Chapter 334: The Frozen World and the Rise of Mo City

The vast heavens and earth, a great snow drifts unceasingly.

Heavy leaden clouds stretch high above, yet countless snowflakes—large as a woman’s palm—dance and flutter from within.

The mountains on either side are cloaked entirely in silver; endless white snow blankets the slopes, resembling two white dragons slowly winding alongside the Grand Canal.

Contrasting against these pristine, snowy ridges, the waters of the Grand Canal appear almost jet black.

Amid the silent, solitary current of the river, a lone boat races at the same speed as the Nine-Layer Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship a hundred miles away, maintaining the distance with precision.

Aboard that solitary vessel, Li Che—clad in a flowing ink-black robe—sat quietly in meditation, his jet-black hair whipping wildly as it lashed against the air.

At his brow, a gap seemed to tear through his flesh, revealing a single golden pupil.

That was his nascent divine ability: the Star Plucking Gaze.

Infinite analysis, revealing the truth from emptiness!

This auxiliary divine technique has aided Li Che countless times.

It helps him dissect countless matters far beyond his ordinary comprehension.

It also refines and concentrates his primordial spirit—a clear demonstration of its divine effect.

When crafting a Divine Eagle Sculpture, Li Che would activate the Star Plucking Gaze to concentrate his spirit; similarly, he used it while absorbing Divine Crystals.

Speaking of Divine Crystals, Li Che couldn’t help but think of the Qian Kun Jade.

He had yet to study the Qian Kun Jade of Yue Huanglong to see what treasures it might hide—after all, it is the Dao Fruit of a Dao Lord, and while it might not carry every wondrous secret close at hand,

at the very least, for a top-tier Martial Saint at the pinnacle of power, it sure would hold some delightful surprises.

However, after that fierce battle, Li Che spent three whole days recovering and adjusting, too busy to inspect it.

Of course, there was no rush—after all, the Qian Kun Jade was already in his possession.

Early or late, the jade remained his.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

The drifting snow fell onto the small boat’s canopy, producing a soft, muffled sound that was intermingled with the surprisingly warm, comforting whispers of the river breeze, accentuating the desolate majesty of heaven and earth.

Aboard the lonely boat.

Beneath Li Che’s Star Plucking Gaze, his eyes slowly opened and closed, as if two pools of deep, swirling ink revolved within his pupils.

Inside his chest, his Painted Immortal Dao Fruit bounced frenetically, exploding in a ceaseless burst.

The Painted Immortal Dao Fruit…

It has reached Iv5!

Three Transformations!

With its third metamorphosis, the Dao Fruit will unlock Divine Art Ascension Two!

Li Che’s ink-black robe billowed as a slight smile curved at the corners of his lips.

He surmised that the Dao Fruit’s transformation was inextricably linked to Yue Huanglong; the latter, burning with fervor, tore open the Heavenly Gate and unleashed his divine aura. After Li Che slew him, this aura merged into Mo City.

Moreover, the worldly soul of Yue Huanglong, upon his death, returned to the earth and was absorbed by Mo City—

Thus, feeding back, the maturity of the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit surged at an extraordinary pace, seemingly without Li Che even noticing.

Whoooosh!

A tremendous power burst forth, emanating from the swirling vortex within his ink-dark eyes.

In his gaze, the vast lands and skies took shape; his very being materialized in this world.

The earth rose forcefully, and a terrifying Dao Tree shot straight into the sky. Its expansive canopy embraced the earth as sprawling roots, like dragons writhing underground, sprawled densely as if plunging deep into the planet.

Howling winds whipped Li Che’s hair and black robe.

Suspended high above, his eyes locked onto that majestic Dao Tree; even though he could now contend with the fiercest Martial Saints, in the presence of such a towering tree, he still felt inconsequential.

Yet, beyond that insignificance, Li Che experienced another—

comfort and joy.

