Before long, the noise outside grew even more chaotic, accompanied by the sound of doors being forcefully knocked on one by one nearby.
Xiao Zhuang pulled out a stack of pre-drawn flight talismans from his Cosmos pouch and distributed them to Schnauzer and Bai Xiu.
“These can keep you afloat for the time it takes an incense stick to burn when activated with Spiritual Power. As long as we use them timely, they’ll ensure we land safely.
Our cultivation levels aren’t high enough to confront them head-on, especially you, Brother Xue. Keep your compassion in check—don’t let there be another Xiao Rou.”
Schnauzer nodded repeatedly. He had learned his lesson this time: not everyone who appears weak truly is.
People have their close ones and strangers, just as meat has different layers. Xiao Zhuang and Bai Xiu had nearly lost their lives saving him; he couldn’t burden his good brothers again for the sake of strangers.
The cabin door was violently kicked open, and a burly man in gray robes roared at them, “If you value your lives, get to the deck now! No tricks, or I’ll throw you overboard!”
Bai Xiu quickly responded, picking up Xiao Zhuang and pulling the husky along as they exited the cabin.
A crowd had already gathered outside. Some timid individuals huddled together with their companions, trembling, while a few with higher cultivation levels stood with their hands behind their backs, glaring coldly. Several wealthy families, protected by their servants, seemed unperturbed.
Soon, over a hundred people crowded the deck. Thirty-odd fierce gray-clad bandits armed with blades guarded key positions, while others continued searching the cabins one by one.
At the bow sat a large man clad in black with a feathered cape draped over his shoulders—apparently the leader of these sky bandits. With one eye covered by a black patch, he fit the pirate image from Xiao Zhuang’s previous life perfectly.
Xiao Zhuang couldn’t help but complain internally, “Seems like robbers are a common profession everywhere.” Couldn’t they be more creative in a Cultivation world? So cliché!”
“Seeking unearned gains is a flaw of all intelligent beings. Even when civilizations reach the interstellar age, there are still spaceship pirates. Aliens rob too—you’ll get used to it.”
The System’s sudden voice startled Xiao Zhuang. “Tong Ge, when did you get back? Did the loan come through?”
“Not that fast! Do you know how hard it is to borrow money these days? But that’s not important—if we pull this off, we might not even need to borrow!”
The little System’s voice carried a hint of excitement. “I’ve detected some anomalies in the local magnetic field. You’re in luck, host—you might have stumbled upon the Cultivation World’s equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle.”
Xiao Zhuang was puzzled. “What do you mean? Tong Ge, please explain!”
With time pressing, the System had no room to mock Xiao Zhuang’s lack of common knowledge and seriously explained, “Have you played with clay before? When kneaded poorly, air bubbles get trapped inside—this situation is similar. When the Heavenly Dao created the Two Realms Continent, the craftsmanship wasn’t perfect, leaving many bubbles trapped within. Here, they’re called Secret Realms.
These are places completely detached from the Heavenly Dao’s rules. Not only do they contain various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, but also many ancient relics. While deliberately searching for them might prove futile, their entrances often appear unexpectedly.
You’ve hit the jackpot, host! See that glowing ring with gray clouds below the Flying Boat? That’s the entrance to a Small mystic realm. If we enter, we’re bound to encounter great Serendipitous Opportunities.”
Xiao Zhuang’s interest was piqued. Ancient relics were essentially the Cultivation World’s equivalent of tombs. The great Cultivators of old were far more powerful than those today, and their treasures were as numerous as cow hairs. A mere pair of chopsticks might be made of Lightning Struck Wood, and a simple shovel could be forged from ancient mystical iron. Just scavenging through such a place would be enough for him to make a small fortune.
However, there was still one problem. Xiao Zhuang hesitated before asking, “Tong Ge, it’s easy to get in but hard to get out. This Small mystic realm has an unpredictable location and uncertain opening mechanism. How am I supposed to come out later?”
