Chapter 1313: Fangcun Mountain

Haitang was clearly very weak at this moment. She had been trapped on the Ghost Ship for several months longer than Lu Ye, her physical body confined, with her foundational strength continuously draining away.

Strictly speaking, the Haitang Lu Ye saw on the Ghost Ship was not her true body, but rather a manifestation of her soul's spiritual form. This is why she could repeatedly revert with each reincarnation. Her actual body had remained trapped somewhere on the Ghost Ship. With her spiritual soul separated from her true body, Haitang had no control over her physical form. Under such circumstances, she naturally grew weaker and weaker until her eventual demise.

What surprised Lu Ye wasn't her current state, but her actual form. The Haitang he had seen on the Ghost Ship appeared to be a normal human cultivator, but the Haitang now before Lu Ye's eyes was only palm-sized. While she looked like a human, Lu Ye was certain Haitang was definitely not human! There were no humans that small in this world. Among the races Lu Ye had encountered, the smallest in stature were undoubtedly the Pixie clan, but even their individuals were baby-sized, several times larger than Haitang before him.

Haitang forced a faint smile onto her pale face. "Forgive me for my appearance, junior brother. I am from the Midget race of Fangcun Mountain."

"The Midget race of Fangcun Mountain?" Lu Ye was stunned. "But on the Ghost Ship, Senior Sister, you clearly..."

Haitang replied, "That's also one of the Ghost Ship's rules. Actually, the crew members you saw were likely of different races, but on the ship, everyone appeared in a normal human form."

Only then did Lu Ye understand, realizing his own limited experience. Still, Lu Ye had never seen such a tiny person before and found it quite novel.

But this was not the time for curiosity. Haitang's condition was clearly not right. Lu Ye said with concern, "Senior Sister, please recover first!" As he spoke, he extended a hand, gently lifted her, and placed her on his shoulder. Haitang nodded and sat down cross-legged.

"Do you need any spirit pills?" Lu Ye asked.

Haitang shook her head. "External spirit pills aren't suitable for my race. I have my own means of recovery, junior brother, so you needn't worry." Lu Ye didn't ask further. He realized she was right; the spirit pills he used were almost half the size of Haitang's head, making them impossible for her to consume. Chew on them? That would be too unsightly.

While Haitang recovered, Lu Ye began to survey their surroundings to determine the direction of Kyushu. The time spent on the Ghost Ship wasn't long, roughly ten days at most, so they shouldn't have drifted too far. He observed the Sun Star, then found the Tai Bai Star in the vast starry sky. After a brief deduction, he confirmed Kyushu's orientation. Lu Ye then propelled himself, embarking on his return journey.

This first time leaving Kyushu and venturing into space, he had encountered so many things. Lu Ye briefly reviewed his experiences. It seemed only the first three months had been peaceful, spent searching for spiritual jade and exploring. After that, he encountered a large group of Star Beasts and had a fierce battle. Just as he was about to return, he met Feng Rumou, who then guided him to the Ghost Ship. He had always believed the starry sky around Kyushu would be silent, as Yang Qing had previously mentioned that Kyushu was located in a rather remote area. But now it seemed, remote as it might be, it could still get lively at times. All sorts of wandering objects or creatures in the starry sky might drift towards Kyushu at any time.

Controlling his speed to a manageable level, and dedicating a portion of his mental energy to surveying his surroundings to ensure he wouldn't accidentally crash into anything, Lu Ye then focused his mind inward to examine himself.

When he finally left the Ghost Ship, a large expanse of thick mist had surged into his body. Although his talent tree showed no unusual reactions, and the mist itself claimed this was a benefit, Lu Ye dared not be careless before fully understanding what this benefit truly entailed.

His spiritual sense swept through every inch of his flesh, finding no abnormalities. This was very strange... With no abnormalities in his physical body, Lu Ye then investigated his Divine Sea. Indeed, he found something amiss. Originally, only traces of the Soul Suppressing Pagoda existed within his Divine Sea, but now, looking across that vast sea, a dilapidated ship was sailing.

The dilapidated ship's appearance was identical to the Ghost Ship! The Ghost Ship's actual body couldn't possibly have entered his Divine Sea; Lu Ye had already watched it depart. If so, what was this Ghost Ship doing here?

Lu Ye manifested his spiritual soul and flew down onto the Ghost Ship. In an instant, various profound mysteries enveloped his mind. Lu Ye closed his eyes, concentrating on comprehending. A moment later, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint in them. The mist's final words were correct; this truly was a great gift!

