Ambush

The waves churned, dark-blue billows surging layer upon layer beneath the gloomy sky as they pushed toward the distance.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Four streaks of rainbow light skimmed close over the wave tips, so fast they left only four straight white marks across the sea. The spray had not even risen before it was flung far behind them. Lu Changsheng led the way, golden lightning shed by the Thunder Roc Wings on his back reflected amid the roiling waves beneath his feet. The four of them were like four meteors racing across a deep-blue curtain.

"Brother, look—there's an island over there!" Lin Qingxuan suddenly raised a hand and pointed ahead.

Everyone looked in the direction of her finger. At the place where sea and sky met, a lonely island jutted abruptly from the azure surface of the water. The island was not large, only a dozen or so li around, and was covered in jagged black reefs. In the cracks between the rocks, Dwarf Ironwood and Sawtooth Grass commonly seen in the waters of the Southern Saint Domain grew tenaciously. Several low hills rose from the center of the island, covered in airtight thickets of dark-green shrubs.

The outer edge of the island was ringed by hidden reefs. At high tide, the reefs sank beneath the surface; at low tide, wet black reef tips were exposed. A few gray-white seabirds rose from the rocks, circling the island with cries.

Lu Changsheng swept his gaze around, confirmed there were no ships or signs of people in the surrounding waters, then nodded. "We'll settle here. This stretch of sea is far from the main routes and completely deserted. God Water Sect won't find this place for a while."

The four of them landed atop a natural stone platform in the center of