The man took the lead and flew up into the air.
Zhu Honggong called out to Dang Kang, and he and Lu Li leaped onto Dang Kang's back.
At this moment, Lu Li patted Zhu Honggong's shoulder and said, "Act according to the situation."
"Alright."
Zhu Honggong and Lu Li rode on Dang Kang's back as they followed the man, flying to the north coast.
Zhu Honggong observed the man in front of him. The man had an extraordinary bearing and did not seem to harbor any ill intentions. Nevertheless, he was still wary so he did not follow the man too closely. Moreover, he could not sense the man's cultivation base; this meant that the man was incredibly powerful.
At this time, the man said as he flew, "My name's Xu Wanqing. I'm the eldest disciple in the Flood Sect. I don't think I've seen both of you in the area before."
"My name's Zhu Honggong." Zhu Honggong's reply was simple without any unnecessary words.
Lu Li replied, "Lu Li."
Xu Wanqing looked at the duo and asked, "Both of you aren't from around here, right?"
"Senior Lu and I flew a long way here…" Zhu Honggong answered noncommittally.
Xu Wanqing nodded before he asked nonchalantly, "Have both of you heard of my name before?"
Zhu Honggong shook his head honestly.
'What a waste…' Xu Wanqing thought to himself as his eyes landed briefly on Dang Kang. Since the stranger before him owned a mount, the stranger should have an extraordinary background. In any case, he decided to find out the purpose of their visit first. If they truly did unintentionally trespass on the island, then he would let this matter go. Then, he asked again, "Where did both of you come from?"
"A very distant place. I don't think you've heard of it," Zhu Honggong replied truthfully.
Xu Wanqing smiled as he said, "My friends, things don't look like they went well for you."
At this moment, Lu Li suddenly began to cough violently. He was about to say something when he inhaled the sea breeze, causing him to cough. All of a sudden, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Xu Wanqing exclaimed in shock, "He's seriously injured!"
At this moment, Zhu Honggong grabbed Lu Li's arm and tightened his grip. If things went south, he would flee with Lu Li immediately. At the same time, he looked at Xu Wanqing warily.
Xu Wanqing said, "It's not suitable for him to travel in this state. If you don't mind, you can stay in the Flood Sect."
Lu Li endured the pain in his abdomen and said, "It's just a minor injury."
At this moment, Xu Wanqing was convinced the two people in front of him really did unwittingly stumble onto the Howling Wind Island. If they were spies, they would not bring an injured person along nor would they own a mount. Spies were not treated so well where they would be given a mount, after all. After a moment, he said, "The north island is just up ahead. After we fly past this area, it'll be safe."
"Thank you."
The trio continued flying in silence.
When they finally arrived in the sky above the seawater between two islands, Xu Wanqing lowered his head to have a look.
At the same time, Dang Kang began to grunt and growl.
A black shadow could be seen moving under the surface of the sea.
Xu Wanqing frowned. "It seems like we're unlucky. Hurry up and hide!"
Splash!
A flounder that resembled a palm-leaf fan leaped out of the sea toward the trio at this moment.
Xu Wanqing tapped his toes in the air, sending a surge of energy down immediately.
Bang!
Then, Xu Wanqing rose higher into the air. When he turned to look at Zhu Honggong and Lu Li, he exclaimed in surprise, "Why aren't both of you dodging the sea beast?'
Zhu Honggong scratched his head. "There's… There's no need to dodge it, right?"
Xu Wanqing frowned, but he only said, "Be careful."
The flounder broke the surface of the sea again. This time, its target seemed to be Dang Kang's underbelly.
Zhu Honggong frowned as he cursed, "D*mn it! Dodge!" He quickly clamped his legs on Dang Kang's flanks, urging it to fly.
Dang Kang did not need a reminder and flew away swiftly.
After missing its target, the flounder-like sea beast fell back into the sea and swam toward the horizon.
Upon seeing this, Xu Wanqing heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Kid, you really know how to dodge… Hurry up, let's leave!"
Alas, at this moment, four or five flounder-like sea beasts suddenly leaped out of the sea, making a perfect arc in the air, before they dove back into the sea with a splash.
When Xu Wanqing looked behind him, he saw another three or four flounders. His expression turned solemn as he said, "We're really unlucky…"
Upon seeing the solemn expression on Xu Wanqing's face, Zhu Honggong grew nervous. "Senior Xu, what should we do?"
"We can only try to rush to the north island… I'll lead the way," Xu Wanqing said before he leaped up in the air.
Buzz!
An avatar appeared in the air.
As soon as the avatar appeared, Zhu Honggong's eyes widened in shock.
