The Flying Boat departed from the Heavenly Snake Empire, cutting through clouds and mist as it steadily made its way toward the Central Plains.
The days passed in a peculiar rhythm.
During the day, Chu Zhou would appear on the Flying Boat's spacious deck.
Sometimes, he sat cross-legged with the Myriad Beast Cauldron before him, using the Mystic Yellow Azure Flame to refine pills of considerable grades.
His pill-refining techniques flowed effortlessly, and his fire control was exquisite, often drawing members of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan to stop and watch without even realizing it.
Sometimes, Feng Qing'er sat by the railing a short distance away, hugging her knees as she munched on spiritual fruit unique to the Central Plains and watched him refine pills with an air of indifference.
Occasionally, they exchanged a few idle remarks, their topics ranging from the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's secrets to the balance of power among the Central Plains' factions, then drifting to trivial everyday matters.
Feng Qing'er's words always carried a few prickly hints of pride, but she was gentle with Chu Zhou.
More often, Chu Zhou simply stood quietly by the railing, gazing at the mountains, rivers, towns, and villages passing beneath the Flying Boat.
The Central Plains were vaster than many could imagine. Even at the speed of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's spiritual vessel, traveling through the void to the Northern Region's border took nearly a month.
From high above, imposing cities and crisscrossing trade routes occasionally came into view, and he could faintly sense the auras of powerful cultivators below.
The Central Plains harbored countless hidden experts. The Northwest Continent could not compare.
Whenever night fell, Chi Mei and Qing Luo tacitly took up guard outside Chu Zhou's cabin. Their two Dou Zun-level auras spread faintly through the