Chapter 295: Unexpected

Zhang Nuo's Divine Sense swept through, but he did not discover the presence of any Nascent Soul Stage old monsters. Only then did his heart settle significantly. When his gaze fell back upon the middle-aged man, he saw that the man wore a look of astonishment, as if he were looking at a monster.

"Are you truly ignorant, or are you playing dumb? The Xianhuan Continent was discovered by cultivators long ago!"

The middle-aged cultivator's words caused Zhang Nuo's expression to sink. However, judging by his appearance, he did not seem to be lying. Looking at the other cultivators on the ship, Zhang Nuo sensed from their gazes that these words were true!

In a mere few decades, these cultivators from various continents had found the legendary Xianhuan Continent; this was something he dared not imagine! If this was the case, then Nanxuan Laozu and the others were likely already on the Xianhuan Continent as well.

At the thought of this, Zhang Nuo felt his teeth itch with hatred. If he hadn't been framed by them, his own feet would likely be standing on the soil of the Xianhuan Continent right now.

Su Haizhen, standing behind him, was so happy she nearly jumped up. When they were in the Maze Sea Vortex, she had learned from Zhang Nuo that the Xianhuan Continent had not yet been discovered. She had not expected that as soon as they left that place, they would receive such good news; this saved them a great deal of time.

"I truly did not know about this! The two of us were trapped by a Restriction and only managed to escape not long ago!"

After calming his emotions, Zhang Nuo said with extreme sincerity.

"Oh! So that's how it is!"

The middle-aged cultivator gave a light 'oh', then said to the two cultivators beside him:

"Take them into the cabin to find two rooms to rest in for now. Once we reach the transit island, let them leave on their own!"

Zhang Nuo thanked the middle-aged cultivator, and then the two followed the ship's two cultivators away. Once Zhang Nuo's figure walked into the cabin, the middle-aged cultivator's expression changed instantly.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, how do you feel about their cultivation?"

He turned his body slightly and spoke to a cultivator surnamed Zhao behind him. This cultivator was not tall, a full head shorter than the middle-aged man in front, but his gleaming eyes were captivating!

"The man is at the Golden Core Middle Stage, the woman is at the Golden Core Late Stage, but that female cultivator seems very weak; I imagine her cultivation has not yet recovered!"

The man surnamed Zhao pondered for a moment before speaking indifferently.

"Given their strength, they shouldn't cause trouble on the ship. If we don't take them in, we might anger them! Our goal for this trip is just to safely deliver the goods to the transit island; I don't want any extra complications!"

The middle-aged man slowly exhaled. Seeing that Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen were relatively well-behaved, he felt much more at ease.

"Why worry so much, Fellow Daoist Liu? Even if they had malicious intent, the people on this ship aren't pushovers! But then again, that female cultivator is truly beautiful!"

Recalling Su Haizhen's beauty, the man surnamed Zhao couldn't help but swallow a few times. In all his long life, this was the first time he had seen such a gorgeous woman! Every smile and frown of the young woman had left a deep impression in his heart.

"Hehe! The more beautiful a woman is, the more trouble she will attract. Fellow Daoist Zhao, you had better discard that thought!"

With a light laugh, the middle-aged man surnamed Liu walked to the bow of the ship, looking at the boundless sea before him, not knowing what he was thinking about.

The cultivator surnamed Zhao kept clicking his tongue, as if still savoring Su Haizhen's beauty!

Led by the two cultivators, Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen arrived inside the cabin. They saw that the interior of the ship stored many items, but these things had all been placed under a Restriction; with a faint light flowing over their surfaces, even Divine Sense could not probe into them.

When they reached the center of the large ship, two rows of rooms appeared. The leading cultivators arranged for Zhang Nuo and Su Haizhen to stay in two adjacent rooms before turning and leaving.

Having not meditated and rested for a long time, Zhang Nuo checked the room with his Divine Sense and, finding nothing suspicious, sat cross-legged on the bed. With his eyes slightly narrowed, he entered a state of meditation!

Su Haizhen was the same. Her urgent priority now was to quickly convert her cultivation method, but this matter could not be rushed. If she suddenly switched to cultivating Spiritual Qi after her Divine Sea had been nourished by Yin Qi for many years, it might cause a major disaster. Thinking of this, the young woman took an Array Disk from her Storage Bag, and after tapping out two incantations, a small Dharma Array immediately appeared beneath her jade-like feet.

Afterwards, she sat cross-legged in the center of the Dharma Array and began the conversion of her cultivation method!

The small ship sailed at a steady speed on the Mist Sea. About two months later, Zhang Nuo was meditating in his room when suddenly, a massive wave of Spirit Power came from outside the small ship.

He frowned. This Spirit Power fluctuation was at least at the Golden Core Late Stage; how could it suddenly appear here? Just as he was pondering, two loud 'Boom—' sounds came, the small ship immediately rocked, and at the same time, a burst of wild laughter rang out.

That laughter faintly contained a power that could unsettle one's mind. Zhang Nuo hurriedly ended his meditation, his figure flashed, and he exited the room. He saw that Su Haizhen had already walked out of her room and was looking outside the cabin with a terrified expression!

