Qu Qiao’s Divine Soul Cultivation surpassed that of an ordinary Nascent Soul True Cultivator, allowing her to tell at a glance that these Independent Cultivators were not lying.

She considered killing all the Independent Cultivators on the ship to silence them, but a glance at the bustling Seaport in the distance made her reconsider. Instead, she raised a hand to her lips and blew out a puff of smoke.

The Independent Cultivators smelled just a wisp of the smoke and felt their Divine Senses fall into chaos. By the time they recovered their wits, they had forgotten everything that had just occurred.

Qu Qiao steered her Cyan Lion high into the sky and flew eastward.

The Cyan Lion she rode unleashed its Divine Power, pushing its speed to the absolute limit.

***

Aboard the Flying Boat at sea, Yang Jing stood on deck, his hand gripping the Celestial Waterfall Sword. A faint sense of unease stirred within him. He would not ignore such a feeling—it was clearly his Sword Heart warning him of danger.

"Head north."

He hesitated for a moment before speaking to Iron Head beside him.

Upon receiving the order, Iron Head immediately relayed it to the Array Master piloting the Flying Boat. Changing course from east to north meant heading deeper into the ocean, the complete opposite direction of their destination, the Dong Kingdom.

"Master, is something wrong?"

Yinjiao asked with concern.

This journey was for the sake of his Foundation Establishment. He would be unable to rest easy if something were to go wrong.

Yang Jing placed a hand on his head.

"Don’t let this trouble you. Worrying will only affect your Foundation Establishment. Just trust your master."

Yinjiao’s eyes welled with tears as he gave his master a deep, formal bow.

"Iron Head, starting today, you and I will take turns keeping watch over the sea."

Iron Head nodded grimly, not daring to be complacent. Having served as a Demon Patrol Envoy for over two years, he had chased Demon Cultivators and Tribulation Cultivators out to sea before and knew the dangers of the great ocean.

During their downtime, the soldiers would tell him stories of their voyages with Meng Sima.

A Martial Might-level Flying Boat was a behemoth, but the ocean housed giant Sea Monsters like the Profound Whale, creatures whose bodies dwarfed the vessel. It would not be surprising if a Sea Monster suddenly breached the surface and swallowed the Flying Boat whole.

Yang Jing commanded the Flying Boat to fly north for nearly two thousand miles. Only when the soldiers aboard grew visibly restless did he order a change of course to the southeast.

By now, even flying thousands of feet in the air and straining their eyes to the limit, they could no longer see the Western Continent. Their view was filled with nothing but the boundless ocean. Below, there was only the constant churning of waves; the scattered ships that dotted the coastal waters were long gone.

Compared to the vastness of the ocean, the massive Flying Boat was like a lone skiff.

Fierce winds howled across the ocean, and the air was thick with Evil Qi and Muddy Qi. A Cultivator who left the Flying Boat would find it impossible to cultivate; instead, their bodies would be corrupted by the foul energies. In severe cases, they could suffer a cultivation deviation and lose all reason.

In their campaigns against the Four Demon Sects, the Demon Suppression Army soldiers on board had traveled as far as ten thousand li from the Western Continent. But back then, they moved in fleets of a dozen or more Flying Boats, watching each other’s backs, with a Pingyang-class Flying Boat as their flagship. There was little to fear.

Now, however, they were a single vessel, all alone.

If not for the established authority of Yang Jing and Iron Head, the soldiers would have already started pleading to turn back.

Yang Jing and Yinjiao stood on the deck.

Yinjiao gazed out at the vast expanse of sea. Unlike the others, he felt no fear. Instead, a sense of kinship washed over him. Even the Supreme Nine Transformations of the Dragon Scripture circulating within him, already near the stage of Qi Cultivation Perfection, began to stir with excitement.

The Flood Dragon Pearl he had formed by practicing the scripture began to thrum, spontaneously drawing in the endless Water Element Spiritual Qi from the ocean around them.

"Do you really remember the sea route we took?"

Yang Jing asked, pleasantly surprised.

Yinjiao nodded resolutely.

To others, the ocean’s surface looked unchanging. But Yinjiao, as a pure-blooded Flood Dragon, could discern subtle differences, each one as clear in his mind as the lines on his own palm.

Yinjiao himself hadn’t known he possessed such an ability until they ventured deep into the ocean.

Cautious by nature, he had confirmed this sense multiple times before reporting it to his master, Yang Jing.

Out on the open ocean, with no landmarks, it was incredibly easy to lose one’s way. Even the stars were obscured, blurred by the interference of the Muddy Qi and Evil Qi.

