Although Yang Kai's presence caught Shang Ao's attention briefly, he didn't dwell on it for long.
The Sea Clan was a race that looked down on everyone else. From the very beginning, they believed that as beings born of the ocean, they were the most noble creatures in the world, and all other races should bow before them—especially the numerous human race.
They had every right to be so arrogant. Every member of the Sea Clan was innately versed in water-element techniques and martial arts from the moment of birth. Unlike humans, who often lived their entire lives without ever cultivating, unable to escape birth, aging, sickness, and death, remaining nothing more than ordinary people forever.
Yang Kai experienced the Sea Clan's arrogance firsthand.
The beautiful woman standing beside Shang Ao gazed down below and spoke with her cherry-red lips parted lightly: "Island Master Pang, this isn't the first time I've met you. We know each other well, so I'll be straightforward. One of our important figures from the Sea God Palace has gone missing near your Rosy Light Island. We have reason to believe that someone from the Sea Hall abducted that important figure. I must ask Island Master Pang to hand the person over."
Though the woman did her best to maintain a calm tone, her complexion and the subtle shifts in her expression betrayed the anxiety within her heart.
Pang Zhen naturally recognized this Sea Clan woman. He frowned slightly: "An important figure of your Sea Clan? Who would that be?"
He was quite curious about the identity of this missing Sea Clan member, vaguely sensing that their status among the Sea Clan was far from low—most likely a member of the Royal Clan! Otherwise, Shang Ao and this woman wouldn't have come together, let alone with such an aggressive demeanor.
He needed to find out the details no matter what.
The woman shook her head gently, her pleasant voice carrying: "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you who it is."
Pang Zhen sneered: "Commander Qian Mo, are you certain you're not joking? Based on nothing more than your own suspicion, the Sea God Palace sends so many Void Return Realm experts to trouble my Rosy Light Island? Do you really think the Sea Hall is easy to bully?"
The woman called Qian Mo furrowed her delicate brows, hesitated for a moment, and said: "This isn't merely my suspicion. That person truly did disappear near Rosy Light Island. Otherwise, we wouldn't have come all the way here."
Pang Zhen's eyes narrowed.
Qian Mo was one of the eight great commanders of the Sea God Palace, an existence on par with Shang Ao herself. She held a lofty status—few in the Sea Clan stood above her. Yet even she referred to the missing person as "that lord."
Could a member of the Sea God Palace's Royal Clan really have gone missing? This was no small matter! Pang Zhen immediately grasped the severity of the situation. If it were some obscure Sea Clan nobody, he could have brushed the whole thing off—he genuinely hadn't seen anyone, after all. But if it was a Royal Clan member, he couldn't handle it so casually.
If he mishandled this, it could absolutely spark a full-scale war between the Sea Hall and the Sea God Palace! That was an outcome nobody wanted to see.
After a long, contemplative silence, Pang Zhen spoke with a solemn expression: "Rosy Light Island hasn't detected any Sea Clan members recently. Perhaps Commander Qian Mo has made a mistake…"
Qian Mo cut him off: "If it's convenient for you, Island Master Pang, I'd like to search Rosy Light Island. Would that be acceptable?"
"Just a search?" Pang Zhen eyed her cautiously. This request, relative to the current situation, wasn't too unreasonable. Under different circumstances or at a different time, Pang Zhen would never have agreed. But since Royal Clan involvement was at stake, refusing could easily trigger Shang Ao's simple and explosive temper, inevitably leading to a battle.
So Pang Zhen had to make some timely concessions.
"Just a search!" Qian Mo assured him. "I'm very familiar with that person. If she truly is on Rosy Light Island, I will definitely sense her—whether or not someone is hiding her!"
On that last sentence, Qian Mo's gaze turned sharp, keen as a blade's edge.
One could imagine that if things turned out as she suspected, Rosy Light Island would run red with blood today.
Pang Zhen wavered. With the other party speaking with such certainty, he no longer felt so confident in his own judgment. He was the master of this island, but countless Sea Hall disciples lived here. What if some reckless fool had secretly brought back a Sea Clan member…
"Very well. I agree!" Pang Zhen said in a deep voice. If fortune wasn't misfortune, then misfortune couldn't be avoided. All Pang Zhen could do was hope that the Sea Clan's guess was wrong.
"Thank you." Qian Mo nodded. The very next moment, she released her divine sense, spreading it inch by inch across Rosy Light Island.
Everyone waited in silence. Along the vast shoreline, hundreds of powerful experts stood without a single person speaking—even their breathing was suppressed. You could have heard a pin drop.
Shang Ao was anxious to the point of constipation. The scar on his face looked even more vicious and terrifying. He kept glancing between Qian Mo and Pang Zhen, his eyes bulging larger than copper bells.
After a long time, Qian Mo suddenly opened her eyes.
Pang Zhen straightened his expression, fixing her with an unblinking stare.
"What about it?" Shang Ao asked hurriedly.
A trace of disappointment crossed Qian Mo's face. She looked at Shang Ao and slowly shook her head: "She's not here!"
"Impossible!" Shang Ao shouted. "She disappeared near Rosy Light Island—how can she not be here! Something must have gone wrong somewhere… Wait, could she have been moved? Rosy Light Island has a spatial teleportation array. All the islands of the Sea Hall are connected…"
"Shang Ao, if you want to fight, then fight! Enough of your noise!" Pang Zhen roared. This time, his voice carried considerably more confidence.
Shang Ao was already seething with frustration, and Pang Zhen's words were like a spark to powder. His eyes blazed, and the surging power within his body began to circulate.
Qian Mo spoke a step ahead of him: "Island Master Pang, this time my companions and I were in error. I sincerely apologize for the trouble caused to your island. I will personally come again another day to offer my formal apologies."