“We’re lucky to be alive at all,” another child said weakly. “Didn’t you hear? They’ve already discovered we were smuggled here.”
“For now, we can only hide on this island,” Ye Feipeng said. “Once things calm down, we’ll think of a way to leave.”
The children exchanged anxious glances, their faces drawn and pale.
“It seems that’s our only choice,” Su Changyu said with a heavy sigh. “At least this island has fresh water and fruit trees. We won’t starve for the time being.”
With their future uncertain, a heavy gloom settled over the group.
When night fell, exhaustion soon dragged them into a deep sleep.
***
In the dead of night, Ye Feipeng suddenly sensed something and jolted awake.
He slipped quietly out of the flying boat and looked up just in time to see a streak of light tear across the horizon, arriving in the blink of an eye.
Its destination was unmistakable—the camouflaged flying boat.
Oh no!
Before Ye Feipeng could react, the light had already descended before him.
“Quick... help me inside...”
It was the cultivator who had led them out of the Li World.
His flesh was torn, his aura faint and unstable, clearly gravely injured. Yet even so, he was still a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Ye Feipeng did not dare act rashly. He hurried forward to support him.
At that moment, the man suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. His body twitched a few times, then fell still.
“Senior!” Ye Feipeng cried out in shock.
Suddenly, a strange phenomenon manifested in the sky above.
"Foundation Establishment cultivator Fan Li practiced the Dao for 165 years, establishing his Dao Foundation with the Curio, Gloom Staff. While engaging in battle in the Congyun Sea, he suffered grave injuries.”
“Now, his body perishes and his Dao disperses, returning to heaven!"
Brilliant lights bloomed across the night sky like falling fireworks.
Ye Feipeng stood rooted to the spot, utterly stunned.
He’s... dead?
He had never imagined that this cultivator, who had seemingly escaped calamity, would perish right before his eyes.
Beside the corpse, an unremarkable bamboo staff slowly materialized.
As Ye Feipeng stared at the lifeless body, a bold thought suddenly took shape in his mind.
Holding his breath, he quietly approached.
When he reached the corpse, he stood motionless for a long moment.
Then, under the glow of the fading lights overhead, he slowly crouched down and began rummaging through the cultivator’s robes.
“What are you doing?!”
A startled voice rang out behind him in the stillness of the night.
Ye Feipeng nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around to see Xiao Heng staring at him in disbelief.
“Shhh!” Ye Feipeng hissed, making a silencing gesture.
Xiao Heng quickly understood. He crept closer and whispered, “How did this Immortal Master die?”
“He probably fought that other cultivator to a draw,” Ye Feipeng replied distractedly, continuing his search. “He managed to get this far before his strength ran out, then died right ere.”
After what felt like an eternity, Ye Feipeng frowned and muttered, “How does a Foundation Establishment cultivator not even have a storage ring?”
“A storage ring?” Xiao Heng blinked. “You mean... this one?”
He bent down, picked up a ring from the ground, and held it out.