The Moyun Phantom Sea is not actually a vast ocean, but a tranquil lake because its area is so vast that it is called the Moyun Phantom Sea.
This place has always been a wild land, with no historical records about it. Legend has it that before the Great Chaos War, this was once a land of immortals, the territory of the Spirit Clan.
But after the Great Chaos War, the nine heavens collapsed, and this place became a wild land. Because it was unsuitable for cultivation, even magical beasts were unwilling to stay here, so it was not included in the scope of the Hundred Domains and Thousand Provinces.
However, with the arrival of countless explorers, they continuously improved the world's map, giving names to some unnamed places, giving this wild land its own name.
The Cloud Illusion Sea, swirling and steaming mist, should have looked like a paradise on earth, but the moisture here was a deep gray, accompanied by a decaying scent.
This aura is highly toxic. Inhaling it may not be fatal, but it can easily cause hallucinations. Even cultivators can easily lose themselves here.
Moyun Illusory Sea also has another name: Illusory Sea Water Tomb. It is said that no one who gets lost here ever makes it out alive.
Many adventurers passing through here often see decaying corpses in the edges. These corpses show no wounds but die in extremely strange ways.
Some even saw the corpse of an immortal powerhouse. Logically, an immortal's body is extremely powerful and can be passed down for countless years without decay.
But here, even immortal experts would quickly decay like mortals, turning this mysterious area into a fierce land that everyone kept their distance.
There were no rare medicines, no mineral veins, nothing good, and extremely dangerous. Few dared to approach here, and over time, it became a truly wild land.
"Who would have thought that such a barren place would actually be an important stronghold of the Fate-Hunting clan?" Amidst the endless mist, Long Chen, Guo Ran, and Xia Chen stood quietly on a small island, observing the surroundings. Guo Ran curled his lips and said.
Clearly, Guo Ran looked down on these shady assassins—how was that any different from rats hiding in the ruins?
"And you shamelessly claim you're seeking revenge on the Purple Blood Clan. Hiding in a place like this all day, and you still have the nerve to brag?" Guo Ran said somewhat dismissively.
"Alright, say less! Since when did you start nagging like a woman? Xia Chen said irritably.
As Xia Chen spoke, he carefully arranged the formation disks one by one. These disks combined to form a square formation disk.
On the array disk, countless points of light appeared. At first, these dots were extremely blurry, but as time passed, patterns gradually appeared.
"Formation masters really are miraculous beings!" Long Chen watched the pattern take shape and couldn't help but sigh.
Although Long Chen had spent so many years with Xia Chen, he always felt that being a formation master was a difficult profession to understand.
By putting several formation disks together, they could quickly explore the full picture of the Moyun Illusion Sea. One island after another appeared on the map, numbering in the thousands.
These islands were large and small, with winding waterways around them like a maze. Xia Chen looked around and said,
"None of these waterways are naturally formed; they were modified later to set up formations. This is no small project; it will take tens of thousands of years to complete."
They couldn't start construction on this secret base in a high-profile manner, so the actual time would likely be even longer.
Judging by the formation's layout, this island should be their stronghold—the one the mysterious guy mentioned, Xinghe Island. Xia Chen pointed to an island on the map.
"No way! Shouldn't the lair be built at the very center? This island, whether in size or orientation, doesn't look like it at all—it's small and remote! Guo Ran couldn't help but say.
"Have you forgotten what they do? Would a group of shady assassins put their lair in a prominent position? Xia Chen said irritably.
"That's true! Probably just used to it. Guo Ran nodded and said.
"Let me confirm."
After Xia Chen finished speaking, he added a small formation disk. Soon, tiny points of light appeared on the entire plate. Some of these points were stationary, while others were moving back and forth.
"Observing like this, is that okay?" Long Chen asked.
"Don't worry, boss. This is a newly developed formation disk. It doesn't directly observe others, but rather observes the fluctuations of the Heavenly Dao, so it won't arouse their suspicion." Xia Chen said with utmost confidence.
Long Chen nodded. Xia Chen was indeed discreet in his actions. If he directly observed people, even ordinary cultivators would easily sense him, let alone these sensitive assassins.
But observing the fluctuations of the Heavenly Dao is different; it's like observing the other person through a mirror, and the other person won't sense anything unusual.
Moreover, Xia Chen's Sky-Peering Array had undergone countless improvements and became ever stronger. Even if the opponent had built a barrier here, it still couldn't withstand Xia Chen's scrutiny.
At first, only sparse points of light appeared around the Moyun Illusion Sea, motionless. Based on Xia Chen's experience, these were likely hidden sentries.
"Crack."
Xia Chen embedded another formation disk into the formation, and the original disk had already cracked.
"Scrapped so soon?"
Guo Ran was startled. Xia Chen had to build a formation disk that required a lot of effort, and in just a few breaths, he had already ruined one of them.
"Dealing with a group of assassins means you have to go all out. Otherwise, it's easy to alert them. We've saved up some savings, and now we're about to pull them out again." Xia Chen gritted his teeth and said. These formation disks were his own painful work. Spending them so much was only natural for him to feel heartache.
But there was no other way—they were dealing with the strongest assassins, so they couldn't afford to be careless and had to grit their teeth and go for it.
"Don't worry, they've been operating here for countless years and must have quite a bit of savings. Don't worry, they definitely won't lose money." Long Chen smiled and said.
Hearing Long Chen's words, the two of them's eyes lit up. Robbery is always the fastest way to get rich. Just thinking about the fortune of the Fate Hunter Clan made their blood boil.
"I want the materials they use to forge rapians. That's definitely a treasure." Guo Ran said clenching his fist.
He had long coveted the weapons of the Fate-Hunting Clan. That sharp sword could even slice through Long Chen's scales and possessed powerful blood-sucking ability. This thing was simply heaven-defying!
"As long as we take them down, all the treasures will be ours!" Long Chen patted Guo Ran on the shoulder, signaling him to stay calm.
Xia Chen continued to peek, and more and more points of light appeared. When an island densely packed with light spots appeared, a look of astonishment appeared on his face:
"I actually misjudged him this time."