Though Ancestor Luo Wei wasn’t aware of how the Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s route from Dongqi Continent to Beishu Continent was leaked, or whether Sword Elder leaving the route was merely a coincidence, as long as there’s suspicion, it must be monitored.
The stakes involving Li Shiming were too high, and he didn’t want to miss any possibility.
"Your speed is fast, so follow the route and check it out!" he instructed Ancestor Han Xiao in a deep voice.
"Yes, Martial Uncle!" Ancestor Han Xiao replied, bowing.
Although the hope of catching Li Shiming from the sea was slim, it was far better than having no clues on the Beishu Continent at all.
This lead was discovered by Ancestor Han Xiao himself, so he hoped to capture Li Shiming alone, obtaining the Cave Heaven Inheritance.
Of course, he had some small thoughts in his heart, but he dared not think them in front of Ancestor Luo Wei, who gave him too much pressure.
Just as he was turning away, Ancestor Luo Wei flicked his finger, and a mark landed on him.
Ancestor Han Xiao didn’t feel the mark flicked by Ancestor Luo Wei, as he was near Ancestor Luo Wei and was suppressed by his Nascent Soul Middle Stage aura, which greatly affected his perception.
Moreover, this mark was extremely special, a tracking mark specifically developed for this purpose, and was not easily detected by the marked.
How could Ancestor Luo Wei not anticipate that Ancestor Han Xiao might have his own thoughts? With such immense benefits from the Cave Heaven Inheritance, which Nascent Soul Ancestor wouldn’t be envious?
If he truly obtained the Cave Heaven Inheritance, a cultivator could significantly enhance their strength with a Cave Heaven.
Without this tracking mark, if Ancestor Han Xiao got the Cave Heaven Inheritance, by the next meeting, his strength might rival Ancestor Luo Wei’s.
Ancestor Han Xiao’s figure transformed into a ray of light, heading off into the distance.
After many days of sailing, Li Shiming’s fear of the ocean had diminished significantly, but he hadn’t relaxed for a moment.
He and Li Yuanba each took responsibility for a direction, continuously using ’Divine Sight’ to observe the distance.
Now, as a Golden Core Great Elder, his spirit was extremely condensed, much stronger than a regular Great Elder, allowing his ’Divine Sight’ to increase its observing distance to three thousand li.
Li Yuanba was a bit weaker, but the advancement in his realm also extended his ’Divine Sight’ to a distance of fifteen hundred li.
This distance exceeded the perception range of Nascent Soul Ancestors by a large margin; as long as a Fourth Grade Spirit Beast appeared on the sea, they could detect it in advance.
As for Fourth Grade Spirit Beasts in the sea, there was no solution.
Though ’Divine Sight’ is very powerful and can penetrate the sea surface to view underwater, it’s ineffective from a long distance.
What he and Li Yuanba were doing wasn’t futile; their use of ’Divine Sight’ to observe the sea greatly reduced the effort Venerable Huijing had to spend in monitoring the potential emergence of sea-dwelling Fourth Grade Spirit Beasts.
"This is truly a monotonous voyage. No wonder they all need to use Flying Boats; relying solely on personal flight would be dreadfully boring!" Li Shiming muttered to himself.
He had it much easier than his counterpart Li Yuanba; though using ’Divine Sight’, he could also attend to other matters—thanks to his vast cognitive capacity.
Seated on the Flying Boat, he took out a Third Grade Tea Set, poured three cups of Spiritual Tea, giving one to Li Yuanba, one to Venerable Huijing, and kept one for himself.
Leaving Beishu Continent, apart from some reluctance to part with Yin Shilan, he didn’t feel much sorrow.
"Only those within control can truly be trusted!" he thought, looking at Venerable Huijing.
His counterpart Li Yuanba, needless to say, was his split self, essentially a single entity with him.
And Venerable Huijing, with whom he had a contract, had deep-seated subconscious trust implanted by him, ensuring no betrayal, even without a contract.
His reflections were spurred by thoughts of the Shushan Sect, the Senluo Sect, and those Nascent Soul Ancestors.
For the Shushan Sect, he had done his utmost to fulfill his duties, prioritizing them in Alchemy matters and handing over the ’Liu Yan Erosion Sun Skill’ capable of reaching the Mahayana Realm to the sect.
The same was true for the Senluo Sect. Sword Elder, though having been a Nascent Soul Stage for a brief period, had spent those years serving the sect before leaving.
Li Yuanba also made significant contributions to the Senluo Sect; his title as the top Golden Core on Beishu Continent was earned through battles for Senluo Sect.
Of those Nascent Soul Ancestors, Li Shiming believed he had treated them well; though they paid for Spirit Pills, he had always put forth his best efforts in crafting Fourth-grade Spirit Pills.
However, in the face of interests, all his efforts amounted to nothing, as all Nascent Soul Ancestors sought to capture him to obtain the Cave Heaven Inheritance from him.
Perhaps it was due to Li Yuanba’s revenge on Elder Li that Li Shiming felt slightly better. He could only do so much and couldn’t take revenge against the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.
He was still too weak, and the Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s Ancestor Luo Wei was, after all, at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
"Hmm!" A figure was flying three thousand li in the distance. The other party hadn’t noticed the Meteor Ink Boat, partly due to the hidden Array set up by Li Shiming, but more importantly because the three-thousand-li distance exceeded the perception range of a Nascent Soul Ancestor.
Though Li Shiming hadn’t met Ancestor Han Xiao, Li Yuanba had heard descriptions of Ancestor Han Xiao from Ancestor Lu.
There weren’t many active Nascent Soul Ancestors on Beishu Continent, and for one to appear in the ocean along the Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s route, combining these clues, he deduced the identity of the distant Nascent Soul Ancestor.