For as he beheld the bountiful fruits on the Dao Tree, he couldn’t help but think of his daughter: with each peaceful year of growth, the tree would similarly flourish, stretching taller and stronger, each branch bearing a radiant Dao Fruit, dazzling and resplendent!

That was true accomplishment!

Besides nurturing his daughter—

he was also cultivating the Dao Tree!

Li Che was well aware that this Dao Tree was deeply bonded with his daughter, at least intertwined by what one might call a tether.

It was precisely this bond that allowed Li Che to steadily ascend to such heights.

He wasn’t concerned whether these ties might one day vanish; nor did he wish to dwell on it.

The Dao Tree’s emergence made him powerful, and that power ensured his daughter’s safe growth, which in turn nourished the tree in a perfect cycle.

That closure was more than enough.

As his gaze settled on the newly transformed Lv5 Painted Immortal Dao Fruit, a burst of mighty, inky energy erupted.

Then,

Li Che looked over the vast land and suddenly spotted an ink-colored city rising from the ground—appearing out of nowhere!

Towering waves of inky mist churned relentlessly.

A small smile of satisfaction spread across Li Che’s face.

“Mo City?”

Mo City… could it really emerge amidst this desolate expanse?!

A tremor shook Li Che’s heart. In that instant, he plummeted rapidly, and moments later, he landed squarely within Mo City.

In the very next moment, Mo City shuddered violently.

Inside the city, Li Che suddenly tilted his head upward in astonishment.

He discovered that above the city, a colossal scroll unfurled as though it were a vast, celestial canopy sweeping over the city.

It obscured the towering Dao Tree and everything in the heavens and on earth.

Only an immense, stark white scroll remained.

That scroll was as blank as a field of endless snow.

Then,

within that vast, white expanse he observed—

a slight trace of pitch-black ink began to seep through.

Slowly on that scroll—

it coalesced into a singular, jet-black eye!

That dark eye, peering through the scroll, gazed down upon Mo City and Li Che within it!

Li Che felt his breath catch as though an invisible hand had gripped his heart with deadly force.

It was…

Whose eye?!

Boom!!!

The heavens and earth trembled as thunder roared!

Across the boundless lands, an inky rain began to fall, drenching everything in its dark hue.

Soon, the world was reduced to only black and white—the interplay of yin and yang.

Li Che’s consciousness completely receded from this vast realm.

Aboard the solitary, dark-roofed boat, he jerked his eyes open, panting heavily as fine beads of sweat trickled from his forehead.

Cold snow fell upon him, only to vanish instantly under a scorching heat.

“Whose eye is that?”

Li Che’s breathing steadied, his brow furrowing with a touch of solemnity.

Yet, having encountered too many mysteries, he had long since learned to remain calm.

He chose not to speculate too much—focusing only on what his strength allowed him to handle.

Once his power advanced further, he’d naturally earn the right to confront such enigmas.

Before him, lights shimmered like deep, inky incense.

[Dao Fruit Lv5, Three Transformations, Divine Art Ascension One (Mo City) Upgrade, Divine Art Ascension Two (Mo City Sovereign)]

Boom!!!

Gleaming golden cues flashed before his eyes as they suddenly narrowed.

His heart stirred with a ripple of emotion!

The Dao Fruit’s third transformation!

Divine Art Ascension Two… Mo City Sovereign!

Mo City Sovereign?!

This transformation was indeed direct and forceful!

It directly elevated his mystic state based on Mo City’s foundation, didn’t it?

In the past, whenever new divine arts manifested, Li Che had been utterly perplexed about their effects—but this time, it felt different.

Mo City Sovereign… even a fool could understand its fundamental power.

Yet, uncertainty still stirred in Li Che’s eyes.

Previously, whenever he employed Mo City, it was tantamount to wielding sovereign power; within Mo City his advantages were magnified immensely.

But since this was an upgrade through his Dao Fruit’s divine art, differences and changes were bound to exist.

Before him, the inky darkness swirled and rotated.

