Men experience joys and sorrows, partings and reunions. The moon waxes and wanes, dims and clears.
Tonight, the moon hung full in the sky, yet those who cherished one another were about to part.
The enemy’s Innate Experts were closing in fast, while hundreds of Water Monsters swarmed toward the ship’s hull, poised to breach it.
The situation had reached its direst point.
“Time is short,” Mei’er said with a gentle smile. “You all can definitely help Master defeat the enemy. I believe in you.”
She walked slowly to the mouth of the furnace, a look of serene release on her face.
Tormented by her inner emotions for so long, she could finally find liberation.
“Tell Master for me,” she whispered, “to pursue the Dao in her heart!”
With that, Mei’er leaped into the Soul-Refining Furnace.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It was as if all the mechanisms had been ignited at once, erupting with tremendous power.
At the same moment, the ornate decorations on the Ghost King Ship’s exterior began to fall away, revealing its true form—like a colossal giant rising to its feet and shaking off the dust that had weighed it down.
“Defensive barriers, mental attacks… This ship is nothing less than a superweapon custom-built for massive battles.”
Eldest Young Lady Ren Tan watched the structural transformations of the Ghost King Ship in the projection, unable to hide her awe.
Fully deployed, the Ghost King Ship resembled an impregnable fortress afloat on the sea, solid as iron. No wonder the Ghost King enjoyed such transcendent status in the Great Zhou Kingdom—assaulting a floating city like this would come at an unbearable cost.
It was just a shame that these capabilities had been bought with Mei’er’s life…
“Though this master-disciple drama has nothing to do with us,” Xiao Luo sighed, “it still leaves a bad taste in my heart…”
Little Snake Demon nodded vigorously.
“Don’t let her sacrifice go to waste,” the Eldest Young Lady said. “We need to help the Ghost King win this fight.”
The three of them returned to their seats and took control of the mechanisms.
The now-compact Ghost King Ship was enveloped in a faint curtain of light. The Water Monsters clinging to its hull were shaken loose.
Seeing the shift, the Innate Experts moved as one, unleashing a barrage of techniques against the barrier.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their individual realms weren’t particularly high, but with over a hundred experts striking in perfect unison, the momentum was overwhelming.
It was clear these weren’t ragtag hires—they were elite warriors, specially trained for scenarios like this.
“Mental attack!”
Without any guidance, Ren Tan swiftly grasped the full suite of controls for the Ghost King Ship.
Her fingers flew across the controls in a rapid clatter. The light curtain enveloping the ship flared brilliantly, and the Innate Experts aboard instantly contorted in agony. Some even went rigid and plummeted into the sea.
“If only we had a ship like this… We wouldn’t have to fear bad guys showing up on our doorstep anymore…”
The Ghost King Ship’s attacks were devastating, but the enemy wasn’t a bunch of pushovers. They quickly regrouped and pressed their assault.
“Offense burns through resources far faster than defense,” Eldest Young Lady Ren Tan calculated, piecing together the incoming data. “Our best bet is to hold the Ghost King Ship steady and wait for the Ghost King to settle things with the enemy’s leader.”
With the barrier up, defending the ship was no issue. And for a Void Treading Realm powerhouse like the Ghost King to defeat the Yin-Yang Woman? In theory, it was only a matter of time.
“Yeah. To be blunt, we’ve already done more than enough—we can sleep easy with our consciences clear…”
Xiao Luo let out a sigh.
A heavy, stifling atmosphere filled the cabin.
“But,” Yin Luan said after a long silence, almost as if speaking to herself, “is this really enough? The longer we drag this out, the more pain Mei’er has to endure.”
Burning one’s soul was a prolonged ordeal; the agony didn’t vanish in an instant.
“That’s a hundred Innate Experts out there,” Xiao Luo murmured. “Shouldn’t people like us prioritize our own survival first…?”
“Exactly,” Little Snake Demon agreed with a nod. She tapped her chest. “But we have ’emotions’ too. Those emotions let us rise above mere instinct.”
“You go outside for one trip, and suddenly you’re talking all logical and profound…”
Xiao Luo ribbed her, then shot a glance at the Eldest Young Lady.
If it were Ren Tan, surely she’d grasp the vital importance of reason and logic, right?
“People need logic and reason, or else we’re no different from Evil Spirits.”
Ren Tan pondered for a moment, then muttered to herself.
“But people can’t live by logic and reason alone. Otherwise, what sets us apart from these gears and mechanisms?”
She rose to her feet and took a deep breath.
“The Ghost King Ship’s defenses are set. No need for constant micromanagement—we don’t have to stay glued to these seats.”
“Ren Tan, even you…?”
Xiao Luo hesitated verbally, but her body still followed suit and stood up.
“Sigh, you young folks are always so impulsive in everything you do… Fine, this old bag of bones will accompany you!”
“Target,” the Little Snake Demon raised her little fists with a serious expression. “End the battle as quickly as possible!”
“Show the enemy our power!”
The three shouted their slogan as they arrived at the outer deck.
Below, the water monsters surrounded the Ghost King Ship in multiple layers, incessantly slamming against the barrier in an attempt to breach the defenses.
Not far away, the figures of the Innate Experts were clearly visible, with each cluster of light representing a powerful technique on the verge of unleashing.
“…How about we just go back inside the ship and stay there?”
Xiao Luo suggested.
This was way too frightening! It was nowhere near something the three of them could handle!
“We’ve already come out—going back now would be so embarrassing,” Yin Luan said, steeling herself. “Ren Tan, you take command!”
“The Ghost King Ship’s fuel is limited, and the enemies’ attacks will accelerate its consumption,” the Eldest Young Lady said, propping up her chin. “We need to reduce their attack frequency. Xiao Luo, can you draw the attention of these water monsters?”
“I don’t know if they like eating radishes…” the Little Radish Spirit’s mouth twitched. “But I can try with the Dragon Whisker Whip—this thing packs a serious punch.”
She removed the ribbon tying up her hair, flicked it in her hand, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a golden long whip.
A little loli with a long whip—this image looked… pretty mismatched.
“Yin Luan, can you harass those Innate Experts?”
The Eldest Young Lady asked again.
“Leave it to me!”
Yin Luan patted her chest.
“I’m the weakest, so I’ll stay on the ship and deal with any stragglers that slip through,” Ren Tan touched her bracelet and instructed. “Stay safe—if you can’t win, just run back. We’re in an invincible position!”
“Got it.” “Charge!”
The three split up to take action.
Xiao Luo slid down along the ship’s hull, and the length of the Dragon Whisker Whip in her hand instantly surged, stretching to over ten zhang long as it viciously lashed toward the water monsters clustered by the ship’s side.
“Ah!!!”
The treasure bestowed by the immortal was tremendously powerful; wherever it struck, the water monsters were either killed or gravely wounded.
“What are you screaming for?” the Little Radish Spirit huffed. “I’m sending you all to heaven—you should be thanking me!”
As for Yin Luan, she took a running start on the deck and leaped high into the sky.
With a bang, a long spear shot out from the Ghost King Ship, flying precisely beneath the Little Snake Demon’s feet.
Yin Luan stepped onto it, riding the spear like a flying mount as she charged downward, shouting loudly.
“I’m—here—!”
