These people were all followers of a sect called the Black Lotus Cult. The man with the bushy beard was named Qiu Xiong, a hall master of the cult.
He had been punished for a transgression and was assigned to manage smuggling operations.
During one of their smuggling voyages, they discovered a peculiar prehistoric marine ruin.
Qiu Xiong then drew a map of the area, intending to present it to the Pope and request a transfer back.
This was why Protector Zhao had come to retrieve the map.
Furthermore, the egg was also retrieved by Qiu Xiong from that prehistoric ruin, but he had failed to report it, planning to keep it for himself.
Prehistoric ruin?
A black-scaled egg?
After Ye Feng understood everything, he couldn't help but be greatly astonished.
However, Ye Feng did not inform Su Keqing and the others about obtaining the egg and the map.
Instead, he kept them for himself.
After all, they would be of no use to them, so it was better for him to keep them.
Upon their return, the police station highly praised Ye Feng. Thanks to him, the smuggling case was cracked without any losses for the police.
The firearms, ammunition, drugs, and other smuggled goods were valued at over a billion.
The police station even presented Ye Feng with a banner that read "Assisting the People with Noble Spirit, Punishing Evil and Protecting the Law, a Social Role Model."
However, Ye Feng paid no mind to these things. Instead, he prepared to ask Su Keqing for two intermediate spirit skills.
This incident had finally made him realize the extent of his own strength, which was comparable to that of a late-stage Xiantian realm expert.
The reason he couldn't defeat the bushy-bearded man was that the latter had mastered advanced spirit skills, possessing formidable power.
If Ye Feng also possessed them, he was eighty percent confident he could defeat the opponent.
However, Su Keqing refused him, stating that intermediate spirit skills and above were extremely precious and could not be easily passed on.
Unless Ye Feng was willing to join their police organization that dealt with cultivators.
Ye Feng, however, refused without a second thought. He didn't want to be bound by such things.
Moreover, he suddenly remembered that he had also taken three martial arts manuals from the stone gate treasury, and they seemed to be advanced martial arts.
So, Ye Feng didn't dwell on other matters and quickly returned to his company.
Upon returning to his company, Ye Feng immediately checked on his egg.
He activated his Sea God's Power and carefully examined it, as if trying to ascertain its internal condition.
But to Ye Feng's surprise, his Sea God's Power could not penetrate the egg, and he couldn't see what was inside.
And in the next moment, something even stranger happened: the egg began to absorb his Sea God's Power.
This astonished Ye Feng, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Could this egg be a living egg?"
Subsequently, Ye Feng released more Sea God's Power, but it was all absorbed.
"Damn it, at this rate, even if you drain me dry, it won't be enough! Forget it, I'll take you to the Sea God Temple another day, and let you absorb it there yourself!" Ye Feng said.
Thus, Ye Feng put the egg away and then took out the three spirit skills.
These three spirit skills did not seem like modern items. Their covers were old and dim, as if they had a long history.
"Right, those three books and the egg were together at that time. Could it be that these three books were also from that ruin?" Ye Feng was greatly surprised.
Ye Feng quickly flipped through them. The first was an advanced fist technique spirit skill called the Thunder God Fist Technique.
This fist technique spirit skill was divided into three forms. The Collapsing Thunder Fist, which the bushy-bearded man had used earlier, was the first form of the Thunder God Fist Technique.
According to the technique's description, by circulating spiritual energy and concentrating it in the fist before striking, one could unleash terrifying power.
The second form was called Thunder Roars in All Directions!
With a single punch, terrifying lightning would erupt from the fist, causing widespread damage.
The third form was called Heavenly Thunder Descends Upon the World!
This move was the most terrifying. With a single punch, it could attract lightning from the sky, causing an extremely large-scale, terrifying attack.
Ye Feng was filled with shock as he read this fist technique, wishing he could start cultivating it immediately.
However, now was not the time for cultivation, and advanced spirit skills could not be learned in a short period.
Therefore, Ye Feng continued to the next book. The second was a movement technique spirit skill of no clear grade, called the Carefree Steps.
This movement martial art technique was also divided into three forms. The first form, a Thousand Miles in One Step, possessed the monstrous ability of shrinking space, and it was said that if cultivated to the highest level, one step could cover a thousand miles.
However, Ye Feng felt this was unlikely. A thousand miles in one step, how fast would that be?
The second form, One Step to the Ends of the Earth!
Ye Feng felt the second form was even more absurd. One step to the ends of the earth, what kind of speed would that be?
The third form, One Step Between Heaven and Earth!
Ye Feng felt that each form was more unbelievable than the last. The third form allowed one to traverse heaven and earth in a single step.
Ye Feng felt this cultivation technique was too outlandish and had no combat power, existing purely for escape. He currently had no intention of cultivating it.
As for the third book, it surprised Ye Feng even more.
This book, called the Supreme Overlord Spear Technique, had a distinctly different material from the previous two, and there was no grade description, only the first two forms.
Upon seeing this spirit skill, Ye Feng knew it was likely an incomplete version. After a glance, he didn't pay it much mind and stored it in his spatial ring.
Finally, Ye Feng took out the map and examined it carefully.
Besides the unusual quality of the leather, the map was marked with crosses and ticks everywhere, and some places even had skulls drawn on them.
Finally, Ye Feng saw a place marked with a five-pointed star, but it was not within the country, but in the world's high seas.
Seeing that it wasn't within the country, Ye Feng temporarily lost interest, as he currently had no plans to travel abroad.
Therefore, Ye Feng put away the map and the next day followed the fleet to the waters of Rocky Island.
He intended to take the egg to the Sea God Temple and let it absorb the Sea God's Power to see what it would hatch into.
Upon returning to the waters of Rocky Island, Ye Feng immediately went to the Sea God Temple.
Ye Feng took out the egg and placed it directly inside the Sea God Temple.
At the same time, he instructed Octopus Xiao Ba to watch it carefully and notify him immediately if there was any movement.
Xiao Ba nodded immediately upon hearing this.
Meanwhile, in an unknown location, a man with a bushy beard was kneeling and reporting something.
Around him were many people, all wearing robes with large hoods. A black lotus was printed on each robe, looking very eerie.
In front of everyone, on a high platform, a person wearing a crown sat on a black lotus throne.
If Ye Feng saw this man with the bushy beard, he would be greatly shocked.
Because the kneeling man with the bushy beard was none other than Qiu Xiong, who had escaped.
The person sitting on the black lotus throne became extremely enraged after hearing Qiu Xiong's report.
With a wave of his hand, Qiu Xiong was sent flying through the air, spitting blood uncontrollably.
Immediately after, the person spoke in a deep, mixed voice, "Idiot! You actually lost such an important item! Now I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Go and retrieve it!"
Upon hearing this, Qiu Xiong quickly nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty the Pope! Your subordinate guarantees to retrieve the item!"