Chapter 964: The Way to Escape

On the Sea of Guixu, four jade dragons pulled a great ship through the clouds, every demon of the Luo Sha tribe now on high alert.

Though the endless sea beneath their feet lay far below, the Luo Sha knew this distance offered no safety—only a sliver of time to react when danger came.

Without a powerful warrior to confront the dangers of the Sea of Guixu, appearing upon its waters was an act of fatal recklessness.

Yet since Li Yi boarded, the dragon vessel had sailed five days, and in all that time, nothing stirred—no danger, no threat.

This made the Luo Sha slowly begin to believe: Li Yi’s route was correct; perhaps this human Tianbing truly knew how to enter and exit the Sea of Guixu.

During these days, Li Yi had remained inside the cabin, eyes closed in cultivation, drawing every drop of pure celestial spiritual energy to strengthen himself.

Though it was last-minute sharpening of the sword, it was the only thing he could do now.

The Luo Sha’s Chi Li Tianwang had stood like a frozen statue beside the bed these past days; though his eyes were shut, his primordial spirit had merged with the realm, aware of every movement around him.

But the Sea of Guixu was strange—its waters held some peculiar force; he could sense changes in heaven and earth, yet could not perceive the terrors beneath the deep.

Thus the dragon vessel flew on until the eighth day.

A voice came from within the cabin.

“My lord, if we proceed further, we’ll enter the human realm’s jade dragon waters. He once saw a group of jade dragons dancing here—should we detour?” The Guang Sha transmitted the message.

At that moment,

Chi Li Tianwang, motionless as a statue, slowly opened his eyes: “Cross straight through. A few jade dragons mean nothing. If we detour, other waters may prove deadlier—and we must test whether this Tianbing’s route is accurate.”

“Yes, my lord.” Guang Sha’s voice faded.

The flying vessel surged forward through the cloud sea—but only a quarter-hour later, the four jade dragons pulling the ship suddenly grew agitated, and the vessel began to rock slightly.

The Luo Sha warriors aboard instantly braced themselves; they smelled a peculiar stench.

The next instant,

The calm Sea of Guixu erupted in countless thunderous geysers; the water columns solidified, soaring skyward, while dark clouds gathered and lightning cracked across the heavens.

Then came the roars and shrieks of jade dragons.

Massive deep-sea jade dragons surged upward along the water columns, vanishing into the cloud sea in an instant, encircling the entire dragon vessel.

The four tamed jade dragons pulling the ship grew frantic with fear; though kin, they sensed they had been marked as prey.

But at that moment,

A crimson divine light erupted, forming an invincible blade that cleaved the cloud sea, shattered all things, and slashed toward one of the jade dragons.

Blood sprayed—the dragon was instantly severed in two; though not yet dead, it lay grievously wounded.

Instantly, all other jade dragons fixed their gaze on the source of the attack.

It was Chi Li Tianwang, standing at the prow, gripping a blood-red longsword; the dragon he had crippled was no ordinary foe—it was a Jade Dragon King. Yet even among Tianwang-level warriors, strength varied.

The Luo Sha were naturally battle-hardened, and with weapons in hand, Chi Li Tianwang was unmatched among his peers.

“Make way, or I shall exterminate your kind,” Chi Li Tianwang roared, his voice carrying immense power, driving back the swarm of dragons.

But this was the Sea of Guixu.

The dragon clans dwelling here were no mere common beasts.

In an instant, four Dragon Kings, flanked by dozens of Tianjiang-level jade dragons, surged forward; their terrifying aura stirred the heavens, shaking wind and cloud.

“All of you—fight with me and break through!” Chi Li Tianwang roared in fury; he had not expected these Dragon Kings to be so foolish—he had no qualms about slaughtering them today.

Then he charged from the dragon vessel, blood-red sword in hand, facing the swarm; behind him, the Luo Sha warriors followed.

Meanwhile,

A cabin window opened, revealing the seductive, scantily clad Luo Sha woman Man Luo, glaring at the dragons as she stormed out.

Her aura flared—beyond Tianjiang, nearly reaching Tianwang, yet just short.

No wonder this Luo Sha woman had always been treated with respect here.

“Fighting already?”

Li Yi had heard the commotion outside; even the shockwaves of battle had reached the dragon vessel.

“As I suspected—when I passed through before, I wasn’t attacked because I traveled alone, moving fast, too small a target to warrant attention from powerful beings—like an ant passing beside a tiger, ignored outright.”

