A month's time can erase many memories, and on the island, many people had already forgotten the anomaly—the man who emerged unscathed from the combined attacks of dozens of people and the Lord's Wave Slash.

One person had not forgotten.

The middle-aged man in the brocade robe stood within the sparsely furnished room. Ever since that peculiar fellow who collected antiques had moved out, he hadn't touched another relic; looking at any of them now brought a tearing pain to his heart.

“My Lord, our First Guard of Jia is severely undermanned. Can we mobilize personnel from other Guards to assist in the search?” a lean middle-aged man inquired, cupping his fists.

The man in the brocade robe shook his head. “It was humiliating enough to be made a fool of. If the Tianxue Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory learn that the Xuantian Illustrated Record is lost under my watch, and they find that boy first, the illustrated record will never return to us. We must investigate secretly; not a single whisper of this must leak!”

“Yes, my Lord!” the lean middle-aged man responded crisply.

The First Guard of Jia was the Lord's personal unit, perhaps his most trusted force. Every member was a death-sworn soldier personally cultivated by the Lord, so there was no fear of leaks. However, mobilizing the entire personnel of the Purple Courtyard Demon Territory to hunt for one Chen Feng would inevitably draw the attention of the other two territories.

Thus, the man in the brocade robe had no choice but to swallow his grievance in bitter silence.

“Chen Feng… if I catch you, I will ensure you have no place to rest in peace!” A chilling expression twisted the face of the man in the brocade robe. As he clenched his fist, the surrounding furniture was instantly pulverized by the surging aura escaping his body.

From that moment on, the name Chen Feng was deeply etched into his mind…

……………………………………………………………

Chen Feng had no idea that someone on the same island was thinking about him so intensely, thinking of him to the point where he was too anxious to eat or sleep.

He was even more unaware that he didn't need to hide for so long. On the very night he submerged himself in the river mud, the Lord had ordered all pursuing forces to retreat, publicly declaring the individual an attacker who had fled from the Tianxue Demon Territory and the Golden Crow Demon Territory. Since he had escaped, there was no need to pursue further.

Of course, he was completely oblivious that that very night, they held a massive celebration rally, commemorating the great victory achieved while suppressing the attacks from the other two territories…

All the things they had accumulated were stolen; after all their struggle, the Lord ended up with nothing, ultimately having to force a smile to celebrate…

Though unaware of these events, Chen Feng left the mire and swam into the sea. After traveling a few hundred li, he noticed something unusual. There wasn't a single person patrolling the area.

Given the power of the Purple Courtyard Demon Territory, setting up search bands every ten li in the seawater should have been effortless, yet after traveling a hundred li without spotting a single patrol, it was indeed strange.

Since no one was searching, Chen Feng released Ling Feng from the “Divine Mansion of Light.”

This was the first time in three months Ling Feng had stepped out of the Divine Mansion of Light. Despite being in seawater, she couldn't help but feel a sense of lightness and joy.

“Where are we going now?” Ling Feng asked.

Chen Feng replied, “I want to go back and find Xiao Hu and the others, but… it seems I can’t find the direction now…”

Ling Feng stated calmly, “I also don’t know the direction.”

“……” Chen Feng opened his mouth, but after a moment, he continued, “Although we are far from Xiao Hu and the others, we still possess the soul contract and can vaguely sense them—it’s just a general direction. Let’s head that way!”

“I’ll go with you!” Ling Feng said, showing no hesitation whatsoever.

However, Chen Feng felt a slight hesitation. Troubles often followed beautiful women wherever they went. With Ling Feng’s ethereal temperament and stunning beauty, taking her along was bound to attract endless complications.

Then again, Ling Feng’s own power was formidable; in a direct confrontation, he might not even be her match, so there was little to worry about.

Having resolved this, a smile broke across Chen Feng’s face. “Good, let’s go!”

With that, the two leaped out of the water, transforming into a streak of light soaring toward the distance in the sky.

Chen Feng’s Domain combined with the Aerial Movement Art allowed him to move very quickly, even faster than Xiao Hu or Luo Bo, but Ling Feng was not slow either; she actually managed to keep pace with him, flying shoulder-to-shoulder.

He pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing: the Phoenix Clan was naturally adept at flight, and she was the most core disciple of her clan, holding a status far higher than Luo Bo within the Dragon Clan. If her speed were merely equal to Luo Bo’s, that would truly be questionable.

The two flew through the air, catching and eating fish when hungry. Occasionally, some low-level demonic beasts would try to cause trouble, but they were effortlessly dispatched by the pair.

They flew like this for another month, covering no less than a million li, without encountering a single search party from the Purple Courtyard Demon Territory. They were caught in storms twice, which they only managed to escape by taking shelter in the “Divine Mansion of Light.”

The weather was clear this day when Chen Feng spotted a massive fleet of ships in the distance.

“If there’s a fleet, it means we’re close to land. Let’s approach them and inquire,” Chen Feng said, turning to Ling Feng.

Ling Feng nodded.

During this past month of companionship, it wasn't just Ling Feng who had changed; the mutual attraction between their Blazing Dragon and Fiery Phoenix bloodlines had also fostered a greater, almost unspoken, coordination between them. Furthermore, both individuals, who were generally placid, felt a strange, nascent feeling blossoming in their hearts.

