After nine more days of sailing on the Yin Family’s sea boat, the journey proceeded smoothly without incident, and they successfully reached Qifeng Island.
Qifeng Island was shaped like a crescent moon, with a curved mountain ridge running through its entire length. At the foot of the ridge lay several giant, collapsed ruined steles, once used for sacrificial prayers to the heavens, now covered in grass and moss. Along the coast, one could see hundreds of sea boats moored, their sails casting shadows over the sky, their masts standing like a dense forest.
Beyond this island, heading east, lay an endless expanse of ocean—a realm ruled by fierce beasts and demons. Compared to the entangled forces near the shores, the outer sea could truly be called a barbaric land. Often, one might not encounter another island for over a month, and the regions were divided by the realms of the Eighteen Demon Kings, each dominating their territory. Even the Ten Great Sects of Xuanmen seldom dared to provoke them lightly.
Manager Jing piloted the sea boat and sought out a mooring spot, gently docking it. Standing on the deck, Senior Sister Cai looked around and observed many cultivators flying through the air, their tunneling lights flickering in and out. The shoreline was bustling and filled with buildings and pavilions arranged in rows, making the scene unusually lively. She couldn’t help but exclaim, "There must be thousands of cultivators gathered here—it seems most are preparing to head to the outer sea to seek opportunities."
Turning back, she smiled at Miss Shan, who stood nearby, and said, "Junior Sister, if you want to venture into the outer sea, you’ll need a flying-grade sea boat. It’s rare to find someone in possession of such a vessel. I’ve heard Brother Chu spent thousands of Spiritual Shells at the Immortal Market to acquire a ’Mysterious Snake Nine-orifice Sea Boat.’ With that, crossing the ocean is as easy as turning one’s hand. Alas, your senior sister here doesn’t have such connections—it’s all up to you, Junior Sister."
After saying this, she covered her mouth and laughed quietly.
Miss Shan understood her meaning well. The Peng Yuan Sect and Taihao Sect had close ties and deep connections. Furthermore, the Evil Qi within Peng Yuan Sect’s Jingchen Heavenly Palace could assist the Taihao Sect’s disciples in refining mixed energies, so it was quite common for Daoist couples to form between members of the two sects.
With her status, paired with the merit she earned from slaying the Jiu Kui Demon King, the sect would undoubtedly impart one of the more advanced Dharma techniques, allowing her to communicate with an even higher tier of Heavenly Palace. She also knew that Brother Chu of the Taihao Sect had expressed interest in her—otherwise, why would he have lent her the Binding Immortal Vine?
Initially, she had felt some attraction toward Brother Chu. His demeanor was extraordinary, and he was far from ordinary. However, after witnessing Zhang Yan single-handedly defeat two Demon King avatars, her perspective changed entirely. Suddenly, Brother Chu seemed rather unimpressive, and she could no longer muster any interest in him. All she hoped for was to return the Binding Phoenix Vine as soon as possible and retreat to her mountain gate for secluded cultivation.
Senior Sister Cai was teasing her, but she noticed Miss Shan seemed rather downcast, which left her puzzled.
While the two spoke on the deck, Zhang Yan was sitting in the cabin, diligently refining the Dragon Country sea boat. He needed just half a day more to unlock the First Realm of artifact restriction.
Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration from his Sleeve Bag. The sensation was faint yet urgent.
Frowning, he retrieved the item and found it was a Jade Scroll glowing green. Recognizing it as the apprentice paper given to him by Pu Yuzi from Bu Tian Pavilion, he was surprised to see it activating at this moment. The scroll jumped continuously in his hand as if it had already located a target.
He immediately stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck, where he saw Miss Shan and Senior Sister Cai. Offering a small nod as a greeting, he said nothing further.
Miss Shan quickly performed a formal bow and said, "Huizhen greets the fellow Daoist."
Because Zhang Yan hadn’t left his cabin in recent days and the sea boat was large enough, Senior Sister Cai hadn’t realized he was aboard. Seeing him emerge suddenly caught her off guard. She also noticed Miss Shan acting cautiously and with evident fear toward him, which deepened her confusion. Furrowing her brows, she stepped forward toward Zhang Yan.
Holding the Jade Scroll, Zhang Yan intended to sense the direction in which he should proceed. However, for reasons he could not fathom, the scroll became inert once he stepped onto the deck. Just as he contemplated disembarking to search further, a green-robed woman suddenly appeared before him. She glanced at him and asked, "Fellow Daoist, what is your business here?"
Senior Sister Cai demanded harshly, "Who are you? How did you end up aboard this sea boat?"
Her tone was quite rude, causing Miss Shan’s face to turn pale with fright. Although she didn’t know Zhang Yan’s full background, she was well aware that he had defeated two Demon King avatars single-handedly—hardly a figure to be trifled with. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Senior Sister Cai’s arm, and apologized to Zhang Yan, saying, "I have offended the fellow Daoist. We have matters to attend to and will leave now. Apologies."
After finishing her words, she paid no heed to Senior Sister Cai’s reaction and dragged her aside. Once off the sea boat, Senior Sister Cai shook herself free of Miss Shan’s grasp and, irritated, asked, "Junior Sister, what do you mean by this?"
Miss Shan hesitated for a moment before deciding to speak honestly. With a sigh, she replied, "Senior Sister, you are unaware—without this Daoist, I would have lost my life to the Jiu Kui Demon King..."