Spirit Bamboo Flying Boat

Both moved intentionally toward each other, quickly closing the distance between them. *Boom!* Standing aboard a spirit bamboo flying boat, Yunyouzi unleashed his full power to blast through the encircling cloud beasts. The flying boat flashed with light and, seizing the opening, swept to Qin Sang's side in an instant. From the looks of it, Yunyouzi was not in too miserable a state. After all, the strongest cloud beasts were still further ahead; these beasts were merely terrifying in number. Yunyouzi glanced at Qin Sang's ebony sword and said in a heavy voice, "Brother Qin, get on quickly! This boat of mine is exceptionally fast, and shaking off the cloud beasts' pursuit won't be an issue, but it requires this old Daoist's full effort to drive it. As a result, I won't be able to spare any attention to defend against their attacks, so I'll need Brother Qin to hold the sword and carve us a path!" Qin Sang flashed aboard one end of the spirit bamboo flying boat. Sizing it up, he discovered that the boat was fashioned from four stalks of white spirit bamboo. Translucent and crystalline like white jade, they appeared to have been forcefully bent and molded together to form the vessel. The spirit bamboo flying boat looked exceptionally rudimentary—aside from the bamboo stalks, there were no other spiritual materials used. Yet the fluctuations it radiated were stronger than any top-grade magic tool Qin Sang had ever seen; he could not tell what kind of treasure it was. Qin Sang suspected that these fluctuations emanated from the spirit bamboo itself, proving that the four stalks were extraordinary rarities. If the ebony sword could devour the bamboo, its power would surely rise by a full tier. Unfortunately, the spirit bamboo had already been refined into a magic tool. Even if Yunyouzi were generous enough to offer him the boat, the ebony sword could no longer devour it. "Rest assured, Senior. I certainly won't let the cloud beasts disturb you." Having given his word, Qin Sang willed his ebony sword to shoot up into the air. Hovering above the spirit bamboo flying boat, it instantly unfurled the sword formation, cleanly slaying the cloud beasts that pursued close behind. "Splendid swordsmanship!" Yunyouzi's eyes lit up with praise. Completely reassured, he left the cloud beasts to Qin Sang and sat cross-legged inside the flying boat, sinking his mind into the vessel. *Buzz!* The flying boat trembled faintly as it turned, its bow pointing toward the outer perimeter of the cloud beast sea. A milky-white glow emanated from the bamboo, spreading upward to envelop the two of them and forming a thin protective barrier. "Junior Brother Qin, watch out!" Yunyouzi offered a hurried warning, and Qin Sang immediately tightened the radius of the sword formation. In the next breath, his vision blurred as his surroundings flew backward at an astonishing speed. Sensing the flying boat's pace, Qin Sang was deeply astonished. Compared to the spirit bamboo flying boat, his Sky-Soaring Shuttle was as slow as a snail. Even flying on a sword would fall far short of this vessel. Perhaps only after breaking through to the fourth layer and mastering the second divine ability—Sword Qi Thunderclap—could he hope to catch its tail. However, Yunyouzi's cultivation was only at early Foundation Establishment, so this was not necessarily the full power of the spirit bamboo flying boat. One could only wonder where Yunyouzi had obtained such a treasure. With this boat, he could come and go freely from many perilous lands. With Qin Sang carving the way with his sword formation, the boat sped along with tremendous momentum, inevitably creating no small commotion. More and more cloud beasts were drawn along the path, though the vast majority were left far behind in the boat's wake. Yet as the spirit bamboo flying boat drew closer to the edge of the cloud beast sea, the encircling beasts grew increasingly formidable. Above them, Qin Sang even detected several frightening fluctuations that sent chills down his spine. Standing upright at the bow, Qin Sang tilted his head back, watching the sky above with a solemn expression. *Caw, caw...* Several crow-like cloud beasts swooped downward to block their path, each possessing the strength of Foundation Establishment. The cloud beasts screeched loudly as they spread bizarre wings dozens of zhang wide. Every flap stirred the spiritual energy into violent turmoil, spawning hurricanes with power comparable to the strike of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Seeing this, Qin Sang gave a cold snort and lightly tapped toward the ebony sword. The sword emitted a long, resonant hum, and its sword qi erupted, swelling in an instant to a hundred zhang like a pillar of heaven sweeping across in a horizontal cleave. *Rumble!* Struck by the sword qi, the hurricanes instantly shattered to pieces with explosive roars. The cloud beasts behind the gales also sensed the terrifying killing intent carried by the sword qi. Instinct made them shriek in fright and scatter in all directions. In truth, Qin Sang was far from capable of slaying these beasts; after heavily injuring a single one, his ebony sword was already on the verge of exhaustion. However, the beasts had been spooked by the killing intent in the sword qi, opening a clear passage for the spirit bamboo flying boat to break through the blockade. The spirit bamboo flying boat nimbly slipped between the beasts, leaving them far behind. Seeing success within reach, Qin Sang did not even have time to breathe a sigh of relief before an extraordinarily terrifying pressure suddenly descended from overhead. Qin Sang looked up in horror. At some point, a mass of dusty gray mist had appeared in the sky, pulsing with heart-stopping fluctuations as it descended over them at incredible speed. His worst fear had come to pass: a truly powerful cloud beast had been disturbed and was now making a move against them. At this sight, Qin Sang's expression shifted continuously. Quickly estimating the boat's speed, he judged that they might narrowly escape being enveloped by the mist, but forcibly taking a blow would be hard to avoid. His thoughts racing, Qin Sang abruptly pulled a black shield from his mustard seed bag. Murmuring an incantation, he caused the shield to swell rapidly in his hand until it was large enough to shelter the entire boat. Then, with a forceful heave, Qin Sang hurled the shield aloft. It flew skyward with a sharp whistle to meet the plunging mist, colliding with it in the blink of an eye. *Crack!* The moment of impact instantly covered the black shield in a dense web of cracks before it shattered with a roar, having lasted less than a single breath of time. Qin Sang's face fell. Just as he was about to draw another magic tool to buy time, Yunyouzi's weary voice reached his ears: "No need to waste your treasures, Brother Qin. Hold on tight!" Before the words had faded, a pallor washed over Yunyouzi's face. The spirit bamboo flying boat suddenly erupted in dazzling brilliance, shooting hundreds of zhang forward like a comet. Leaving the mist far behind, it broke free of the cloud beast sea in a few flashes. The cloud beasts pursued for a short while, but eventually lost even the shadow of the boat. They could only let out a few unwilling shrieks before scattering in all directions. The spirit bamboo flying boat sped along at low altitude while Qin Sang drove off the stray cloud beasts along their path and discerned their bearings to guide Yunyouzi. A quarter of an hour later, the boat touched down beside a lake at the center of the wasteland. Amidst the desolate wasteland, this small lake looked as exquisite as an embedded sapphire, appearing extraordinarily peculiar. The shelter lay deep at the bottom of the lake. Although the howling gales brought by the celestial phenomenon swept across the land, the lake's surface remained remarkably calm without the slightest ripple—a testament to the protective restrictions within the shelter. As the celestial phenomenon grew increasingly ferocious, both Qin Sang and Yunyouzi had depleted a substantial amount of their power. Stowing their respective magic tools, they slipped into the shelter and breathed a collective sigh of relief upon finding it completely empty. Each found a corner to meditate and restore their spiritual power. Once finished, Yunyouzi cupped his hands toward Qin Sang and said with deep emotion, "It was truly fortunate that I ran into you, Brother Qin. These old bones of mine were nearly left behind out there."