Dizziness washed over Ye Feipeng as his heart leaped, a sudden sense of foreboding surging within him.
"Fellow Daoist, please let me explain—" he heard their escorting cultivator frantically plead.
Yet the other party showed no intention of mercy. "Enough! By the laws of the Myriad Immortals Alliance, those who betray our world shall die!"
Boom!
Following the cold declaration, Ye Feipeng felt something strike their flying boat, causing it to shake violently.
"You’re going too far! You want me dead? Let's see if you have what it takes!"
Thunderous collisions of Dao Techniques reverberated without end, each impact whipping up violent gales. The flying boat was as fragile as duckweed in a raging storm, pitching and swaying as if it might be torn apart at any moment.
Inside the cabin, everyone from the Li World jolted awake from cultivation, except Su Xiaomei, who remained peacefully asleep.
Though they possessed some cultivation aptitude, they were still just ten-year-old children, pampered scions of wealthy families who had never even witnessed mortal combat, much less a life-and-death struggle between cultivators. Terror drained the color from their faces, leaving them pale and frozen in fear.
Only Ye Feipeng fared relatively well. Though shaken, he forced himself to remain calm as he peered outside the flying boat.
The two cultivators appeared evenly matched, their clash fierce and unrelenting.
Brilliant light flooded the heavens, obscuring the finer details of the battle. Yet from the shockwaves alone, it was clear that both combatants were at least at the Foundation Establishment realm.
This flying boat was never some powerful artifact to begin with. It has already taken a direct hit from that newly arrived Foundation Establishment cultivator; there is no way it can hold out much longer. At this rate, the shockwaves alone would tear it apart.
And worse... our smuggling has been exposed. If we stay here, we’re dead for sure.
Ye Feipeng forced himself to calm down, his thoughts racing.
I’ve piloted this flying boat before in my previous life. As long as no restrictions are set, even a Qi Refinement cultivator can operate it.
With no time to hesitate, Ye Feipeng rushed toward the bow, leaving the other Li World children staring at one another in confusion.
Xiao Heng, sharper than the rest, quickly followed after him, sensing that something important was happening.
Su Changyu, the eldest among them, had yet to fully disperse the miasma in his body and was still an ordinary mortal. Knowing he could not help, he stayed behind to watch over Su Xiaomei and tried to steady the others.
“What are you doing, fatso?” Xiao Heng asked as he reached the bow, seeing Ye Feipeng pressing his hands against empty air.
Ye Feipeng ignored him, pouring all his concentration into controlling the flying boat.
Sweat streamed down his forehead as if he were exerting himself to the limit.
“Oh, I get it.” Xiao Heng watched for a moment before blurting out, “You’re trying to steer the flying boat. Then why isn’t it moving?”
Irritation flared in Ye Feipeng’s chest. At that instant, a wave of exhaustion crashed through his mind, and he slumped to the floor.
“Let me try!”
Just as Ye Feipeng was about to curse him out of sheer frustration, the flying boat suddenly shuddered faintly beneath them.
“That was easy.”
“You can control it?!”
Their voices overlapped.
Shock flickered across Ye Feipeng’s face, followed immediately by an irrepressible surge of envy.
But with their lives hanging by a thread, there was no room for such feelings.
He forcibly suppressed them and urged urgently, “Quick, steer us away from here!”
“Which way?” Xiao Heng replied, sounding genuinely puzzled. “Everything looks the same. I can't tell which way is which!"
Ye Feipeng snapped, “Just pick any direction and—”
He cut himself off abruptly.
An image flashed through his mind. Ye Feipeng scrambled to his feet and looked out once more, carefully surveying the surroundings.
Not far away, nine whirlpools of varying sizes churned across the sea’s surface, stark and unmistakable.
I’ve been here before... back in my previous life, when I tried to return to the Li World.
We can’t head toward the island guarded by the Myriad Immortals Alliance. But northwest from here, there should be an uninhabited island.
That’s our only chance.
He immediately pointed in the direction of that island. “That way! Head there, now!”
Without hesitation, Xiao Heng focused and staggered the flying boat into motion. Thus, the group from the Li World began fleeing headlong from the battlefield.
The two Foundation Establishment cultivators remained locked in fierce combat, utterly unaware of the group’s quiet escape.
A surge of exhilaration rose in Ye Feipeng’s chest.
They flew for more than a full day before finally spotting a moderately sized island, its surface blanketed by dense jungle.
“We’re here, this is it!” Ye Feipeng urged urgently. “Fly into the forest!”
Xiao Heng had only recently broken through to the Qi Refinement realm, and maintaining control of the flying boat for so long had clearly taken its toll. At Ye Feipeng’s words, he let out a long breath of relief and carefully guided the flying boat down into the jungle.
After landing, Ye Feipeng had everyone gather branches and broad leaves to cover the flying boat, disguising it as part of the surrounding forest.
Only then did they return to the cabin to discuss their next steps.
“To run into something like this the moment we enter the cultivation world...” Xiao Heng sighed. “What terrible luck.”