Chapter 175: Cross-Sea Lightning Boat

Han Li flew tens of thousands of li in one breath before finally letting out a long sigh.

From the information obtained from Fang Pan, it was clear that he was not yet completely out of danger, but the most pressing threat had finally been eliminated.

He shook his head, released his divine sense to probe the surroundings, then urged his遁光 to change direction and sped off toward a certain place.

Before long, he appeared before a city of considerable size.

At this moment, he had once again altered his appearance, transforming into a young Confucian scholar in his thirties, with his cultivation aura concealed. Holding a peach-wood paper fan, he fanned it leisurely as he followed the flow of people into the city.

This city was called Guanyue City and belonged to the eastern region of the Huanglan Continent.

The earlier chase with Fang Pan had mostly taken him eastward, so his efforts had not been in vain.

This city was vastly different from a remote city like Linhai City; its prosperity rivaled that of Heifeng City, though in terms of size, it was still inferior to the latter.

Unlike Linhai City, the bustling crowd around him consisted mostly of mortals without any magical power. There were not many cultivators, and those present were at most at the Core Formation stage, with few even at the Nascent Soul stage.

Moreover, these cultivators all uniformly concealed their auras, mingling among the crowd like ordinary mortals.

Along the way, he had passed many cities of various sizes, but aside from the first Linhai City, most of the others belonged to the mortal world, each under the jurisdiction of different nations.

In these cities, it seemed to be an unwritten rule that cultivators must conceal their auras and were not allowed to fly.

All of this was to maintain order in the mortal world.

Those who maintained this order were naturally the cultivation forces behind the official powers.

Of course, in some medium-to-large cities, certain areas were secretly designated as marketplaces for cultivators to stay.

As the foremost large city within tens of thousands of li, Guanyue City naturally had a marketplace.

The city's marketplace was located in the southeastern district. The illusionary restrictions there were naturally no obstacle to Han Li; he went straight in and followed the main street lined with shops until he reached a tall tower built entirely of white stone.

The tower was dozens of zhang high and looked quite majestic. Under the sunlight, it emitted a crystalline glow, making it very eye-catching.

This was the location of Guanyue City's teleportation array.

Near the white tower, there was also a golden, resplendent hall, which was the city's Immortal Inn.

Han Li stepped directly into the white tower. In the first-floor hall, the first thing that caught his eye were five teleportation arrays, each about a hundred zhang apart, arranged in a ring around the hall. Beside each array stood a golden-robed cultivator.

From the golden dragon patterns embroidered on their robes, one could tell that these people belonged to the Immortal Palace.

Beside each teleportation array, a few cultivators stood scattered, seemingly waiting for something.

Han Li swept his gaze briefly and walked directly toward the central teleportation array.

“Fellow Daoist, please go over there to pay spirit stones and receive a teleportation talisman. Once the number of people is complete, you can be teleported,” said the golden-robed young man beside him with a smile before Han Li could speak.

Han Li looked where the young man pointed. There was a long stone table, behind which sat a golden-robed old man. Several people were queuing behind the table.

The person at the front of the queue was handing over a golden token and a small pouch of spirit stones.

Seeing this, Han Li’s mind stirred, and he turned and left the teleportation hall.

He went to a nearby secluded alley, took a stroll, and when he came out, he had transformed into a sallow-faced middle-aged man. He then walked straight into the Immortal Inn and went to the place where Immortal Tokens were handled.

“State your name and place of origin,” asked a bald old man.

“Li Feiyu, from Longyu Mountains,” Han Li said calmly.

Earlier, he had set out from Linhai City under the identity of Liu Shi. If someone deliberately investigated the matter, they might be able to trace it. Continuing to use that identity was no longer safe, so it was better to change.

After a moment, Han Li arrived again at the white stone tower, and soon it was his turn.

“Where do you want to teleport?” the golden-robed old man asked expressionlessly, taking the Immortal Token Han Li handed over.

“Red Lake City,” Han Li said, a flicker of light in his eyes.

…

Thunderclap City was located on the easternmost coast of the Huanglan Continent. One step further was the famous Thunderstorm Ocean of the Northern Frost Immortal Domain.

This city covered a vast area and was situated at a coastal hub. High-level cultivators who wished to cross the Thunderstorm Ocean to other continents naturally gathered here.

With such geographical advantages, Thunderclap City was exceptionally prosperous. Though not the largest city on the Huanglan Continent, it could rank among the top five.

Affected by the Thunderstorm Ocean, the sky above the city was perpetually pitch-black, covered by thick layers of dark clouds. From time to time, enormous lightning bolts could be seen shuttling through the clouds, accompanied by rumbling thunder.

In addition, every few li within the city stood towering trees, each a thousand zhang high, with a dark purple hue. Lightning-shaped patterns faintly appeared on their leaves and trunks.

