The night was black as ink, and the sea wind howled.
Chen Ming left Jade Wave Island alone, riding a flying sword low over the sea. He used no light-emitting magical artifacts, relying entirely on the faint starlight to find his way. His flying sword cut through the wind with a soft hiss, but the waves and wind swallowed the sound before it could travel far.
After roughly an hour, reefs began appearing more frequently ahead. Large and small, they jutted unevenly from the sea like black fangs, looking especially savage in the darkness. Seawater surged between them with a low roar, and occasional white breakers shot several dozen feet into the air.
He had reached Shattered Star Reef.
Chen Ming lowered his altitude, weaving between the reefs almost flush with the water. He suppressed his aura to the utmost, slowing even his heartbeat and breathing to their lowest possible rhythm. He seemed to become a cold stone, merging into the surrounding darkness.
He stopped behind a massive reef, peeking around it to look ahead.
At the heart of Shattered Star Reef lay a relatively open stretch of water. A black spirit boat rested in its center. Though small, it had a sleek, formidable design, and concealment runes covered its hull, rendering it almost invisible in the darkness. No lamps burned aboard, but Chen Ming's keen senses caught several faint figures moving across the deck-at least four people, their movements light and agile, clearly well trained.
Beside the spirit boat, several black-clad figures stood in the water, probing the seabed with strange magical artifacts. These resembled compasses, but were several times larger than ordinary ones. Densely packed runes covered their surfaces, emitting a faint blue glow underwater.
Chen Ming narrowed his eyes and carefully studied their movements. He realized they