On the great scale of the Northern Sea cultivation world, Red Tide Harbor was little more than a tiny speck of dust. It was an obscure maritime transit point, with its land no more than a dozen li across. Such a place could not support any major force. Yet to assume it was deserted would be a mistake. There were tens of thousands of mortals and dozens of low-tier cultivators living there. They provided food, water, cargo handling, and storage for passing merchant ships. As a hub for north-south travel, it was also a hub for news; all sorts of information flowed freely through the harbor.

Several Qi Refinement cultivators were chatting loudly in a tavern.

"I heard the battle on Coldlight Island was just insane. Four Sages went all out, and Jadecold City was wrecked almost immediately. They kept moving around, so they wiped out a good dozen major cities across the island. Who knows how many spirit veins they destroyed. What a shame..."

"After something like that, the whole power structure on Coldlight Island is bound to be reshuffled."

"Eh, whatever. What's that got to do with us? It's 200,000 li away. That mess won't spill over here."

"That's where you're wrong! Do you even know who those four represent? Devil's Snare, the Penglai Immortal Sect, and the Blue Sea Alliance!"

"So you're saying Blood Nightmare and Silent Fate joining forces means Devil's Snare and Penglai Immortal Sect have allied against the Blue Sea Alliance?"

"Oh, so you're not as stupid as you look. Well, anyway, the world's already in chaos over this."

"I've heard about that. Mulan Gaoxiong was one of the strongest fighters in the Blue Sea Alliance, he was close to becoming a late-stage Sage, and he guarded the southeastern front. Now that he's dead, the region's wide open. The forces of the other three moved out together and captured plenty of territories in just half a month."

"Did the Blue Sea Alliance not react?"

"What could they do? Their late-stage Sage is in seclusion trying to break through to the Divine Transformation Realm, and the Penglai Immortal Sect is attacking from behind, so the others are busy. Right now, all they can do is pull back and hold what they can."

"But what about the Ascendant?"

"That guy? No idea. Honestly, I only get bits and pieces about Sages or Adepts. Ascendants are way beyond my pay grade. Who can really say what he's thinking?"

"Speaking of which, right before the Nascent Soul battle, there was also an epic battle between Adepts on Coldlight Island. Not many people know about it. I heard it from a friend working for the Cold Elegance Sect, we had a drink the other day."

"Oh? Tell us about it!"

Compared to the transcendent Sages or Ascendants, Adepts still seemed somewhat human from the perspective of Qi Refinement cultivators. The speaker's face flushed red, whether from alcohol or excitement. He took a sip of wine and said proudly, "It all started with a devil-path expert known as Devil Lord Azure Yang..."

***

Beneath the tavern stood a medicine shop named Resonant Jade. The quality of its medicinal herbs was nothing special, but its selection was extensive. Merchant ships in the Northern Sea were not manned exclusively by cultivators. Merchants often recruited large numbers of mortal martial artists, who then traveled far and wide with the ships. Though they were physically strong, the harsh and ever-changing conditions of the sea still brought illness and injury. And of course, the high-and-mighty cultivators would never waste their spirit power on treating them. At most, when the ships docked, they would allow the mortals to go ashore and purchase medicine. For this reason, any medicine shop in a major port had to stock a wide range of supplies for cultivators and mortals alike.

At this moment, a sallow-faced, hunched man stood at the entrance, looking outside with a blank expression on his face. Suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind. "Hey, your medicinal herbs are ready."

The man turned around, took the large packages from the counter and placed them into his storage pouch. He coughed once. "Thank you."

The shopkeeper sighed. "No need for thanks. The war between the righteous and devilish forces is only getting worse. A lot of our supply lines have been cut. Some of the rarer herbs you wanted are usually available, but we haven't been able to restock them lately."

The man's brow arched and he probed his interlocutor. "Mr. Shopkeeper, you seem to know a couple of things."

"I've been stuck in this little town all my life; how much could I really know? Ahem, ahem... Well... I do know a thing or two!"

What had changed the shopkeeper's attitude was the sight of a mid-grade spirit stone moving across the counter and into his pocket. He immediately invited the man into the backyard, where the two spoke at length.

As evening fell, the sallow-faced man came out and walked slowly along the coast after leaving the town. The sound of waves echoed. Layer after layer of red tide surged forward and receded, leaving a thin layer of red seaweed on the shore. Red Tide Harbor took its name from this very sight.

Three early-stage Sages joined forces against the mid-stage Mulan Gaoxiong and actually won! Not only that, but even his Nascent Soul didn't escape. Only a streak of sword light broke free and fled north. Could that have been the so-called pseudo-spirit treasure, Godslayer? This shopkeeper knows quite a lot. Resonant Jade Apothecary... could it belong to Sage Resonant Jade? Considering the distance, it would make sense. Red Tide Harbor is indeed not far from Resonant Jade Mountain. Sage Resonant Jade attended the Jadecold auction and probably had the chance to witness that battle. He's always kept a neutral stance, but with the war escalating like this, I doubt he can stay out of it much longer. If even a shopkeeper knows this much... chances are, Sage Resonant Jade released this information on purpose to test the waters and decide where he'll stand next.

Suddenly, the man stopped walking as red waves washed against his legs. "In that case... this little Red Tide Harbor won't stay peaceful for long."

A trace of helplessness appeared in his eyes. His thoughts churned without pause, and his steps gradually quickened until he reached a cliffside cave by the sea, hidden from sight by thick mist. He waved his hand and dispersed the mist of the formation, then stepped inside. As he entered, he saw a woman sitting cross-legged on a stone bed, struggling to regulate her breath. Spirit energy gathered toward her from all directions, yet most of it failed to be absorbed and instead dissipated.

Sensing his gaze, the woman opened her eyes. "Master, I am afraid that..."

"Don't overthink it. Your injuries are serious, but I've suppressed them for now. As long as we can gather enough medicinal herbs, I can start treating you."

The one speaking was none other than Luo Chen, one of the figures discussed earlier in the tavern. He took out a batch of medicinal herbs from his storage pouch. He unwrapped them and checked each one, frowning in thought. Heavenjade sat on the bed and watched in silence. During this escape, she had not fought much, and she had done even less than Black King. Yet at the final moment, she had played a decisive role and used Ninety Thousand Li like it had never been used before. In a single day and night, she had truly covered ninety thousand li!

She then forced herself onward for another full day and night. Only then did they finally shake off the pursuit of Liang Baizao. The cost was severe damage to her foundation and a tremendous drop in cultivation—right now, she stood at the late stage of the second tier! This was why she had felt so disheartened earlier.

With Luo Chen's assurance, Heavenjade still held onto a sliver of hope. Seeing him silent and frowning, she grew uneasy and asked, "Master... are there pursuers again?"

"No." Luo Chen shook his head, examining her condition. "That mountain lord has already gone ahead of us. You do not need to worry."

"Then what..."

"I am thinking about something else." Luo Chen paused his movements and finally made a decision. "We need to leave this place."

"Where to?"

"All the way north, to the Myriad Immortal Society!"