Chapter 253 : Demonic Race Formation
The ghost ship remained docked outside Xianyuan Town for a day, while cultivators outside fought intensely for boarding qualifications—apart from the exceptional cases of Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue, the others' cultivation levels weren't particularly high, nor did they differ greatly.
By the time the ghost ship was ready to depart on the second day, the beach had barely determined its victors, with all forty-eight who boarded bearing injuries.
Jiang Mo didn't have Yun Qingyue's patience. Despite the numerous familiar faces aboard, she was unwilling to remain confined in her cabin. So when these people boarded on the second day, she leaned against her doorway with the fried dumplings she had purchased earlier, watching and eating, clearly adopting a spectator's stance without concern for others' gazes.
But who could fault her high cultivation? Even powerful experts like Peak Master Qingyu had taken a step back, so those with lesser cultivation needn't be mentioned. Especially since Xianyuan Town was remote, those who managed to board generally had lower cultivation levels and couldn't afford to offend her.
Shortly after the forty-eight people boarded, the ghost ship stirred, slowly lifting off the ground.
Jiang Mo hadn't forgotten what she'd seen when examining the ghost ship at sea earlier—as a divine beast who had also eaten the Phantom Dream Demon Lotus root years ago, ordinary illusions no longer deceived her. Yet when she had flown up to inspect the ship, she saw it completely empty, without detecting the slightest trace of an illusion—now, seeing the ghost ship about to sail again, her curiosity surged.
While satisfying her own curiosity, she didn't forget to invite Yun Qingyue to join her, knocking on her door and calling, "Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist, the ghost ship is departing. Would you like to come out and watch?"
The door creaked open, and Yun Qingyue appeared, still in her cyan robes and mask.
Jiang Mo instinctively stepped back, pointing outside as she said, "Fellow Daoist, the ghost ship is setting sail. Would you like to come out and watch?"
The ghost ship was very strange. Earlier, while sailing at sea, it couldn't be detected by divine sense at all. This was unremarkable enough, as the cultivation world had many rare treasures that could evade divine sense. What was truly peculiar was that after the ship landed on the beach, Jiang Mo had casually scanned it with her divine sense and this time detected its actual existence.
Moreover, not only divine sense probing but also System's scanning yielded the same result—this ghost ship seemed to live up to its name, appearing both real and illusory, a truly spectral vessel. This didn't frighten Jiang Mo; it merely sent the little tiger's curiosity through the roof.
Yun Qingyue didn't share such strong curiosity, but now that she was aboard and would rely on this ghost ship to venture into the Southern Sea, she needed to be somewhat attentive for her own safety. So after brief consideration, she gracefully walked out.
The ghost ship set sail, but few people remained on deck.
Although everyone was experiencing their first ghost ship journey into the sea, they had numerous prior experiences riding spirit boats or magic vessels. They had long lost curiosity for such transportation methods. Furthermore, those who had boarded earlier weren't witnessing the departure for the first time, so when the ghost ship began moving, they returned to their respective cabins. The newly boarded individuals were not only injured but, seeing Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue, were acutely aware of the power disparity and had no intention of socializing or provoking them, so they hurried to their cabins to heal.
With few people on deck, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue found a spot with the best view. They watched as the ghost ship rose from the beach and then descended into the sea to advance, without feeling the slightest jolt throughout.
Yesterday, the ghost ship had docked at dusk, staying for exactly one day. Now the horizon was once again filled with sunset hues.
Jiang Mo had said she came to investigate the ghost ship's secrets, but standing on deck and seeing the beautiful sunset, she became so captivated that she momentarily forgot why she had invited Yun Qingyue out.
She stood by the ship's rail, the golden sunset reflecting in her eyes, casting a golden glow.
Yun Qingyue glanced back inadvertently, witnessing the moment Jiang Mo's eyes were tinged with gold, and inexplicably found herself entranced.
She gazed at the sunset, while Yun Qingyue gazed at her. The sunset's remaining light stretched their shadows across the deck, creating another scenic view.
Jiang Mo keenly sensed that gaze and turned her head, but Yun Qingyue had already averted her eyes. She wasn't looking at the sunset's beauty but focused directly on the ghost ship beneath her feet. With a sweep of her divine sense, she discovered nothing but seawater below.
"It's disappeared again," Yun Qingyue said softly.
Jiang Mo's cultivation was higher than Yun Qingyue's, so she naturally noticed her actions. She also extended her divine sense to probe and found emptiness beneath her feet, as if no ship were carrying them at all. Then, more boldly, she quietly directed a strand of divine sense toward Yun Qingyue's foot, only to discover with surprise that not only the ship but also the living person before her had vanished in her divine sense.
