Chapter 61

Wang Shan had just locked onto the Thunderstorm Canyon, the zone representing unknown life and death, and before he could catch his breath, the suffocating pressure from behind suddenly shifted!

No longer was it the teasing and torment of playing with prey; it was now filled with icy killing intent!

Obviously, the lofty Foundation Establishment expert, Wan Tianjue of the Wan family, seemed to have completely lost his patience.

He probably felt that the cat-and-mouse game should end; it was time to show these clueless ants who dared to try to flee a thing or two!

Ten li away, Wan Tianjue, hovering in the air on his flying sword, saw his leisurely, spectator-like expression vanish, replaced by an indifferent calm.

He didn't even bother with extra motion; he simply joined his index and middle fingers and casually pointed at the rickety flying boat still clinging to life ahead.

Whoosh—!

A faint blue-green stream of light, almost invisible, shot out from his fingertips!

At first it was just a pinprick of cold light, but in an instant it stretched in the air into a long, intensely condensed blue-green Sword Qi!

This Sword Qi was fast—so fast it surpassed the limits of sight!

It seemed to ignore distance, like a thunderbolt slicing through black night, carrying a sharp, destructive aura that tore through everything as it spanned a full ten li!

Its target pointed straight at the Black Feather Boat, teetering on the brink of collapse!

Holy shit!

Wang Shan felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head, making every hair on his body stand on end!

It was a tremor rising from the depths of his soul, an instinctive reaction of life facing absolute destructive power!

Too fast! There was no time to dodge!

"Defense! Full power!" Wang Shan nearly roared, pouring the little remaining spiritual power in his body, together with the faint trickle of qi and blood he had just recovered, frantically into the Black Feather Boat's control core!

Hum—

On the flying boat's surface, a shield that had been dim to the point of near invisibility flared bright for a moment, becoming slightly more solid.

This was the Black Feather Boat's built-in, and last remaining, sliver of defensive energy!

Yet this thin shield, before the blue-green Sword Qi that had crossed ten li, was as fragile as a soap bubble in sunlight.

Splinter—

There was no earth-shaking boom, only a soft tearing sound like a red-hot knife cutting through butter.

The shield in which Wang Shan had placed his hopes couldn't even block the Sword Qi by a hair, shattering and vanishing like an illusion in an instant.

The Sword Qi's momentum undiminished, it flashed past the Black Feather Boat's hull with a heart‑stopping sharpness.

Crack—

Accompanied by a grating crack, the Black Feather Boat's left wing, already badly damaged, was cleanly severed at the root by this Sword Qi.

Large chunks of wood and metal fragments burst apart like snowflakes, the broken wing spinning as it fell toward the forest below.

Having lost one wing, the Black Feather Boat instantly lost its balance!

The whole vessel lurched like a drunkard and fluttered like a leaf caught in a gale, violently rolling and swaying in the air!

Ah—

Help!

Steady it! Hold on!

Inside the cabin, people were thrown into chaos, screams, wails, and the clatter of colliding objects rising all at once.

Those who had already passed out from the spiritual pressure shock were fine, but the conscious ones now rolled about like tumbling gourds, flung left and right, utterly unable to control their bodies.

Pfft! Pfft!

Several more youths and women with only Body Refining first or second level were slammed hard against the sturdy hull or struck by other tumbling clansmen, blood spurting from their mouths as their heads lolled and they passed out instantly, their fate unknown.

Wang Zheze and Wang Zhitao, these Body Refining third‑fourth level cultivators, were also thrown into disarray by the sudden upheaval, battered left and right, dizzy and seeing stars.

Wang Shan clung desperately to the Control Compass, his arms bulging with muscle, veins standing out, exerting all his strength to try to regain control of the battered boat on the verge of falling apart.

He watched the wing sheared clean off, the huge, jagged gash in the hull whose edge was smooth as a mirror, still faintly trembling with Sword Qi's sharpness, his heart clenched as if by an invisible giant hand, pain making it hard to breathe.

