Stop grinding, I'm really just a free spirit.

Chapter 64 Mega-structured Magic Artifacts

The eastern sun has risen.

The morning light pierced through the thin clouds and shone on the open space under the archway, making the bluestone path shine.

The time has come.

She said no more, made a hand seal with her right hand, and a silver light flew out from her sleeve.

It was a small silver boat, only an inch long, but with a grand shape and ingenious construction.

"go!"

Under Zhang Ruxue's command, it gradually grew larger, eventually transforming into a giant flying boat about a hundred feet long in mid-air.

"Buzz—"

The flying boat was streamlined, with its hull made of spirit wood and its skin of black iron. Its surface was covered with intricate array patterns, each of which shone with a pale blue spiritual light.

With its bow high and upturned like a sword tip, and its stern tapering like a sword hilt, the entire flying boat looks like a long sword magnified countless times, lying horizontally in the clouds.

Three sword-feather-shaped wings extended from each side of the boat, their slight flapping stirring the surrounding air currents.

The deck is wide and flat, enough to accommodate more than a hundred people, and there are half-person-high railings on both sides of the deck.

Many of the rogue cultivators were seeing such a huge ship for the first time. Looking at the colossal object that suddenly appeared overhead and almost covered the entire sky, they gasped in astonishment.

"What...what is this?! It's enormous!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely! It's even larger than a giant whale-like beast described in ancient books..."

Some self-proclaimed veteran cultivators, not new to accepting missions from the immortal sects, were unfazed and said, "Hehe... don't be impatient. This is one of the massive magical artifacts refined by the immortal sect, the 'Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat.' It can carry us to the Hundred Thousand Mountains in just one day. Otherwise, if we were to travel by mountain road, it might take half a month!"

In contrast, the disciples of the Spirit Sword Sect on the other side were much quieter.

Quietly waiting to board the boat.

This Cloud-Soaring Flying Boat is a first-tier high-grade magic artifact bestowed upon it by the Spirit Sword Sect. If fully activated, it can travel a thousand miles a day. However, while this behemoth is incredibly useful, it is also a veritable gold-consuming beast; simply activating it requires hundreds of spirit stones!

Just as everyone was admiring the magnificent sight of the flying boat.

A cool, clear voice came from the bow of the ship:

"Please board the ship, everyone."

Everyone looked up and saw that it was Fairy Zhang Ruxue.

She had already leaped up at some point and was now standing at the bow of the ship, focusing intently on urging the Cloud-Moving Flying Boat to slowly descend the stairs and guide everyone up.

Although this massive magical artifact is only of the first-tier high-grade level, its difficulty in operation is no less than that of some second-tier low-grade magical artifacts. Even with Zhang Ruxue's mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, it is not easy to drive this flying boat. She can only barely operate it by relying on the talismanic incantations left in the sect.

The stairs were lowered, and everyone filed onto the flying boat.

Chen Bai followed Duan Heisi and the others. After stepping onto the deck, he couldn't help but look around with curiosity.

The small town below, resembling a miniature field, was clearly visible. On the main street, numerous tiny figures, no bigger than ants, pointed and gestured at the flying boat. Outside the town, a flat area was lush and verdant, covered with low, dense vegetation, which at first glance looked like a vast grassland.

That place is the Louze Plain. Beneath its peaceful and beautiful exterior lies a turbulent swamp, fraught with danger.

Further on, some low, undulating mountains could be seen, and thousands of miles away, in the far distance, lay a vast expanse of desolate mountain shadows, towering and rugged, stretching endlessly. The moment one glimpsed them, a sense of danger, like seeing a wild beast, suddenly arose in one's heart.

Shifang Mountain Range.

That was our destination.

Chen Bai withdrew his gaze from the distance. The sensation beneath his feet was solid and steady; he couldn't feel that the flying boat was suspended several meters in the air. He would spend the next day on this Cloud-Piercing Flying Boat, so he found a secluded spot near the stern, sat down cross-legged, and prepared to cultivate for a while.

Sensing his intentions, Xiao Liu emerged from his dantian, shrinking into a tiny blue crow the size of an infant's fist. It crept furtively onto his shoulder, keeping watch.

"We're taking off!"

