Chapter 1300: Can't Escape

Lu Ye detected no sign of life on the spirit boat. This wasn't surprising; the spirit boat clearly bore the scars of a brutal battle. Given its damaged state, it was unlikely any cultivators remained—they must have either died or fled.

As it was, Lu Ye couldn't be sure if this spirit boat was the opportunity Feng Rumou had mentioned. It had clearly drifted from an unknown corner of the starry sky, and to an unknown destination, having wandered for a considerable time before Lu Ye encountered it. This implied that other cultivators must have encountered it before him. If there were any valuable items on board, they would surely have been taken long ago, not left for him to discover.

Lu Ye was convinced that it was most likely a dilapidated, worthless warship. He felt a momentary lack of interest, but since he had come across it, he figured he might as well explore it thoroughly. He circled the spirit boat a few more times, his divine sense sweeping across it in sudden, overlapping bursts. Finding nothing unusual, Lu Ye finally stopped and materialized a clone.

Even though he was fairly certain there was no immediate danger on the spirit boat, he maintained his caution. A cultivator traversing the starry void who wasn't careful enough would eventually meet misfortune. Soon, his sword-cultivator clone appeared beside him. He dressed the clone, but this time didn't equip it with a sword gourd; after all, it was just for reconnaissance and likely wouldn't need it. With a flicker of thought, the clone descended onto the spirit boat.

Stepping onto the deck, he saw remnants of a great battle everywhere: mottled bloodstains and hundreds of holes, big and small, pockmarking the surface. A quick search revealed nothing of value on the ruined deck; in fact, the entire deck was completely empty. The clone then proceeded into the ship's interior. Moments later, his main body, which had remained outside, also ascended to the spirit boat, joining the clone in the exploration.

Just as Lu Ye had anticipated, there was no danger on the spirit boat. This confirmed one thing for him: this wasn't the opportunity Feng Rumou had pointed him towards; his encounter with this dilapidated vessel was merely a coincidence. The clone began its search from the third-level cabin downwards, while the main body started from the lowest cabin upwards, effectively speeding up their exploration. They checked room by room.

After about half a day, the clone and main body converged, and Lu Ye casually dismissed his clone. It was a wasted effort! This was nothing but a wreck. There was absolutely nothing of value on the spirit boat; even the dilapidated vessel itself held no worth. He reasoned that if it had possessed even the slightest value, any cultivator who discovered it would surely have taken it long ago, rather than leaving it to drift aimlessly through the starry void.

Lu Ye was about to leave. However, just as he began to ascend, an unexpected change occurred. A thick, dense fog suddenly materialized out of nowhere, engulfing everything. Within its shroud, sight was impossible, and even divine sense couldn't penetrate.

Lu Ye was startled! He immediately drew his Panshuan Saber, its blade imbued with the Divine Edge spirit pattern. His spiritual power surged covertly, poised for action. He had no idea what was happening. During his earlier thorough search, he hadn't found anything unusual on the spirit boat, yet this strange phenomenon began precisely as he was about to depart. This was clearly not normal!

He shot upwards rapidly, but strangely, the thick fog continued to envelop him; he couldn't escape it! Lu Ye split a wisp of his consciousness to check his Talent Tree, finding it completely normal. This confirmed the fog wasn't poisonous, but it was clearly no ordinary mist, otherwise, even his Star-Constellation realm divine sense wouldn't be unable to pierce it.

An illusion array? Or a maze array? Lu Ye could only conclude he had fallen into some sophisticated array. He activated his Insight spirit pattern, enhancing his vision, and scanned his surroundings, but found nothing particular. It wasn't an array! He himself possessed considerable skill in array formations. If there had been any residual array on the spirit boat, he would have detected it long ago. Yet, his prior exploration with his main body and clone had revealed nothing.

If not an array, then what could it be? Even when confronted with this sudden anomaly, Lu Ye remained calm, focusing solely on finding a way to break free. What was truly bizarre was that no matter how hard he tried to fly, he couldn't escape the fog's pervasive embrace. It felt as if he had already flown a thousand *li* in this short span, yet the thick mist still surrounded him.

As Lu Ye was still pondering, a cacophony of ghostly wails and wolf howls suddenly erupted around him. The sounds assailed him from all directions, piercing directly into his mind. In such a bizarre and eerie environment, a timid person would undoubtedly be scared out of their wits.

Lu Ye's expression hardened. He constantly scanned his surroundings, his divine sense darting back and forth, trying to find any unusual traces. Suddenly, a loud shout echoed from deep within the fog: "Setting sail!" At that moment, the ghostly wails transformed into a mocking chorus. Lu Ye abruptly turned his head, looking towards the source of the sound.

In that very instant, the dense fog dissipated completely, and clarity returned to Lu Ye's vision. A face adorned with thick sideburns filled Lu Ye's sight. It belonged to a brawny man, appearing to be in his late thirties, wearing a short shirt that revealed his well-defined, bulging muscles.