[Bai Yujing (Divine Art): Amid the Painting, an Immortal Appears, Mo Bai Yujing, Summoning Immortal Legions, Mythical Ascension]

[First Ascension: Mo City]

[Second Ascension: Mo City Sovereign]

[Within the City, the People are Bound, United as One, With the City Under Our Command—Invincible When I Am Present]

The truth about [Mo City Sovereign] kept appearing before Li Che’s eyes.

His eyes began to gleam with a dark luster, as if thick ink were churning—revealing an entire city in his vision.

Countless inky silhouettes moved within that city.

Within a Mud Pellet at his brow, it felt as though a deep, inky dao essence vibrated incessantly.

As the vibration intensified, Li Che felt as if his entire body were absorbing the power, and with a mere thought, he found himself in Mo City.

Mo City…

Once no more than a modest floating town, now rivaled the majestic Daocheng in scale!

Expansive and boundless, the city had become more vivid and intricate—its streets paved in dark tiles, buildings with upturned eaves lining up neatly and orderly.

Strolling through Mo City, Li Che could even witness the interiors of each building—dining tables, beds, and mattresses folded like blocks of tofu.

It was as though this were a real, tangible city rather than the illusory Mo City of old.

Steady drops of inky rain cascaded from above.

Li Che lifted his head and said, “The rain stops.”

In an instant, the inky rain ceased completely.

“Now, let it snow.”

Li Che commanded.

Mo City’s skies began to shower with dark, falling snowflakes.

“Snow stops. Clear skies.”

Li Che added.

Instantly, the snow melted, the dark clouds dispersed, and a radiant white sun hung high in the sky, bathing Mo City in a brilliant glow.

Li Che’s eyes lit up.

Sovereign—

This was true sovereignty: the power to command everything within this city!

At his word, reality bent—his thoughts could reshape the city at will!

He could make a towering pavilion a hundred meters high, transform it into an office building, or even into something as fanciful as a bird’s nest—

Anything he envisioned could be reshaped by his mind.

Of course, it did consume some spiritual energy.

After successive alterations, Li Che’s brain began to feel slightly sluggish.

Finally, at the center of the city, he erected a perfectly rectangular office tower that soared skyward.

There, he himself stood atop a building hundreds of meters high,

while below, traditional architecture with upturned eaves sprang up like relics from past times—a sight so surreal it left Li Che momentarily dazed.

Overlooking the city, countless inky threads connected every part of Mo City, as if they were strings under his control.

With enough spiritual might, he could even cause Mo City to grow continuously!

Taking a deep breath, Li Che’s eyes flickered with excitement.

It felt—

like the touch of a deity!

Everything was within his grasp, molded at his whim.

Then Li Che recalled one phrase from the Mo City Sovereign truth: “Within the City, the People are Bound, United as One.”

Bound people?

Bound souls?

Li Che raised an eyebrow, snapped his fingers, and countless black Spiritual Confinement Chess Pieces shot out, billowing in the wind as dark silhouettes.

Except for Yue Huanglong, who stood humbly on the dark-roofed boat, all the Spiritual Confinement figures materialized.

Yan Jing, Su Lei Ba, Su Daoling, You Liqing, Huang Jianjiu, and others—

Each of these figures floated in the air.

They all turned to face the towering structure above, where Li Che in his flowing robe stood,

and they bowed in unison, saluting him.

“Greetings, Lord!”

Their voices rang out in perfect unison, as if the very air trembled with their roar!

Li Che regarded these figures coolly.

At a mere thought, he could mark each one as a citizen of Mo City. Once bound as such, as long as they remained within Mo City, these figures would achieve true immortality.

Even if shattered to pieces a thousand times, they would always retain their peak state!

Without hesitation, Li Che stamped the mark of citizenhood on every Spiritual Confinement figure.

Like identity cards, each figure descended onto the city grounds. With the mark embedded, they were granted their own dwelling within Mo City.

