Chapter 424

Ye Meier chuckled: "You've never seen the world, have you? If one day you take a spaceship trip to the Immortal Realm, the scenery along the way will make you cry from beauty."

Let me tell you, if it weren't forbidden to set up Spirit Gathering Immortal Arrays, countless cultivators along this route to the Immortal Realm would've established their caves."

Ding Huan's heart sank, but he said aloud: "So beautiful?"

Ye Meier snorted: "If I'm not mistaken, our warship is now flying along the edge of the Nine Immortal River."

You don't know the Nine Immortal River? It's truly a painting come to life—the river surface and sky blend perfectly. Even if you don't cultivate, just feeling that breathtaking scene will intoxicate you…"

Shi Nuozhou's cold, stern voice rang out: "No talking. Defend your assigned area."

Ye Meier giggled again, seemingly unconcerned, but she indeed stopped speaking.

Ding Huan felt increasingly uneasy—what Nine Immortal River? His spiritual sense encountered only desolation, ruin, and the ashen breath of death.

His spiritual sense touched the ground—everywhere were bleached bones and scenes of apocalypse.

They definitely weren't delivering goods to the Immortal Court, Ding Huan realized.

If they weren't delivering goods to the Immortal Court, why hire ten people, each with unique skills?

Ding Huan hadn't inquired about the others' specialties, but Hu Buji excelled in array arts, his spiritual sense was strong, and Ye Meier—no need to ask—was skilled in stealth and seduction techniques.

This Ancient Dao Immortal Transport has problems.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense didn't first seek out Shi Nuozhou or Hu Xiangyang—it landed on the young man he believed carried the red cargo.

The young man's ring bore a Level-Three Immortal Seal; Ding Huan easily bypassed it using Void Array Patterns and slipped his spiritual sense inside.

Inside the ring were only ordinary Low-grade Immortal Crystals, some low-level Immortal Pills, and a Low-grade offensive Immortal Artifact.

This was a perfectly normal cultivator's ring—nothing unusual inside.

Had he guessed wrong?

Just as Ding Huan's spiritual sense was about to sweep over the young man again, he suddenly sensed something wrong.

He immediately retracted his spiritual sense, thinking inwardly: Close call.

If he'd been a moment slower, the man might've noticed.

This guy was a Great Yi Immortal—if not for the true strength of his spiritual sense, he'd have been detected for sure.

There are two Great Yi Immortals on this warship—one in plain sight, one hidden.

Besides these two, at least one of the other five who boarded the ship must be powerful—especially that figure wearing the conical hat; his cultivation level is unknown.

Ding Huan took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then began tampering with the warship's defensive array.

Two days later, using his Level-Five Immortal Array expertise and formidable spiritual sense, Ding Huan embedded his own backdoors throughout the defensive array.

Whenever he wished, he could collapse it instantly—and replace it with his own Level-Five Void Entrapment and Annihilation Array.

He had several Transport Array Discs on his person—no need to forge new ones. As long as he escaped this warship, he could immediately summon his iron pot and flee.

After completing all array setups, Ding Huan wondered whether he should take Ye Meier with him when he escaped. As for Hu Buji—the other one he knew—it was too far away.

After thinking it over, Ding Huan decided that when he fled, he'd toss Ye Meier an Array Tablet—if she believed him, she could use it to open his entrapment array and escape; if not, fine.

But before leaving, Ding Huan still wanted to know why Hu Xiangyang had recruited them.

Ding Huan's spiritual sense cautiously approached the outer hull of the cabin—another Level-Five Shielding Immortal Array had been set up there.

This time, Ding Huan quickly located the array's core, and his spiritual sense slipped past the Level-Five array into the cabin.

Inside the cabin, Ding Huan saw Hu Xiangyang standing by the entrance, like a guard.

In the center sat the cultivator wearing the conical hat—he hadn't removed it since entering the cabin, and it had been half a year already; doesn't he get tired?

On either side of the conical-hat cultivator were the four female cultivators who had boarded with Ding Huan.

Two on each side, they formed a protective circle around the conical-hat cultivator.

The conical-hat cultivator appeared to be in meditation—his body was wrapped in a faint spiritual mist, his aura surging powerfully.

But under Ding Huan's spiritual sense, the man was merely a tiny Golden Immortal.

The four women beside him, however—two were early-stage Great Yi Immortals, two were late-stage Profound Immortals.

Ding Huan began carving Entrapment and Annihilation Array Patterns within the cabin—though he still didn't know why they'd brought him here, it certainly wasn't for anything good.

In one day, Ding Huan carved several layers of Level-Five Entrapment and Annihilation Array Patterns.

Worried these patterns might leave traces if he left, he also carved Control Array Patterns.

When he no longer wanted them, he'd use the Control Array Patterns to collapse the Entrapment and Annihilation Patterns.

After completing all these setups, Ding Huan exhaled in relief—he decided to leave.

Before going, he'd send a message to Ye Meier.

Before departing, Ding Huan planned to open the conical-hat cultivator's ring and see what treasures he had.

If there was anything he liked, he wouldn't hesitate to take it.

Before Ding Huan could open the conical-hat cultivator's ring, the cultivator in meditation suddenly stopped.

