Chapter 1640: My Rod

With the mutual sensing between his main body and his clone, subsequent actions would be much more convenient. If his main body hadn't remained here, Lu Ye wouldn't have been able to inform Yan Miao in time, even if he found a suitable location.

Communication was impractical; the isolation from the All-Phenomena Sea's water was too severe. Even at close range, a sound note message couldn't be transmitted.

Although Yan Miao could depart from this location, it was ultimately unsuitable because no proper resting spot had been found. Lu Ye preferred to find an uninhabited deserted island, ensuring Yan Miao would have a place to rest after venturing out to sea.

"What's wrong?" Yan Miao asked, surprised to see Lu Ye return so quickly, assuming something had happened.

"Nothing, Elder," Lu Ye replied, motioning for Yan Miao to follow him. He then led her in one direction, with his clone accompanying them on the surface of the sea.

In a short while, he spotted a deserted island ahead. This spot in the All-Phenomena Sea seemed quite remote, as Lu Ye saw few cultivators passing by, which suited his requirements for a deserted island.

He calmly approached, but upon getting closer, he realized there were several people on the deserted island, and by their posture, they appeared to be fishing!

Lu Ye chuckled. He himself had been a fisherman for a while, having received careful instruction from Puke. He was quite familiar with the fishing resources available in different parts of the All-Phenomena Sea.

Normally, the area around Fishing Island had the most abundant fish, followed by a few other fishing spots. White spirits rarely appeared at this location, but it wasn't absolute. The presence of anglers here undoubtedly indicated that fish were present.

Since people were present, Lu Ye naturally intended to avoid them. However, just as he was about to, his brow furrowed. He vaguely recognized a few figures by the island's edge.

Focusing his vision, he confirmed they were indeed familiar! They had… ignored his advice?

Lu Ye paused for a moment, then flashed toward them.

On the island, four people—three men and one woman—were gathered. Three held fishing rods, quietly concentrating on their lines, while the lone beautiful woman reclined lazily in a grand armchair. Beside her chair was a table laden with plates of spiritual fruits, which she was happily munching on.

"Someone's coming!" the shorter man in the center suddenly announced. He had merely intended to alert his companions to be cautious, as their cultivation levels weren't high. If anyone wished them ill in this place, a confrontation would be inevitable.

After speaking, he fixed his gaze and his face instantly darkened. "It's Lu Yiye!"

"What?" The woman, who had been lounging lazily in the chair with much of her skin exposed, sprang up like a startled rabbit. Following the shorter man's gaze, she indeed saw Lu Ye calmly approaching from that direction.

Her eye twitched. The woman cursed, "Which scoundrel ratted us out?" If not for an informant, how could Lu Ye have coincidentally found this desolate place? To avoid being discovered by him, they had deliberately stayed away from popular spots like Fishing Island, yet they still hadn't managed to evade him.

The man with a tall, sword-like physique spoke, "There's a traitor! They must be executed!"

The other man, robust and brimming with vitality, nodded, indicating that he hoped he wouldn't find out who the informant was, or he would make them pay dearly!

How easy had it been for them? Each of them had once been a figure who led an era. After enduring hardships, they finally emerged, only to be sent to the Blood Refining Realm. Then, after another period of struggle, they followed Lu Ye to the All-Phenomena Sea, only to discover that they were merely low-level cultivators here.

They wanted to become stronger! They wanted to cultivate! And for that, they needed spirit jades!

It was said that fishing was a good way to earn money; catching just one fish could yield thousands of spirit jades. So, even though Lu Ye had warned them not to get involved in this pursuit, they had still secretly come here. They also dared not let Lu Ye know, to avoid being lectured! Imagine, at their age, being lectured by a young man like Lu Ye... where was their dignity?

But now, Lu Ye had found them anyway! Running away would make them look guilty; not running away felt awkward.

A moment later, Lu Ye landed on the island and glanced at what used to be the Master Senior Brother's four strongest generals! Finding the four of them here was truly unexpected, but on second thought, they must have deliberately been avoiding him, which was why they chose such a desolate location.

"Yiye..." Wuchang looked at Lu Ye with an embarrassed expression. Lu Ye had previously told him to his face that fishing was unreliable and not to consider it, yet here he was, caught red-handed. It clearly showed a lack of trust in Lu Ye. In reality, it wasn't that he distrusted Lu Ye; he simply wanted to verify if this method of making money was truly reliable.

"Fishing, are we?" Lu Ye asked casually, hands clasped behind his back.

Seeing Lu Ye's seemingly unconcerned demeanor, Wuchang felt a sense of relief and nodded. "Yes, we are."

"How's the catch?" Lu Ye inquired.

Wuchang gave a wry smile. "There aren't any fish in this place!" Otherwise, Yue Ji wouldn't be sitting there eating spiritual fruits. Her fishing rod lay untouched on the shore, bait in the water, with no sign of movement so far.

