Chapter 385

Inside the Thunder Fighter.

Li Yi, Jiang Jiang Mingtian, Hu Fei, and Zhao Zhao Fangji gathered together.

"This fighter is amazing—its speed is insane. I only took a few minutes to fly from Golden Academy to Tianchang City. Li Yi, when can you take me back to World Six? I want a chance to steal one of these fighters for myself." Jiang Jiang Mingtian, having just borrowed the Thunder Fighter, couldn't stop admiring it, almost drooling with envy.

"Aren't you supposed to become a Sword Immortal, riding your sword through the skies? Why do you need a fighter? Have you changed your mind and decided to ride a warship instead?" Li Yi said.

Jiang Jiang Mingtian smiled: "Becoming a Sword Immortal doesn't stop me from flying a spaceship. If my sword can't beat them, I just call in aerial fire support—it's pretty awesome. Imagine fighting an enemy in a sword duel, then suddenly shouting 'Fire!' as fighter jets scream overhead, raining down explosions. Think how thrilling that'd be."

"That's not thrilling—that's cheating," Hu Fei said from beside him.

Jiang Jiang Mingtian blinked. "How's that cheating? Li Yi does the same thing—he's a martial artist who can't win with fists, so he bombs them. It's perfectly reasonable. Why would a cultivator refuse to use guns and cannons?"

"Kid, listen to this—that's the way people from Earth Prison think: deceitful, cunning, born evil." Suddenly, a voice echoed in Li Yi's mind—the lingering consciousness inside the knife coin, inexplicably revived: "Good. Add these three to the two you already killed. You still owe me three heads. Kill them all, and I'll teach you the method to cross realms."

Li Yi's lip twitched, but he said nothing.

He'd already noticed: the lingering consciousness only revived on Earth Prison. Once across realms, it fell silent—Earth Prison's abundant cosmic energy sustained it. In other worlds, it had to remain dormant, or it would've vanished long ago.

"If you don't speak, I'll take it as consent. These three don't suspect you. Strike suddenly, use the Fei Mu Needle—you can instantly kill two. The third won't stand a chance. And after killing them, you can loot their belongings. A nice little payday."

The lingering consciousness in the knife coin coaxed gently.

Li Yi ignored it.

At that moment, Zhao Zhao Fangji said: "Before we go there, I need to settle terms. Li Yi, I told you before—I'll tell you the location, but I demand a martial cultivation inheritance. Otherwise, I refuse this mission."

"Once we reach the destination and I confirm your words are true, I'll give you the martial inheritance. Don't worry," Li Yi said. "But I'll only give you the inheritance—not any martial techniques. Don't blame me later if you feel cheated. If you want techniques, you'll have to pay extra."

"Fine." Zhao Zhao Fangji nodded, then added: "The silver fruit is in Tianning City. First, fly the Thunder Fighter there. Then I'll guide you. But once we arrive, don't keep using the Thunder Fighter. There are aerial transcendental creatures there—the fighter's too large a target. It'll be attacked immediately."

"Understood." Li Yi immediately ordered Lan Ji to locate Tianning City.

A few minutes later.

After avoiding several dangerous zones, the Thunder Fighter was nearing Tianning City when suddenly, a massive figure burst from the clouds—blazing fast, catching up to the fighter.

Instantly, alarms blared inside the cockpit.

"It's a transcendental creature," Zhao Zhao Fangji's eyes narrowed as he stared outside. "I recognize it—the Qingluan Hawk, patrolling the danger zone. According to the Investigation Bureau, it carries bloodline from the mythical Qingluan. Though its realm is only Soul Awakening, its innate talent is overwhelming—it's the undisputed master of the skies. Previously, a Spirit Power cultivator tried to kill it and failed."

"Its speed is too fast. It dodges attacks from Spirit Power cultivators in an instant. Impossible to chase or kill."

"Lan Ji, lock onto the Qingluan Hawk. Fire and eliminate it," Li Yi ordered immediately.

"Target locking… Lock failed. Re-locking…" came the AI voice.

But the Qingluan Hawk sensed danger, let out a cry, and instantly dove into the clouds, vanishing—yet it didn't flee. It kept weaving through the clouds, as if the Thunder Fighter's presence had challenged its dominion over the skies, and now it sought to prove its supremacy.

Suddenly—

The Qingluan Hawk flared its wings, accelerating violently, becoming a streak of blue light hurtling straight toward the Thunder Fighter.

"Lock achieved! Fire!"

At that moment, the Thunder Fighter's targeting system locked onto the Qingluan Hawk, and a high-energy beam shot out.

But the Qingluan Hawk had anticipated it—dodged sideways, then let out a piercing cry, its talons slashing straight at the fighter's hull.