They could even modify the appearance of their homes at will.

However, their control was limited solely to the shape of their respective houses.

Boom, boom, boom!!!

One after another, buildings resembling Li Che’s tall rectangular office tower sprang up, though none as high as his own.

Huang Jianjiu, You Liqing, and the other Spiritual Confinement figures stood atop them, respectfully bowing to Li Che.

But Li Che cared little for such superficialities; his eyes shone as he observed the dark threads linking each figure to Mo City.

It was like a puppeteer controlling his puppets’ strings.

Li Che clenched his fist.

A mere thought—and

in an instant,

the power of these Spiritual Confinement figures surged into Li Che’s body, making him feel his strength continuously growing…

Huang Jianjiu, You Liqing, Su Lei Ba, and Yan Jing—these four Martial Saints of Qi Hai had their primordial energies, blood, and might all channeled into Li Che!

He felt the overwhelming, majestic power, his eyes glittering brightly.

Though this bestowed power wasn’t as overwhelming as that from detonating six Qimen Divine Seeds,

the fact remained—

this power had no drawbacks and could be accumulated indefinitely; every citizen of Mo City contributed to his growing strength!

Li Che’s eyes blazed intensely…

His limit, in fact, surpassed even the mighty Eight Mysterious Gates technique.

Because—

the number of Mo City citizens… has no limit!

Furthermore, by gathering a few top-tier experts within Mo City as citizens,

the power at his disposal would only multiply.

“So this is what unity really means,”

“All our hearts—are one with mine.”

A slight smile tugged at Li Che’s lips.

Indeed…

he truly deserved the title of [Sovereign]!

But besides that,

Li Che sensed an additional ability from this transformation of Divine Art Ascension Two.

“Sovereign Clone!”

A cascade of inky fluid began to pour forth.

On the tower’s roof where Li Che stood, countless threads interwove, forming inky skeletons, blood vessels, meridians, organs, and membranes…

Finally, the inky substance faded, coalescing into a form that mirrored Li Che exactly.

If there was one major difference from the Painted Immortal Clone, it was that this clone had flesh and blood—if injured fatally, it would bleed and suffer, rather than simply dispersing into ink vapor like the other clone.

Moreover, any severe injury Li Che sustained could be transferred wholly onto this Sovereign Clone.

And the clone, in turn, could transfer all of Li Che’s injuries to the surface of Mo City.

Unless the unleashed force exceeded Mo City’s capacity to absorb it—if Mo City were to completely crumble under the strain, the Sovereign Clone would have to bear it all.

Only when the Sovereign Clone were shattered would Li Che have to face the subsequent fatal force!

In effect, he now had three lives!

Three lives meant an enormous margin for maneuvering.

And as long as Li Che empowered his Sovereign Clone with his martial skills and divine essence, the clone would unleash the Dao Fruit’s divine art—unless Li Che himself imbued it, the clone could not possess that ability.

Yet this Sovereign Clone was uniquely capable of gathering the strength of the bound citizens, unleashing an explosive surge of power.

“Invincible now—”

Li Che murmured.

“And as the Dao Fruit matures— the number of Sovereign Clones can increase.”

“Up to three may be created. That is, every 30% increase in the Dao Fruit’s maturity can condense into one Sovereign Clone!”

Standing at the pinnacle of Mo City,

Li Che couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“It seems I need to gather even more citizens for my city—”

“The livelier, the better.”

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The world remained as lonely as ever.

The sound of the Grand Canal’s water tearing around the solitary, dark-roofed boat echoed in his ears, a sound that cleansed the soul.

“My Lord,”

“Here.”

Yue Huanglong, beaming broadly, presented Li Che with the carefully counted Qian Kun Jade.

“Most of my treasured collections remain in the City Lord’s Residence vault, but the best of the Qian Kun Jade I carry is a top-tier Four-Yu Divine Crystal—for the complete fulfillment of the [Embryonic Transformation to Divinity].”

