In front of Tianbao Pavilion, a large Flying Boat came to a stop. Dozens of cultivators with bulging Storage Bags looked on expectantly.

As a chamber of commerce supported by the Yuding Sect, a Great Sect, Tianbao Pavilion had experience in assessing the strength of Bizarre Demons.

While they couldn't confirm what kind of Bizarre Demon this was, one thing was certain.

This was an extremely powerful and terrifying Bizarre Demon!

With an exceedingly high danger level, even the Yuding Sect at its peak might not have had the ability to drive it away.

Black Desert Marketplace isn't our territory, so why bother intervening? The smart move is to evacuate with the supplies promptly.

We'll assess the safety of Black Desert Marketplace in a few months to decide if Tianbao Pavilion should return.

Cultivators were not inclined to offer costly aid when a Market faced Bizarre Demon threats. There was no sense of common cause; it was every cultivator for themselves when disaster loomed.

Bizarre Demons differed from Magical Beasts; their strengths and methods were unknown. No cultivator was willing to risk confronting Bizarre Demons for cultivation resources.

That would be like dicing with death.

"Eh? The appointed time has arrived. Where are the Loose Cultivators who agreed to come?"

"Don't they want to leave?! It's already past the deadline!"

The agreed-upon time to arrive at Tianbao Pavilion had passed, but only a few Loose Cultivators were present.

They paid their Spirit Stones but didn't board the Flying Boat. Could they have met with an accident?

It wasn't unusual for a few cultivators to meet with accidents, but for hundreds to encounter problems simultaneously was unsettling.

"We should leave quickly... The Bizarre Demon is quite terrifying."

"The time is up. Let's not wait any longer."

Since the appointed time had passed, Tianbao Pavilion would not be in breach of contract.

Black Desert Marketplace was too dangerous, and they didn't want to stay a moment longer.

The Flying Boat soared towards the sky, quickly departing.

The sky was a brilliant blue, and the Flying Boat journeyed alone against the horizon.

...

Has the Heart Demon Bizarre been watching me all along?

As the one who injured it, it's not incomprehensible that the Heart Demon Bizarre would hold a grudge against me.

It definitely won't let this go.

At this moment, the unease in his heart reached its pinnacle.

Jia Ren stood on the Flying Boat, gazing at the receding black, demonic face. He reached out and touched the nearly three hundred Evil Warding Talismans stuffed into his Taoist Robe.

They show no signs of being triggered, which means there are no Bizarre Demons on the Flying Boat.

No, that doesn't mean there are no Bizarre Demons on the Flying Boat.

The Evil Warding Talismans only trigger if a Bizarre Demon launches an attack.

If a Bizarre Demon holds no 'evil' intent and doesn't attack me, will they still trigger?

This Heart Demon Bizarre is the most intelligent creature I've ever encountered. It doesn't act on instinct alone, making it all the more terrifying and difficult to guard against.

If it wants to deal with me, where will it strike from?

The Flying Boat?!

Unlike the Flying Boat I used to escape the Great Wilderness, I don't control Tianbao Pavilion's Flying Boat; I can't direct its course.

What if... the pilot of the Flying Boat is controlled by the Heart Demon Bizarre, steering us into a perilous area, or into the clutches of some powerful Bizarre Demon?

My idea of following the merchant convoy's Flying Boat was to mitigate risk. But with the unpredictable Heart Demon Bizarre as a factor, the Flying Boat itself might actually increase the risk.

"Stop the Flying Boat; I want to leave."

One can never be too cautious when facing an unknown Bizarre Demon. I don't want to take any chances.

Many Loose Cultivators looked at him, displeased. "Why stop the Flying Boat? It's wiser to leave the Market sooner."

"We don't want to waste time for you."

"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

The crowd buzzed with their complaints, clearly dissatisfied.

Having seen the black, demonic face, they felt a bone-chilling terror. They were immensely relieved to have left in time, narrowly escaping disaster.

