Chapter 452 450: The Night Sea Becomes Clear

As she looked at Li Qiye, his faint smile, his breezy and carefree air, his calm and unhurried grace—all of it was, without her realizing, deeply seared into her heart. Gazing at the young man so near, her heart couldn't help but burn with heat.

Qiu Rong Wanxue took a deep breath. In that moment, not knowing where the courage came from, she let out a soft cry and threw herself into Li Qiye's embrace. She wrapped her slender arms around his neck and, her breath sweet, irresistibly pressed her lips to his.

The moment their lips met, her heart began to pound wildly. She was so nervous her body went weak, but she steeled herself and continued the kiss.

As this mature, elegant woman kissed Li Qiye, her face turned as red as a sunset. Her kiss was so inexperienced, so nervous, yet she persisted.

Li Qiye was momentarily stunned. But as he felt her soft, sweet lips, he couldn't resist cupping the ripe beauty's face and crushing his lips against hers. Forceful and possessive, he pried open her pearly teeth, his tongue darting in to capture hers. He gave her no chance to retreat, teasing it playfully and asserting his dominance.

Qiu Rong Wanxue's head spun from his forceful, possessive kiss. She felt as if he'd drained all the strength from her body. Awkward and inexperienced, she tried to respond to her man, shyly offering her tongue and letting him take the lead. She was like a moth drawn to a flame.

It was an incredibly passionate kiss. At some point, Li Qiye's hand moved down to caress her rear, giving it a squeeze. Qiu Rong Wanxue let out a soft cry and melted completely in his arms.

"Our dear Clan Leader," Li Qiye said teasingly, giving her rear a pat, "are you going to warm my bed for me tonight?"

Qiu Rong Wanxue's entire body instantly flushed hot. She was mortified. Hurriedly, she pushed Li Qiye away, too ashamed to even look at him. She shot back petulantly, "In your dreams! I... I would never warm your bed!" With that, she turned and fled as fast as she could.

Even after getting away from Li Qiye, her face was still burning. Thinking of that embarrassing scene made her cheeks grow fiery hot, and she couldn't help but let out a soft, frustrated sigh. It was as if she'd been possessed, completely bewitched by that young man. She couldn't believe she had thrown herself into his arms. She had no idea where she'd found such courage!

Finally, the ripe beauty gave a small, frustrated sigh and forced herself to stop thinking about what had just happened.

「The next day」

When Qiu Rong Wanxue got up and saw Li Qiye, she couldn't help but blush. He, in turn, teased her, "What's wrong? Didn't sleep well last night?" As he spoke, he gave her an innocent yet suggestive blink.

This left Qiu Rong Wanxue both flustered and annoyed. She took a deep breath, struggling to calm her racing heart. Finally, she shot Li Qiye a look and said, "Stop talking nonsense. Where are we going today?"

She was already a mature and elegant beauty, but now, with a blush on her cheeks and a hint of affection in her eyes, her touch of coquettishness was utterly captivating. This blend of elegance and allure gave her an irresistible charm.

Li Qiye simply smiled, perfectly at ease. "We're going to find someone," he said. "I don't know if we'll succeed, but if we do, we might get some information."

Li Qiye led Qiu Rong Wanxue from the inn and into the Central City. He stuck to the side alleys, carefully examining the markings in each one. He led her through countless alleys, but they still hadn't found the person he was looking for.

After following Li Qiye through alley after alley without finding anyone, Qiu Rong Wanxue couldn't help but ask, "Who are we trying to find?"

"A fellow who's in hiding and doesn't much like visitors," Li Qiye said with a smile.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—

However, before they had gone more than a few alleys, the world suddenly began to shake. The entire Central City—no, the entirety of Fengdu City—was trembling violently.

"What's happening?" The sudden shaking of the entire Central City startled Qiu Rong Wanxue.

Feeling the tremor, Li Qiye's expression changed. He grabbed Qiu Rong Wanxue and shot into the sky. In that same instant, his gaze fixed on a specific direction.

"The direction of the Night Sea!" Li Qiye's eyes narrowed as he peered toward the distant sea.

WHOOSH—

But at that moment, they didn't need to look far to see it. A heaven-shaking roar of water erupted, and everyone in Fengdu City witnessed an incredible scene. A colossal wave surged high into the sky, crashing into the Celestial Vault as if to overturn the very Nine Heavens. It rose so high it looked as though it would sweep the stars from their place Above the Nine Heavens.

Only after reaching an incredible height did the wave come crashing down from Above the Nine Heavens. The resulting SPLASH was so loud that everyone in Fengdu City could hear it.

