Chapter 91

The Dragon Tooth Flying Boat was about thirty zhang in size, with a blue-roofed pavilion on top. Inside the hull, there were no fewer than a hundred cabins, capable of accommodating over a hundred people. As long as they were not besieged by a large number of cultivators, they would be quite safe on this boat.

For the battle on the 15th, Fang Zhen and his group also boarded the boat, but they kept a distance from Xie Zongyuan and others, avoiding each other from afar.

Zhang Yan casually chose a cabin on the first floor of the pavilion to stay in. Seeing the scenery outside the window rapidly recede, yet feeling no shaking or trembling underfoot, he felt a bit regretful.

Once the restrictions on this Dragon Tooth Flying Boat were fully activated, ordinary magical treasures and flying swords could not break through it. With its speed, they could even crash their way out. However, only cultivators at the Mystic Light Realm could activate these restrictions, making this excellent flying vessel somewhat wasted.

At this moment, he suddenly heard footsteps outside the door, followed by a voice saying, "Is Senior Brother Zhang here? Liu Tao is visiting uninvited."

Zhang Yan waved his sleeve, opening the door. He saw Liu Tao standing outside, bowing repeatedly, and apologizing, "I'm sorry for disturbing Senior Brother's peace."

Zhang Yan, upon seeing it was Liu Tao who came alone, knew he must have something to discuss, so he gestured, "Not at all, Senior Brother Liu, please come in and sit down."

Liu Tao entered and sat down, then spoke straightforwardly, "I came tonight to ask Senior Brother for a favor."

Zhang Yan smiled faintly, "Please, go on."

Liu Tao sighed slightly, "Senior Brother Zhang, you know that the battle in five days will be very dangerous. We don't know how many of us will survive. I have a junior who lost both parents when she was young, and I usually take care of her. If I die in this battle, I want to entrust this item to you to pass on to her."

He lifted his sleeve, took out a jade talisman, and placed it carefully on the table. The jade talisman was carved with seven orifices, with a coiled dragon on it. Although it was full of spiritual energy and would be invaluable in the mortal world, it was not considered much by cultivators.

Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow. Was Liu Tao entrusting him with his posthumous affairs?

However, he was a bit puzzled and asked, "Senior Brother Liu, I am to stay behind in the demon cave, and my fate is uncertain. Wouldn't it be more reliable to entrust this to Senior Brother Xie?"

Liu Tao did not answer directly but smiled, "Does Senior Brother know why I asked you to come to this demon cave with me?"

Zhang Yan sat up straight, "I would like to hear the reason." He had always been curious about Liu Tao's motives.

Liu Tao said solemnly, "I come from a humble background, but my family has long fallen. I thought I had no hope of cultivation, but at the age of ten, my master took me in, and I have been cultivating on Yingxian Island for over twenty years... My master is a disciple of the master-disciple lineage, so I have no distinction between master-disciple and family lineage in my heart."

He pointed to the jade talisman on the table and sighed, "My junior has extraordinary talent. I wanted her to be a disciple of a fellow disciple, but after my master saw her, he said that no one on Yingxian Island could be her teacher, and told me not to mention it again. So, this matter had to be put aside."

"For the past two years, I have been trying to find a good teacher for her, but unfortunately, I have not succeeded. Later, I heard of Senior Brother's reputation and had an idea."

He looked up, his eyes burning, "I heard that Senior Brother is a disciple favored by Master Yu Zhiyan, and you are on good terms with Senior Brother Ning Chongxuan. You are also a direct disciple of Zhou College, whose founder is a peer of the sect's patriarch and has extensive connections. If I can establish a relationship with you, a casual mention could help me find a good teacher for my junior."

Liu Tao spoke frankly, revealing his intentions to Zhang Yan.

However, Zhang Yan was not offended. It was natural for someone to seek benefits for their juniors, and whether this matter would succeed or not was entirely up to him, not others.

Liu Tao stood up and bowed deeply to Zhang Yan, "If I can escape the demon cave in five days, we can forget about this. If I cannot, I want to entrust you to pass this item to my junior. If she sells it, even if she cannot cultivate, it will be enough for her to live a wealthy life."

Zhang Yan understood that Liu Tao was actually asking him to find a teacher for his junior, but he was afraid of a direct refusal, so he did not say it outright.

After some serious thought, he reached out and took the jade talisman, "If I survive this battle and can leave unscathed, I will pass this jade talisman to your junior. As for the rest, it depends on fate."

Liu Tao, hearing Zhang Yan's response, seemed to have put down a burden. He bowed again, "Thank you, Senior Brother. I am deeply grateful. I won't disturb your cultivation anymore. I'll take my leave."

Zhang Yan smiled and returned the bow, not trying to retain him.

After seeing Liu Tao off, Zhang Yan put the matter aside and reached into his sleeve to prepare to remove the essence blood from the Wind and Thunder Fork and other magical treasures. As he was flipping through, his hand paused, suddenly noticing an extra book in his sleeve.

