174: Chapter 173 The Child Riding a Fourth-Order Siren

Xiao Ye was still calculating how to bombard the Central Province, unaware that his harem had already exploded.

"Xiao Yi'er, stop playing hide-and-seek. Where are you? Come out quickly, it's time to eat!" In the Imperial Garden, Saintess Yu Keqing looked around. She had searched through the flower bushes, checked the rockeries, and even peered under the lotus leaves by the pond, but she could not find her daughter anywhere.

"Your Highness, we haven't seen the little princess over here!"

"Your Highness, she's not in the imperial kitchen either! We even crawled under the stove to check!"

"Oh my, where has this girl hidden herself! She's going to be the death of me!" Saintess Yu Keqing stomped her feet in anger, her skirt billowing, wishing she could turn the entire Imperial Garden upside down.

Just then, Saintess Wu Qingqing flew over in a hurry, landing in front of her with a pale face. "Keqing, have you seen Jian'er?"

"What? Jian'er is missing too?" Saintess Yu Keqing was shocked.

"Too? Don't tell me Xiao Yi'er is missing as well?" Saintess Wu Qingqing's heart skipped a beat.

Saintess Yu Keqing grabbed Saintess Wu Qingqing's hand. "Oh no, those two little Devil Kings couldn't have snuck out, could they!"

The two looked at each other, their expressions changing simultaneously.

"Imperial Guard! Imperial Guard!" Saintess Yu Keqing shouted at the top of her lungs. "Seal the palace gates! Don't let those two little ancestors slip out!"

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At a harbor in the northern part of the East Sea Region, a small amphibious Airship capable of holding only about a hundred people was slowly leaving the dock, swaying leisurely out of the harbor and cleaving through the waves toward the Northern Territory.

The Cultivators on board were mostly around the Golden Core Realm, though there were a few Nascent Soul powerhouses—however, they were all at the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, which would still count as someone of note in the Great Qian.

These people were basically all Loose Cultivators. With no Sect to back them and no great experts to escort them, they traveled together for peace of mind.

Their goal for this trip was the "Snow Maiden Ruins," which would open next month.

That was a Secret Realm formed after a Mahayana Peak powerhouse died in battle. It opened once every ten years. Not only did local Cultivators of the Northern Territory flock to it, but even Loose Cultivators from the East Sea Region came upon hearing the news, fighting tooth and nail to try their luck.

You might ask: Since they are Cultivators, why not fly there themselves instead of squeezing onto this broken ship?

The answer is very simple—there are many Yao Beasts in the sea.

The Northern Territory sea area is not a kind place. Deep-sea giant beasts lurk there, and just one of them appearing could cost you your life and soul.

If you fly alone and happen to encounter a powerful sea beast, there wouldn't even be anyone to call for help.

But taking this Airship is different. Although everyone's strength is not strong, at least they can huddle together for warmth—if they can't win, they can die together, having a companion on the road to the Yellow Springs, so it's not lonely.

Pfft, just kidding.

The correct answer is: Although the cultivation levels of the people on this ship are uneven, their strength lies in their numbers. If they really encounter a sea beast attack, they can at least lend a hand or shout, so they wouldn't be without any room to resist.

Moreover, such "Loose Cultivator groups" temporarily gathered together are extremely common in the Northern Territory sea area, with ships coming and going.

At this moment, on the deck of the Airship, a group of Loose Cultivators sat together, some closing their eyes to rest, others whispering, their conversation never straying far from the Snow Maiden Ruins.

There were simply too many legendary stories about the Snow Maiden Ruins.

For example, a Grand Elder of the Tianshan Sect was once just an Outer Sect Disciple in the Core Formation Realm, someone who wouldn't even be ranked in the Sect.

As a result, with Heaven-Defying luck, he found the Legacy of a Body Integration powerhouse in the Snow Maiden Ruins. From then on, he was unstoppable, and now he is a powerhouse at the Void Refinement Peak Realm, firmly sitting in the position of one of the five Grand Elders of the Tianshan Sect.

