The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1257

Chapter 1257: Chapter 1254: Suspicion Chapter 1257: Chapter 1254: Suspicion Elder Fu swept his sleeve, and a green ball the size of a human head shot out. As its light flashed repeatedly, protuberances appeared on the ball, and with a “click-click” sound, it rapidly expanded.

A few breaths later, an enormous dark green flying boat appeared in the great hall, twenty or thirty feet long. Unlike Master Yan's Flying Swallow Boat, this flying boat resembled a giant crab, with eight long legs at the front and back, though they were curled up.

Everyone leapt aboard the crab-shaped flying boat. The space within was large, and despite the number of people standing inside, it didn't feel the least bit crowded.

“Brother Shen, please indicate which direction we should head,” Elder Fu said, turning towards Shen Luo.

Shen Luo closed his eyes to sense the location of the marker but suddenly let out a light “hmm” of surprise.

“What has happened?” Elder Fu asked anxiously, while Little Master and the others also looked over with a slight tension.

“Nothing, it is just that the location of Puppet City has changed significantly, moving a great distance to the north,” Shen Luo said after a moment's consideration.

“As long as the marker is still there, that is good,” Elder Fu breathed a sigh of relief as a flash of Green Light swept under his feet.

The entire flying boat glowed with bright Green Light, slowly lifted off, and then, with a whoosh, it shot towards the north. Within a few breaths, it reached the prohibition at the edge of Tianji City, its speed even faster than Master Yan's Flying Swallow Boat.

Elder Fu opened his mouth and spat out a flash of Green Light that struck the bow of the boat, disappearing in an instant.

The head of the crab-shaped flying boat immediately burst into a web of Azure Spirit Pattern, spreading rapidly backward. Soon, the entire vessel was covered in the pattern, and with a flash, it passed through the prohibition near Tianji City and entered the Boundless Sand Sea outside, continuing to fly rapidly to the north.

“Elder Fu, please push the Spirit Crab Airship to its maximum speed. Do not worry about the consumption. The most important thing now is to reach Ghost Yan as soon as possible,” Little Master said, his face showing a hint of murderous intent that left Shen Luo inwardly shocked.

Upon hearing this, Elder Fu murmured an incantation, and a crystalline light flashed between his eyebrows. The curled-up eight legs of the crab-shaped flying boat extended, each inscribed with countless Azure Spirit Patterns. With a “puff” sound, they grasped the Void like walking on the ground, and the eight legs moved rapidly.

The speed of the Spirit Crab Airship increased dramatically, almost doubling, as it sped forward like the wind.

Seeing this, Shen Luo inwardly marveled at the Mechanisms and Artifacts Refining techniques of Tianji City, which were unmatched in the Three Realms, capable of creating such high-speed, large flying boats.

“Brother Shen, given the Spirit Crab Airship's speed, how long will it take to reach Puppet City?” Little Master asked, looking over.

“Roughly half a day,” Shen Luo estimated and replied.

Little Master nodded at the response, beckoned to Elder Fu, Elder Mei, and Mo Wang, and headed to a sealed room at the front of the Spirit Crab Airship, seemingly to discuss something.

As Little Master and the three Elders left, the disciples from Tianji City relaxed slightly, finding places to sit down and conserve their energy.

Shen Luo also found a corner of the flying boat to sit cross-legged, just about to close his eyes and concentrate on refining the Soft Smoke Luo Brocade Clothing and the Profound Yellow Staff, when someone walked over–it was Master Yan.

His gaze shifted, and he wondered inwardly what this person wanted. Could it be because he had previously concealed information about Ghost Yan and Puppet City, causing Master Yan to be displeased and come to confront him?

Shen Luo weighed his words, striving to explain the situation without offending Master Yan.

Master Yan held a high position in Tianji City, and since he still needed to request Little Master to repair the jade pillow, it was best not to offend this person.

“Friend Shen, previously I suspected that you were an enemy spy sent to infiltrate Tianji City, and I harbored some doubts about Your Excellency. Please forgive me for this misunderstanding,” said Master Yan, stopping three feet away and giving a bow, to Shen Luo's surprise.

