Chapter 2676: Chapter 2677: Golden Wings Clan

"Then don’t say it!" Qiu Zhi blurted out without thinking.

Shanhu’s eyes turned red, but her heart felt warm. In his heart, she was the most important.

"I can only help you as much as I can, but I really don’t recommend you searching for the Merfolk Island. Things aren’t as simple as you think." She suddenly covered her mouth, "I can’t say anymore, or something bad will definitely happen."

Qiu Zhi quickly nodded, "Don’t think too much for now, just rest a bit. Ruozhu and the others will make the arrangements."

Four hours passed, Jiang Yichun returned first, coming back empty-handed. The next day, Duannian returned, also without success.

"This place isn’t like where I was first exiled. Maybe we need to keep looking." Duannian said.

"Then let’s continue heading south." Bai Ruozhu decided.

Wa Wei took Duannian’s hand, "Are you alright?"

Duannian smiled at her, "I’m fine, just eager to find them and ask why they’re doing this to me."

Wa Wei felt a pang of heartache, her eyes reddening, "They’re selfish, why bother caring?"

Duannian was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Do you think if I obtain the Dragon Pearl, I could become like you?"

He could live on land now, but it was inconvenient. One could say he wasn’t purely human.

"I, I don’t know." Wa Wei replied uncertainly.

Not far away, Bai Ruozhu overheard their conversation and sighed inwardly; Duannian’s wish was likely unattainable. The Dragon Pearl was on Merfolk Island and it ensured all newly born merfolk appeared human, but Duannian was an exception.

The Dragon Pearl had no effect on him; he remained with a fish tail. In merfolk’s eyes, this was a sign of ancestral return or regression, which they refused to accept.

Moreover, if the Dragon Pearl was ineffective on him, might it cause issues, affecting other merfolk, and gradually rendering the Pearl useless, making them revert to fish tails, too?

Thus, Duannian was exiled.

The boat sailed on for another two days. Every day, Duannian and Jiang Yichun would dive and search the sea; Duannian was in low spirits, barely eating, spending most of the time underwater, which made Wa Wei exceptionally worried.

On the third day, Duannian suddenly emerged from the sea, excitedly saying, "I found this at the bottom!"

He held up a broken sword, leaped back onto the boat using his inner strength.

Jiang Yichun took the recovered broken sword and examined it closely.

"It’s quite old, broken during battle."

"Could it be a sword the merfolk used, fighting enemies here?" Qiu Zhi said excitedly.

He sneaked a glance at Shanhu, wanting to see her reaction. Shanhu hung her head low, shielding her expression.

"I can perform a ritual to reveal the sword owner’s image; let’s have a look." The Astrologer suggested.

"Alright, I’ll help you." Ning Yu stepped forward.

The Astrologer nodded, beginning to set up the magic array, placing the broken sword in the center.

Soon, he performed the ritual, with Ning Yu assisting on the side. After 15 minutes, the broken sword emitted an intense light, projecting images into the sky.

A tall man wielding the sword fought against enemies; the sword was still intact. He and his opponent battled fiercely when suddenly, golden wings unfurled from his back; with a flap, he soared into the sky, diving towards his foes.

The enemy’s face was unclear, but their gestures conjured an overwhelming wave, reminiscent of merfolk’s abilities.

The golden-winged man was ensnared by the wave, his wings soaked, and the enemy suddenly charged forward, fiercely slashing down with a sword.

With a clang, his longsword broke, slipping from his hand into the sea, and the golden-winged man fell but quickly took flight, retreating to the distance. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

It was like witnessing a myth — everyone was stunned long after the vision faded.

"Who is the sword’s owner? An angel?" Tang Feng asked in astonishment.

Bai Ruozhu glanced at Gao Zhou, who clearly thought of Master Pudeng as well.

"It must be a special race akin to the merfolk, perhaps even their enemies." Bai Ruozhu speculated.

The others were unaware of Master Pudeng’s affairs; for his honor, she couldn’t reveal it.

At that moment, a burning sensation filled her Space; she divided her Divine Sense to observe, and the golden body within shone with an extraordinary brilliance. Was it resonating with old friends?

It seemed the sword’s owner was Master Pudeng’s kin.

Bai Ruozhu glanced at the unassuming Luan Xin, wondering about his feelings.

Yet Luan Xin continued reciting Buddhist scriptures, seemingly unaffected by the scene.

Indeed, he was now Luan Xin, no longer Pudeng.

"I remember seeing records of the Golden Wings Clan in my master’s manuscript!" Ning Yu suddenly exclaimed, "I thought they were ancient demons and didn’t pay much heed, but my master had been to Fusang and brought me to Zhongyuan. He must have encountered the Golden Wings Clan."

"They’re called the Golden Wings Clan?" Bai Ruozhu asked, with even Luan Xin looking at Ning Yu from afar, his interest piqued.

"Yes, it’s said they live in seclusion because of their uniqueness. My master’s manuscript mentioned they could fly like birds but had a weakness: it was hard for them to continue their bloodline as they gave birth to very few children, mostly boys. The Golden Wings Clan tried marrying human women, but the offspring were mostly ordinary people, making their members scarce." Ning Yu explained.

"I see." Bai Ruozhu glanced at Luan Xin. If the Golden Wings Clan’s descendants were rare, they must be very valued; how could they let Master Pudeng drift away?

It’s likely he was born of a Golden Wings Clan member and a human mother, leading to the clan being unaware of him due to unforeseen circumstances.

Or perhaps, at birth, Master Pudeng lacked wings, resembling an ordinary infant.

"If this place isn’t inhabited by merfolk, it must be the Golden Wings Clan’s domain. Finding them might lead us to the Merfolk Island." Ning Yu said excitedly.

Bai Ruozhu’s eyes lit up; indeed, the Golden Wings Clan, likely the enemies of the merfolk, would surely know the island’s location.

"Let’s first find the Golden Wings Clan’s residence; we need to carefully search." The Astrologer signaled to Ning Yu, and the two brothers began discussing plans, with Yuan Licheng joining in to offer help where needed.

Bai Ruozhu walked beside Luan Xin, whispering, "I think this is likely the Golden Wings Clan’s territory. We might meet them soon; do you have any plans?"

"It’s no longer my concern. If convenient, please bury the golden body." Luan Xin replied softly.

"If discovered by the Golden Wings Clan and they ask, what should I say?" Bai Ruozhu asked.

"Answer truthfully, just don’t mention that I’ve been resurrected. I’m now merely Luan Xin."