Fairy, don't be afraid, I, Wang Daqi, am truly an honest man.

Wang Daqi clasped his hands in a fist salute and responded politely with a few words.

Then, he pulled Xu Yan to a corner and chatted with the other familiar disciples.

At this moment, two important figures stood at the head of the flying boat.

One of them was wearing a long robe from the Shen family, had a short beard, and a serious expression.

He was Shen Ruyan's second uncle, Shen Xiang, a powerful late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Beside him sat an elderly man with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.

This person was dressed in the robes of an elder of the Misty Sect, and his aura was obscure and difficult to discern, like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath.

Wang Daqi secretly activated the newly learned "Concealing Breath Technique," suppressing his aura to its most ordinary state.

He overheard his disciples whispering among themselves that the old man's name was Li Changli.

He was a master at the "false core" level, having failed to form his core back then, so it was only a false core.

Even so, with a fake Core Formation cultivator in charge, and the route along the heavily guarded official road, theoretically there was no need to worry about anyone daring to cause trouble at this time.

An hour later, all the disciples had arrived!

"set sail!!!"

At Shen Xiang's command, the giant airship trembled slightly.

It then transformed into a streak of light, carrying everyone towards the Shen family's territory.

Our first stop on this trip is the Shen family, a place of cultivation and immortality.

…………

…………

…………

The flying boat, like a shadow of clouds, swept past layer upon layer of mountains.

Several days later.

After passing through three bustling immortal cities and several lively cultivation markets, the flying boat's speed finally slowed down.

"Everyone, cheer up! We'll arrive at the Shen family's base by evening!!!"

Shen Xiang's deep voice echoed throughout the entire deck.

Although the disciples didn't need to expend spiritual energy to travel during the days of high-altitude flights, the constant sense of vigilance still left many looking tired.

In particular, several female cultivators in the group felt their bodies dry and sticky from the restrictive energy of the flying boat.

Although you can remove dust by simply pinching a cleaning talisman, it can't compare to the comfort of taking a nice hot shower.

Xu Yan was clinging to Wang Daqi's shoulder like a little sloth, and said in a low voice, "Daqi, after we're settled in tonight, you have to boil some hot water for me. I want to take a good bath; this flying boat is making my bones feel like they're going to fall apart."

Wang Daqi smiled slightly and patted her hand reassuringly, but his mind was already on the results of his cultivation over the past two days.

These past few days, he appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he had been constantly deduce the "Hidden Breath Technique" in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Nangong Ling once said that this technique can only imitate cultivators of similar cultivation levels.

However, under the blessing of that mysterious "purple aura," Wang Daqi discovered an astonishing secret.

His purple aura seemed capable of completely reconstructing the logic of this technique.

He had just tried to simulate Shen Xiang's heavy, mountain-like late-stage Foundation Establishment aura in his sea of ​​consciousness.

To my astonishment, the flow of spiritual energy was completely smooth and effortless!

"Is this the domineering power of the Purple Qi? It can even simulate a realm beyond its current limits so perfectly..."

Wang Daqi thought to himself that this had become the Shen family's biggest trump card for this trip.

"Look! We're here! It's Scimitar Lake!!!"

As one of his disciples exclaimed, Wang Daqi looked up.

In the distance, a vast lake, resembling a silver scimitar, lies nestled quietly among the verdant mountains and valleys.

As the sun sets, its blood-red rays paint the lake a magnificent orange-red.

Amidst the shimmering waves, occasionally a few enormous birds of prey skim across the lake, stirring up ripples.

The lake is shrouded in mist, and a lush, dense forest can be vaguely seen on the opposite bank.

The flying boat landed slowly, and Shen Ruyan walked over gracefully, smiling at Wang Daqi and his wife, "Junior Brother Wang, Junior Sister Xu, you should rest well in the villa tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you for a stroll around the shore of Curved Blade Lake. The scenery here is truly exceptional."

At this moment, Xu Yan was like a young girl traveling for the first time, finding everything novel and interesting. She kept asking Shen Ruyan questions, and her anxiety had long been dispelled by the beautiful scenery before her.

