Chapter 25 Just Friends
Xiao Hanzhou did not find Ren Yi.
He hadn't gone far when the flying boat beneath his feet began to shake violently.
In that instant when the flying boat rocked, every cultivator on board felt a tremendous sense of dread; they had been targeted.
The endless sea is teeming with monsters. Although the appearance of the secret realm has created a relatively safe passage on the sea, this so-called "safety" is only relative. No one can guarantee that they will not encounter any trouble along the way.
This is why all the cultivators heading to the secret realm this time traveled by flying boat from the Xuanqing Sect.
If he were to travel alone on his sword, he might very well become that monster's meal halfway there.
At this moment, both the violent shaking of the boat and the heavy pressure felt even before seeing the true form of the demon beast meant that "the newcomer was not friendly."
Ren Yi, who was also on the flying boat, naturally noticed such a huge commotion.
At the same time, he felt a vague sense of familiarity with this power.
Ren Yi raised his hand to activate the defensive array in the room, told Xiao Yan'er, who was sitting on the other side, to stay in the room for now, and then got up and walked out.
Even if it weren't to verify his guess, Ren Yi would still have to go out.
Whether it was the previous grand competition or this flying boat journey, the Xuanqing Sect has consistently acted as a leader throughout this secret realm expedition. It's conceivable that by the end of this expedition, the Xuanqing Sect's prestige in both continents will have increased significantly.
But such a win-win situation of fame and fortune certainly comes at a price.
Needless to say, the entire sect was incredibly busy during the grand competition, and now, on the flying boat, the Xuanqing Sect members were also responsible for guarding the area. As a guest elder of the sect, Ren Yi, hearing such a commotion outside, naturally had to go out and see what was happening.
Yan'er understood this as well.
Knowing that her cultivation level was low, she knew that even if she followed, she would only be a hindrance. Therefore, she readily agreed to Ren Yi's request, and then said with a little nervousness, "Brother Ren, please be careful too."
Ren Yichong nodded reassuringly to the little girl.
When Ren Yi arrived on the deck, Yan Shuoyun was already there.
This is quite normal. The sect leader of Xuanqing Sect is old and oversees the sect. Yan Shuoyun was in charge of all the affairs during this trip to the secret realm, so he must have learned about the situation earlier than the others on the flying boat.
Yan Shuoyun had lost his usual carefree demeanor, and his brows were now solemn.
The situation on deck was somewhat chaotic, but Yan Shuoyun noticed Ren Yi approaching immediately; the latter always stood out in a crowd. Yan Shuoyun frowned slightly, but ultimately said nothing.
Ren Yi knew that Yan Shuoyun was concerned about his old injury.
A reconstructed spiritual root is ultimately not the same as the original, and although the injuries to his meridians have healed, traces still remain. Over the years, under Yan Shuoyun's care, Ren Yi has rarely had the opportunity to fight, and even when he does, it's mostly minor skirmishes, never using his full strength. The current situation clearly cannot be like that, which explains why Yan Shuoyun didn't send anyone to inform him earlier.
Ren Yi glanced around at the chaos on the deck and walked straight forward. But just as he stood in front of Yan Shuoyun and asked, "What happened?", before the latter could answer, a cultivator next to him suddenly shouted, "Dragon! Demonic dragon!! It's a demonic dragon!"
With this sharp, distorted sound, a massive, scale-covered body suddenly appeared through the gaps in the dark, thick clouds that obscured the view around the flying boat. The scales were mottled with black marks. The part of the monster that was revealed was as thick as several people could hug. Its entire body was obscured by the clouds, and its enormous size made the originally awe-inspiring flying boat seem tiny.
The people on deck reacted to the shout in different ways. Some looked terrified and shrank back, trying to hide themselves in a safe place with cover, while others showed expressions of ecstasy that bordered on fanaticism.
There are many speculations about this secret realm, one of which is that it is the place where the Sword Master Qingran left his legacy. However, before this, the credibility of this conjecture was basically as far-fetched as "an elixir that can make mortals ascend to immortality"—people just talked about it, and no one really believed it.
But things are different now.
The "Dragon" has appeared!!
The legend of the Sword Master sealing the Demon Dragon is still talked about today. Now that they have seen this "Demon Dragon", many people believe that the secret realm below is the location of the array left by the Sword Master to suppress the Demon Dragon.
This guess is not wrong. Ren Yi doesn't have a hobby of building his own grave. After all, even if it was an alternate identity, Ren Yi didn't want to be dug up and his body exhumed after so many years of death (like now). It's just that he was forced to do so back then.
The Demon Dragon is the embodiment of the great calamity of this world. Its existence is part of the composition of the small world, and it can only be sealed, not killed.
For a seal to be strong enough, the core of the array must be powerful enough.
Just then, the Sword Master's disguise had already been left as a golden finger for the future chosen one, and his reputation had been established enough for him to retire gracefully. Ren Yi simply made use of this disguise, using the disguise itself as the core of the formation.
