After that, Ye Yunfei returned to the Eastern Barrens.
"Let's go take a look at the Cangmang Sea."
Upon returning to the Eastern Barrens, Ye Yunfei didn't head directly back to the Ziwei Sect headquarters. Instead, he came to the Cangmang Sea.
The Cangmang Sea was one of the famous forbidden lands in the Eastern Barrens. A relatively mysterious race lived within its waters — the Mermaid Clan.
For generations, the Mermaid Clan had guarded a Celestial Tomb located at the bottom of the Cangmang Sea.
This time, Ye Yunfei had come to the Cangmang Sea not only to reunite with the upper echelons of the Mermaid Clan but also to see that Celestial Tomb.
"Young Master Ye, you've come!"
The Old Clan Leader of the Mermaid Clan was extremely pleased upon learning of Ye Yunfei's arrival. He immediately ordered someone to bring Ye Yunfei to the reception hall to meet.
A host of the Mermaid Clan's high-ranking members also came to accompany him.
"Young Master Ye, something terrible has happened to our Mermaid Clan."
After exchanging some pleasantries, the Old Clan Leader spoke, a deep frown on his face.
"What happened?"
Ye Yunfei was taken aback and asked.
"Our clan has recently lost a group of young clansmen.
All the missing young clansmen were the most talented and outstanding of the clan's younger generation. They represented the future of our Mermaid Clan. Who would have thought they would keep vanishing like this lately?"
The Old Clan Leader said, his brow furrowed.
Upon hearing the Old Clan Leader mention this, the other high-ranking members of the Mermaid Clan also began to look worried.
"Indeed, Young Master Ye might not know, but recently we have mobilized the entire clan to search throughout the entire Cangmang Sea for our missing young clansmen.
But up until now, we haven't been able to find any trace of them.
It's as if they vanished into thin air within the Cangmang Sea."
One of the elders sighed as he said this.
"Could they have left the Cangmang Sea to travel the mainland?"
Ye Yunfei thought for a moment and ventured a guess.
"Impossible.
Our Mermaid Clan has a rule: clansmen are forbidden from leaving this Cangmang Sea. We must spend our entire lives in the sea, bearing the duty of tomb guardians.
From a young age, those youngsters were repeatedly warned that they must never leave the Cangmang Sea, not even half a step, or they would be expelled from the clan.
They would not leave the Cangmang Sea."
The Old Clan Leader shook his head as he answered.
"Could it be enemies seeking revenge? Does your Mermaid Clan have any enemies?"
Ye Yunfei thought for another moment and asked again.
"None.
Our Mermaid Clan has reclusively lived in this Cangmang Sea for generations. We have never feuded with outsiders. Moreover, this Cangmang Sea is our Mermaid Clan's territory. As soon as unfamiliar beings enter the waters, we immediately detect them. If any enemies had truly come, we would have known long ago."
The Old Clan Leader shook his head again.
"That makes sense."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
"How about this, Old Clan Leader. Provide me with the soul body auras of those missing clansmen. I will try to sense them and see if I can locate their whereabouts."
Ye Yunfei thought about it and said.
Though Ye Yunfei was far less familiar with this Cangmang Sea than these mermaids, his cultivation realm and strength were far superior to theirs, and his level of Soul Power was higher.
Furthermore, Ye Yunfei possessed quite a few secret techniques that could locate targets through their soul body auras.
"Very well."
The Old Clan Leader could see that Ye Yunfei's current strength and realm far exceeded those of the Mermaid Clan's upper echelons, so he immediately agreed. With a wave of his hand, he sent all the soul body auras of the missing young clansmen before Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei released his Soul Power energy, sensing and memorizing each of the soul body auras of the missing young mermaids.
"Clan Leader, I will now begin tracking these clansmen's whereabouts."
Ye Yunfei stood up, exited the palace, released his Soul Power, extending it in all directions as he began his sensing.
