The Hall of Profundity.

This was where the Secret Hall processed information, drafted missions, and issued them. Normally, required missions were issued from here.

Standing in front of the door, Tang Jie tidied his clothes before stepping inside.

A middle-aged man wearing a robe came to welcome him. “Is this Junior Brother Tang Jie?”

“I am,” Tang Jie said, handing over his identity placard.

The man inspected the placard and then took out a scroll. “This one is Tie Feng, the disciple in charge this month. This is the mission the hall has assigned you. You can ask me if you have any questions.”

Tang Jie opened the scroll and saw a portrait of a young man drawn on it.

“This is…” Tang Jie looked up at the middle-aged Tie Feng.

Tie Feng replied, “This man is Lin Baicang, a spy we have in the Beast Refining Gate. But three months ago, he left the Beast Refining Gate, and his current location is unknown. All we know is that he is currently being pursued by the Beast Refining Gate. The Search Hall’s intelligence indicates that Lin Baicang might have obtained some extremely important information or treasure from the Beast Refining Gate, but we are not certain of its exact value. We will only find out when we find him.”

Tang Jie understood. “Have people been sent to find him over the last three months?”

“Of course. Alas, before they could find Lin Baicang, they encountered pursuers from the Beast Refining Gate.”

Tang Jie’s gaze turned serious. “What cultivation level were the Beast Refining Gate pursuers?”

“Unclear. They were killed before they could send back word. All we know is that there are no Celestial Hearts and perhaps one Cognitive Creation Tier. Considering this, the item Lin Baicang obtained must be of limited value,” Tie Feng replied.

Even so, Tang Jie was still angry. “Having a Nine Revolutions Tier like me go and deal with a Cognitive Creation Tier? The hall really knows how to assign missions!”

He naturally wasn’t afraid of a single Cognitive Creation expert. The problem was that the mission assignment was truly a little unreasonable.

It had to be understood that even required missions were not assigned randomly. In normal circumstances, a cultivator would not be sent to deal with an opponent of a higher tier.

In terms of strength, if he didn’t summon his original body and didn’t use his trump cards like the golden grain, even Tang Jie wasn’t confident in his chances of taking on a Cognitive Creation Tier cultivator.

This was not some wandering Cognitive Creation cultivator, but one from a major sect. The difference of a single tier represented an enormous gap in strength.

Tie Feng replied, “We’re not asking you to deal with them, only find Lin Baicang and bring back him or the item he has with him.”

I see.

Is this the loophole Yu Yan is exploiting? Using this method to nullify the difference in cultivation. As expected of that cunning fox.

Tang Jie mentally sneered as he asked, “Since that is the case, do we have a method of finding him?”

“Naturally,” Tie Feng replied. “Most of the spies dispatched by the sect have a secret mark. You only need to hold this item to be able to detect it within one hundred kilometers. And it’s also through this mark that we know that Lin Baicang is still alive.”

He passed Tang Jie a small compass. This item was used to find the spies of one’s own side.

“Only within one hundred kilometers?” Tang Jie asked as he took the compass.

“That’s how it is,” Tie Feng replied. “The Beast Refining Gate has ways to crack it, so if the signal transmits too far, they will discover it. One hundred kilometers is the safest distance.”

“Do we know where they are?”

“Endsea.”

Tang Jie was taken aback. “Why go all the way there? If he can run to Endsea, why didn’t he just come back?”

Tie Feng replied, “We also found it strange. Perhaps we will only learn the truth when we find him.”

After thinking for a while, Tang Jie finally said, “Is there a time limit for the mission?”

Tie Feng shook his head. “So long as Lin Baicang isn’t dead, you must keep searching until you find him. Of course, if you really can’t find him, you can come back and report it. As a penalty for failing the mission, you must pay one thousand contribution points.”

This mission’s reward was five hundred contribution points, and the penalty was double that so that everyone worked hard and didn’t slack off.

“Understood.” Taking the portrait, Tang Jie was about to put it in his Mustard Seed Bag when Tie Feng suddenly grabbed his hand.