"Senior sister, why is the flying boat descending so quickly?" Xu Yan asked curiously.

Shen Ruyan explained, "A strange, eerie wind has been lingering around this Curved Blade Lake all year round. Once the flying boat enters this area, the formation will fluctuate violently, making it impossible to travel smoothly. From here on out, we'll have to cross stone bridges and pass through dense forests."

"I see."

After a while.

The group disembarked from the flying boat and stepped onto the ancient stone bridge spanning the lake.

The stone bridge is very long, with surging lake water on both sides.

After crossing the stone bridge, you enter a dense forest that seems a bit too quiet.

Wang Daqi walked in the middle of the group.

As soon as he stepped into the woodland, his brows furrowed and his heart skipped a beat for no reason.

Something's wrong!!!

The purple aura is extremely sensitive to fluctuations in the spiritual energy of the surrounding world.

He realized that deep within this seemingly peaceful forest, several extremely suppressed murderous auras were actually lurking!

One of them was as deep and unfathomable as an abyss!

He was in no way inferior to Li Changli, the fake alchemy expert leading the team!

Wang Daqi dared not be negligent.

He immediately stepped forward, leaned close to Shen Ruyan's ear, and whispered quickly, "Senior Sister Shen, there are people lying in ambush in the woods ahead. Their aura is very strong. Be careful!"

Shen Ruyan's expression changed drastically.

She knew Wang Daqi's character well; he would never joke about something like this.

He immediately stepped forward and grabbed Shen Xiang: "Second Uncle, wait a minute, there's something going on up ahead!!!"

Shen Xiang was taken aback. He looked suspiciously at the uneven forest path ahead, then at Wang Daqi, before turning to the fake elixir elder and asking in a low voice, "Elder Li, what do you think...?"

"Miss Shen, how did you figure that out?" Li Changli asked.

"My junior brother has an extremely keen sense of perception; he can't be wrong," Shen Ruyan replied.

"Heh, impossible!!!"

Li Changli didn't even open his eyes, still maintaining the arrogant demeanor of a hermit master. "My divine sense has already covered an area of ​​three miles, and apart from a few startled squirrels, there's nothing there."

"This..." Shen Ruyan frowned.

"Elder Li, just to be on the safe side..."

"What??? Shen Xiang, when did you start thinking that my perception, as a pseudo-Core Formation cultivator, is inferior to that of a junior in the Qi Refining stage?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Wang Daqi with disdain: "Young man, it's rare for you to travel so far. Don't be so suspicious and treat every little thing in the mountains as a formidable enemy. You're pathetic."

"Elder Li, I believe in Junior Brother Daqi."

Xia Chunlian, who had been silent until now, stepped forward, her expression grave as she gripped the array plate on her back. "Back in the mine, if Junior Brother Wang hadn't sensed something amiss beforehand, we would have been wiped out long ago. My array master's intuition tells me something's wrong too. This forest... is too quiet!!!"

Li Changli glanced at Xia Chunlian.

Xia Chunlian was, after all, a female cultivator specializing in formations, and also Cheng Man's disciple.

We still have to give them face.

"Fine, since you've said so, Xia Chunlian, I'll take a look myself."

Li Changli glanced at Wang Daqi and then walked forward.

boom!!!

In the once peaceful woodland, an extremely violent, blood-red blade of light suddenly erupted from beneath the soil and fallen leaves without warning, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, heading straight for Li Changli's throat!

This is a trap set by a magic array!

If the entire team had entered just now, the casualties would have been devastating!

Fortunately, Wang Daqi gave them a heads-up, saving everyone from disaster.

At this moment.

Li Changli's hair stood on end, his pseudo-core cultivation surged wildly, and he barely managed to leap backward.

"Oh no! Enemy attack!!!!"

In an instant, the entire team was thrown into chaos.

Because from all directions, several flying swords shot towards the unsuspecting disciples!

Wang Daqi took a deep breath. Sure enough... there was danger.

Xia Chunlian gasped inwardly.

Once again, Wang Daqi saved everyone.

This young cultivator was becoming increasingly unfathomable to her.