Hong Luan possessed the bloodline of an ancient divine beast, the Phoenix, making her royalty among birds and beasts.
Wherever it passed, birds and beasts alike retreated, clearing an unobstructed path for it.
The Divine Travel Ship following behind Hong Luan was thus able to escape the surrounding avian creatures.
A thousand miles away, the Wuzu Crow gazed at its scorched wings, letting out mournful cries.
Sensing that Xu Yi and the others were about to escape, it became enraged. It let out a sharp, piercing screech, its pupils turning blood-red, and a line of tears flowed down its face.
Hong Luan, hearing the distant cries, turned pale with alarm.
Before Xu Yi and the others could even ask what was happening, flocks of birds that had previously fled began to return. As they neared the Divine Travel Ship, they exploded with a roar, raining blood everywhere.
Tens of thousands of birds and beasts self-detonated simultaneously. The violent shockwave dispersed, making the Divine Travel Ship’s spiritual energy shield precarious.
Xu Yi, who was piloting the ship, was violently impacted and instantly lost consciousness.
Due to Hong Luan’s timely evasion, True Monarch Chi Yu remained unharmed.
Just as he prepared to rescue everyone on the Divine Travel Ship, he suddenly saw a tiny fissure appear behind the ship, which then rapidly grew larger.
"This is bad, a spatial rift."
Then, True Monarch Chi Yu watched as the spatial rift swallowed the unmanned Divine Travel Ship.
As the aftershocks subsided, the spatial rift vanished, and so did the Divine Travel Ship.
True Monarch Chi Yu looked at the empty void and muttered, "It's over. How am I supposed to explain this to the sect."
...
The spatial rift.
Lu Zaiye took over piloting the Divine Travel Ship from Xu Yi, navigating through the turbulent spacetime currents.
He glanced at the three people lying on the ground and rubbed his temples.
The two years he had spent traveling with Xu Yi had been full of ups and downs, making him suspect Xu Yi might possess a special constitution, such as attracting misfortune.
Now trapped in the spacetime turbulence, even he couldn't guarantee a safe escape.
The thought had barely crossed Lu Zaiye's mind when, in the next moment, a ghostly spiritual entity collided with the Divine Travel Ship.
*Bang!*
Lu Zaiye looked at the dented section of the ship's hull, his expression grave, and maneuvered the ship backward to evade.
However, the spiritual entity seemed extremely interested in this strange object. Not only did it cling to the ship like a parasite, but it also emitted a peculiar force, summoning other spiritual entities closer.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The continuous collisions created numerous pits of varying depths on the hull.
But this was not the worst of it.
*Crunch, crunch, crunch.*
As a series of faint chewing sounds echoed, Lu Zaiye's expression changed for the first time.
These spiritual entities were gnawing at the spiritual energy shield. If the shield broke, Xu Yi and the other two, unprotected, would likely be swept away by the spacetime turbulence.
Lu Zaiye hesitated no longer. He formed hand seals and shouted, "Open."
The seal was released.
Muffled thuds came from within Lu Zaiye's body.
His aura underwent a drastic transformation. The angles of his brows became sharper, and his gaze, as it shifted, exuded arrogance and coldness.
He raised his hand and struck the Divine Travel Ship. The spiritual energy shield suddenly surged, and the irritating chewing sounds vanished abruptly.
He raised an eyebrow slightly. The Divine Travel Ship concealed itself within the void and accelerated, quickly shaking off the spectral entities.
Three days later.
Xu Yi and the other two had yet to awaken, and the Divine Travel Ship was in a dilapidated state, appearing as though it might disintegrate in the spacetime turbulence at any moment.
Lu Zaiye’s spiritual sense scanned outward inch by inch, desperately searching for an exit.
The unknown creatures within the spacetime turbulence were beyond imagination. If he didn't leave soon, he couldn't guarantee the safety of the group.
Just then, a faint light flickered in the void, appearing and disappearing, like a candle in the darkness, making it incredibly conspicuous.
Lu Zaiye's brow twitched slightly, and he immediately moved towards the source of the light.
It was a rift about a person's height, currently contracting inwards, and would disappear completely in a few breaths.
Without time to think, Lu Zaiye enveloped the three people in spiritual energy and flung them out of the spatial rift. He then put away the Divine Travel Ship and flew out of the rift.
He felt his consciousness fall into a moment of chaos. When he regained clarity, he found himself standing by a pool of water.
He quickly extended his spiritual sense outward, and his lips tightened.
Xu Yi and the other two were not here.
Thinking of the ever-flowing spacetime turbulence, Lu Zaiye frowned in frustration and looked down at the communication disc at his waist.
Now, he could only wait for Xu Yi to wake up to ascertain their whereabouts.
...
"Hiss."
Xu Yi woke up in pain.
It felt as if she had been thrown from a great height; every part of her body ached.
Xu Yi frowned and opened her eyes. She belatedly remembered everything that had happened before she lost consciousness, cautiously surveying her surroundings, her eyes gradually filling with confusion.
Had she left Shenzhou?
Xu Yi gazed at the city whose outline was faintly visible in the distance, pondering the situation of Lu Zaiye and the others.
She had fainted, but True Monarch Chi Yu was likely unaffected. Now that she was here, the others should also be safe.
However, how had she ended up here, and what was the cause of her injuries?
After a moment of thought, she remembered the communication disc at her waist, only to see spiderweb-like cracks on it.
The communication disc was broken.
She couldn't contact Lu Zaiye for the time being.
Xu Yi hesitated for a moment, then decided to first go to the city to gather information and then find a safe place to try and repair the communication disc.
Xu Yi took a pill to restore her spiritual energy, meditated for a while, then took out her Chastisement Ruler and flew towards the city.
Half an hour later, she stopped outside the city.
Arid City.
Xu Yi found the name somewhat unfamiliar. She took out a jade slip containing the topography of the Nine Provinces Continent and examined it one by one, finally locating the city within Hao Prefecture.
It turned out her current location was Hao Prefecture.
Hao Prefecture was located north of Yang Prefecture. Although vast in territory, its spiritual energy was thin and sparsely populated.
Most cultivators who remained here were rogue cultivators, or from weak families and minor sects.
As Xu Yi entered Arid City, she felt the desolation even more strongly.
The streets were empty at both ends. Occasionally, shops were open for business, but they had few customers.
Xu Yi casually found an inn, booked a private room, and sat down cross-legged to meditate and heal her internal injuries.
Three days later, her spiritual energy had mostly recovered. Only then did she go out to explore Arid City again.
If Hao Prefecture was the most remote region of the Nine Provinces Continent, then Arid City was the most remote area within Hao Prefecture.
There wasn't even a teleportation array set up here. If Xu Yi wanted to travel to other cities, she would have to fly herself.
Xu Yi then realized her Divine Travel Ship was missing and assumed it must have met with an accident during her unconscious state.
Thinking of this, she felt a pang of regret.
This Divine Travel Ship was a gift from Elder Liu, given reluctantly. She cherished it dearly, yet in less than two years, she had lost it. She had no idea how she would explain this to Elder Liu upon her return.
What was more pressing now was that without the Divine Travel Ship, her movement was greatly restricted.
With a thought, she suddenly conceived the idea of crafting her own flying artifact.
Then, remembering the communication disc at her waist, Xu Yi began searching Arid City for a place that would allow her to refine artifacts.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Xu Yi stopped in front of an ordinary-looking shop and said softly, "Found it."