This Black Feather Boat, though battered and captured, bore the Wang Family's last hope, their sole means of escaping alive!

Now… it's over! Completely over!

Just a casual strike from the other side!

It might even have been a casual warning attack meant merely to stop their flight!

And yet it possessed such terrifying power!

How can we possibly fight this?

Are we supposed to fight with our heads?!

The might of a Foundation Establishment cultivator once again revealed itself to Wang Shan and all the Wang Family members in a bloody, brutally cruel fashion.

Despair!

A bone‑deep despair, like icy floodwaters, instantly engulfed Wang Shan's heart.

Head‑on resistance? Don't be ridiculous!

He could crush them all with a single finger!

Flee?

Now the flying boat is battered like this, its speed drastically reduced, its balance lost—how can we escape?

Could it be… could it be that today the Wang Family is truly destined to be wiped out here?!

No!

Absolutely not!

Wang Shan violently shook his head, trying to dispel the despair that threatened to swallow his reason.

He could die, but he could not let the Wang Family's spark be utterly extinguished in his hands!

There is still a chance!

The only chance of survival!

Wang Shan's gaze turned forward once more, to that terrifying canyon where thunderclouds choked the sky and lightning serpents danced wildly!

Thunderstorm Canyon!

That place is a dead end, but it might also be their only way to live!

Better than letting that Foundation Establishment old dog slowly play us to death here, let's charge into that dead zone and gamble everything!

Place ourselves in a death trap to survive!

"Turn!!" Wang Shan suddenly raised his hand, pointing ahead at the canyon entrance where destructive electricity flickered, and bellowed hoarsely at Wang Zhize and the others still struggling to stabilize the hull: "Target Thunderstorm Canyon! Full speed! Give it all you've got, charge in!!"

Wang Zhize, Wang Zhitao, and the others heard this and were all startled.

Thunderstorm Canyon?

Its fearsome reputation thundered through the Man Yun Mountain Range! Not to mention these Body Refining cultivators of theirs, even Foundation Establishment cultivators would never dare to enter lightly unless absolutely necessary!

The violent lightning inside could tear any intruder to pieces!

Charge in? That's practically suicide!

The crowd looked at the canyon entrance flashing with lightning and purple light, only feeling their scalps tingle, an instinctive fear chilling them to the bone.

But when they saw Wang Shan's crimson eyes, filled with madness and resolve, all hesitation and fear were suppressed.

They knew that their father, the Family Head, had already made the final decision!

This is the only choice!

"Yes, Father!" Wang Zhize gritted his teeth, the color draining from his face, yet he answered without hesitation, clutching the compass tightly with both hands and desperately turning the bow.

The remaining few clansmen who could still move also poured their residual spiritual power into the flying boat's power core without reservation!

Creak—squeak—

The damaged Black Feather Boat let out its final groan under the strain, dragging its broken body like a moth flying into flame, launching a final, most desperate charge toward the Thunderstorm Canyon that represented death and the unknown!

Behind them, ten li away.

Wan Tianjue watched as the broken ship actually turned its course and dove straight into the Thunderstorm Canyon, his brow involuntarily furrowing slightly.

"Hmph, seeking death?"

He had thought that his strike would be enough to drive these ants to utter despair, making them obediently stop and await death.

He hadn't expected the other side to be so crazy, preferring to charge into the deadly Thunderstorm Canyon rather than surrender meekly.

But having tracked them this far, having expended some effort, how could he allow the prey to slip away right under his nose?

Even if they charge into the dead zone, they must die!

Wan Tianjue let out a cold snort, a blue light flashing beneath his feet as his flying sword turned into a stream of light, closely pursuing the Black Feather Boat toward the Thunderstorm Canyon.

He wanted to see just how long this bunch of foolish ants could endure under the violent lightning!