48: mutation!

“Ugh~”

“Slow down!”

“Ugh~”

“Shen! Are you doing this on purpose?”

“Ugh~”

“Ugh~”

“Brother... I was wrong, slow down, slow down!”

The flying magic boat gradually stabilized, and then Shen Li, looking refreshed, stepped off the control panel, handing over the controls to the Wang Family Cultivator.

His face was filled with comfort.

Wang Teng, however, had a bruised face and had already vomited all the bitter water.

He was curled up in a corner of the magic boat, looking like someone who had been violated, not even daring to lift his head.

Shen Li looked a bit bewildered, helped Wang Teng up, and said in surprise,

“Brother Wang, what’s wrong with you?”

“I was driving the magic boat just now, and the wind was too strong, so I didn’t hear Brother Wang’s voice. Please don’t mind!”

Wang Teng was about to start cursing, but he accidentally looked outside again, followed by another bout of dry heaving.

This scared Shen Li into retreating three feet.

He only approached when Wang Teng had stabilized.

Wang Teng sat limply on the ground. If the magic boat were hovering motionless, he could still accept it.

But with extreme sprints, sudden stops, random big drifts, and occasional side rolls, his stomach was in turmoil.

In his heart, he kept cursing,

“Damn Shen Li, he’s so petty!”

As for the bluish marks on his face, they were the result of a mixed doubles beating from Qiu Ya and Wang Chen.

Wang Teng had a Breakthrough, but he carelessly ruined an inn, injuring many Cultivators, and then excitedly came to challenge Shen Li to a fight.

Qiu Ya had just acquired the Autumn Water sword and wanted to test its power on someone, and he happened to be just in time.

After she finished, Wang Chen took over with a whip, staging a 'Three Whip Discipline' on the main road.

It looked like he received at least thirty whips, not just three?

However, Wang Teng’s temper was truly unchangeable; he was still provoking even after getting on the magic boat, so Shen Li decided to give him a big one.

It seemed he would be quiet for a while.

The journey was silent. Shen Li looked at the boundless Yellow Sand Plains, planning in his mind.

All the materials were now ready. With the Spiritual Qi nourishment from the remaining Spiritual Vein, the Cang Hai Flower, Living Spring Water Vein, and Ninth Grade Spiritual Field’s Spiritual Qi should quickly recover to their peak state.

And the water vapor spread by the ninth-rank heaven and earth treasure at its peak, isolated by the Yunmai Heshui Formation, would soon enrich the barren soil.

Not only that, the physical quality of common people would also improve.

Slowly, Black Ridge City would become full of vitality.

With Spiritual Qi nourishing the soil, ordinary crops would ripen quickly, and grains would become more nutritious and even contain a trace of Spiritual Qi, making them valuable.

They might be inferior for Cultivators, but they would be sufficient for martial artists.

This could complete the initial cycle of work.

As for the expansion of the outer city, which made the wasteland larger, after preparing upon return, one use of 'Rainstorm Pear Blossom' could restore the soil’s vitality, catch up to the previous progress, and yield much more land.

It was thriving.

The next step... would be to thoroughly investigate the immortal opportunities, markets, black markets, and even bandits in various parts of the Black Horn Mountain Range, just in case.

Cultivating Dao soldiers.

Cultivating Spiritual Fields.

Although chaotic, it had formed a precise structure in Shen Li’s mind, requiring only methodical execution.

It wouldn’t be a problem.

Proceeding this way, when the Shen Family or Qingchi Mountain come for assessment next year, if he earns an 'Excellent' rating, he will receive more resource support.

The world was vast.

Thinking this, the magic boat continued without stopping.

During this time, Shen Li saw two or three towering Dragon Tornadoes that blotted out the sky.

When a magic boat flies in the air, these tornadoes are the most taboo in the Yellow Sand Plains. The Spiritual Qi inside is too chaotic and violent. A weak magic boat cannot withstand it and will be torn apart in an instant!

And Cultivators would also find it hard to escape their doom.