The System had already considered this. “Don’t worry. To the Secret Realm, all external creatures that enter are like impurities. It finds it quite nauseating when you cause trouble inside. When you want to come out, just create some explosions. The Secret Realm will get ‘intestinal discomfort’ and vomit you out.”
Xiao Zhuang covered his face. Alright, though it sounded disgusting, it was still a method.
He definitely needed to enter the Secret Realm, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t harvest some Wrath Points along the way. Only fools would pass up easy advantages. Many on the Flying Boat were heading to the Sect to seek apprenticeship, so he needed to establish his image as a righteous champion in advance.
Sometimes, crafting a persona could be incredibly useful.
Hadn’t the original story’s major female character, that white lotus, relied on her pure and kind persona to gather simps everywhere?
In the morning, she’d discuss poetry and lyrics with Senior Brother Zhang;
In the afternoon, she’d exchange painting techniques with Young Master Li;
At night, she’d gaze at the stars and moon with Uncle Zhao!
Despite having dozens of men revolving around her, people still described her as innocent, kind, and ignorant of romantic affairs. This showed just how important persona-building could be.
Xiao Zhuang felt he should follow this example—using magic to defeat magic.
If you pretend to be a pure little white lotus, I’ll play the self-sacrificing savior.
If that Yu Xueyao didn’t provoke him and his father, all would be well. But if she still intended to string his dear Father along as her simp, he would tear off her mask without hesitation!
No matter who it was, they could deceive his Father’s feelings, but they must never cheat him out of his money.
For Xiao Zhuang, who was determined to live off his Father, those Spirit Stones and treasures all belonged to him. No one else would be allowed to lay a finger on them.
While Xiao Zhuang was still fantasizing about how to claim his Father’s assets after their reunion, the situation on the deck suddenly changed.
The three of them were leaning in an inconspicuous corner. After the Sky Bandits herded everyone together, they began collecting money one by one.
Naturally, the first targets were those wealthy individuals dressed in luxurious clothes, accompanied by guards and maids.
Where there were cowards willing to pay for peace, there were also reckless fools who couldn’t read the situation.
A rich young master with two guards started fighting with a Sky Bandit who tried to snatch his jade pendant. A young noble who was friendly with him shouted loudly, “We all have cultivation bases! Are we, over a hundred people, really afraid of their thirty? Let’s fight them!”
His shout rallied several skilled fighters to join the battle. Some other youths wanted to charge forward but were held back by their families. Still, it was clear that people on the boat were developing a rebellious spirit.
Seeing the situation turning sour, one of the bandit leaders immediately rushed toward the instigator. Wielding a fan-like weapon, he decapitated those passionate youths in just a few moves.
This act of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys proved effective. Human emotions are easily influenced by their environment.
Under the bloody suppression, the budding sense of justice among those youths instantly shrank back.
The one-eyed leader sneered coldly, “You can always earn more money, but you only have one life. Those who aren’t afraid to die, come at me.”
Another handsome but gloomy-looking Sky Bandit added with a laugh, “We’re only here for money, and to find a few beauties to serve our king. If you behave, we don’t want to cause trouble. We’ll leave once we get what we want. Don’t be foolish and throw your lives away for nothing.”
His words immediately made several pretty girls on the boat nervous, while those who didn’t meet the criteria breathed sighs of relief.
They even began wishing the sky bandits would quickly rob the beauty and leave.
Any demon who could afford a flying boat wasn’t destitute – having their spirit stones stolen was acceptable as long as they could return home safely.
Seeing the demons’ expressions, the sky bandits exchanged knowing smiles. Humans and demons were all the same – selfishness was carved into their bones, adopting the “out of sight, out of mind” attitude. Their tactics had never failed them before.
With the flying boat passengers pretending to be turtles withdrawing into their shells, the sky bandits grew increasingly brazen.
Several young, pretty girls were pulled out from the crowd, the bandits touching them inappropriately while doing so. One didn’t need to imagine what fate awaited these girls.