On the vast and desolate island, teams of Qi Refinement cultivators moved back and forth on patrol. Suddenly, a beam of spirit light shot into the sky from the center of the island. The Initiates in the patrols looked up. "Which Adept has come to the Winding Defensive Line this time? The beasts have been quiet for over half a year, and there have been no battles at all. What's the point of coming to this frozen wasteland now?"

At the same time, a streak of light flew into the giant pale stone house at the center of the island. Before entering, he instructed the nearby guards, "Hold the entrance. Don't let anyone unauthorized inside."

After the Initiates acknowledged the orders, he entered and watched as the spirit light of the large formation diagram inside gradually faded. Four figures appeared in his sight, and he instantly looked toward the old man at the center of the platform.

"Ahh, Senior Angler. Greetings," said Xiao Buhuan.

The old man staggered slightly before quickly steadying himself. Before he could reply, a loud retching sound echoed, and a foul stench rushed forward. The Angler frowned and swept his sleeve to dispel it. He then looked at the man who had collapsed and vomited. "It's just a short-range leap. How can you be in such a sorry state with your cultivation?"

Hao Ye opened his mouth. "I..."

The Angler's gaze sharpened. "A Pseudo-Adept?"

Hao Ye looked a little uneasy that his true state had been exposed. He wiped his mouth and forced a smile. "My apologies. I did advance to the Golden Core Realm... eventually, through a pseudo-core method."

"No wonder," the Angler snorted. There had been something weird about Hao Ye, and now, he knew what it was. A normal Adept would not have ended up in such a state after just a short teleportation. Even if there was some discomfort, it could be endured. In fact, the other two showed no such reaction. Duan Li seemed to have expected something to happen and had immediately sat cross-legged, pulling himself together. As for Luo Hai, or rather, Azure Yang...

The red-robed Daoist stood upright on the platform, looking no worse for wear than the Angler himself. As he looked at the others, his eyes carried a hint of confusion. The Angler stared at Luo Chen in surprise. "Azure Yang, your physique is quite something!"

The unexpected remark made Luo Chen raise an eyebrow, but then he recalled the unpleasant experience during teleportation, as well as the reactions of the others. Hao Ye had fared the worst. His internal organs had suffered, his mana had fallen into disorder, and he had vomited uncontrollably. But the Angler was incomparably higher in cultivation, and even he had lost control and staggered for a brief second. In other words, qi cultivation alone could not account for the difference in impact, which meant that the heaviest burden fell onto the physique.

After a moment of hesitation, Luo Chen asked, "Does Dragon Abyss not have teleportation tokens?"

The Angler smiled awkwardly. "Teleportation tokens are only used for grand teleportation between territories, or at the very least, long-range teleportation. Dragon Abyss's formations are just for short-distance travel and span only about a hundred thousand li."

I see...

This was indeed new information for Luo Chen. He had assumed the Angler possessed some kind of teleportation token that could shield them from the immense pressure caused by crossing through the void. He knew that formations like the grand teleportation formation at Green Parasol Mountain were probably exceedingly rare, but he had expected the lower-level ones to work more or less the same. The thought made him feel fortunate. Back then, he had relied on the Azure Luan feather. It protected him and the puppet that housed Han Zhan as they crossed vast distances to reach the distant Northern Sea, and without it, even with his Archaic Beast physique, he might not have survived.

The Angler gave Luo Chen a long glance before saying, "You have two hours to recover, and we leave after that."

Hao Ye's face was pale. "Angler, I..."

The Angler looked at him displeased. "Fine! Four hours, not one minute more!"

Hao Ye felt unwilling, but he had no choice. Even four hours would not be enough for him to recover from such injuries.

It appeared that the new rulebook of the Demon Hunter Division still had some gaps. The regulations separated Adepts from Initiates but overlooked the existence of Pseudo-Adepts. Such people appeared to be at the early stage of Golden Core, but their actual strength was far from it. At most, they deserved the treatment of a three-star demon hunter; they were not qualified to advance directly to four-star status.

Then, the Angler's warm smile returned. "Azure Yang, let me introduce you. This is Xiao Buhuan, a five-star demon hunter currently stationed at the Winding Defensive Line. You should get to know each other. There may be chances to help each other in the future."

Luo Chen followed his gesture and looked at the man in green robes at the doorway. "I am Azure Yang, a rogue cultivator here for the assessment task. Sorry for the disturbance, Fellow Daoist Xiao."

Xiao Buhuan carefully studied Luo Chen while introducing himself. The Angler's changed attitude spoke volumes—just with his performance during the teleportation, Azure Yang had already distinguished himself from the other two in the Angler's eyes.

Among rogue cultivators, there was no rigid hierarchy like that of sects or families. This should have allowed people to be more relaxed while dealing with each other, but in fact, it was the exact opposite. Strength determined everything, which meant that one had to be careful of accidentally offending a powerful figure.

Two hours later, Duan Li had recovered and stood up to befriend Xiao Buhuan. He asked about the so-called garrison tasks of demon hunters, their duration, and specific duties. Two hours after that, they left the stone house, following the Angler. Hao Ye had not fully recovered, but he had no choice but to follow.

Once outside, the Angler showed no intention of touring the island. He glanced at a map and gave the order to depart.

***

Four streaks of light swept through the skies, and the waves reflected them as fleeting glimmers. The Angler kept scanning the surroundings with his divine consciousness spread across a large area; he seemed to be searching for traces of something. Yet from time to time, the corner of his eye fell on Luo Chen and the other two. Throughout their interactions, the Angler had constantly observed their behavior. Before long, he had formed a clearer judgment of each of them. In truth, the assessment had already begun the moment they left Dragon Abyss City.

Luo Chen, who took pride in his keen eyesight, naturally sensed someone was watching him. Once he realized it was the Angler, he showed no reaction and focused on the flight ahead.

The Winding Defensive Line was one of the Myriad Immortal Society's three great defensive lines. It occupied the central position as the second line. Behind it lay the third line, the Encircling Defensive Line. Farther ahead stood the first line, the Flowing Defensive Line. These three sea regions formed the buffer zone between the Myriad Immortal Society and the ruins of the Primordial Devil Sect.

The Heaven of Northern Yama was one of the most dangerous forbidden zones in the Mountains and Seas Realm. It did contain fifth-tier spirit veins, which made it a cultivation paradise, but it also bordered the Sunken Sea. Meanwhile, both flanks were shrouded in Primal Magnetic Auroras that suppressed the power of the five elements. The place was extremely dangerous. Even the three great regions serving as the buffer zone were intricate and complex. That was precisely why they could serve as the Myriad Immortal Society's defensive strongholds.

After the fall of the Primordial Devil Sect, countless powerful members of the demon clans were trapped within the Heaven of Northern Yama. If they wished to escape and enter human territory, they had to pass through this area; there was no other way out. As far as Luo Chen observed, the Winding Defensive Line had low-tier cultivators patrolling now and then aboard warships, yet there was no sign of demonic beasts. Clearly, the situation was still fairly peaceful.