I wonder what things are like over at the Flowing Defensive Line. If I really do become a demon hunter, then when it comes to garrison tasks... this Winding Sea front might be a solid choice. It's barely been a few hours, and there were already a couple of third-tier spirit veins...

Although those third-tier spirit veins had been damaged by repeated battles and their spirit energy concentration was nothing special, they were still fairly decent for cultivation during idle moments while stationed there.

As Luo Chen let his thoughts wander, their flight direction gradually shifted. In the end, they stopped over a stretch of sea with scarcely anything in sight.

The Angler surveyed the surroundings and nodded. "This should be it."

"What is 'it'?" Luo Chen looked around. The sky was vast, the sea wide, seabirds were singing, and... that was that.

"This place sits right on the boundary between the Flowing Sea and the Winding Sea. To keep demonic beasts from slipping through, cultivators on both sides have drawn a clear line where one side's responsibility ends and the other begins. It's not just this area; similar arrangements exist between the second and third lines as well."

Luo Chen understood at once. "I see... that heir of the Primordial Devil Sect must be taking advantage of this gap to hide here?"

"Quite sharp, Fellow Daoist," the Angler said with a smile.

Off to the side, Duan Li adjusted his breathing and looked around. "But there is no land here at all, just open sea. Where could anyone be hiding?"

The Angler chuckled softly. "The capabilities of a Holy Land cultivator are far beyond what you imagine. I'll force him out, and once he shows himself, you can make your move."

He flicked his wide sleeve. At once, Luo Chen and the other two flew out in three different directions. Then, he snapped his sleeve again, and a long black-gold rod suddenly appeared. At the tip of the rod hung a bell. The Angler's expression turned solemn, and he commanded, "Go!"

The three noticed there was a thin thread at the tip of the rod. The thread's tip looked charred, as if it had been burned, and only a little stub remained. But with the old man's mana infused into it, it began to extend wildly. It stretched farther and farther, until, at last, it sank into the sea, glinting faintly under the sunlight.

Seeing the three brimming with curiosity, the Angler chuckled. "Just wait for a moment."

Then, he activated his mana. Under the surge, his robes stirred without wind and quickly puffed out around him until he looked like a bloated man. He steadied his mind and fixed his gaze on the space ahead.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

The bell rang.

"Something bit!" Joy flashed through the Angler's eyes as he jerked up the rod. "Rise!"

The heaven-shaking echo of his shout swept across the surrounding seas, covering a radius of eight hundred li. The seawater overturned, and the seabed heaved. An unremarkable island was actually dragged up by that seemingly fragile thread! Luo Chen glanced at the fishing rod and gulped dry. What kind of enchanted treasure is this? I've never seen anything like it.

He had already observed it closely since it appeared. The fishing rod itself was just that, a simple stick, and was of mid-grade quality. The bell looked like an ordinary alarm bell and was also mid-grade. The thread, however, was quite unusual. At first, it was barely the length of a finger, and its front end charred as if it had been burned off. Most strangely of all, Luo Chen could not discern anything about it, whether it was the material, origins, or quality.

Could this fishing rod be one of those legendary composite enchanted treasures?

While studying artifact creation, Han Zhan had explained some fundamentals. Beyond ordinary enchanted treasures and more unusual types, there existed composite enchanted treasures. These were made of several parts that were each an enchanted treasure on their own. They were then refined together, then assembled to produce extraordinary effects. High-tier puppets also fell into this category and held immense potential.

Judging from its features, the Angler's fishing rod seemed to be such a composite enchanted treasure.

Luo Chen kept his focus on the Angler's methods. Hao Ye and Duan Li, however, were drawn to the island itself. At first, it looked completely ordinary, but in just a few moments, black smoke began to pour out from an unseen source to cover the entire island.

Whoosh!

The Angler put away the rod and tucked his hands into his sleeves. "Alright, the target is on the island. What happens next is up to you three. I'll only be observing, and I won't interfere. Still, since we're traveling together, I'll give you a piece of advice—act quickly! Once that black smoke fully covers the island, the Ten-Direction Shadowless Formation will be fully activated. And once it is, you won't be breaking it anytime soon."

Hearing these words, all three tensed up. Luo Chen stepped forward and called out, "In that case, I'll break the formation first."

Duan Li and Hao Ye were both startled. Duan Li spoke up, "Why not strike together? Azure Yang, don't push yourself."

Hao Ye said instead, "Let's see what you can do, Fellow Daoist."

Luo Chen smiled carefreely. Spirit light flowing within his eyes as he stared directly at the area shrouded in endless black smoke. At the same time, he began to form seals, and his mana surged, gathering into his right palm. He raised his hand, and a massive palm manifestation appeared faintly from above. As more mana poured in, the manifestation grew increasingly solid, to the point where each fingerprint and joint was clear. Waves of power spread outward like rolling tides.

The Angler watched and felt his eyelids twitch. What freakish spell is this? The range is enormous. But how is he going to break the formation with something so scattered? No... its power is still building up!

By this point, even he was starting to smell danger.

Luo Chen's gaze moved as he searched through the smoke for a weak point. After years of cultivation and countless refinements, these Spirit Eyes had become one of his greatest assets. They were inconspicuous and had no direct effect on anything, but whether in cultivation, study, or battle, they had always proven invaluable. Especially when dealing with formations, they had served him time and again. As his understanding of formations deepened, his vision grew clearer and farther-reaching.

Suddenly, Luo Chen's eyes narrowed. Found you!

He infused even more mana into the massive palm that had been gathering energy in the sky, and it shook violently.

"GO!"

The Azure Yang Great Handprint crashed down. The swirling black smoke over the island seemed to sense impending destruction and began to gather rapidly to resist the overwhelming strike. But the formation had not fully powered up. Its energy was limited and flowing chaotically.

BOOOOMMMMM!!!

The impact shook the sea and sent waves surging in all directions. With a single strike, the formation collapsed, leaving Hao Ye and Duan Li dumbfounded.

Streams of black light burst from the island and shot outward in every direction. Luo Chen's face flushed, and he pulled back. "Fellow Daoists, I've overextended my mana for now. Give me a few breaths to recover. I"ll leave the rest up to you."

Hao Ye and Duan Li exchanged a glance. They both knew that the strike had been terrifying. Even at full strength and working together, they would have struggled to withstand it. But how had he run out of strength so quickly? But seeing the black lights shooting outward, it was clear that their target was trying to escape. They had no time to question Luo Chen and could only unleash their own abilities and items to intercept the fleeing enemy.