Seeing the man had ceased meditating, Ding Huan could only retract his spiritual sense.

This guy seemed to be in the Golden Immortal realm, but he clearly possessed many treasures.

For one thing, that conical hat alone was no ordinary item—if he used his spiritual sense to break the ring's seal, he'd likely be detected.

"It's been months—have you found out anything about Zhang San's origins?" The conical-hat cultivator's first words were about Zhang San.

His voice was high-pitched, almost feminine—Ding Huan's instinct told him this was a male cultivator.

Hearing this, Ding Huan was surprised—why specifically investigate him? Just because his spiritual sense was stronger?

"Young Master, the Ancient Immortal Dao City has no record of this Zhang San entering recently. Only two possibilities: first, he entered long ago and has been in seclusion; second, he's disguised himself."

One of the Great Yi Immortal female cultivators standing beside the conical-hat cultivator bowed respectfully, answering with extreme caution.

The conical-hat cultivator fell silent for a long while, then said: "Go summon Zhang San… Wait—Hu Xiangyang, test Zhang San's innate talent and age."

"Yes." Hu Xiangyang, who had been standing by the inner cabin door, immediately bowed and departed.

Ding Huan knew he could wait no longer—he immediately controlled ten drops of a billion-year Sea Marrow, seeping them through the warship's protective array.

These dozen-plus drops of Hundred Million Year Sea Marrow were all smeared by Ding Huan on the outside of the warship.

As long as there were demon beasts here, the Hundred Million Year Sea Marrow would be the best bait.

If, by the time Hu Xiangyang came to test his root bone, the warship still hadn't been attacked by immortal demon beasts, then he would simply take the initiative to flee.

The moment Ding Huan finished smearing the Hundred Million Year Sea Marrow on the outside of the warship, he heard a piercing cry ring out, and immediately felt their warship struck by a tremendous force.

"Boom!" A violent sound rang out, and Ding Huan's first-rank immortal formation collapsed directly under the impact of this enormous force.

A sharp sound rose from the warship, and Shi Nuozhou's panicked voice came through: "The warship is under intercepting attack, everyone prepare to act."

Ding Huan saw that everyone had already brought out their magic treasures; even Ye Mei'er was staring tensely at the warship's defensive protective formation.

Boom boom boom!

Successive crashing sounds came, and Ding Huan had long since withdrawn his divine sense; the monitoring formation patterns he had carved on the outside transmitted an image.

A flock of strange birds with no feathers on their bodies and only one leg were slamming into the warship.

The heads and necks of these birds were entirely pitch-black, looking extremely hard.

The strangest part was their pair of wings — they looked featherless, yet they kept slamming into the warship again and again. Despite such violent impacts, their wings showed not the slightest wound.

The patch of hull where Ding Huan had applied the Hundred Million Year Sea Marrow had long since been pecked clean by these strange birds.

The one-legged, featherless strange birds that hadn't gotten any of the Hundred Million Year Sea Marrow slammed into the warship even more frantically, clearly wanting to blast through the warship to see if there was any Sea Marrow inside.

The warship had long since stopped under the assault of so many strange birds, and was spinning in the void.

Boom!

Finally the warship's flight formation was blasted apart, and then it plummeted down from the air.

"What's going on?" Hu Xiangyang's anxious voice came through.

Shi Nuozhou hurriedly answered: "It's a flock of Corpse-Eating Black-Gold Beasts. They've gone crazy, just attacking our warship. The fifth-rank protective formation won't hold much longer before this flock of Corpse-Eating Black-Gold Beasts blasts it apart."

As if responding to Shi Nuozhou's words, almost the instant his words fell, the warship's fifth-rank defensive immortal formation let out a cracking shatter, and immediately everyone could clearly see the scene outside.

Although this protective formation hadn't been completely breached yet, that was only a matter of time.

Ding Huan hesitated for a while, but still decided not to activate the trapping-killing formation patterns he had carved in the inner cabin.

This so-called young master was definitely not a good sort, and his origins were no ordinary matter.

Once he activated the offensive formation patterns, whether or not he could kill the other party, it would bring endless trouble.

Just as Ding Huan was about to withdraw his divine sense, he heard that young master snort and say: "How far is it still to the Treasure-Dividing Cliff ruins?"

"Still nearly a month's journey," a female cultivator said deferentially.

Ding Huan's heart stirred — Treasure-Dividing Cliff?

Was it the Treasure-Dividing Cliff from the legends?

Whether or not it was, he had to go take a look at this Treasure-Dividing Cliff.

Thinking of this, when the flock of Corpse-Eating Black-Gold Beasts attacked the warship's fifth-rank immortal formation again, Ding Huan decisively activated his own formation pattern restrictions.

With Ding Huan's help, this flock of Corpse-Eating Black-Gold Beasts completely tore apart this warship's fifth-rank defensive immortal formation.

"The defensive immortal formation has been blasted apart." Shi Nuozhou's terrified voice came through — he must have known the horror of the Corpse-Eating Black-Gold Beasts.

He was screaming in terror, while the rest of the people stood stupefied.

This was the road to the Immortal Court? The deathly, heavy aura outside, and the dim, grey expanse of space — no matter how you looked at it, it had nothing to do with the road to the Immortal Court.

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