Yang Jing had to ride his Celestial Waterfall Sword thousands of feet into the air just to faintly sense the stars and get his bearings. Any deeper into the ocean, and even that vague connection would vanish, leaving them completely lost.

"The direction you indicated isn’t wrong, Master, but we need to adjust our course five degrees to the port side for a direct route to the Dong Family’s lands."

Yang Jing nodded and signaled for the Array Master to adjust their course five degrees to port.

The Flying Boat sailed on for another three hours. Yang Jing could clearly sense that the Muddy Qi and Evil Qi over the ocean were growing thinner.

Yang Jing was just about to tell Yinjiao, who was standing watch nearby, to get some rest when his expression suddenly hardened.

"Raise the Spiritual Light Shield! A flock of Demon Birds is approaching!"

The Demon Suppression Army soldiers, already on high alert, reacted instantly to Yang Jing’s command. A Five-Colored Spirit Light flared to life, enveloping the entire Flying Boat.

A clarion horn blast echoed, and every soldier on the Flying Boat went on high alert.

A dozen breaths later, a dark, roaring cloud suddenly appeared on the horizon.

Soldiers with exceptional eyesight stared intently and realized the dark cloud was, in fact, a massive flock of Demon Birds.

"Milord, those are Evil Owls!"

The soldier who recognized the birds felt his scalp crawl.

These Demon Birds loved to hunt over the open ocean, riding the winds as far as ten thousand li out to sea. A flock of Evil Owls numbered at least ten thousand, and could be as large as several hundred thousand. There might even be a Golden Core Demon King among them.

Yang Jing raised an eyebrow. ’The deep sea really is dangerous,’ he thought. ’We’ve been out here less than a day and we’ve already run into a flock of Evil Owls.’

The Evil Owls were fast. One moment they were dozens of miles away, the next they had completely surrounded the Flying Boat. The view was blotted out by a sea of black feathers, obscuring both sky and ocean.

If the Spiritual Light Protective Shield of the Five Elements Spirit Suppressing Array hadn’t blocked the odor, the overpowering, rancid stench would have likely caused everyone on board to pass out.

BOOM!

Countless talons and feathered wings slammed against the spiritual light of the Five Elements Spirit Suppressing Array, and the strain on the Flying Boat immediately skyrocketed.

Iron Head raised the Command Banner.

"First battery, Divine Crow Flying Fire Formation! Scattershot! Fire!"

The battle-hardened soldiers of the Demon Suppression Army immediately activated the array.

One after another, Fire Crows condensed from Spiritual Fire let out piercing shrieks as they slammed into the flock.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The Divine Crow Flying Fire Formation installed on the Martial Might-level Flying Boat was a Tier Two array. The Fire Crows it unleashed were comparable in power to the Magic cast by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator specializing in Fire Techniques.

Each Fire Crow effortlessly pierced through a dozen Evil Owls, burning them to cinders.

A volley of dozens of Fire Crows instantly killed more than three hundred of the Evil Owls.

But while the results were impressive, it was a mere drop in the bucket against the sheer size of the flock.

After each volley, the Divine Crow Flying Fire Formation needed to recharge its Spiritual Qi. However, because the Array Formation was simple, the Flying Boat was equipped with four full sets.

"Third battery, Divine Crow Flying Fire Formation! Scattershot! Fire!"

Another swarm of crimson Fire Crows shot into the flock, the raging Spiritual Fire blasting an opening in their ranks.

Iron Head was an expert in Arrays and knew the recharge rate of the Divine Crow Flying Fire Formation like the back of his hand. Under his command, the four batteries fired in a continuous barrage, annihilating the Evil Owls.

The Flying Boat had other, more powerful Array Formations, but they consumed immense amounts of Spiritual Qi and would weaken the Spiritual Light Shield of the Five Elements Spirit Suppressing Array. The Divine Crow Flying Fire Formation, on the other hand, consumed little Spiritual Qi for its considerable power, making it ideal for wiping out the Evil Owls.

"Do you not need my help?"

Zuoqiu Feng came onto the deck with Chi Yu and Ji Feng, gathering her Magical Power.

"It is not yet time for you to act, Aunt-Master."

A golden light flashed across Yang Jing’s eyes, his gaze sweeping rapidly through the flock.

There was clearly a Golden Core Demon King hidden among the flock of Evil Owls. It was extremely cunning, concealing its aura and hiding amongst its kin, waiting for the right moment to strike.

But this little trick could not fool Yang Jing’s Grotto Dark Dharma Eye.