Someone leaned over the railing and looked outside, then shouted out.

The flying boat trembled slightly, and the array platform at the stern lit up with a dazzling white light. The entire flying boat then silently rose into the clouds.

A moment later, the flying boat had risen to a height of several hundred feet, and the land below had transformed into a colorful painting—lush green forests, winding rivers, and scattered markets, all slowly unfolding in the morning light.

The flying boat travels through the fluffy white clouds, with the clouds cleaved by the bow sweeping past on both sides like galloping horses or swimming dragons, ever-changing.

The mountain breeze was blocked by the formation, and when it blew onto the deck, only a gentle breeze remained, carrying a hint of the crispness of the high altitude.

The scattered monks on the boat chatted idly in twos and threes. Some took out their dry rations to share, some continued to wipe their ritual implements, and others leaned against the railing and closed their eyes to rest.

Moonrise and sunset.

The airship continued speeding towards the Shifang Mountains.

Beneath the clouds, the vast land receded silently, while the distant mountains grew larger and larger at a visible speed, transforming from a blurry silhouette into clearly discernible peaks. The Ten Directions Mountains awaited them ahead.

One day later.

The Shifang Mountains, the outer perimeter of Tianfu Mountain.

The Flying Cloud Boat has arrived and quietly docked.

The mountain wind was like a tide.

The damp mist had a faint white hue, and the sunlight within it shifted and changed unpredictably.

The pale gold color was exceptionally beautiful, and with just a sway of the clouds, it transformed into a fiery, scorching gold.

Chen Bai sat cross-legged at the stern of the boat, leaning against the railing, while Xiao Liu curled up like a dark blue pom-pom, perched on his shoulder.

Its small, crimson eyes scanned its surroundings warily. Occasionally, a rogue cultivator would pass by, and it would tilt its head to stare at them until they were far away before burying its head back into its wings.

Chen Bai was not idle that day.

He circulated his embryonic breathing in his dantian for eight full cycles, then took out the remaining half of the demonic essence and held it in his palm, absorbing its pure spiritual energy bit by bit.

The solid has now shrunk to the size of a walnut and is almost about to break.

But the effect is real and tangible—

The embryonic breath in his dantian had become even more refined than before he set off, and its thickness had increased from the width of two fingers held together to nearly three fingers.

Although there is still a long way to go before reaching the mid-stage of embryonic breathing, when "the dantian is full of qi," it is at least no longer out of reach.

After completing his cultivation, he put the demonic essence back into his storage bag and touched the "Purple Yingxia Amber True Talisman" that he wore close to his body on his chest.

Through the fabric, Chen Bai could feel the coolness of the jade talisman's surface.

This jade talisman is of extremely high quality, a protective treasure capable of withstanding a single attack from a Foundation Establishment cultivator. It is considered a rare item even in the entire Yuluo Prefecture.

With this protective talisman and Fairy Zhang around, even if Yao Ye and Xue Zhen had any underhanded methods, they would never dare to use them in front of everyone.

As for the tricks behind the scenes...

Chen Bai lowered his eyes, his fingers unconsciously stroking the rope of the pouch at his waist.

Chen Bai has come this far in the past six months, and he didn't rely on anyone's help. He's not afraid of underhanded tactics.

Suddenly, the little dog on his shoulder let out a low, hoarse cry, pulling him back from his thoughts.

Chen Bai looked up and saw the flying boat slowly descending, passing through the last layer of thin clouds.

Tianfu Mountain finally emerged from beneath the clouds.

It was a truly vast and desolate mountain range.

The mountain peaks stand jagged like swords and halberds, layer upon layer reaching towards the sky. On the nearby mountain peaks, one can clearly see the rock strata on the cliff face and the ancient green trees clinging to them.

The distant mountain peaks were reduced to silhouettes of varying shades, disappearing into the gray-blue twilight.

The mountains are crisscrossed by deep ravines, and several silvery streams can be vaguely seen winding through the canyons, their sound audible from miles away.

On the side closest to the airship's flight path, there's a large area on the mountainside marked by what appeared to be tracks left by something.

Trees were broken and fallen, soil was churned up, and several deep claw marks remained on the exposed rock face. These were scars left by the beast tide, which have yet to heal.