The One-Incense Gamble

The massive vessel sailed forward. Ji Ning and the others watched the distant, towering waves and the overwhelming, monstrous aura radiating from them… a heavy weight pressed down on every heart.

“These demons. Once I’ve refined the Immortal estate, I’ll enslave them all, enslave them all!” Shao Yanong stared at the distant sea demons, his face twisted with viciousness. At the same time, he gritted his teeth, and a strange, skull-sized mechanism appeared in his hand, radiating a powerful ripple.

Ji Ning and the others couldn’t help but look at it.

“A Desert Heart?” Mu Northson exclaimed.

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, Cangjiang the Realperson, Nine Lotos, and Xue Hongyi all wore puzzled expressions, clearly not knowing what it was.

“You actually know about Desert Hearts?” Shao Yanong nodded. “Yes, this is a Desert Heart. A Fairy-ranked Desert Heart, at that.”

“But your vessel golem is only at the Heaven-ranked level. If you use a Fairy-ranked Desert Heart in it, the vessel’s internal structure won’t be able to bear it. Even if the exterior looks intact, the formation matrices within will begin to disintegrate. This vessel golem will be finished,” Mu Northson couldn’t help but say.

“It will last long enough for an incense stick’s worth of time,” Shao Yanong said calmly. He pressed the skull-sized Desert Heart directly down against the deck.

Whoosh.

The deck planks split apart, revealing a dark passage, and the Desert Heart was swallowed within.

“For at least the time it takes an incense stick to burn, this vessel of mine will reach the ‘near-Fairy’ tier. It might not be able to withstand the attack of a Celestial Immortal, but these demon Dao-soldiers won’t be able to break through,” Shao Yanong said in a low voice.

“What’s a Desert Heart?”

“Junior apprentice-brother, what the hell is a Desert Heart?”

Ji Ning and the others were all puzzled, sending mental transmissions to Mu Northson.

Mu Northson was extremely skilled in the art of golems and understood Desert Hearts quite well. He immediately transmitted back: “It’s complicated. To put it simply… a Desert Heart is a component meant for ‘Fairy-ranked’ vessel golems. It allows a Fairy-ranked vessel golem’s power to temporarily erupt. This kind of overload can be withstood by a Fairy-ranked vessel. But a Fairy-ranked vessel golem is far more valuable than even an ordinary Fairy-ranked magic treasure. Even Young Master Shao Yanong probably doesn’t possess one.”

“So, Shao Yanong is using the Desert Heart on his current vessel. His vessel is actually quite good; it’s at the Heaven-ranked level and is also very valuable. But the power of the Desert Heart is too great. This Heaven-ranked vessel golem can’t handle it. Even though the body itself might be as indestructible as a magic treasure, the formation matrices inside will collapse,” Mu Northson transmitted.

Even though Ji Ning and the others were laymen in this field, they understood the importance of the formation matrices.

The formation matrices were the operational core of a golem. It was because of the formation matrices that golems could possess intelligence and execute powerful, exquisite techniques.

Once the formation matrices collapsed, the entire golem was finished.

“One vessel, one Desert Heart,” Shao Yanong growled. “We must enter this branch hall. We must!”

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances, all of them sensing Shao Yanong’s resolve.

The vessel swiftly drew closer.

Immortal Duohe, leading over twenty thousand demon Dao-soldiers, watched coldly as the vessel approached.

“Kill.”

“Kill that Fiendgod. Kill those humans.”

The demon Dao-soldiers were already itching for action, but none dared to act without Immortal Duohe’s order.

Finally—

The vessel, which had been moving calmly and at a normal speed, suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light. Its aura surged. A golden light shield appeared around the vessel’s exterior, and it took on a streamlined shape, like a long shuttle. With a whoosh, the vessel charged towards the towering waves at an utterly astonishing speed.

Too fast! The sudden, lightning-quick burst of speed caught the wave demon-soldiers completely off guard.

“Kill!” Immortal Duohe’s voice, already hoarse with suppressed tension, rang out in the ears of every Dao-soldier. All demon Dao-soldiers channeled their Yuan power through their Dao-soldier armor… Over twenty thousand demon Dao-soldiers were now as one.

And Immortal Duohe was the ‘brain’ of the giant wave demon-soldier, deciding their every attack and dodge.

“Go.”

Immortal Duohe growled.

A massive wave surged up and slammed ferociously towards the lightning-fast vessel.

Boom! The wave and the vessel collided head-on.

The golden light shield on the vessel’s surface only trembled for a moment before stabilizing once more. However, the impact force was too great, causing the vessel to shudder and be knocked backward.

“We can’t force our way through,” Mu Northson called out.

Ji Ning and the others stood perfectly steady inside the vessel, their faces solemn as they watched the waves of the giant surge crashing against them again and again.

“Uncle Fang. Let’s go,” Shao Yanong said through gritted teeth.

“Mm.” Xiangliu Fang responded in a low voice. Two long shuttles radiating a fearsome aura appeared in his hands. Then, with a whoosh, he passed straight through the vessel’s golden light shield. The light shield didn’t obstruct him at all, allowing Xiangliu Fang to leave.

“Demons, get out of the way!”

Xiangliu Fang, who had transformed into a Fiendgod three thousand meters tall, with nine heads, a human torso, and a serpent’s tail, roared as he met the towering waves head-on and launched his attack.