From an Outer Sect Disciple to a Grand Elder, from Core Formation to Void Refinement Peak, all because he went to the Snow Maiden Ruins once.

When this story reached the ears of Loose Cultivators, it was more effective than any inspirational chicken soup.

There were many similar stories: some who obtained a broken Cultivation Technique and made a comeback, some who picked up half a Spiritual Artifact and made a fortune, and some who were enlightened by a beam of spiritual light in the ruins—there were so many versions they could compile a "Complete Collection of Ruin Encounters."

It was these legends and these stories that attracted countless Cultivators and countless Loose Cultivators from all corners of the world. One might ask, who wouldn't want to be like that Grand Elder of the Tianshan Sect?

To obtain a Legacy, make a comeback all the way, and reach the Peak of life?

And that was just the Legacy of a Body Integration powerhouse; if it were the Legacy of a Mahayana powerhouse, wouldn't one stand directly at the pinnacle of the East Sea?

On the Airship at this moment, a Nascent Soul powerhouse had his eyes closed tightly, his Divine Sense released, directing the ship to carefully steer clear of areas where Yao Beasts appeared.

This place was the boundary between the Inner Sea and the Endless Sea. Although it wasn't as infested with Rank 4 Yao Beasts as the Endless Sea, it was definitely not peaceful either.

The slightest mistake, and everyone on the ship would be fed to the fish.

(To more intuitively understand the Realm of Yao Beasts, hereafter I will classify Yao Beast Ranks from Rank 1 to Rank 9.)

(Rank 1 / Qi Refining, Rank 2 / Foundation Establishment, Rank 3 / Core Formation, Rank 4 / Nascent Soul, Rank 5 / Soul Transformation, Rank 6 / Void Refinement, Rank 7 / Body Integration, Rank 8 / Mahayana, Rank 9 / Earth Immortal.)

"Not good! A powerful Rank 4 Yao Beast is approaching rapidly! Everyone, be on alert!"

Suddenly, a gust of strong wind struck, and the small ship shook violently.

The Nascent Soul powerhouse sitting at the bow of the ship opened his eyes abruptly, looking toward the rear sea area with a grave expression.

In his perception, a Yao Beast with an Aura even stronger than his was cleaving through the waves, moving extremely fast, carrying a suffocating pressure.

"No! Not one, but two... and the one behind—"

He was originally just grave, but when another Yao Beast entered his Divine Sense range, his face suddenly turned terrified.

Two sea Yao Beasts comparable to the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, one after the other—the Aura alone pressed down so hard that everyone on the ship couldn't catch their breath.

The Loose Cultivators on the deck drew their swords one after another, their faces deathly pale, their legs trembling.

"It's over, it's over. This time we're likely to be fed to the fish!"

"Rank 4 Late Stage Yao Beasts! And two of them! Can this broken ship withstand it?"

"If I had known, I wouldn't have been so greedy for this trip to the ruins. What's the use of Opportunity if you've lost your life!"

Wails arose everywhere, and some had already closed their eyes, waiting for death.

However, as the two sea Yao Beasts gradually approached, everyone finally saw their appearance—huge fish bodies, ferocious fangs; they truly had the vicious look of creatures that would eat people without spitting out the bones.

But what left everyone dumbfounded was that on the backs of these two Vicious Beasts, there were actually two small figures sitting.

A little boy and a little girl, looking only four or five years old.

The girl was riding on the neck of the front sea Yao Beast, her little hands clutching the fin, and she still had a lollipop in her mouth.

The boy was sitting cross-legged on the head of the rear sea Yao Beast, his expression blank and cute, with a short sword strapped to his back.

"Huh? That's not right, on the backs of these two Yao Beasts... why are there people?"

"No... this is not just people, it's two... children?"

"Four or five-year-old children? Riding Rank 4 Yao Beasts? What kind of god-tier maneuver is this?"

The Cultivators on the ship were all dumbfounded, their mouths open wide enough to fit a fist.

The Loose Cultivator who had just shouted about being "fed to the fish" now had his eyes wide open, with only one thought left in his mind—who exactly are these two children?