Spirit Void Warship

The moment he stepped out of the cabin, the deck of the Azure Dragon was already in utter chaos.

The panicked cries of the clansmen continuously reached Chen Daoxuan's ears.

"Clan Leader, a giant vessel is flying toward us from the sky!"

"Clan Leader!"

At the bow.

Chen Xianhe said nothing. He raised his head to look at the enormous warship flying toward them overhead, his expression grave.

A moment later, he looked at Chen Daoxuan, who had rushed out from the cabin, and said, "Look after the clansmen. Tell everyone not to panic. That is a Spirit Void Warship of the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family, patrolling the shipping routes."

"Spirit Void Warship."

Chen Daoxuan silently repeated the name, then nodded.

After giving Chen Daoxuan his instructions, Chen Xianhe used the Wind Riding Technique and flew toward the incomparably massive warship above.

Compared to the colossal hull in the heavens, Chen Xianhe's figure was as tiny as a mayfly.

Chen Daoxuan had no time to stare any longer. He hurriedly soothed the panicked clansmen and had them lower the sails, bringing the Azure Dragon slowly to a stop.

Above the Azure Dragon.

Chen Xianhe's figure rose higher and higher until he was level with the Spirit Void Warship.

He took a deep breath, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "I am the Clan Leader of the Chen Family of Twin Lakes Island. We are traveling to Guang'an Prefecture to purchase supplies. This is my shipping route pass token."

With that, Chen Xianhe took a black token from his Storage Bag, infused it with true qi, and tossed it toward the Spirit Void Warship.

The Spirit Void Warship was entirely white, made from some unknown material.

Other than its outward shape, the entire warship was shrouded in mist. Its interior could not be seen clearly, exuding an immense sense of oppression.

Chen Xianhe had no idea which Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Zhou Family was stationed aboard this warship, so he could only obediently present his shipping route pass token according to the rules.

About the time it took to drink half a cup of tea later.

A black token flew out from within the warship.

Just as Chen Xianhe caught the token, a voice sounded beside his ear. "Fellow Daoist, remember not to stray from the safe shipping route. Should you encounter danger otherwise, the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family will bear no responsibility."

"This junior will remember!"

Chen Xianhe hastily bowed in response.

"Rumble!"

Before long, under everyone's gaze, the Spirit Void Warship rapidly ascended, its roar echoing as it vanished into the firmament.

"Whew!"

Watching the enormous thing depart, Chen Xianhe could not help but let out a sigh of relief.

After returning to the deck of the Azure Dragon, Chen Xianhe instructed them again, "Have the clansmen raise the sails. We will continue onward."

"Yes, Clan Leader."

Chen Daoxuan nodded and quickly instructed the clansmen to raise the sails and set off.

Once the Azure Dragon resumed its normal voyage, Chen Daoxuan, full of questions, walked over to Chen Xianhe and asked, "Thirteenth Uncle, that just now was...?"

"It was the Zhou Family's Spirit Void Warship."

Chen Xianhe smiled. "Didn't you ask me before why we had not encountered any Demonic Beast attacks along the way? That is the reason."

Chen Xianhe pointed at the Spirit Void Warship, which had already disappeared into the clouds at the horizon.

"You mean the Zhou Family protects the shipping routes?"

"Of course! Otherwise, where do you think Guang'an Prefecture's prosperity comes from?"

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan immediately understood.

The Zhou Family was the largest family in the sea region spanning a hundred thousand li. It was said that the Zhou Family Old Ancestor had already reached the Grand Perfection of the Violet Mansion, only a single step away from the legendary Golden Core True Person.

Such a colossal Cultivation Family naturally had the strength to protect the shipping routes throughout this vast sea region from Demonic Beast incursions.

Besides, only when the shipping routes were safe could trade flourish, allowing the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family to gain the greatest profits.

Those who ruled always wanted peace under heaven; only the wildly ambitious at the bottom feared that the world was not chaotic enough.

Of course.

Absolute protection was impossible for anyone. After all, those unranked Demonic Beasts possessed little intelligence and were no different from wild beasts. They had no idea where was safe and where was dangerous.

