For years, Xiao Fei’s frequent transactions of spiritual elixirs and herbs, while yielding a substantial amount of spirit stones, had also attracted considerable trouble.
Adhering to a principle of benevolence, he had peacefully dispatched most of his adversaries.
These enemies, upon their departure, were in a state of considerable composure, willing to bequeath their life’s accumulated wealth to Xiao Fei, as a form of atonement.
Naturally, there were a minuscule number of stubborn individuals who failed to recognize their errors.
After escaping with their lives, instead of reflecting on their mistakes, they harbored ulterior motives and gathered more misinformed individuals to relentlessly pursue and intercept Xiao Fei.
Over the years, the number of such ill-intentioned people had steadily grown, constantly seeking his whereabouts.
The more they investigated, the more their hearts pounded with alarm, astonished by the quantity of thousand-year-old spiritual herbs Xiao Fei had dispensed, which only strengthened their resolve to find him.
Fortunately, Xiao Fei had consistently maintained various disguises, his true identity remaining concealed.
However, this situation could not persist indefinitely. With so many people persistently searching for him, exposure was inevitable.
Before his return, he needed to find a way to deal with all of them, or at least completely evade them.
Given his current physical condition, direct confrontation was impossible. The thousand-year-old spiritual herbs he had released had already alerted numerous Nascent Soul cultivators, and in significant numbers.
Just as he was at his wit’s end, he unexpectedly managed to contact his second sister, Xiao Lan.
He had discovered a branch of the Treasure Pavilion and intended to explore it, but was spotted by ghost cultivators guarding the vicinity. Soon after, Xiao Lan appeared before him.
Xiao Fei’s current situation was precarious, making it inconvenient to reveal his identity. He discussed matters at length with his second sister in a secret chamber before they parted ways.
After some time, a piece of gossip began to circulate through the hidden channels of the cultivation world.
It was rumored that on an island deep within the East Sea, someone had discovered an ancient human medicinal garden, teeming with vast fields of thousand-year-old spiritual herbs.
The numerous thousand-year-old spiritual herbs that had mysteriously appeared on the East Continent during this period were said to originate from this very garden.
Due to the complexity of the garden’s formations, only a small portion of the unearthed spiritual herbs had been recovered.
Many cultivators who had been actively searching for Xiao Fei’s whereabouts now shifted their focus directly towards the East Sea.
A large number of cultivators, both openly and covertly, began to make their way towards the East Sea. For cultivators, few could resist such a temptation.
Regardless of its veracity, they had to investigate; otherwise, if they were too late, they wouldn’t even get a taste of the spoils.
As the human race on the East Continent was making a large-scale advance towards the East Sea, a piece of gossip also rapidly spread among the East Sea’s demon race.
It was said that human cultivators had discovered an ancient spiritual herb garden on an island deep within the East Sea, filled with countless rare spiritual herbs.
Now, the human race had organized a large contingent of cultivators to seize the ancient medicinal garden.
Human cultivators encroaching upon their territory to snatch their sustenance – how could the dignified East Sea demon race maintain its honor?
Did they think the East Sea was devoid of demons?
This matter was not merely about a few spiritual herbs or a medicinal garden; it concerned the sovereignty of the demon race, and any retreat was unacceptable.
Under the leadership of several major clans of the East Sea, a powerful force was quickly assembled, intercepting a majority of the human cultivators en route.
When the strong individuals from both sides met in the East Sea, their leaders stepped forward to exchange greetings with each other’s ancestors.
“Audacious humans! The East Sea has belonged to my East Sea demon race for generations. Every blade of grass and tree in the East Sea belongs to the demon race; no outsider has the right to covet it.”
A relatively eloquent demon stepped to the front of the formation, loudly questioning them, his stance in defending the territorial integrity of the demon race and upholding maritime rights being exceptionally resolute.
“We implore the demons ahead to quickly make way. Since ancient times, the East Sea has been a subordinate territory of our human race. Every island in the sea, hundreds of thousands of years ago, belonged to the human territories of the East Continent.”
