Whoosh...
A howling gale swept over the Giant Whale River, whipping up wave after wave as a merchant ship raised its sails and drew near the riverbank.
Before long, several figures disembarked from the merchant ship. At the forefront was a burly man with a sturdy build, dressed in sailor's clothes.
The burly man strode with the gait of a tiger and dragon, his body exuding threads of formidable aura. He was clearly a powerful martial artist of the Divine Form realm.
Upon seeing the burly man and his group, smiles appeared on Qi Ning and Lan Man's faces as they stepped forward to meet them.
"Water Ape, I never expected you to be the one coming to receive us."
Holding her umbrella, Lan Man looked at the burly man and spoke with a smile.
"It's not just me. Beaver is here too. It's good that you're all safe."
A hearty smile spread across the burly man's face as he replied. However, when he saw the Dark Star members behind Lan Man, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Didn't you say there were quite a few of you? Why are there only this many!?"
"There was an accident on the road. We lost quite a few people."
Qi Ning shook his head slightly and briefly recounted what had happened, leaving the burly man deeply shaken.
"I never expected you to run into Xiang Kong. It's already quite fortunate that this many people remained."
Water Ape spoke in a deep voice.
As a Blazing Star Emissary, he had naturally heard of the Three-Eyed Rakshasa Xiang Kong's fearsome reputation. In fact, many years ago, he had briefly encountered the man while following the organization on an operation.
The overwhelming strength Xiang Kong had displayed was something he still remembered vividly even now.
"We have