By the time fish-belly white spread across the horizon, Chen Ming and his companions had already left Setting Sun Island.
The Spirit Boat skimmed low over the sea, leaving Setting Sun Island far behind. The sea breeze blew against their faces, carrying a salty dampness and dispersing the faint smell of blood still clinging to them. Although the fifteen team members had not slept all night, undisguised excitement shone on every face-the previous night's operation had been clean and decisive, with no casualties and astonishing gains.
Chen Ming sat at the bow, turning the token he had found on the gray-robed elder over in his hand, his gaze thoughtful.
"Still thinking about those words, 'Star Abyss Key'?" Wan Yao'er sat down beside him and handed him a flask of fresh water.
Chen Ming took a sip and nodded. "Those words were clearly carved in haste. Whoever carved them must have been in a desperate situation, without time to leave a more detailed message. And since they were carved beside the teleportation array, that person probably intended to send the message through it, but something happened before they could."
"Who do you think carved them?" Wan Yao'er asked.
"There are two possibilities." Chen Ming held up two fingers. "First, it could have been the gray-robed elder himself. He might have been the key person in the Corpse Refining Sect responsible for safeguarding the Star Abyss Key. After their headquarters fell, he fled to Setting Sun Island and left that clue in the confusion, intending to return for it later. Second, it could have been a senior member of the Corpse Refining Sect from an earlier time. The gray-robed elder might not even have known about the secret hidden beneath the teleportation array."
Wan Yao'er considered this for a moment, then said,