Sun Li slumped among the shattered reefs, blood streaming from his mouth and his arms hanging limply at his sides. His gaze was filled with fear and resentment as he looked at Chen Ming.
He had never imagined that the minor island lord he had dismissed five years ago as merely lucky had concealed such terrifying strength-two late Golden Cores. Such a thing was exceedingly rare even in the history of the Chaotic Star Sea.
"Can we have a proper talk now?" Chen Ming walked up to him and looked down at him. His tone was flat, yet carried an irresistible pressure.
Sun Li struggled to swallow a mouthful of bloody saliva. His voice was hoarse. "What do you want to know?"
"The whereabouts of the Star Abyss Key."
Sun Li fell silent for a moment before finally lowering his head. "That key... isn't in my hands. But I do know where it is."
"Speak."
"Before the Corpse Refining Sect was destroyed, the previous sect master entrusted the Star Abyss Key to a Grand Elder at the headquarters. Before the Star Palace breached the headquarters, that Grand Elder escaped through a secret passage with the key. He should be hiding in a secret outpost deep in the Southwestern Sea now."
Sun Li caught his breath and continued, "Only the Corpse Refining Sect's core elders know that outpost's location. I... happen to be one of them."
Chen Ming crouched and looked straight into Sun Li's eyes. "Where is the outpost?"
"Beneath Reef Group Seventeen in the Southwestern Sea, there's an Undersea Cave Abode. Its entrance is concealed by an Illusion Formation. You can't open it without a specially made Corpse Refining Sect token."
As he spoke, Sun Li indicated the Storage Bag at his waist with his eyes. "The token is