To prevent such despicable acts as grave robbing, Ren Yi even placed the seal at the bottom of the central seabed of the Endless Sea.
But despite all the precautions, they still couldn't prevent it.
Who could have imagined that years later he would be visiting his own grave with someone? Ren Yi certainly didn't expect it back then.
To be honest, Ren Yi wasn't very optimistic about this group's attempt to enter the secret realm, because what they called the "secret realm" was actually just a key point in a seal, completely empty, and it was impossible to find any inheritance inside.
However, it was obvious that no one would listen to him if he said that, and his source would be questioned. Ren Yi simply kept silent, since he was going to the secret realm anyway.
However, Ren Yi clearly underestimated the fervor of this group. After a brief silence, someone burst into laughter and said, "The Sword Master must have foreseen this day long ago, which is why he left behind the secret realm to resolve the crisis. I, Yin, am not very capable, but I will go first to scout the way for you all."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already mounted his sword and left the flying boat, as if afraid of being beaten to it by someone else.
Ren Yi: "..."
Is it possible, I mean possible, that even the Sword Master himself didn't know about this?
However, although that fellow Daoist surnamed Yin was bolder, he was not very good in terms of either strength or luck. As soon as he flew out of the protective shield of the flying boat, he was thrown upside down by the air wave outside and could not even stand steadily on the flying sword under his feet.
The "demon dragon" was lurking all around. Even with the protective array on the flying boat, the oppressive aura it exerted on people still caused the flow of spiritual energy to become sluggish. One can only imagine what the situation outside was like.
Logically speaking, that fellow Daoist surnamed Yin could still return to the flying boat in time, but he was clearly confident enough and continued to sway forward on his sword.
Overconfidence at this moment was not a good thing. Before the "demon dragon" could even make a move, he hadn't flown far when a gust of wind flipped him over, sending him plummeting straight down below the clouds. The clouds obscured the view below, but everyone knew that below lay the boundless ocean of the Endless Sea, and this fall would likely be fatal.
However, the multiple endings of this fellow Daoist Yin did not serve as a sufficient warning to the people on the flying boat. On the contrary, because someone started it, the people on the boat became increasingly restless.
The phrase "Sword Master's Legacy" is enough to drive people mad.
One after another, people rushed out of the flying boat, some using swords, others using magical artifacts.
Yan Shuoyun simply watched coldly from the sidelines, making no attempt to stop them. Several Xuanqing Sect disciples nearby were at a loss, instinctively glancing at their senior brother. Yan Shuoyun coldly shook his head. Although the Xuanqing Sect had a duty to escort, if someone was courting death, no one could stop them.
Ren Yi's emotions were much more complicated, since he was involved in the matter to some extent.
But no matter how complicated things were, there was no intention to stop him. At this moment, his thoughts were in sync with Yan Shuoyun's: if you're courting death, no one can stop you.
Sure enough, those who went out were either overturned by the wind and waves or fell into the belly of monsters.
Amidst the turmoil, the people on the flying boat finally saw the true face of the "demon dragon".
Calling it a "dragon" is really giving it too much credit; it has no horns or claws, it's just a giant snake.
Its sharp fangs gleamed coldly, and with a single bite, it swallowed the few cultivators who had managed to escape whole.
The free prey delivered to its doorstep ignited the beast's ferocity. Judging by its enormous size, the cultivators from before were hardly enough to fill its stomach. Naturally, it turned its gaze towards the flying boat.
Ren Yi felt that, judging from the thing’s seemingly large but likely underdeveloped brain, this flying boat was probably equivalent to a high-level automatic feeder.
The fate of the group ahead served as a wake-up call, and those still on the boat finally calmed down from their impulsive state. For a moment, no one dared to rush out recklessly.
But this situation was not exactly pleasing to the giant snake.
The black serpent's body swam through the clouds, its massive tail lashing out at the flying boat. However, it was blocked by layers of glowing runes in mid-air. The protective array on the Xuanqing Sect's flying boat was indeed well-matched with its imposing hull, firmly blocking the attack.
However, the aftershocks from the impact still caused the entire boat to shake violently. Some people on board managed to grab onto something nearby to steady themselves, while a few unlucky ones rolled to the other side.
This should have been a fortunate scene, but Yan Shuoyun's expression grew increasingly solemn.
Ren Yi knew what he was worried about. After that tail strike, several runes on the protective array were completely destroyed. Anyone could see that the attack was just a casual test for the black snake, but even such a test-like impact could not withstand the flying boat for long.
If they try to hold out by relying on the protective formation, they will only face certain death.
Yan Shuoyun gripped the hilt of the knife beside him, revealing an expression as if he had made up his mind.
Just as he was about to walk out, another person raised their hand to stop him.
Yan Shuoyun followed the arm to the side and met a face that was as beautiful as ever, but suddenly had a sharp edge.
He saw the man smile and say, "I'll go."
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