The biting wind brushed against Su Ping's cheeks, carrying a unique salty and fishy scent. This was Su Ping's first time in the east of Jianghai Province, which was also the easternmost location of Linzhou City. It was different from the position of the Legion's space vortex; the Legion's spatial vortex was situated in the northeast of Linzhou, while this place was due east. In fact, it wasn't very far from the Heart of Myriad Spirits in the eastern suburbs of Linzhou—only a little over twenty kilometers.

The soft sand and the relatively neat, though unmaintained, grass and trees suggested that this place had once been inhabited. Indeed, that was the case. West Dragon Lake abutted the Eastern Sea, even bordering it directly. However, due to certain incidents, this area had gradually become deserted. Above the vast expanse of the lake, the early morning light reflected on the rosy clouds, making the sparkling water look extremely beautiful. The lovely beach added to the picturesque scene...

It's just that it's a bit too far from the Heart of Myriad Spirits... Su Ping thought, then reconsidered. Well, actually, it isn't that far...

He smacked his lips.

The woman beside him glanced at the boy. When this little brat was in the Linhai Secret Realm in Magic Capital, he was always smacking his lips like this, she recalled. Who knows what mischief he's up to now?

Su Ping, however, returned to his senses and looked helplessly at the woman. "Senior Sang, is it really worth you personally accompanying me just to do Qintian Monitor a favor? I've seen Yanxun Island. Beyond the bounds of West Dragon Lake and into the Eastern Sea, it's only twenty to thirty nautical miles."

Indeed, when Qin Erlong, Zhu Hong, and Sang Sheng first heard Su Ping was preparing to go out to sea, their initial response had been a firm no. However, they had relented slightly upon learning it was related to the boy's Realm progression. But this time, Sang Sheng had decided she would also make the journey.

The woman snorted lightly. "Eagle Country across the ocean and Sakura Country on the islands have never ceased their covetous designs on us. It's an unspoken truth that both sides covertly assassinate the other's talented new Beast Tamers. Now that you've appeared in the Cultivation Contest, you're bound to attract attention. Although such incidents have lessened in recent years due to our mutual increase in strength, it's better to be safe than sorry!"

Su Ping was startled. He recalled learning from the Hall Skill introduction about Nie Chuan, a Beast Tamer from Dragon Nation. Nie Chuan was the creator of the Super-Rank Skill Haina Baichuan and had died precisely from such an assassination. At this moment, Su Ping somewhat understood the woman's concern.

"Alright, it's only a day's journey, perhaps even just half a day. I'm idle at home anyway, so accompanying you on this trip is no big deal. Don't overthink it."

Su Ping nodded. Concerning his own safety, he naturally had no complaints.

"I've told them we'll meet directly at Yanxun Island. The Qintian Monitor's people are already waiting there, so we can head straight over."

Sang Sheng nodded; she decided against having Aunt Qin use the Cloud Soarer. Instead, she summoned a lotus platform, not particularly huge, but still several meters long.

"The Cloud Soarer will draw attention once it flies off the continent and over the ocean. Let's take this instead."

The lotus slowly unfolded, and Su Ping stepped onto it, intrigued. However, Sang Sheng clearly had no intention of explaining this artifact to him. Once they were both seated, a glow shimmered from the lotus, and it shot swiftly across the water's surface, leaving a large trail of spray in its wake. Riding a lotus at high speed was undoubtedly a first for him.

But Sang Sheng seemed unconcerned with Su Ping's amazement and began to discuss serious matters, saying, "I have reported to the Holy Dragon about the video and what you and Xiao Xue witnessed."

Huh? Su Ping suddenly snapped back to attention. The image of the peculiar Flame Phoenix still occasionally surfaced in his mind.

However, despite combing through numerous records and pieces of information, he had found no trace of it and could only pin his hopes on Sang Sheng.

Yet, the outcome was somewhat disappointing. Sang Sheng continued, "The Holy Dragon isn't entirely sure about that creature either. He said he would need to review some materials to be certain. But regardless of the final outcome, it will be difficult for you to grasp. Besides, the Holy Dragon has ordered that no one—not you, not anyone else—is to divulge even the slightest detail about this matter."

Su Ping's brows furrowed.

Sensing Su Ping's dissatisfaction and confusion, Sang Sheng added, "This is a significant matter. Even I don't have the authority to know the true inner workings. If you want to learn more of this secret, you must focus on improving your strength! However..."

After a pause, the woman continued, "That Flame Phoenix... it's highly probable it appeared thousands of years ago! Because the Holy Dragon mentioned complaining about it once back then."

Thousands of years ago? Su Ping's frown didn't lessen; in fact, he had suspected as much even before Sang Sheng said anything.

His primary speculation stemmed from the Darkflame Ancient Raven's situation. Why could a Darkflame Ancient Raven, a species extinct for several centuries, successfully evolve in that small valley? He had previously suggested to Ye Zhou that it was likely because the Energy concentration in ancient times, or some other atmospheric Energy component, differed from that of the modern era.

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