"You can't fish like this," Lu Ye said with a knowledgeable expression. "To catch fish, you at least need to find a good fishing spot. The area around Fishing Island is good; even if you don't always catch something, at least there's some activity from time to time."

Wuchang was surprised. "Yiye, you've fished before too?" When Lu Ye had previously advised them against getting involved in fishing, Wuchang thought he was strongly against it. But listening to Lu Ye's tone now, it sounded like he spoke from experience.

"Of course, I have. When I first arrived in the All-Phenomena Sea, I spent some time as an angler!"

Next to him, Meng Jie became interested and rumbled, "What happened?"

Lu Ye sighed. "The past is unbearable to recall. My fishing rod was dragged away by a fish, and I lost everything. That's why I advised you not to fish."

Yue Ji, spitting out a grape seed, couldn't help but chuckle. "Yiye, even if you want to persuade us, don't tell such outlandish stories. We've inquired, and those white spirits aren't big. How could one drag away a fishing rod? Besides, at that time, you were at least a Star Constellation realm cultivator, having even defeated a Moonfall."

"It's true!" Lu Ye insisted.

No sooner had he spoken than Yue Ji's fishing rod, lying on the shore, suddenly stirred. It was as if something enormous had taken the bait; the previously still fishing line snapped taut, pulling the rod and causing it to fall into the sea. Yue Ji reacted quickly, flashing up from her chair and moving to the shore, reaching out to grab the rod. But she still grasped at thin air.

*Plop...*

The fishing rod fell into the water and vanished in the blink of an eye!

Yue Ji froze, as did Wuchang and the others, staring blankly at the rapidly disappearing ripples.

"My rod!" Yue Ji's heart ached as if bleeding. Although this rod was a used one bought from someone else, it had still cost some spirit jades. Now, before even making a single catch, the rod had been dragged away.

Compared to Yue Ji's anguish, Wuchang and the others became excited. For anglers, not catching fish wasn't the fear; it was the lack of any activity during fishing that worried them. The spot they had casually chosen had been completely still, yet to their surprise, there truly were fish here. Even Yue Ji's rod had been dragged away, so this fish must indeed be large!

Just then, Wuchang's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "Something's moving!" As he spoke, he violently pulled up his rod. A humming sound of the fishing line snapping taut filled the air, and immediately, the rod bent into a deep arch.

Wuchang was greatly excited. "A big one!"

But the moment the words left his mouth, he felt something was wrong. The force coming from beneath the sea was unbelievably immense; for a moment, he couldn't control the rod. In an instant, the rod was pulled beneath the water's surface, and Wuchang himself shot forward uncontrollably.

"Huh?" Wuchang was completely stunned. He had never heard of such a massive creature beneath the sea...

Jian Guhong and Meng Jie, standing nearby, both changed expressions. Jian Guhong even yelled, "Let go!" At the same time, he slashed out with his sword, aiming at the fishing line. If he didn't let go, Wuchang would be dragged into the sea. But this sudden turn of events caught them off guard. By the time Wuchang let go, it was already a bit late; he was practically watching himself about to be pulled into the sea.

At that critical moment, a force from behind stopped him, leaving him suspended just above the sea surface. When he regained his senses, Wuchang broke out in a cold sweat. He stiffly turned his head to look at Lu Ye behind him. If Lu Ye hadn't intervened and grabbed him just now, he would have likely fallen into the sea. Although he hadn't been here for long, he had heard so much about the dangers within the All-Phenomena Sea that his ears were almost calloused. After all, it was a place where even Sunlit realm cultivators dared not venture deep.

Another humming sound rang out, this time from Jian Guhong's side. Having witnessed Wuchang's experience firsthand, Jian Guhong was prepared and reacted immediately. He then felt the same powerlessness Wuchang had experienced; the force from beneath the sea was simply beyond his ability to contend with. After only a brief struggle, Jian Guhong wisely let go, allowing his fishing rod to fall into the water.

Wuchang and Yue Ji both stared wide-eyed, momentarily bewildered, completely unable to understand what was happening. They had been fishing here for most of the day with no activity, and then suddenly there was such a massive commotion.

All four people, with three rods, had their equipment pulled away. This was no ordinary loss. Only Meng Jie's rod remained!

"Your strength is too weak!" Meng Jie, still oblivious to the gravity of the situation and being a body cultivator, immediately showed a disdainful expression. He declared that it was fine if the fish didn't bite, but if one dared to take his hook, he would definitely reel it in to show them!

The next moment, his expression hardened, because a fish... really took the bait! However, as Meng Jie began to wrestle with it, he suddenly realized something was wrong. This wasn't a matter of Wuchang's strength; the force emanating from the other end was simply beyond what cultivators of their level could contend with. Even as a body cultivator, whose strength far surpassed the other three, he was instantly at a disadvantage in this struggle.

This isn't right! How could this be?

The sound of a sword hummed, and a sword qi struck, as Jian Guhong intervened to cut Meng Jie's fishing line. Meng Jie staggered back a few steps, staring blankly at his rod, now devoid of a line, deep in thought.