The return voyage
One month later, in the port of the Cloud Water Dynasty.
A colossal ship, just as magnificent as the one that had arrived, lay quietly at the dock, preparing to return. Unlike the hustle and bustle of the journey there, the returning ship was much quieter, with only a handful of martial artists boarding.
Dongfang Yueming, dressed in simple martial arts attire and carrying the "Light Snow" sword wrapped in cloth, stood quietly in the line. He lowered his bamboo hat, concealing all his aura, and looked like an ordinary Blood Replacement Realm martial artist.
"Finally... finally we can go back!" A Qi Refining martial artist standing in front of Dongfang Yueming looked at the giant ship, let out a long sigh of relief, his face full of relief at surviving a disaster. "The Central Continent... it's no place for humans! I almost lost my life there!"
His companion nodded with lingering fear, "Who says otherwise? The resources we worked so hard to earn aren't even enough to fill the teeth of those big sects and families. This time, I'm never coming back!"
Just then, a group of elegantly dressed and Bufan martial artists, surrounded by guards, ignored the queue and headed straight for the gangway to board the ship.
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Don't you have eyes?" A guard rudely shoved aside the Qi Refining martial artist blocking his way.
The Qi Refining martial artist dared not speak his anger and quickly retreated to the side. He recognized the family crest on the luxurious clothing; it belonged to the Bai family family, a rather famous family in the Cloud Water Dynasty.
"Hmph, a bunch of bumpkins from some remote place." A young member of the Bai family glanced at the people around him, his face full of undisguised contempt.
"Say less," the middle-aged man at the head of the group snapped, but his arrogance surpassed that of the young man. "Our Bai family was ambushed by our enemies, forcing us to temporarily relocate to this desolate land. Once things calm down, we'll be back to retaliate!"
"Yes, Father," the young man replied respectfully, but when his gaze swept over Dongfang Yueming, he saw that Dongfang Yueming did not even raise his head and was still wearing a bamboo hat, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.
Dongfang Yueming seemed oblivious to all of this; his gaze was fixed on the boundless sea, his mind filled with countless thoughts.
It's been almost a year since I left the Great Xia Dynasty. I wonder how things are there now?
As his thoughts drifted, the group moved slowly forward, and he successfully boarded the giant ship.
"Buzz--!"
A long, deep blast of the ship's horn signaled the official start of the journey home.
A Grandmaster- level expert in charge of overseeing the trip appeared on the deck. He exuded a calm aura, his gaze was sharp as lightning, and his voice resonated throughout the entire ship.
"This return voyage is long and arduous, and we may encounter Ferocious Beast sea creatures along the way. Please be careful. Private fighting is strictly prohibited on board; violators will bear the consequences themselves!"
After saying that, the Grandmaster's figure disappeared, but the invisible pressure he exuded made everyone's hearts tremble.
The giant ship slowly sailed away from the port, leaving a white trail in its wake on the sea.
For the first three days, the voyage was calm and peaceful.
The martial artists on the ship gradually became familiar with each other. The Qi Refining artist who had previously been in front of Dongfang Yueming seemed to be a natural at making friends and took the initiative to come over.
"Brother, you seem to be alone too. Where are you from?"
Dongfang Yueming simply nodded slightly, without replying.
The man didn't seem to care and continued, "Brother, you have an Bufan air about you; you must have ventured into the Central Continent before. Alas, to be honest, I suffered a major setback this time..."
Just as he was speaking eloquently, the young scion of the Bai family, surrounded by a group of guards, walked past them arrogantly and gave them a cold glance.
The Qi Refining martial artist immediately fell silent and shrank back.
After the Bai family had gone some distance, he lowered his voice and said to Dongfang Yueming, "Brother, did you see that? That's a powerful family from the Central Continent! I heard they have several Internal Force Realm elders. We can't afford to offend them."
Dongfang Yueming remained silent, only picking up his teacup and taking a small sip. Internal Force Realm? He'd killed more than one.
Just then--
"Waaaaaah!!!"
A piercing, urgent alarm sounded without warning, echoing throughout the entire giant ship!
On the deck, the expressions of all the martial artists changed drastically in an instant!
"It's a horde of Ferocious Beast sea beasts!" someone shouted in terror.
Everyone rushed out of the cabin, only to see a "wave" composed of countless black dots surging toward the giant ship at an astonishing speed on the distant sea!