Flying Carriages were not common in the Empire. The reason was simple: they were too expensive. A single Flying Carriage was worth approximately as much as a High-Grade Profound Artifact.
The key difference was that a High-Grade Profound Artifact could greatly enhance a martial artist's strength, while a Flying Carriage was merely a means of transportation.
Thus, in a place like Chongyang County, where the Luo Family was located, no clan would spend a fortune purchasing a Flying Carriage.
Only in a wealthy place like the Imperial Capital had Flying Carriages become commonplace.
However, this was the first time Luo Zheng had seen such a massive Flying Carriage. Watching such a huge object hover in the air and slowly press down from above, Luo Zheng was deeply shaken.
The others present, however, were already accustomed to it. When they saw the giant Flying Carriage descend, they rose one after another. It was time to set off.
The giant Flying Carriage slowly stopped beside the Azure Sky Platform. A floating bridge extended from its side and connected to the edge of the platform. Several people emerged from inside and stood beside the bridge.
The Azure Cloud Sect disciples on the platform handed over the tokens they carried. After the few people inspected them, the disciples crossed the floating bridge and entered the interior of the giant Flying Carriage.
Luo Zheng followed behind the others. When his turn came, he presented the token at his side as well. When the inspectors discovered that Luo Zheng was only at the Marrow Refining Realm, surprise appeared on their faces, but they said nothing. After checking his token, they gestured for him to enter.
Luo Zheng crossed the floating bridge and entered the interior of the giant Flying Carriage.
The interior of the Flying Carriage was spacious. Rows of seats were fixed to the floor along the walls. Luo Zheng still chose a seat in the corner and sat down.
Not long afterward, a tremor came from beneath their feet, and the giant Flying Carriage began to rise into the air.
Looking out through the window beside his seat, he could see the entirety of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Endless mountain ranges stretched toward the horizon. The Azure Cloud Sect occupied an area equivalent to a quarter of the Imperial Capital, but if the unbroken mountain ranges behind the Azure Cloud Sect were included, it was even larger than the Imperial Capital!
Just then, a black mountain range appeared within Luo Zheng's field of vision.
Most of the mountains within the Azure Cloud Sect were lush and verdant, surrounded by the shade of trees. The sudden appearance of that black mountain range was jarringly out of place.
The words "Purgatory Mountain" immediately surfaced in Luo Zheng's mind.
He remembered Zhou Xian saying that Purgatory Mountain was pure black from top to bottom. Gray smoke constantly billowed from it, and it exuded the scent of sulfur. From a distance, it looked as terrifying as an actual purgatory.
Luo Yan was in that mountain.
Luo Zheng strained his eyes into the distance, wanting to take in everything within the mountain, but before long, he revealed a wry smile. He had truly become obsessed. Even after reaching the Marrow Refining Realm and gaining sharper senses, how could his eyesight possibly let him see what was inside the mountain from ten thousand miles in the sky?
Moreover, Purgatory Mountain was so vast. Trying to find his younger sister Luo Yan within it was no different from a fool's dream.
That was what he thought, but Luo Zheng still kept his eyes firmly fixed on Purgatory Mountain. Only after the giant Flying Carriage changed direction and Purgatory Mountain vanished from sight did he withdraw his gaze.
The giant Flying Carriage flew extremely fast. It took only three hours to travel from the Azure Cloud Sect to the south of the Imperial Capital.
Quite a few martial artists had begun whispering among themselves, and some had started making preparations. It seemed they were about to reach their destination.
Just as everyone was preparing, a sudden change erupted!
"Crash!"
One of the Glazed Windows on the right side of the giant Flying Carriage suddenly shattered. Two oily-green blades thrust in from outside. Like a pair of scissors, they crossed over each other and instantly sliced the head off the person seated beside the window, cleanly and completely.
Then a head covered in compound eyes thrust inside and bit down on the person's head before quickly withdrawing.
Blood sprayed from the person's neck onto the ceiling of the giant Flying Carriage.
For two seconds, everyone inside the giant Flying Carriage fell silent. Then someone immediately roared, "Insect attack! Everyone, stay alert!"
Anyone who dared accept the Insect Tide mission had survived countless battles. After a brief moment of panic, everyone reacted, rapidly closing in toward the center.
"Is that a Blade Insect?"
Luo Zheng had seen it clearly just now. The Blade Insect was about as tall as a person, green all over, with compound eyes on its head. Its appearance was savage and ugly, and it had wings on its back and six legs. The uppermost pair resembled two flat, elongated blades, sharp beyond compare.
The moment Luo Zheng leaped down from his seat, the Glazed Window beside him shattered with a boom as well, and a Blade Insect launched an attack at him.
A pair of oily-green blades scissored toward Luo Zheng from both sides. Their edges moved incredibly fast, clearly intending to cut him in half at the waist.
This was Luo Zheng's first encounter with such a demon beast, and he was somewhat tense. Rather than retreating, he advanced, throwing a fierce punch straight at the Blade Insect's abdomen.
A thick layer of armor covered the Blade Insect's abdomen.
Luo Zheng had originally thought that a single punch would shatter the armor into pieces, but he had not expected it to be so tough. His punch failed to break through.
