Chapter 163: The Ferry Vessel Plan
As the conversation grew lively, everyone burst into hearty laughter, drawing curious glances from other sects. Among them, Shang Fengzi, the sect master of Penglai Sword Hall—known to have the closest ties with Shu Mountain—couldn't help but ask,
"Fellow Daoists, what's bringing you so much joy? Share it with this poor Daoist so I can enjoy the merriment too."
Shang Fengzi had a modest temperament and was an old friend of Qingwei, so Qingwei shared the news that Shu Mountain, along with the three factions of Qingyun Sect, would soon be holding a grand competition.
"I see…" Stroking his beard, Shang Fengzi fell into thoughtful silence for a moment. Then, as if reaching a decision, he declared resolutely, "Penglai Sword Hall would also like to participate in this grand competition. What do you all think?"
Penglai Sword Hall wants to join too?
The other sect leaders exchanged looks—was this competition getting a bit too big?
Qingwei, knowing Shang Fengzi's temperament better than anyone, was more surprised than the rest. He couldn't help but ask, "Your sect has always valued tranquility and noninterference, refraining from worldly disputes. Why this change of heart?"
Shang Fengzi gave a bitter smile. "Precisely because of that, I want my disciples to take part. They've spent so long immersed in quiet cultivation that they're practically helpless when facing monsters—let alone capable of saving others. Not long ago, there was an incident with the Demon-Sealing Tower. Some of those demons broke into Penglai and nearly caused us serious harm!"
At those words, Qingwei's face filled with guilt. He cupped his hands in apology. "I didn't expect the Shu Mountain disaster to implicate Penglai as well. I truly owe you an apology."
Waving it off, Shang Fengzi sighed. "Vanquishing evil and safeguarding the Dao is our duty as cultivators—there's no such thing as burden. But the incident made me realize how lacking we are in combat ability. If this goes on, we won't even be able to preserve our heritage. The name 'Sword Hall' is becoming a joke."
Given how far things had come, Qingwei found it hard to reject his request. He turned to Chu Yang for input.
Chu Yang smiled lightly. "You're the one in charge of the competition, Martial Uncle. I'm not good at handling these logistics anyway—perfect chance for me to observe and learn."
Qingwei laughed heartily. "A sect master has far more important responsibilities and shouldn't be distracted by trivial matters. I'll oversee this competition myself."
Speaking of major responsibilities reminded Chu Yang of the still-missing Evil Sword Immortal. Based on what Bai Yue had said before dying, he suspected the Evil Sword Immortal was hiding somewhere in the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
"I have a question for Mr. Yun," Chu Yang said, turning to Yun Yilan. "Have there been any unusual happenings in the Ten-Thousand Mountains lately?"
That immediately caught everyone's attention, and the sect leaders stopped their conversation to look at Chu Yang in surprise.
"The Ten-Thousand Mountains? Why do you ask, Sect Master Chu?" Yun Yilan inquired curiously.
The Shu Mountain disaster was no longer a secret in the cultivation world, and word had spread far and wide. Chu Yang saw no need to hide the truth and explained the situation with the Evil Sword Immortal.
"Evil Sword Immortal…" Yun Yilan frowned and slowly shook his head. "So far, we haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary—though there have been rumors that several secluded Wu clans deep in the mountains were wiped out. From the righteous sects' perspective, that might not be a bad thing."
Those clans had been selected as sacrificial offerings by Bai Yue to gather the five elemental forces. They had little to do with the Evil Sword Immortal himself.
With no solid leads, Chu Yang had no choice but to put the matter aside. Still, to be safe, he advised Burning Incense Valley to stay alert to any changes in the Ten-Thousand Mountains.
Daoist Zhenren Daoxuan suddenly remarked, "The Ten-Thousand Mountains form a natural divide between Shenzhou and the Central Plains. Even if something happens there, it's hard for us to get word to you in time."
Qingwei nodded in agreement. "That's a real problem."
Chu Yang said, "I've actually been thinking about this for a long time. I'd like to build a ferry dock atop Shu Mountain and construct a few large flying vessels to facilitate travel between Shenzhou and the Central Plains. What are your thoughts?"
"Flying ferry vessels… spanning two lands?" Yun Yilan sucked in a sharp breath. His tone brimmed with admiration. "You're quite bold, Sect Master Chu. Leaving aside the question of feasibility, even if it can be done, the cost of building such ships would be astronomical!"
Master Puhong, kind and serene in appearance, chanted a low Buddhist verse and said slowly, "If this truly works, it would be another great deed by Shu Mountain for the mortal world."
"Don't start praising him just yet, monk," Daoxuan cut in with a sharp glance. "Whether it'll work or not is still uncertain." Among the three major sects, only Qingyun and Shu Mountain shared close ties. He genuinely worried about this eccentric sect master going overboard.