The Ghost Ship in his Divine Sea could be considered an imprint of the original Ghost Ship, possessing some of its characteristics and rules, though certainly not as powerful as the true Ghost Ship. And this item could be used in soul battles.

For Lu Ye, now venturing into the starry sky, he would inevitably face powerful individuals he couldn't match. The chaos in space was incomparable to Kyushu. Within Kyushu, cultivators rarely encountered enemies significantly stronger than themselves. Spirit Stream realm cultivators battled in the Spirit Stream battlefield, Cloud River realm in the Cloud River battlefield, all within the same realm. Even upon advancing to True Lake and joining state guards, Divine Sea realm cultivators would mutually restrain each other. True Lake realm cultivators were generally not oppressed by Divine Sea realm cultivators, and if they were, their own Divine Sea realm allies would quickly intervene.

But the starry sky was different; there were no such restraints. For example, that Yue Xin directly forced his way into Kyushu, intending to enslave its lands. If Yang Qing hadn't killed him, Kyushu's cultivators would likely have become his slaves. Or like Feng Rumou, whom Lu Ye previously encountered. If that person had been bloodthirsty, Lu Ye would have had no chance of survival. Venturing into the starry sky depended on both one's strength and luck. No matter how powerful one was, if luck ran out and an unmatched foe was encountered, one could only accept their misfortune.

The Soul Suppressing Pagoda in Lu Ye's Divine Sea was one such method. When cultivation reached the Star Dweller realm, cultivators had various ingenious methods to protect their souls, mostly by relying on treasures or practicing special soul secret arts. However, for Lu Ye, the Soul Suppressing Pagoda was merely a passive defense mechanism; it could only keep his soul stable and couldn't even block enemy spiritual invasions. But the Ghost Ship imprint he now possessed was a means of active offense.

In the future, if he encountered an enemy he couldn't match physically, or if a powerful individual initiated a soul battle, this Ghost Ship imprint would prove its worth.

Various mysteries about this ship filled his mind. Lu Ye uttered a low command, "Everyone, to your stations!" As his voice fell, the originally dilapidated ship body reverted to its intact appearance when it was the perfect Ghost Ship. Immediately after, faint, somewhat ethereal figures appeared on the deck. From their appearance, they were clearly Qin Zong and the other crew members.

Outside the Ghost Ship's treasury, the thick mist that last surged into Lu Ye's body was formed from Qin Zong and the others' disappearance. Therefore, this Ghost Ship also carried their imprints, allowing Lu Ye to command them at will. In other words, if Lu Ye were to engage in another soul battle with someone, it wouldn't just be a contest of souls anymore. Lu Ye could command the Ghost Ship and lead his crew members to catch the enemy off guard. Even though it was merely a soul battle, Lu Ye would be deploying a treasure ship... The thought of that scene was terrifying. Who knew what kind of expression his defeated enemy would wear!

Now, within his Divine Sea, he had the Soul Suppressing Pagoda for defense and the Ghost Ship for offense. With both attack and defense, he was truly well-equipped. After freely navigating the Ghost Ship within his Divine Sea for a while, Lu Ye finally withdrew.

Overall, he was very satisfied with the benefit the mist had bestowed upon him. Moreover, from the mist's words, it seemed he was likely the only person throughout history to have received such a boon. In the past, even if cultivators passed the Ghost Ship's test, they usually only took a single treasure from the treasury before leaving. In comparison, the value of the Ghost Ship in his Divine Sea was no less than any item in the treasury. This thing could turn the tide of battle at crucial moments. What was most important for cultivators? Staying alive was paramount. As long as one was alive, there was hope. From this perspective, his earlier firm decision to take Haitang had an unintended positive outcome. To be honest, he was reluctant to give up the treasures in the treasury; the items there were indeed precious and rare. But compared to his final choice, they paled in significance. If he had only brought out a single treasure, Lu Ye would have felt uneasy forevermore. He sped onward.

After a full month, Haitang's condition finally showed some improvement. Although she remained weak, her situation had at least stabilized. From now on, she only needed to rest peacefully to slowly recover.

Haitang rose from Lu Ye's shoulder, looked at his profile, and sincerely bowed. "Thank you, Junior Brother Lu, for bringing me out of this bitter sea. Haitang will forever remember this kindness and compassion!"

