Daoist Competition

A flying sea boat shaped like a small mountain hovered above the mountain ridge, stretching over four hundred zhang in length. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, it appeared to obscure half the sky.

On the hull of the boat lay a six-story Treasure Pavilion, lying horizontally across its structure. Hanging from the eaves at its four corners were Golden Copper Treasure Bells, flanking Bright Pearls and precious stones. Thirty-six Dragon-climbing Piles protruded from the ship's sides, glaring with fury, their whiskers raised and claws gripping coiled patterns.

Chu Jiu and Qiu Ju had seen the largest flying sea vessel before, which was only about a hundred zhang in size; even that was already incomparably massive. They had never encountered such a colossal sea vessel as this, which could rival the "Da Wei Cloud Palace" used by Nascent Soul cultivators. They stood on the spot in stunned awe.

However, as soon as the sea vessel appeared, it immediately disappeared without a trace, clearly taken back by its owner. From its appearance to its vanishing, no more than one or two breaths passed. Many only felt the ground tremor briefly, and upon looking around, found no abnormality at all.

Qiu Ju's face rarely revealed a look of envy as he sighed, "To think someone actually possesses such a gigantic vessel. Even if Guo Lie is truly determined to trouble him, the Prohibitions on that ship alone could likely hold him off for quite some time."

Upon hearing this, Chu Jiu was momentarily stunned, then burst out into boisterous laughter.

Qiu Ju, perplexed, asked, "Why are you laughing, fellow Daoist? If Brother Zhang were to take off with his ship right now, how would your plan still work?"

Chu Jiu smiled mysteriously and said, "Not necessarily. I've just thought of another method to make Guo Lie abandon us and chase after him, giving us the chance to escape."

Qiu Ju said in a muffled tone, "Though Guo Lie is reckless, he isn't someone we can easily manipulate at our whim."

Chu Jiu chuckled sinisterly and replied, "What if I had Miss Shan and Cai Chuo take my Mysterious Snake Nine-orifice Sea Boat out to sea? What do you think Guo Lie would do?"

Qiu Ju answered without hesitation, "Guo Lie would undoubtedly assume that we are aboard the vessel and would chase after it without a second thought…" At this point, he frowned and said, "But in doing so, while we may divert him, we would also lose our means to head to sea, wouldn't we?"

Chu Jiu's lips curved into an enigmatic smile as he said, "When he realizes that the ones controlling the vessel aren't us but instead those two women, he will certainly interrogate them about our whereabouts. I'll have instructed them in advance to claim that we departed aboard Zhang Daoist's sea boat. Guo Lie will surely believe it without question. Once he's gone, those two women can then turn the ship around and come back to the island to pick us up. By the time Guo Lie realizes he's been tricked, it will already be too late for him to do anything."

After mulling it over carefully, Qiu Ju found the plan to be feasible. If Guo Lie learned of this, he would undoubtedly rush back to chase Zhang Yan and disregard the island entirely. Nodding in agreement, he said, "This plan could work. However, I'm worried that in his anger, Guo Lie might harm those two fellow Daoists…"

Chu Jiu cast him a sidelong glance, smirking, "Don't worry, brother. Guo Lie is always proud of his reputation and has never harmed female cultivators. If not for this, how could I dare proceed with this plan?"

Qiu Ju remained hesitant; there was another concern lingering in his mind left unspoken. The Mysterious Snake Nine-orifice Sea Boat was jointly purchased by him and Chu Jiu, and he had spent a significant number of Spiritual Shells on it. If Guo Lie were to destroy it in passing, wouldn't they lose everything?

Seeming to read his thoughts, Chu Jiu approached and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Brother, it's said that the Immortal Mansion is set to emerge soon. If we don't hurry, others might get there first. Even if there's some risk, we must take the gamble."

After thinking it through, Qiu Ju nodded and said, "It seems we have no other choice."

The moment the Dragon Country's Ship revealed its true form, Zhang Yan immediately realized its excessive conspicuousness, fearing it might attract too much covetous attention. Thus, as soon as the Artifact Restriction was lifted, he swiftly stored it away, reverting it to a mere boat embryo to be tucked into his sleeve. He did not linger until dawn but instead immediately used Xuan Guang to wrap Gu Chu'er and fled Qifeng Island.

After traveling over a hundred li, the horizon began to glow with the rising sun, casting rays of golden light across the vast blue sea. Fish leaped among the white-crested waves, and the scene expanded into a vast and boundless expanse.

Seeing that no one was nearby, Zhang Yan finally released the Dragon Country's Ship. Its massive form extended to a length of four hundred zhang, instantly triggering ferocious winds. Yet even with its immense size, the ship looked like a mere solitary leaf floating on the boundless sea.

Strolling leisurely across different areas of the ship, Zhang Yan noted that the six-story Treasure Pavilion could host up to a thousand people. He then arranged for Gu Chu'er to settle on the lowest level, tossing her a bottle of Fasting Pills and instructing her to focus on her cultivation.

Afterward, he ascended to the main pavilion on the highest Sixth Layer. The space was barren, with no furnishings or utensils, creating an empty and desolate feel. Yet, Zhang Yan didn't mind. Picking up the Prohibition Token, he infused it with a breath of Essence Qi, shook his hand, and activated it. The thirty-six Dragon-climbing Piles on the ship's sides rumbled into motion, wrapping the vessel in a halo-like shimmer of watery radiance. From a distance, the boat appeared to be cloaked in a layer of glazed fiery brilliance.