No sooner had the words fallen than, amidst the flash of lightning, the Flying Boat had already vanished thousands of feet away, disappearing with another flicker. The sky was left with only the long trail seared by the lightning, and Wang An's cries abruptly ceased.

Following that, the Floating Cloud Boat was shaken violently once again, more intensely than ever before. Wang An even felt the entire vessel leap upwards sharply, emitting a near-catastrophic creaking noise.

He was struck with terror and hastily consulted the Water Mirror, only to see that the underside of the Floating Cloud Boat had been struck by a tremendous force, a large chunk of the hull directly shattered. The worst was yet to come, as the bottom cargo hold was also breached, spilling a great amount of goods downwards.

Yet Wang An had no time to lament his losses, for in the Water Mirror, apart from the fractured hull, there loomed a horrifying behemoth, seven or eight zhang in length, nearly half the size of the Floating Cloud Boat itself. It had a massive yet slender head, fangs sharp as knives, and its body was wrapped in scales, devoid of a single feather, but it flapped meaty wings, emerging from the black sandstorm beneath the vessel with a harsh and grating cry.

"Armored Demon Dragon!"

Wang An recognized it as one of the most ferocious Birds of Prey within the Black Sandstorm of the North Wilderness, possessing the power to stir up sandstorms, a creature that even ordinary Golden Elixir cultivators would not suffice to fill the gaps between its teeth! For a moment, his heart seemed to stop.

Fortunately, the creature did not entangle itself with the Floating Cloud Boat but instead followed the trajectory of the Flying Boat through the sky, furiously chasing with all its might. Clearly, it was the Flying Boat that had enraged it, and the Floating Cloud Boat, along with the Sand Bandits before them, were merely caught in an unwarranted disaster.

Seeing this, Wang An immediately switched to cursing, "Rushing to be reincarnated, are you? What business do you have, teasing an Armored Demon Dragon for no reason?"

"Why bother with such futile verbal sparring, Steward Wang?"

Since the attack of the Sand Bandits, the crisp and clear voice of the female cultivator was heard for the first time, not giving Wang An any peace of mind: "That Flying Boat is surely the vessel of some significant figure from the Vacuum Walking Cultivation. The Three Families Market might provoke such a person, but Steward Wang, you may not be able to afford such an encounter."

"You..."

"My statements are without fault." The female cultivator, who had been leaning against the window, lightly tugged at her semi-transparent shawl and gracefully rose to her feet. Her luxurious six-panel brocade gown spread out, concealing the lush curves that were revealed when she was seated. She took two steps forward but no longer looked at Wang An. Instead, she shook her head:

"I have always believed Steward Wang to possess the power to control the overall situation. It's just that you've fallen on hard times, encountering the Armored Demon Dragon, which wrecked the hull. It's understandable to be angry, but given the current state of affairs, it's becoming difficult for this ship to fly to Abundant Capital City. If we don't clean up promptly, it's uncertain whether we can even reach Huayan City!"

Wang An clamped his mouth shut, staring at the female cultivator's consistently exquisite makeup. His eyes twitched several times, but in the end, he said nothing more.

He understood that Yoo Rui was correct, and what they needed most now was to bolster their own strength for a swift and decisive battle. At present, the only one who could offer immediate assistance was this haughty woman.

This wretched girl...

※※※

"Are we approaching Huayan City soon?" Yu Ci, disturbed by the changes outside, released his divine sense for a brief perception check.

The Clear Sky Gang Thunder Boat was indeed very useful, especially when flying at high altitudes. Its speed was fast, the ride was comfortable and quite stable. However, one drawback was that it was too conspicuous; the Gang Thunder encircling the boat and lightning streaking across the sky made it visible from tens of miles away. Therefore, the Flying Boat often had to dive into the Black Sandstorm to conceal its tracks and avoid the troubles that came with being too eye-catching.

But sometimes bad luck struck, like at this moment, attracting an Armored Demon Dragon. Lu Qing was unwilling to entangle with that thick-skinned monster, which thrived in the sandstorm like a fish in water. Relying purely on speed to shake it off, they then encountered the earlier mishap.

"What's happening?" Yu Ci was somewhat perplexed. With his Cultivation Level restricted, his perception of the outside world had become quite blurred in the face of the lightning-fast speed that covered a thousand feet in the blink of an eye. He needed Lu Qing to inform him of the details.

Lu Qing responded, "Someone has triggered the defensive lightning."

"Ah?"

"It must be the Sand Bandits."

Lu Qing's Cultivation Level was temporarily stalled at the upper phase of the Golden Elixir, but her mastery of the Heavenly Demon Soul Split Incarnation technique, particularly adept in soul cultivation, granted her a far superior sensory perception than ordinary people. She had a clear grasp of the situation outside: "The Sand Bandits are robbing an Airborne Ship, which seems to belong to the Three Families Market. We happened upon it just now, but we're already far away."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Yu Ci uttered an "Oh" nonchalantly. Not everyone who could fly in the skies of the North Wilderness was a formidable being, but generally speaking, those with weaker backing powers would find it difficult to break through the numerous checkpoints of the Underground City's halls to reach the heavens.

But... the Three Families Market?

Yu Ci suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. Were there bandits in the North Wilderness bold enough to challenge the Three Families Market?

Lu Qing, however, was used to such sights. If everyone knew to pursue good fortune and avoid disaster, only picking on the weak, how could the North Wilderness still be known as the place most densely populated by cultivators of the Dark Path? The desperadoes under the coercion of the Sand Bandits were a group that defied laws and decrees, madly indifferent even to their own lives and fortunes. Such people were the norm in the North Wilderness.

