ma know he did it?"
"If it were me, I wouldn't rob anyone out in the open. Come nightfall, cover your face, rob them, and run. Who would know it was me?"
Meng Jingzhou gave a slight shake of his head, feeling Gao Feng's execution was lacking in skill. "He just lacks experience. An attempted robbery by day, followed by covering his face to rob them by night—he'll still be suspected. If it were me, I wouldn't even show up during the day. I'd just cover my face and rob them at night. That way, there'd be no suspicion at all."
Li Haoran added, "Still, there's a way to salvage it. Gather a few more people tonight to broaden the pool of suspects. That way, Gao Feng would be relatively safe."
As Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, and Li Haoran discussed criminal methods back and forth, the Three Heroes stared blankly, utterly stunned.
*Aren't you disciples of righteous sects? Haven't you never been to the East Sea before? How are you so familiar with this routine?*
Man Gu hurriedly pulled out paper and brush to record their discussion. *As expected of my role models; they adapted to the local mindset so quickly.*
Tao Yaoye looked at Man Gu with a bizarre expression. *Are you learning their methods, or taking a confession statement from them?*
Sure enough, as the shroud of night descended, figures clad in black robes and masks appeared one after another. Like grim reapers, they stared down at Fangshan Island, greedy expressions showing on their faces.
"So Fangshan Island had a fifth-grade spiritual vein. This is an extraordinary treasure capable of rivaling a fifth-grade spiritual vein!"
"Why not take Fangshan Island for ourselves while we're at it? Yan Chuan and his brothers are merely at the Nascent Soul stage; occupying such a fine spiritual vein is far too wasteful."
Following Lu Yang's instructions, the Three Heroes had already evacuated the people on the main island to the smaller islands scattered around beforehand.
"One, two, three... twelve. Quite a crowd, and all of them are at the Soul Formation stage." Lu Yang stretched his muscles, smiling.
"Since we've come to the East Sea, we naturally have to properly enjoy the local culture. Now that the banquet is over, it's time to try out brawling."
Chapter 800