Lake Heart Island

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

Amidst the curling wisps of thin mist, the group packed their gear, ready to set out.

Pang Jian, serving as the guide for this expedition, had long since finished his preparations. Seeing that everyone was ready, he headed toward Wulan Lake, the destination he had decided upon on his own.

After he set off, Luo Hongyan stretched her body languidly, fluttering down from the dense branches of an ancient tree. She quickly caught up to him and asked with concern, "How did you rest last night?"

"It was fine."

Pang Jian did not mention that He Rong had visited. After offering a brief greeting, he kept his head down and pressed forward.

Luo Hongyan approached him as if nothing were amiss, accompanying him on the journey while chatting incessantly.

As for whether He Rong, Su Yuntian, and the others from the rear were following, Luo Hongyan did not care in the least.

However, whenever Pang Jian spoke with her, he would occasionally glance back, each time finding He Rong and Su Yuntian huddled together, whispering with heavy expressions and brows clouded with gloom.

Half an hour later, Su Yuntian steeled himself and stepped forward, saying, "Girl Ning, please hold for a moment."

Luo Hongyan frowned impatiently, turning her head to say coldly, "What is it?"

"This..."

Su Yuntian coughed dryly. Seeing that He Rong remained silent in the rear, he continued, "Do you know who killed Ziren?"

"A Dark Ghost, someone wearing a golden mask. He died at the bottom of the Blackwater Pool, seemingly bitten to death by that out-of-control Black-White King Python. I was outside at the time and didn't pay much attention."

Having learned of the conversation between He Rong and Pang Jian through the "Spirit Sha," Luo Hongyan spoke as if she were deliberately covering for Pang Jian.

Pang Jian looked at her in surprise.

"It was Dong Qianfeng!"

Su Yuntian's tone was as heavy as his expression. He barked, "Young Brother Pang Jian saw his face clearly; it was covered in scars. He is the Dong Qianfeng who was expelled by the Blazing Sun Sect!"

Luo Hongyan feigned surprise: "Oh, so it was him."

"Among our generation, his cultivation talent was far higher than mine or He Rong's. Neither of us possessed the qualifications to be recruited by the Upper Realm, but Dong Qianfeng had long since gone to the Blazing Sun Sect."

Su Yuntian said with a bitter face, revealing the inside story: "I don't know who he offended or what mistake he made at the Blazing Sun Sect, but they actually carved up his face and expelled him."

"With the Blazing Sun Sect having made their decision, the Dong Family dared not question it, let alone take Dong Qianfeng back in. Since then, Dong Qianfeng's whereabouts have been unknown."

"I truly never expected that he would return from the Third Realm and get mixed up with the Dark Ghost."

Su Yuntian explained the stakes in detail.

Luo Hongyan's expression was indifferent. "The man is dead; what more is there to say?"

"He is dead, yes, but the leader of the team sent by the Dong Family to explore the Cenji Mountains is his foster son, Dong Tianze!" Su Yuntian's voice trembled slightly.

When he mentioned Dong Tianze, a look of sudden terror appeared in his eyes, as if he were even more wary of him than of Dong Qianfeng.

"Dong Tianze is not a true member of the Dong Family; he was brought back from the outside by Dong Qianfeng and recognized as a foster son."

Su Yuntian took a deep breath, rubbing his forehead in distress. "This boy is vicious and bloodthirsty, possessing terrifying combat strength among the new generation of the Dong Family. Rumor has it that he has already begun the process of marrow-cleansing and bone-forging, and he even rejected recruitment by the Blazing Sun Sect."

"The Blazing Sun Sect is the Dong Family's backer. If he dared to reject even them, it must be because of Dong Qianfeng's expulsion."

"Since Dong Qianfeng was a member of the Dark Ghost, could Dong Tianze—who is even more ruthless and powerful than him—have also defected to the Dark Ghost?"

"If he has colluded with the Dark Ghost, given this wolf cub's methods and level of cruelty, I fear that none of us from the Seven Great Families who have come to the Cenji Mountains will be able to escape."

