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At the edge of the cliff stood three figures, before them stretched the boundless deep sea.

The water was ink-black, profoundly eerie, as if beneath its surface hid creatures that made one's heart flutter with dread.

Even a cultivator in the Golden Core Realm wouldn't dare venture alone into the deep sea so recklessly.

The deep sea harbored too many unknown creatures, and although in recent years, science had advanced rapidly and demon beasts had gradually decreased from the continent, no one could be sure whether more powerful demon beasts lurked within.

"It was about last week, I reckon." Li Yunchen held his pipe, a posture that reminded Li Xiaoyao of Jiang Lichun, who he hadn't contacted in a long time.

Li Yunchen tapped the pipe against the rocks below, took a couple of puffs, and continued, "Chengfeng and heads of several other powers took a boat to the secret realm waters."

"About forty minutes after they left, a sudden storm hit that area of the sea; waterspouts above, whirlpools below, every disaster you could think of happened all at once."

Hearing this, Li Xiaoyao clenched his fists. By Li Yunchen's account, the peril Li Chengfeng faced then could almost be deemed a death sentence, but he still held onto hope and said, "Even so, with his cultivation level, he could have escaped."

Li Yunchen gave him a deep look, seemingly sighed, but Li Xiaoyao did not hear it.

"Xiaoyao, under those circumstances, only a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm could have possibly escaped," Li Yunchen said.

Li Tinghai took over, "Even for a cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm, the chances of escape would be slim."

"Can you imagine?" Li Tinghai gestured with his hands, "The storm, the tumbling thunderclouds, the dense lightning falling like rain. Even tens of kilometers away, we could hear the commotion. That area of the sea was practically sealed off."

"But, you haven't found his body." Li Xiaoyao's face showed stubbornness as he declared, "As long as his body hasn't been found, you cannot declare him dead."

Li Xiaoyao stood up from the ground, looking towards the endless horizon with a determined expression. "I'm going to find him!" he proclaimed.

The two men's expressions changed slightly, shaking their heads, they said, "No!"

Li Xiaoyao responded, "You can't stop me, because he is my father. You also can't stop me, because this is my choice."

Li Yunchen's expression was grave as he looked at him and said, "Xiaoyao, before Chengfeng left, he left a message. If something were to happen to him this time, he made us promise to stop you. Because he knows your character, he knows you will definitely go look for him, that's why he left those words."

"Great Elder, Second Elder, in terms of seniority, I should address you as grandfathers. I will ask you just one thing—if your father, your son, were in danger, their life and death uncertain, would you give up on rescuing them in such a situation?" Li Xiaoyao articulated each word, "I wouldn't!"

The two fell silent. Li Xiaoyao's attitude brought them a sense of relief but also troubled them.

Li Xiaoyao's cultivation level had just recently been made apparent. In these twenty-eight years, he had not undergone systematic cultivation, yet he had still achieved his current accomplishments through his individual capabilities, which had already proven his talent.

With just a bit more nurturing, Li Xiaoyao's future achievements would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

"Let's discuss this matter in the long run," Li Yunchen exhaled a puff of smoke and suggested, "Before you came, a group went out to sea to investigate the surroundings of the secret realm. They should be almost back now, let's wait for their return to see if there's any new information."

As they were speaking, a fishing boat suddenly appeared within sight on the distant sea.

"They're back!"

About ten people were on the fishing boat, among them were the yellow-skinned people from Xuan Country, the dark-skinned people from Li Jia Continent, and the white-skinned people from Yunhui. It could be said that the powerful representatives of various races had all gathered here.

The cultivators and spirit attachers on the island, seeing the fishing boat approaching from afar, flocked towards the shore.

Li Xiaoyao and his two companions quickly ran down to greet the returning cultivators.

After ten minutes, the fishing boat docked, and more than a dozen cultivators jumped off the boat.

Among them were two elders from the Nangong Family, the Great Elder Nangong Yan and the Second Elder Nangong Jue.

Before Li Xiaoyao and his companions had a chance to speak upon arriving at the Nangong Family, the Third Elder Nangong Feng had already asked, "How did it go?"

Nangong Yan shook his head and frowned, "That sea region..."

After a few seconds of silence, as he saw that the crowd was becoming increasingly restless, he finally said, "Very dangerous."

"Very dangerous? What do you mean?"

Nangong Yan looked back at the deep sea and said, "That sea region is almost like a thick ink, and there must be strange things hidden in its depths. As we approached the Secret Realm's sea region, we felt an extremely terrifying presence deep in our hearts. It was an odd feeling, as if an ancient demon beast was standing before us, and the pressure it emanated made you dare not move forward."

"And yet, there was an irresistible impulse that made us want to delve deeper and find out for ourselves," Nangong Yan sighed, "But we exercised restraint because of the lesson learned before. If we had actually gone in, I'm afraid we might never have returned."

The lesson he referred to was naturally about Li Chengfeng and others who were the first to delve deep into the Secret Realm and failed to return.

Li Xiaoyao and his companions went back. The information Nangong Yan brought was very limited, basically what anyone could find out just by making a trip there.

Night fell quickly, and the island in winter was very cold, but such extreme weather had no effect on these formidable cultivators.

Li Xiaoyao sat alone on the edge of a cliff, where the stars in the distance merged almost seamlessly with the ink-like sea.

"Care for a drink?" Li Yunchen and the other old fellow appeared out of nowhere; their cultivation levels were much higher than Li Xiaoyao's. They moved without a sound, and without using intention, even Li Xiaoyao could not detect them.

Li Xiaoyao took the old jug of wine, gulping down mouthfuls without using spiritual energy to negate its effects, allowing the alcohol to merge with his blood and create a slight intoxication.

The alcohol made his thinking a bit sluggish and his senses blurred; this sensation was extremely pleasant, at least it allowed him to dissipate the stifling emotions within his heart.

"The information that Nangong Yan brought back isn't completely useless," Li Yunchen said, holding a pipe in his left hand and an old jug of wine in his right, suddenly making this statement.

Li Xiaoyao looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

Li Yunchen said, "Think about it, why was Nangong Yan able to come back alive?"

"Why?" Li Xiaoyao furrowed his brows, pondering over and over, when suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Seeing this, Li Yunchen chuckled twice and said, "See, you've understood, haven't you?"