Kaiyang Island was not large. By the time Ning Xiang and her companions arrived, half the island had already been submerged.
The cultivators were helping the island's residents move to higher ground or evacuate to other islands.
Ning Xiang was glad she had brought the Seven-Treasure Spirit Vessel. It could easily hold three to five hundred people at once.
After a brief discussion, they decided that Lu Qingchen, Su Lang, and the others would help evacuate the residents, while Ning Xiang and Mingyuan would join the Eastern Sea cultivators in searching for Yu Tingchao.
At first, Lu Qingchen disagreed. He wanted to go with them, but the islanders were clearly terrified of Mingyuan, so leaving him behind was out of the question. They were short-handed, too, leaving Lu Qingchen no choice but to stay.
"Keep Xiangxiang safe," Lu Qingchen said. He was not worried that Mingyuan would do anything to Ning Xiang.
Mingyuan smiled with easy, unrestrained confidence. "What, you think I wouldn't protect my little darling... Miss Ning?"
Ning Xiang ignored them. She had already flown off on the Chongming Bird, sending message after message to Tingchao. With no reply coming back, her heart burned with anxiety.
She took out several dozen Tracking Talismans and scattered them across different parts of the sea, but every last one turned to ash without sending her any news. Ning Xiang threw out another few dozen.
Though Ning Xiang had never experienced the terror of ocean undercurrents herself, Uncle Yu had mentioned them when she came to the Eastern Sea fifteen years ago.
Mingyuan summoned his Soul-Rending, called forth the four ferocious beasts within it, and ordered them to dive beneath the water and help find Yu Tingchao. They, too, found nothing.
The islanders were skilled swimmers, but with towering waves churning the