172: The perimeter of the ruins

【You immediately used your essence blood as a guide and jointly signed a spirit contract.】

【The contract's content was simple and clear—no backstabbing, meaning no direct harm to teammates.】

【However, failing to save someone in distress or fleeing when encountering danger were not considered breaches of contract.】

【Because of this, when Widow Lu abandoned Lü Feng and fled for her life last time, although it was unethical, it did not violate the contract.】

【After signing the contract, the five of you swore an oath to the Grand Dao:】

【"With blood as the contract, and soul as witness."】

【"Should this oath be broken, the Dao foundation will be utterly destroyed, and the path to immortality severed forever!"】

【This contract clearly had many loopholes... True danger never came from open confrontation.】

【However, it was understandable. After all, no one wanted to be burdened by dead weight, which was why such a self-preservation contract existed.】

【However, you keenly noticed that the look in Lü Feng's eyes when he glanced at you seemed to carry a hint of something unusual.】

【You always felt that Lü Feng gave you a sense of both unfamiliarity and familiarity.】

【Just then—】

【A Young Master dressed in luxurious robes walked in, followed by an Old Ancestor with an imposing Aura.】

【Many recognized this Young Master and whispered among themselves:】

【"It's Young Master Qi Wei, what is he doing here?"】

【"He couldn't be here to find Loose Cultivators to scout the way again, could he?"】

【"Very likely, make sure he doesn't set his eyes on you."】

【Regarding this Qi Wei, you had heard so much about him in the past six months that your ears were almost calloused.】

【He was the Young Master of Tianyang City's number one Family, the Qi Family, and also a notorious profligate in the city. Almost everyone in Tianyang City was terrified of him.】

【In the past six months, you heard about his deeds almost daily—bullying men and women, slaughtering entire families, forcibly seizing treasures; he committed almost every evil imaginable.】

【Qi Wei scanned the Loose Cultivators present, his gaze finally landing on Lü Feng.】

【He walked closer with a smile: "You are Lü Feng?"】

【Lü Feng's expression was serious. He cupped his hands in a salute: "Lü Feng greets Young Master Qi."】

【"I heard you escaped from a Bizarre Spirit Body. This time, I plan to go on an expedition myself. Are you interested in coming with me?" Qi Wei said with a faint smile.】

【Lü Feng's face fell, and he stammered nervously: "This... I just signed a contract with a few Fellow Daoists... it wouldn't be right to break the agreement..."】

【Qi Wei waved his hand, interrupting him, and said indifferently: "That's easy. Either I kill them, or they come with you, isn't that right?"】

【An Lu immediately smiled and walked closer: "Young Master Qi is right. Why don't we just follow Young Master Qi? More people mean more safety."】

【Qi Wei lecherously sized up An Lu, then smiled and nodded: "Hmm, not bad, not bad, you're sensible."】

【Then Qi Wei coldly swept his gaze over you all and said indifferently: "What about you?"】

【Widow Lu immediately said with a cheerful smile: "We are at Young Master Qi's command."】

【You and Liu Ruyan also echoed: "We are willing to obey your command."】

【Seeing that you were all so sensible, Qi Wei nodded in satisfaction.】

【He then turned and left, and your group followed behind him.】

【The other Loose Cultivators in the "Yellow Crane Restaurant" watched you leave and breathed a sigh of relief:】

【"Phew, you scared me, I thought he was looking for me."】

【"With your strength? If you wanted to be his minion, he wouldn't even look at you."】

【"It seems Lü Feng is in grave danger this time."】

【"What a pity, Widow Lu is quite plump. I always wanted to have a taste, but it seems there's no chance now." An old man stroked his beard and sighed.】

【As you walked out of the "Yellow Crane Restaurant," the Old Ancestor beside Qi Wei raised his hand, and a stream of light shot into the sky—】

【In an instant, a huge three-story pavilion spirit boat appeared in the sky.】

【The next second, you were swept up by the Old Ancestor and landed in the air on the spirit boat's deck.】

【Immediately after, a team of over a dozen silver-armored guards from within the city also flew up, guarding the perimeter of the deck.】

【At the same time, over a dozen young and beautiful female Cultivators also boarded the spirit boat and entered the pavilion.】

【As Lü Feng was about to follow them into the pavilion, Qi Wei waved his hand indifferently: "You all stay on the deck. You are not allowed to enter without my command."】

【Lü Feng quickly nodded: "Understood, understood."】

【At this moment, you received a Divine Sense message from Liu Ruyan: "Why didn't you let me just kill him?"】

【You replied with a serious Divine Sense message: "We've never been to that ruin. Isn't it perfect to have them help us scout the way?"】

【"Moreover, even if we encounter danger, they'll be the first to face it. Besides, we're still unfamiliar with that Bizarre Spirit Body."】

【Liu Ruyan replied with a faint Divine Sense message: "Would they dare not listen if I revealed my identity? Why go through such trouble?"】

【"It's easy to dodge an open spear, but hard to guard against a hidden arrow. Don't expose yourself," you explained via Divine Sense.】

【"Understood!" Liu Ruyan replied.】

【In a flash, the spirit boat transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the clouds and flying towards the depths of the sea.】

【You set up tables and chairs on the deck, with the magnificent scenery of sea and sky merging before your eyes. At first, you could still see the winding coastline gradually fading like ink, completely disappearing from sight within three days.】

【Half a month later, the spirit boat was completely surrounded by the boundless blue sea in all directions. Above was the sky, below was the sea, and the clear horizon enclosed you at the center of this world.】

【In this vast ocean, the hundred-zhang spirit boat was as tiny as a grain of sand in the sea.】

【You took out the incomplete beast skin map, and the spiritual light on it vaguely pointed to—the deep blue forbidden zone directly ahead, where not even birds were seen, only eternal waves.】

【Another half month passed, and along the way, you occasionally saw islands scattered across the sea.】

【These islands even had exquisite Immortal Caves and dilapidated pavilions built upon them.】

【You swept your Divine Sense across them and found that although the Immortal Caves had been completely looted, judging from the remaining layouts and the traces of Spiritual Veins that had been dug away, they must have been extremely luxurious back then—】

【Just the Cultivation chambers built with white jade were no worse than Liu Ruyan's Ningyue Immortal Mountain.】

【But what truly surprised you was the sight beneath the sea—】

【These "islands" were actually towering mountain peaks submerged in the sea, with only their tops exposed above the water.】

【You couldn't help but ask Lü Feng: "Brother Lü, these islands look like mountain peaks. What's going on?"】

【Lü Feng clapped his hands and laughed: "Fellow Daoist has keen eyesight! This is indeed the work of a mighty expert—two thousand years ago, thousands of spiritual mountains descended from the sky and fell into this sea area, forming what are now called the outer islands."】

【He pointed to the distant mountain peaks: "The first batch of Cultivators who came here back then made a fortune. I heard that most of the Old Ancestors of the major powers today rose to prominence after gaining Opportunities here."】

【Widow Lu interjected: "Isn't that right! Back then, Tianyang City was just a small fishing village. It became the largest city because of the appearance of this ruin."】

【"When a whale falls, all things thrive," you murmured with emotion.】