On the eleventh day at dusk, Wang Qi finally emerged from the cabin.

Wang Qi took a deep breath. Various molecules in the air entered his nostrils, colliding with the olfactory cells and generating numerous electrical signals. He had no intention of analyzing them himself. Jarvis, installed in his brain, read the signals before he could and conducted a deep analysis, then fed back the results directly to him. With Jarvis's optimization, although his senses hadn't mutated, his insight into the external environment had increased by several magnitudes.

"No anomalies. No smell of blood, no secretions from marine life…"

"Crossed the first and second blockade lines, the nearby Demon Clan density is low…"

"Approaching the core area. Pushing forward, the patrol zones of Divine Power Demon Beasts and Demon Gods will overlap. The aura of the Primordial Spirit Cultivators is too conspicuous, can't sneak in, about time, isn't it?"

In wartime, unilateral satellite maps are akin to cheating.

The journey had lasted for eleven days. Now, this Spirit Boat had already crossed the first blockade line. Wang Qi himself could hardly believe that this boat could travel so far.

Excluding the detours around territories occupied by the Demon Clan, Wang Qi and his companions had gradually penetrated deeper into the heart of the West Sea. This place was tens of thousands of miles away from Shenzhou in the deep sea.

By this point, even the most slow-witted would sense that something was off. Ai Changguang had asked Ai Changyuan more than once.

"Little brother, where exactly are you planning to go?"

Ai Changyuan always just smiled and didn't talk: "Training!"

"Training is not the same as risking your life," Ai Changguang said seriously. "I'm merely a Low Grade Primordial Spirit, not highly ranked, and my ability to fight above my level is not strong. If we encounter a Demon God, I can hardly save myself, let alone protect you."

"No problem, no problem," Ai Changyuan just laughed it off. Over these days, Wang Qi had recorded all the activity areas of the Transformation Stage and High Order Demon Clan across the blockade lines. Even without Ai Changguang, with this Low Grade True Artifact level Spirit Boat, he was quite confident he could break through the blockade lines and return to Shenzhou.

Plus, according to Wang Qi, the outer blockade line had only Transformation Demon Clan members, and the High Order Demon Clan members all grouped up moving closer to the Holy Dragon Abyss.

Ai Changyuan's ambiguous and unclear attitude meant all doubts dissipated without conclusion.

Wang Qi was quite thankful to Ai Changyuan. Currently, this boat was exactly navigating at the junction of three Divine Power Great Demon patrol zones, a place where nobody would come. This was probably the best opportunity for him to leave the Spirit Boat and venture alone. Once at the seabed, he would be merely a "Qi Storage Stage" Low Level Demon Clan member, and the vast sea creature population would provide the perfect disguise. Even High Order Demon Clan members would generally ignore him.

This was also one of the reasons why Feng Luoyi chose him instead of other High Order Cultivators.

While Wang Qi was observing his surroundings, a burst of laughter came from behind him. Wang Qi turned around and saw Mao Zimiao holding her belly, laughing heartily, her orange hair swaying like a kitten's.

Wang Qi wondered, "What are you laughing at?"

"Xiao Qi, aren't you tired?" Mao Zimiao pointed at Wang Qi, laughing unrestrictedly. "You haven't been flying like this for several days, have you, meow?"

Embarrassment crossed Wang Qi's face. At that moment, his feet were an inch above the deck; he wasn't actually standing on it. However, he quickly retorted stubbornly, "Not tired at all, this consumption can't even keep up with the rate my mana recovers, okay?"

The Spirit Boat was naturally different from ordinary boats, at least its shock absorption wasn't bad. Even if the swells were great, the vertical movement wouldn't exceed a centimeter. But for Wang Qi, this was a bit deadly. To keep himself in a good state, these past few days, he had maintained a one-inch distance from the ground, completely preventing seasickness.

"You really haven't changed at all, meow!" Mao Zimiao laughed till she cried. It took her a while to stop laughing and stand beside Wang Qi: "Only here do I realize you're still that same fool from before."

"You're saying... I'm foolish?" Wang Qi felt utterly unreasonable: "Who was it that helped you with your mathematics back then, you silly cat!"

Mao Zimiao didn't respond, but she kept laughing happily: "Haven't seen you for several years, I really thought Xiao Qi would turn out to be very remarkable and impressive. Only today did I find out, Xiao Qi, you still get seasick, meow!"

"Motion sickness is a sign of excellent balance! It's an over-sensitivity to the surrounding environment!" Wang Qi stressed, "And motion sickness doesn't affect Flying Escape, nor does it have anything to do with intelligence!"

"Anyway, you just don't dare to cancel the Flying Escape Technique and stand on the boat!"

After laughing for a while, Mao Zimiao leaned her elbow on the boat's railing and spoke to Wang Qi, "The Holy Dragon Abyss is that way, right? It's hard to imagine, meow, how close we are to that 'Dead Land'..."

There, the setting sun was sinking at the horizon. The rosy afterglow dyed the sky, spreading along the water. The immeasurable light, streaming from a astronomical unit away, scattered, permeating the vast ocean waters.

That was the direction of the Holy Dragon Abyss. At this moment, Wang Qi and company were only ten thousand miles away from the Holy Dragon Abyss.

Wang Qi nodded and said, "Indeed…"

To the Dragon Clan, the Holy Dragon Abyss was easily accessible, but cultivators and other clans never casually ventured there. It was like the Heavenly Communication Dao Hall being one of the Human Clan's spiritual Holy Lands, open to everyone. But if a Dragon Clan member wanted to enter uninvited, they would most likely be killed by the Heavenly Sword halfway through their journey.