As Su Yuntian spoke, his daughter, Su Meng, was also startled, clearly aware of how terrifying Dong Tianze was.

The subordinates of the Su and He families were similarly filled with dread at the name Dong Tianze, as if they had heard the tolling of a death knell.

Luo Hongyan was unconcerned and said faintly, "So, what is your meaning?"

"Our two families have decided to withdraw from the Cenji Mountains, return, and report the collusion between Dong Qianfeng and the Dark Ghost, letting the Dong Family deal with that little cub Dong Tianze themselves," said the intimidated Su Yuntian.

After speaking, he glanced at Su Meng.

His greatest worry was his daughter, Su Meng.

He himself was not so afraid of death, but Su Meng was young and held great promise; she had already been scouted by the Blazing Sun Sect and would soon be able to go to the Upper Realm to cultivate.

Su Meng must not meet with disaster in the Cenji Mountains!

"Suit yourselves."

Luo Hongyan was indifferent. Under Pang Jian's stunned gaze, she moved past him for the first time, seemingly abandoning the Su and He families.

Her cold attitude left Su Yuntian and He Rong secretly displeased, yet they also breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

Immediately, the two asked Pang Jian for the fastest route to leave the Cenji Mountains and return to the civilized world outside.

Pang Jian thought for a moment, but just as he was about to answer, a cry of alarm from Luo Hongyan suddenly echoed from afar.

Hearing the scream, Pang Jian ignored the two men, brandishing his spear and shooting off like lightning, his speed leaving Su Yuntian and He Rong dumbfounded.

The two exchanged a look, and having failed to obtain the exact direction to leave the mountains, they had no choice but to follow helplessly.

Amidst the weeds stained with dried blood lay a corpse that reeked to the heavens. The corpse's long hair was scattered, and it appeared to be a female cultivator; her clothes were adorned with small, starry patterns.

The body seemed to have been gnawed on by wild beasts, and in her blood-soaked left palm, she clutched a white jade hairpin.

The white jade hairpin emitted a faint luster, appearing remarkably pristine and clean when contrasted against the cruel and bloody scene.

"It's the people from the Galaxy Alliance!"

After He Rong and Su Yuntian arrived, a single glance at the clothing wrapping the corpses was enough for them to determine the identity of the deceased.

The golden chariot had crashed beside Crescent Moon Lake, and with not a single member of the Galaxy Alliance to be found, it appeared they had evacuated from the wreckage after the crash.

"No wonder we didn't find any valuable spiritual materials inside or outside the golden chariot."

He Rong stroked his chin and said softly.

Su Yuntian looked at the white jade hairpin, thinking that once it was wiped clean, it would be quite suitable for his daughter, Su Meng, to wear.

"A low-grade spiritual artifact."

Beside the corpse, Luo Hongyan muttered, kicking the hand bone clutching the white jade hairpin with her embroidered shoe.

The white jade hairpin suddenly flared with a bright light and shot toward a nearby tree.

The white jade hairpin pierced through the tree trunk in an instant and fell into the grass beside Su Meng.

After the bloodstains on the hairpin passed through the tree trunk, they miraculously vanished entirely, making the jade quality appear even more outstanding.

Gazing at the hairpin in the grass, Su Meng, who had followed her father, felt a flicker of desire in her heart.

But remembering that the object had just been stained with blood and had been kicked aside by Luo Hongyan, she felt too embarrassed to pick it up.

"If you like it, take it. I don't care for it anyway."

Luo Hongyan chuckled and said nonchalantly, "If there are no surprises, we should be able to find quite a few more corpses of Galaxy Alliance cultivators ahead. I imagine there will be other spiritual artifacts like this white jade hairpin."

Su Yuntian rubbed his hands together and hurriedly glared at Su Meng, saying, "Why aren't you thanking Sister Ning yet!"

"Thank you, Sister!"

