“Very well, since you have no objections, you may go and rest for now. I hope the journey ahead will be smoother.” Han Li waved his hand at the woman and sighed softly.
Xue Po naturally dared not disobey and promptly withdrew from the hall.
Han Li remained seated quietly in his chair, lost in thought.
…
Several days later, the colossal demonic spirit ship appeared over a vast emerald-green lake and descended onto a seemingly desolate island.
Yet, merely half a day later, the ship rose into the sky once more, speeding away along its predetermined route.
…
A month later, above a renowned mountain range in the Blood Sky Continent, over a dozen Blood Sky aliens were engaged in fierce combat, divided into two factions.
One group had fiery-red skin with faint scales visible on their cheeks, while the other had thick brows, large eyes, and wisps of baleful aura clinging to their bodies.
Beneath them, hidden deep within an exceptionally secluded forest, several spiritual herbs emitting an unusual fragrance swayed gently in the wind.
On either side of these herbs sat an elder in a blood-red robe and another in gray robes.
Their appearances resembled the two factions fighting in the sky, but their cultivation far surpassed those above. Each wielded a treasure—one resembling a flower basket, the other a disk-shaped artifact—engaged in a fierce struggle above the herbs, locked in a stalemate.
Clearly, these two were the leaders of their respective factions, battling over these rare spiritual herbs.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the distant horizon as a massive black ship, towering like a mountain, appeared in a flash and shot toward the forest at astonishing speed.
Before the ship even reached them, an overwhelming aura swept forth like a tidal wave.
The two factions of Blood Sky aliens in the sky, whose cultivation ranged from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, were forced back in shock by this pressure, hastily retreating.
The two leaders in the forest below, both at the Void Refinement stage, also paled and hurriedly looked up at the colossal ship.
The black ship dipped slightly before passing over the forest like a hurricane.
The aliens felt as if a tempest had swept past them, their bodies spinning uncontrollably like tops.
With loud *thuds*, they were flung dozens of feet backward before barely regaining their footing.
The forest below, as if trampled by a primordial beast, was split down the middle by a massive trench over ten zhang wide, with trees collapsing on either side.
The faces of the two factions turned ashen with terror.
By then, the black ship was already miles away, vanishing in a gust of black wind.
The two faction leaders near the herbs, though spared from the trench, were still crushed by an oppressive force, tumbling backward several times.
When they scrambled back to their feet, their faces were deathly pale, their gazes toward the distant ship filled with horror, as if they had seen a ghost.
“That was a Grand Ascension elder! Only a ship belonging to such a being could possess such terrifying power,” muttered the blood-robed elder.
“I wonder which elder would pass through here… Ah! The herbs!” The gray-robed man, still shaken, suddenly remembered and leaped up, frantically looking toward the trench. He then exhaled in relief.
Miraculously, the spiritual herbs remained unharmed in the trench, as if the overwhelming force had deliberately avoided them.
Yet, moments later, the blood-robed elder and the gray-robed man exchanged glances, their expressions shifting once more as they reactivated their treasures and resumed their battle.
Meanwhile, their subordinates in the sky, seeing that the terrifying ship had ignored them, hesitated briefly before clashing again with a roar.
…
Three months later, above a restricted zone of a mid-sized sect, a colossal black ship hovered silently in the sky. Surrounding it were thousands of high-grade puppets, densely packed and occupying most of the airspace.
Beneath the puppets stood nearly ten thousand Blood Sky beings in uniform attire, all trembling on the ground, not daring to move an inch.
After a full hour, ripples emerged from the restricted zone as a streak of azure light forcibly broke through the barriers. In a few flashes, two figures appeared on the ship—Han Li and Zhu Guo’er.
“Senior, any leads?” Xue Po, who had been waiting, stepped forward anxiously.
“None. This altar isn’t the one we seek. Let’s move on,” Han Li replied indifferently.
“Yes!”
Hua Shi the Venerable acknowledged, retrieving a token-like artifact and waving it. Instantly, the countless puppets silently returned to the ship.
The next moment, the demonic spirit ship erupted with black runes and vanished into the sky with a thunderous roar.
Only the sect members remained on the ground.
Among them, several Body Integration cultivators relaxed visibly once the ship was truly gone.
However, a burly man with a green beard muttered resentfully, “Sect Master, Elders, are we just letting them leave like this? If word spreads, our Lihuo Sect’s reputation will be ruined!”
“And what would you have us do? That leader’s cultivation is unfathomable—likely a Grand Ascension elder. Even those puppets alone could annihilate our sect several times over. Do you propose we throw ourselves against a boulder, Elder Chu?” retorted a hunchbacked elder with a fierce expression.
The others nodded in agreement.
“Even if our sect is no match, we could appeal to our parent sect. Don’t we pay tribute precisely for their protection in times like this? If they intervene, our dignity could be preserved,” the bearded man argued.
“Our parent sect has only one Grand Ascension elder. Why would they provoke another over such a trivial matter? Besides, the intruders only entered our restricted zone without harming anyone. Beyond reputation, we’ve suffered no real losses. Under these circumstances, the parent sect would never act,” the hunchback sneered.
“Not necessarily. If our sect is willing to pay a price…” The bearded man’s eyes gleamed cunningly.
“Enough. This ends here. To risk offending a Grand Ascension elder over mere pride—Elder Chu, have you lost your mind, or do you have ulterior motives?” A scholarly-robed middle-aged man, the sect master, cut in sharply.
“Sect Master, I have no ulterior motives. I merely resent the humiliation to our Lihuo Sect. If you and the elders care not, neither shall I,” the bearded man grumbled before falling silent.
“Elder Fei, Elder Qiong, inspect the restricted zone. See if anything is missing and determine where that Grand Ascension elder went,” the sect master ordered, ignoring the bearded man.
“Yes, we’ll investigate at once.”
The hunchbacked elder and another complied, vanishing into the restricted zone on streaks of light.
The remaining disciples dispersed under the sect master’s command.
…
“An ancient altar?”
Half a day later, in a hidden chamber, the sect master frowned in confusion.
“Indeed. That senior only visited that one location and left traces of spellcasting,” the hunchbacked elder replied with a wry smile.
“That altar has been abandoned for countless years. Why would they trespass just to perform spells there?” the sect master murmured, suspicion evident.
“Who knows? Perhaps the altar hides some forgotten secret?” the hunchbacked elder mused, stroking his chin.
“Regardless, if a Grand Ascension elder is involved, it’s beyond our reach. Double the guards in the restricted zone, but otherwise, we’ll pretend ignorance,” the sect master decided after a long pause.
“Understood. I’ll relay the orders tomorrow,” the hunchbacked elder agreed without objection.
…
Meanwhile, in the black ship’s hall, Han Li sat at the head, observing a shimmering white screen.
Displayed upon it was an incredibly detailed map, with several glowing green dots scattered across its expanse.
“Senior Han, we’ve investigated most of the nearby altars. The next one lies half a month away, but entering that region means stepping into the territory of the Blood Bone Sect, a major blood-path power,” Xue Po explained, pointing to one of the green dots.
“The Blood Bone Sect—the very power you offended. It seems we’ll need to tread carefully there. While I fear no Grand Ascension opponent, unnecessary conflicts are best avoided,” Han Li remarked calmly.
“Senior, the Blood Bone Sect boasts five or six Grand Ascension elders, making it one of the strongest factions in the Blood Sky Continent. Though fewer in number than other major powers, their blood-path techniques are exceptionally brutal, rendering each elder far more formidable than ordinary Grand Ascension cultivators. To avoid their notice, we may need to abandon the demonic spirit ship,” Xue Po cautioned gravely.
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