205: Fish bait and big fish

Zhang Sheng quickly cupped his hands, his tone carrying a hint of being flattered: "Your Highness Xuansha, since you think so highly of me, I, Zhang Sheng, naturally have no reason to refuse."

Song Xuan Sha laughed heartily, flicking his robes, "This is my communication jade slip. See you at the teleportation array!"

Before the words faded, a golden light broke through the air and hovered precisely in front of Zhang Sheng.

It was a golden Jade Slip, translucent and flowing with a warm, gentle luster.

"This pot of Mist-Condensing Spirit Wine tastes quite good. Are there any more?" Song Xuan Sha shook the half-empty jade pot in his hand, looking unsatisfied.

Zhang Sheng dared not be negligent. With a flicker of his thought and a flash of light from his storage ring, a dozen pots of wine, also misted with spiritual vapor, instantly appeared on the table before him.

"Since Your Highness likes it, I shall gift all these spirit wines to you!"

Zhang Sheng carefully tucked the golden essence Jade Slip into his robes. As his fingertips brushed its warm, hard texture, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "As expected of imperial royalty, even the communication device is so extravagant and extraordinary, crafted entirely from golden essence."

After sending off Song Xuan Sha, Zhang Sheng immediately informed Qian Che of the matter.

Imperial power stood high above. Given Song Xuan Sha's noble status, even though Zhang Sheng had no desire to risk his life in that dangerous ruin, he had no choice.

Refusing would likely make his future in the Song Kingdom difficult.

Telling Qian Che was also out of a desire for honesty and to avoid future resentment.

Qian Che was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, indicating his understanding.

On the other side, Qian Che anxiously contacted Wen Tao, "Bamboo Pole, have you heard the news? Song Xuan Sha is going to that Divine Ability ruin too!"

"With his status, he will definitely be accompanied by a guardian expert! The danger of this muddy water must be halved!"

"So... I've changed my mind. We must go to this ruin!"

"Even if we can't get that ancient Jade Slip, picking up some treasures from the gaps between those experts' fingers or snatching a bit of soup would be good enough!"

...

Zhang Sheng stopped the jumping flames in the Pill Furnace.

The stock of essence pills in his storage ring was enough to last for more than half a month.

Since he had decided to go to the Desolate Domain to explore the Divine Ability ruin, his cultivation plan needed to be readjusted. The focus had to shift from Alchemy to the refinement of offensive and defensive Spells.

He had been continuously practicing the Concealment God Technique, Penetrating Spiritual Eye, Profound Light Shield, and Soul-Startling Thorn, even while controlling the pill fire, never ceasing the deduction and flow of spiritual power in his Sea of Consciousness.

Now, he needed to select a Spell to focus on, one that would replace the mental energy consumed by Alchemy, and charge ahead with it!

Zhang Sheng's gaze landed on the "Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand".

Choosing it was not only because of its immense power but also because this Spell had been displayed in full view of everyone and was already exposed.

Refining this technique could significantly increase his combat strength without exposing more of his hidden cards too early, which was perfectly timed.

...

The assembly day agreed upon in the qinglan token arrived as scheduled.

Inside the vast teleportation array hall of Qinglan Academy, figures were bustling, and an Aura of killing intent permeated the air. Nearly a hundred powerful Qinglan Guards had gathered.

At the very least, they had three-star badges flashing on their chests. Their gazes were as sharp as eagles, and the pressure radiating from their bodies indicated that each one possessed true combat power rivaling an ordinary Divine Power Realm expert!

Xiao Buyu moved his lips slightly, sending a condensed sound transmission into Song Xuan Sha's ears: "Your Highness, I have brought six four-star Qinglan Guards this time. They are all well-known experts on the divine ability ranking, and they are all at your disposal."

Song Xuan Sha didn't even lift his eyelids, simply replying with one word: "Hmm."

Zhang Sheng's figure also appeared at the entrance of the hall.

Song Xuan Sha saw him from afar and waved, "Zhang Sheng, come over here!"