He took it out and saw that it was the secret book of the Demon Sect, the *Miyuan Jing*, which Han Ji had shown him. At the time, he was too busy talking and had not returned it to Han Ji. Later, when Han Shengde burst in, he casually threw it into his sleeve.

However, this book was useless to him, and he was too lazy to even look at it.

The Demon Sect and the Mystic Gate were different. The Mystic Gate believed that the body was the raft to cross the sea, while the Demon Sect believed in using the soul as the essence and the body as the fuel, ultimately discarding the body. These were fundamentally different paths.

This was one of the reasons Han Ji chose the Demon Sect, as he was born with deficiencies and lacked essence, making it impossible for him to achieve the Dao through the Mystic Gate.

However, Han Ji, having joined the Blood Soul Sect, would not need this book.

Zhang Yan was about to put the book away when he paused. He suddenly remembered that although Han Ji could not use it, he himself could not use it either, but that did not mean no one could.

There was one person who would be most suitable to cultivate this book.

He took out a beautiful jade from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and tapped it with his finger, "Su Yiang, come out."

"Master, what do you need?" A green mist rose from the jade, forming a human shape, which was Su Yiang.

Zhang Yan looked at him in surprise. Su Yiang, who had been listless and on the verge of death, now looked radiant and energetic, able to manifest from the jade at a call.

Su Yiang, sensing Zhang Yan's mood, immediately knelt down, "Thank you, Master, for bringing me here. I am what I am today because of you."

It turned out that this place had no sunlight and was filled with yin energy, which was greatly beneficial to Su Yiang. Over the past few days, he had been very comfortable, and his damaged spirit had gradually recovered, and his soul was becoming more stable.

Zhang Yan nodded, "Your opportunity has come. I have a scripture to give you, but first, you must swear never to betray me."

Su Yiang, hearing this, was not surprised but delighted. He feared Zhang Yan might change his mind and hurriedly swore, making the most vicious oaths.

He wept inwardly, "Master, why did you wait so long to make me swear? I, Su Yiang, have always been eager to prove myself, and today, I finally have a chance."

He had always wanted to show his loyalty, but Zhang Yan had always ignored him, treating him as if he did not exist. Now, he finally felt a sense of breakthrough and achievement.

Zhang Yan smiled and pointed to the book, "Take this *Miyuan Jing* and read it. It will help you stabilize your soul and gather your spirit. When you return to the sect, you won't lose your essence and soul."

Su Yiang, recognizing the value, bowed deeply, "Thank you, Master."

The spirit form could not turn the pages, so Zhang Yan left the book on the table for him to read.

Su Yiang, who had managed the inner affairs of the Su family, understood human nature and knew that the more useful he was, the more Zhang Yan would value him. Otherwise, he could be discarded at any time. Therefore, he did not dare to be careless.

After reading for a while, he could not help but show a pleased expression.

Hesitating for a moment, he looked up and asked cautiously, "Master, there are many yin demons around. May I act?"

Zhang Yan said, "They are unowned, so you may take them as you wish. Cultivate yourself, and don't ask me."

Su Yiang agreed repeatedly and suddenly leaped up, swallowing a yin demon in the air.

The Demon Sect emphasized plundering and killing. Yin demons, being intangible, were the essence of the netherworld, which ordinary cultivators would avoid at all costs, but for Su Yiang, they were a great supplement.

After eating dozens of yin demons, his form gradually became fuller and more solid, no longer as ethereal as before.

Without the constraints of a physical body, he cultivated the *Miyuan Jing* with ease.

The Demon Sect also had methods to cultivate the soul by discarding the physical body, but this was a risky path. Su Yiang, being a cultivator who had already opened his meridians, had a spirit far superior to ordinary people, making his cultivation much more efficient.

More importantly, cultivating in the demon cave was a privilege reserved for the disciples of the Demon Sect's master. Although this was a small demon cave, it was comparable to a general cave heaven, and the demons within were no different.

After eating a dozen more yin demons, Su Yiang felt a sense of fullness and apologized to Zhang Yan, retreating into the jade to refine himself, not coming out for a long time.

Zhang Yan did not bother with him, thoroughly removing the essence blood from the few treasures he had obtained and re-refining them with his own essence blood.

Five days passed quickly.

On this day, Zhang Yan completed the refinement of the Cloud Infusion Basin. He felt a rumble beneath him.

He opened his eyes and sensed that the speed of the flying boat was increasing. Checking the time, it was now the hour of Chen, and in two hours, it would be the hour of Wu, when the sea eye would open. At that time, the demon cave's energy would spew out, and the seawater in the cave would flow out, allowing them to follow the current back to the sea eye below the Shouming Palace and escape.

However, the Blood Soul Sect disciples would certainly set up numerous obstacles to prevent them from returning.

The battle for life and death was today!