Without a second thought, Lu Ye brought his blade down towards the man. On the dark body of the Panshuan Saber, the light of the Divine Edge spirit pattern flared to its utmost brilliance! Yet, as Lu Ye struck, a flood of information suddenly surged uncontrollably into his mind. It appeared without explanation, knowledge he had never possessed before, as if forcibly implanted.

Qin Zong! Late-stage Star-Constellation realm! First Mate of the Long Dragon warship! Lu Ye instantly grasped the identity of the bearded man.

The strike was Lu Ye's full-force eruption, undeniably powerful. However, Qin Zong's cultivation was two minor stages higher than Lu Ye's, and being a body cultivator, his reaction was incredibly swift. He seemed to have anticipated the attack, having already activated his protective spiritual power before Lu Ye's blade even descended. The blade struck Qin Zong's protective spiritual power but failed to pierce it.

Qin Zong instinctively recoiled, a look of astonishment on his face as he stared at Lu Ye. "Captain, what are you doing?" Several other figures nearby also turned to Lu Ye, equally bewildered.

Lu Ye stood still, blade in hand, his gaze lowered. He quickly sifted through the deluge of information that had flooded his mind, then swept his eyes over the other figures, cross-referencing them with the bizarrely appearing data. Xiao Jianming, late-stage Star-Constellation realm, Second Mate of the Long Dragon warship. Zhou Xing, mid-stage Star-Constellation realm, array master of the Long Dragon warship. Xu Qingwei, mid-stage Star-Constellation realm, ship's doctor.

Only these few individuals were immediately beside him, but there were clearly more. Lu Ye's divine sense detected a dozen or so other living auras nearby, all of them in the Star-Constellation realm. And he himself, surprisingly, was the captain of the Long Dragon warship! This group, he learned, were star pirates active in the void, pillaging and committing numerous evil deeds wherever they went.

Lu Ye's mind reeled. He had clearly been exploring a dilapidated spirit boat, and finding nothing, was preparing to leave. But then, the dense fog had descended, and when it cleared, he was faced with this bizarre situation. The Long Dragon warship was clearly the name of the dilapidated spirit boat he had just explored. A scan with his divine sense confirmed this; in terms of layout, the Long Dragon warship he now found himself on was identical to the ruined spirit boat, except one was pristine and the other was utterly derelict.

What exactly was going on? Even Lu Ye, who had experienced his share of strange occurrences, felt a surge of confusion. A dilapidated spirit boat had transformed into a pristine warship. An empty vessel now held over a dozen Star-Constellation realm cultivators, and he himself had inexplicably become the captain of this star pirate crew. Every aspect of the situation screamed strangeness.

As Lu Ye pondered, Xu Qingwei quietly spoke, "Captain, are you alright?" As the ship's doctor of the Long Dragon warship, it was natural for her to inquire, given Lu Ye's visibly unusual state.

Lu Ye didn't respond immediately, remaining in thought. After a moment, he calmly replied, "Nothing. Just a brief moment of disorientation." He slowly sheathed his Panshuan Saber. He was certain these individuals must know something about his current predicament, yet they all appeared utterly oblivious. Lu Ye found it awkward to question them directly.

Even if they were willing to speak, the power disparity wasn't something Lu Ye could easily overcome. He couldn't resort to force; both the First and Second Mates of the Long Dragon warship were late-stage Star-Constellation cultivators. One-on-one, Lu Ye estimated he could barely hold his own, but against two... he certainly stood no chance.

Hearing his words, the others visibly relaxed. Qin Zong grinned. "Captain, your skill is truly impressive! That blade was incredibly sharp; it startled me!" His words weren't false flattery. Qin Zong was late-stage Star-Constellation, while Lu Ye had only just entered the Star-Constellation realm. Yet, that single strike had nearly breached his protective spiritual energy, demonstrating its extraordinary power.

Lu Ye didn't reply. He had initially assumed this dilapidated spirit boat was merely a coincidental discovery, but now it seemed to bear some connection to the opportunity Feng Rumou had pointed out earlier. Unfortunately, Feng Rumou hadn't revealed anything at the time, leaving Lu Ye utterly bewildered now.

The most crucial point was how a clearly dilapidated spirit boat had suddenly transformed into the pristine Long Dragon warship! Moreover, the ship was fully staffed. If it were an illusion, it could be explained. Yet, everything Lu Ye saw and felt told him one thing: this was no illusion; this was reality!

Despite all sensory input, Lu Ye remained certain of one thing: this was absolutely an illusion! The dense fog was merely a catalyst. The illusion itself was simply too sophisticated, so flawless that he couldn't detect a single imperfection. If this was the case, then the people he saw before him might not be alive. They appeared no different from living individuals, but in reality, they might have been dead for who knew how long. His current position must still be on that ruined spirit boat; it was merely the effect of the illusion that made him perceive a perfectly intact Long Dragon warship.