Qingwei fell into thought, then asked, "Do you really have confidence in this?"
"Don't worry, Martial Uncle. Crafting tools is nothing to me," Chu Yang replied confidently. "It's not like I'm building a ship the size of the Underworld King's—just something that can carry a few dozen people at once. Realistically, each ferry would be a tenth that size."
With the manpower and resources Chu Yang had in the pirate world, it would only take a few days to build a ferry.
He wouldn't even need a large energy core—just a small one would do. He also planned to inscribe formations onto the vessel to assist with flight, which would greatly reduce its energy consumption.
Once complete, he could store the ship in the spatial field of the Trace-Free Expansion Spell and bring it back via his Soul Palace—simple and efficient.
Seeing how confident he was, Qingwei finally dropped his last bit of hesitation and nodded with a smile.
After all, everyone had already seen the formidable Demon-Refining Tower back when Chonglou was around. They were fully convinced of Chu Yang's artifact-forging skills and deeply envious that Shu Mountain had gained a master craftsman as their sect leader.
He wasn't just a sect master—he was basically a divine benefactor from heaven.
Of the many arts in cultivation, alchemy, tool forging, formation crafting, and talisman inscription were the most valuable. Excelling in any one of them could bring endless wealth.
Chu Yang said with a grin, "Since it's a ferry, there should also be docks on the other side—so I'll leave that to all of you, for the Shenzhou end."
The others readily agreed. Compared to building a flying vessel, constructing a dock was relatively easy. The only tricky part was choosing the right location—since the ships would be airborne, lower elevations wouldn't work.
Qingyun Sect, Burning Incense Valley, and Tianyin Temple all planned to use the tallest peaks of their own mountain ranges.
Building these docks would be a long-term investment. Besides their own disciples, other forces might also want to travel between the two regions. Naturally, they'd have to pay a "service fee" to board the ferry.
The dock fee was just a minor add-on—the real profit would come from ticket sales. From this perspective, Shu Mountain's ferry project wasn't just viable—it was a guaranteed money-maker.
The sect leaders present realized this quickly and all wore looks of envy. Frankly, they'd lost count of how many times they'd made that same expression around Chu Yang.
After the ceremony, the various sects began to depart. Those with weaker ties left earlier; those with stronger ties stayed a bit longer.
The first to leave was Shen Family Fortress.
Shen Qingfeng had been visibly uneasy throughout the banquet, and the other sects took notice. Many couldn't help but sigh, "If only he'd known then what he knows now…"
The next Southern Forest–Northern Shen Martial Gathering was sure to be livelier than ever—with most people likely going just to watch Shen Qingfeng make a fool of himself.
Offending Shu Mountain was not something easily brushed aside.
The martial forces, led by the Four Great Families, departed next. Under Chu Yang's instructions, newly accepted disciples Xie Cangxing and Xia also left with them.
The two were representing Shu Mountain, joining Jiang Cheng and the others in Mingzhou to negotiate with Mo Yi.
However, before things were fully resolved, Chu Yang warned Xiahou Jinxuan not to tell his father, Xiahou Zhang, about it.
Given Xiahou Zhang's temperament, if he learned that Mo Yi had occupied his brother's body and infiltrated the Xiahou clan for over a decade, he would never agree to any kind of cooperation.
If that happened, it might backfire and derail everything.
To be safe, Chu Yang sent a clone to secretly follow them. If Mo Yi refused to cooperate, he was prepared to resolve things the simplest way possible.
Aside from Mo Yi, the Yasha Kingdom's monarch, Long Ming, had also used the Dragon Clan's unique teleportation technique to travel to the human world in search of the Shennong Cauldron—but Xiahou Jinxuan's group had uncovered no intel so far.
To restore the demonic realm's water veins, both the Water Spirit Orb and the Shennong Cauldron were essential.
According to the original story, the Shennong Cauldron—along with the Fuxi Sword and Nüwa Blood Jade—were sacred treasures enshrined in Shu Mountain's Xuanguang Hall.
But in this world, Shu Mountain had no Xuanguang Hall. As a result, the whereabouts of the Shennong Cauldron remained a mystery.
No one knew where Long Ming had gone in his search.
Still, given how this world had become a giant crossover, anything missing from the Sword and Fairy universe was bound to show up in another story.
Chu Yang had already figured out that pattern.
The Shennong Cauldron wasn't exclusive to the Sword and Fairy world…
With a guess forming in his heart, Chu Yang was eager to see how and where the cauldron would appear.
As the event wound down, the once-bustling great hall of the sect fell quiet again. Unexpectedly, the Qionghua Sect—despite having almost no ties with Shu Mountain—was still around.
Sect Master Su Yao of Qionghua had waited until most had left before approaching Chu Yang.
She asked to borrow the Water Spirit Orb without explaining its purpose—only saying she would return it after a few days.