Li Che smiled contentedly.

A flash of different color danced in his eyes: “A Four-Yu Upper Divine Crystal?!”

No wonder the Dao Lord of Daocheng possessed a Four-Yu Upper Divine Crystal—it’s extremely rare and precious!

Under normal circumstances, cultivators relying on the Four Divine Transformations could only manage a Four-Yu Middle Divine Crystal, mainly because a Four-Yu Upper Divine Crystal is simply too valuable!

Besides Divine Crystals, there were some Martial Pills as well. Unfortunately, even the best among the Four-Yu Middle Three-Color Heavenly Pills was only equivalent to a Four-Yu Lower Pill from the Guangling Dao Tian Pill Divine Sect.

In the Tian Dan Divine Sect, a divine pill of the Four-Yu rank could rightly be called a Heavenly Pill, divided into Martial and Divine Pill types, each serving the martial and divine paths respectively. The sect was meticulous in these distinctions—so specialized and targeted.

After all, one mustn’t take medicine carelessly.

As for martial and divine techniques, not to mention priceless Spirit Wood or the Divine Eagle Sculpture, these rarely appeared—after all, Yue Huanglong wouldn’t likely carry such treasures on his person.

Of course, if Li Che truly required martial or divine methods, he would simply ask Yue Huanglong.

Without a second thought, he accepted the neatly counted Divine Crystals and Four-Yu Martial Pills.

Why would Yue Huanglong, essentially a corpse, need a Heavenly Pill?

Lü Taibai might have sensed Yue Huanglong’s condition, yet he still handed over a Four-Yu Middle Three-Color Heavenly Pill.

He was indeed prompt.

“Old Yue, can you open the Heavenly Gate now?”

Li Che suddenly recalled a question.

He vividly remembered that when Yue Huanglong was slain, his burning, rotund frame had seemingly activated the Heavenly Gate…

At these words, Yue Huanglong’s normally humorous expression vanished.

He turned to Li Che, his face growing more solemn.

“My Lord—I was just about to report that,

When we besieged the Tian Dan Divine Sect leader, Gu Changqing’s Heavenly Pill Vajra Clone, my burning, rotund body should have sensed the Heavenly Gate—”

“But instead, I sensed another portal!”

Yue Huanglong said gravely.

Aboard the dark-roofed boat, Li Che’s eyes too turned serious.

“Another portal? Not the Heavenly Gate?”

“Could it be from the Underworld?”

Li Che asked in a low voice.

Yue Huanglong nodded slowly.

“That portal is unlike the Heavenly Gate—it burns with a pitch-black flame, forming a doorway, much like—

“the Fire of the Prison Lotus!”

Li Che’s breath hitched sharply.

In Daocheng,

at the Dao Master Residence,

torrential rain lashed down. Behind the wintery clouds, streaks of lightning flashed, accompanied by deafening roars.

Amid the opulent gardens of the Dao Master Residence, at the Eight-Cornered Pavilion,

Young Dao Lord Yue Weizheng trembled violently, completely drained of energy.

His son, Yue Linghu, had boarded the Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship bound for the Divine Capital.

However, his father Yue Huanglong and the Divine Protector of Daocheng, Grand Master Yan Jing, had disguised themselves and followed the treasure ship.

Yue Weizheng was aware of this.

But with ten days elapsed, and at the usual pace of the Nine-Layer Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship, they should be arriving at the Divine Capital any day now.

Yet neither Yue Huanglong nor Yan Jing had returned!

Yue Weizheng wasn’t foolish—being gone so long meant something must have happened.

His scouts reported that the Nine-Layer Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship had been attacked by the Corpse God Sect and the Hunter King assassins.

However, the Corpse God Sect was repelled, and the Hunter King assassin was even slain—

implying that the treasure ship was unharmed and en route to the Divine Capital.

But…

His father?!

Was his father merely there to watch the spectacle?!

