"Cross the North Sea of Zhongzhou and continue forward!"
"We are all people who should have died long ago. It was the Cult Leader who gave us a second life.
For the Cult Leader, we must retrieve that item!"
"Yes!"
To obtain the Frost Venom Toad, Tian Sha Hall dispatched over thirty flying ships in succession.
The flying ships of Tian Sha Hall were sailing through the clouds when suddenly, a figure blocked their path in midair.
"Who are you?"
The other party couldn't be bothered to explain.
With just one hand, the black-robed figure overturned an entire flying ship.
Instantly, everyone inside the ship felt the world spinning.A figure from inside the ship charged through the air to attack.
But before they could get close, the black-robed figure annihilated them.
One after another, the disciples of Tian Sha Hall were blown apart.
The difference in strength between the two sides was too great.
In less than half an hour,
only one disciple of Tian Sha Hall remained alive, barely clinging to life.
The black-robed figure said coldly, "Go back and tell your Cult Leader: hand over the disciples of Mount Shushan, and you may live. Otherwise, you will make enemies of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion—and the entire world."
The disciple of Tian Sha Hall was already terrified by the other party's horrifying strength and could only nod repeatedly in agreement.
And it wasn’t just this flying ship—all the other flying ships of Tian Sha Hall were similarly ambushed.
"..........."
The flying ship was about to depart.
They would cross the sea north of Zhongzhou and traverse the mountains of the far north.
The ship’s captain looked at the young man among the newly arrived crew, puffing on his pipe, his eyes slightly narrowed.
This one seemed like good labor material.
Everything was ready.
Li Xuanxiao returned to the flying ship, adjusted his condition, and began circulating his cultivation.
He took out several pills from his robes, chewed them lightly, and swallowed.
The moment the pills entered his throat, they exploded, releasing their potent medicinal effects instantly.
Li Xuanxiao felt every pore in his body open wide.
These pills were personally refined by Li Xuanxiao, tailored specifically to his cultivation characteristics.
He refused to waste even a single moment.
He took out another meticulously crafted pill and fed it to the sleeping Di Nü Feng.
Li Xuanxiao made sure Di Nü Feng slept more and spoke less,
conserving unnecessary energy expenditure.
Although Li Xuanxiao’s current alchemy skills weren’t enough to contend with a Tribulation Transcension powerhouse,
if the materials were sufficient, he could at least alleviate some of the pain Di Nü Feng suffered from the toxins.
The flying ship began to shake violently before lifting off the ground.
It started moving slowly, gradually picking up speed.
After half a month of travel, they arrived at the northern part of Zhongzhou.
This wasn’t just one flying ship—
it was a vast fleet of them.
Now sailing across the heavens, they looked magnificent from below.
The flying ships were also a melting pot of all kinds of people.
Li Xuanxiao blended in easily, unafraid of being discovered.
Still, just in case, he spent most of his time in his own room.
".........."
Cao Changjing was meditating in his room.
*Knock, knock.*
A sudden knock came from outside.
Cao Changjing slowly opened his eyes.
Cao Changjing—originally a disciple under Wen Yuan, the City Lord of Burial Armament City.
Wen Yuan had set up an ambush in Burial Armament City,
even going so far as to collaborate with the Eastern Desolate Demon Territory to attack humanity.
As Wen Yuan’s disciple, Cao Changjing had resolutely chosen to leave his master.
Later, when Mount Shushan was destroyed, Cao Changjing, now a fugitive disciple, wandered for years before arriving in Zhongzhou.
The moment the knocking sounded, someone had already stepped inside.
"The Master has said: if you return, all will be forgiven."
The visitor cut straight to the point.
Cao Changjing stared at them. "Tell the Master this: I, Cao Changjing, have severed ties with Burial Armament City. I will never return in this lifetime."
Li Xuanxiao raised an eyebrow slightly.
He habitually monitored his surroundings, which included the neighboring rooms.
Now, Cao Changjing and the visitor’s conversation reached his ears word for word.
Burial Armament City?
Li Xuanxiao frowned.
He knew full well that it was Wen Yuan, the City Lord of Burial Armament City, who had joined forces with the Eastern Desolate Demon Territory to stall his master, giving the others the opportunity to besiege Mount Shushan.
The visitor fell silent for two breaths before sighing softly.
With a flick of their fingers, a spell activated instantly.
The entire room seemed to be dragged into another dimension in the blink of an eye.
Cao Changjing’s eyes gleamed sharply.
"........"
Even without hearing any sounds of battle from the other side, Li Xuanxiao could already sense the spatial fluctuations.
A spatial-type spell.
Li Xuanxiao waited patiently.
Time passed second by second.
Di Nü Feng rolled over but couldn’t get up immediately.
She struggled a little.
"Hungry~"
Li Xuanxiao slipped a pill into her mouth.
Di Nü Feng frowned. "It has no taste at all!"
Di Nü Feng wasn’t actually hungry—she was just craving something flavorful.
Li Xuanxiao handed her some prepared dried meat.
Di Nü Feng chewed on the meat. "I want to go out and feel the wind."
"Later," Li Xuanxiao said with endless patience.
This Cao Changjing was quite strong.
".........."
Cao Changjing observed the grand formation he was trapped in.
If others didn’t know, he certainly did.
The three opponents were from Burial Armament City—three brothers.
Each had reached the Transformation Spirit stage, and their cultivation techniques complemented each other perfectly.
They had even once repelled a Fusion Transcension expert together.
Now, with the three brothers joining forces, the formation was complete.
Their auras merged seamlessly, their coordination flawless.
Facing such formidable enemies, Cao Changjing didn’t dare slack off in the slightest, giving his all to counter their attacks.
Yet, despite his utmost efforts, he was still at a disadvantage.
The formation’s power was overwhelming—every strike carried the force of a thunderbolt, leaving him struggling to defend.
Sweat gradually beaded on Cao Changjing’s forehead, his breathing growing ragged.
"Cao Changjing, we’ll give you one last chance. You know Burial Armament City’s rules.
Once a cultivator of Burial Armament City, always a cultivator of Burial Armament City. Those who leave… die!"
Standing in the center of the formation, surrounded by a storm of razor-sharp flying swords,
Cao Changjing showed no fear, gripping his lifebound weapon tightly—a massive, heavy hammer.
With a burst of strength, he raised the hammer high, swinging it in a wide arc that stirred a violent gust of wind.
The hammer’s force roared like a storm, clashing against the flying swords with deafening explosions.
"Boom—!!"
Cao Changjing coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The killing intent of a Military Cultivator was different from that of an ordinary sword cultivator.
Every flying sword in this formation had been meticulously forged.
Clutching his wound, Cao Changjing heard one of the brothers speak.
"With the three of us working together, how could you possibly win? You’ve already lost."
The moment the words fell, Cao Changjing felt the killing intent around him solidify.
His body stiffened.
These three were, in truth, his senior brothers.
Individually, their cultivation was already superior to his—together, their techniques amplified each other.
At this moment, Cao Changjing stood almost no chance of victory.
"Die!"
Cao Changjing crossed his arms in front of his chest.
Then—the sound of shattering porcelain echoed around him.
The formation suddenly broke.
Huh!?
Not just Cao Changjing—
all three brothers were stunned.