The Flying Boat

Chapter 53 The Flying Boat

Song Wen and Guo Tao quickly left the perimeter of the alchemy rooms.

As Song Wen walked, he silently pondered how to reach the Poisonous Miasma Swamp.

Although the Poisonous Miasma Swamp was only a little over two thousand li away from the Corpse Demon Sect, this was merely a straight line distance. In reality, the path was obstructed by towering peaks and sheer cliffs.

Cultivators at the Qi Condensation stage could not fly. Traversing two thousand li of endless, rugged mountains was no easy feat, let alone the various dangers that might exist along the way.

Song Wen had initially assumed the Sect would arrange special mounts to help them reach the Poisonous Miasma Swamp. He had not expected Elder Shen to omit the matter of travel entirely.

Just as Song Wen was bitterly pondering this, Guo Tao slapped the Storage Bag at his waist with one hand.

A palm-sized wooden boat flew out. The wooden boat swelled upon meeting the wind, instantly transforming into a two-meter-long vessel that hovered suspended in mid-air.

Song Wen stared dumbfoundedly at the flying boat before him, his mind involuntarily recalling the scene when he was first brought to the Corpse Demon Sect by Shi Shou.

Back then, Shi Shou's flying ship had been vastly more magnificent than this canoe-like flying boat.

Even so, Song Wen was deeply surprised that Guo Tao, merely an inner sect disciple, possessed a flying boat. It seemed the clan backing Guo Tao held strength that could not be underestimated. Otherwise, a cultivator at only the seventh layer of Qi Condensation like Guo Tao could never afford a flying boat worth several thousand Spirit Stones.

Furthermore, flying boats were not merely expensive. Because their flight Formations were driven entirely by Spirit Stones, riding in one was an incredibly costly affair.

"Junior Brother Jiyin, why are you staring blankly? Get on."

Guo Tao leaped lightly onto the flying boat. Looking at the astonished Song Wen, a hint of smugness colored his tone.

"Senior Brother Guo, you actually possess your own flying boat." Song Wen's tone carried envy. He looked exactly like a university student fresh out of school, still worrying about finding a job to feed himself, suddenly discovering that his classmate's family owned a gold mine.

Guo Tao said with evident pride, "It is just a flying boat. Nothing worth mentioning."

Song Wen jumped aboard, his hand gently tracing the runic patterns on the flying boat. His eyes shone as if he were beholding some rare treasure, perfectly acting the part of an ignorant bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Guo Tao's mouth practically grinned from ear to ear, fully displaying his gratification.

"Junior Brother, sit tight. We are setting off."

The flying boat soared into the sky, streaking rapidly toward the vast, endless sea of mountain forests in the distance.

"With Senior Brother Guo's flying boat, I fear we will reach the Poisonous Miasma Swamp in just a few hours."

Song Wen's flattery continued.

"My strength is meager, and it has only been a year since I became a Novice. I know very little about the Cultivation world. I will have to rely heavily on Senior Brother Guo during this assignment."

Guo Tao truly seemed to grow lightheaded from Song Wen's sycophancy, slapping his chest with resounding thumps.

"Rest assured, Junior Brother! This assignment is incredibly simple, merely going through the motions. When the time comes, leave everything to me, your Senior Brother. You can treat it as going out for a sightseeing tour. Besides, perhaps you and I can even get some benefits out of the Yan family."

"Benefits?" Song Wen asked in surprise, putting on the appearance of someone completely inexperienced in the ways of the world.

"The Yan family will give us benefits?"

Guo Tao spoke as if it were a matter of course. "That is only natural. The two of us represent the Sect. If the Yan family wants their stocktaking to conclude smoothly, they must naturally treat us with good food and drink, and give us some benefits when we leave.

"Once we arrive at the Yan family, leave everything to me. You just sit back and wait to collect the benefits, Junior Brother."

Song Wen cupped his hands and said, "Then I shall leave everything to Senior Brother. I will certainly follow your lead."

Though his mouth spoke such words, a strange sensation welled up in Song Wen's heart.

Guo Tao was being far too accommodating, adopting the perfect facade of a caring Senior Brother looking after a fledgling Junior Brother.

Song Wen did not believe the other party would be so kind without reason.

Within the Corpse Demon Sect, cold ruthlessness and mutual deception should be the norm. A warm-hearted fellow Senior Brother simply did not exist-unless you had something worth scheming for.

Amidst Song Wen's flattery, the relationship between the two grew close very quickly.

The flying boat rode through the air, capable of directly crossing the mountain ridges. It was incomparably faster than traveling on the ground. Before the sun had even set, the two arrived at the Poisonous Miasma Swamp.

Looking from afar in the sky, the swamp waters were not considered deep, averaging about the height of a person. Scattered throughout were some deep pools and protruding small islands.

Even in the evening hours, a layer of sickly green mist veiled the space above the swamp. This must be the origin of the Poisonous Miasma Swamp's name: a miasma that never dispersed year-round.

Guo Tao did not rashly charge into the miasma. Instead, he flew around the edge of the swamp for dozens of li, finally stopping in the air above a small island.

The moment the two landed on the ground, four mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators rushed out from the woods.

"Who are you? How dare you trespass upon the Yan family's encampment."

Facing the menacing four, Guo Tao wore a smile as he took a step forward and said,

"Greetings to the fellow brothers of the Yan family. The two of us are disciples of the Corpse Demon Sect, here to carry out a Sect assignment."

While speaking, Guo Tao displayed his disciple identity token.

The leader carefully examined the identity token, and after confirming its authenticity, he said,

"So it is the Senior Brothers from the Demon Sect. Please come with me, you two."

Under this person's lead, Song Wen and Guo Tao quickly crossed the small island and arrived at a plank road built of wood.

The plank road was very long, winding and spiraling, its end unable to be seen at a glance.

Stepping onto the plank road, Song Wen quickly noticed that there was no miasma surrounding it, as if it were isolated on the outside by a Formation.

The three walked along the plank road for over twenty li before finally seeing an expansive island that covered a vast area.

Many buildings were distributed across the island. The building complex at the center of the island appeared particularly grand; that should be the core of the Yan family's domain.

Upon stepping onto the island, the three quickly proceeded into a grand hall.

Seated in the main seat of the hall was a man with slightly graying hair. This person was the head of the Yan family, Yan Zhengping.

After exchanging pleasantries, Guo Tao directly stated their purpose for coming.

Yan Zhengping said in a bright voice,

"Two young friends, the hour is late today. Rest well in my Yan family tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, I will send someone to take you to the spirit fields to count the Seven-Color Grass, how about it?"

Guo Tao glanced at the sky. At this time, the sun had completely set in the west, leaving only a bit of afterglow to illuminate the earth.

He nodded and said, "We will listen to Family Head Yan's arrangements in all things."

Yan Zhengping said, "I have already had the finest guest rooms prepared. I will have someone take the two of you to rest right away."

Guo Tao and Song Wen stood up, just preparing to follow the servant to the guest rooms.

"Grandfather."

A crisp female voice suddenly rang out from outside the hall, and a youthful, beautiful figure appeared outside the door.

The newcomer possessed bright eyes and elegant brows, white teeth and red lips. Dressed in a pale blue long skirt, her body brimmed with the lively aura unique to a young girl.

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