555: Lu Xueqi (32)

The nether skeleton spirit boat glided silently across the inky sea.

The bow cut through tiny waves with almost no sound.

The dark purple sails absorbed the faint starlight, making the entire boat seem to merge with the night.

Only a few eerie green ghost fires floated quietly on either side of the gunwales, reflecting the cold seawater.

Su Han stood at the bow, holding the now brand-new astrolabe in his hand.

The azure pointer on the astrolabe steadily pointed southeast, emitting a soft glow.

A miniature projection of the starry sky slowly rotated above the compass, subtly echoing the real stars in the sky.

Lu Xueqi stood quietly beside him, her clear, cold gaze sweeping across the boundless dark sea.

Her Divine Sense, like an invisible ripple, spread outwards, vigilant for any potential danger.

Bi Yao, meanwhile, was curiously touching and looking around inside the cabin.

This spirit boat, refined from sea beast bones and unknown Materials, was imbued with the sinister aura of Demonic Path craftsmanship.

The runes on the hull were cold to the touch, seemingly pulsating faintly as if alive.

"This boat certainly saves effort; it can propel itself by absorbing the Yin Qi from heaven and earth," Bi Yao's voice came from inside the cabin, with a hint of novelty.

Su Han nodded; he could also feel the cold energy condensed at the core of the boat slowly circulating.

This indeed saved them a great deal of true Qi that would otherwise be consumed to power the boat.

"The direction is correct. According to the astrolabe's guidance and this spirit boat's speed, it will probably take several days to reach the outskirts of Liubo Mountain."

Su Han estimated the distance, speaking in a deep voice.

"The Black Water Gang losing their compass and token means they will not give up easily," Lu Xueqi reminded him, her gaze still fixed on the distance.

"The sea is not like land; once pursued, there is nowhere to hide."

Su Han naturally understood this principle.

With a thought, he tried to communicate with this nether skeleton spirit boat using his Divine Sense.

According to the information left by the meditating skeleton, since the netherworld token was the key, he should be able to control the boat better.

When he extended his Divine Sense through the token in his hand to the boat's hull, a marvelous connection was established.

He seemed to "feel" every detail of the boat, and could even vaguely perceive the flow of seawater within a certain range around the hull.

At the same time, a piece of information about how to activate the spirit boat's stealth Formation flowed into his mind.

"So that's how it is."

Su Han murmured, then activated his true Qi and injected it into the token.

Buzz!

The twisted runes on the hull lit up one after another, emitting a faint black mist.

The black mist rapidly spread, enveloping the entire spirit boat.

From the outside, the spirit boat's silhouette rapidly faded, eventually almost merging with the dark seawater.

Even the few eerie green ghost fires became extremely dim, almost imperceptible.

"This should allow us to avoid most detection now," Su Han sighed with slight relief.

This stealth Formation was extremely clever; unless one's cultivation was far superior to his, or they possessed special tracking secret arts, it would be extremely difficult to discover their whereabouts.

With the preparations complete, the spirit boat, like a true phantom, accelerated towards its predetermined direction.

The first two days of sea travel were calm.

Aside from occasionally encountering ordinary seabirds and schools of fish, nothing unusual occurred.

Su Han spent most of his time meditating at the bow, consolidating his cultivation while comprehending the ancient Star Power rhythms contained within the astrolabe.

This astrolabe was quite mysterious, seemingly more than just a simple directional guide.

On nights with abundant Star Power, the starry sky projection on it would become clearer, even vaguely revealing the trajectories of some stars.

Lu Xueqi, meanwhile, remained vigilant. Her Frost Snow Sword lay across her lap, its blade gleaming with a faint cold light, ready to be drawn at any moment to face an enemy.

Bi Yao was initially very interested in this eerie boat, but after a few days, with nothing but seawater all around, she gradually grew bored.

She began to try communicating with the Yin Qi contained within the boat's body using Demonic Path techniques, and surprisingly gained some insight, able to draw a trace of cold Yin Qi to surround herself.

On the morning of the third day, as dawn was just breaking.

The steadily sailing spirit boat suddenly vibrated slightly.

As if it had hit something.

Su Han immediately awoke from his meditation, Lu Xueqi instantly gripped her sword hilt, and Bi Yao quickly walked out of the cabin.

"What's going on?" Bi Yao asked.

Su Han frowned slightly, extending his Divine Sense through the boat's hull to investigate outside.

Beneath the surface of the sea, something seemed to have been startled by the spirit boat and was moving rapidly.

"It's not a living creature; there's no life aura," Lu Xueqi's perception was more acute, and she stated her judgment.

Su Han maneuvered the spirit boat to slow down, while also strengthening its stealth effect.

He walked to the side of the gunwale and looked down.

The seawater was murky and bottomless.

But in his Divine Sense perception, there was a faint outline of a huge shadow below.

That seemed to be... the wreckage of some kind of structure?

"There's something down there," Su Han said in a deep voice.

He tried to concentrate his Divine Sense, probing deeper.

Blurred images entered his mind: broken stone pillars, crumbling walls, covered in thick silt and seaweed.

The scale seemed considerable, like an ancient city submerged underwater.

The pointer on the astrolabe still pointed firmly southeast, unchanged by the ruins below.

"It seems we just passed by an underwater ruin," Bi Yao breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest.

"Liubo Mountain is rumored to be an ancient immortal mountain, so it's not surprising to find some ancient ruins in the surrounding waters."

Su Han, however, did not relax.

Because in his Divine Sense perception, there seemed to be a faint energy fluctuation in that area of ruins.

It wasn't a living being; it was more like... the resonance from a residual Formation or some kind of Magical Artifact.

Just as he was carefully sensing, an unexpected change occurred!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several jets of pitch-black water, without warning, shot out from the murky seawater below, striking directly at the spirit boat!

The water jets carried a strong corrosive aura, and wherever they passed, even the air hissed.

"Watch out!" Lu Xueqi reacted extremely quickly, and her Frost Snow Sword instantly unsheathed!

A fierce Sword Qi swept out, transforming into an ice wall, blocking in front of the spirit boat.