The long shuttles, each thirty meters long, shot out like thunderbolts, stabbing directly into the waves.

“A mere little Fiendgod like you thinks you can shake me?” Immortal Duohe’s voice boomed. Boundless, surging waves crashed against the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang in a frenzy.

Boom!

Flesh tore open, and blood scattered. One of the long shuttles was even knocked flying. Xiangliu Fang himself was sent tumbling backward. Although he had fought against Immortal Duohe and the demon Dao-soldiers once before, back then Immortal Duohe had only led a force of ten thousand demon Dao-soldiers. This time, Immortal Duohe had united many smaller factions, forming a force of over twenty thousand demon Dao-soldiers. Their power had increased several times over, leaving Xiangliu Fang with almost no strength to resist.

“Come.” Xiangliu Fang extended his hand, which transformed into enormous serpents, grabbing the flying shuttle once more. His injuries rapidly healed, and he fearlessly charged back into the fray.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The clashes between the Fiendgod and the waves shook heaven and earth.

Although Xiangliu Fang was at a complete disadvantage, he was also shouldering a significant portion of the ‘wave demon-soldier’s’ power. For a time, the tiny vessel, which seemed insignificant before the giant waves, kept seizing the opportunity to burrow its way in.

“Damn it.” Immortal Duohe was growing anxious. By dealing with Xiangliu Fang, he inevitably left gaps for that vessel to exploit. He had no idea why that vessel was so powerful—its impact force was immense, and ordinary waves couldn’t repel it.

“Zhenbao, you take command of my Duohe tribe.” Immortal Duohe sent a mental transmission. “Split into two wave demon-soldier formations.”

“Yes, Master.”

Zhenbao was Immortal Duohe’s most trusted disciple and his second-in-command. He was also a Primal Daoist at perfection, his strength considerable.

“Split!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The towering waves in the air instantly separated, splitting in two. The first wave demon-soldier formation, personally led by Immortal Duohe and composed of soldiers from various factions, went to block the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang. The other wave, consisting of ten thousand demon Dao-soldiers and led by ‘Zhenbao the Daoist’, went to stop the vessel.

Ji Ning and the others watched from inside the vessel as the three-thousand-meter Fiendgod battled the giant waves in the distance, while the vessel itself struggled to press forward through the watery mass.

“Hahaha, it can block Uncle Fang, but it can’t block me!” Shao Yanong’s eyes were filled with madness. “Keep charging! Get close to the branch hall, and I’ll be able to enter.”

Waves surged all around.

The vessel continued to push inward, its momentum unstoppable.

“Hm?”

The towering waves suddenly split apart into two sections. One section went entirely to block the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang, completely suppressing him. The other, somewhat weaker section, began to place obstacle after obstacle in the vessel’s path.

The vessel’s advance immediately became heavy and difficult.

“It split?” Shao Yanong gritted his teeth. “Charge! Charge, charge, charge! Desert Heart, burn!”

Boom!!!

The light on the vessel’s surface blazed even brighter, its impact force becoming even more ferocious. The ten thousand demon Dao-soldiers led by ‘Zhenbao the Daoist’ were fully capable of suppressing even Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals. But faced with this vessel in its frenzied state, they were momentarily unable to stop its advance. The vessel pushed forward relentlessly.

“Stop it! Stop it, Zhenbao! Stop it!” Immortal Duohe sent a mental transmission.

“Master, rest assured! Leave it to me!” Zhenbao the Daoist was also going berserk.

The giant waves became even more turbulent, a bloody light flashing across their surface, while the vessel frantically struggled to push forward.

“Faster, faster, faster.” Shao Yanong gnashed his teeth.

“This is dangerous. Truly, truly dangerous.” Mu Northson watched with his eyelids twitching. He quickly sent a mental transmission to Ji Ning and the others. “Senior apprentice-brother, senior apprentice-sister, be careful. This Shao Yanong has completely lost his mind. This Heaven-ranked vessel golem was never meant to bear this strain. He’s madly burning the Desert Heart, forcing its power to erupt in a short burst. The formation matrices of this Heaven-ranked vessel could collapse at any moment. Once they do, the vessel is finished, and we’ll have to directly face the attacks of these ten thousand demon Dao-solders.”

Ji Ning, Yu Wei, Cangjiang the Realperson, and the others all felt their hearts rise into their throats.

“Charge! Charge, damn you!” Shao Yanong’s face was flushed red, his eyes blazing with madness.

“A madman. An utter madman,” Xue Hongyi muttered, his own heart fluttering with panic. Outside the vessel was that terrifying wave demon-soldier formation. The impact of those waves could even send the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang flying back, his flesh torn and bleeding. If this vessel broke down and those waves hit them, they would likely be crushed into powder instantly.

“Crack… crack, crack, crack…” Suddenly, a sound came from the vessel itself.

The vessel’s impact force began to slow down. The golden light shield on its surface started to flicker, becoming unstable and trembling.

“It’s going to collapse! It’s about to collapse!” Mu Northson shouted. “Young Master Shao!”

Zhenbao the Daoist, commanding the ten thousand demon Dao-solders, naturally noticed that the vessel he was dealing with was losing momentum. The golden light shield on its surface was flickering. This filled him with immense joy, and he immediately roared, “Annihilate them! Destroy them and seize the key to the Immortal estate!” Instantly, an even more powerful and terrifying wave surged up, slamming violently towards the vessel.