One could even say that the common folk here were equivalent to Martial Artists in the Great Yan Dynasty who had just reached the Entering Grade but knew no combat techniques.

With just a little training in fisticuffs, they would become bona fide Entering Grade Martial Artists.

These fishermen must have just returned from the sea.

Though the Fallen Immortal Sea was dangerous, it was still possible to make a living in the coastal areas.

Zou Feng slowly descended onto the beach. When the dozen or so fishermen saw him, they quickly bowed in fear and trepidation. "Greetings, Immortal Master!"

It seemed that even ordinary people recognized the Daoist robes of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

"Who’s in charge of you?" Zou Feng certainly didn’t expect these fishermen to know the way to the Great Yan Dynasty.

What he was looking for was the power behind these fishermen.

That was right. It was impossible for these fishermen, or rather, for an entire fishing village, to live so peacefully nearby without some kind of backing.

Otherwise, they would have long been devoured by some Great Demon, or had their very marrow sucked out by a lawless Evil Cultivator.

"To answer the Immortal Master, we are all under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Dragon Gang!"

’Heavenly Dragon Gang?’

Zou Feng couldn’t help but be reminded of the Black Flood Dragon Gang he had just joined.

Gangs that made their living on the water all seemed to love using names with words like ’flood dragon’ or ’dragon’ in them.

Of course, since this was a gang from the Eastern Earth Immortal Realm, it was surely far stronger than the Black Flood Dragon Gang back in Great Yan.

"Where is the Heavenly Dragon Gang’s base?"

Although the fishermen worried this Immortal Master might be looking to settle a score with the Heavenly Dragon Gang, they dared not hide anything and immediately gave him directions.

After learning the exact location, Zou Feng tossed down a few spirit stones before leaping into the air and departing.

Seeing the spirit stones, the crowd of fishermen was instantly overjoyed.

They kowtowed and shouted their thanks again and again in the direction Zou Feng had flown.

With these spirit stones, the few promising youths in the village who had a chance at Cultivation would be able to advance even further...

Meanwhile, Zou Feng didn’t use his Flying Celestial Ship. With just a few leaps and a burst of speed, he arrived at the location the fishermen had described.

It was a small coastal town built against a mountain, its back to a strait. It was hard to spot from a distance.

In the port city, more than ten large, impressive dragon-headed ships were moored.

Fluctuations from numerous Spiritual Artifacts could clearly be felt from these great ships; they were evidently warships, ready for combat.

’The Heavenly Dragon Gang is most likely a band of rather powerful pirates...’

He took a few more steps forward, and a strange sensation washed over his entire body.

At the same time, it felt as if some transparent barrier was blocking his path.

’Is this... an Array?’

At his core, Zou Feng was just a cook who knew Poison Skills and Poison Techniques. When it came to other Immortal Cultivation arts, such as Arrays, Pill-making, or Artifact Refining, he was utterly clueless.

Therefore, he had no idea what specific Array was before him.

He only estimated that with his strength, it wouldn’t be difficult to destroy this Array with brute force.

But he wasn’t here to cause trouble, so the next moment, he reached out and, using Soft Force, tapped the transparent barrier of the Array a few times.

The surrounding space immediately trembled, and the Array showed signs of imminent collapse.

Just as Zou Feng thought he might have accidentally broken something, five or six people shot out from the town and rushed toward his position.

The one in the lead was already at the Spiritual Energy Realm.

The others were at the Spirit Body Realm.

In the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, this was equivalent to one Inner Sect Disciple leading several Outer Disciples.

And while Zou Feng was also only at the Spiritual Energy Realm, the quality of his realm was completely incomparable to these self-taught bumpkins.

He had even taken down the Reincarnated Sword Emperor; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him invincible within the Spiritual Energy Realm.

The men from the Heavenly Dragon Gang soon got a clear look at Zou Feng’s robes.

And so, the men, who had been charging over furiously, ready to demand an explanation, instantly performed a Sichuan opera face-change.

A moment later, every one of them was beaming, looking kind and approachable.

The Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect was enormous and had no interest in bothering with the small-fry factions of the Eastern Earth Immortal Realm.

But no one could guarantee that some wandering Inner Sect Disciple of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect didn’t have a protective master, or hadn’t joined some prideful, loyal Immortal Association.

"So it is a Fellow Daoist from the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect! Forgive my disrespect!"

The man in the lead had thick brows, large eyes, and a striking, beautiful beard. His aura was extraordinary.

