Time passed slowly as the giant ship sailed swiftly.

Half a year had gone by, and they were getting closer to Giant Whale Harbor. If not for the detours taken to avoid the war, they would have arrived long ago. Fortunately, nothing had happened along the way. But as they approached their destination, the atmosphere on the ship grew increasingly restless.

Giant Whale Harbor was only a stop on the way; their true destination was Divine Origin City. It was an immense city, among the largest in the entire Mountains and Seas Realm. A comparison with the thirty-six domains of the Eastern Wilderness revealed a shocking fact: The Divine Origin City was equivalent to an entire domain! The fact that the Heaven Origin Dao Sect controlled such a city in the Northern Sea spoke volumes about its influence.

According to rumor, the city had not been this large while the Primordial Devil Sect was still around. Its expansion was a product of the last century; land had been reclaimed from the sea and mountains reshaped for it to achieve its current scale. Such developments were not unusual in this era. It was not only the Heaven Origin Dao Sect doing this; other forces acted just as freely.

The Resonant Jade cultivators aboard the ship were eager to reach Divine Origin City and witness its splendor. It was said to be extremely prosperous, gathering resources from all five major territories and serving as the top destination for cultivators coming to the Northern Sea. Even true inheritors of Holy Lands would occasionally appear there.

Of course, there were exceptions, and Luo Chen was one of them. At this moment, he sat with his eyes closed and applied the Dragon-Slaying Art with practiced ease. Beside him, Han Zhan watched the wood enveloped by the spell.

Suddenly, Luo Chen opened his eyes.

"What is it?" Han Zhan asked without turning his head.

Luo Chen paused what he was doing. "Senior, if you can make use of such a small piece of Soul-Nurturing Wood... I was wondering if you could share that method with me once you're done?"

Han Zhan turned sharply. "Trying to raise the price midway?"

Luo Chen smiled. "If not, forget it. I am just asking casually."

With a light chuckle, he resumed what he was doing. Seeing the dark energy about to peel away from the wood and a refreshing aura beginning to emerge, Han Zhan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It's just a minor technique. I'll teach you later—just hurry up."

Luo Chen's spirit lifted. "Alright!"

The past half year had not been in vain. He had endured intense and constant mental exhaustion to remove the dark energy for Han Zhan, and now he had gained an extra reward. If he were to be honest, he had never expected the process to be so difficult. Even after pushing his proficiency for Dragon-Slaying Art to Perfected Mastery, unlocking a new effect, he still had to proceed step by step. But now, it all felt worthwhile.

With a thought, the fiery blade fell once more.

***

Outside the room, Heavenjade stood quietly. It seemed that she had been waiting for some time. She looked out at the scenery outside, then turned her gaze to the formation covering the room. "Master, we are about to arrive. Why have you not come out of seclusion yet?"

Thud!

A heavy sound rang out as the long sails dropped. The spirit lights surrounding Resonant Jade began to fade one by one, and cheers rose from the deck.

"We've arrived!"

"Finally!"

"This is my first time leaving Resonant Jade Mountain. I never thought my first journey would be drifting at sea for a whole year."

"That ahead must be Giant Whale Harbor!"

"Look under the water! So many dragon whales!"

"My goodness... Those are dragon whale kings, right? The Heaven Origin Dao Sect is really extravagant! Using a Dragon Whale King to pull their ships... I can't even imagine how fast that must be."

"No wonder the Heaven Origin Trade Alliance is the biggest trader across the five territories. Their development is crazy. I heard that over in the Western Desert, they even use Earth-Shaking Divine Oxen to pull their carts."

"Alright, get ready to load up the cargo! We're about to disembark!"

On the top deck, the Second Elder of Resonant Jade Mountain stood with one hand behind his back and stroked his beard with the other. Relief showed clearly in his eyes. They had finally arrived safely. Business was secondary; what truly mattered was settling this group of sect seedlings. That way, Resonant Jade Mountain would not be placing all its eggs in one basket. Even if something went wrong in the future, there would still be a chance to rise again.

"I wonder how the war has progressed... Once I get ashore, I should find some old friends and ask around. Divine Origin City may be far, but the intelligence network they have...."

As the Second Elder muttered to himself, his expression suddenly changed drastically. An extremely terrifying feeling rose from the depth of his mind. He abruptly lowered his head just in time to notice some kind of dark energy burst through layers of formations and shoot into the sky from a second-floor room. Its ferocity made his heart pound even with just a slight sensation. Yet just as he reacted like a startled cat, the energy dissipated into nothingness, as though it had never been there.

"What was that?" The Second Elder swallowed dry. He suppressed his fear, armed himself, and activated his defensive enchanted treasure. A three-cun sword circled rapidly around him as he descended toward the room. But by the time he landed, the room was already empty.

"Someone, get in here!"

Soon, several figures arrived behind him. Though the Second Elder could feel sweat running down his back, nothing showed on his face. "Who was staying here?"

The group exchanged glances, then Wang An stepped forward. "It was a rogue cultivator named Murong Yuan."

"Murong Yuan? I've never heard of him... probably an alias." The Second Elder frowned. The first instinct was to scold Wang An for bringing someone aboard without knowing their background. But after some thought, he held back. A person capable of hiding from him and unleashing such a terrifying energy was not someone a mere Initiate could deal with. Wang An had no way of figuring it out.

"Elder, what happened?" Wang An asked while wondering why Fellow Daoist Murong had left before the ship even fully stopped.

The Second Elder waved his hand. "It's nothing. Just be more careful in the future. Don't casually associate with rogue cultivators of unknown background. Divine Origin City is close to the Myriad Immortal Society, and there are plenty of rogue cultivators there, but some of them are raiding cultivators and the likes. Stay cautious at all times."

"Yes, Second Elder!"

Hearing the unified response of the disciples, the Second Elder nodded. He gave the room one deep look before turning to leave. In the end, he did not dare step inside. It was as if a trace of that terrifying energy still lingered within.