Unexpected

After they left, Pei Hong Nian saw Pei Ling treating the Sect Rules like a precious treasure and couldn't help sneering.

"Cousin, are these Sect Rules just for show?" Pei Hong Nian's attitude made Pei Ling's heart skip a beat. He hurriedly asked.

Pei Hong Nian made a strange face. "How could they be? The Sacred Sect put in so much effort to compile all these rules and regulations. How could they be just for show?"

He raised a hand and patted Pei Ling on the shoulder. "It's just... sigh. Anyway, you'll understand once you've read them."

Without giving Pei Ling a chance to ask more, Pei Hong Nian pointed into the distance. "Once you've registered your Life Soul Lamp, you'll be an Outer Sect disciple of the Sacred Sect. Next, you'll go to the General Affairs Hall to collect things like your Outer Sect disciple robes and Nameplate. Let's hurry. Logistics Peak doesn't let outsiders stay overnight, after all. Once night falls, anyone who isn't from the General Affairs Hall and lingers here will be treated as having violated the Sect Rules! This is no joke."

Pei Ling immediately grew solemn. "Yes!"

The two brothers quickened their pace and reached the General Affairs Hall. It occupied a vast area and was built tall and imposing. Flowers and trees grew around it, and people came and went in great numbers.

The most eye-catching sight was the two Specters floating right outside the entrance.

They looked like burly, muscular men, three zhang tall and dressed in armor. One held a hammer, the other carried a blade. Their deathly pale faces were expressionless, and their pitch-black eyes coldly watched the people coming and going.

Seeing them reminded Pei Ling of Jiao Ni and Wu Liu. His face twitched, and he didn't dare look for long. He hurried in after Pei Hong Nian.

Inside was an extremely spacious hall, bustling with people. Everyone hurried back and forth, seemingly very busy.

Pei Hong Nian had no time to dawdle either. He strode with Pei Ling to a corner and explained the situation to a disciple in charge. The other disciple soon brought them a set of Outer Sect disciple robes, a fist-sized Storage Pouch, and a finger bone.

The robes and Storage Pouch were one thing, but the finger bone was shaped like a real finger. It felt warm to the touch and even twitched slightly, which was truly bone-chilling.

"This is your Nameplate." Pei Hong Nian picked up the finger bone and pointed to the two characters "Pei Ling" engraved on it at some point. He warned him solemnly, "This is the most important thing you own. Never lose it! The sect's formations recognize the Nameplate, not the person. If you wander into certain places by mistake without it, you could die for nothing."

Pei Ling grew solemn and hurriedly tucked it away in his robe with great care.

"All right, it's getting late." After leaving the General Affairs Hall, Pei Hong Nian looked up at the sky. "Let's find you somewhere to stay first."

As he spoke, he carefully took a two-inch Paper Boat from his sleeve. It looked just like the kind children folded for fun, but when he tossed it in front of them, it quickly grew. In just two breaths, it had become the size of a small covered boat.

Once Pei Ling had climbed aboard, Pei Hong Nian formed a hand seal. The Paper Boat slowly rose from the ground and drifted away from Logistics Peak, flying toward a nearby mountain with a narrow, rugged shape.

The Paper Boat was steady and swift, but it was worlds apart from the Xuan Gu Ling Yin Boat—there was simply no comparison. On the Xuan Gu Ling Yin Boat, Pei Ling had had neither the mood nor the chance to admire the scenery. Now, although the ten-day deadline still hung over him, he had the system backing him up and didn't feel nervous at all. He could finally take in the sights around him.

"Cousin, what's it like beneath this Sea of Clouds?" Pei Ling watched the clouds surge for a while, then couldn't help pointing below. "What kind of places are down there?"

Pei Hong Nian glanced at him, wearing a rather peculiar expression. "You're that interested? Why not go see for yourself someday?"

Pei Ling sensed something was off and gave an awkward laugh, changing the subject. "By the way, Cousin, does the mountain we're heading to have a name? What's it called?"

Pei Hong Nian smiled strangely and was about to answer when a Colorful Feathered Phoenix Bird suddenly came hurtling out from the side. In its reckless charge, it slammed straight into the Paper Boat.

"My boat!" Pei Hong Nian's expression changed at once. As he formed a hand seal to steady the Paper Boat, which had lost its balance after the sudden impact, he shouted, "Whose Phoenix Bird is this? Why is it so reckless?!"

The Phoenix Bird seemed a little dazed from the collision. It shook its head, then suddenly flapped its wings. It was astonishingly fast, vanishing into the Sea of Clouds in the blink of an eye.

It had come and gone so quickly that, if not for the glaring hole in the Paper Boat, they might have wondered whether the whole thing had really happened.

Pei Ling watched, his heart in his throat. "Cousin, are these flying beasts always this careless?"

He'd just been thinking that Pei Hong Nian's Paper Boat wasn't bad after all.

Now he realized that a Paper Boat was still just a Paper Boat. It really wasn't safe.

"..." Pei Hong Nian looked displeased. "What kind of trash are those idiots at Beast Taming Peak? How do they even train these feathered beasts?"

Before he could finish speaking, the boat lurched again.

The brothers turned around at the same time and were astonished to see that the Phoenix Bird had returned!

This time it was even craftier than before. It had quietly crept close before launching its attack, damaging another part of the Paper Boat.

"Damn it!" Pei Hong Nian's expression changed as alarm and suspicion flashed across his face. "Who's deliberately targeting me?!"

He looked all around, but there was nothing nearby except the churning Sea of Clouds. After striking, the Phoenix Bird had once again vanished into hiding.

Even with Pei Hong Nian's cultivation, he couldn't find it for the moment.

"Cousin, can you go any faster?" Pei Ling watched in terror. He was already at Qi Refining Layer 4, but he couldn't fly. They were still some distance from the mountain ahead. If the Paper Boat went down, he didn't know whether Pei Hong Nian could do anything about it, but he'd certainly fall right along with it.

"Bastard! If I could go faster, would I choose to drift along like this?" Pei Hong Nian's face was livid. He snapped, "You..."

Before he could finish, the boat lurched violently again.

The Phoenix Bird had returned!

This time, after crashing into the boat, it even pecked at the gunwale several times before leisurely flapping its wings and flying away.

Pei Hong Nian stared at the battered Paper Boat, his eyes nearly popping from their sockets! But he hadn't spent all these years in the Chongming Sect for nothing. When it mattered, he could make a decisive call. He thought for a moment, his face dark, then suddenly said, "Pei Ling, sit tight!"

Without waiting for Pei Ling to reply, he rapidly formed hand seals. Ignoring its damage, the Paper Boat abruptly accelerated, hurtling toward the mountain ahead.

The Phoenix Bird had been hiding nearby, taking its time. Seeing this, it paused in surprise, then immediately flapped its wings and gave chase.

During the pursuit, the Phoenix Bird relied on its racial advantage to attack the Paper Boat again and again, as if it harbored a bitter grudge. Before long, the Paper Boat was teetering on the brink of collapse. Amid the rush, Pei Ling could even hear it starting to come apart. He was frantic with worry, but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch helplessly as the Paper Boat burst apart when it swept over a stretch of Mountain Forest.

A wave of air hurled him and Pei Hong Nian high into the air before they crashed heavily back down.

They smashed through countless branches and leaves on the way down, then landed hard on the soft forest floor!

"Ptui! Ah, ptui... ptui... ptui!" Pei Ling scrambled to his feet, filthy and disheveled, and immediately checked his belongings—especially the Nameplate.

He was just breathing a sigh of relief when a jumble of footsteps sounded nearby.