All they wanted was to get as far away from the Bizarre Demon-infested Market as possible—the farther, the better. Who would want the Flying Boat to stop?

Jia Ren ignored the ordinary cultivators on the Flying Boat and looked towards its core area, where several of Tianbao Pavilion's leaders stood.

Jia Ren unleashed the aura fluctuation of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. The cultivators before him quickly made way, their gazes filled with awe.

A Qi Refining Cultivator wants the Flying Boat to stop?

On what grounds?

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator wants the Flying Boat to stop?

Tianbao Pavilion would surely grant a Foundation Establishment Cultivator some face and not offend such a powerful individual.

The situation was completely different from what he had anticipated. The Tianbao Pavilion cultivators wore impassive expressions, indifferent to the Foundation Establishment Cultivator's Spiritual Power Fluctuation.

It was as if they weren't facing a powerful cultivator who could crush them with a mere flick of his finger, but rather, as if they themselves were the true masters of the situation.

"If the Flying Boat doesn't stop, do not blame me for breaking through the shield and leaving," Jia Ren warned.

Once a Flying Boat reached high altitudes, it would activate its defense shield. This shield was designed to block the Fierce Winds of the upper sky and also served as a large-scale, constantly active Spirit Shield to protect the cultivators.

If the shield were broken, the cultivators would inevitably be exposed to the Fierce Winds, creating a safety hazard.

Jia Ren, not wishing to cause unnecessary harm, had given them an advance warning.

Several pairs of cold eyes turned to him. "Senior, why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

"The Flying Boat will take you to a safe place."

Jia Ren's unease intensified. He had already given his warning; if they chose not to heed it, they couldn't blame him for being forceful.

A golden light flickered on his finger; a golden beam shot out from the fingertip.

Having broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, the power of his Spells had significantly increased.

His Grandmaster Level Metal Finger Technique manifested as a tangible beam of light, instantly piercing the protective shield, which was comparable in strength to a Superior Defensive Artifact.

The shield shattered, and the Flying Boat could no longer withstand the external Fierce Winds.

The Fierce Winds from above the Ninth Heaven scrambled to pour into the Flying Boat, throwing everyone into complete disarray.

Thanks to his timely warning, the cultivators were prepared, and no one was blown out of the Flying Boat.

A defensive shield glowed around Jia Ren. Controlling his Shadowless Sword Talisman, he grabbed Zhang Pengpeng with his left hand and Wang Mingyan with his right, then charged out of the Flying Boat.

The Fierce Wind howled, battering his defensive shield. Fortunately, their flight altitude was still manageable, so the Fierce Winds weren't overwhelmingly strong.

Jia Ren gazed into the distance to see what seemed like two worlds split by yin and yang.

On one side, the sky was clear, an endless expanse of azure.

The other side was deathly silent and gloomy, resembling hell.

It was a world dominated by dark hues, without sunshine, pitch-black.

With the extraordinary vision of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he could see malformed creatures in the distance, emitting a dense and ominous aura.

The creatures wailed frantically, screaming, yet eerily no sound could be heard.

Now, he was standing right on the dividing line between the two worlds.

One step forward was hell; one step back was heaven.

When Jia Ren turned to look back at the Flying Boat, he couldn't help but shudder.

The once pristine Flying Boat was now covered in rust and iron spots, radiating an aura of decay.

This was not a normal Flying Boat, but a bizarre Flying Boat, carrying them into a domain of Bizarre Demons.

The terrifying part is that I was completely unaware! I boarded the Flying Boat without noticing anything amiss from start to finish!

What exactly was the power that influenced me?!

Aboard the Flying Boat, hundreds of disheveled cultivators struggled to maintain their balance, trying not to be thrown off this bizarre vessel.

Behind them, dozens of humanoid figures covered in green hair were mixed in with the crowd.

No one could see their true forms.

Everyone's vision was affected by a bizarre power; they were all deceived.

