165: Chapter 165 The Nameless Island and the Distant Merchant Ship

The first-tier peak-grade spirit boat turned into a cyan stream of light, traveling quietly between the azure sky and the vast sea.

Clan Leader controlled the spirit boat, while Lin Cangchen fully maintained the Concealment Formation on the hull; neither dared to be even the slightest bit careless.

This unfamiliar sea area was rich in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, meaning resources might be abundant, but it was inevitably accompanied by more dangers.

Sure enough, after flying for less than three hours, Clan Leader's Divine Sense stirred slightly, and he transmitted his voice to Lin Cangchen: "There is a group of Yao Beasts on the seabed to the front left, and the scale is not small."

Hearing this, Lin Cangchen immediately focused his senses.

He saw that in the deep seawater below, a large group of silver-glittering Yao Beasts resembling arrow fish were swimming rapidly, likely numbering over a hundred.

The Demonic Qi they emitted gathered together, which was quite astonishing.

What made him feel even more chilled was that in the center of this group of first-rank arrow fish Yao Beasts, a large, deep-blue monster fish with a ferocious bone spur on its forehead was surrounded by the others; the spiritual power fluctuations it emitted had actually reached second-rank high-grade!

"It is a second-rank high-grade 'Bone-Spurred Arrow Fish King'!" Lin Cangchen whispered, clicking his tongue secretly.

If this were placed in the buffer zone near Black Python Mountain, it could be considered a small hegemon.

Fortunately, their spirit boat was flying at a high altitude and had the protection of the Concealment Formation, so both their aura and figure were perfectly integrated into the surrounding environment.

That group of bone-spurred arrow fish seemed not to have noticed the uninvited guests above their heads and continued to chase fish Schools in the sea, setting off bursts of undercurrents.

"That was close," Lin Cangchen patted his chest and transmitted his voice, "If we were discovered, that Bone-Spurred Arrow Fish King can briefly fly in the air; if our spirit boat were to be hit by its bone spur, I am afraid it would be directly scrapped on the sea."

Clan Leader nodded steadily: "The sea area is vast, Yao Beasts are numerous, and many have unique talents, so being cautious is always right."

He controlled the spirit boat to deviate slightly from the original route, bypassing this dangerous area.

In this way, the two drove the spirit boat and flew on the vast sea for nearly two days.

During this period, they encountered several waves of Yao Beasts, and once even sensed from afar the aura of a Third-Rank Demonic Beast that made even Clan Leader feel palpitations, so the two immediately avoided it from a distance, safely passing through.

An interesting phenomenon caught their attention: as they continued to fly in this direction, the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi seemed to become increasingly rich and pure, but the traces of powerful Yao Beast activity gradually decreased.

It was unlike the first sea area, where powerful characters often occupied places with rich Spiritual Qi.

"Clan Chief, it seems we chose the right direction?" Lin Cangchen guessed somewhat uncertainly, "The Spiritual Qi becoming richer means we might be approaching a Spiritual Vein node or a place where Cultivators gather; the decrease in powerful Yao Beasts might mean it has been regularly cleared by Cultivators?"

Clan Leader pondered: "That is possible. But it is not necessarily so; perhaps it is just the distribution rule of Spiritual Qi in this sea area itself. Let us continue forward and investigate carefully."

Another day passed, and when the horizon turned white like a fish belly, Clan Leader, who had been investigating ahead with his Divine Sense, suddenly focused his gaze: "There is an island ahead!"

Lin Cangchen's spirit lifted, and he hurriedly looked over.

He saw that in the faint light of the dawn, the outline of an island appeared on the sea level.

As the spirit boat approached, the full picture of the island gradually became clear.

This island was not large, about a hundred miles in radius; the vegetation on the island was not dense, the mountains were gentle, and the overall Spiritual Qi concentration could only be described as average, hovering between first-rank middle-grade and High Grade.

On a relatively flat beach and reef area at the edge of the island, a dozen figures were sparsely distributed.

The two did not rush to approach; Clan Leader hovered the spirit boat in the high-altitude clouds several miles away from the small island, and relying on the powerful Concealment Formation, they each released their Divine Sense to carefully investigate.

The Cultivators on the island were divided into three groups, distinct from each other, maintaining a safe distance.

One group consisted of three Cultivators wearing uniform cyan tight-fitting clothes, looking like Disciples of a small School or Family, with the highest cultivation being Eighth Layer of Qi Refining, and the other two being Sixth Level of Qi Refining.

