Near the airspace of the Nine Heavens Domain, the four-person squad led by Yun Qing had just finished their routine patrol, and all members were preparing to return to rest.

Although the high-tier sword cultivators of the Xuanming Sect had already withdrawn, and the skies above Posuo Island were now filled with cultivators from the Nine Cauldrons Sect, none of them dared to relax in the slightest.

Nearly every day, more than ten patrol teams of high-tier sword cultivators departed from the Nine Heavens Domain and nearby islands to conduct patrols in the skies above Posuo Island.

Even though high-grade spirit artifacts had a high spiritual energy consumption, with each day’s patrol burning through dozens or even hundreds of spirit stones, the Warfare Hall still acted generously. Whatever was spent was fully reimbursed. Each patrol mission even came with an additional bonus of spirit stones.

Especially now that business with the Golden Temple had been booming, the Artifact Refinement Hall had grown wealthy, and their benefits had improved accordingly. If these benefits were maintained, then over the course of a year, frontline sword cultivators like them, who were constantly on patrol duty, would easily earn three to four hundred spirit stones. Such income was comparable to that of newly promoted great cultivators stationed in the rear, who took care of clerical duties for the most part.

"The improved Purple Firmament Type 12 flying swords are just too easy to use. This time, they completely put our Nine Cauldrons Sect on the map. With more trade orders coming in from other sects, we’re all benefiting. Last month alone, we received an extra thirty spirit stones in bonuses. That alone proves how rich the Artifact Refinement Hall has become." As they patrolled, the four continued chatting casually. The one speaking was Zhan Yunfei, who cultivated the Supreme Perception Sword Art.

"Come to think of it, our Nine Cauldrons Sect hasn’t been this imposing in a very long time, especially in the East Sea."

"It’ll only get better. With more money, the sect can buy more pills. That will allow our cultivators to grow stronger, and they'll reclaim more territory. Then, in those reclaimed regions, the sect will be able to set up more spirit-gathering arrays at spiritual power nodes, condense more spirit stones, and raise even more cultivators. That’s a positive cycle."

"I heard that the Purple Firmament Institute's chief has been researching treasured-artifact-level Purple Firmament flying swords lately. Is that true?"

"You heard it too? He can already refine fourth-generation high-grade spirit artifact flying swords. Refining treasured artifacts is only a matter of time. And with his profound experience in spirit artifacts, once he succeeds, he’ll probably roll out second-generation low-grade treasured-artifact-level flying swords, or even third-generation ones. By then, our great cultivators won’t have to rely on outsiders and be extorted when purchasing flying swords."

"If Foundation Building sword cultivators could all be equipped with third-generation treasured-artifact-level flying swords, the people of the Great Sun Sword Sect would immediately behave themselves. When it comes to sheer numbers of Foundation Building sword cultivators, we’re not inferior to them at all."

"The Purple Firmament Institute's chief is truly a pillar of our Nine Cauldrons Sect."

Their conversation flowed on, their expressions filled with joy and anticipation for the future. Only Yun Qing, listening to their discussion, sensed that something felt off. However, he could not immediately pinpoint what it was.

After a moment, he finally said, "The Purple Firmament Institute's chief hasn’t yet refined a treasured artifact. We should give him some time. Praising him too highly this early isn’t a good thing. And... the greater the fame, the greater the storms he’ll face. That won’t help him focus on refining treasured artifacts. Until things are confirmed, we shouldn’t spread uncertain news."

Zhan Yunfei and Zhang Lie nodded, taking the advice to heart. Tu Hong chuckled awkwardly. "The journey’s been dull. We were just chatting."

"Since we’ve already rotated off duty, it’s one thing. But while patrolling, we must stay fully alert. The Xuanming Sect may have behaved these past few months, but who knows what they’re scheming. We absolutely cannot underestimate them," Yun Qing said solemnly.

The others did not argue and quickly focused their minds. The moment they did, Zhang Lie, whose eyes were especially sharp, noticed something. He froze for a brief moment and then suddenly pointed toward the distant clouds. "What’s that?!"

