Under Sang Nian’s vehement insistence, Wen Buyu was forced to abandon his dream of becoming a helmsman and relinquished the position to someone more capable.
Swatting away Chuyao’s reaching hand, Xie Chenzhou adjusted the forward route according to the compass and increased the ship’s speed.
Rolling her eyes, Chuyao deliberately spoke loud enough for Sang Nian to hear:
“Letting him steer? Don’t you think his name is exceptionally unlucky?”
Sang Nian asked, “How is it unlucky?”
“His name is Xie Chenzhou,” Chuyao said, heavily emphasizing the syllables. “Chen—zhou. Sunken boat.”
Staring down at the flying ship beneath her feet, Sang Nian froze.
Suddenly, a thunderclap shook the horizon, lightning flashed across the clouds, and turbulent air currents caused the flying ship to begin rocking violently.
Sang Nian: “…”
No way…
“I told you so!!” Chuyao shrieked. “His name is bad luck!”
A gale mixed with ice crystals swept across the protective barrier of the flying ship, sending wave after wave of ripples shimmering across it as it stood on the verge of collapse.
Channeling his spiritual energy to stabilize the vessel, Wen Buyu called back to them:
“This wind isn’t normal! You all head inside the cabin first.”
Acknowledging with a shout, Chuyao yelled over to Su Xueyin, “A’yin, let’s go inside!”
Sang Nian also reached out to pull on Xie Chenzhou’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”
Gazing into the distance with a gloomy, somber expression, Xie Chenzhou said, “Something’s coming.”
Startled, Sang Nian followed his line of sight.
The sky had darkened as if it were the dead of night, illuminated intermittently by flashes of lightning. Within the churning clouds, something serpentine slithered past, rapidly closing in on the flying ship.
“Boom—!!!”
Another thunderclap accompanied by a streak of lightning tore across the sky. In the blinding glare, Sang Nian finally made out the full form of the creature.
Her pupils constricted.
That was…
Two chains.
The other ends of the chains extended deep into the distant clouds, their length unknown. They were roughly as thick as a man’s wrist, their entire surfaces coated in pale blue ice crystals.
The next moment, one of the chains whipped high into the air and slammed down ferociously against the flying ship’s barrier.
Crack—
The barrier let out a pitiful groan and instantly shattered.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. A bone-chilling, biting cold swept across them like a tidal wave.
Losing their footing, everyone was tossed sideways by the gale.
The fierce wind whipped across Sang Nian’s cheeks like razor-sharp knives, stinging with pain.
She was still clutching Xie Chenzhou’s sleeve, but just as she let go to grab the railing instead, a sudden sensation of weightlessness washed over her.
The howling of the wind rushed past her ears; beneath her feet was no longer the sturdy wooden deck, but pure, empty void.
Sang Nian reached out futilely, desperate to grab onto something.
Abruptly, a hand collared her by the back of her collar.
The speed of her fall slowed down until it stopped entirely.
Emboldened, she cracked open her eyes to see Xie Chenzhou glaring down at her with a foul expression.
He was standing atop a mysterious iron longsword that glowed with a faint luminescence, holding her up by the back of her collar with a single hand as they hovered steadily in mid-air.
In an instant, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Xie Chenzhou.”
With a mocking sneer, Xie Chenzhou drawled, “I’m hardly worthy of Eldest Young Lady Sang’s thanks.”
Sniffling, Sang Nian said wistfully:
“Look, could you grab me by somewhere else? Or maybe set me down at the back of your flying sword to stand? My cervical spine feels like it’s broken; I’m about to die.”
“Oh, right—thank you for saving me. I’ll gift you one hundred thousand spiritual stones later as a token of gratitude.”
Xie Chenzhou: “…”
His expression turned even fouler as he flung her toward the rear of the flying sword.
The sword wobbled slightly, as if expressing its deep dissatisfaction.
It was Sang Nian’s first time riding a flying sword, and she was already terrified. The sudden jolt threw her into an even greater panic, causing her to squat down to lower her center of gravity while trembling hands reached out.
She locked her arms tightly around Xie Chenzhou’s leg.
Xie Chenzhou: “…………”
“Let go,” he ordered.
“I won’t.”
“Let go,” he gritted out.
“Fine.” She compromised.
Since they were still entirely too high off the ground, Sang Nian mustered up her courage and stood back up.
