Seven years later, above a stretch of sea in the Outer Star Sea, a squad of more than a dozen cultivators of varying cultivation levels drifted slowly through the lower sky, glancing around from time to time as though searching for something.
More than half of these cultivators were at Foundation Establishment, with only three at the Core Formation stage leading the group — one at mid Core Formation and two at early Core Formation.
"Fellow Daoist Qiu, is that level-six demon beast really nearby? We've been searching this sea area for several days now. The search radius has been expanded again and again. Could the intelligence be wrong?" A middle-aged cultivator with a pale golden complexion asked with an impatient expression.
His question was directed at a sallow-faced old man with a hawk-like countenance beside him.
The old man was the highest-ranked cultivator in the party — the sole mid Core Formation expert.
"Why the rush, Fellow Daoist Min? The information we received only gives a rough position. A discrepancy of a few days is perfectly normal. It's still better than wandering blindly through other sea areas. I believe the fellow who gave me the intelligence wouldn't dare deceive me." The old man's expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly.
"What if that beast has already left this sea area, or what if this isn't even its lair?" Another fierce-looking man abruptly voiced his doubts.
"It hasn't. This is a rare Glass Beast. I just scanned the seabed nearby with my spiritual sense. It's covered in tri-colored seaweed — the very thing this beast feeds on most. Its lair can't be far from here." The hawk-faced old man stated firmly.
It seemed the old man carried considerable authority among the three. The other two fell silent upon hearing his words and continued extending their spiritual senses to scan the surroundings.
As for the Foundation Establishment cultivators trailing behind, they were mostly the three men's sons, nephews, and disciples. None of them dared to speak up.
Under the three leaders' guidance, the party searched the sea area for the better part of another day — but still found nothing.
Even the hawk-faced old man's brow furrowed slightly.
"Hah! We used to stay at the Abyss just fine. Even if you couldn't say we harvested something every month, bagging three or four high-grade demon cores in a year was perfectly doable. But look at us now — since leaving, we've killed only two high-grade demon beasts in two years. Not even enough for one demon core per person." The pale-gold-faced cultivator surnamed Min grumbled again, venting a bellyful of frustration.
"Enough. You know perfectly well what the Abyss is like now, Brother Min. Going back isn't demon beast hunting — it's suicide."
"It really is bizarre. The old Abyss wasn't exactly safe, but as long as you were sharp enough and stayed away from the central region, you could get by just fine. But ever since that demon beast eruption two years ago, the whole Abyss has become a forbidden zone. Almost every high-grade cultivator who's ventured in has never come back. Last year, several Nascent Soul old monsters joined forces and charged straight into the central region to investigate. Whatever they ran into up there — some beast of an unknown level — they came scrambling back in terror. The Four Dharma Master was reduced to nothing but his Nascent Soul just to escape with his life. This Strange Abyss Island really won't be livable for much longer." The fierce-faced man spoke with lingering fear, his complexion paling slightly.
"Fellow Daoist Xuan makes a fair point. Although the beasts in the Abyss have stayed put so far and haven't stepped beyond it even once, who knows when they might go berserk and come pouring out. It's not impossible. We really do need to prepare for that!" The hawk-faced old man was silent for a moment after hearing this, the skin on his face twitching slightly.
It was clear the old man too was shaken at the mention of the Abyss beasts.
"But right now, the Star Palace and the Star Rebellion Alliance are still fighting each other tooth and nail out there. The teleportation arrays still only allow outbound travel — no one can get in. Even if we wanted to leave, we couldn't." Min gave a bitter laugh, his face full of helplessness.
"Hmph! That's not necessarily true." The fierce-faced man wore an expression of disagreement.
"Oh? Could it be Brother Xuan has another way out?" Min's face showed surprise, but then he perked up with interest.
"Heh heh! I wouldn't call it another way exactly. I've heard that someone on Strange Abyss Island is selling teleportation talismans at an exorbitant price. The quantities are small, but people have indeed used them to return to the Inner Star Sea!" The man's voice dropped to a hush, taking on a secretive tone.
"Is that so? Then we—" Min's face lit up with joy and he was about to press further when the hawk-faced old man cut him off with a cold snort.
"Don't even dream about it, you two! Even if you got your hands on a teleportation talisman, would you really dare return to Heavenly Star City? The Inner Star Sea right now is more dangerous than our Strange Abyss Island! You'd be seized by one side or the other and used as cannon fodder the moment you set foot there. The beasts in the Abyss may seem unstable, but outside the Abyss at least, everything is still peaceful. If something really happens, we can simply hide out on some deserted island. That's far better than going back to get tangled up in some grand battle." A strange gleam flickered in the old man's eyes — he had clearly thought this through long ago.
The other two exchanged a long glance. They felt the old man's method was crude, but it did seem workable.
Just as they were about to discuss the matter in detail with the old man, a shrill, guttural roar suddenly echoed from somewhere far off. At the same time, from the same direction, a series of explosive booms erupted in rapid succession.
"The Glass Beast!"
Min and the fierce-faced man looked at each other and nearly shouted the words in unison, their faces brimming with excitement.
"That's definitely the Glass Beast's cry. Seems someone found it before us. Move out. Don't reveal yourselves — we'll play it by ear." A sharp, cold look flashed across the hawk-faced old man's face as he spoke to them in an icy tone.
The other two nodded in understanding. The three of them transformed into streaks of light and shot off at full speed, but midway through the flight, their auras flickered once and they vanished without a trace.
The group of Foundation Establishment cultivators behind them immediately tensed up and gave chase at a sprint.