Sect Master’s Immortal Journey

In the journey from Jiuqu League to Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle, there are two areas that must be passed through: the vicinity of Jiuqu League upstream and the vicinity of Black Jade Forest. Even if one takes a big detour, it is difficult to completely avoid these two places. Both the aquatic creatures and the demonic beasts from Black Jade Forest consider the surrounding areas as their own territory and frequently arrange multiple patrol teams within a vast region. Whenever these patrol teams encounter outsiders, they engage in fierce battles, showing no mercy and pursuing relentlessly.

The biggest challenge for the merchant caravan traveling from Jiuqu League to Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle is to find a way to avoid the aquatic creatures and demonic beasts. Furthermore, during this long journey, many individuals who cannot find a place in the human cultivation world gather in this region due to its remoteness from human society. There are fugitives who have committed serious crimes, outlaws being pursued, Ghost Path cultivators, and even rogue cultivators from dark paths – almost everything is included.

If it were an ordinary cultivator team, they would face numerous hardships and life-threatening situations on this journey. The two Fourth Rank Cloud Boats, resembling two small mountains, flying high above the sky, are imposing enough to deter anyone from easily offending them. Only Fourth Rank experts have a chance of posing a threat to these Cloud Boats.

For many years, the Four Seas Commercial Firm has relied on these meticulously crafted Fourth Rank Cloud Boats to trade between Jiuqu League and Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle, earning substantial profits. Because the strength of this mission is formidable, there is no need to back down excessively, even if the head of the mission is unwilling to get involved in too much trouble. Therefore, the route taken by the two Cloud Boats is different from the usual merchant caravan routes. They do not deliberately avoid dangerous areas and often travel in a straight line, heading directly into potential dangers.

On this route, there were originally many bandits who plundered caravans, some of whom were even led by Gold Core Daoist Masters, making them quite powerful. When the Cloud Boats pass by, there are still some foolish individuals who secretly follow from behind, lurking in the shadows. However, the three Primordial Spirit True Monarchs in command of the Cloud Boats emit an aura unique to Fourth Rank experts, causing these sneaky individuals to scatter like mice when they see a cat, hastily avoiding them.

If it weren't for the mission at hand, it is likely that some of the Primordial Spirit True Monarchs would not be able to resist taking action against these rodents.

As the Cloud Boats continue their journey, the road remains relatively peaceful, undisturbed by those ignorant troublemakers. However, the upcoming segment of the journey requires everyone to be on high alert.

Not far ahead lies the junction of Jiuqu River and Black Jade Forest. The territories of the aquatic creatures and demonic beasts intertwine, creating a complex entanglement. Meng Zhang had plenty of time to contemplate this situation during these past few days.

One night, Xu Mengying secretly visited again. After receiving Meng Zhang's somewhat reserved response, she visibly relaxed. Xu Mengying promised Meng Zhang that once they return to Jiuqu League, she will deliver the promised Nine Heavens Refined Essence as agreed. To assure Meng Zhang's trust, Xu Mengying even made a Heart Demon Oath.

For a cultivator of Xu Mengying's background, there might be ways to bypass the Heart Demon Oath, but breaking such an oath would still be troublesome, potentially resulting in serious consequences. Xu Mengying voluntarily made this Heart Demon Oath, which made Meng Zhang feel restless.

He also made a Heart Demon Oath, promising to do his best to help Xu Mengying escape her predicament as long as it doesn't endanger himself. With this agreement, they became temporary allies.

The two of them discussed and arranged some clandestine communication methods. As they drew closer to their destination, Daoist Master Smiling Lotus and his group kept a closer eye on Xu Mengying. If things continued this way, it would become increasingly difficult for Xu Mengying to meet with Meng Zhang again without raising suspicions.

To avoid alerting Daoist Master Smiling Lotus and the others, Xu Mengying planned to remain within their line of sight during the upcoming period. The initial action time they agreed upon was when the Cloud Boats arrived at Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle and everyone began to disembark.

After Xu Mengying left, Meng Zhang and the Extreme Sword Spirit General began preparing for their impending actions. Shortly after, the two Cloud Boats approached the upstream area of Jiuqu River. In this region, the widest part of the river spans over a thousand miles, and even the shortest part is several hundred miles long. The river is vast, with numerous tributaries, forming a dense network of waterways.