Yun Qing, Tu Hong, and Zhan Yunfei immediately strained their vision. Within the clouds more than fifty kilometers away, a small black dot burst through the clouds and surged toward them at astonishing speed. As the distance shrank, allowing them to clearly see what the black dot that they had seen was, all four felt their pupils constrict violently.

"That’s..."

"A Sky Patrol Warship!"

"In the entire Great Cangwu World, only about a dozen sects can manufacture Sky Patrol Warships. Whose warship is this?!" A suppressed cry of alarm spread among them.

"Zhan Yunfei!" Yun Qing barked.

Without needing the reminder, Zhan Yunfei had already activated his perception art, attempting to capture information from the approaching warship. After only a brief moment, his expression darkened.

"Information transmission is being disrupted! This is an extremely refined and sophisticated interference technique, and it's incredibly subtle. Even my psychic consciousness didn’t sense a thing! Unless someone specializes in tracking at the primordial psyche level, no one would detect even a trace of its signals..."

His words made Yun Qing’s face change instantly. "You’re saying we’re currently inside an information-restricted zone?!"

"Yes. Based on my judgment, the affected area is vast, likely covering thousands of kilometers," Zhen Yunfei said.

Yun Qing turned sharply toward the warship. "A Sky Patrol Warship with information interference active, and strong enough to block even primordial psyche cultivators’ perception... Such behavior..."

The intention of the enemy was as clear as day.

"No wonder the channels are so quiet during this period of time... Is this Sky Patrol Warship coming from the Infinite Star Palace, the Hundred-Beast Sect, or the Immortal Alliance?!"

Only these three factions possessed skills capable of controlling an almost invisible zone like this. The Lunar Sect, the Dharma Heaven Pavilion, and the Golden Temple could not have done it.

As the warship drew closer, they finally saw its true form and the emblem etched upon its hull, shimmering like a starry sky.

"The Infinite Star Palace!" they exclaimed.

An Infinite Star Palace Sky Patrol Warship had appeared near the Nine Heavens Domain’s coastal region! Posuo Island was only nine thousand kilometers from the Nine Heavens Domain. They had just finished their patrol and were returning to rest. At this moment, they were less than a thousand kilometers away.

Judging by the warship’s speed, it was traveling at roughly Mach 3. In other words, within at most twenty minutes, this Sky Patrol Warship would enter the Nine Heavens Domain and intrude into the Nine Cauldrons Sect's territory. And the Nine Cauldrons Sect had not detected anything at all!

Rumble! The Sky Patrol Warship, over a kilometer long, tore through the clouds amid violent spatial tremors, streaking across the sky. Countless types of arrays were carved across its hull, including attack, defense, perception, restoration, interference, support, amplification... Everything that was needed was there!

This was the pinnacle creation of the present-day Great Cangwu World, a supreme construct which fully displayed the highest levels of mastery in artifact refinement and array arts!

With its own inherent capabilities amplified by countless arrays, the Sky Patrol Warship was effectively equivalent to a mobile sect. And how powerful was a sect’s protective array supposed to be?

"Infinite Star Palace! Infinite Star Palace!"

The name of this terrifying behemoth, the most fearsome and overwhelming force in the world today, echoed endlessly in Yun Qing’s mind. The immense silhouette of the Sky Patrol Warship as it thundered past, along with the oppressive fluctuations emitted by the level 5 and even level 6 arrays operating across its hull, left him completely frozen, unable to move at all. Only an unwilling cry resounded within his heart.

Dimly, Yun Qing, Zhan Yunfei, Tu Hong, and Zhang Lie could still make out the indifferent gazes cast their way by the cultivators of the Infinite Star Palace aboard the kilometer-long Sky Patrol Warship.

It was a kind of aloofness, a sense that even though they could crush them at will, they could not be bothered to lift a finger. That very aloofness pierced deeply into Yun Qing’s pride and the others’, wrenching them out of the overwhelming terror imposed by such a colossal existence.