Countless people in Fengdu City were terrified. Whether they were visiting young Cultivators or local residents, everyone was stunned by the sight.

Long after the wave crashed down, many were still staring in a daze. No one had any idea what had caused this sudden, bizarre event.

"It must be the Night Sea," Li Qiye murmured. As certain possibilities came to mind, his expression shifted.

Qiu Rong Wanxue was also stunned by the event. She had never heard of anything like it. A wave that could blot out the sky... it was just too terrifying. What in the world was going on?

"What was that? Should we go to the Night Sea and see?" Thoroughly frightened, Qiu Rong Wanxue asked Li Qiye.

However, Li Qiye and Qiu Rong Wanxue didn't even need to go to the Night Sea. In a short time, news spread like wildfire through Fengdu City, carried by visiting young Cultivators and local Ghost Envoys alike.

"The Night Sea has turned clear!" The earth-shattering news shocked the entire city. Countless people were dumbfounded, including the native residents of Fengdu City.

"The Night Sea... clear? That's impossible!" Everyone who heard the news was stunned, their first reaction one of utter disbelief.

Even the local residents of Fengdu City—ghosts though they might be—couldn't believe something so preposterous.

For millions of years, the Night Sea had been as black as ink; it had never been clear. Even the oldest lingering spirits in Fengdu City had never heard of such a thing.

The young Cultivator who brought the first report swore, "It's the absolute truth! The Night Sea hasn't just become clear, it's no longer an Evil Land! There's no danger for anyone who enters. On top of that, the Ferryman has vanished! I have a brother who was out fishing on the Night Sea when it happened. The wave threw him into the sky, and when he fell back in, he thought he was a dead man. But he never imagined that not only was the sea clear, but it no longer drowns you!"

"H-how is that possible?!" The news was simply too difficult for anyone to believe, even for the ghosts.

But confirmation quickly arrived. When the bizarre event took place, a number of young Cultivators had been fishing on the Night Sea. They were all tossed into the air by the colossal wave and had assumed they were going to die. However, when they landed back in the water, they discovered the Night Sea was no longer an Evil Land. It didn't drown them, the water was clear, and even the Ferryman was gone.

This sudden turn of events terrified the young Cultivators, who scrambled to get out of the Night Sea.

"What in the world is going on?" Once the news was verified, crowds of people began flocking to the Night Sea, including Fengdu City's local Ghost Envoys.

When the crowds reached the shores of the Night Sea and saw an expanse of azure waves stretching to the horizon, they could hardly believe it. Countless people distrusted their own eyes, rubbing them to see if they were hallucinating.

But they weren't hallucinating. It was the undeniable truth. The water that had once been black as ink was now crystal clear.

"Let's go test it!" Unable to restrain themselves, a few young Cultivators immediately rushed to the water's edge. They were cautious at first, dipping a single foot in. Only when they confirmed it was safe did they dare to wade in further.

"It's really safe! The Night Sea can't drown you anymore!" Discovering there was no danger, many of the young Cultivators excitedly rushed into the water, soon swimming about as freely as Flood Dragons.

Before today, the Night Sea had been a notoriously Evil Land. To fall into its waters meant certain death. Anyone who came near it did so with extreme, even fearful, caution.

But now, the Night Sea was no longer dangerous in the slightest. It wouldn't even drown a person. How could they not be excited?

In stark contrast to the excited young Cultivators, the local Ghost Envoys of Fengdu City who had come to observe were incredibly wary. Even with the sea now clear, they remained deeply apprehensive, not daring to enter. Eventually, the Ghost Envoys simply retreated, unwilling to stay anywhere near the Night Sea.

"What in the world could have happened?" The event sparked endless speculation throughout Fengdu City. All manner of theories began to circulate. In short, with the clearing of the Night Sea, every possible guess was being made.

"Why would the Night Sea suddenly turn clear?" Qiu Rong Wanxue found it just as hard to believe as everyone else. Such a thing was unheard of. The Night Sea had always been black as ink; it had never been clear before.

And yet now, it had suddenly cleared. It was unbelievable, simply too incredible for words.

Upon hearing the news, Li Qiye fell silent. The Night Sea turning clear sparked several theories in his mind, but until he could get confirmation, he couldn't be sure what had actually transpired.

"What should we do now?" Qiu Rong Wanxue asked. "Are we still going to look for that person?"

Li Qiye pondered for a moment before replying. "No. We're going somewhere else. I must make a trip to the Ancestral Stream! I need to see someone!"