Yue Weizheng’s body trembled.

He felt utterly bereft.

Yue Huanglong had always been the formidable mountain above his head—while a source of immense pressure, he was also his greatest support.

And now—

the mountain… had crumbled.

Crash, crash.

The torrential rain pounded against the black-tiled roof of the Eight-Cornered Pavilion.

Then,

Yue Weizheng’s eyes fixed on a distant garden, where he saw a scholar in a Confucian robe, holding an oil-paper umbrella, standing silently and watching him.

“Fang Han Shu?!”

Yue Weizheng gasped!

“You—”

Fang Han Shu stroked his beard, raised a finger to his lips,

and then pulled a mask from his bosom, pressing it against his face.

Yue Weizheng merely glanced, his pupils contracting in terror as boundless anxiety erupted within him.

His whole body began to shake violently, like a sieve rattling.

With a loud bang,

he fell to his knees.

“I… I want to live.”

The sound of flapping sails resounded relentlessly in the wind.

The Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship cut through frothing waves, racing along the river at breakneck speed. Amidst swirling fog and dense mist, visibility was nearly nil.

“Father!”

“Take this!”

On the deck, XiXi gripped the Yulian Yin Divine Sword and shouted; at her feet, the Wind-Fire Jin Guang Wheel spun rapidly, sending off countless sparks that carved fleeting trails, encircling Li Che.

Li Che’s ink-black robe flared as a gentle smile graced his lips.

Standing at the center, he awaited XiXi’s move.

In the distance, many children gathered to watch; tense and excited. Zhang Ya clutched Yun’e’s chubby bunny as she observed her daughter and husband spar.

Also present were Zhao Fangzhou, Monitor Hong Shifo, and others.

On the upper tiers of a pavilion, Lü Taibai, with his silver hair fluttering, sipped tea as he observed.

Yet the battle was far from suspenseful.

Lü Taibai knew that Li Che, with his Underworld Divine Monkey status, had already reached Martial Saint realm.

How could little XiXi possibly stand up to him?

XiXi, still a child away from becoming a Grandmaster—even though her divine essence had reached the Divine Vision realm—was ultimately hindered by her innate potential.

Sure enough,

after a flamboyant but futile barrage on the deck, XiXi was finally knocked on the head by Li Che.

XiXi’s grand ambitions for rebellion… stalled mid-development.

“Father! Let me try!”

XiXi protested tearfully, collapsing onto the deck, refusing to get up.

This was her twenty-eighth challenge to her father over the past half month; each time, a head-bash ended in defeat.

XiXi felt both choked and disheartened.

Though she might someday mature and transform, for now it was futile!

Over these past two weeks, XiXi had managed to harness her Divine Vision and even control her divine weapon techniques.

But alas…

against her inscrutable father, she felt utterly outmatched.

“This is just a preview of failure—hear that the upcoming Paotao Contest is extremely challenging. You won’t fail so miserably that you end up bawling.”

Li Che laughed as he walked over, ruffling XiXi’s hair and picking her up.

Playfully, XiXi looped her arm around Li Che’s neck, haughtily declaring, “I, XiXi the Great, will never lose! I will win Paotao for Mother and Father!”

“No one will ever see you cry, XiXi!”

XiXi laughed heartily.

“Except for Father and Mother!”

She quickly added.

Li Che burst into hearty laughter, setting her down to join her playmates. After all, every time XiXi stumbled here, she would find her friends to regain her confidence.

Among them, the biggest grouch was Tie Shancai.

Tie Shancai now simply couldn’t keep up with XiXi’s progress toward Divine Vision—he was almost always on the receiving end.

This left Tie Shancai deeply frustrated, vowing that once in the Divine Capital, he would break through to Divine Vision and avenge himself at the Paotao Contest!

Li Che looked at the lively XiXi with her friends and smiled before walking over to his wife, Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya returned Yun’e’s chubby bunny, and then linked arms with Li Che as they strolled along the perimeter of the deck.

