Chapter 54: Chapter Fifty‑Four: Peril on the Cloud Boat

Shi Ran had just lain down when the Cloud Boat jolted; a red thread lightly wrapped around her face. She picked up Ice Stream and walked out confidently.

The Cloud Boat that Master had just bought hung alone high above the ten‑thousand‑zhang heights; the strong wind was like a blade, slicing the surrounding clouds, rolling like grayish‑white surging waves.

But at this moment, even more perilous was the demonic qi swirling across the sky—it was not ordinary mist, but countless dark, twisted, malevolent living things that hissed and coalesced into huge demonic claws and skull‑like ghost faces, tearing at the Cloud Boat's protective spiritual light from all sides.

The spiritual light shuddered violently under the impact, like a candle in the wind, flickering uncertainly, emitting a groan on the verge of breaking.

What Shi Ran saw were three fighting figures: Gu Yusheng, Mei Ruoxue, and Xiao Muyu! Where is Master? Where is Master?

"Chasing Moon!" Gu Yusheng's voice cut through the demonic qi's wail and the gang wind's howl, like a boulder hitting the ground.

He drew the Chasing Moon Sword from its sheath, and in an instant a clear, cold moonlight burst through the deep darkness.

Where the sword pointed, silver light poured like a waterfall, condensing into a peerless arc of light that silently sliced the sticky demonic mist, instantly cleaving a huge demonic claw that lunged at him in two; the dissipating demonic qi emitted a sharp cry, like the death wails of countless beings.

As Gu Yusheng's sword motion paused, a colder, darker demonic current silently coiled toward his flank like a poisonous snake.

The Gloomy Song Sword's edge flashed forth just then. Mei Ruoxue's figure floated like willow fluff in the wind; a green gleam flowed at her wrist, and the Gloomy Song Sword in her hand seemed alive, each thrust drawing a string of clear, lingering ice‑splitting light.

That light was not fierce, yet it possessed a peculiar penetrative power, spreading like an invisible ripple.

Once the demonic qi touched this ice‑splitting light, its formerly condensed form trembled and dispersed like water struck by a stone, as if groaning in pain and dissolving.

She turned and flew, her sleeves fluttering in the interplay of darkness and green light; the ice‑splitting sword light wove an invisible net that firmly guarded Gu Yusheng's back.

"Shi Ran!" Xiao Muyu grabbed the dazed Shi Ran, "How did you come out? This place is dangerous!"

Shi Ran stared blankly, "Where is Master? I'm looking for Master!"

Xiao Muyu frowned, sensing that Shi Ran was off, but didn't think much of it, "Master is……

"Screech—"

A piercing ripping sound suddenly rang out, and the Cloud Boat's protective spiritual light was torn open a ferocious rift!

Several strands of solid‑seeming dark‑purple demonic qi, like sharks scenting blood, frenziedly surged through the rift, lunging straight at Xiao Muyu and Shi Ran at the boat's edge.

Xiao Muyu could only drag Shi Ran back a few steps; a flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes, and his Jade‑Cold Sword burst forth with blinding icy‑blue light.

"Shi Ran, stay right here!"

Having said that, Xiao Muyu unhesitatingly rushed forward, his sword stirring up a bitterly cold surge. Wherever his Jade‑Cold Sword passed, the air emitted a "crack‑crack" freezing sound, and the surging demonic qi was frozen solid in midair, forming twisted, eerie dark‑purple ice sculptures.

But the demonic qi was too overwhelming; a most venomous dark current, like a bone‑deep ulcer, scraped past the icy‑blue barrier of his Jade‑Cold Sword and slammed hard into his left arm. He felt a piercing, bone‑chilling pain instantly drill into his heart, as if the blood in his whole arm were about to freeze and corrode.

He grunted, staggered back half a step; the protective clothing on his arm shattered inch by inch, revealing skin turned a horrible purple‑black, the cold piercing straight to the marrow.

"Muyu!" came the startled cries of everyone; concern and anxiety burned like flames in their hearts.

"It's fine!" Xiao Muyu gritted his teeth and snarled; veins bulged on his forehead, and the fierce pain instead sparked his inner courage.

He not only did not retreat, but transformed that piercing pain into a violent force, stepped forward fiercely, and drove his Jade‑Cold Sword hard into the deck beneath his feet.

Icy‑blue light exploded from the sword's center like a frozen tidal wave crashing out; bitter frost spread rapidly, instantly covering the whole deck. The frozen demonic‑qi ice sculptures shattered under the stronger cold surge with a dense cracking, turning to powder; the deck seemed paved with a glistening layer of icy glass, and even the air grew stagnant.

Taking the opportunity, the Chasing Moon Sword's clear radiance surged again, no longer a lone cold moon‑arc but becoming a vast sea of clear, water‑like silver moonlight, bearing unmatched purifying power, poured onto the densest demonic qi.

The Gloomy Song Sword's ice‑splitting light grew ever sharper, forming one huge Profound Ice Mirror after another, wave after wave of impact stacking forth. It brimmed with the intent to pierce and rend even jade and stone, perfectly merging with the Chasing Moon's light sea.

Xiao Muyu endured the piercing pain and numbness in his arm, pouring all his remaining spiritual power into his Jade‑Cold Sword without reservation.

The sword trembled violently; its icy‑blue light reached the extreme, and a tightly condensed, almost blinding ice‑cold sword qi burst forth, merging into the flood of light.

The three swords' light was peerlessly sharp, like three intertwined silver dragons coiling and rising, howling as they tore through the thick demonic qi.

The demonic qi rolled and wailed, shattered and scattered like spilled ink, about to be completely purified and dispelled.

But just as the three relaxed a breath, a sudden change occurred!

The seemingly dissipating demonic qi did not vanish; instead, like a living thing, it swiftly writhed and gathered. The drifting black mist in the air frantically sucked in surrounding yin‑filth, emitting a grating "hiss‑hiss".

In the blink of an eye, a massive, breath‑stealing skull coalesced in the churning black mist—its hollow eye sockets burned with two clusters of grim green ghost‑fire, its jawbone opening and closing, issuing bone‑chilling, soul‑splitting demonic tones:

"Kekeke… mere fireflies, daring to rival the bright moon? Ants!"

That demonic tone was not mere sound waves; it contained soul‑destroying, spirit‑corrupting evil power, like countless icy steel needles viciously stabbing at the three's seas of consciousness.

Worse still, as the demonic tone spread, it formed a visible ring of black ripples, like an invisible great hammer, brutally slamming into the swords' light barrier the three maintained.

"Crack—Boom!"

The brilliant sword light the three had poured their strength into, under the impact of the demonic tone laden with terrifying evil power, shattered like fragile glass; countless light fragments sprayed out and were instantly swallowed and obliterated by the surrounding demonic qi.

The backlash from the shattered sword light surged back like a violent tide, fiercely slamming into the three.

The three were struck as if by a heavy hammer, simultaneously spitting out bright red blood, stumbling back uncontrollably several steps, their faces instantly turning deathly pale.

Seeing the three in their wretched state, the huge demonic‑qi skull let out an earth‑shaking mad laugh, the green flames in its hollow eye sockets flaring, full of cruelty and mockery:

"Hahaha! Not worth a single blow! Your essences will become the first offering for my return to the world! Die!"