chsdbacks Chapter 228: Sect Construction Plan
Chapter 228: Sect Construction Plan
Having already boarded this flying boat heading towards perilous territory, there's no turning back now.
Of course, Zhang Ping never intended to turn back halfway.
This journey to the core area is fraught with danger at every turn, but the path of cultivation is never smooth sailing; the risks are unavoidable. Moreover, compared to ordinary cultivators, his beast-pattern system has already shielded him from countless unforeseen calamities.
The blood rain outside the ship grew heavier and heavier, pounding against the airship's shield and splashing up patches of dark red water, accompanied by a continuous series of dull thuds.
Looking up, hundreds of boats cut through the wind and waves in the murky rain, speeding in the same direction. Their lights flickered in the blood-red rain, like a swarm of fireflies rushing to their prey, a scene of a hundred boats racing.
Before they knew it, two other ships had appeared on either side of their flying boat. Squid had just returned from the one on the left, his clothes still damp with raindrops.
Zhang Ping looked up and scanned the area, his gaze landing on the hulls of the two flying boats. The style was exactly the same as the one beneath his feet, with ebony frames and copper trim. On each side of the hull were engraved numbers filled with cinnabar, "99" on the left and "37" on the right, which were particularly conspicuous in the dim rain and illuminated by the boat lights.
It seems they are all flying boats under the jurisdiction of the Flying Pavilion.
Zhang Ping understood and withdrew his gaze.
For the next three days, the blood rain continued unabated.
Along the way, many airships gradually slowed down, turned around, and stopped their trek into the rain, their lights going out one by one against the dark red sky. Others, however, defiantly pressed on, only to be struck by a sudden thunderstorm that tore through the clouds. Their protective shields shattered, and they and their boats were instantly swallowed up by the surging waves of blood.
Despite everyone's objections, Cuttlefish insisted on navigating the airship deeper into the core area for a full day, until it finally found a body of water where the thunderstorm was relatively calm and managed to stabilize the ship.
On the high platform at the bow of the ship, she had already changed out of her usual clothes. Her close-fitting silver chainmail was gleaming from the blood rain, outlining her lithe figure. In her hand, a long spear was pointed diagonally at the ground, and raindrops falling from the spear tip hit the deck and shattered into tiny water droplets.
Despite being a woman, she possessed a heroic spirit and decisiveness that overwhelmed the sound of the rain.
"Gentlemen, the airship's protective array will always maintain maximum power to resist attacks from demonic beasts. If you do not wish to leave the ship to explore, you may stay on board and wait."
Her voice pierced the rain, reaching the ears of everyone on the boat. Beside her, two composed cultivators held jade scrolls, loudly recruiting those willing to explore the ruins together.
Many responded.
After all, having survived countless near-death experiences on the flying boat, even the most timid cultivator would never stand idly by and watch an opportunity unfold before them, lacking even the courage to reach out and touch it.
If we really miss this opportunity, I'm afraid my heart will be filled with inner demons in the future.
Zhang Shuai, unable to contain himself any longer, nudged Zhang Ping's shoulder with his elbow, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "Let's go! We'll go too! Following Mo Zhouchang is much safer than venturing out on our own!"
Everyone knows that countless cultivators have ventured into this core area. At times like this, people either travel in groups by flying boat or with acquaintances.
Venturing out alone, let alone seizing opportunities, one would likely be betrayed and killed in the blink of an eye. Even a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Divine Integration Realm wouldn't dare take that risk.
But to his surprise, Zhang Ping simply shook his head.
"You may go, I will stay on the boat."
Zhang Shuai's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief. He took half a step forward and lowered his voice, "That's the tomb of a powerful expert at the Overlord Body Realm! Opportunities and inheritances are everywhere inside. You really aren't tempted at all?"
He simply couldn't understand it. In his eyes, Zhang Ping had never been a coward; in fact, he always felt that Zhang Ping was hiding his true strength, a level even he couldn't fathom. At a time when everyone was rushing forward, why would he choose to cower in the flying boat?
On second thought, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Could it be that this guy is planning to wait for them to leave so he can carry the team alone?"
Zhang Ping, however, appeared completely open and honest, showing no sign of hiding anything. Zhang Shuai shrugged, not pressuring the matter, and turned to find Yue Shan. The two hit it off immediately and went to Mo Yu's place to register and join the team.
Within half a day, the expedition team was assembled, encompassing almost half of the cultivators on board. Of those who remained, most had been injured on the outer perimeter and were unable to fight any longer. Only three, like Zhang Ping, remained on the ship without a single wound. The other two were already leaning against the ship's railing, sighing and regretting not having left earlier in the rain, watching the flickering firelight.
In a world without distinction between day and night, the crimson light that filled the sky dimmed slightly, signaling the arrival of night.
The blood rain continued to pour down, and the reflection on the inkfish's silver armor was particularly dazzling in the rain. With a command, she led her vast army, stepping through the surging waves of blood, toward the distant ruins.
Zhang Ping didn't look at it much and turned back to his room.
The moment the door closed, most of the sounds of explosions, waves, cultivators' shouts, and monsters' roars outside were instantly cut off, leaving only muffled sounds that came in through the ship's deck, as if through a thick curtain of water.
The incense burner on the table was burning cool sandalwood, with thin wisps of smoke rising straight up. In the dim red light streaming in through the window, the smoke slowly dispersed, filling the room with a refreshing fragrance that suppressed the bloody smell and moisture that drifted in from outside.
The crimson sunlight filtered through the semi-transparent gauze curtains, casting dappled, swaying shadows on the wooden floor, like blood wrinkled by the wind.
Zhang Ping sat down at the desk by the window, picked up a fine wolf-hair brush with his fingertips, and, using the pine soot ink ground in the inkstone, began to meticulously plan the details of establishing his sect on the spread-out white Xuan paper.
The world of Wanling is completely different from the old land of Wei and Zhao where he had previously lived.
This place is vast and boundless, dotted with numerous sects, a deeply ingrained rule. To gain a foothold here and continue struggling alone as before is no longer realistic.
Admittedly, he could be a carefree wanderer, traversing countless lands and rivers, seeing all kinds of scenery, and investigating stunning women, but such a life, however carefree, was never the path to immortality he desired.
People come and go, gather and disperse; after experiencing so much, it all feels rather dull.
He sought the Dao and pursued the ultimate in cultivation, unwilling to be an ascetic monk, but even less willing to drift along aimlessly.
After pondering for a long time, he put down his brush and wrote three characters on the Xuan paper: Hehuan Sect.
Before the ink was dry, he frowned, swept his brush across the last character "宗" (zong), and wrote an extra character "剑" (jian).
—Hehuan Sword Sect.
To establish a sect, the first priority is to attract disciples. But what makes a newly established sect, without any outstanding strengths, worthwhile to persuade people to lower themselves and join its ranks?
Zhang Ping's fingertips traced the pen, his gaze falling on the two characters "Sword Sect," and he understood. He possessed the Clear Sword Heart, capable of instantly breaking through countless sword techniques, and could even deduce the complete sword path from the bottom up.
Swordsmanship was enough to be the core attraction of a sect in its early days.
It can't compare to the Tianya Sword Sect, but it should be fine for the area of Penglai.
Otherwise, he couldn't just bluntly tell people: "Want to improve your cultivation? Let me conduct a 'major investigation'."