During the Qingming festival, rain falls incessantly, and misfortune comes knocking.

Jiang Yuebai was utterly speechless, having hid on a deserted island for two months without any incidents, fearing that those two would find her, she left the island to find a sliver of hope.

Pursuing hope, yet colliding straight into a dead end.

At this moment, she was blocked by two people, not matching the portrait’s look, nor carrying the jade flute or spear by her side.

But her cultivation and that unique aura distinct from cultivators of this realm, along with her demeanor and speech, aligned with Xie Jingshan’s description.

Among them, the younger one, a man at Peak Foundation Establishment, disdainfully scanned Jiang Yuebai disguised as an old man, mumbling, "Reaching this age and only at Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment, why even cultivate?"

Jiang Yuebai not only disguised as an old man, but also slightly suppressed her cultivation.

Beside her, a mature and steady-looking male cultivator at Early-Stage Golden Core glanced over with sharp eyes; Mu Linfeng immediately lowered his gaze and tone.

Jiang Yuebai hunched her back, a face full of nervous fear, stepped back half a step, saying in a hoarse voice, "I’m just a poor loose cultivator, nothing on me would catch a senior’s eye."

"We don’t care for a bunch of trash," Mu Linfeng whispered.

Ning Zhiyuan’s face was gloomy as he asked, "Is there a place nearby to rest?"

Jiang Yuebai continued to retreat with an apprehensive look, "There are a few uninhabited islands to the northwest where one could rest, but since the Dragon Palace Secret Realm just opened, why not explore it?"

Ning Zhiyuan did not respond, inspecting Jiang Yuebai evoking tension in her scalp.

Moments later, Ning Zhiyuan withdrew his gaze, signaled Mu Linfeng to follow, heading towards the direction Jiang Yuebai mentioned.

Jiang Yuebai felt a Divine Sense lingering around her, maintaining her guise as she fled on a basic Flying Artifact, a Green Bamboo Boat.

After escaping a hundred miles, that locked-on feeling dissipated.

"How exactly did they find this place? They’re like flies, no, like dogs... No, whatever, they’re just too troublesome!"

Jiang Yuebai quickly changed into a middle-aged man’s appearance, restoring her cultivation to Peak Foundation Establishment, switching to a Flying Core Boat, activating the Stealth Array, heading swiftly towards Kunxu Sea Trench.

Elsewhere.

Ning Zhiyuan and Mu Linfeng escaped tens of miles away when Ning Zhiyuan suddenly stopped, turning back to the direction they just encountered Jiang Yuebai.

"What is it, Uncle?" Mu Linfeng asked.

Ning Zhiyuan withdrew a Jade Plate from his sleeve, sensing the direction of the Heavenly Stone, but its aura was not emitted, providing only a vague location in this area, elusive and undetermined.

"It just feels like something is off."

Mu Linfeng nonchalantly said, "If you feel there’s a problem, I’ll catch and kill that person; just a loose cultivator in the wilderness with no future, it’s for his own good to reincarnate early."

Ning Zhiyuan frowned, "It’s hard for even a strong dragon to suppress a snake, last time that kid’s power was so overwhelming I was indeed rash, we must exercise more restraint and caution this time. Furthermore, Jiang Yuebai is secretly protected by a top-tier Great Power from the Upper Realm, any attempt at divination is like seeing flowers in fog."

"Her background may be deeper than ours. We have violated the boundaries this time, secretly searching for the Heavenly Stone should be done discreetly. If discovered, we won’t be able to bear the consequences. Missing that kid earlier already alerted Jiang Yuebai, so..."

"I know, I know, haven’t I been obedient this whole way?" Mu Linfeng was somewhat impatient, "We’ve been watching the Heavenly Interence Sect people for a while without finding Jiang Yuebai; she must have escaped to the outer sea. We have to hide and search in secret. You’ve said it many times to stealthily capture her and take away."

Ning Zhiyuan nodded, "No, indeed not right, that person just now was suspicious."

