“Impossible. Formations are carved onto the hull specifically to deceive Sky Demons and conceal the treasure ship's tracks.
Zhemu Sky Demons never travel alone; they're reluctant to appear easily. They are the eyes of the Sky Demons. If you had killed it in the black mist, that would be one thing, but if its presence has truly been discovered on the treasure ship—”
The Wuwei Sect disciple's expression changed. He exchanged looks with his fellow disciple and immediately sent a Foundation Establishment disciple down, secured by a Vermilion Bird Lock, to investigate.
Neither of them took Nan Zhi's words as a joke. The former stood up and cupped his hands toward her.
“If what you say is true, the treasure ship's trail might have already been exposed to the Sky Demons. We must report this to the seniors on the ship immediately... Please, help yourself.”
With that, the Wuwei Sect disciple immediately flew off on his sword, leaving the crowd in a flurry of discussion.
“Sky Demons? Aren't those strange things only brave enough to stay in the black mist? They can't board the treasure ship, can they?”
“Didn't you hear that human cultivator? She killed that Zhemu Sky Demon near the treasure ship.”
“A Zhemu is only equivalent to a human's Qi Refinement stage. Aside from being hard to find, they aren't hard to kill. With the ship's formations and the Golden Core Masters guarding it, why the fuss?”
“Hmph... you don't know. Sky Demons are like bedbugs—you can't kill or burn them all away; they're trapped in this Wuwang Sea forever.
“But these things have keen ears and eyes, as if they have Thousand Mile Eyes and Far Hearing Ears. If one Sky Demon finds a merchant ship, the whole nest knows.
“That's why the treasure ships are carved with the Qingjing Sect's invisibility formations. That's how they avoid high level Sky Demons and reach the shore safely.”
“Low level ones aren't scary, but a high level Sky Demon is a match for a Nascent Soul cultivator!
“A hundred years ago, high level Sky Demons raided the Rakshasa Sea Market. If the market master, Lady Mingzhu, hadn't bitten off half the demon's arm and driven it back to the Wuwang Sea, who knows how many would have died!”
“Gasp! Then isn't the Splendid Platform in trouble?”
“Bah, don't overthink it. What if that female cultivator was mistaken?”
“How could the white jade platform be wrong? It recorded her killing a Zhemu Sky Demon...”
“Speaking of which, that human female cultivator is truly formidable. Even Tu Jiuxiao, who has the most kills, probably couldn't stay in the black mist for a full hour—”
“Over a thousand hungry ghosts, two Foundation Establishment demon beasts, and one Zhemu Sky Demon... wait, where is she?”
The crowd realized that Nan Zhi had already vanished, and even the Sea Dragon woman who had been standing with her was gone.
At the very edge of the crowd stood a young swordsman in yellow robes. His features were bright, with sharp brows and starry eyes, looking quite young. He wore no ornaments, with only a plain sword hanging at his waist.
He stared at the string of startling numbers belonging to Ma Jiu on the white jade stone, unable to help but tighten his grip on his sword and purse his lips.
...
...
“My name is Hai Ying. Yours is Ma Jiu? Your human names are truly strange.”
In a corner where no one was paying attention, the Sea Dragon woman bashfully gave her name before adding, “Did you... did you really find a Zhemu Sky Demon at the bottom of the ship? That's not a good omen. Those things are like sharks in the water. Once one catches the scent of blood, a whole pack follows!”
“Of course. I might not be a saint in your eyes, but I'm not so lowly as to joke about something like this.”
Nan Zhi waved her hand dismissively, glossing over how she actually found the demon and simply saying it was a coincidence that she caught it revealing itself. “I know very little about Sky Demons. When we fought just now, I felt it was incredibly eerie. Even my weapon was nearly damaged. Would you mind explaining things to me, Fellow Daoist Hai Ying?”