Zhang Sheng followed the voice and looked over. As his gaze swept across the many Qinglan Guards in their bright armor and imposing Auras, his heart shook violently—this was definitely the largest and strongest gathering of Divine Power Realm experts he had ever seen since entering Qinglan Academy!

Qian Che and the tall, thin man were also in the crowd. Zhang Sheng even caught a glimpse of Li Meier, the female Cultivator with an alluring posture and captivating eyes.

Song Xuan Sha flipped his hand, and a jade Talisman as red as fire appeared in his palm. The surface of the Talisman seemed to have magma flowing, emitting a scorching and heavy Aura.

"Kid, catch! This is an 'Flame Defense Talisman' crafted according to an ancient secret method. It can withstand a full-force blow from a top-tier Divine Power Realm expert. It's yours."

Zhang Sheng hurriedly stepped forward and respectfully received the warm jade Talisman with both hands, "Thank you for the generous gift, Your Highness!"

Song Xuan Sha glanced at him, "The Divine Ability ruin is full of traps. You are the person I specifically named to bring along, so don't just fold inside easily!"

Zhang Sheng responded solemnly: "Your Highness, rest assured, I, Zhang Sheng, will definitely do my best to protect myself!"

During these six days of hard cultivation, although the "Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand" had not broken through to the True Intent Realm (Spell: Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand (Perfected State: 198.50%)), it was already extremely close to that layer of window paper.

It was the Profound Light Shield that finally fell into place, advancing to the first level of True Intent!

Now, both the Spirit Shield and the Profound Light Shield possessed the power of True Intent. With the two shields stacked, their defensive toughness was no less than an ordinary defensive Divine Ability!

The runes of the massive teleportation array under his feet lit up one by one. A blinding white light erupted, like a wave swallowing everything, instantly submerging everyone in the hall.

Light and shadow twisted, and the brief dizziness of spatial displacement arrived.

When they steadied their vision, they were already at the Guard City on the border of Luoxia Prefecture—Tianzuo City.

Stepping out of the city gate, a rough, wild, and irritable Spiritual Qi carrying the scent of gravel hit everyone in the face like an invisible heatwave!

Xiao Buyu stood in front of the crowd, his voice infused with spiritual power, clearly spreading to everyone:

"Everyone! Stepping out of this gate means entering the dangerous and unpredictable Desolate Domain!"

"The road ahead is unknown and full of crises. I hope everyone will work together and look out for each other so that we can overcome difficulties and make gains!" He was also the leader of this trip.

After speaking, he flipped his wrist, and a small, exquisite jade boat model, containing spiritual light, appeared in his palm.

He chanted a mantra and tossed it into the air—

The boat model grew with the wind!

In the blink of an eye, a streamlined, massive warship, hundreds of meters long, appeared out of thin air. The hull flashed with a cold metallic luster, and the huge ship body blocked a small patch of the sky above, carrying a heavy sense of oppression as it hovered steadily high in the air!

"Board the ship!"

Zhang Sheng followed closely behind Song Xuan Sha. His body flickered, turning into a stream of light as he flew up and landed steadily on the wide, solid deck of the giant ship.

Glancing through the crowd, he did not see Xiao Xuantian. Zhang Sheng pondered inwardly: "Is this guy still in confinement?"

This giant ship was a great treasure of Qinglan Academy, a special Spiritual Artifact.

It did not require the Cultivator's own spiritual power to drive it, but rather the burning of massive amounts of spirit crystals.

The Cultivator only needed to dedicate a wisp of consciousness to guide the course.

On the deck, the gale was blowing fiercely.

"Zhang Sheng, this is your first time sitting on this 'Spirit Pivot Ship', right?" Song Xuan Sha leaned against the railing, looking into the distance, his robes fluttering as he asked.

Zhang Sheng was slightly constrained: "It makes Your Highness laugh."

Song Xuan Sha turned his head, a trace of imperceptible melancholy flashing across his face,

"This ship is no small matter. It is produced by the Mo Kingdom in the southern border of the Lintian Domain. In such a large Qinglan Prefecture, there is only this one, and it is a treasure used jointly by the Prefecture Governor's Mansion and Qinglan Academy."