Lu Ye smiled. "Senior Sister Haitang, you exaggerate. Actually, if anything, I should be thanking you. If it weren't for your final effort, I wouldn't have been able to pass the Ghost Ship's test. If that were the case, you and I would probably still be relying on each other on the Ghost Ship, holding hands and weeping."

At the end of the nineteenth reincarnation battle, Lu Ye steered the Ghost Ship towards the last enemy vessel. He couldn't finish it in one blow. Just as the enemy ship's magic array hummed and glowed brightly, Haitang timely controlled the attack array, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy ship, which then made Lu Ye's passing the test possible. From this alone, Haitang owed Lu Ye immense gratitude.

Finding his words amusing, Haitang couldn't help but chuckle. "Regardless, my life was given by Junior Brother Lu. In the future, if you have any commands, I will obey without question!"

She spoke earnestly. Lu Ye waved his hand. "You saved me, and I saved you. We just helped each other out. There's no talk of who owes whom. Besides, my choice to take Senior Sister wasn't entirely without benefit. The advantage I gained is no less than any treasure from the treasury."

This time, Tang San's grasp of time, position, and distance was exceptionally precise.

He knew very well that even with his Tang Sect unique skills and a third-stage Mysterious Heaven Skill cultivation, he might not be a match for a wolf demon in a direct confrontation, as they were naturally gifted and physically strong. Especially being young and lacking vital energy, he certainly couldn't fight for long. If that transformed human hadn't killed one wolf demon, he might not even have acted against two third-stage wolf demons, as his own life was paramount.

However, if he were to strike, he absolutely had to hit his target. The wolf demon was in a state of extreme rage at this moment. Thus, it was only when Tang San's palm was already striking the side of its eye that it became startled. It abruptly twisted its head, its wolf mouth lunging directly at Tang San.

Tang San's other hand, however, grabbed its clothes at that moment. Utilizing his slender build, he pulled the wolf's fur, changing his direction. With a flip, almost brushing against the third-stage wolf demon's chest, he was on the other side of the wolf demon. His right index and middle fingers formed a sword-finger. With the Mysterious Jade Hand activated, his two fingers glowed with a pure white jade color, stabbing like lightning towards the wolf demon's eye as it turned its head back.

*Thud!* The slender fingers instantly pierced into warm flesh. In terms of physical strength, Tang San was undoubtedly far inferior to this third-stage wolf demon, but once he struck a vital point with energy of the same level, there was no room for luck. The Mysterious Heaven Skill infused through the Mysterious Jade Hand practically spun into the wolf demon's brain. As a result, the wolf demon's other eye also burst open instantly, its brain reduced to a pulp. Its roar abruptly ceased as if its throat were choked, and its strong body fell to the ground.

Tang San pushed off its body with his tiptoes, flipping backward to land some distance away. This strike's success was due to his extensive combat experience from his previous life. The child's small body and the darkness provided the best cover, and the third-stage wolf demon was in a furious rage, with its senses dulled. In a direct confrontation, Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand might not have been able to penetrate the wolf demon's thick hide. However, the eyes were the most vulnerable point; piercing an eye and injecting Mysterious Heaven Skill energy meant certain death.

His feet landed, and the other third-stage wolf demon on the other side was also still. Tang San finally let out a breath of relief. He didn't rush to check on the human but quickly lay on the ground, pressing his ear to the earth, listening for any sounds to see if there were more pursuers. With his current strength, directly confronting a third-stage wolf demon was very difficult. No matter how good his technique, his young body was too fragile. A single hit from a wolf demon could likely be fatal. The seemingly simple attack he just performed was actually his full effort, raising his mental will to the highest degree.

No other movements appeared around them. Clearly, only two third-stage wolf demons were pursuing the human who could transform. This also relieved Tang San; otherwise, he would have had no choice but to flee. Only then did he walk towards the human, maintaining his vigilance.

When he approached the person, he immediately noticed that the hair that had previously grown on their body had disappeared. This made Tang San's heartbeat quicken slightly. Given his young age and the fact that he had no relation to the transforming human, the safest option before was naturally not to act and wait for the wolf demons to leave. But he still chose to intervene. One reason was that the pursued individual was human. Another important reason was the transformation he had just witnessed.

In Tang San's original Douluo Continent world, there were Soul Masters with beast martial souls who possessed similar abilities. They could also continuously grow stronger by cultivating their beast martial souls. If such abilities existed in this world, then for him, learning them would naturally be of great benefit to his own strength and make it easier to integrate into this world!