The human side was not to be outdone. At this moment, a human cultivator produced an ancient tome, which recorded that the East Sea at that time belonged to the human race, and the demons in the sea were all vassals of the human race, obeying their commands.
However, this assertion did not persuade the demons to yield, and instead, it seemed to provoke them.
The human race, having long lost its former might from hundreds of thousands of years ago, shamelessly continued to bring up these past events.
“Of course, these are all old matters and best left unmentioned. Shall we set aside our disputes and explore together?”
“Pah! Today, you human cultivators will not take a single step forward!”
“……”
…………
On that day, a cataclysmic battle erupted on the East Sea between the human powerhouses and the East Sea demon race.
The battle raged with such ferocity that the heavens turned dark and the earth grew dim, the seawater churned backward, and blood dyed the sea for dozens of miles. Fish and shrimp within thousands of miles of the ocean perished as a result.
For decades and even centuries afterward, people often visited this sea area to search for treasures, finding fragments of magical artifacts lost in the great battle, the bones of powerful demons, or other forgotten treasures.
While the great battle was unfolding in the East Sea, Xiao Fei had already begun his journey back to the Lu Men sect.
Along the way, he heard news of the battle in the East Sea, with reports of heavy casualties on both sides.
He sighed at this, lamenting why cultivators could not set aside their pursuit of fame and fortune, sit together for tea, chat, and discuss life, instead of resorting to constant fighting.
For instance, it would be much better to be like him, adhering to benevolence and helping others!
He had spent years traveling outside, performing countless good deeds.
Upon his return to the Lu Men sect, Huang Feifei received the news and immediately sought out his cave dwelling.
“Young Master, your return is most timely. I heard that an ancient spiritual herb garden has been discovered deep within the East Sea. Shall we go and take a look? Perhaps there will be a great opportunity.”
Besides her usual compliance with Xiao Fei, Huang Feifei had always been a person of ambition and progress; otherwise, she would not have achieved what she had today.
She lacked Xiao Fei’s golden finger, nor did she intend to rely on her looks for sustenance like Zhu Yu. All her resources had to be fought for against heaven, earth, and man.
The prevailing atmosphere in this cultivation world was rather abnormal. Male cultivators who relied on their looks were often considered capable, while female cultivators like Zhu Yu, who relied on their looks to feed off many others, were looked down upon.
“Feifei, I apologize! I returned a bit late. The ancient medicinal garden in the East Sea can no longer be visited!”
Xiao Fei then relayed the news of the battle in the East Sea to Huang Feifei.
Upon hearing this, Huang Feifei also felt fortunate. It was a good thing Xiao Fei had returned late and she hadn’t gone, otherwise, her corpse might have already been fed to the fish.
“By the way, Young Master, there is widespread conflict across the East Continent now. Did you encounter any danger while traveling alone?”
“Fortunately, on a few occasions, I was conscripted by passing states and sent to the front lines as a conscript. Fortunately, I managed to escape each time.”
Having undergone years of rigorous training and tempering, Xiao Fei now possessed considerable expertise in the art of escape.
The combination of a substitute puppet, a Thousand-Mile Teleportation Talisman, and the flight speed of a flying fish made him more slippery than an eel.
“In my opinion, the turmoil on the East Continent should be nearing its end.”
“Currently, the Great Qin Kingdom holds an absolute advantage. The Great Qi Kingdom to the east has already been defeated by it.
The Great Qin Kingdom, leveraging its great victory, has now turned its attention to the Chu Kingdom to the south, and Chu’s prospects are dire.”
Xiao Fei analyzed the current global situation based on his observations and experiences during his years of travel.
“In the future, the Great Qin Kingdom is very likely to unify the entire East Continent.”
Huang Feifei sat at the small table, resting her chin on her hand, a smile gracing her lips, her eyes gazing dreamily at Xiao Fei as he expounded.
Whatever the Young Master said, she believed! Even if it was wrong, she would unhesitatingly hold firm to her conviction!