“But this group of Luo Sha warriors together? They’re crossing this dragon sea—they couldn’t possibly avoid attack.”

Li Yi thought inwardly: “But this has nothing to do with me. At this level of battle, I’m just a lowly soldier—I’ll stay hidden in the cabin. I hope some of these Luo Sha die.”

He couldn’t help cursing them again in his mind.

But he knew the jade dragon sea alone couldn’t hold back this group of Luo Sha warriors—otherwise, the Luo Sha Tianwang wouldn’t have chosen to fight; he’d have simply steered clear.

He glanced toward another corner of the cabin.

Guang Sha, the Tianjiang, still stood there, not joining the battle, instead controlling the vessel—though perhaps also keeping watch over Li Yi.

Yet because Li Yi had warned of this danger beforehand, Guang Sha bore no anger, nor did he blame him; he seemed, at least, somewhat reasonable.

The battle did not last long.

After about an hour, the clash ended; Li Yi heard the dragons’ mournful cries, then their presence rapidly faded as they plunged back into the Sea of Guixu and vanished.

The dragon vessel remained intact—clearly, as Li Yi had guessed, the Luo Sha had won.

Chi Li Tianwang returned to the vessel, clutching a massive dragon head; his body drenched in dragon blood, his aura brimming with malice, his eyes crimson, the Luo Sha’s bloodthirsty essence radiating without restraint.

Gazing at the dragon king’s severed head, Chi Li Tianwang sneered coldly: “I warned you—move aside. You refused, and now you’ve lost your life.”

He hurled the head overboard: “Hang it on the ship—let the creatures of the Sea of Guixu take warning.”

“Yes, my lord.”

One Luo Sha Tianjiang took the head, gave it a quick preparation, then hung it on the vessel as a trophy to intimidate enemies.

And the tactic did have effect.

But to defeat the jade dragons, the Luo Sha had paid a price—some of their warriors were lost; several Tianjiang had perished.

Yet no one complained; they had prepared for this when they set foot toward the Sea of Guixu.

Soon,

The dragon vessel pressed onward. In the following days, perhaps due to luck, or perhaps because Li Yi’s route was truly effective, they encountered no further major dangers.

If this continued, they would reach the territory of the Bishui Beast in no more than a few days.

And then Li Yi would lose his value.

“Their luck seems better than mine—they only fought one group of jade dragons and encountered no other dangers.” Li Yi, having cultivated these past days, had made slight progress.

One petal of his magic power flower bloomed.

But this advancement meant little—any Tianjiang could crush him now.

“After all this circling… am I doomed to die here on the Sea of Guixu?” he sighed inwardly.

Yet Hua Qing, long silent, now spoke unexpectedly: “Your plan has failed. The dangers along the way haven’t thinned their numbers, nor stopped them from seeking the Bishui Beast. Congratulations—your end is near.”

“Same to you,” Li Yi replied.

“...” Hua Qing fell silent for a moment, then continued: “After much thought, I’ve come up with a desperate plan—perhaps a last-ditch, fish-dead-net-broken scheme.”

“Tell me,” Li Yi said. “Let me finally accept defeat.”

Hua Qing said: “Back in that small world, we briefly stopped. I dug through some old relics I left behind and found a rare treasure—the Dragon Transformation Pill. It can turn a true dragon’s descendant directly into a true dragon.”

“So what?” Li Yi said.

“You’re too hasty,” Hua Qing replied. “The true masters of the Sea of Guixu are the True Dragon Clan. They’ve ruled this sea for ages, and nearly all life here carries some trace of dragon blood. Throw the Dragon Transformation Pill into the sea—it will draw countless terrifying creatures infused with dragon lineage.”

“Then chaos will erupt. You might slip away in the confusion.”

“Sounds utterly unreliable. You think attracting a horde of terrifying beasts will let me live?” Li Yi’s lip twitched.

“You have to try. What if you’re lucky? And you have the Dao Coin—if you escape the Luo Sha’s watch, you can flee.” Hua Qing said.

Li Yi considered it. Hua Qing’s words held some logic.

If he could stir the waters, he could use the Dao Coin to escape across dimensions in the chaos—his only remaining advantage.

But he was constantly watched—how could he ever get the chance to throw the Dragon Transformation Pill into the Sea of Guixu?