The King Ship Emerges

Out at the fringe of the deathly mist, the Demon was so startled that he immediately shot up into the sky, staring deep into Dragon Island.

"How could this be... what is it doing?" He seemed extremely astonished.

"What's wrong? Take me up there," Xiao Chen called from below. By instinct, he knew it was most likely Keke causing the commotion.

The Demon flicked his sleeve, and a wisp of black mist coiled around Xiao Chen, lifting him into the air. Together they stood at a height, and then the Demon shot deeper into the island, carrying Xiao Chen with him.

They stopped in a region choked with dust and smoke, where they could clearly see what was happening ahead. A mountain peak had shattered.

The snow-white little beast, Keke, was fleeing among the peaks, moving at incredible speed—a streak of white light flashing through the air. Behind it, a pitch-black iron seal, rolling with terrifying demonic energy like a small mountain, chased relentlessly, smashing down at it.

Behind it, trees were pulverized, rocks exploded. The iron seal and Keke had carved out a broad swath of destruction.

Xiao Chen felt a headache coming on. This little creature was truly exhausting. In just a few days, it had stirred up such a massive disturbance—and it had actually found that legendary iron seal! He remembered clearly what had happened in the City of the Dead, when among the sacred artifacts that had bombarded the divine stele—the Buddha's Dharma Wheel, the Ancestral Dragon Horn, the Golden Divine Halberd, and others—there had also been this black iron seal wreathed in dark mist.

How had Keke found it?

The Demon frowned deeply and muttered to himself, "This is really reckless. How could this be? The iron seal was not as easy to locate as the Golden Divine Halberd. I have never been able to determine exactly where it lies. And it found it?! But how could it have touched it? Too reckless!"

From afar, Keke's startled cries rang out intermittently. The little beast was clearly frightened too, realizing it had stirred up a major disaster and wanted desperately to escape, but could not shake the pursuing seal. If not for the protection of the seven-colored sacred tree atop its head, the white beast would have been in grave danger.

"Quick, save Keke!" Xiao Chen was genuinely worried, and without realizing it, his tone had become a command.

"I have no way either. My cultivation cannot withstand a blow from the iron seal. It is one of the few supreme sacred weapons in heaven and earth. Though it is suppressed by the sealing power here on Dragon Island, very few can withstand a direct strike from it," the Demon sighed, feeling helpless.

"Then what do we do?" Xiao Chen's face showed deep concern.

The Demon frowned for a while, then his brow relaxed. "I suspect she will come out of this safe and sound."

"Why do you say that?" Xiao Chen gradually calmed down, knowing that worry would not solve the problem.

"Back then, the Golden Divine Halberd could not harm you two. This iron seal is probably not much different from the halberd. I expect that little beast can survive this ordeal as well," the Demon reasoned.

"Boom—"

A violent crashing sound exploded in the distance. A cliff face collapsed under the iron seal's blow, and Keke barely escaped, fleeing into a mountain range, disappearing from Xiao Chen and the Demon's sight.

A continuous rumble of destruction came from deep within the mountains, sending beasts fleeing in terror, causing the entire range to tremble. Clouds of dust rose into the sky. From further away came the roars of savage dragons, as if answering the turmoil.

Finally, after about half an hour, everything fell silent. No more sounds of shattering or collapse came from the depths. The mountain range was still, with not even a single beast—all had fled. An eerie tranquility settled over the area.

Xiao Chen's heart sank. The Demon also sensed something amiss. He carried Xiao Chen and quickly flew over. The scene inside the mountain range was one of utter devastation—shattered trees and sunken ground stretching far and wide, as if a cataclysm had passed through.

The immensely powerful iron seal had vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

"Keke..." Xiao Chen called out loudly. "You little troublemaker..."

Rustling sounds came from the broken woods. A flash of white appeared among the scattered leaves, and the small white beast poked its head out, looking around warily. It put one tiny paw over its heart in a very human gesture of relief, then let out a long breath and made sounds like "ya-ya," seemingly puzzled as to why the iron seal had disappeared.

Xiao Chen felt both exasperated and amused—so this little beast could be afraid after all. The Demon brought him down through the air. Keke looked up at them, then chattered endlessly, as if recounting everything that had just happened.

"You are a real little menace. Keke, you give me such a headache. I really am a bit scared now—if I take you off Dragon Island, who knows what kind of trouble you will cause in the future?" Xiao Chen sighed, already glimpsing some unpleasant future scenarios.

The little white beast turned its head away, looking defiant.

"Where did the iron seal go?" Xiao Chen asked.

