Thoughts raced through Chen Ming's mind, but his expression betrayed nothing as he continued, "Was that elder surnamed Sun named Sun Li?"
The female cultivator paused, looking surprised. "You know him, fellow Daoist?"
"I wouldn't say I know him. I've merely heard the name," Chen Ming said evenly. "The Corpse Refining Sect's External Affairs Elder, with late Golden Core cultivation. He was something of a name in the southwestern waters. I never expected him to survive the Star Palace's encirclement and suppression."
"Exactly!" the burly, thick-browed man said indignantly. "A scourge like him didn't die at the Star Palace's hands, and instead, we innocent independent cultivators suffered for it. We've never wronged him. We were merely passing through those waters, yet he sent people after us without a word. He's utterly insane!"
Chen Ming pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do any of you know whom Sun Li is waiting for on that island?"
The tall, thin man shook his head. "That we don't know. We only caught a distant glimpse of their camp before they spotted us. We never had time to get close and investigate. But from the looks of it, they seemed to be waiting for something or someone important. The camp was heavily guarded, and they'd even set up an alarm formation."
Chen Ming nodded, already forming a plan.
He cupped his hands to the three of them. "Thank you for telling me, fellow Daoists. I still have some personal matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. You should leave these waters as soon as possible, too, lest you run into those Corpse Refining Sect people again."
"Be careful yourself, fellow Daoist," the female cultivator reminded him kindly. "Those lunatics from the Corpse Refining Sect aren't people to trifle with."
Chen Ming smiled faintly