"I always feel, Xiao Qi, you actually want to go there all the way, meow?" Mao Zimiao asked. "We asked Senior Brother Ai several times, but he never speaks. Senior Sister Lu said he doesn't look confident, so I thought, you want to go there, right meow?"

Wang Qi, feeling seen through, was a bit surprised. He asked, "How did you figure that out?"

"You're still the same as before, you always seem to be the kind of person who would do that," Mao Zimiao chuckled softly, her expression tinged with helplessness. "Of the people I know, Xiao Qi, you're the craziest one, meow, daring to do anything. And I've figured it out, you must have some reason you have to go there this time, but can't tell us... Your goal from the start wasn't just training, otherwise you'd be eager for more people to see you defeat enemies, meow."

He was indeed recognized... Wang Qi shook his head, feeling that being caught this time was utterly inexplicable. However, since he had been recognized, he decided to be straightforward. He said, "This is the place."

"This place, meow?" Mao Zimiao questioned.

"Yes, right here." Wang Qi pointed towards the sea, "My true objective... rest assured, this is a trial assigned by the higher-ups, there's no danger to life."

"Xiao Qi, when you say that yourself, it really isn't very convincing. You used to mess around with forbidden cultivation methods." Mao Zimiao looked down, "It's dangerous, isn't it... because you are a Banished Immortal?"

She realized that Wang Qi was about to leave.

Wang Qi gently tapped Mao Zimiao's forehead, "I'm no longer that."

Mao Zimiao kept her head down, using her bangs to cover her eyes.

"Anyway, I've arrived at the place," Wang Qi sighed, "This is training. I'll just handle it."

Seeing Wang Qi turn around, Mao Zimiao muttered quietly, "You used to rub my ears..."

"What?" Wang Qi, one foot on the ship's rail, turned back and asked.

"Nothing, meow."

How utterly bizarre. Wang Qi shook his head, ready to jump off.

But suddenly, a strange force seized Wang Qi. He hovered in mid-air, motionless. Ai Changguang appeared at the other end of the rail. He restrained Wang Qi, then hurried over, "Hey, Junior Brother Wang, why pick such a place for your training?"

"This place?" Wang Qi was puzzled, "Senior Brother Ai, I don't know if you've misunderstood something, but... I truly have important matters!"

"A task from the Guardian Envoy?" Ai Changguang frowned, "They actually assigned you this kind of exploratory mission? This region shouldn't be a place for a Foundation Establishment Guardian Envoy to scout."

"It seems there really has been a misunderstanding..." Wang Qi shook his head and went back aboard. Although Ai Changguang's reason for stopping him was somewhat odd, Wang Qi still caught some useful information.

This sea area, it seemed, was dangerous.

"Dragon Five Island in the Dragon Flow Islands has claimed several Guardian Envoys, the highest being at the Golden Core." Ai Changguang looked towards the southwest, his eyes filled with displeasure. Wang Qi strained his eyes and thought he saw tiny black dots on the horizon. He asked, "Why were there losses?"

"The sea beyond also harbors ancient ruins. The Primordial Demon Clan, Renewal Demon Clan, and ancient humans all seem to have established ruins here. The strength needed to establish ruins isn't very strong, you know, usually at the Core Formation level, which wouldn't alert the Dragon Clan."

In nature, most species have a strong sense of territory. Wild animals will mark their boundaries relentlessly with secretions such as urine. However, that doesn't mean only one type or group of creatures can exist in a region. Such "territories" only affect creatures that are on the same level in the food chain. Buffaloes will drive away antelopes that cross the boundary, but they won't bother with warthogs and baboons. Lions won't allow cheetahs into their domain, but they wouldn't mind cougars and elephants wandering in their territory.

This is the Dragon Clan's area, but the Dragon Clan won't bother with weaker alien clans.

During the era when the Primordial Demon Clan and the Renewal Demon Clan ruled the land, the Dragon Clan had already occupied the oceans. What exactly their relationship was, very few now know; hence, the relics in the West Sea hold great research value. The Immortal Alliance issues tasks to explore these ruins. The rewards for such tasks are usually exceptionally generous.

Wang Qi nodded, "I understand."

"Dragon Five is a high-risk area. Remember, be very careful." Ai Changguang looked towards the Dragon Flow Islands, "No wonder you didn't say anything to me, brother, you had this idea. I had a premonition when the boat neared this area... alright then, prepare yourself, I might as well accompany you."

Wang Qi shook his head, "Better not..."

Since this marine area was peculiar, it was better to leave first.

Suddenly, the Spirit Boat shook.

"What happened?" Wang Qi grabbed the rail, steadying himself. It was strange because the Heavenly Star Map showed nothing; what was attacking the boat? Could it have hit a reef?

Before the three of them, a silver fish leaped out of the water. Wang Qi distinctly saw, the fish glance at him with golden eyes. He immediately felt a bone-chilling cold.

Then, the fish plunged into the ocean, as if charging towards the boat.

"Boom!"

A sound, disproportionate to the small body of the fish, echoed. The entire Spirit Boat was thrown high. Wang Qi didn't even understand why this fish carried such immense kinetic energy.

"Boom!"

The flipping Spirit Boat made an overburdened noise. Only then did Ai Changguang wave his hand, stretching out his palm from a distance. Space warped, twisted, and the direction of the silver fish changed, missing its third strike. Wang Qi gripped the rail, barely stabilizing himself. He exclaimed, "What the hell... there's clearly no presence of any high-order demon clan around..."

"I don't know why it's hidden so well... but, this dragon certainly seems to be at least at the Transformation Stage!" Ai Changguang shouted. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and subscribe at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)