They were sitting cross-legged under a giant rock, meditating in silence.

Another group consisted of five Cultivators with different attire, both men and women, who looked like a temporarily formed team of Loose Cultivators, with cultivation ranging from Qi Refining Fifth Layer to Seventh Layer, sitting together whispering about something, with alert expressions.

The last group had only two people, a middle-aged Cultivator with a refined face and a teenager who looked sixteen or seventeen years old.

The middle-aged Cultivator had a cultivation of Qi Refining Seventh Layer, while the teenager was at Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

The middle-aged Cultivator seemed to be imparting something to the teenager; the teenager listened attentively, and their interaction revealed closeness, like a pair of Family uncle and nephew out for experience.

"It seems to be a temporary stopover." Clan Leader transmitted his voice, "Their cultivation is not high, with the highest being Eighth Layer of Qi Refining."

Lin Cangchen observed carefully and found that none of these people showed signs of long-term stationing; it was more like they were waiting for something.

In the next day, their guess was indeed confirmed.

Three more batches of Cultivators arrived at this small island from different directions one after another.

There were lone rangers driving various Flying Swords, and there were also teams that looked like Family Disciples traveling on small spirit boats.

After landing on the island, they all tacitly found an empty space to rest, without disturbing each other.

The Divine Sense of Clan Leader and Lin Cangchen focused on that pair of suspected uncle and nephew Cultivators.

Because they talked a little more, occasionally a few words would drift into their Divine Sense perception.

"...Third Uncle, when will this 'sea wave boat' arrive? We have been waiting for two days." The teenager asked with some complaint.

"What is the rush," the refined middle-aged man laughed and scolded, "The 'sea wave boat' of the Haiyun Merchant Guild has a fixed route; it is said that it will arrive here within three days, and it will never miss the time. Wait patiently; once we reach 'Qianliu City', there will be benefits for you."

"Qianliu City... I heard it is much more prosperous than our small island; are there really foundation establishment pills for sale?"

"Hush! Watch your words!" The middle-aged Cultivator's face became stern, he looked around vigilantly, and lowered his voice, "How precious is the foundation establishment pill; is it something that can be mentioned casually? When we arrive at the place, look and listen more, and speak less!"

"Oh..." The teenager shrank his neck and dared not say more.

Although it was only sporadic conversation, both Clan Leader and Lin Cangchen captured key information — "Haiyun Merchant Guild", "sea wave boat", "Qianliu City", "foundation establishment pill"!

The two looked at each other, both seeing understanding and excitement in each other's eyes.

"Haiyun Merchant Guild... sounds like a merchant guild of no small scale. This 'sea wave boat' should be their large passenger spirit boat, and this island is a stopover on the route. These people are all waiting for the boat to go to a place called 'Qianliu City', which sounds like a prosperous place where Cultivators gather." Lin Cangchen analyzed quickly.

Clan Leader nodded: "This is a good opportunity to integrate into this region. Taking the merchant guild's spirit boat is safe and guaranteed, and we can also learn about the situation along the way, which is much better than our own aimless flight and exploration."

With the plan decided, the two did not hesitate.

Clan Leader controlled the spirit boat and retreated dozens of miles silently; after confirming that no one was peeking around, he removed the Concealment Formation and revealed the main body of the spirit boat.

Then, the two each operated the breath-concealing technique in the "Phantom Jade Bone Art".

Clan Leader readjusted his external spiritual power fluctuations to the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining, and Lin Cangchen adjusted to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer; both were Cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage, which would neither appear too weak to be looked down upon, nor attract unnecessary attention because there were too many "Ninth Layer of Qi Refining" — after all, in many places, the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining was already the preparatory stage for Foundation Establishment.

Putting away that overly conspicuous first-tier peak-grade spirit boat, the two each drove an ordinary cyan steel Flying Sword, turning into two inconspicuous sword lights, and flew towards that nameless small island.

Landing steadily on the edge of the island, they chose a reef area slightly away from other Cultivators but not too isolated to land.

Clan Leader and Lin Cangchen imitated others, sat cross-legged, pretended to meditate and adjust their breath, but actually secretly observed everyone on the island, patiently waiting for the arrival of the giant spirit boat named "sea wave boat".

A new world seemed to be slowly revealing a mysterious corner to them with the arrival of the merchant boat.