Keke blinked its big eyes and shook its head in confusion, indicating it did not know.

"That was a true sacred artifact! It hasn't vanished like the Golden Divine Halberd, has it?" Xiao Chen sensed something amiss.

Keke looked a little annoyed, then put on an innocent expression, its large eyes filled with pure light, as if to say it really had nothing to do with it.

Xiao Chen was completely speechless. He did not know what to say.

The Demon searched the area thoroughly for over half an hour, then finally raised his head and let out a long sigh. He truly could not understand what this little white beast was capable of, to have made two sacred artifacts disappear one after another. It was simply inconceivable.

"Do you really not know how it vanished?" The Demon looked at the immature little beast with suspicion, wanting to confirm one last time. But when he met that pure, innocent expression, he abandoned any further inquiry. He felt utterly powerless in the face of this creature.

The Demon stirred the deathly mist, wrapped Xiao Chen and Keke in it, and shot into the sky, heading for the seashore.

"Wait," Xiao Chen said awkwardly to the Demon. "You should know that King Yan Luo and the others are skeletons. If they enter the Eternal Continent directly, it could cause unnecessary trouble. I want to borrow something from you."

The Demon, being who he was, understood immediately. He was silent for a long moment before saying, "You really have some nerve, daring to set your sights on me. But... very well, it doesn't matter if I grant them that. Those shed skins are meaningless to me anyway."

With that, he changed direction and flew swiftly toward the depths of Dragon Island. With his level of cultivation, distance was no obstacle. Soon they reached the snow-covered mountaintops. He dug out the ice coffins, wrapped up three shed skins, and handed them to Xiao Chen.

Though Xiao Chen felt some aversion to the Demon's shed skins, he accepted them anyway. These would be the skeletons' disguises from now on.

Then they quickly departed, flying toward the edge of the island.

At the seaside, demonic clouds roiled and baleful energy surged into the sky. The place truly resembled a hellish underworld—countless ghostly figures writhed and howled in the deathly mist, yin energy raging violently. Several especially enormous shadows stood within like small mountains, their fierce killing intent the thickest of all.

Landing on the golden sand, the Demon led Xiao Chen, Yan Qingcheng, and the others into the deathly mist. He said, "Now it is time to summon the King Ship." Xiao Chen bit his middle finger and let his blood drip onto the formation the Demon had carved. Though only a few dozen drops, they had an immense effect.

The blood seemed to transform into magical essence, emitting a blinding red light. It then began to writhe rapidly, like a divine serpent, flowing through the carved lines and moving swiftly across the golden sand. Finally, it suffused the entire formation diagram with a faint red glow.

The black mist in the sky grew even denser. Ghostly shrieks were deafening. The several enormous demonic shadows standing in the sky let out heaven-shaking roars.

Yin wind howled, sweeping toward the depths of the golden sea. A vast and terrifying aura seemed to cross through time and space, transmitting some kind of message.

Ghosts wailed and wolves howled. The clamor was unbearable. A fierce, tragic killing intent permeated the entire region, causing all the savage beasts on the island's outskirts to tremble. It was as if this place had transformed into a true hell.

Xiao Chen and the others saw countless ghostly shadows flickering around them. Visions of endless white bones and rivers of blood floated in the air. It was a true land of death.

Protected by Sovereign Suiren's Burial Shroud, they could barely stand. All around them were spectral shadows, and the harsh ghostly aura made their hair stand on end, their scalps tingle.

"Woo—" From the distant depths of the golden sea came a mournful cry, answering the ghostly howls of the Netherworld Heaven-Connecting Formation. It sounded as if some colossal being was hurtling toward them from across the sea.

"Woo—" The mournful ghostly sound grew louder. The low deathly mist at the seashore gradually rose, allowing them to see the scene on the Forbidden Sea. A massive black ancient ship, as huge as a small mountain, sailed toward them like a ghostly apparition, radiating overwhelming baleful energy. The entire golden Forbidden Sea roiled with the disturbance.

The King Ship!

Xiao Chen and Yan Qingcheng were shocked beyond measure. The legend was true—such an ancient ship truly existed, having drifted on the Forbidden Sea for countless ages.

"Woo—"

The King Ship was pitch-black and gleamed with a cold luster, enough to make anyone who saw it tremble with fear. It seemed as if it were connected to the underworld, to the gates of hell. It was utterly different from the radiant ship of seven-colored light.

A vast, oppressive power swept toward them, causing the sea to surge and the sky to darken further. The King Ship was arriving.