45: Chapter 45 True Colors

As soon as the words fell,

He couldn't wait to turn around.

Spiritual power poured into the light-crossing boat like a tide.

In a dozen breaths, they had fled to the rear of the biluo flying boat.

At this time,

Jiang Wenzhou also stepped out of the cabin: "Fellow Daoist Ding, what happened? Why are we turning back?"

Chen Xuan responded hurriedly: "Senior Brother Jiang, things are bad. A Talisman Explosion River Roar has appeared. Our light-crossing boat can't withstand it; staying here would just be waiting for death."

Jiang Wenzhou waved his hand, completely indifferent: "You guys go. I will continue forward."

"Husband, isn't this somewhat improper?"

Xie Wantang looked at the distant horizon with worry as she asked.

"Don't worry. This biluo flying boat was personally bestowed upon me by Revered Master for crossing the river. He said it's no less capable than a second-rank ningguang boat; it's more than enough to weather this tide."

Xie Wantang's use of the word 'husband' made him feel very satisfied.

"Alright then."

Although Xie Wantang knew Jiang Wenzhou had a boastful and ambitious temperament, she still trusted the words of a Golden Core expert.

For her, this Talisman Explosion River Roar might actually be a good thing, as it could allow her to get the tianyuan fruit sooner—provided, of course, they crossed it successfully.

From then on, the two boats went their separate ways.

Jiang Wenzhou's biluo flying boat continued forward.

Ding Zhengxiang's light-crossing boat quickly began its return journey.

...

In half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea,

The River Surge came whistling in.

Looking at the sky-high River Surge before her eyes,

Xie Wantang's pretty face turned pale: "Husband, can we really cross this?"

Jiang Wenzhou's mouth hung open in surprise, his entire face looking increasingly ridiculous. But to maintain his persona as a great man, he still steered the vessel forward.

"Don't worry, watch your husband conquer it!"

The biluo flying boat radiated green light from its entire body as it crashed into the sky full of talisman papers.

*Bang!*

Accompanied by an earth-shaking sound of impact,

The biluo flying boat transformed into a flying bird and successfully pierced through the curtain of the sky.

Xie Wantang let out a long sigh of relief, lightly patting her chest.

*Crack!*

Another loud noise sent her heart racing again.

Jiang Wenzhou's hoarse voice trembled: "Oh no! The flying boat's keel has snapped!"

He comforted himself: "But fortunately, we aren't far from the opposite shore."

"Really?"

Xie Wantang's sorrowful voice drifted over.

Jiang Wenzhou followed her gaze and saw another River Surge rising from the ground not far away.

He was instantly frightened out of his wits: "How is there another one! No, the flying boat has no way to cross a second River Surge!"

Xie Wantang calmed down slightly: "Let's return, husband."

Her voice pulled the panicked Jiang Wenzhou back to his senses: "Right, we'll go back too."

With that,

He turned the boat around and headed back the way they came.

At the same time,

The first River Surge was already not far from Xu Changsheng and the others.

Ding Zhengxiang cursed: "Damn it, it's much faster than us!"

Chen Xuan, however, laughed loudly: "Fellow Daoist Ding, haven't you been scared silly? If you want to speed up, you naturally have to reduce the weight!"

Ding Zhengxiang finally realized: "Fellow Daoist is right, I was indeed muddled."

With that,

The two of them looked at Xu Changsheng with a mutual understanding: "We'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Xu to get off the boat first. We'll come back to pick you up in a bit."

Xu Changsheng had a sneer on his face: "Aren't you ashamed to say such things? Where is there any place to stand here?"

Chen Xuan chuckled: "Since there's no place to stand, Fellow Daoist might consider swimming back. That's also a way."

"Quickly, move, Fellow Daoist Chen. It'll be too late if we wait any longer."

"Mm."

Chen Xuan's face turned fierce as his spiritual power condensed, fully revealing the pressure of the Late Stage Qi Refining.