"Do not go out! Wait for me here!"

After saying this simply, Zhang Nuo transformed into a streak of escape light and rushed out of the cabin. The young woman's cultivation had not yet recovered, so even if she went out, it would be of no help. Furthermore, the young woman was too beautiful; if she attracted other issues, it would be even harder to handle.

Watching Zhang Nuo's retreating back as he rushed out, Su Haizhen chuckled lightly. Having a man like this to protect her was not bad at all! He was always the first to rush forward whenever something happened.

When Zhang Nuo rushed out of the cabin, he saw over a dozen cultivators floating in the sky around the small ship. These people wore strange attire, and each of them wore a ferocious, cold sneer. Zhang Nuo secretly gave a bitter smile; it seemed he was right not to let Su Haizhen come out. Just by looking at their faces, these people were clearly not good men. If they discovered the young woman's beauty, they would definitely be moved by lust!

"Fellow Daoist, what happened?"

Sweeping his gaze, Zhang Nuo saw the middle-aged cultivator surnamed Liu, seeing his brows tightly furrowed and his appearance like he was facing a formidable enemy!

"These people are pirates from the nearby sea! They want to plunder the things on our ship!"

Before the man surnamed Liu could speak, the man surnamed Zhao standing beside him replied. When Zhang Nuo heard the word 'pirates', he had a strange feeling in his heart. When he and Nanxuan Laozu first entered the Mist Sea, one could barely see the shadow of a cultivator here. He hadn't expected that in just a few short decades, even pirates would appear!

His Divine Sense swept over the dozen or so cultivators in the sky. He saw that the highest cultivation among them was only at the Golden Core Late Stage, there were two others at the Golden Core Middle Stage, and the rest were all Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.

On the small ship, two cultivators lay on the deck covered in blood; they must have fallen in the battle just now!

"What? Are there still helpers in the ship?"

High in the sky, a bearded man looked coldly at Zhang Nuo and said with great disdain.

By the looks of it, he must be the leader of this group of pirates! He looked to be over fifty years old, and in his palm, he was holding a golden Magic Treasure. This treasure looked like a hammer, and under its flashing Golden Light, it emitted a not-insignificant Spirit Power fluctuation; presumably, the loud noise just now had been caused by it.

"Many thanks to you fellow daoists for your kindness in taking us in! Let this matter today be my way of repaying your favor!"

Having understood the situation, Zhang Nuo gave a faint smile and said to the cultivator surnamed Liu. Hearing this, the people on the ship all cast their gazes toward Zhang Nuo. This young cultivator's tone was too arrogant! He had actually taken the whole matter upon himself the moment he opened his mouth.

"If you are able to strike, Fellow Daoist, Liu would be deeply grateful! But you must not let yourself..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Zhang Nuo's figure rose abruptly, and then his sleeves flicked repeatedly. Streaks of White Thread shot out from within. These White Threads were very fast, cutting through the sky like ghosts in graceful arcs before slashing toward the dozen pirates!

"Ah! Ah!"

Screams were endless. Zhang Nuo's Fast Sword struck like lightning. Several Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, caught completely off guard, were all struck by the swords. Their figures fell from their Flying Magic Tools, and with 'plop' sounds, they all fell into the sea. Amidst the churning waves, patches of red appeared on the surface of the water!

Zhang Nuo's first strike was earth-shattering. Now, only three Golden Core Stage cultivators remained in mid-air. The leading pirate boss gasped; this seemingly young cultivator had caused him to lose several subordinates with a single move! The anger in his heart instantly reached its peak.

The people on the small ship were even more shocked. Two months ago, Zhang Nuo had looked very weak, but two months later, he was like a tiger released from a cage, taking a cultivator's life with every gesture. Moreover, he didn't seem to be using his true power at all, as if it were just a casual act.

The cultivator surnamed Liu and the cultivator surnamed Zhao quickly exchanged a glance; in each other's eyes, they saw shock and fear! If they had wanted to act against Zhang Nuo earlier, perhaps these dead pirates would have been a warning of their own fate!

"Good brat! Return my brothers' lives!"

Seeing several subordinates killed, among the remaining three pirates, a Golden Core Middle Stage cultivator with a lecherous appearance, aged around thirty, shouted and charged toward Zhang Nuo.

As for that pirate boss, he did not strike; he looked coldly at Zhang Nuo, as if one subordinate was enough to take his life!

'Swish!'

Zhang Nuo's figure moved, and he tapped out two incantations. The Flying Sword beside him transformed into two Silver Dragons. A high-pitched dragon roar rang out, and they attacked the charging cultivator head-on!

Seeing Zhang Nuo make his move, the man did not think twice; he opened his mouth wide and spat out a silver trident! With a flash of brilliance, it slashed directly onto the Silver Dragon.

'Boom!'

After the massive boom, a blinding silver radiance erupted in mid-air where the two Magic Treasures collided, and shards of spiritual light scattered in all directions like snowflakes.

Seeing this, Zhang Nuo gave a cold smile, flipped one hand inside his robe sleeve, and the Measuring Heaven Ruler was eerily unleashed by him!