Standing high above and looking down, one could occasionally see teams of fish-headed human-bodied creatures patrolling back and forth on the surface of the river. Perhaps out of curiosity, many cultivators on the two Cloud Boats went up to various decks to observe the situation below. The Cloud Boats were protected by defensive formations, so they were not worried about any danger. Although the guards on the Cloud Boats reminded everyone to be cautious, few took it seriously.

Among the aquatic patrol teams below, there were also sharp-eyed individuals who had already noticed the presence of the Cloud Boats. However, facing a high-speed Cloud Boat flying from above, they felt helpless. Moreover, just by appearance, the Cloud Boat was not an easy opponent to deal with. Smarter beings wouldn't bother inviting trouble.

The two Cloud Boats continued to advance and were about to enter the territory of the Black Jade Forest. The Black Jade Forest was an immense and boundless forest, covering an area of tens of thousands of miles in all directions. The forest spread along both banks of the Jiuqu River, with many sections of the river enveloped by the forest.

The demonic beasts within the Black Jade Forest were exceptionally fierce and powerful, brimming with a unique wildness. The demonic beasts Meng Zhang encountered in the Demon Wind Gobi were nothing more than harmless domesticated pets compared to the ones in the Black Jade Forest. In the forest, there were several Fourth Rank demonic beasts, each worthy of being called a "Monster King." As for the Third Rank and lower demonic beasts, they were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges.

These ferocious and violent beings harbored extreme animosity toward other creatures. Even different factions of demonic beasts engaged in fierce battles. The aquatic creatures nearby suffered greatly from the torment of these beasts. The demonic beasts did not share any benevolence with the aquatic creatures and saw them as both enemies and food.

Facing the powerful demonic beasts of the Black Jade Forest, the aquatic creatures were occupied with containment, leaving them little time to focus on their human enemy, the Jiuqu League. Meng Zhang vaguely remembered hearing some rumors in the past that the aquatic creatures had changed their hostile attitude toward the Human Clan and secretly extended goodwill to the Human Clan cultivators. The reason behind this change was the overwhelming strength of the demonic beasts in the Black Jade Forest, forcing the aquatic creatures to seek assistance from the Human Clan cultivators.

However, back then, the events were too distant from his own circumstances, and Meng Zhang did not invest much effort in verifying the truth of those rumors. For now, as the two Cloud Boats entered the territory of the aquatic creatures, they did not slow down, and the aquatic creatures did not interfere.

The Black Jade Forest was vast, making it difficult to completely avoid its territory while trying to reach the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle. Therefore, the Cloud Boats took a considerable detour to avoid the core area of the Black Jade Forest. Even with three Primordial Spirit True Monarchs on board, it was unlikely that anyone would want to forcefully clash with the Monster Kings.

Observing the scene below, Meng Zhang was thoroughly intrigued and captivated. Many cultivators on the Cloud Boat had similar reactions.

Suddenly, Meng Zhang's expression changed as he scanned his surroundings, looking for an escape route. Before he could fully react, a sudden croaking sound erupted, causing both massive Cloud Boats to tremble. The terrifying sound waves struck the Cloud Boats, triggering their defensive formations, which lit up with protective barriers. Despite the protection of the defense formations, the force of the sound waves still penetrated somewhat, catching many unprepared cultivators on the decks off guard.

Meng Zhang stabilized himself, resisting the force of the sound waves. Then, he heard a voice from the nearby Cloud Boat of the Four Seas Commercial Firm, True Monarch You Hongzhi, saying, "Be careful, everyone. It's the Fourth Rank demonic beast, the Sky-swallowing Toad."

Following that, a clear chant was heard from the Cloud Boat where Meng Zhang stood. It sounded like a chant, but it was actually True Monarch Azure Gem reciting the classic texts of the Dao alliance loudly. With True Monarch Azure Gem's recitation, the tremendous roar of the Sky-swallowing Toad was gradually blocked from affecting the Cloud Boat.

This display of power stunned many cultivators on the Cloud Boat. They couldn't believe that Fourth Rank demonic beasts would act against them in this place. A Fourth Rank demonic beast was considered a Monster King in its own right. Why would it come to this remote edge of the territory instead of remaining in its own lair?

A gigantic toad, the size of a small mountain, leaped from a distance and landed not far from the Cloud Boat. The toad opened its mouth wide, sucking in and then exhaling a powerful air column that fiercely struck the Cloud Boat of the Four Seas Commercial Firm.

The terrifying sound waves finally subsided, and the impact caused both Cloud Boats to sway again.

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