"No need to trouble Fellow Daoist Chen to act. I'll get off the boat myself."

As soon as he finished speaking,

He jumped into the Talisman River while the two of them watched each other in surprise.

After a brief moment of daze,

Chen Xuan and Ding Zhengxiang smiled at each other.

"Haha, we've finally eliminated this thorn in our side. This trip wasn't in vain."

"I can finally focus on making talismans in peace. Now that the Xie Family only has me as a Talisman Revered Master, I'll see if they still dare to boss me around."

The light-crossing boat accelerated,

And soon left the area.

Meanwhile, Xu Changsheng, who had fallen into the Talisman River, did not panic.

He took out talisman paper and a talisman brush, using the world as his inkstone, and began to craft a light-crossing boat.

...

As the second wave of the River Surge approached,

It was already less than three zhang away from the biluo flying boat.

Jiang Wenzhou grew desperate: "No, at this speed, we can't create any distance at all! Tanger, do you have any ideas?"

Xie Wantang had no plan either, staring blankly out the window.

Seeing this at the critical moment of life and death,

Fury rose in Jiang Wenzhou's heart, and he grabbed Xie Wantang by the collar.

"I'm asking you a question! What do we do!"

Xie Wantang finally saw this man's true colors.

She had thought he was just someone who acted tough and overreached, but she hadn't expected him to be a domestic abuser as well.

She responded coldly: "I do not know."

"You don't know? Then get lost!"

The River Surge was now only half a zhang from the flying boat.

In his desperation, Jiang Wenzhou's spiritual power erupted. With a swing of his arm, he threw Xie Wantang out of the boat.

The latter did not resist; instead, she gave a radiant smile.

To her, this kind of ending was a form of relief.

In the next instant,

With one less Cultivator, the pressure from the Talisman River on the flying boat suddenly lightened.

The biluo flying boat accelerated sharply, finally becoming a tiny bit faster than the River Surge behind it.

Jiang Wenzhou let out a long sigh of relief and looked back.

Xie Wantang's figure had already been completely swallowed by the River Surge; there wasn't a single trace of her left!

His heart was extremely conflicted. The beautiful wife he had pursued for several years had been discarded by him so easily, and it was all because of his own arrogance and recklessness.

But the River Surge waited for no one, still rolling forward.

Driven by the desire to survive, he steered the flying boat and fled the area at high speed.

...

A feeling of weightlessness.

The surroundings crackled and popped.

Countless explosions went off between heaven and earth.

Her skin was scraped painfully by the exploding talisman papers.

"Is this what it's like inside the Talisman River?"

Xie Wantang looked on, somewhat entranced: "To see such a magnificent sight before death, Tanger has no regrets in this life."

She slowly closed her eyes,

Feeling the increasingly scorching heat of the smoke and fire around her.

*Swoosh...*

A discordant sound of something moving through the air inappropriately appeared at this moment.

"Am I hallucinating?"

She slowly opened her eyes.

There was nothing around her.

"It really was an auditory hallucination."

Just as she was about to close her beautiful eyes again,

A streak of light, like a falling star, flew past above her.

"This is?"

Her eyes widened, and her survival instinct made her shout: "Fellow Daoist, please wait! Please take me with you!"

"I am of the Xie Family. If Fellow Daoist is willing to help, the Xie Family will surely reward you greatly."

Her clear voice echoed between heaven and earth.

The streak of light above stopped abruptly, seemingly having heard her call.

After three breaths,

The light turned around and flew straight toward her.

She finally saw its original form—it was actually a light-crossing boat.

"I'm saved."

As a pair of strong arms scooped her up and then set her down,

Xie Wantang stood steadily on the firm hull of the boat. Her face was slightly flushed as she tidied her dress and gave a formal bow: "I am Xie Wantang. Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for saving me."

But there was no response from the opposite side.

Feeling strange, she plucked up the courage to look up.

"Guest Official Xu, it's actually you!"