The two walked in silence, enjoying the gentle pace.

Zhang Ya savored these quiet moments, leaning on Li Che’s arm, inhaling his scent, listening to the distant laughter and shrieks of XiXi at play—a serene calm soothed her heart.

She wished time could freeze in that moment.

Li Che, too, was content with his family close by, his emotions mellowing.

However, he was also pondering the looming threats within the Divine Capital.

Fortunately, his cultivation had strengthened considerably, now potent enough to contend with top-tier peak warriors—fortifying his resolve to protect XiXi.

He wouldn’t rely solely on Lü Taibai.

Sometimes, Li Che preferred to wield the power to protect his daughter with his own hands, and that gave him peace of mind.

“Within the Divine Capital, the Corpse God Sect shouldn’t have many hidden forces. After all, the Divine Capital teems with formidable masters. How could a renegade force ever hide a powerhouse in the political hub of the Great Realm?”

“But we must not be complacent,”

“for there are still numerous threats lurking in the Divine Capital. Lü Taibai mentioned that the Heavenly Pill Vajra Clone of the Gu Changqing of Guangling Dao Tian Pill Divine Sect—transformed into the Hunter King assassin—has set his sights on XiXi, possibly backed by the National Teacher—”

“Great Realm National Teacher Xie Yunshen—why would he take XiXi away?”

“And the Su Family— the Su Family in the Divine Capital is also robust, even rallying their entire clan to support the Third Prince. Hence, the Third Prince might also pose a threat to XiXi, given the bond between the Underworld and XiXi…”

Li Che furrowed his brow, silently analyzing the threats posed within the Divine Capital.

It was undeniable that even without entering the Divine Capital himself, its dangers were plenty.

“And—”

“the biggest threat—”

Li Che’s eyes glimmered as he realized something.

Then, as his thoughts raced,

“The Divine Capital’s Dao Realm has now reached the Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship!” A confident shout rang out from the ship’s captain.

The shout echoed all around.

In an instant, the entire Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship seemed to burst into pandemonium.

Children on the deck began to run excitedly, their little feet pounding as they dashed about.

“We’ve reached the Divine Capital!”

“The Great Realm’s First City has finally arrived!”

“At last, we can fight!”

The excited children ran ceaselessly.

Then suddenly,

XiXi, who had been sprinting on deck, froze.

Lifting her head, she stared at a dense wall of fog at the side of the ship’s deck.

Within the fog, a massive, ominous black shadow slowly emerged!

That shadow was so enormous and oppressive that XiXi instinctively looked upward—the chubby flesh on her face trembling as her eyes searched for the shadow’s pinnacle.

Whoosh!!!

The dense fog was suddenly torn apart.

Then, a gigantic, jet-black warship—three times taller than the Nine-Layer Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship—ripped through the fog from the river!

It slowly came to a halt beside the Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship.

The contrast was like that between a small boat and a colossal liner.

At the prow of this immense, jet-black warship,

a towering figure clad in dark armor, a black cloak billowing in the wind,

crossed his arms.

He loomed high above, surveying all those on the Yellow Dragon Xuanmu Treasure Ship with a piercing gaze.

Finally—

his gaze shifted slightly.

It rested on little XiXi, who looked as tiny as an ant.

Li Che, who had been strolling with Zhang Ya while looking upward, suddenly recoiled.

In one of the pavilions, as Monitor Hong Shifo and Zhao Fangzhou were engaged in a game of Go, Hong Shifo’s hand trembled, and a Go stone clattered to the board.

Inside a nine-story pavilion,

even Lü Taibai—who had been meditating—had his eyes narrow.

In the very next moment,

he vanished from the pavilion, appearing above XiXi.

Staring intently at the imposing figure at the prow of the jet-black warship,

Lü Taibai’s gaze was heavy with gravity.

“For the sake of pacifying chaos—Ji Mo Li!”