The impact made the fighter wobble violently. Talons scraped against the metal hull, spraying brilliant sparks. Yet the fighter's armor held firm—leaving only two deep scratches, it withstood the assault without tearing open.

"This beast is truly troublesome," Li Yi muttered, then said: "We don't have time to waste. The sky isn't our domain. Lan Ji, open the cockpit. Once we're out, take control of the fighter and lure this beast away. It loves speed? Then go full throttle—wear it out. If you get a chance, shoot it down or capture it."

As the cockpit opened—

"Go."

Li Yi summoned his Gangqi, sweeping up the others as they leapt out together.

High-altitude winds howled; everyone was startled.

"Li Yi, is your Gangqi reliable? Will we land safely? Are we gonna die falling?" Jiang Jiang Mingtian said. "If not, call your mom. Use her ghost domain to trap the Qingluan Hawk, capture it, and tame it. This beast has mythical bloodline—it's got serious cultivation potential."

"That's a good idea. Don't ever suggest it again. Thanks," Li Yi said. "My Gangqi can safely land all of you. I've tested it before at the Spiritual Perception realm—I've got it under control."

The group plummeted rapidly, soon reaching the skies above Tianning City.

But as Li Yi's Gangqi lifted them, their descent slowed drastically, altering their trajectory until they landed safely on the roof of a tall building.

Meanwhile, the AI robot Lan Ji piloted the Thunder Fighter at full speed, instantly breaking the sound barrier and roaring away.

The Qingluan Hawk, enraged, let out a cry, spread its wings, and shot forward like a streak of blue light, chasing the Thunder Fighter.

"It's lured away," Zhao Zhao Fangji exhaled in relief. "If that Qingluan Hawk had shot us down, we'd be dead. We can't fight it in the air—any attack it dodges effortlessly. Its speed exceeds our reaction time. I've been bitten before—almost got eaten. Luckily, I was on the ground then; its attack frequency was low, so I escaped."

"These aerial transcendental creatures are a real nuisance," Li Yi frowned.

With the skies blocked by transcendental creatures, the Thunder Fighter's value was severely limited.

"Let's go. I'll take you to the danger zone—but we need a new transport. Don't worry—Tianning City is my turf. I'll handle it." Zhao Zhao Fangji pulled out his phone, dialed, and spoke briefly.

Soon after—

A helicopter flew in from somewhere in the city.

"Get on. We'll take the helicopter to the ruins district, then switch to off-road vehicles," Zhao Zhao Fangji said.

The group boarded the helicopter.

It dropped them at the far edge of the ruins district. The pilot refused to go further—risking attack from other aerial transcendental creatures.

But at the edge of the ruins, two off-road vehicles waited, beside them a cultivator—strong, at the Spiritual Perception realm.

"Zhao Zhao Wudi, when did you get back from Golden Academy? Why didn't you call ahead? Are these two cars satisfactory? I had little time—I could only manage this much," the cultivator said with deference.

"More than enough," Zhao Zhao Fangji jumped down, glanced, and nodded. "I'll remember this favor."

"Haha, no need for favors—it's nothing. Oh, keys are in the cars, tanks are full. Five hundred kilometers, no problem," the cultivator grinned.

Zhao Zhao Fangji got into one vehicle and said: "Two per car. I lead. Any objections?"

"None," everyone agreed, then climbed into their respective vehicles.

Just as Zhao Zhao Fangji was about to drive off, the cultivator who delivered the cars suddenly called out: "Zhao Zhao Wudi, are you heading into the danger zone to train? Be careful—recently, several powerful cultivators from other cities entered the danger zone under Qin Gang's leadership. None have returned. No one knows if they're dead or what."

"Qin Gang?" Zhao Zhao Fangji frowned. "Understood. Thanks."

The vehicles started, two off-road cars driving along a ruined highway toward the danger zone.

"Who's this Qin Gang the guy mentioned?" Li Yi asked, driving alongside.

Zhao Zhao Fangji replied: "An old friend from Tianning City. He also knows the location of the silver fruit. I'm worried he sold the info to others, drawing attention from other cultivators."

"So we've got competitors?" Li Yi asked.

"Probably. But don't worry—it's extremely dangerous. Even with Qin Gang leading, he won't gain an advantage. I'm more worried he'll rush in recklessly and die deep in the danger zone," Zhao Zhao Fangji's expression grew grim.

His team were top geniuses from Golden Academy—all at the Nascent Soul realm—with Thunder Fighter firepower. Even Spirit Power transcendental creatures could be challenged.

What experts could Qin Gang bring?

Just cannon fodder.

Thinking of this, Zhao Zhao Fangji's head throbbed.