Tang Jie looked at him, not understanding what he wanted. Tie Feng firmly said, “I’m sure you’ve guessed that it was Yu Yan who assigned the mission.”

Tang Jie nodded.

Tie Feng went on, “If not for a steward’s meddling, this mission would have been passed to a disciple of at least Cognitive Creation Tier, or more people would have been sent. Sending you alone is rather risky, but I hope you understand that, no matter how difficult the mission is, a person’s life is on the line here…”

Tang Jie took in a deep breath.

He looked at Tie Feng and firmly replied, “Senior Brother Tie, rest easy. Tang Jie will do everything in his power to complete this mission. I will not let a personal grudge allow a Basking Moon disciple to lose his life.”

“That’s good.” Tie Feng released his hand.

Tang Jie walked out of the Hall of Profundity and looked up at the sky. He suddenly started laughing, and then, with a sweep of his sleeve, he flew back to the Spirit Realm Cave. After packing up his things, he flew off to Endsea with Yiyi and Shi Jingzhai.

Endsea was on the southern end of Rosecloud. In terms of land area, Endsea was the smallest kingdom of the six kingdoms of Rosecloud, but it had the greatest ocean area. The Southern Polar Sea Zone alone was the size of four or five Sageheart Kingdoms. Tens of thousands of islands and the innumerable resources in the ocean created the country of Endsea and also created the major cultivation sect that was Horizon Ocean Pavilion.

In this vast ocean, even Tang Jie would have an extremely difficult time finding the fugitive Lin Baicang. A distance of one hundred kilometers was nothing compared to the ocean.

Fortunately, the Secret Hall disciple who had gone in search of Lin Baicang had sent back their last location: Celestial River Island.

Regardless of where Lin Baicang was now, Tang Jie would have to go to Celestial River Island first to see the situation. Perhaps there were still some clues there.

———————————

The Lucksnow, a five-masted ship, broke through the waves.

Yun Danming stood at the prow, his hands held behind his back, his brows locked together in worry as he gazed into the distance.

Far on the horizon, dark clouds coiled together, lightning flashing within them.

As he looked at the gathering clouds, his gaze turned sharper and sharper. He turned around and shouted, “Lower the side sails and turn the ship to the starboard. Incline to the south!”

“Incline to the south!” the sailors all shouted.

The sailors on the ship started to run around, raising and lowering sails in a flurry.

A white-haired elder emerged from the hold, grasping a dragon-headed cane. “Danming, has something happened up ahead?”

Yun Danming turned to the elder and quickly bowed. “Master, why did you come out? I can handle everything.”

The old man walked up to Yun Danming’s side and gazed at the distant clouds. He muttered, “A storm is stirring, like a coiling snake. This is an inauspicious omen. There’s an 80% chance that this is the work of a sea fiend.”

Yun Danming replied, “This lowly one has already ordered that the course be adjusted southward in order to avoid the region.”

The old man dully said, “It might not be enough. Have someone activate the ship’s formation. We need to swiftly leave this area.”

Yun Danming replied, “Sea fiends normally have their own territory. As long as we don’t get close, they won’t give chase. The formation on the ship uses spirit stones, which are very costly. Wouldn’t activating it now be a waste?”

The old man replied, “Maybe, but protecting the ship and its people and goods is worth more than a few small spirit stones. Go.”

“Yes!” Yun Danming saluted, and just when he was about to order someone to activate the formation, there was a distant boom of thunder.

The large ship shuddered.

Suddenly, thousands of flying fish flew out of the distant clouds. These fish had wings growing from their bodies, and they had a single sharp spear-like spike growing from their jaws. They appeared like a mix between flying fish and tunas, the size of small bulls, and they swiftly flew across the ocean surface.

At the same time, an enormous wave erupted from behind the flying fish.

This wave of water shot up into the sky and mixed with the dark clouds, forming an enormous vortex of water.

A savage head of gigantic size emerged from the pillar of water, lunging at the flying fish. Opening its city-gate-sized mouth, it devoured more than half of the school of fish.

“An Ocean Snake! An Ocean Snake Fiend!” someone cried out in fear.

The Ocean Snake howled, and the pillar of water began to move toward the remaining flying fish.

