Wang Zhan, standing to the side, then spoke again, "If we encounter any trouble, do not act on your own. Reconnect with the people closest to you as soon as possible. Regardless of what we may or may not find today, we must all regroup here by nightfall to report on the situation."

Everyone agreed and then scattered.

Wang Zhan, along with Xiang Tian and Han Junxiong, headed northeast.

With several hundred people in their group, spreading out like this would indeed quicken their progress.

However, Wang Zhan remained uneasy, worried about what nightfall might bring, especially if they gained no information about Luo Xue. If that were the case, all their efforts would have been in vain.

The thought troubled Wang Zhan greatly.

Xiang Tian, beside him, was coughing incessantly. Every few steps seemed to aggravate his internal injuries.

Despite this, he clenched his teeth and didn’t utter a single word of complaint.

But ever since Wang Zhan mastered the Art of Alchemy, his perception had also become most acute. He glanced at Xiang Tian and said softly, "If your internal condition is really bad, then don’t continue to push yourself with us. We’ll all meet up tonight anyway. Why not stay here on this small island? You won’t be a burden, you can get firsthand news, and it will also allow your strength to recover somewhat."

Xiang Tian clutched his chest, coughed heavily a few times, then shook his head and sighed, "Brother Wang, please stop joking with me. I know how terrible my internal condition is. Even with your elixirs to help, I need a lot of time to recover my cultivation. And even then, trying to advance further in the future will be incredibly difficult."

"Since I don’t even know what the road ahead holds, I’d rather find Luo Xue first. At least that would bring me some comfort."

Wang Zhan rolled his eyes at him and grumbled good-naturedly, "Where did you pick up all this nonsense?"

"With me by your side, even if the sky were falling down, I wouldn’t let you die here."

Xiang Tian grinned, folding his arms, and Xu Xu said, "Since you’ve said that, isn’t that enough? Why would I need to stay behind and recuperate?"

As the two were talking, a loud crash suddenly echoed from a distance. A massive wave surged directly towards them.

Han Junxiong, beside them, reacted extremely quickly, retreating to one side immediately. Although Wang Zhan also saw the giant wave, he instinctively glanced at Xiang Tian, grabbed him, and swiftly pulled him backward.

After all, Xiang Tian’s cultivation had not yet recovered, and his speed was considerably affected. If he were hit, even retreating would be difficult.

Once the three of them had retreated to a safe distance, Han Junxiong’s face became most unsightly. He instantly drew the longsword from his back, cast a chilling gaze into the distance, and said, word by word, "Damn it, what on earth is going on?"

Wang Zhan’s expression also changed slightly. "It seems like people are fighting up ahead?"

Although Wang Zhan couldn’t see the situation ahead clearly, he could still sense the presence of people with his keen perception.

"Are they humans or demonic beasts?" Xiang Tian asked hurriedly.

Wang Zhan narrowed his eyes and Xu Xu said, "They should be two quite strong humans. But I don’t know why they would be fighting here. And judging by the intensity of this battle, it’s likely a fight to the death."

"Since we’ve encountered humans, let’s go take a look. We might be able to get some useful information from them."

Xiang Tian shook his head and sighed, "Let’s hope so."

The three of them immediately quickened their pace, rushing towards the distance.

In a flash, they arrived near a stretch of the sea domain.

Sure enough, before them, two figures were locked in combat. One wielded a three-pronged fork, while the other fought bare-handed. Yet, their strengths were comparable, and the shockwaves from their battle even triggered tsunamis in the surrounding sea.

Wang Zhan squinted, watching the two for a long while, then shook his head and said, "If they continue fighting like this, the outcome will surely be mutual destruction."

Xiang Tian chuckled and said, "What does that have to do with us? Who cares which of them lives or dies?"

Han Junxiong nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, however, Wang Zhan was momentarily stunned. His gaze instinctively fell upon Xiang Tian. Xiang Tian seemed to have changed. Such words... how could they come from him? This simply wasn’t like him at all.

It seemed that entering this region had significantly altered Xiang Tian’s personality. But considering everything he had been through, it wasn’t entirely surprising. After all, an entire city of people had been trying to kill him. If Xiang Tian hadn’t possessed sufficient strength, he would have long since become a soul lost under their blades.

