C10 Flying Cloud Ferry

This is the Outer Sect Nine Peaks, a place not deemed a safe zone, yet the ferocious beasts within have been repeatedly disciplined by the Outer Sect Disciples. With a bit of luck, these creatures might only suffer a beating; with less fortune, they could end up as stew in a pot.

The wildlife here is acutely aware that the fearsome upright ape reigns supreme at the top of the food chain in this region. Unless driven by extreme hunger, they would never dare to initiate an attack.

Lurking in the underbrush was a famished tiger, its coat a mottled, dull gray. It had been a long while since it had last filled its belly, and starvation had shattered its resolve. Now, its sole desire was to feast heartily.

With a growl, the tiger sprang into action. Despite its hunger, it remained a tiger – even a common one is still the sovereign of the jungle.

Wang Yue had already pinpointed the direction from which the beast was concealed. As the hungry tiger lunged, he simultaneously enacted his cultivation technique, hands clasped over his head.

"Dragon Roar Iron Clothes Shirt!"

His back bulged as qi strength surged through it. The tiger's claws raked across, tearing the skin and exposing the flesh shielded by a semi-transparent membrane.

Struck by the claw, Wang Yue stumbled forward. His back seared with heat but was not excessively painful, and the membrane remained intact.

As the tiger's claw made contact, the qi strength provided a robust defense, mitigating the claw's damage. Regrettably, the membrane lay beneath the skin, safeguarding the flesh but not the outer layer.

"Hiss! That's quite unpleasant!"

To Wang Yue, this 'membrane' was a dermal layer refined to an extraordinary degree, beyond the mundane. The epidermis lacked pain receptors, and once the true skin was cultivated into this membrane, all pain receptors were protected. However, the membrane was highly sensitive to external stimuli, which is why Wang Yue felt a scorching sensation, yet it wasn't truly painful.

At the Qi Refining Stage, as long as the membrane is intact, any injury to this layer of skin can be rapidly healed. Consequently, few techniques focus on fortifying this particular layer. This was Wang Yue's first encounter with the sensation of having the epidermis extensively torn.

After successfully testing the cultivation of his Dragon Roar Iron Clothes Shirt, the hungry tiger stood no chance against Wang Yue, who effortlessly crushed its skull with a backhand slap.

Wang Yue then tore the clothes from the tree branches, draped them over himself, and set off. The fabric, however, irritated his skin, causing a searing sensation that was even more unbearable than pain itself.

Two days later, the Outer Sect indeed organized a cleanup operation for the Death Ruins. More specifically, it was the Deacons of Copper Willow Peak who spearheaded the effort, as the Death Ruins were traditionally cleared by their hand.

Excluding the disciples who had joined the sect within the past year, the rest assembled in the plaza halfway up the mountain. There were seven to eight thousand of them, forming an impressive throng.

The combined forces of the Outer Sect Nine Peaks numbered close to a hundred thousand—a staggering figure. Yet, each year, only a few hundred would ascend to become Inner Sect Disciples.

The majority of Outer Sect Disciples ended up serving in menial roles, and despite the low status, many vied for these positions. Regrettably, even as servants, their tenure was capped at five years.

Having been cultivated by the sect for five years, if an Outer Sect Disciple failed to advance to the Inner Sect, they were obligated to serve five years as repayment for their training. After this period, they were free to go.

This practice was common among most first and second-tier sects in this world. Smaller sects, constrained by limited resources, dared not adopt such policies and instead chose their disciples more selectively.

The Law Enforcement Hall, however, was a different story. Its disciples were not relegated to menial tasks and retained their status as members of the Myriad Qi Profound Sect. Yet, without attaining the rank of Deacon, their lives would pass unremarkably.

Becoming a Deacon, on the other hand, conferred a significant status, just shy of that held by a True Inheritance Disciple. The position of a Deacon Elder was even more prestigious, surpassing that of an average True Inheritance Disciple.

At that moment, the five Deacons of Copper Willow Peak stood on the elevated platform in the square, loudly proclaiming the specifics of the mission.

"... Therefore, we, the five Deacons, have resolved to lead this cleansing operation. You may consider this mission as akin to half an Outer Sect Trial. The Law Enforcement Hall from each academy will take the lead, with designated zones of responsibility. Multiple Law Enforcement Hall members will be stationed in hazardous areas to ensure that no significant harm results from a disparity in combat strength."

Hee Ziang naturally held the position at the Law Enforcement Hall of the Sixteen Academies. Each academy had one Law Enforcement Hall member, accounting for half of the hall's personnel, while the remaining half were spread across the various branches within the hall. For instance, Faang Jinyu was a member of the Branch Division, not responsible for any specific Outer Sect academy and enjoying the freedom to move as he pleased.

Though only half of the personnel were present, the Branch Division members were generally considered to be at least fifty percent stronger than those from the academies. Only the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples stationed at the peak of each academy could stand on equal footing with the Branch Division members.

Each Branch Division disciple had reached at least the Qi Refining Level Five.

Once the Deacons had finished their briefing, they each produced a wooden boat the size of a fist and tossed it into the air. The boats caught the wind and swelled into massive ships, hundreds of meters in length, hovering thirty meters above the heads of the onlookers.

"The Flying Cloud Ferry, a Myriad Dao Talisman Artifact!" Wang Yue's gaze sparkled with recognition. He remembered these vessels from his past experiences; they were used during the Outer Sect Trials and several group missions to transport Outer Sect Disciples.