"Doesn't seem to be as severe in Yin Cave City?"

"Yin Cave City was established not long ago. Many areas are still blank slates, and the people there act with a strong sense of purpose, harboring the desire to accomplish things. However, the further north you go, the more frequent these incidents become. Of course, once you reach the northern Four Cities, that's a different atmosphere altogether."

Lu Qing offered a straightforward explanation, "The Ten Great Cities of the North Wilderness follow a rough pattern of five in the south, four in the north, and one at the center."

Among them, the Abundant Capital City is situated at the heart of the North Wilderness and is the most bustling locale. Hence, not only is the As-You-Will Dharma Assembly of the Random Heart Pavilion held there, but also the headquarters of the Three Families Market are established in that place. Northward past the Abundant Capital City, the influence of Sect Power starts to rise. The four great cities are not far from each other in a straight line, forming a vast circle of cultivators' habitat, which, by comparison, seems to be quite orderly.

As for the south of Abundant Capital City, the five cities—Yin Cave City, Thousand Banners City, Splendid Awe City, Flowing Fire City, and Soaring Kite City—are far apart from each other, each with its own distinct characteristics. However, generally speaking, the further north one goes from Yin Cave City, the more chaotic it becomes, with this disorder extending right up to the outskirts of Abundant Capital City.

Yu Ci clicked his tongue but did not inquire further. Observing that the Armored Demon Dragon trailing behind posed no immediate threat, he lowered his head to attend to the task at hand.

He had already spent four days on the Flying Boat, a little later than planned, a consequence of his initial discomfort with the Flying Boat's high speed. Nevertheless, the journey had been smooth, and aboard the Flying Boat, he had plenty of time at his disposal.

Now, he had two tasks before him. One was to engrave a segment of the "Earth Deity Virtue Talisman" onto the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock, a process involving Talisman Fragmentation Form. The other task also involved the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock, but not by his own hand. Instead, he was communicating with Lu Qing to have another rough piece of Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock they had mined fashioned into the main altar body for the Gang Geomancy Seven Stars Altar.

With the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock serving as a material, not only was the progress of the Gang Geomancy Seven Stars Altar accelerated, but the crafting of the Earth Deity Virtue Talisman also advanced considerably. The substance of the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock was far more resilient than ordinary earth and stone strata, saving Yu Ci a great deal of effort. Of course, the primary function of the Talisman Fragmentation Form on the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock was to act as a hub for the circulation of the energies of the nine lands. The key talisman that would trigger a Spiritual Response needed to be prepared separately, and Yu Ci had already completed that part.

He took out an elliptical, leaf-shaped Spirit Talisman and affixed it to the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock. Slightly sliding it, layers of subdued Divine Light began to fluctuate, resonating with the rock. Yu Ci used this to check the state of the Talisman Fragmentation Form on the Mysterious Water Gleaming Rock.

The true essence of the Earth Deity Virtue Talisman lay within that leaf-shaped Spirit Talisman. If Yu Ci possessed the Vacuum Walking Cultivation at this moment, he could simply activate it without any further preparation. The material used to create this talisman was incredibly precious, coming from a newly developed leaf on the Cloud Tower Tree that parasitized on Yu Ci's back...

"Let's prepare to descend," Lu Qing suggested, her tone a mix of a reminder and consultation. "As long as it's in the air, the Armored Demon Dragon will fight to the death but cannot burrow into the ground. We should land earlier and make our way through the underground tunnels, covering a thousand more miles."

Yu Ci naturally agreed.

Lu Qing then instructed him to get comfortable, while she herself maneuvered the Flying Boat. Descending swiftly, the accumulated Gang Thunderclap glowed from the exterior, warding off the black sandstorm. Should any ferocious Birds of Prey attack, they would be promptly obliterated. A hundred miles in such high speed was trivial, and soon, the Flying Boat was nearing the ground, ready to plunge directly into the depths of the earth.

At that moment, Lu Qing uttered a soft exclamation, "Is there a city here?"

"A city on the ground?" Yu Ci thought back to the first city he had entered after arriving in the North Wilderness, the lifeless Black Sand City. It was there he had encountered Wan Quan.

Lu Qing, however, seemed unimpressed and simply maneuvered the Flying Boat to slightly change course. The roaring sound of cleaving through the air outside suddenly intensified, a thunderous noise created as the shockwaves driven by the Flying Boat collided with the city's Defensive Array.

The Clear Sky Gang Thunder Boat began to decelerate. Under Lu Qing's control, there was little change inside the vessel, but outside, the two-zhang-long Flying Boat transformed into a fiery meteor, streaking across the sky above the city at an angle, trailing chains of lightning.

As the Flying Boat descended, Yu Ci's ears twitched. The coarse roar of the Armored Demon Dragon followed close behind. In the midst of the sandstorm, the creature's speed was even slightly faster than the Flying Boat, but it was clear it couldn't keep up...

Hold on, wait a minute!

Yu Ci suddenly remembered something—the Armored Demon Dragon was notoriously ill-tempered and had the ability to whip up Black Sandstorms, making it nearly invincible. With that in mind...

His thoughts stirred, and he released his divine consciousness like scattered starlight, only to be shocked by the dense feedback: "So many people!"

The city below was clearly not a dilapidated place like Black Sand City. It teemed with tens of thousands of living beings, causing Yu Ci some concern. He looked up at Lu Qing and scratched his head, "Perhaps we should deal with that beast trailing us."

*******

I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e