The King Of Warriors novel (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 6762

At that moment, a commotion outside cut through the conversations in the teahouse.

It began with a few scattered cries, ripples from stones striking water.

The cries quickly swelled into shouting and pounding footsteps, accompanied by the hum of spiritual sigils igniting aboard departing vessels.

Someone burst through the teahouse door. "Something happened! Something happened! Someone on Azurewave Island captured a member of the Water Clan!"

The entire teahouse fell silent for an instant, then erupted like a boiling pot whose lid had been torn away.

"They caught someone from the Water Clan?"

"Is that true? How could anyone capture one of them?"

"Who had the nerve? Isn't their territory protected by wards?"

"Who cares? Let's go see! I've never seen what one of them looks like in my life!"

Cultivators abandoned their teacups. Some climbed directly through the windows, others sprinted for the docks, and a few were already riding swords into the sky.

The once relatively quiet island descended into noise and chaos.

Surprise flickered in Jared's violet eyes as he watched the crowds flood toward the docks.

He had assumed that the Water Clan's life in the Void Sea meant people here encountered them regularly. Instead, the words "Water Clan" made everyone react as though a legendary and impossibly rare creature had appeared.

He stopped a young cultivator hurrying past. Calm curiosity colored his tone. "Friend, doesn't the Water Clan live here in the Void Sea? Why is everyone so fascinated?"

The young man initially looked annoyed by the delay, but Jared's violet eyes made him stop almost involuntarily. "You're from somewhere else, aren't you?"

"I only just arrived." Jared nodded.

"Now your question makes sense."

The cultivator said, "The Water Clan may live deep in the Void Sea, but they keep to their own territory and never associate with outsiders.

"Those of us who hunt aquatic beasts or gather spiritual materials deliberately avoid their waters. In over 10,000 years, no one has ever gotten a proper look at one.

"Fishermen occasionally claim they saw a vague human shape in the deep, but those are only stories. Now someone on Azurewave Island has actually captured a living member of the Water Clan. How could people not be curious?"

With that, he rushed toward the docks, afraid he would miss the spectacle.

Jared remained where he was, thought stirring in his violet eyes.

The Water Clan had isolated itself from the outside world for tens of thousands of years. Even supposed sightings amounted to little more than hazy legends.

For one of its members to be captured without warning was deeply unusual.

More troubling still, aquatic beasts corrupted by the demonic soul's power had only just appeared near Water Clan territory. Now someone had captured a clan member. Could the two events be connected?

Jared turned to his companions. "Come on. We should see this for ourselves."

Master Veridian scratched his head as he surveyed the packed docks and the vessels continually pulling away. "With this many people, they'll run out of boats. How are we supposed to get there?"

"Pay for passage," Jared replied. "Someone will be willing to take customers."

Sure enough, several spirit vessels at the docks were soliciting passengers. One captain shouted, "Azurewave Island! Fifty high-grade spirit crystals a seat! Direct passage, no detours!"

The fare was steep, but there was no shortage of willing customers.

Jared paid 150 high-grade spirit crystals, and the three boarded a medium-sized vessel.

More than a dozen people already stood on deck. Every one of them craned forward with anticipation and curiosity written across their face.

The vessel's blue sigils lit upon departure, and the entire craft shot over the water like an arrow released from a bow.

Spiritual water split before its prow and rose in two high fans of spray.

All across the sea, countless vessels raced in the same direction like a startled school of fish, their densely packed hulls flashing in many colors beneath the sun.

The sea wind struck their faces, cool, damp, and heavy with salt.

Gwendolyn stood beside Jared, watching the outline of a massive island draw steadily closer. "Do you think this is connected to the corruption?"

"I don't know," Jared said.

"But the timing is too convenient. Corrupted aquatic beasts have just appeared near Water Clan territory, and immediately afterward, one of their people is captured. If that is coincidence, it is an extraordinary one."

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