“Those things don't just eat weapons. Formations, artifacts, talismans, spirit swords, pills—as long as it contains spiritual energy, they'll eat it.”
A trace of fear appeared on Hai Ying's face as she gestured with her hands. “A hundred years ago, when I was still a little sea dragon, I saw a high level Sky Demon invade the Sea Dragon Kingdom with my own eyes. That demon was so massive it blocked out the sun, like a giant. Though it had a human shape, it ate everything.
“Everywhere it passed turned into black water, and the spiritual energy was drained until a paradise became a spiritless land. Even now, the Rakshasa Sea Market has a stretch of sea that was fouled by a Sky Demon. For miles around, not even a blade of seagrass grows, let alone anything else living.”
“They devour spiritual energy? No wonder everyone's expression changed when they heard about the Sky Demon. Those two Wuwei Sect disciples didn't even question me and rushed to verify it.”
Nan Zhi raised an eyebrow. “The treasure ship is sturdy, and the demon beasts and hungry ghosts in the Wuwang Sea can't break the formation's defense. But if they run into a Sky Demon that can eat the formation itself—”
The treasure ship would fall, and the hundreds of thousands of cultivators from various races on board would perish in the Wuwang Sea.
Just the thought of that consequence was enough to make one shudder.
She thought for a moment and raised another question. “Since they're worried about high level Sky Demons, and we aren't far from Jueming Cliff, why not return as quickly as possible to avoid them? That way, they could save the lives on the ship.”
“It's not possible.”
Hai Ying no longer felt her initial dislike for Nan Zhi and shook her head honestly. “Sky Demons are connected to each other. If they've truly targeted the Splendid Platform, they won't give up easily and will follow us all the way to shore.
“In the Wuwang Sea, the black mist can block them, but past Jueming Cliff is the mortal realm. If the Sky Demons follow us to shore and enter the mortal realm, the world will be turned upside down. There's an unwritten rule in the Rakshasa Sea Market: any merchant ship or tower boat targeted by Sky Demons must not dock easily, lest they bring a Sky Demon tide to the nations.”
“So that's how it is. They'd rather fight to the death than give the Sky Demons a chance to reach the shore and harm people. Truly worthy of being fellow cultivators.”
Nan Zhi rubbed her chin, looking in the direction where the two Wuwei Sect disciples had disappeared. A thought suddenly occurred to her.
...
...
Meanwhile, after receiving Nan Zhi's news, the two Wuwei Sect disciples quickly reported to the ship's manager. They then ordered people down to investigate and indeed found traces of several formations having been gnawed on by Sky Demons.
When the manager of the Splendid Platform heard this, despite his Golden Core cultivation, he broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly sent word to the Heaven Grade rooms.
The Golden Cauldron Jade Pavilion, Heaven Grade Room One.
As the most luxurious place on the entire Splendid Platform, the decorations and arrangements in Heaven Grade Room One were naturally exquisite and marvelous beyond compare.
South Sea white jade covered the floor, and North Sea red coral served as a screen. A high, five colored radiance clam, three people wide, stood behind strings of pearl curtains, its half open shell almost identical in quality to the finest white jade.
There was no incense in the room, but it naturally carried a faint coldness. A single breath felt like the scent of ice and snow soaking into one's chest.
Outside the jade curtain, on a weapon rack carved from walrus ivory as thick as an infant's arm, rested a murderous, cold gleaming trident.
Nan Zhi, draped in her Spirit Swallowing Grass blanket, stuffed a Qi Augmenting Pill into her mouth as she surveyed the room's layout.
There were people inside. Although the Spirit Swallowing Grass could block the divine sense of a Nascent Soul cultivator, she didn't dare get too close.
Behind the mermaid silk were two figures, a man and a woman, standing very close together. Combined with the faint cold fragrance in the room, the scene felt increasingly hazy and intimate.
Did I just walk into a scene unsuitable for children?
Nan Zhi paused her movements.
Rate on N.U.
