Translator: CinderTL
The Giant Flying Ship sliced through the sky, leaving a distinct trail through the murky fog.
The sun blazed brighter at higher altitudes. As the black Primordial Qi completely dissipated, its blinding rays washed over Song Wen's face.
Song Wen momentarily lost himself in thought. Only now did he truly realize he had escaped the Primordial Qi Death Zone.
"Lei Yue, what are you staring at?" Xu Mengyu asked, her tone tinged with impatience.
"Seeing the blazing sun suddenly reminded me of my late master," Song Wen replied, snapping out of his reverie with a look of apology. "Fellow Daoist Xu, please forgive my momentary lapse. What were you saying just now?"
Xu Mengyu held up her slender hand, a wisp of Thunderlight flickering in her palm.
She also practiced thunder magic, but her talent in this area was limited, resulting in only moderate power.
"I was asking if you know any methods to enhance the power of thunder magic?"
"Fellow Daoist Xu, you overestimate me," Song Wen said. "As a rogue cultivator, how would I know such methods? I imagine the only ways are through deeper comprehension, diligent practice, or crafting thunder-attribute magical artifacts. Beyond that, I can't think of any other possibilities."
Throughout their journey, Xu Mengyu kept Song Wen company, chatting idly and gradually becoming more familiar with him.
From Xu Mengyu's casual remarks, Song Wen gleaned considerable information, gaining a preliminary understanding of the region.
This vast and boundless territory was known as the Southern Nether Continent, where Spiritual Qi surged like a tidal wave, nurturing countless natural treasures and giving rise to numerous cultivation sects, both large and small.
Among these, the three most powerful sects were the Profound Sky Sect, the Myriad Swords Pavilion, and the Spirit Jade Palace.
Notably, all three great sects belonged to the Orthodox Path.
In the Southern Nether Continent, the demonic path was weak, forced to lurk in the shadows.
Xu Mengyu and her companions belonged to the Spirit Jade Palace.
Due to their cultivation technique being particularly suited for female cultivators, the Spirit Jade Palace, unlike the He Huan Sect in the Lower Realm, didn't exclusively recruit female disciples. However, the sect remained overwhelmingly female, with most of its members being female cultivators.
The Profound Sky Sect derived its name from a secret art known as the Profound Sky Thunder Art. According to Xu Mengyu, this thunder magic could even rival the Divine Blood Gate's Nine Great Heavenly Thunder Secrets.
The Myriad Swords Pavilion, on the other hand, primarily consisted of sword cultivators.
Great Tan City, which Xu Mengyu had mentioned earlier, was the largest city under the jurisdiction of the Spirit Jade Palace, located only a thousand miles away.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist Xu, as a disciple of the Spirit Jade Palace, you must have seen much of the world. Have you ever personally witnessed the power of a Great Ascension or Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator?" Song Wen suddenly changed the subject, seemingly out of casual curiosity, but his true intention was to inquire about the high-tier cultivators of the Southern Nether Continent.
Xu Mengyu shook her head. "The highest-level cultivator I've ever seen is my master, True Lord Bai Wei. Her cultivation has already reached the Body Integration Stage, and her depth is unfathomable. As for the Great Ascension Stage Grand Elders, they rarely appear in public, so I've never had the opportunity to meet them. And the Spirit Jade Palace has no cultivators at the Tribulation Crossing Stage."
Song Wen was surprised to learn that even the Spirit Jade Palace lacked Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators.
Before his Ascension, Xu Geng had mentioned that when he descended to the Lower Realm tens of thousands of years ago, his true form had already reached the Great Ascension Stage. After so many millennia, his true form must have advanced to the Tribulation Crossing realm by now.
In that case, how could the Spirit Jade Palace possibly compare to the Divine Blood Gate? And how could Xu Mengyu and her companions dare to speak so disrespectfully of the Divine Blood Gate?
