Chapter 842: The New Warship

After gathering many experts, Li Yi did not rush to Earth immediately; he remained on Chijin Mountain, waiting for the immortal warship's upgrade to complete and for these cultivation experts to become familiar with the Chijin Dao artifacts.

During these few days,

Li Yi was not idle—he handled affairs within Chijin City and also assessed the current situation on Chijin Mountain.

Although no major battles had taken place during this time, according to Xiu Xiang, the warriors of Shenmu City had noticed this place and shown clear hostility; however, due to the numerous master-level powerhouses on Chijin Mountain, the divine-blood warriors of the Shenmu lineage had not acted rashly.

But Li Yi could not concern himself with Shenmu City for now—he needed to lead the experts back to Earth.

This matter could only be entrusted to Xiu Xiang to handle; Li Yi planned to deal with Shenmu City's troubles after resolving affairs on Earth, and even intended to lead the cultivation experts in crushing the Shenmu lineage and seizing Shenmu City.

He had long coveted that shimmering golden divine tree, but lacked sufficient strength to act until now.

Time slipped by.

Soon,

on the tenth day,

a warship forged entirely of Chijin metal ascended into the sky,

and Master Tiangong immediately notified Li Yi upon completion; Li Yi, upon receiving the news, was astonished.

"Already completed so quickly?" Li Yi exclaimed.

Master Tiangong said, "The upgrade blueprint was already provided by the AI Hong Ji; I merely followed the schematics to retrofit it. It wasn't difficult—only the sheer volume of Chijin material caused the delay."

"I see."

As a fan of sci-fi warships, Li Yi eagerly followed Master Tiangong to inspect the new vessel.

When he arrived beside the immortal warship, he clearly sensed the extraordinary defensive power of its Chijin hull, covered in countless grand arrays and powered by three complete wondrous artifacts—this warship had no concern for energy depletion.

"This warship's defense rivals a five-layer Chijin treasure armor; combined with the arrays inside, I don't know what kind of expert could break through it."

"Moreover, the warship carries a main cannon capable of blasting open a cross-realm gate or killing any expert below the Dao-attainment stage in a single shot—though it requires time to charge and has low accuracy."

"Additionally, the Tianyi Palace has been fused within, forming its own space; I've added extra storage areas, allowing it to accommodate ten thousand people and store countless resources."

Master Tiangong, now highly excited, expounded endlessly on the warship's power.

Li Yi listened as he stepped inside the immortal warship.

"Master, welcome aboard the immortal warship."

Hong Ji's form immediately appeared—not a 3D projection, but a condensation of cosmic energy, both an AI and the warship's spirit-soul.

Li Yi did not respond; he surveyed everything within the vessel.

The walls and floor were crafted entirely of Chijin, extravagantly lavish; upon entering, one felt space had expanded—ancient palatial chambers, gardens, lakes, all suffused with the scent of life essence.

Moreover, under the operation of the arrays, cosmic energy from all directions converged here, absorbed by the warship to nourish its cultivators and serve as temporary power.

After all, relying solely on three complete wondrous artifacts was unreliable; the energy of heaven and earth was infinite, and Master Tiangong had clearly considered this.

"Good. Very good." Li Yi grew increasingly satisfied.

This warship perfectly matched his expectations—it was no mere transport, but a mobile fortress where all experts could safely reside.

Master Tiangong added, "The only drawback is insufficient wondrous artifacts—too many arrays and too many functions require at least ten to fully unlock the warship's potential."

"No matter. We can gradually acquire more wondrous artifacts later; this is already excellent." Li Yi said, then asked, "But how many more such warships can you currently forge?"

Master Tiangong coughed twice: "Only one—my Chijin ore is nearly exhausted; I even asked several fellow Daoists to strip several Chijin Mountains bare."

"So fast?" Li Yi was astonished.

So much Chijin wasn't enough for a second warship.

"Because we previously forged many Chijin Dao artifacts, and the immortal warship consumes Chijin massively; also, the former Chijin Mountain Lord had already depleted much of the mountain's ore. I estimate the Chijin remaining on this mountain is now scarce." Master Tiangong said.

"Don't worry—the Chijin Mountain won't run dry yet. I'll arrange for people to mine more." Li Yi said.

Though the surface mines were nearly exhausted, one mountain held a hidden treasure site—its Chijin would suffice for his needs for a long time.