Among the crowd, the tallest green-haired figure, its eyes pure black, opened its mouth and spoke to Jia Ren. Unfortunately, the sound was blocked by the eeriness and couldn't be heard clearly.

Still, Jia Ren managed to discern what it wanted to say from the shape of its mouth.

No matter where you flee, I will catch you.

You can't escape!

The Flying Boat crossed the dividing line, entering the deathly silent, dark domain.

This dark and silent domain exerted a pulling force, as if trying to drag the three of them into its depths for eternal damnation.

I have to leave this place!

Under the shadow of death, a powerful survival instinct surged forth.

Jia Ren exerted all his might to control his flying sword. It shot forth like a beam of light, quickly carrying them back into the normal world.

The dark and silent domain vanished like a bubble. No matter what method he used, he couldn't find any trace of it, as if the entire scene had been an illusion.

As they descended from high altitude, his heart pounded as if it would leap from his chest.

These consecutive events were too perilous! If I had realized what was happening even a moment later, who knows where we would have ended up?

It was just a brief glimpse, but I saw far more Bizarre Demons than I ever knew existed.

Could that be a world entirely inhabited by Bizarre Demons?!

Once sent into such an unknown, eerie world, even a thousand lives wouldn't be enough to survive.

That was too close! One more step, and it would have meant death.

It was truly terrifying!

This is definitely the Heart Demon Bizarre's doing!

That damned creature!

It wanted to send me to a world of death from which there's no escape!

Are we safe now?

No, not yet.

Would the Heart Demon Bizarre only have one trick up its sleeve?

If it was going to target me, one method was the Flying Boat. The other, most likely, would be through someone close to me...

Jia Ren, holding ten Evil Warding Talismans in each hand, suddenly slapped them onto Zhang Pengpeng and Wang Mingyan.

A purple halo burst forth. A scream emanated from Wang Mingyan's body as a wisp of black smoke, burning with purple fire, rapidly fled.

The Heart Demon Bizarre possessed her!

It hadn't acted until now, hiding within Wang Mingyan's Sea of Consciousness, biding its time.

In that state, the Evil Warding Talismans wouldn't trigger.

If I had let my guard down during cultivation, the Heart Demon Bizarre would have seized the opportunity.

With the Heart Demon Bizarre gone, Wang Mingyan regained her senses. She looked at Jia Ren and said, "Husband, the Five Elements Sect is destroyed, our great vengeance is fulfilled..."

She cut off her sentence halfway through, seeming to realize something was amiss, and quickly shut her mouth.

"Let's leave this place quickly."

I'm not sure how far the Heart Demon Bizarre's influence extends. It's best to leave immediately.

Jia Ren no longer traveled by sword flight; it made him too conspicuous a target and could attract trouble.

Instead, he activated his Wind Control Skill and applied a Featherweight Talisman to himself. Carrying the two women, he fled at incredible speed for nearly a hundred miles before finally slowing down to catch his breath.

"Wait here while I refine a Flying Boat."

After setting up the Yun Luo Illusion Array, the Solid as Golden Soup Formation, and the Mysterious Sword Seven Kills Array, Jia Ren hurriedly began Artifact Refining, specifically crafting a Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat.

This was different from the makeshift version he had previously crafted—which was merely a platform for stacking Cloud Light Inscriptions to escape the Great Wilderness. The formal version was much more complex and would take longer to refine.

He ignited the Sunfire Wood. His Grandmaster Level Flame Control Pill Technique compressed the fire into an azure flame, accelerating the Artifact Refining process.

Once all the materials were processed, he switched to the Shuilian Method Gate, using Four Mysteries Primordial Heavy Water to fuse them.

「Three days later.」

A foot-long Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat had taken shape.

"Enlarge!"

The foot-long Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat grew to over ten feet in length, spacious enough to carry five people comfortably.

Clouds rose from beneath the Flying Boat, lifting the vessel with its three passengers into the sky. They headed straight for Jade Cauldron Market.

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