Wrapping her arms firmly around Xie Chenzhou’s lean waist, she stammered:
“This—this is fine now, right?”
With a warm, heat-emitting body suddenly pressed against his back, Xie Chenzhou’s expression froze.
“Let go of me!”
Panicking, Sang Nian retorted, “I can’t touch you here, and I can’t touch you there. What are you, a hedgehog?”
With an iron-gray complexion and his chest heaving heavily, Xie Chenzhou was just about to say something when he abruptly cut himself off.
—She was shivering.
Pausing for a moment, he wore a cold, stern expression as he directed the flying sword to descend toward the ground.
Below them lay a frozen lake. To call it a lake was an understatement; it was vast and boundless like an ocean, terrifyingly immense.
Chilling mist rose from the surface of the ice in wisps, and the surrounding wilderness was deathly quiet, as though completely isolated from the rest of the world.
Landing on the ice sheet, Sang Nian offered a word of thanks before immediately releasing her hold, taking several steps to the side to put some distance between them.
Xie Chenzhou let out a scoff. “Hmph.”
Stamping her feet to ward off the biting cold, Sang Nian snapped, “What are you ‘hmphing’ about? You didn’t want me holding onto you just a moment ago, and now that I’ve let go, you’re standing there making snide remarks. Xie Chenzhou, do you have—are you out of your mind?”
Xie Chenzhou tossed out three stiff, clipped words:
“I’m not sick.”
Too lazy to argue with him, Sang Nian said, “Whatever. Let’s hurry up and find Senior Brother Wen and the others. We don’t even know how they’re doing right now or if they’ve been hurt.”
Xie Chenzhou raised an eyebrow with a cold smirk.
“You certainly care about him a lot. You haven’t even officially entered the Xiaoyao Sect as a disciple yet, and you’re already calling him ‘Senior Brother’ so naturally.”
A wave of inexplicable irritation washed over Sang Nian.
“I’ll call him whatever I want! Senior Brother, Senior Brother, Senior Brother—what business is it of yours? Stop minding my business.”
His face darkening completely, Xie Chenzhou sneered:
“I have no intention of minding Eldest Young Lady Sang’s business, nor would I dare.”
With that, he turned around and walked away.
Gritting her teeth, Sang Nian hissed, “Xie Chenzhou, are you even being serious?!”
The moment those words left her mouth, the ice sheet cracked apart without the slightest warning.
With a deafening rumble, the ground vanished beneath her feet, and her body plummeted straight down.
Frigid lake water surged in from all directions, instantly filling her nose and mouth as she was completely submerged.
It felt as though cotton had been stuffed into her ears, rendering her incapable of hearing a single sound.
A fraction of a second before losing consciousness, Sang Nian slowly opened her eyes.
The lake water was as clear and transparent as a mirror. She caught sight of the dark-clad youth’s reflection cast upon the surface of the water, swaying lazily to and fro with the ripples.
He was just standing there, looking down at her from above, completely motionless.
Sang Nian could practically imagine his expression.
He was likely delighted.
After all, the person he hated was finally about to die.
Splash—
The mirror-like surface shattered as the youth plunged into the water, swimming toward her with a stern, rigid expression.
His long, raven-black hair fanned out in the water, bearing a striking resemblance to some kind of aquatic weed.
Sang Nian couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
His hair quality is genuinely amazing.
Yujing, Myriad Immortals Alliance.
Within a palace enshrouded in immortal clouds, a man sitting cross-legged in meditation with his eyes closed suddenly changed expression.
He stood up from his straw mat, hurried out through the palace doors, and raised a hand to summon two young Daoist acolytes.
“Go and inform the Alliance Master that someone has broken into the Sumeru Realm.”
Complying with the order, the acolytes mounted a crane and flew toward the floating island suspended high in the air.
The man’s face was etched with anxiety.
Before long, the younger acolyte returned, cupping his fists in a salute as he reported:
“Reporting to the Palace Master, the Alliance Master said it is nothing of concern. ‘Her’ time limit has arrived today; we only need to dispatch Senior Brother Xiao to investigate and see who the trespasser is.”
The man stood frozen in place for a long, lingering moment.
Was she truly about to die…
Regaining his senses, his grip on the horsetail whisk tightened over and over again as he muttered:
“Since that is the case, let Zhuochen go and make a trip there.”