The purple trees had lush foliage, like giant purple umbrellas spread open, interweaving with each other to completely cover the city above.

These purple trees were called Lightning Absorption Trees, capable of attracting and storing lightning power, and were impervious to lightning strikes.

The Thunderstorm Ocean was perpetually plagued by terrible thunderstorms. Since Thunderclap City was close to the thunderstorm region, it was often affected. Without these Lightning Absorption Trees, the city would have long been destroyed.

Moreover, these trees could convert the stored lightning power into lightning light, providing the city with continuous illumination day and night.

Thus, in Thunderclap City, there was no distinction between day and night.

Inside the first floor of a purple giant tower in the city center, over a dozen teleportation arrays flickered, bringing in waves of people or sending them away.

The first-floor hall was extremely large, several hundred zhang in size, but it was still crowded with people.

At that moment, light flashed on one teleportation array, and over a dozen figures materialized and walked out. Among them was a sallow-faced middle-aged man, who was none other than Han Li in disguise.

He followed the exiting crowd out of the teleportation hall, looked at the wide street ahead, and let out a long breath.

After months of travel, he had finally arrived. Once he crossed the Thunderstorm Ocean, he would reach the Guyun Continent, where Candlestick Dao was located.

Although the Lightning Absorption Trees blocked the view above, the rumble of thunder from the nine heavens could still be heard from time to time.

Yet most of the bustling crowd on the street looked calm, clearly accustomed to such conditions. Only those visiting Thunderclap City for the first time would be unsettled by the incessant thunder.

Han Li, of course, was not affected by the thunder, but he couldn't help taking a few extra glances at the sea of trees emitting white electric light like clouds above.

Just then, a young voice reached his ears:

“Senior, by the look of it, this must be your first time in Thunderclap City.”

Han Li turned to look. Not far away, a young man with a naive expression was bowing to him with cupped hands.

Seeing that Han Li did not speak, the young man continued:

“My name is Gu Sanming. The streets in the city are complicated, and many things are inconvenient to handle. If you need to buy something or find a place, I can help.”

“A guide? Very well. Tell me, how can one safely cross the Thunderstorm Ocean?” Han Li said expressionlessly.

“Senior… you want to cross the sea?” The naive young man was slightly taken aback.

“What, is that not allowed?” Han Li frowned.

“No, no! If you want to cross the sea, you’ve come to the right person! Though my cultivation is low, I worked for the Black Feather Merchant Guild a few years ago. When it comes to crossing the Thunderstorm Ocean, only the Black Feather Guild’s Cross-Sea Lightning Boat is the safest. If I remember correctly, a Lightning Boat will set sail in a little over two months, and there should still be spots available.” Since Han Li’s aura was concealed, the young man had initially thought he was just a traveling cultivator, but after a moment’s thought, he quickly changed his tune.

“Cross-Sea Lightning Boat?” Han Li raised an eyebrow.

“My apologies, I was negligent. Since you’ve just arrived in Thunderclap City, you’re naturally unfamiliar with the situation here,” the naive young man quickly apologized.

“No matter. Since you’re so familiar, tell me in detail about the Cross-Sea Lightning Boat. The more detailed, the better. If I’m satisfied, your reward will not be small,” Han Li said calmly.

He had previously learned about methods for crossing the Thunderstorm Ocean through some channels and had indeed heard of the extraordinary nature of the Cross-Sea Lightning Boat. Now that he was here, he wanted to learn more.

After all, the sea was said to be extremely dangerous, so he naturally wanted to find a relatively safe way to cross.

“Yes! The so-called Cross-Sea Lightning Boat is a special flying boat refined specifically for traversing the Thunderstorm Ocean. The Thunderstorm Ocean is perpetually filled with terrifying lightning, often forming massive thunderstorm surges comparable to heavenly tribulations… Ordinary flying boats entering it are quickly torn apart by the dreadful lightning power. However, the Cross-Sea Lightning Boat is made of special lightning-resistant materials, and its exterior is coated with a layer of Lightning Absorption Tree film—a special membrane refined from the sap of the Lightning Absorption Tree. No matter how great the thunderstorm, it cannot harm it, allowing safe passage across the Thunderstorm Ocean…” The naive young man, beaming, began to speak eloquently.

“I see. How many spirit stones does it cost to take this boat?” Han Li nodded slightly and asked.

“Because the Cross-Sea Lightning Boat is the safest, the price is naturally not cheap. It costs five hundred top-grade spirit stones.” The young man rubbed his hands hesitantly, secretly gauging Han Li’s expression.

“Take me to see it,” Han Li said expressionlessly.

“Please follow me, Senior.” The naive young man’s heart raced.

Though he couldn’t read anything from Han Li’s face, if the other party really intended to take the boat, the reward from the merchant guild for his efforts would be a considerable sum.