Chapter 223: Lingzhu Flying Boat

With mutual intent, the two men quickly closed the distance between them.

Boom!

Yun Youzi, riding a spiritual bamboo flying boat, unleashed his full power to blast through the surrounding cloud beasts. The boat shimmered, and in an instant, seizing the opportune moment, he swept to Qin Sang's side.

It seemed Yun Youzi wasn't in too desperate a state; after all, the most powerful cloud beasts were still ahead, and these particular ones were merely overwhelming in number.

Yun Youzi glanced at Qin Sang's ebony sword and said solemnly, "Brother Qin, quickly get on board! This flying boat of mine is incredibly fast, and escaping the cloud beasts won't be an issue, but I'll need to channel all my energy into piloting it. This means I won't be able to spare any focus to defend against their attacks, so I'll need you, Brother Qin, to use your sword to clear our path."

Qin Sang flashed to one end of the spiritual bamboo flying boat and surveyed it. He noticed it was constructed from four white spiritual bamboos, translucent and resembling white jade, as if forcibly bent and fused together to form the vessel.

Despite its simple appearance, seemingly made solely of spiritual bamboo with no other materials, the spiritual bamboo flying boat emanated fluctuations more powerful than any top-grade magic artifact Qin Sang had ever encountered. He had no idea what kind of treasure it was.

Qin Sang suspected the fluctuations originated from the spiritual bamboos themselves, indicating their extraordinary rarity. If his ebony sword could absorb the spiritual bamboos, its power would undoubtedly increase significantly.

Unfortunately, the spiritual bamboos had already been refined into a magic artifact. Even if Yun Youzi were generous enough to offer him the spiritual bamboo flying boat, the ebony sword would be unable to absorb it.

"Senior, rest assured, I won't let the cloud beasts bother you."

After Qin Sang agreed, with a slight thought, his ebony sword shot up, hovering above the spiritual bamboo flying boat. The sword array instantly unfurled, effortlessly slaying the closely pursuing cloud beasts.

"Excellent swordsmanship!"

Yun Youzi's eyes lit up. He praised Qin Sang, then, completely at ease, left the cloud beasts to him. Yun Youzi sat cross-legged within the spiritual bamboo flying boat, his mind immersed in the vessel.

A hum resonated.

The flying boat vibrated faintly, then changed direction, its front now pointing towards the outer perimeter of the Cloud Beast Sea.

A milky-white glow emanated from the spiritual bamboos, spreading upward to envelop both men, forming a thin protective barrier.

"Be careful, Junior Brother Qin!"

Yun Youzi's urgent warning came just as Qin Sang immediately reined in the sword array's reach. The next moment, Qin Sang's vision blurred as the world receded with astonishing speed.

Qin Sang was astounded by the spiritual bamboo flying boat's speed. Compared to it, his own flying shuttle was like a snail, and even his sword-riding speed couldn't possibly compare.

Perhaps only after breaking through the fourth level of the "Primordial Spirit Sword Cultivation Chapter" and mastering its second divine ability, "Sword Qi Thunder Sound," would he be able to keep pace with the flying boat.

However, Yun Youzi's cultivation was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage, suggesting this might not even be the spiritual bamboo flying boat's full potential. Qin Sang wondered where Yun Youzi had acquired such a treasure; with it, many perilous areas could be navigated with ease.

As Qin Sang cleared the path with his sword array, the spiritual bamboo flying boat surged forward at incredible speed, creating a considerable commotion. More and more cloud beasts were drawn to them along the way, though the vast majority were left far behind.

However, as the spiritual bamboo flying boat neared the edge of the Cloud Beast Sea, the strength of the pursuing cloud beasts intensified. Above them, Qin Sang even detected several unsettling fluctuations.

Qin Sang stood rigidly at the front of the flying boat, looking up with a grave expression.

"Caw, caw..."

Several crow-shaped cloud beasts dove down, blocking their path. Each possessed the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The cloud beasts shrieked, their strange, dozens-of-feet-long feathered wings spread wide. Each flap created spiritual energy turbulence, giving rise to hurricanes comparable in power to an attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Seeing this, Qin Sang let out a cold snort. He lightly tapped his ebony sword, which then emitted a prolonged hum. Sword energy erupted, instantly surging to a hundred zhang, resembling a colossal, sky-piercing blade that swept horizontally.

A thunderous roar echoed.

Struck by the sword energy, the hurricanes were instantly pulverized with explosive roars. The cloud beasts beyond sensed the terrifying killing intent carried by the sword energy, and instinctively shrieked in fear, scattering to evade it.

In truth, Qin Sang's power was far from sufficient to outright slay these cloud beasts; his ebony sword was nearing exhaustion after severely wounding just one. However, the sheer killing intent within the sword energy startled the cloud beasts, causing them to flee and inadvertently clear a path for the spiritual bamboo flying boat to break through the blockade.

The spiritual bamboo flying boat nimbly wove between the cloud beasts, leaving them far behind. Just as success seemed within reach, before Qin Sang could even breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt an extraordinarily terrifying pressure emanating from above.

Qin Sang looked up in horror, noticing a greyish mist that had appeared in the sky at some point. Heart-pounding fluctuations emanated from within it, and it was now rapidly engulfing them.

His worst fear had materialized: a powerful cloud beast had been alerted and was now attacking them.

Seeing this, Qin Sang's expression flickered. He quickly estimated the flying boat's speed, concluding they likely wouldn't be fully enveloped by the mist, but a direct impact was unavoidable.

Qin Sang's thoughts raced. He abruptly pulled a black shield from his spatial bag, muttering incantations as it rapidly expanded in his hand until it was large enough to shield the entire flying boat.

With a forceful flick, Qin Sang sent the black shield soaring skyward, where it met the rapidly descending mist, colliding in the blink of an eye.

A cracking sound reverberated.

Upon impact, a dense, spiderweb-like pattern of cracks instantly spread across the black shield before it shattered with a resounding crash, lasting for less than a breath of time.

Qin Sang's expression shifted. He was about to pull out another magic artifact to buy more time when Yun Youzi's weary voice reached his ear: "No need to waste your treasures, Brother Qin. Hold on tight."

Before the words fully left his lips, a pallor appeared on Yun Youzi's face. The spiritual bamboo flying boat suddenly erupted in dazzling light, shooting forward hundreds of zhang like a comet, leaving the mist far behind. After a few more blinks, it burst out of the Cloud Beast Sea.

The cloud beasts pursued for a while, but eventually lost sight of the spiritual bamboo flying boat entirely. With a few frustrated shrieks, they dispersed.

The spiritual bamboo flying boat sped along at low altitude. Qin Sang simultaneously fended off cloud beasts along their path and helped Yun Youzi navigate by discerning their direction. A quarter of an hour later, the flying boat descended by a lake in the center of the desolate wilderness.

Within the starkly desolate wilderness, this small lake appeared strikingly peculiar, beautiful like a sapphire embedded in its vast expanse.

The refuge was located deep beneath the lake. Although fierce winds from the celestial phenomenon swept across the land, the lake's surface remained remarkably calm, without a single ripple—a testament to the protective enchantments within the refuge.

The celestial phenomenon's power intensified, and both Qin Sang and Yun Youzi had expended considerable energy. They each put away their magic artifacts and swiftly entered the refuge. Finding it empty, they couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.

After each found a corner to meditate and restore their spiritual energy,

Yun Youzi cupped his hands towards Qin Sang, saying with a touch of emotion, "It's a good thing I ran into you, Brother Qin. This old man nearly left his bones back there."

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