Yun Qingyue was very perceptive. Although she couldn't catch Jiang Mo's subtle movement due to the cultivation difference, she instinctively stepped back. She was also quite intelligent and immediately understood Jiang Mo's action, openly extending her divine sense toward Jiang Mo.
Her divine sense had barely touched the edge of Jiang Mo's clothes before withdrawing. Yun Qingyue frowned and said, "We've also disappeared."
Using divine sense to scan someone without permission was highly discourteous, even potentially provocative. However, Yun Qingyue hadn't given it much thought when extending her divine sense—first, she was very restrained and not offensive; second, she instinctively felt Jiang Mo wouldn't mind such a small matter. Or more precisely, wouldn't mind such a small matter from her.
This thought hadn't even fully formed in Yun Qingyue's mind before passing naturally. She was merely curious about the ghost ship beneath their feet and was discussing serious matters with Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo also didn't feel anything amiss. After thinking, she said, "I'll go up and take a look."
With these words, she flew upward, but after the ghost ship entered the sea, the barrier had reopened. Not only were people outside the ghost ship prevented from boarding, but those onboard were also restricted in range, able to fly at most two or three zhang higher than the ship before being blocked by the barrier. Like being trapped in a cage, they could go no further upward.
This was the first time Jiang Mo had encountered a barrier that restricted even those within the ship. She knocked on the barrier, and when she applied force, it merely rebounded slightly without harming her. Standing there looking down, she could see people moving on the ghost ship, with Yun Qingyue still standing on the deck—completely different from what was visible outside the barrier.
She descended and shared everything she had seen with Yun Qingyue, concluding, "There must be some strange formation on this ship. Perhaps the ghost ship can enter the deep sea without being attacked by spirit beasts precisely because this formation conceals everything."
Looking outward from the ghost ship didn't hinder anything; seagulls passing by the vessel appeared vivid and real.
The only drawback was that the ship's restrictions limited both inside and outside movement. If any emergency occurred, those aboard would easily find themselves at a disadvantage. But others had presumably already investigated and weighed this.
Hearing her account, Yun Qingyue lowered her gaze, suddenly stopping on the patterns carved into the ship's rail.
To everyone else, these were merely decorative patterns covering the entire ship. Even formation masters skilled in arrays would find nothing unusual. But to Yun Qingyue's eyes, they appeared different—the patterns transformed, becoming extremely vivid, as if moving according to some specific rule.
As she stared, Yun Qingyue seemed to gain a sudden insight—these were demonic race writings, demonic race formations. Apart from those with demonic bloodlines, no one could understand what was hidden within these patterns.
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The ghost ship's connection to the demonic race was somewhat unexpected, yet upon reflection, quite logical.
At least for Yun Qingyue, who knew the ghost ship was related to merpeople, this outcome wasn't too surprising. However, having been raised as a human cultivator in Xuanqing Sect during her early years, she knew little about the demonic race. Beyond the innate knowledge her bloodline provided, she wasn't clear about what these demonic writings and formations actually represented.
After much consideration, Yun Qingyue didn't share this information with Jiang Mo. It wasn't that she distrusted her—after all, Jiang Mo had told her about the ghost ship's connection to merpeople unconditionally.
It was simply that she herself didn't fully understand the situation, so she didn't speak of it to others.
Fortunately, Jiang Mo was merely curious. Her investigation of the ghost ship was just to satisfy her abundant curiosity, and she wasn't anxious without immediate answers. Moreover, after the ship began sailing, she discovered other anomalies, looking here and there, displaying a liveliness uncharacteristic of a high-level cultivator.
After several days of this, Yun Qingyue lost interest in accompanying her. Additionally, the chance of encountering acquaintances increased when moving about. Since Yun Qingyue didn't want to be recognized by these old connections, she simply returned to her room to continue cultivating.
Without Senior Sister's company, Jiang Mo quickly lost her initial enthusiasm, though she still frequently ventured out.
The ghost ship was only so large, with only so many people aboard. Initially, she had forcefully boarded and embarrassed the seven sects, earning their displeasure and even hatred. But as encounters on the ship became more frequent, and Jiang Mo occasionally initiated greetings and conversations, the atmosphere gradually eased. At least, with her high cultivation and willingness to offer a way out, many were willing to accept.
To prevent revealing her identity, Jiang Mo had limited contact with the Xuanqing Sect members, but specifically cultivated good relationships with several Crimson Blood Sect disciples—she was very curious about Senior Sister's experiences over the years. Since outside rumors were unreliable, this was a perfect opportunity to gather information from Crimson Blood Sect disciples.