A Myriad Dao Talisman Artifact is defined by its composition of at least ten thousand talismans. Talisman Artifacts are categorized by the number of talismans they contain: ten, a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand. Those surpassing ten thousand talismans are not referred to as Talisman Artifacts but as Talisman Treasures. Anything with fewer than ten talismans doesn't qualify as a Talisman Artifact but is instead known as a Jade Talisman or Spirit Talisman.

The Flying Cloud Ferry, with its thirteen thousand talismans, truly qualified as a Myriad Dao Talisman Artifact.

Every Outer Sect Disciple carried a Talisman Artifact, the Smoke Congealing Canister, used for signaling distress. Containing exactly ten talismans, it lacked any offensive capabilities, which is why the Outer Sect Disciples didn't seriously consider the Smoke Congealing Canister a Talisman Artifact.

Each Flying Cloud Ferry extended six stairways downward. Guided by the Law Enforcement Hall Disciples, the Outer Sect Disciples boarded the ferries in groups and entered the cabins within the Flying Cloud Ferry.

After everyone had boarded, the staircase withdrew, and the Flying Cloud Ferry began its ascent, gliding toward the Death Ruins. It gradually picked up speed, and within minutes, it had broken the sound barrier, still accelerating.

Inside a room at the Sixteen Academies, Wang Yue stood in confrontation with Hee Ziang. The others were seated in chairs along both sides of the room, too intimidated to utter a word. Hee Ziang was a disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall, someone they couldn't afford to provoke. Wang Yue had once defeated a Devil Puppet, making him equally formidable. With the two of them in a standoff, no one dared to interrupt.

"The Death Ruins are very dangerous. I hope you make it out alive!" said Hee Ziang, smiling genuinely as if he truly wished Wang Yue well.

Wang Yue responded with equal composure, "Not only will I survive, but I'll also eliminate all those dangers."

Hee Ziang offered a smile and fell silent. With Hee Ziang choosing not to speak further, Wang Yue had no desire to continue the conversation either. A quarter of an hour later, the Flying Cloud Ferry had traversed over nine hundred miles and reached the Death Ruins.

The Death Ruins were the site of an Alien Domain Fragment that had plummeted from the sky three years prior. Wang Yue didn't fully understand the phenomenon of these celestial fragments, but it was common knowledge that the Alien Domain was another world entirely, distinct from the one he currently inhabited.

The name of this other world was unclear to Wang Yue, but he knew that his current location was known as the Divine State Land, or the Immortal Qin Ninety-nine States.

As for Immortal Qin, it was a piece of history lost to time, beyond the knowledge of a mere Outer Sect Disciple like himself.

Since their arrival in the Spirit Domain Secret Forest from the Death Ruins, numerous events had unfolded, such as climatic shifts and the resurrection of the dead, known as Corpse Stealers, along with the emergence of numerous Prison Bone Corpses formed from these Corpse Stealers.

These Corpse Stealers seemed endless, leaving one to wonder where all the bodies were coming from for their transformation. The Outer Sect Deacon had once attempted to excavate ten feet into the ground, which only led to further deterioration of the Death Ruins. Even after eradicating the Corpse Stealers and Prison Bone Corpses, it would only be a matter of months before a fresh horde of Corpse Stealers emerged.

Upon reflection, since the Corpse Stealers and Prison Bone Corpses weren't particularly strong and rarely ventured out of the Death Ruins, it was decided to use the area as a site for the Outer Sect Trial.

The Death Ruins resembled a city long abandoned. Judging by the remnants of its broken walls, it must have been more bustling than the capital of a small nation before it fell into disrepair.

Descending from the Flying Cloud Ferry outside the Death Ruins, one could gaze upon the half-toppled remains and be struck by a profound sense of historical depth, almost visualizing the ruins rising anew, with throngs of people bustling through the streets once more.

"Awake!" bellowed the Deacon, rousing all the disciples from their stupor.

This was a unique effect of the Death Ruins, casting illusions on those outside that neither Body Refining nor Qi Refining practitioners could withstand.

If one failed to escape the illusion, they would wander into the ruins, believing they had entered another realm, and that would be the end of their story. Their bodies would transform into Corpse Stealers, their wills lost amidst the phantoms witnessed by future generations.

"Split into teams and advance. Enter your designated areas; you are free to move about but are responsible for your own safety."

The five Flying Cloud Ferries encircled the Death Ruins, with each group disembarking and entering from their respective landing spots. Wang Yue quietly trailed behind Hee Ziang.

Hee Ziang, too, refrained from antagonizing Wang Yue, mindful of the Deacon's watchful eye. A slip-up could mean negligence on his part, leading to replacement at best or severe punishment at worst.

Entering through a breach in the city wall, they could already see several Corpse Stealers slain by those who had ventured in before them.

They quickly reached the sector they were tasked with overseeing.

The disciples from the Sixteen Academies, all two-year initiates, typically ranged from Body Refining Level Four to Level Six in strength. As such, they were not permitted to enter areas inhabited by Prison Bone Corpses, which were unlikely to be found in the outskirts anyway.

"Alright, everyone, proceed on your own!"

With those words, Hee Ziang executed a series of leaps and vanished from the group's view.

To the others, it seemed like Hee Ziang was simply finding a strategic vantage point to oversee the situation. However, Wang Yue suspected that Hee Ziang had actually left to prepare for a confrontation with him.

While the rest might not share this suspicion, they all believed that Hee Ziang would certainly focus on Wang Yue. Staying close to Wang Yue could prove perilous, so they kept their distance.

Wang Yue was unfazed by this. The division of areas was a strategy based on assessing the majority's strength; it wasn't a rule that confined anyone to a specific zone. Intent on exploring further, Wang Yue made his way toward the Death Ruins.