His green Martial Attire was embroidered with a lifelike green dragon that looked as if it could spring to life at any moment.

In truth, it was surely some kind of attack technique, similar to the Evil King’s Flame Fiend Poison Dragon Wave.

"I am Luo Kai, Gang Leader of the Green Dragon Gang. Might I ask who this Fellow Daoist is...?"

Zou Feng said, "I am Leng Jing, the Eight-Armed Asura, serving under Jiang Zhenchuan!"

He had to be constantly on guard against sneak attacks from Fu Jiaming after leaving the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, so naturally, he wouldn’t easily reveal his true identity.

And Fu Jiaming probably wasn’t the only one he needed to guard against.

After all, no one could guarantee that Lu Guanghua hadn’t arranged for other assassins besides Fu Jiaming.

One had to remember that Lu Guanghua no longer cared about even his own life, let alone his worldly possessions.

Therefore, he would certainly use every last bit of his remaining fortune to put a price on Zou Feng’s head.

And great rewards will always attract brave men; there were bound to be experts among these smaller, outside factions...

"So you are a Fellow Daoist under Jiang Zhenchuan! I once had the honor of witnessing Jiang Zhenchuan’s magnificent presence. Truly a goddess descended to the mortal realm, with the grace of pine and bamboo..."

This Luo Kai seemed to be laying on the flattery, rambling on and on, but he was actually testing Zou Feng.

After all, Jiang Wanzhao was a petite young girl. How could she possibly have the ’grace of pine and bamboo’?

"Boss Luo, I’m afraid you remember incorrectly," Zou Feng chuckled. "Jiang Zhenchuan’s stature is clearly that of a young mulberry-picker, hardly filling out her clothes. How could she have the ’grace of pine and bamboo’?"

Luo Kai slapped his forehead, feigning embarrassment. "Ah, look at my memory... Fellow Daoist Leng, please, come to my humble abode first."

With that, Luo Kai gestured to someone in the distance, and the Array’s barrier dissipated.

Zou Feng was highly skilled and thus bold; he had no fear of chatting in the other party’s lair.

However, he still made a show of taking out his Token and sending his coordinates to Teng County.

Although this place was quite far from the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, the "signal" from the Celestial Dao Cauldron could still reach it.

The act of taking out a Token to send his location, witnessed by Luo Kai, also made him more convinced that Zou Feng was indeed a disciple of the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

Before long, Zou Feng was seated in the Green Dragon Gang’s meeting hall.

As he sipped his tea, he explained the purpose of his visit.

"Fellow Daoist Leng wishes to cross the Fallen Immortal Sea to find a place called the Great Yan Dynasty?" Luo Kai thought for a long while but couldn’t recall anything.

"Go get Old Liu!"

Soon, an old man with a full head of white hair but still in high spirits was led into the meeting hall.

"Old Liu, this is Fellow Daoist Leng from the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. He has come seeking a place across the Fallen Immortal Sea called the Great Yan Dynasty. Do you have any impression of it?"

The old man, Liu, didn’t need to search his memory for long. He immediately cupped his hands and replied, "The Great Yan Dynasty... I know of it. I’ve even been there before..."

Hearing this, Zou Feng was overjoyed.

’I thought I’d have to run around to a few more places and put in more effort. Who would have thought I’d find a clue so quickly?’

"Old Liu, may I ask how one gets to this Great Yan Dynasty? If your information is accurate, I will certainly reward you handsomely!" Zou Feng maintained a calm exterior.

Unexpectedly, the old man shook his head. "Daoist Leng, you can’t go to the Great Yan Dynasty anymore..."

"Why not?" Zou Feng’s heart skipped a beat.

"The Great Yan Dynasty fell long ago!"

Zou Feng was stunned. He forced himself to calm his breathing and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely certain!" the old man declared, his tone firm as iron. "Great Yan fell more than ten years ago!"

’More than ten years ago?’

Zou Feng frowned. ’Is this old man senile?’

He knew that less than a year had passed in total since he left Great Yan and entered the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

How could the Great Yan Dynasty possibly have fallen more than a decade ago?!

Just as Zou Feng was about to dismiss the man’s words as the ramblings of a confused old mind, the old man spoke again, slowly and deliberately.

"That region has long since been renamed... the Hongxing Dynasty..."

At these words, Zou Feng could no longer remain calm. His expression was a mixture of shock and delight.

’So, the situation over there is that Great Yan is dead, and Hongxing must rise?’

’But the problem is, the timeline doesn’t add up...’