A small loach, its intelligence seemingly yet to bloom, scoffed once before being tossed back into the charcoal basket.

Gu Can remained expressionless at the time.

Later, when Gu Can left his hometown, he did not take the charcoal basket with him. Instead, he asked Ma Duyi and Zeng Ye to deliver it to a Mountain God’s residence located north of the Dali capital.

His mother had tried to persuade Gu Can to personally make a trip to the north, saying, “Your father is now a Mountain God of high rank. That Mountain God temple used to be the divine abode of the old Dali’s Great Mountain Lord. It’s just been promoted to be the Heir Apparent of the Northern Peak, Piyun Mountain. It’s the equivalent of a promotion in the officialdom. In the Dali court, he would be considered a high-ranking minister. How could a mere prefect or supervisor compare? No wonder your father doesn’t come home to see you. His duties are weighty, and he cannot leave his post without authorization. Moreover, there are many strange taboos on the mountain, such as the conflict between mountains and waters. Therefore, as his son, visiting relatives and offering congratulations, you should definitely go.”

Gu Can remained silent, refusing to nod.

The woman then wept silently, unwilling to say more. While sorrowfully wiping away tears with a silk handkerchief, she secretly glanced at her son’s face, and then she truly dared not persuade him any further.

On the edge of the vast sea, that person appeared.

Chai Bofu’s heart tightened, and he barely dared to breathe.

Liu Chicheng was also reluctant to get too close.

Senior Brother was like a deity; observing from afar was sufficient.

Gu Can alone rode the wind toward that figure, finding the White Emperor City Lord squatting by the sea, cupping a handful of water.

Gu Can asked, puzzled, “This is?”

The man replied, “Measuring the sea with a dipper.”

Gu Can further inquired, “What is the meaning of this?”

The man smiled, “Must there be meaning?”

He released the water and stood up.

Moments later, Gu Can faintly saw a lone white steed suddenly appear on the boundless sea, treading the waves with the speed of lightning, dragging a long, luminous trail.

Upon the horse’s back rested a suit of crimson armor, rising and falling with the horse’s movements, yet there was no body within the armor.

This lone rider came toward the island, abruptly halting its hooves, and as the rider stood still, it seemed even the sea had congealed.

Liu Chicheng restrained himself, approaching his Senior Brother and Gu Can, smiling, “Good fortune indeed, to encounter a lone rider of the South Sea in this vast ocean. It is akin to finding a needle in a haystack.”

Gu Can had never heard of any South Sea lone rider.

He then saw the rider produce a golden spear, its tip pointing directly at the island, seemingly questioning their origins.

Then, in an instant, the South Sea lone rider retracted the spear, turned its horse, and galloped away.

Gu Can realized the man beside him had vanished.

Liu Chicheng chuckled, “That great demon of the Lushuikeng is in for a world of hurt. The restrictions that Fire Dragon Real Person could not force open, Senior Brother can now enter unhindered.”

Gu Can asked, “Does Master have a feud with that great demon of Lushuikeng? Or is the slaying of the demon purely to accumulate merit?”

Liu Chicheng said, “Don’t make wild guesses. Senior Brother acts as he pleases.”

Gu Can frowned silently.

Liu Chicheng gloated, “Your Dao Heart has been overshadowed too much by Chen Ping’an’s principles. Be careful not to provoke my Senior Brother.”

Gu Can paid no heed.

The three rested briefly on the island. Chai Bofu, having painstakingly gathered a bit of spiritual energy, was once again following the two on their journey.

In the past, when he was in the Nascent Soul Realm, the apertures of his Dao Cave were like the mansions of the wealthy, and spiritual energy was like gold and jade, inexhaustible and limitless to squander. Now, he had a small, humble abode, and extravagance was out of the question.

The waterways stretched endlessly. Passing by a certain place, Liu Chicheng was overjoyed, “Gu Can, ah, Gu Can, you are truly blessed with good fortune. Following you, we’re never short of lucky encounters. First, we saw the South Sea lone rider, and now we see this.”

Chai Bofu was utterly bewildered. As far as the eye could see, there was only the vast sea, with nothing mysterious to be seen.

After Liu Chicheng waved his hand to dispel the illusion, an island appeared in Gu Can’s sight, barren of vegetation and covered in jagged rocks.

Liu Chicheng smiled, “It is a Dragon Resting Stone. It migrates with the water, not taking root. In ancient times, there were four of them. One was shattered, one was refined, and one stands outside the Crane Pavilion of the Suisui Palace in the Azure Sky, in the middle of a great river, stabilized with secret techniques. This is the only one left in the Vast World. It’s too large and too heavy; even Immortals cannot move it.”