Upon hearing these words, Shen Luo was momentarily stunned, taking several breaths before he could respond, his expression turning somewhat peculiar.

Could it be that Master Yan was making such a sincere apology for such a trivial matter because he was unusually upright in his interactions, or did he have an ulterior motive?

“Brother Yan is taking it too seriously. When we first met, I was a stranger, and it was only natural for Brother Yan to harbor some suspicions about me,” he thought to himself while speaking aloud.

“Previously, I speculated about you out of selfish motives, which violated the tenets of Tianji City's commitment to making amicable alliances with other righteous Daoist friends. After this mission, I will return to Tianji City to face punishment at the Hall of Law, to provide an explanation to you,” said Master Yan, his demeanor unshaken and earnest.

“Brother Yan is too earnest. Such a minor matter isn't worth mentioning,” Shen Luo said, seeing Master Yan's expression and feeling mostly convinced that the man was an inflexible fool, which dispelled much of the displeasure he had felt from being suspected earlier.

“Without rules, there is no square or circle. Tianji City is a sect formed by an alliance of Yan masters from all over the Three Realms. Our regulations are especially important, and every law must be strictly adhered to,” stated Master Yan impassively.

Seeing this, Shen Luo shrugged his shoulders and decided not to debate the issue any further, instead turning to another question.

“Brother Yan previously suspected that I was an undercover agent from an enemy force. Located in the Boundless Sand Sea, Tianji City is surrounded by desolate and uninhabited lands. Does this mean there are forces here that are hostile to your sect?” asked Shen Luo.

“Although the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi in the Boundless Sand Sea is thin, there are still some unique spiritual items here, as well as some smaller sects stationed in the area. Not all of them have friendly relations with our Tianji City. Moreover, our Yan Armor and Artifacts Refining techniques are unparalleled in the Three Realms, naturally attracting many with malicious intentions who seek to act covertly and spy on the monks of our city from within the Boundless Sand Sea,” explained Master Yan.

“Besides your city, what other sects are in the Boundless Sand Sea?” Shen Luo continued to inquire.

“There are about a dozen or so. The largest one is called the Yellow Sand Sect. Others include the Divine Tortoise Sect, the Thick Earth Sect, and the Beast Control Sect…” Master Yan listed a dozen sects in succession.

“What God's Powers do these sects specialize in?” Shen Luo pressed further.

“As the name suggests, Yellow Sand Sect excels in controlling sand. Divine Tortoise Sect is a tomb-robbing sect skilled in geomancy and finding dragon veins. Thick Earth Sect has unique Earth Attribute spells, and Beast Control Sect is adept at taming all kinds of insects and spirit beasts…” Master Yan, perhaps feeling apologetic, answered each question Shen Luo had in detail.

“Why does Friend Shen ask about this?” he finally asked, sounding a bit puzzled.

“Oh, it's nothing, just making casual conversation,” Shen Luo replied with a smile.

Master Yan made an 'oh' sound and didn't overthink it. Seeing that Shen Luo had no other questions, he sat down leaning against the rail of the boat, not far from Shen Luo.

Shen Luo looked down at the bottom of the cabin by his feet, his eyes flickering slightly. He had not asked those questions of Master Yan casually, but rather he had suddenly thought of something.

The Puppet City was stolen from Tianji City by Ghost Yan, and Tianji City kept trying to track its whereabouts. Surely, Ghost Yan would be very cautious in hiding, so how did he and Fu Donglai get there so easily?

He had thought it a coincidence before, but now it seemed less likely. He did not rule out the possibility that someone had orchestrated this deliberately.

If there truly was such a person, or a group of people, their intention was clear–to use him to inform Tianji City of Ghost Yan's location. As for their true motives, he knew too little about Tianji City and the Boundless Sand Sea to guess.

However, with such people lurking in the shadows, this pursuit of Ghost Yan would likely not end so easily.

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