Have Loved

The scene just now was far too overwhelming, causing Ye Chuan to retract his aura completely.

He had initially thought the octopus monster he encountered upon entering the Demon Sea was already a formidable existence, but he never expected to be utterly shaken by the sight of a colossal whale.

In a place like the Demon Sea, the presence of such massive creatures was hardly surprising.

Perhaps it was the combined aura released by Ye Chuan and his avatar that had attracted the attention of that enormous beast, making it think they were some kind of delicious prey it could swallow whole.

"I'm still too weak—far from the level of shattering the world," Ye Chuan mused, stroking his chin. "That broken jade mentioned something about the Chaos Heavenly Emperor breaking the world and destroying the cycle of reincarnation?"

When would he ever reach such heights of power?

No matter. It was time to keep moving.

The journey afterward went smoothly. After roughly a day of flight, the corrosive miasma shrouding the Demon Sea began to recede like a tide, revealing clearer waters below. In the distance, the faint outline of a coastline could even be seen.

Ye Chuan glanced at the glowing marker on his sea chart—it had now overlapped with the one marking the Donghua Divine Continent. This meant he had finally arrived!

"Seems like I’ve finally made it?"

Ye Chuan stretched lazily, letting out a long sigh of relief.

At last, he was free of the Demon Sea.

His figure transformed into a streak of light as he sped toward the sunlit horizon.

The further he flew, the thinner the mist became, and the brighter the sunlight grew.

Half an hour later, his feet finally touched solid ground—soft sand beneath him, the crisp scent of sea breeze in the air, completely devoid of the Demon Sea’s putrid stench and miasma.

Looking back, the Demon Sea and the shore seemed divided by an invisible barrier—one side pitch-black as night, the other radiant as day, an eerily surreal sight.

"Finally. Now, all that’s left is to find Qianshuang."

Ye Chuan released his divine sense, quickly enveloping the surrounding hundred-mile radius.

However, the Tianxuan Continent was vast beyond measure, making it impossible for him to pinpoint Bai Qianshuang’s current location.

"First, I’ll find a nearby town."

Ye Chuan recalled that Bai Qianshuang had headed to a place called Zichen City. Following the route, catching up to her at his speed should be effortless.

After a brief rest, he oriented himself and flew inland.

Soon, a bustling town came into view—tall stone walls engraved with defensive runes surrounded its perimeter, while inside, pavilions and towers stood in orderly clusters. The streets teemed with carriages and pedestrians, cultivators in vibrant robes weaving through the crowds, a stark contrast to the lifeless silence of the Demon Sea.

Upon finding a human settlement, Ye Chuan immediately suppressed his aura, disguising himself as an ordinary cultivator before entering the town.

"Not bad."

Just past the city gates, he spotted a teahouse and strode straight in, taking a seat by the window.

"Waiter, a pot of tea and a plate of spiced beans."

"Right away!"

The waiter soon brought the order. Ye Chuan casually asked, "Excuse me, what is this place called?"

The waiter grinned. "You must be from out of town, sir? This is Linhai City, one of the major gateways to the Donghua Divine Continent. We get all sorts of cultivators passing through!"

Linhai City?

Named for its proximity to the Demon Sea?

But hearing "Donghua Divine Continent" put Ye Chuan at ease. He pressed further,

"And how far is Linhai City from Zichen City?"

Bai Qianshuang’s journal had mentioned Zichen City—perhaps he could gather some clues about her here.

"Zichen City? That’s deep in the heart of the Donghua Divine Continent! Even flying by sword, it’d take a month to get there."

The waiter paused, then added, "But if you’re in a hurry, you could head to the teleportation plaza in town. They have short-range teleportation arrays that can get you to Zichen City in half a day."

Teleportation arrays?

Ye Chuan inexplicably felt a twinge of PTSD at the mention of them. He waved dismissively. "No need. Just point me in the right direction."

"Uh… direction?" The waiter scratched his head. Having spent his days in the teahouse, he had no idea which way the city lay.

"Never mind." Seeing the waiter’s confusion, Ye Chuan finished his tea.

After paying, he left the teahouse and found an inn for a quick bath. Once refreshed, he set out to look for cultivators in the streets.

If they were cultivators, they ought to know their way around better.

Might as well grab a few and ask.

By the time he stepped out, it was the liveliest hour of the afternoon.

Stalls lined the streets, vendors hawking their wares—but as he turned a corner, a commotion caught his attention. A crowd of cultivators and mortals had gathered around a notice board, buzzing with discussion.

Ye Chuan squeezed in for a look. A yellowed wanted poster was pinned to the board, bearing the image of a woman with cold, piercing eyes—strangely familiar.

Huh?

This was…

His gaze dropped to the words on the poster:

"Wanted: Demon Sect Saintess Bai Qianshuang. Reward: 10,000 high-grade spirit stones and a Qingyun Sect core disciple position." The notice was jointly issued by the Qingyun Sect and several other major sects.

This must be the bounty on Qianshuang from back then.

Never thought he’d stumble upon it here.

"Demon Sect… Saintess?"

Who even were these "Demon Sect" people?

Just as Ye Chuan turned away, a crisp female voice sounded behind him. "Fellow Daoist, also interested in this bounty?"

He turned to see a young woman in a green dress, a jade pendant engraved with "Yaoguang Pavilion" hanging at her waist. Her almond-shaped eyes sparkled with mischief.

Leaning closer, she whispered, "You don’t look familiar—not from any local sects, are you? This Bai Qianshuang is a big deal. Catching her would mean becoming a core disciple of the Qingyun Sect!"

"Yaoguang Pavilion?" Ye Chuan’s eyes flicked to her pendant.

"Yep, I’m from Yaoguang Pavilion!" The girl puffed up proudly.

"So…?"

"Huh?" She blinked at his indifferent reaction. "Fellow Daoist, you’ve never heard of Yaoguang Pavilion?"

"Nope."

"Seriously?!"

"Seriously. What do you do—entertainment and escort services?" Ye Chuan glanced at her figure and added flatly, "Doesn’t look like it," instantly flushing the girl’s face red.

"We are not some pleasure house! We’re a major intelligence network!"

"Intelligence…" Ye Chuan nodded.

Ah. A spy organization.

"You approached me for a reason, didn’t you?" He gave her a sidelong glance.

"I noticed the way you looked at that portrait—didn’t seem like you were staring at a stranger." She grinned, lowering her voice further.

"What’s your relationship with Bai Qianshuang?"

"Lovers. Married. Been there, done that."

The girl: "…"

"You don’t believe me?"

"What do you think?"