Could it be that the Profound Sky Sect and Myriad Swords Pavilion have Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivators guarding them? That's the only reason the Divine Blood Gate wouldn't dare to set foot in the Southern Nether Continent, Song Wen mused inwardly.
After chatting idly with Xu Mengyu for a while, Song Wen excused himself under the pretense of needing to meditate and recover his spiritual power. He retreated to a corner of the Giant Flying Ship, swallowed a medicinal pill, and began his cultivation.
The three female cultivators were a major cultivation realm below him, so he wasn't worried about them turning against him.
A month later, Song Wen had recovered most of his spiritual power. The Giant Flying Ship gradually slowed its descent, and a human city came into view ahead.
From a distance, the city resembled a colossal beast sprawled across the land, stretching for thousands of miles and dotted with countless mountain peaks.
The city had no walls. Tier upon tier of densely packed buildings rose in endless layers, their roofs overlapping like scales. Streets and alleys crisscrossed the city like veins, and pedestrians scurried through them like ants.
Xu Mengyu, eager to return home, leaped to her feet with a joyful cry and rushed to the ship's bow, gazing intently at the city.
Suddenly, her expression shifted slightly, and she murmured under her breath, "Master!"
The other three, including Song Wen, immediately rose to their feet and followed her gaze.
A dignified and elegantly dressed woman floated slowly through the air.
Her figure was graceful, and her features were delicate, but an icy chill emanated from between her brows.
Her eyes were as deep and cold as a bottomless pool, so piercing that Xu Mengyu and the other two women dared not meet her gaze, instead lowering their heads to stare at their toes.
"Master, what brings you here?" Che Jing asked cautiously as the woman approached.
The woman's icy gaze swept across the occupants of the Giant Flying Ship before settling on Xu Mengyu.
"You certainly have nerve, venturing into the Primordial Qi Death Zone behind my back. If I hadn't learned about your Nether Fox mission from the mission hall, you would have kept me in the dark until now."
Xu Mengyu and her companions froze in terror.
The woman's gaze shifted to Song Wen.
"Who are you? Why are you with these three?"
"Junior Lei Yue, greetings, Senior Bai Wei," Song Wen said, clasping his hands in a respectful bow.
Xu Mengyu had mentioned her master before, so Song Wen recognized the woman's name.
He also noticed a striking resemblance between Xu Mengyu and Bai Wei, suggesting a blood relationship.
Bai Wei's expression darkened as she repeated her question.
"I asked you, why are you with these three?"
Before Song Wen could answer, Xu Mengyu interjected, "Master, Fellow Daoist Lei Yue saved our lives. He was also heading to Great Tan City, so we traveled together."
"Saved you?" Bai Wei's gaze turned even colder as she turned to Che Jing. "Che Jing, explain exactly what happened."
Che Jing replied, "Reporting to Master, while hunting Nether Foxes, we were ambushed by two members of the Divine Blood Gate and nearly killed. Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Lei Yue arrived in time, slaying the attackers and allowing us to escape."
Bai Wei glared at Xu Mengyu, her eyebrows furrowing in anger.
"I told you to stay at the sect and cultivate properly, yet you insisted on running off. You were lucky this time, but next time might be different."
"Master... I..." Xu Mengyu stammered, trembling.
"I'll punish you when we return to the sect," Bai Wei snapped, then turned her attention back to Song Wen.
With a flick of her wrist, she produced a storage pouch and tossed it to him.
"This contains ten thousand high-grade spirit stones as compensation for saving them. However, I expect you to refrain from contacting them again."
Song Wen accepted the pouch, bowing slightly. "Junior obeys."
Bai Wei ignored Song Wen and addressed the three women.
"Return to the sect with me."
With that, she turned and flew toward the city.
Xu Mengyu winked at Song Wen before hurrying after Bai Wei.
Che Jing clasped her hands in a farewell gesture. "Fellow Daoist Lei Yue, farewell."
Liu Shanshan, who had remained mostly silent, bowed deeply to Song Wen.
The two women then soared into the sky, following their master.
(End of the Chapter)