Venerable Supreme of Myriad Dragons

In the vast sky, amidst layers upon layers of white clouds, a small, shimmering golden Cloud Ship streaked swiftly across the heavens, leaving a long trail above the cloud cover.

After bursting out of the Celestial Lake Swamp, the Feiliu transformed into a streak of rainbow light, its extreme speed quickly shaking off the pursuing Cloud Ships. Along the way, any Business Alliance Cloud Ships they encountered seemed to have received orders, as they all proactively cleared a path.

This saved Shen Daoxing and the others a great deal of trouble.

Finally out of Tianze, Shen Daoxing walked alone on the deck. Watching the mountains and rivers below rapidly recede, he couldn’t help but feel a little worried about He Yi and his people.

’But since He Yi was capable of establishing the nation of Tianze in the East Continent and keeping it standing for several hundred years, he surely has sufficient strength. I don’t need to worry too much.’

Just then, the Cloud Ship Feiliu slowed, proceeding at a steady pace as it weaved slowly through the mountains.

The Feiliu couldn’t maintain its top speed indefinitely; the strain would be too great.

However, the weather here was harsh and the mountains were treacherous. Ordinary Cloud Ships wouldn’t risk passage, making it a remote route.

Therefore, they didn’t have to worry about encountering other Cloud Ships and exposing their whereabouts.

Moreover, Shen Daoxing had obtained a massive amount of Wind Source Ore in the nation of Tianze—enough to fuel the Cloud Ship for an entire year. From now on, he wouldn’t have to worry about fuel.

Shen Daoxing paused for a moment. ’I’ve successfully reached the Seven-Colored Spirit Transformation of the Realm of the Ultimate Way,’ he thought. ’It’s time to attempt a breakthrough.’

With that, Shen Daoxing turned and entered the cabin. He returned to his private chamber and sat down to meditate on a cushion.

A shimmering glow materialized around him, looking like seven-colored Wandering Dragons coiling through the air.

With a thought, Shen Daoxing condensed the Spiritual Power within his Dantian. Specks of starlight drifted down. Unbeknownst to him, the land beneath the Seven-Colored Profound Platform in his Dantian had expanded significantly. It now glowed with a verdant shimmer, and blades of grass sprouted, full of life. But beyond that, there was nothing else.

As Shen Daoxing cultivated, something suddenly squirmed within his robes. A gray rat’s head poked out. Its large eyes darted about, and with a SWISH, it shot out from inside his clothes.

In the nation of Tianze, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat had taken a sword strike from He Yi’s Sword Dao Clone and suffered no small injury. But its constitution was unique; after swallowing a few Spirit Stones Shen Daoxing had tossed it, it was instantly back to its lively and energetic self.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat had spent a thousand years in the Celestial Lake Swamp, so coming out so suddenly was a novel experience. However, after a few laps around the Cloud Ship, it quickly lost interest. There was nothing to eat.

Suddenly, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat’s nose twitched as if it had smelled something. It sprinted all the way to the second level of the cabin, where it suddenly saw a massive furnace blazing with fiery intensity.

In front of the furnace was a mountain-like pile of Wind Source Ore.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat’s eyes lit up. It instantly opened its mouth wide and lunged for it.

But just as it leaped into the air, its vision suddenly went black as a thick wooden club came down—BONK!—right on its head.

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat let out a startled SQUEAK! and tumbled to the floor.

"Where’d this rat come from?"

A childish voice called out.

An eleven or twelve-year-old child emerged, holding a thick wooden club.

"SQUEAK!"

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat instantly bristled. Its limbs stiffened, its fur stood on end, and it bared its fangs repeatedly.

"Still trying to act tough?"

But the boy simply brought his club down again.

Caught off guard, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat took another blow.

"SQUEAK!"

The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat squeaked in fury. ’If my master hadn’t ordered me not to harm anyone on the ship, there’s no way I’d let this little brat get so arrogant!’

But the moment it thought of Shen Daoxing’s terrifying black power, its body trembled uncontrollably. It was the innate fear of a Venerable Supreme—the absolute submission of a subordinate to a superior.

"Still making noise!"

Just then, the club in Xin’s hand fell once more.

It couldn’t defy its master’s command. The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat could only let out another SQUEAK as it shot off and fled. But when it glanced back at the mountain of ore before the furnace, it couldn’t stop its mouth from watering.

’How can I not take a bite when the food is right in front of me?’

While Xin wasn’t looking, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat flashed past like a gray shadow, snatched a piece of Wind Source Ore in its mouth, and bolted.

"Aha! You little rat, stealing things!"

Xin’s high, childish voice rang out.

Instantly, the cabin was filled with the incessant sound of THUMPING, mixed with the skittering of the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat. It was a chaotic scene.

And so, the Cloud Ship Feiliu continued to weave swiftly through the mountains and clouds, the vast and beautiful landscapes of the East Continent receding behind it.

「Day after day passed.」

Shen Daoxing continued to cultivate day in and day out, while Elder Mu focused on piloting the Cloud Ship.

Thanks to the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat, Xin was never bored. He spent all day chasing it around, trying to swat it, determined to eliminate the little thief.

Over the next few days, the Cloud Ship remained airborne, descending only once to replenish their food supplies.

During that stop, Shen Daoxing happened to hear a piece of good news.

Rumor had it that a world-shaking battle took place at the Celestial Lake Swamp a few days ago. The Celestial Profound Sacred Land had arrived menacingly, deploying a large number of experts from their Sacred Land to besiege the entire nation of Tianze. But unexpectedly, the Ancestor of Tianze acted alone and utterly routed their forces.

Even the Celestial Secret Elder, Master of Celestial Secret Mountain, and the Hall Master of the Steward Hall were grievously wounded and forced to flee in disarray.

Afterward, the nation of Tianze had vanished overnight, leaving the place completely deserted. Even the entire Celestial Essence Ore Vein had been moved, leaving nothing behind for the Celestial Profound Sacred Land.

Hearing this, Shen Daoxing smiled faintly, finally able to put his mind at ease. ’I never thought that clumsy kid from back then would become so powerful. It seems I can’t afford to slack off, either.’ He then prepared to resume his cultivation.

Just then, a KNOCK KNOCK came at the door before Elder Mu walked in. "Young Master Shen, we’ve reached the Jiuli Mountain Range."

’So soon?’

Shen Daoxing looked up, surprised.

The Cloud Ship then emerged from the clouds and descended slowly, landing in a secluded mountain hollow.

There were two main regions where the East Continent and Cangzhou bordered each other.

One was the Ancient Battlefield, an unclaimed, chaotic no-man’s-land between the East Continent and Cangzhou. It was a place of utter chaos and rampant wickedness. Every year, the East Continent and Cangzhou fought tooth and nail over its ownership. It was even said that two Holy Mountain Masters from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land were stationed there.

The other was the Jiuli Mountain Range, an immense mountain range on the border between the East Continent and Cangzhou. It was vast, stretching for thousands of miles, and was also known as the most dangerous place in the East Continent.

Within it, the mountain peaks were treacherous and fiends ran rampant. There was no shortage of powerful fiends at the Earth Profound Realm, or even some equivalent to the Refining Dust Realm. Countless adventurers died there every year, ending their lives in the maws of these great beasts.

Furthermore, the East Continent’s number one Forbidden Land was located within these mountains.