"To buy such a spirit ship from the Mo Kingdom, one ship costs ten billion spirit crystals, and its value is comparable to a Low Grade Spirit Treasure!" He tapped the cold ship rail lightly, his tone carrying a hint of unwillingness,

"It's a pity that our Song Kingdom is weak. Across the whole country, there is not a single cultivation industry we can take out to exchange for it..."

Zhang Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to echo a few words, but those flattering words were stuck in his throat and could not be spoken. In the end, he just stood by silently, being a quiet listener.

From Tianzuo City to the ruins, it was about 20 million miles away.

The Spirit Pivot Ship was astonishingly fast, far exceeding the flight speed of ordinary Peak Divine Power Realm Cultivators, with a speed of 60,000 miles per hour!

If there were no accidents, seven days later, they would arrive at the Divine Ability ruin hidden deep in the Desolate Domain.

The spirit ship was engraved with complex and profound Formation patterns, with several layers of powerful defensive light screens appearing and disappearing, and Formations that concealed Aura and detected fluctuations were continuously running.

Even when speeding at an altitude of ten thousand feet, it was extremely difficult to attract the attention of the terrifying desolate beasts in the Desolate Domain below, like a ghost blending into the sky.

Zhang Sheng returned to the narrow but quiet cabin assigned to him and sat cross-legged on the futon.

How could seven days of time be wasted?

The others in the cabin mostly made the same choice, seizing this precious sailing time to improve their cultivation.

In the cabin, Zhang Sheng closed his eyes and concentrated, his consciousness sinking into his Qi Sea.

As his thoughts moved, within a radius of ten feet around him, countless miniature earth-yellow Spiritual Qi palms condensed out of thin air!

These palms were in various forms, some gripping, some grabbing, some slapping, following mysterious trajectories, appearing and disappearing endlessly. Each appearance and disappearance brought up subtle ripples of earth-attribute Spiritual Qi.

The comprehension of the Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand was also steadily climbing amidst this constant condensation, collapse, and reorganization.

A moment two days later—

As if breaking through an invisible shackle!

Zhang Sheng's mind suddenly became clear!

The Spell forms practiced in the Sea of Consciousness suddenly transformed!

The originally slightly illusory earth-yellow giant palms now turned into solid, tangible forms, as if cast from pure gold!

The palm prints and veins were clearly visible, and every inch radiated a thick and sharp brilliant golden light!

An overwhelming power of capture appeared within the flow of the palm shadows!

"Spell: Kun Yuan Dragon Capturing Hand · Second Tier (True Intent Level 1: 0.0001%)"

With this, in addition to the Moon Slash, Zhang Sheng added another powerful offensive technique capable of shaking Divine Ability!

Whether facing a crowd of enemies or a powerful single Divine Power Realm opponent, he had more confidence!

Moreover, the invisible and intangible 'Soul-Startling Thorn' deep in his Sea of Consciousness, which specialized in attacking the Divine Soul, had always been his trump card!

However, the cultivation progress of the Soul-Startling Thorn was quite slow, and it was still a long way from touching the True Intent Realm.

In the central area of the spirit ship, in the most spacious cabin with the densest Spiritual Qi.

Song Xuan Sha sat upright on a jade couch covered with white animal fur, opposite the white-haired old man, Song Cultivator, who was closing his eyes and resting, his face withered like an old tree.

The cabin was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, with only the low hum of the spirit ship breaking through the clouds coming faintly.

A few night-luminescent pearls embedded in the wall emitted a soft and cold light, reflecting Song Cultivator's furrowed face and white hair.

For a long time, Song Cultivator did not lift his eyelids, his old and hoarse voice breaking the silence:

"Your Highness, why bother to take the risk personally? Sending a substitute would also be acceptable."

Song Xuan Sha heard this, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into a cold and deep smile, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes:

"If the bait isn't real, how can I lure the deep-water crocodile to take the hook?"

"If I don't come here in person, how can I ferret out the big fish hiding behind the scenes!"