As the group rose and took their positions, two flying boats appeared on the distant horizon, racing toward them one after the other without any sign of slowing. Clearly, they were merely passing through. Zhang Heng's squad had been assigned to target these two vessels. They had set out from a branch of Tianyin Palace in the Eastern Sea Islands, carrying a cargo of minerals unique to the Eastern Sea, along with rare spirit medicines and other supplies, bound for Tianyin Palace's headquarters.
The flying boat in front was the color of white jade. Small in build, it was only seven or eight zhang long and three or four zhang wide. The emblem of Tianyin Palace was painted on it. Don't be fooled by its size: small as it was, this was still a warship, with at least a five-man Foundation Establishment Realm squad aboard. It was one of Tianyin Palace's escort ships. Of course, the escort squad wasn't made up of Tianyin Palace's elite disciples, but ordinary disciples—cultivators stationed at a branch.
Among Foundation Establishment Cultivators, strength varied greatly. On average, the weakest were Rogue Cultivators and members of small lineages. They lacked good Cultivation Methods and resources, one of the main reasons they yearned so keenly for them. Ordinary disciples from top sects were quite capable, but still fell far short of the elite.
Tianyin Palace, like the Yin Sha Sect's Battle Hall, had an organization that recruited disciples especially skilled in combat, whose fighting prowess far surpassed that of ordinary disciples at the same level. They called them the Guardian Stars. But whether you called them warriors or guardians, that didn't change the fact that they were elite fighters—the sect's keenest blade.
According to reliable informants in the Eastern Sea Islands, two flying vessels were preparing to