The flying fish stubbornly flew toward the Lucksnow, which caused Yun Danming and the elder to pale.

Yun Danming shouted, “Shit! Hurry and activate the formation! We need to leave!”

But it was a little too late to leave.

The flying fish were fleeing in panic, and in their flight, they brought calamity on the unfortunate Lucksnow.

The distant pillar of water roared like a water tornado, lightning crackling in the sky with a frightening light.

The Lucksnow had only just activated its formation, and the ship began to accelerate.

However, the ship’s acceleration formation was normally used not to race with a fiend, but to get out of a dangerous region as quickly as possible and minimize potential risks. When the Ocean Snake headed straight for them, it didn’t matter how much the ship accelerated, how the sailors hollered, or how the oars beat against the waters. They would never be able to outrun the Ocean Snake.

The distance between the two rapidly closed. The accursed flying fish school quickly flew past, only leaving behind the rapidly approaching Ocean Snake. Despair and fear appeared in the eyes of the people on the ship, who knew they were powerless to resist that enormous creature approaching them.

At this moment, a figure flew out of the distance.

This figure was like a puff of smoke, leaving behind a white trail in the air. But because of that heaven-shaking fiend energy and the tempestuous waves, it stopped and let out a gasp of surprise.

A moment later, just when the sea fiend was about to smash into the boat, eighteen crescent blades suddenly dropped from the sky.

The crescent blades, trailing chains behind them, sliced through the pillar of water and slammed into the Ocean Snake. Surprisingly, they weren’t able to slice through the snake, only creating 18 geysers of blood.

Hissss! The Ocean Snake let out a furious cry.

As it shrieked, the eighteen Heavenly Cloud Blades were blasted back into spiritual light, but the snake also stopped its charge at the ship.

Yun Danming saw that they had escaped this disaster and exhaled in relief. Looking up, they saw that a silver-robed young man had walked out of the clouds, his hands held behind his back as he looked at the Ocean Snake.

“It’s pretty strong,” Tang Jie muttered.

The Heavenly Cloud Blades were his strongest attack at present, but they didn’t seem to do much to the Ocean Snake.

The Ocean Snake was clearly enraged by Tang Jie, and its long body had emerged from the pillar of water. Its body was a thousand feet long and its head was the size of a small building.

This was the unique attribute of seaborne fiends. As they were in the ocean, where resources were abundant, they could grow without restriction, so they were many times larger than landborne fiends. Their enormous bodies carried enormous strength, and when compared to foes of the same level, the advantage of their powerful bodies made them much fiercer than their peers.

This Ocean Snake was only at the middle of Mind Opening, but its strength was like that of a peak Mind Opening fiend. If that illusion fox had tried to fight against it, it would have been utterly crushed, no match for this sea fiend in a one-on-one. But as a price, even though it was at Mind Opening, it was much less intelligent. This Ocean Snake still couldn’t speak despite being a middle-grade Mind Opening fiend, though it still had the basic ability to differentiate and comprehend.

The moment this guy showed its whole body, it roared at Tang Jie. The clouds lit up with lightning, and a thick bolt cracked down at Tang Jie’s head.

Tang Jie’s Heavenly Cloud Blades also dropped from the heavens, so the Ocean Snake had returned the favor with a bolt of lightning.

Snorting, Tang Jie turned his wrist over and thrust out a Dragonlike Hand. An energy palm flew up and struck the lightning. While the ensuing light show was impressive, nothing was done to Tang Jie.

Tang Jie sneered, “You even know how to sulk.”

In response, the Ocean Snake shot a water arrow.

A water arrow sounded unimpressive, but when it shot out of the snake’s giant maw, it was so large that it was better described as a pillar than an arrow.

Tang Jie’s expression turned grim, and he unleashed another Dragonlike Hand, dispersing the water arrow.

The Ocean Snake Fiend was a brute, and its skills were not in spell art attacks. Seeing that these two attacks had been ineffective, it felt helpless and decided to just ram Tang Jie.

Tang Jie was standing in front of the ship, so it would crash into both Tang Jie and the ship. Tang Jie could dodge, but this would definitely doom the ship.

