Not long after Evan, Skylar, and Luna Chu left, Selena’s figure appeared in the sky, swiftly chasing after the trio.
Goldwing was flying at full speed. Luna Chu, the weakest among them, was battered by the headwind and felt miserable. This time, Skylar Yule played the full escort, shielding her with his own body.
Evan sat with his eyes closed, recuperating and planning for what lay ahead. The Violet Thunder Fox, Alex, was obediently curled at his feet. He’d thought about letting her refine the Flame Spider’s Beast Core, but the environment wasn’t right, so he held off for now.
“Evan, the Sea Regions are nothing like the continent. There are all sorts of strange races here, but they’re not just demonic beasts—they cultivate by absorbing Stellar Power just like humans.”
“But Starstones are much more abundant here, so there are way more powerful experts—especially in the Divine Martial Realm. You need to keep a low profile and not show off, or you’ll get yourself killed,” Luna the Sword Spirit warned.
Evan felt a bit stifled—he wasn’t used to not having Selena around. Having Luna speak up now was actually pretty nice.
“Sis Luna, what kind of people live in the Sea Regions? Why don’t you ever see them in the Empire? Do they actually live underwater?” Evan asked.
“There are three main races in the Sea Regions. The strongest and most numerous are the Mermaids, then the Crabfolk, and finally the true Sea Race—the ones who actually live in the water.”
“The Mermaids and Crabfolk mostly live on land, though they can freely enter the sea and breathe underwater. But because of the Sea Race, they tend to stay on land,” Luna explained.
Evan listened and felt like he’d learned something new. Just from the names, he could guess the Mermaids were a blend of humans and fish, and the Crabfolk were a mix of humans and crabs.
“What language do they speak? Will we be able to understand them?” Evan asked. Since they’d be dealing with the locals in the Sea Regions, not understanding the language would be a real headache.
“The Mermaids and Crabfolk speak human languages, but the Sea Race use all kinds of tongues. The Sea Race is really just a catch-all for sea monsters and oceanic beasts—some of them are terrifyingly strong, even Saint Martial Realm. But they have one fatal weakness: they can’t take human form and are stuck living in the water,” Luna said.
Evan didn’t say anything more. According to Selena, there was a Water Spirit Pearl in the Mermaid Kingdom, so he wouldn’t need to dive into the deep sea—just find a way to get it from the Mermaids.
But the most important thing right now was still raising his strength. He’d already mastered Fireshift—now it was time to cultivate Earthshift. Once he did, his defense would be even more insane.
Evan took out the Earth Spirit Pearl he’d gotten from Gavin Wei and started studying it. With the experience of refining the Fire Spirit Pearl, he was like a fish in water—his comprehension of earth attribute grew much faster.
“Evan, don’t rush it. Wait until you break through to the Heaven Martial Realm and absorb some of the Dragon Scale’s power your mother left you—then cultivate Earthshift. That way, you’ll get twice the results for half the effort,” Luna advised.
Evan was just getting into the flow when Luna’s words made him stop. Without her Earthshift technique, he couldn’t do much anyway.
Goldwing had flown for a whole day—tens of thousands of kilometers—but still hadn’t reached the Sea Regions.
As night fell, Evan and the others landed in a remote little town to grab a bite and rest for the night before heading out again tomorrow.
The town was about the same size as Flowing Cloud City. It was almost night, and the streets were quiet.
Goldwing shifted into the form of a middle-aged man and entered the town with Evan and the others, picking an inn that was just barely decent.
Inside, Evan saw only a handful of diners. The waiter hurried over, greeting them, "Welcome, sirs! Are you here to eat or stay? This is the best inn for a hundred miles around!"
Evan glanced around at the decor and said, "Get us three upstairs rooms. Bring your signature dishes and a pot of wine, too."
"Just a moment, sir! I'll have it ready right away!" The waiter replied and dashed off.
"Second Brother, we’re heading the right way, aren’t we? It’d be a pain if we got lost. And where’s Selena? She should’ve caught up by now with her speed!" Skylar Yule said.
"We’re definitely on track, but I’m not sure how much farther it is. We’re probably out of the Heavenly Dragon Empire’s territory by now. Big Bro, do you know where we are?" Evan asked.
"Not really. But it’s not the Sea Dragon Empire either. Maybe we should ask the waiter?" Skylar suggested.
Just then, two middle-aged men at a nearby table were drinking and gossiping. One said, "Did you hear about the weird thing in Niujia Village? The whole Niu family died, and it was brutal—supposedly only their skin was left."
"Of course I heard! I even went to see it myself. They say it started when they rescued a middle-aged man from the mountains. That guy apparently fancied Niu Er’s wife and was caught in the act, so he killed the whole family to silence them," the other replied.
"Yeah, even his eight-year-old daughter wasn’t spared. But someone did witness the killings—Niu Er’s cousin happened to see that bastard murder the whole family."
They say the killer bit right into the victim’s neck and sucked out all the blood. It was horrifying, and there was a cloud of black mist too. Only Niu Er’s cousin knows exactly what happened,” the man finished, raising his cup and draining it.
“I heard that person headed toward the Sea Regions. Maybe he’s one of the Sea Region folk?” the other man said.
“I have no idea. Let’s drink! Even if he made it to the Sea Regions, it’s a dead end for him.”
Evan and the others felt a surge of excitement. This meant the Sea Regions were close—maybe just a few hundred kilometers away.
Just then the waiter brought over their food and wine. Evan asked, "How far is it to the Sea Regions from here?"
"You’re heading to the Sea Regions?" The waiter looked surprised.
"That’s right. We’ve got important business there," Evan replied.
"It’s less than five hundred kilometers away. But you’ll need a Teleportation Token to enter—otherwise, you can’t get in. You can buy one at the entrance, but there’s a strange old man who sells them and the price is steep," the waiter explained.
"Got it. You can go now," Evan said.
"Evan, I didn’t expect to find Demon Clan people here. Be careful!" Luna’s voice suddenly sounded...