Forget the so-called safe shipping routes—even Spirit Shell Island, the Zhou Family's headquarters, was a place these low-level Demonic Beasts, stirred by the blood aura of mortals, dared to venture into.

It was just that such Demonic Beasts usually only served as extra meat for mortal martial artists.

Purple Mansion family

Chen Daoxuan could not help murmuring, "How imposing!"

"Indeed, they are imposing!"

Chen Xianhe sighed with feeling. "The Zhou Family ancestors were born in fortunate times. During the war a thousand years ago when the Qianyuan Sword Sect seized control of the Myriad Star Sea, they chose the right side. That was what laid the foundation for the thousand-year prosperity of the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family.

"Even during the Divine Absolute Rebellion in the Myriad Star Sea five hundred years ago, when the legacies of countless Cultivation Families were severed, the Zhou Family endured tenaciously. That shows just how profound the foundation of the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family is."

When speaking of the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family—the greatest Cultivation Family within a hundred thousand li of sea—Chen Xianhe's tone was filled with envy.

In truth, it was not just him. Any Cultivation Family within ten thousand li of sea had this same attitude when speaking of the Guang'an Prefecture Zhou Family: reverence mingled with envy, without even daring to entertain jealousy.

"The Divine Absolute Rebellion?"

Chen Daoxuan keenly caught the new piece of knowledge in Chen Xianhe's words.

Seeing Chen Daoxuan's deeply puzzled expression, Chen Xianhe explained, "Five hundred years ago, there was a Rogue Cultivator who called himself the Divine Absolute True Person. No one knew where he obtained a great opportunity, but he threw the Myriad Star Sea into chaos for a full century. In the end, the Qianyuan Sword Sect took action and killed him.

"It was also after that that the Qianyuan Sword Sect launched a war against Cloud Country on Xianyun Continent. That war lasted a full four hundred years."

As Chen Xianhe spoke of the war between the Qianyuan Sword Sect and Cloud Country, he seemed to recall something unpleasant, and his voice gradually faded.

Seeing that he had touched upon Thirteenth Uncle's painful memories, Chen Daoxuan did not dare ask any more.

The next twenty days passed without incident.

They encountered neither the Zhou Family's Spirit Void Warships nor any Demonic Beast harassment.

Twenty days later.

An aged voice sounded from outside the cabin. Chen Daoxuan recognized it as the voice of Thirteenth Uncle Chen Xianhe.

"Daoxuan, we've arrived at Spirit Shell Island!"

Hearing this, Chen Daoxuan was excited.

They had drifted at sea for an entire month. Even though the Azure Dragon was no ordinary Cargo Ship but a modified one inscribed with a Wind Gathering Array and a Water Repelling Array, its sailing speed far surpassing that of ships on Earth—

Chen Daoxuan was still beginning to find it unbearable.

It was not that the Azure Dragon was too bumpy, nor that the voyage was too dull. Rather, restricted by the lack of spiritual qi, he had been unable to cultivate the Returning Origin Technique for an entire month, and his cultivation had not advanced in the slightest.

For cultivators, nothing was more agonizing than being unable to make the slightest progress in cultivation.

Chen Daoxuan finally understood a little of Chen Xianhe's feelings.

He merely could not cultivate for a month, while Chen Xianhe had completely abandoned cultivation. The two were worlds apart.

Thinking of this, Chen Daoxuan could not help admiring Thirteenth Uncle even more.

He walked out of the cabin.

Before him unfolded a scene of sails blotting out the sky and covering the earth. Everywhere he looked was filled with densely packed white sails.

In the sky, cultivators occasionally flew by on swords, streaking past in trails of Escape Light.

Chen Daoxuan knew that those Escape Lights belonged to cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Realm and above.

Qi Refining cultivators, meanwhile, all waited aboard their respective ships, obediently lining up to enter the harbor.

The Chen Family had no Foundation Establishment cultivator, so like the vast majority of Qi Refining cultivators, they obediently waited in line.