The Mermaid Clan's high-ranking members followed him out of the palace, gathering behind Ye Yunfei.
"Ye Yunfei, I'll help you.
As a Ghost Cultivator, I am very familiar with soul bodies. I can help you track these soul body auras."
Suddenly, Huang Shang emerged from the Phantom Tower, standing beside Ye Yunfei as he spoke.
"Alright."
Ye Yunfei nodded, making a copy of the soul body auras of the missing mermaids and handing them to Huang Shang.
After obtaining these soul body auras, Huang Shang immediately performed a specialized Ghost Cultivator tracking secret technique and began the search.
Seeing Huang Shang, who was covered in dark hues and emanated a chilling ghostly aura, the Mermaid Clan's high-ranking members were inwardly startled. However, noticing that Huang Shang was acquainted with Ye Yunfei, they refrained from asking.
"Kid, give me a copy of the missing mermaids' soul body auras.
I'll help you look too."
Hun Lao said.
"Right!
I almost forgot about you!"
Ye Yunfei smacked his own forehead.
Hun Lao's perception of time and space was, compared to Ye Yunfei's, no weaker, if not stronger!
And so, Ye Yunfei, Hun Lao, and Huang Shang — three individuals — utilized their unique skills, each performing their own person-tracking secret techniques, and began tracing the whereabouts of the missing mermaids.
Ye Yunfei, having once been a Heavenly Emperor, had collected many high-level tracking techniques in his previous life, several of which were specifically designed to track targets via their soul body auras.
At his current level of strength and realm, Ye Yunfei could now employ each of those tracking techniques.
And now, Ye Yunfei deployed all of these tracking techniques.
After a good half-day.
Ye Yunfei finally sensed something.
"That direction!"
Ye Yunfei moved, heading in a certain direction.
Meanwhile, Huang Shang had already departed earlier, heading who-knows-where in his search.
"Good, kid. I can sense it too. The missing mermaids should be in this direction."
Hun Lao communicated to Ye Yunfei.
Ye Yunfei traveled for a while, then stopped again to carefully sense before advancing once more.
And so, Ye Yunfei would travel a distance, then stop to sense for a bit. After a day, he arrived at the central depths of the Cangmang Sea, standing before the massive Celestial Tomb on the seabed.
By now, Huang Shang had also arrived at the central depths, standing before this Celestial Tomb.
"I feel that the missing clansmen of the Mermaid Clan seem to be inside this Celestial Tomb."
Huang Shang said to Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, my sensing result points to the same conclusion.
Old Huang, the soul-tracking technique of your Ghost Cultivator race is truly impressive."
Ye Yunfei nodded, speaking to Huang Shang.
"My sensing result also points to the same. Those missing mermaids are most likely inside that Celestial Tomb."
At this moment, Hun Lao also communicated this to Ye Yunfei.
"Since the three of us tracked the same result, it seems there's a high probability the missing mermaids are inside this Celestial Tomb."
Ye Yunfei said.
Then, Ye Yunfei relayed this tracking result to the Old Clan Leader of the Mermaid Clan and the other high-ranking members.
"Our missing young clansmen... are all inside that Celestial Tomb?
How could that be?"
Upon hearing Ye Yunfei's words, the Old Clan Leader and the others were left speechless, somewhat unwilling to believe it.
At that very moment.
Rumble…
Suddenly, the Celestial Tomb ahead seemed to tremble slightly. Then, a terrifying fluctuation emanated from it, causing the Cangmang Sea to instantly surge violently. The entire sea seemed as if it had been brought to a boil.
"Young Master Ye, this is disastrous! You may have provoked this Celestial Tomb!
Quick!
All clansmen, gather immediately! Split into two groups! One group, protect Young Master Ye and get him to leave! The other group, kneel down and kowtow to the Celestial Tomb, begging it to spare Young Master Ye!"
Witnessing this change, the Old Clan Leader's face drastically paled as he roared loudly.