If only the journey were a little longer… Ling Feng thought to herself in secret.

Before they even reached the ships, they were met with terror from the crew.

“Who are you people?” the First Mate on the central ship of the fleet shouted, steeling his nerve.

“We are merely passing through!” Chen Feng didn't waste words.

Hearing they weren't sea bandits or monsters robbing them, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and quickly invited the two to land.

Stepping onto the deck, Chen Feng couldn't help but admire the ship. It was over 200 meters long, fully equipped with magical sails and power enchantments; it was clearly a massive merchant vessel.

An old man approached to greet them; he must be the Captain. His eyes were sharp and piercing, filled with decisiveness and mettle—a veteran captain, judging by appearance.

“Greetings, two esteemed sirs!” he bowed slightly.

Being able to fly in the sky naturally meant they were experts at the Dou Zun level. While Dou Zun experts were not highly valued within the Three Great Powers, they remained figures far beyond the reach of ordinary people.

“Captain Holigrove of the Holy Griff Kingdom pays his respects to you both,” the old Captain stated.

“The Holy Griff Kingdom?” Chen Feng paused. He understood what a 'Kingdom' implied: a fiefdom granted to Dukes serving an Empire. This territory was then called a Kingdom.

Since the Holy Griff Kingdom did not belong to any of the Four Great Empires, Chen Feng felt a surge of confusion.

“Which Empire does the Holy Griff Kingdom belong to?”

Holigrove coughed in surprise twice, only recovering his breath after a long moment. “It belongs to the Rhine Empire!”

The Rhine Empire? He had never heard of it either. It must be a power from the Overseas Continent.

The Overseas Continent was governed by the three territories, and it seemed the Empires there were under their control as well, though he couldn't determine which of the three powers the Rhine Empire currently aligned with.

While Chen Feng was contemplating, two figures emerged from the cabin with soft 'clinking' sounds. Both were dressed in magic robes, and upon glancing at them, Chen Feng recognized a Third-Rank Archmage and a Fifth-Rank Archmage.

“Who are these people?” the Fifth-Rank Archmage frowned, his tone annoyingly nasal. Clearly, due to their youth, Chen Feng and Ling Feng were not held in high regard.

Chen Feng had asked Ling Feng to lower her cultivation fluctuations while over the sea. This wasn't to feign humility, but because Ling Feng’s Phoenix Clan aura was too distinct; any intentional search would make discovery inevitable.

Although they didn't fear pursuit from the Purple Courtyard Demon Territory, being constantly chased by a group of people was exceptionally unsettling.

Chen Feng had not concealed his aura; his true strength was that of a Second-Rank Dou Zun. With Ling Feng lowering her internal energy fluctuations, to outsiders, she appeared to be at a similar level, also Second-Rank Dou Zun.

“Reporting to Lord Ketras, they are two passing dignitaries who requested a moment to rest!” Holigrove explained hurriedly, unwilling to offend either side.

Ketras glanced at Chen Feng and Ling Feng, his eyes lighting up momentarily upon seeing Ling Feng, clearly stunned by her beauty.

However, this flicker of appreciation vanished instantly, replaced by a flash of anger on his face. “Don't you know the rules? Allowing people of unknown identity to board the ship—do you know the consequences?”

“But…” Holigrove hesitated before turning to Chen Feng. “Our Kingdom’s regulations forbid harboring unknown guests. I hope you can forgive us!”

Every faction had its own set of rules. Chen Feng did not wish to bring unnecessary trouble to the fleet. Therefore, he said, “We will leave shortly. Could you perhaps sell us a map?”

Staying on the ship was less pleasant than flying in the sky, but first, he needed to know the direction. After a month of flight, Chen Feng felt he was getting closer to Xiao Hu, but he still didn't know the exact distance separating them.

When he was captured, he was teleported to the Purple Courtyard Demon Territory via a magic array. While he didn't know the exact distance the array spanned, he could make a rough guess. Since Xiao Hu had been able to sense him and had been flying for over four months already without reaching him, the distance between them was significant.

“A map is easily handled…” Holigrove said with a smile. A navigation crew always carried several maps; not only would he sell one, but he could easily give one away to Chen Feng.

“Captain, maps are state secrets of the Kingdom. How can you casually give them away? If that person is a spy, you commit treason!” the Fifth-Rank Magus Ketras stated coldly.

Being labeled with such a grave accusation, Holigrove naturally dared not speak another word and stood silently.

Hearing Ketras speak like that, a chilling glint appeared in Chen Feng’s eyes. Staring at the Magus, he said, “By your tone, you are deliberately looking for trouble!”

Ketras let out a sharp laugh. “A Second-Rank Dou Zun—what's wrong with me picking a fight with you?” Clearly, he held the other party in utter contempt.

“Is that so!” Chen Feng sneered, offering no verbal reply. His Endless Slaughter Domain abruptly unfolded, and a wave of crazed killing intent instantly enveloped Ketras, while Chen Feng raised both hands, unleashing an Eight Child Pagoda strike!

ps: Stepped out for a bit, posting one chapter first. Shamelessly asking for monthly passes and recommendation tickets… (To be continued. For the subsequent story, please log into www**, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) First published