After understanding the immortal warship, Li Yi's confidence grew further.

"Test opening a cross-realm gate," Li Yi instructed the AI Hong Ji to activate the main cannon.

"Please input the coordinates," Hong Ji's voice sounded.

Li Yi said, "Land of Incense."

"Coordinates confirmed."

As Hong Ji's voice echoed, Li Yi watched the warship's main cannon begin charging—vast energies drawn and concentrated into one point.

BOOM!

A brilliant beam of immense power erupted, striking the air ahead, shattering space and tearing open a cross-realm gate linking to the Land of Incense. The gate remained open for several seconds before slowly closing.

Within those seconds, the immortal warship could have traversed space and flown to the Land of Incense; Li Yi believed that with more complete wondrous artifacts, the warship could achieve continuous cross-realm travel.

Thus, if this warship chose to flee, few enemies could stop it.

The idea of combining the cross-realm device with the warship was clearly correct.

After testing other functions, Li Yi finally gained a general understanding of the new warship's capabilities.

When he stepped out of the immortal warship, he immediately summoned all the experts, preparing to depart for Earth.

The others, aware Li Yi was preparing for battle, had not been idle—they wielded Chijin Dao artifacts to hunt master-level beasts, gather herbs, refine elixirs, and even some cultivators had tamed powerful beasts to fight for them.

This world's resources were too abundant.

Just the area around Chijin Mountain was enough to fatten these cultivators.

They had gone from destitute to well-provided.

At Li Yi's command, the cultivation experts gathered.

"Is this the warship Master Tiangong forged these days? So extravagant—entirely made of Chijin! No wonder several fellow Daoists' caves vanished and mountains were hollowed out."

"How terrifying must its defense be? The Chijin thickness is five times that of my own Chijin treasure armor."

"It contains its own universe, a self-contained space—not merely strong defense, but like a paradise for cultivation. Training here is a delight."

These cultivation experts were equally stunned by the warship's opulence.

In the late-cultivation world, a fist-sized piece of Chijin could spark battles among Three Flowers Realm experts—it was material for top-tier Dao artifacts—but here, it was lavishly used to pave the ground.

"Seniors, once aboard the immortal warship, each of you choose a chamber as your personal dwelling. Then we depart for Earth," Li Yi said.

A mere dozen or so people couldn't fill this warship.

"Master, please let me follow you into battle."

At that moment, from within Chijin City, a tall warrior covered in dragon scales, wielding a Chijin weapon, rushed toward them, shouting his desire to continue fighting alongside Li Yi.

"Long Yu," Li Yi's gaze shifted upon seeing him.

He was a slave Li Yi had purchased in Beihuang City—a potent blood-warrior with true dragon lineage who now also cultivated Daoist methods, his strength no longer insignificant.

His growth had been astonishing—he had entered the master-level realm.

Yet he still lagged slightly behind these cultivation experts.

After brief consideration, Li Yi nodded: "Very well, Long Yu, join me. Come fight with me."

He did not hesitate—he chose to bring him along.

Long Yu rejoiced, leapt from the ground, soaring into the air and into the immortal warship.

Li Yi was not concerned about leaving Chijin Mountain without a master-level guardian—he left Master Tiangong behind.

Though Master Tiangong was a master armorer, he wielded the Divine Wood Chijin Furnace and could forge various Chijin Dao artifacts for defense—his strength was terrifying; ordinary master-level warriors could not defeat him.

"Where are Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi? Where did the two immortal ladies go?" Li Yi then noticed two were missing.

"I just saw the two immortal ladies heading toward that mountain over there," Shen Xu Daoist pointed.

Li Yi looked—it was the mountain concealing the hidden treasure site.

But soon,

he saw a auspicious cloud rising into the sky.

Xiang Xiangzi and Xuan Yuezi hurried over, not delayed at all.

"Apologies for keeping Taiyi waiting—I and Xuan Yuezi gathered some life essence, for emergencies," Xiang Xiangzi whispered secretly.

"I see. You've thought of everything," Li Yi nodded inwardly.

Now heading into battle, the boundless life essence from the treasure site could heal wounds effectively—collecting some was indeed necessary.

Indeed,

leading these cultivation experts was effortless—they acted proactively without needing constant instruction.

(End of Chapter)