Chapter 66

A flash of green light, the power of the One-Time Acceleration Rune instantly filled every corner of the Black Feather Boat; this battered, broken ship surged with energy, its tail exhaust suddenly strengthened, speed surged, carrying a resolute determination to press forward as it made a desperate dash toward the edge of the thunderstorm core zone.

Target, the canyon exit! Perhaps that is the path to survival.

But this damned place—where could there be any real safe zone? Even at the edge of the core zone, lightning strikes down as if it were free, wildly.

Purple, silver, thick, thin—they intertwined into an impenetrable net of death.

On the system's scanning light screen, the light spots representing lightning were densely packed, almost no gaps, and the alert sound blared continuously, making people irritable and anxious.

Wang Shan's forehead veins bulged, his hands gripped the Control Compass tightly, his eyes widened like copper bells, he stared intently at the constantly changing lightning path ahead.

Every turn, every dive, every climb was like dancing on a knife's edge; a slight mistake would mean the ship's destruction and death.

He was now exhausted like a sick donkey that had plowed eighty acres for three days, relying solely on willpower to keep going.

"Front-right! A dense thunderstorm will hit in three breaths!" the system's alert sounded cold and urgent.

Wang Shan almost reflexively jerked the Compass, the Black Feather Boat emitted a piercing metallic screech, barely scraping past the edge of a thick lightning bolt.

The stray electric arcs struck the protective shield, sending ripples across it, and the hull shuddered violently again.

Damn it! When will this lightning ever stop?!

Just as Wang Shan managed to catch his breath, a sudden change occurred!

A bowl-thick silver lightning bolt shot out from the side clouds without warning, fast! Too fast! So fast that the system's warning lagged half a beat! That blinding silver light instantly illuminated Wang Shan's face, filled with shock and despair.

It's over! I can't dodge it!

That thought poured over his whole body like ice water.

Could it be that I, an old man, am really going to meet my end here? No! Absolutely not!

In the flash of lightning, a hint of mad determination flickered in Wang Shan's eyes; almost instinctively, he jerked out an earth-yellow talisman from his storage bag, pouring spiritual power into it madly.

Second-tier Earth Escape Talisman!

This was his last resort, kept at the bottom of his box for desperate times to escape alone; he never imagined he'd have to use it on this broken boat!

Damn! What a loss!

Hum—

Earth-yellow light burst forth instantly like a gigantic eggshell, enveloping the tottering Black Feather Boat entirely. At the moment the light flared, the space around the vessel seemed to twist slightly, becoming somewhat illusory. The terrifying lightning bolt capable of splitting the boat in half grazed the edge of that earth-yellow glow and struck empty space!

Sizzle! The lightning struck empty air, leaving a charred trace and a pungent ozone smell.

And the Black Feather Boat, as if teleported, suddenly appeared dozens of zhang away, narrowly avoiding that deadly strike.

"Huff… huff…" Wang Shan gasped heavily, his back soaked with cold sweat. He glanced at the talisman in his hand, its light dimmed by ninety percent, almost shattered, and felt a pang of regret. This use had consumed at least half of the talisman's energy; next time he tried to use it, its effectiveness would likely be greatly reduced.

Before he could recover, the vessel's interior shuddered violently again!

"Alert! Alert! Energy Core structure damaged seventy percent! Energy output efficiency down forty percent! Energy circuits ruptured in multiple places! Warning! Vessel about to disintegrate! Warning!" The piercing alarm sounded like a death summons.

The light on the Control Console flickered rapidly; the area representing the Energy Core was covered in countless fine cracks spreading like a spiderweb, looking as if it could collapse completely at any moment!

What's worse, to power the Second-tier Earth Escape Talisman, Wang Shan diverted some of the spiritual power keeping the vessel running; added to the previous heavy consumption, the Lower-Grade Spirit Stones embedded in the Energy Core's grooves have now turned completely into grayish-white powder! The Lower-Grade Spirit Stones carried on board are completely exhausted!

Now only the Middle-Grade Spirit Stones he treasures and refuses to use lightly remain, plus those few Upper-Grade Spirit Stones he keeps at the bottom of his box!

What to do? Use them or not? Wang Shan's heart bled. Middle-Grade Spirit Stones! They are the family's painstakingly accumulated foundation! Each piece is priceless! But now… if he doesn't use them, the ship will be destroyed and lives lost immediately; if he does, how long can it last? This is literally drinking poison to quench thirst!

"Family Head! Behind us! That old dog is catching up again!" a lookout clansman tasked with guarding suddenly shouted in terror.

Wang Shan jerked his head back; through the system's blurry scanning interface, he indeed saw a dim but extremely fast light spot rapidly approaching from behind! It was Wan Tianjue! This old immortal! Despite his grave injuries, he's recovered this quickly?!

Damn it! This old dog just won't quit! Even after being holed by the Lightning Attracting Talisman, he still has the strength to chase us! The recovery power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is truly terrifying! And looking at that speed, although it's not at its peak, it's still faster than our Black Feather Boat by a notch!

The killing intent of the utterly enraged Foundation Establishment cultivator, almost solidified, could be felt from afar, icy and bone-piercing!

We can't hesitate any longer!

Wang Shan gritted his teeth, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. He grabbed ten Middle-Grade Spirit Stones from his storage bag, not caring about the pain, and swiftly yet carefully replaced the spent Lower-Grade Spirit Stones that had turned to waste.

Hum!

Pure and massive spiritual power instantly flooded the Energy Core; the light of the Energy Core, which had been on the verge of collapse, brightened again. Although the cracks remained, it was at least temporarily stabilized. The vessel's shaking also lessened somewhat.

But this is only temporary! Wang Shan knows full well that although the Middle-Grade Spirit Stones' energy is pure, in this ship's frenzied consumption it won't last long!

We must go faster!

"Faster! Go faster! Give it everything, old man! We're almost out!" Wang Shan roared at the Control Core, his hands nearly crushing the Compass, constantly urging the vessel onward, squeezing out the last bit of power.

He could clearly feel the threat of death behind him, inching closer like a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment!

Ahead, the canyon's outline grew clearer, the density of lightning seemed to begin weakening. Faintly, even a glimpse of the long‑absent, blazing sunshine beyond the gorge could be seen!

The exit! Right ahead!

The light of hope seemed right before our eyes!

Inside the cabin, the awakened clansmen also saw that ray of sunshine, and involuntarily their faces lit up with the excitement and longing of survivors.

However, just as that hope was within reach——

Hum… click!

A sound like glass shattering softly came from the Black Feather Boat's Energy Core.

Immediately after, the light that had just stabilized, like a candle snuffed out, quickly dimmed and then went out completely!

It's over!

Wang Shan's pupils suddenly contracted!

The Black Feather Boat shuddered violently, losing all power, like a bird with a broken wing unable to maintain flight, it began to plummet uncontrollably toward the unfathomable, pitch‑black depths of the canyon below!

"No——!" Wang Zhize's despairing howl echoed inside the cabin.