Xiang Tian’s voice also startled the two individuals engaged in their clash. Immediately, both of them turned to look at Xiang Tian.

In the next second, the man with the three-pronged fork rushed towards Xiang Tian, his weapon held high. Then, a massive water dragon plummeted towards Xiang Tian!

Xiang Tian’s expression changed. Just as the water dragon was about to fall upon him, Wang Zhan, standing before him, swiftly drew his Deep Fire Blade and clashed with the water dragon, intercepting the blow.

With a loud BANG, Wang Zhan quickly rose and once again swung his Deep Fire Blade. Instantly, nets of fire appeared in the sky, fiercely sweeping towards the attacker.

The man with the three-pronged fork had not yet reacted when he felt the fiery net already upon him. Then, with another loud crash, he was seen smashing heavily onto the bank.

Instantly, the surface of the water stirred with ripples.

The bare-handed man stared at Wang Zhan for a long moment before frowning and asking, "Who are you?"

Wang Zhan said lightly, "Just passing by."

"Which island are you from?" the man asked again.

"You’ve already asked me one question. How about this: you answer one of mine, and then I’ll take your next question. What do you say?"

Wang Zhan squinted, sizing up the speaker.

Although Xiang Tian had some information about the sea domain and a map, it was not as thorough as the knowledge of those who actually lived in the sea domain.

Thinking of this, Wang Zhan spoke again, "We are not from the sea domain. We came here looking for our friend," Wang Zhan explained, and then began to describe her.

Hearing this, the other man crossed his arms and laughed. "Fool! Still looking for a woman in the sea domain? Truly ridiculous."

Wang Zhan was taken aback, his brow furrowing slightly. "Is there some conflict?"

"Under normal circumstances, no. But at this particular time, all the women in the sea domain have probably been captured."

Wang Zhan instantly shot in front of him, his eyes gradually becoming most bloodshot. He grabbed the man’s throat, lifting him clean off the ground, and asked coldly, "Explain everything clearly to me."

The man’s expression changed. Just as he was about to retaliate, he found himself completely immobilized by Wang Zhan. A smell of death pervaded his entire body.

The man hesitated for a moment, then frowned and said, "Who on earth are you?"

"I’ll say this one last time: do not test my patience. Answer my question," Wang Zhan said coldly. This time, the man dared not continue with nonsense. He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and said, "The Returning Sea Domain is holding a sacrificial ceremony on one of its islands. This happens once every ten years and requires the sacrifice of over a thousand young girls. So, it’s likely all the young women in this entire sea domain have already been captured by people from the Returning Sea Domain."

"How do I get to the Returning Sea Domain?" Wang Zhan asked coldly.

"Simple. Just keep heading in this direction. With your speed, you should be able to reach the Returning Sea Domain in less than half a day," the man said hurriedly.

Hearing this, Wang Zhan’s expression changed. He had already agreed with everyone from Flying Cloud City to regroup that night. If he went to the Returning Sea Domain now, he naturally wouldn’t make it back in time, and they would surely worry.

With this thought, Wang Zhan flung the man in his hand away. His gaze fell on Xiang Tian. "Something unexpected has come up. You should stay here and wait for the others to return and meet you. I’ll head to the Returning Sea Domain first to check out the situation there."

Although Xiang Tian was somewhat reluctant, he still nodded in agreement.

Han Junxiong then folded his arms and said, "In that case, I’ll go with you."

"Alright."

Once everything was arranged, Wang Zhan parted ways with Xiang Tian and then sped off towards the Returning Sea Domain with Han Junxiong.

If what the man said was true, then Luo Xue was very likely in danger, especially since their deductions pointed to her probably being in the sea domain.

Due to Wang Zhan and Han Junxiong’s extreme speed, they arrived near the Returning Sea Domain in just three hours.

Undeniably, the Returning Sea Domain possessed some unique features. Above, in the Sky, were massive whirlpools that connected the Sky to the sea before them. Moreover, strong winds swept through intermittently, making even Wang Zhan wary of approaching too closely.

Wang Zhan observed the scene before him, squinted slightly, and frowned, saying, "It seems this place is indeed rather strange."