As for martial artists, they might have a chance to survive, but it all depended on fate.

So they naturally avoided them whenever possible.

Then Shen Li observed his surroundings and couldn't help but frown.

Previously, when magic boats traveled, whether near or far, they could always detect the aura of Yao Beasts lurking beneath the sand dunes of the Yellow Sand Plains. But this trip was eerily quiet.

Quietness in the Yellow Sand Plains was not a good thing; it meant that something bigger was about to happen!

However... a day later, as this magic boat journey neared its end, Shen Li smelled a hint of blood in the air.

And Wang Teng, Qiu Ya, and the others all lowered their gaze.

They all smelled the blood in the air.

The magic boat was hundreds of meters above the ground, yet they could smell blood. How many people must have died?

Shen Li’s eyes flickered. Wang Teng, having a serious matter at hand, also straightened his expression.

“How about it?”

“Let’s go take a look... This place is a bit too close to Black Ridge City.”

“Alright.”

The magic boat gradually approached. Under the shadow cast by a huge sand dune, they discovered a dilapidated small settlement.

Blood was everywhere, along with some dismembered limbs.

Scattered weapons and some daily necessities lay haphazardly on the ground.

The refined iron was torn, with jagged edges, clearly the work of a Yao Beast.

The air was also filled with the stench of the Yao Beast.

But what was strange was that... there was no one here.

Shen Li and Wang Teng exchanged glances, while Qiu Ya volunteered.

“Young Master, why don’t I go down and take a look?”

Shen Li shook his head, then stepped forward and took control of the magic boat.

Wang Teng also forcefully suppressed his urge to vomit, his hand seals forming but not yet unleashed.

The magic boat gradually descended.

Three hundred meters.

Two hundred meters.

One hundred meters.

Fifty meters.

Thirty meters.

Just as it was about to reach twenty meters, the huge sand dune suddenly trembled, and then a yellow-skinned, worm-like Yao Beast, several meters long, suddenly sprang out from the top of the sand dune.

Don’t let its massive size fool you; it could leap dozens of meters high without hindrance!

It opened its serrated fangs in the air, attempting to swallow the magic boat whole!

Wang Teng snorted coldly, and his hand seal took form.

A huge fireball suddenly smashed into the Yao Beast’s belly, which was full of viscous saliva!

With a violent roar, the scattered remains of the settlement suddenly disintegrated.

Then, a body dozens of meters long twisted and moved through the Yellow Sand Plains like a giant python!

This wasn’t over; soon, streaks of yellow sand arrows shot up into the sky!

Wang Teng urgently said,

“Shen! It’s a Sand Essence!”

“Pull up, pull up, pull up!”

But the arrows came even faster, instantly approaching the magic boat.

Shen Li’s expression remained unchanged. The Little Vajra Technique, which he had already prepared, suddenly covered the bottom of the magic boat.

The power of this Daoist Magic was undiminished, causing the magic boat to tilt.

But Shen Li quickly righted the magic boat and ascended rapidly!

Dozens of densely packed sand arrows shot up into the sky!

But they completely lost their power two hundred meters away.

Only then was the magic boat safe.

Everyone looked down.

Dozens of ‘Sand Essences’ resembling human dwarfs, with yellow faces, no teeth, and distorted features, looked horrifying.

They roared at the sky.

And then there were hundreds of ‘Sand Soldiers,’ their bodies clad in yellow sand armor, rusty scimitars roaring in the wind, their eyes fixed on the tiny black dot that was the magic boat.

“Refining Qi.”

“Qi Refining Stage 5.”

“A Qi Refining (Level 9) Sand Worm!”

“Is this... a Yao Beast lair?”

Shen Li narrowed his eyes and said,

“It’s not a Yao Beast lair; it couldn’t have gone undiscovered for so long! There must be... something big happening.”

Then, a dry wind blew past his ears. Looking into the distance, several small tornadoes, over ten meters high, furiously sped towards them.

“Go!!!!!”