"Damn!"
His punch had failed to achieve anything, and the two blades were already coming for him.
"Swish!"
At that moment, a black-and-red sword ray burst from behind Luo Zheng. Incredibly sharp, it directly cleaved open the Blade Insect's head.
Although the Blade Insect's head had been damaged, it still ferociously brandished the two blades in its hands. It had simply lost its aim, while its speed and strength had been greatly reduced, allowing Luo Zheng to escape.
"Thank you for saving me, friend." Luo Zheng took the opportunity to flash into a safe corner and spoke to a black-robed disciple. The black-robed disciple was a young man, but he wore a long ponytail at the back of his head. The black-and-red sword ray he had just condensed was not true qi, but genuine true essence! This ponytailed man was actually a powerhouse of the Innate Secret Realm!
"We are all disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect. It was just a minor matter," the ponytailed youth said indifferently. "The Blade Insect's abdomen is extremely tough. Its weakness is its head. Unless you are made of steel and iron, do not let yourselves be surrounded by them."
Luo Zheng nodded. Although this person was cold, he had not only saved Luo Zheng just now, but had also briefly and clearly explained all the Blade Insect's weaknesses. People like him were truly rare within the Azure Cloud Sect.
At that moment, Blade Insects were constantly charging into the interior of the giant Flying Carriage, and battles continued to break out.
No one had expected the Blade Insects to suddenly ambush the giant Flying Carriage midway.
Someone shouted, "The Blade Insects are destroying the bottom of the Flying Carriage!"
The bottom was where the giant Flying Carriage's power source lay. If its bottom were destroyed, the entire giant Flying Carriage would plunge headfirst!
Unfortunately, no one aboard the giant Flying Carriage could fly like the Blade Insects. Apart from watching helplessly, they had no other choice.
Before long, everyone felt the floor tilt. Sure enough, the giant Flying Carriage had begun to fall!
Luo Zheng slid into a corner and grabbed a crossbeam to steady himself.
He had thought they would reach their destination aboard the giant Flying Carriage, rest for a while, and then begin hunting Blade Insects. He had never expected this swarm of Blade Insects to launch a sudden assault and intercept the giant Flying Carriage directly. A wry smile appeared on Luo Zheng's face. He was truly unlucky beyond belief.
Fortunately, only half of the giant Flying Carriage's bottom had been destroyed; it had not been completely wrecked, and its power source was still functioning. Thus, the Flying Carriage did not fall very quickly. It merely descended slowly at an angle.
Everyone grabbed whatever was beside them and secured themselves firmly, bracing for the impact when they hit the ground.
"Boom!"
The giant Flying Carriage struck the ground with a tremendous, muffled crash. Beginning from the central keel, the carriage split apart and disintegrated. Broken boards and pillars were scattered everywhere...
The impact of the landing posed no great threat to Luo Zheng. After a brief period of chaos, he crawled out of the wrecked Flying Carriage. Outside, quite a few Inner Sect Disciples had already begun battling the Blade Insects.
Many of those who had come this time had already entered the Innate Secret Realm.
Aside from Luo Zheng, most of the rest were outstanding martial artists at the Half-Step to the Innate Realm.
Even after encountering such a grave crisis, everyone remained remarkably steady. They rapidly launched counterattacks against the Blade Insects. For a time, the radiance of true qi and true essence rose and fell in waves, and the battle was fierce.
Only then did Luo Zheng understand why it was called an Insect Tide.
Whether on the ground, in the sky, or within the jungle, everywhere was covered in a sea of oily green.
Once these Blade Insects took flight, they completely blotted out the sky and sun.
The moment Luo Zheng crawled out, three or four Blade Insects fixed their eyes on him and pounced from three directions.
After the ponytailed youth's reminder, Luo Zheng now understood that the Blade Insects' strongest defenses were their abdomens. The armor that grew from their bodies was even harder than human armor.
Having learned his lesson, Luo Zheng naturally would not make the same mistake again.
Facing the simultaneous assault of several Blade Insects, Luo Zheng attacked first. He dodged the blade thrusting toward him, channeled force through his arm, and shattered the Blade Insect's head with one punch. At the same time, he seized the corpse and threw it behind him, blocking the path of the two Blade Insects approaching from the rear.
Relying on their numerical advantage, the Blade Insects posed a considerable threat when they surrounded their enemy.
Thus, Luo Zheng kept the ponytailed youth's words firmly in mind: do not let yourself fall into the Blade Insects' encirclement.
Four Blade Insects had originally been closing in around him. Luo Zheng had brutally killed one and simultaneously blocked the two behind him, leaving the one in front easy to deal with. Before that Blade Insect could even brandish its blades, Luo Zheng's hand flashed out like lightning and pressed against its joint. With a powerful pull, he tore both blades off the Blade Insect.
A lone Blade Insect was not difficult to deal with.
Even a martial artist at the Viscera Refining Realm could fight one, while an ordinary martial artist at the Marrow Refining Realm could handle it. As for a Half-Step to the Innate Realm cultivator, dealing with one was even more effortless.
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