But Chu Yang, well-versed in the story, had already guessed her intentions.
The Qionghua Sect worshipped the Celestial Maiden of the Ninth Heaven and was known for their secret sword-forging arts. Over three generations, their elders had poured their hearts into crafting the immortal swords Wangshu and Xihe.
These swords required unique destiny-bound physiques to wield.
Nineteen years ago, led by their 24th sect master, Taiqing Zhenren, the Qionghua Sect used the power of both swords to trap the Illusory Nether Realm and opened a portal into it, intending to siphon its spiritual energy and achieve mass ascension.
As long as they could ascend high enough to reach the heavenly radiance of Kunlun, ordinary mortals could achieve ascension in broad daylight.
It was a beautiful dream…
But the Illusory Nether Realm wasn't going to just sit back and take it. When outsiders invaded, it fought back with everything it had.
Countless demons crossed into the mortal realm through the spatial rift, launching a brutal war. Blood soaked the ground and corpses piled high—the carnage was unimaginable.
At the time, Su Yu, the chosen wielder of Wangshu, couldn't bear the slaughter and refused to continue using her sword to entrap the Illusory Nether Realm.
This war, at its core, stemmed from Qionghua's greed. They had attempted to forcibly seize the realm's power under the pretense of demon-slaying and protecting the Dao.
Su Yu saw through the hypocrisy and refused to compound their mistakes. She fled the sect with her fellow disciple Yuntianqing, carrying Wangshu with her.
After descending the mountain, the two of them took up seclusion on Qingluan Peak and had a child—Yun Tianhe. However, due to the backlash from the frigid energy within the Wangshu Sword, Su Yu passed away shortly after giving birth to him.
Meanwhile, the Xihe Sword's host, Xuanxiao, also suffered a backlash—his body consumed by searing flames. He spiraled into a bloodthirsty frenzy, teetering on the edge of madness.
With no other choice, the elders of the Qionghua Sect sealed him in ice, using the power of cold to ease his suffering and preserve his sanity.
The Water Spirit Pearl that Su Yao sought today was precisely for Xuanxiao. She believed that the Water Spirit Pearl, imbued with the power of water, could suppress the backlash of the Xihe Sword within him.
Chu Yang didn't know whether the Water Spirit Pearl would be effective or not, but faced with Su Yao's request, he chose to refuse her.
The Water Spirit Pearl had already been entrusted to Jiang Cheng and the others—but even if it hadn't, Chu Yang would never use it to save Xuanxiao. The torment of being burned from within by fire was exactly what he deserved.
The Qionghua Sect, in their selfish pursuit of ascension, had committed countless atrocities. Most of the sect, from top to bottom, had already fallen into demonic obsession for the sake of becoming immortals.
Every life lost to their greed was a debt they must bear.
A cold smile curled on Chu Yang's lips.
You want my help?
In your next life, maybe!
Su Yao's face turned extremely unsightly after being rejected. With so many disciples watching, she couldn't find a graceful way out. Her voice tinged with resentment, she said, "The Water Spirit Pearl is a treasure born of heaven and earth—it belongs to no one. Our Qionghua Sect merely seeks to borrow it for a time. Must Sect Leader Chu be so stingy?"
Chu Yang rolled his eyes. "What, you're the manners police? Whether I'm stingy or not—what the hell's it got to do with you?"
Su Yao's face flushed red, then turned pale green with rage—clearly, she was fuming. For the head of a sect to respond with such crude words—how utterly beneath him.
Everyone present, including the disciples of the Qionghua Sect, was stunned by Chu Yang's attitude.
There was clear hostility in his words.
"Sect Leader Chu, with your actions today, are you saying you wish to sever all ties between the Shu Mountain Sect and the Qionghua Sect?"
Seeing that civility wasn't working, Su Yao turned to threats, invoking the relationship between their two sects. While the Qionghua Sect didn't enjoy as much prestige as the Shu Mountain Sect, it was still a major force in the cultivation world, second only to Shu Mountain.
Under normal circumstances, no one would casually choose to offend the Qionghua Sect.
But Chu Yang was not "normal."
"Our paths are fundamentally different," Chu Yang said coolly. "The Shu Mountain Sect slays demons that harm the human world, never engaging in heretical or demonic practices for selfish gain. The Qionghua Sect, on the other hand..."
His frosty words immediately sent shockwaves through the crowd. He had flat-out condemned the Qionghua Sect as heretical and demonic.
To a cultivation sect, that was more than a simple insult—it was a declaration of contempt.
Su Yao exploded with rage. The other disciples of the Qionghua Sect glared daggers at Chu Yang, their fury barely contained. The tension between both sides escalated sharply—one spark, and a fight could break out at any moment.
Xu Changqing immediately stepped forward with a group of disciples.
This was Shu Mountain's territory.
How dare they cause trouble here?!
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