"What kind of problem?"

"Only Golden Core cultivators can enter the Dragon Palace Relic Realm, and even at Early-Stage Golden Core, one might get injured entering. The Foundation Establishment cultivators we met have been choosing places to wait in ambush, why was he eager to head towards Kunxu Sea Trench?"

Mu Linfeng’s expression turned cold, "Chase!"

Half an hour later, Ning Zhiyuan blocked the path, sweeping his sleeve, conjuring a surging wave that blasted the passing middle-aged male out of the Stealth Array.

Mu Linfeng saw he was not an old man and glanced at Ning Zhiyuan.

Ning Zhiyuan stood above the sea, voice cold as ice, "Fellow Daoist, have you seen an old white-haired man pass by?"

Seeing this, Mu Linfeng brandished his spear with murderous intent.

The drenched middle-aged male cultivator looked at the two.

"What cover you from, looking for what old man?"

The entirely different accent made Mu Linfeng widen his eyes, turning to Ning Zhiyuan again.

Ning Zhiyuan’s eyes flashed coldly, suddenly forming his hand like a blade, slicing through the air.

Before the middle-aged male could react, he was split in half.

Poof!

The ’corpse’ of the male cultivator suddenly exploded into a flurry of white feathers, swirling like swords and blades.

"Indeed there’s a problem!"

Mu Linfeng swung his spear, sweeping out large shadows to shield against the feathers.

Simultaneously, two figures appeared out of thin air surrounding Ning Zhiyuan and Mu Linfeng, throwing vibrant beads and Thunder Talismans with subdued lightning.

They filled the sky, numbering in thousands, concealing two Jade Pivot Thunder Pearls.

Mu Linfeng was dumbstruck, Ning Zhiyuan turned pale with shock, their hearts trembled as they resisted in panic.

Explosion!

A clear shout was heard, Jade Pivot Thunder connected the heaven and earth like a fuse, over a thousand Five Elements Thunder Pearls and Continuous Pearl Thunder Talismans exploded in unison, the blinding light and thunder shook the heavens.

Multicolored lightning waves clashed like a myriad of swords, rattling and fierce, engulfing Ning Zhiyuan and Mu Linfeng entirely, also instantly obliterating the Crane Feather Avatar unable to retreat in time. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

The sea surface within a ten-mile radius was blasted into a hundred-zhang-deep pit by the raging electric tide; the might of the Continuous Pearl Thunder Talisman persisted for several breaths without dissipating, leaving the sea difficult to refill.

This bag of Five Elements Thunder Pearls and Continuous Pearl Thunder Talismans was indeed prepared by Jiang Yuebai for them.

The lightning not yet extinguished, Jiang Yuebai, intending to continue her escape, felt a fierce wind sweep behind her.

Battered clothing, covered in arcs of electricity, Ning Zhiyuan appeared.

Boom!

A sky-shaking sound, airwaves surged, leaving only drifting white feathers in front of Ning Zhiyuan.

Another clone!

Ning Zhiyuan’s fury burned in his heart, blood surged from his throat, the Jade Pivot Thunder having cracked his Lifebound Jade Flute, greatly diminishing his strength.

In the distance, Mu Linfeng was severely injured, spitting blood, his three-layered Defense Magic Treasure all shattered; if Ning Zhiyuan hadn’t defended him earlier, he wouldn’t have been just heavily injured.

A strike wielding absolute killing power, over a thousand Thunder Pearls and talismans, including two refined by a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, such a grand gesture was truly unexpected.

"Those Thunder Pearls all had traces of the Heavenly Stone, it must be her."

Ning Zhiyuan appeared beside Mu Linfeng, handing him a Healing Pill.

Mu Linfeng swallowed the pill, seething with rage, "Too ruthless, I’ll tear that woman to pieces! Chase!"

Seeing Mu Linfeng was not in serious trouble, Ning Zhiyuan took him along to pursue Jiang Yuebai, determined to capture her.