The avatar… the avatar had a yellow lotus! It was a yellow lotus avatar!
"How… is this possible?" Zhu Honggong was still in shock.
Lu Li was surprised as well. "I didn't expect… the mark to lead us to the yellow lotus domain."
Meanwhile, Xu Wanqing's avatar repelled two of the flounder-like sea beasts.
When Xu Wanqing turned around and saw the expression on Zhu Honggong's face, he said with a hint of pride, "That's right. I'm the number one prodigy of the Flood Sect. In less than two years, I'll be able to sprout the sixth leaf!"
"…"
Zhu Honggong still had not recovered from his shock. 'A yellow lotus avatar? Where the hell is this place? Can someone tell me what's going on?'
After Xu Wanqing drove the two flounders away, he flew forward again. Then, he turned around and said, "Don't just stand there. Follow me!"
"Oh!" Zhu Honggong directed Dang Kang to follow Xu Wanqing. Then, he said loudly, "Senior Xu, there's no need for you to hide. We really don't have any ill intentions."
"Hide?" Xu Wanqing was confused. He did not what Zhu Honggong meant.
Xu Wanqing who was briefly distracted suddenly cried out, "Oh, no!"
A bigger, and clearly more powerful, flounder-like sea beast had appeared below them. It was roughly eight to nine feet long, and it was about three to four feet wide. Its entire body was glowing with a dim light at this moment.
Bang!
The flounder bit down on the yellow lotus avatar's body with its sharp fangs, causing Xu Wanqing to spit out a large mouthful of blood.
Frightened, Xu Wanqing hurriedly retreated. "How can a giant sea beast appear in this place?!"
Zhu Honggong was confused. He did not understand why Xu Wanqing was still hiding his cultivation base.
As though he could read Zhu Honggong's mind, Lu Li whispered to him, 'He's not hiding his cultivation base. He really only has five leaves."
"F-five… Five leaves?" Zhu Honggong said in disbelief, "No, don't fall for his trick. We can't trust him."
Lu Li said, "There's no mistake… He only has five leaves…"
"…"
Splash!
At this moment, an even bigger flounder that was about 30 feet long leaped up and attacked Zhu Honggong.
Xu Wanqing placed a hand on his chest as he said with a sigh, "I'm sorry! I've already done my best. Do take care." With that, he turned around and prepared to flee.
Zhu Honggong dismounted from Dang Kang and patted its back.
After Dang Kang flew to the side with Lu Li on its back, Zhu Honggong manifested his avatar.
Buzz!
A 120-foot avatar appeared in front of Zhu Honggong immediately.
Xu Wanqing who was about to leave stopped in his tracks and turned to look when he heard the sound of energy resonance. His eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets when he saw the scene before his eyes. "What?!"
Xu Wanqing wondered if he was hallucinating or dreaming. He did not hold back his strength as he pinched himself. The scene before his eyes stung his nerves and overturned everything he knew!
At this time, the 120-foot avatar wielded an energy sword with two hands and brought it down on the monstrous flounder.
Swoosh!
The energy sword landed on the flounder's head.
Following that, Zhu Honggong brought his Tearstain Boxing Glove out.
Bang!
Zhu Honggong punched the monstrous flounder's head, splitting its head open.
In Lu Li's eyes, this kind of fight was no different from chickens pecking at each other. Therefore, he was indifferent and calm, not feeling any sense of crisis at all.
After a moment, Lu Li was almost 100% certain that this place was… even weaker than the golden lotus domain. Perhaps, this was their fate. Perhaps, this was part of Zhu Honggong's destiny.
Zhu Honggong punched the sea beast again. This time, he completely destroyed its head.
Soon enough, a crystal-clear life heart shot out of the flounder-like sea beast, and Zhu Honggong caught it in his hand. Although it was nowhere near the league of the life heart of the king of the sea beasts, as the saying went, 'Something is better than nothing.'
Xu Wanqing who was watching in the distance. "…"
Zhu Honggong withdrew his 120-foot avatar before he flashed back onto Dang Kang's back and continued flying forward.
Xu Wanqing was frozen with a dumbfounded expression on his face. His body was stiff, only his fingers were trembling.
After Zhu Honggong put his boxing gloves away, he called out, "Senior Xu?"
Still in a daze, Xu Wanqing did not respond. It was as though he did not hear Zhu Honggong.
Zhu Honggong waved his hand and called out again, "Hey, Senior Xu?"
With this, Xu Wanqing jolted and returned to his senses. He endured the pain as he bowed and said, "S-senior? No, no, I daren't accept this form of address."