His face darkening, he made several signs and pointed at the ocean. “Rise!”

A wall of water rose up and blocked the Ocean Snake.

Bang!

The snake slammed into the wall with its head like a strongman crashing through glass. Water was sent splashing everywhere, glistening in the sunlight.

The Ocean Snake shook its head and continued charging.

Tang Jie pointed at the ocean again. “Rise! Rise! Rise!”

One wall of water after another rose up—eight of them in one go. The snake rammed through all of them, obliterating all that obstructed its path.

Even Tang Jie couldn’t help but be shocked by the ferocity of the Ocean Snake, and he now understood why Horizon Ocean Pavilion was often called Rosecloud’s strongest, and why they were so arrogant. After all, the fiends of their territory were much stronger than fiends elsewhere. With Tang Jie’s strength, he would normally be able to deal with other Mind Opening fiends without even thinking.

But now, the Ocean Snake Fiend had bashed through ten-some water walls in a row, not even considering Tang Jie’s spell arts to be an obstacle. It was getting closer and closer to the ship.

“Shit! I’m not convinced!” Tang Jie muttered. He waved his arms again and again. “Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise! Rise!”

More water walls arose. This time, he had erected twenty-some walls.

The Ocean Snake continued to bash through, the impacts creating large waves that swept out and almost turned the ship over. People cried out in panic, and some people were even sent overboard.

“Rescue them!” the old man shouted.

As cries for rescue rang out, the Ocean Snake continued to charge, breaking through ten-some walls. But it was now starting to get dizzy, its body swaying like a drunkard as it staggered forward. Even then, however, it had only a third of the walls left.

“You… **!” Tang Jie gnashed his teeth and raised his hands again, creating several more water walls.

He had been flying all this time, so he had already expended a great deal of spiritual energy. And these water walls were being cast as spells for the sake of speed, with no harnessing of the world’s power, so he was swiftly squeezing himself dry.

The Ocean Snake kept battering through the walls, but it had clearly slowed down, and its enormous and savage head was covered in blood.

Tang Jie’s Heavenly Cloud Blades couldn’t do anything to it, but this furious bashing into the water walls had given its brain a big shock.

But the Ocean Snake had low intelligence to begin with, and in its rage, all it could think about was to keep charging at the walls. While staring at Tang Jie with its large eyes, it continued to bash through.

The collisions of its huge and powerful body crushed the water walls, and they dwindled away.

Tang Jie didn’t have the spiritual energy to make more water walls, so he decided to land on the ship and watch as the snake continued to bash away. After all, he still had Yiyi, Shi Jingzhai, and many more hidden cards, so he wasn’t worried about the fiend doing anything to him. But if this guy really managed to get through, it would feel like he couldn’t even handle a single middle-grade Mind Opening fiend, which would be rather shameful.

When there were only twelve walls left, the Ocean Snake failed to break a wall on first impact for the first time, forcing it to make a second go.

When there were seven walls left, the Ocean Snake was weakening. Its body on the surface would sway and then drop onto a wall as it began using its immense weight to break them.

When there were only three walls left, the fiend’s head was drenched in blood, and its forehead had cracked open. The fragments of the water walls punched numerous holes through its head, and even one of its eyes had popped out.

But it was still battering away, not knowing fatigue.

Tang Jie couldn’t help but mutter, “What a stubborn and temperamental fellow.”

Yiyi dropped next to him and covered her eyes. “I can’t keep watching!”

Shi Jingzhai watched dumbly as the snake battered away, giggling, “So pretty!”

Bang!

The Ocean Snake smashed into the last wall, and after seven attempts, it finally broke through.

It straightened its body, raising its head and looking down at Tang Jie, as if it was saying, “I won.”

Tang Jie gave the Ocean Snake a thumbs-up. “You’re fierce!”

The Ocean Snake’s mouth opened wide, perhaps to cheer, or perhaps to use this moment of victory to eat Tang Jie up.

But in the end, it did nothing. Its thick body swayed, its eyes rolled over, and then it toppled into the sea…

Tang Jie’s off to Endsea! A perfect opportunity to meet with the girlfriend.