The tactful Su Meng dropped the "Ning" from her address, took out a handkerchief to happily wrap up the white jade hairpin, and thought about studying its wonders once she had cleaned it.

"Brother Su, there is no harm in looking a bit further."

He Rong suddenly said.

"That... that is true." Su Yuntian nodded gently.

The two men, who had originally intended to leave the Cenji Mountains as soon as possible, temporarily abandoned the idea, preparing to travel a bit further with Pang Jian and Ning Yao to see if there were any new gains.

Pang Jian continued to lead the way.

During the subsequent journey, they discovered several more corpses of the Galaxy Alliance cultivators from the upper realm.

Under Luo Hongyan's arrangement, the small trinkets found on the corpses went to the Su and He families, while she let Pang Jian have the spiritual stones that could be used for cultivation.

She herself took nothing at all.

The Su and He families had no objections to her method of distribution, believing that she had secretly given her heart to Pang Jian and was thus taking nothing for herself, only striving to secure spiritual stones for him.

Attracted by the relics on the remains of the Galaxy Alliance, the two families no longer mentioned leaving, and the group traveled on in peace.

This day.

Pang Jian stepped out from a patch of waist-high grass and suddenly shouted, "We're here!"

Emerging from the grass, a pale blue lake, far larger than Crescent Moon Lake, filled his vision.

The lake water before them presented a pale blue hue, different from the pristine white of Crescent Moon Lake, and the water quality itself was also distinct.

Because the water of Wulan Lake was salty.

Beneath the cold lake water, many small fish had always swum about, and their meat was exceptionally delicious.

Thinking of the taste of those small fish, Pang Jian licked the corner of his mouth, feeling hungry again despite having just filled his stomach.

"Is this the Wulan Lake you spoke of?"

Luo Hongyan, who arrived at the lakeside second, saw her beautiful eyes brighten, clearly surprised by the scenery before her.

In the center of the pale blue lake lay a strange little island, upon which stood low hills covered in flowers and plants vying for beauty.

In the entire Cenji Mountains, no other place had flowers and plants so dense or so vibrant.

Even the unromantic Pang Jian couldn't help but take a few extra looks whenever he passed by this island, which was listed as a forbidden zone.

Because it truly appeared beautiful.

However, Pang Jian strictly followed his father's instructions and had never set foot on the island, keeping his activities to the surrounding area.

"Whoosh!"

As Pang Jian gazed at the familiar island, he suddenly saw something whistling through the air above the low hills.

Squinting to look closer, he finally saw it clearly and exclaimed, "The White Tower of the Yin Spirit Temple!"

Of the three strange objects that had fallen from the sky, the Galaxy Alliance's golden chariot and the Blood Moon's Indeterminate Ferry had either crashed or remained moored on the ground, no longer active.

Yet the White Tower of the Yin Spirit Temple was still flying, and it was doing so above the island his father had listed as a forbidden zone.

"What a beautiful island!"

Su Meng walked out and gazed at the Lake Heart Island, where a hundred flowers vied in beauty amidst a stretch of pale blue, enchanting water, and for a moment, she was quite mesmerized.

She sighed with longing, "I never expected that in a godforsaken place like the Cenji Mountains, there would be such a picturesque little island."

"It's the Heavenly Spirit Pagoda of the Yin Spirit Temple!"

When Su Yuntian and He Rong came over to inspect the Lake Heart Island, they also caught sight of that white tower, which was whistling incessantly.

Luo Hongyan gazed at the small island in the lake with a calm and indifferent expression, though a strange light emanated from her eyes. She said softly, "The Heavenly Spirit Pagoda is still active, which means there are people on the island right now."

After a brief pause, she frowned and added, "Although it hasn't been revealed, there must still be a Phoenix Bone on the island, driven deep into the earth beneath it."

She looked at Pang Jian and said, "You should also be aware that there must be a fourth Phoenix Bone buried deep somewhere on Lake Heart Island, right?"

Pang Jian nodded slightly.