Chapter 78: The Bait!

There was one ship that stood out as particularly unique—a streamlined warship crafted entirely from silver metal, exuding a strong aura of advanced technology. Its design was so distinct from the other vessels that Zhou Tian needed no further confirmation; it was unmistakably from the Kingdom of Devices.

People nearby were all casting glances at Zhou Tian’s group.

“The Grand Tournament of the Eight Provinces is about to begin again,” someone murmured. The tournament was no secret; those who had lived long in the Heavenly Pass were all well aware of it.

“The Forsaken Land is about to become their hunting ground once more!” declared a battle-worn warrior who had just descended from one of the ancient ships. His armor was tattered, and a scar ran from his brow to the wing of his nose, pulsing with mysterious power—one that could not be healed by his own strength.

As they approached the ancient ship belonging to the Heavenly Qin, a tasseled streamer drifted down to form a staircase leading directly to the deck.

Zhou Ying led the way, and the group boarded the ancient ship.

“Second Brother, where are the others?” Zhou Tian glanced around but could not spot Tian Ling, so he asked.

“Zhou Yan and Wu Peihong, along with Wei Chuan, went to gather the rest. They should be here soon,” Zhou Ying replied from the prow, watching the streams of people below.

More and more people boarded the other ancient ships as well. Zhou Tian recognized very few of them, except for some from the Da Luo Academy—Zi Qing, Tie Niu, and several others who had followed Jun Feng to cause trouble for them previously.

Among the Kingdom of Devices’ delegation was also a familiar face—a striking young woman in a black, form-fitting combat suit that perfectly outlined her graceful figure, attracting many admiring glances. She had been the first to fall in the elite competition, which left a deep impression on Zhou Tian.

“Why not wait for the beast to pass before setting out? Isn’t it still dangerous to go now?” Sun Zhu asked during the wait, his eyes glinting with a strange light as if he were speculating about something.

“That beast is still some distance away from us. If we keep waiting, unforeseen changes might occur,” Zhou Ying replied coolly, her face expressionless.

It was a forced and perfunctory answer.

Even Zhou Tian could tell Zhou Ying’s words were an excuse, let alone Sun Zhu. However, instead of pressing further, Sun Zhu simply exchanged a meaningful glance with Zhang Yi—a silent, enigmatic communication passing between them.

Zhou Tian and Zhou Zui also exchanged looks. Zhou Tian didn’t understand what Zhou Zui meant, but Zhou Zui seemed to comprehend the unspoken message in Zhou Tian’s eyes, nodding approvingly. Zhou Tian could only nod back in pretended understanding.

After another quarter of an hour, Zhou Yan arrived with eight others. Tian Ling was among them, as were Zi Xu of the Haotian Sect and the young boy; the rest were strangers to Zhou Tian.

Zhou Yan boarded and stood beside Zhou Ying, his hands clasped behind his back, saying nothing as he stared out at the vast, raging void storm.

Something was wrong—terribly wrong. Zhou Tian felt more uneasy than ever. What was truly happening this time? It was the first time he had seen such an expression on Zhou Yan’s face.

“Zhou Tian, what’s going on?” Tian Ling approached, her brows slightly furrowed, worry written on her face.

“It’s nothing—just a void beast passing through, so the schedule was moved up,” Zhou Tian reassured her. The others Zhou Yan had brought did not question him further; the difference in status was too great, and they had to weigh their words carefully.

Soon, Wu Peihong and Wei Chuan arrived with the remaining group, including the ethereal Zhexian, whose presence outshone even the most talented of their generation, leaving Nan Qing in his shadow.

With everyone aboard, the Heavenly Qin’s delegation was finally complete. Zhou Tian counted sixty-three youths in all, the outstanding talents of their generation.

As soon as they boarded, people naturally formed small groups of three to five, creating little cliques throughout the ship.

Although the Heavenly Qin contingent had gathered, the other factions’ members had not yet all arrived. After another short wait, Worman brought the last group aboard the Kingdom of Devices’ warship. At that moment, all the ancient ships began to glow faintly. The beast-hide sails on their three masts unfurled, runes lighting up their surfaces, and a divine shield rose to envelop them.

The hulls trembled gently and began to lift off. The silver patterns on their surfaces shone, and with a clatter, rune-forged chains extended, linking the seven ancient ships and the warship together in a complex formation that set off toward the boundless continent ahead.

As the Eight Provinces’ expedition set forth, some people outside the Heavenly Pass produced statues from their robes—some depicted twelve-winged arbiters, others demons wreathed in infernal flames, each unique.

But what they all shared was a look of fervent devotion as they murmured to themselves:

“Our Father, who art in heaven…”

“The Destroyer of the Old Days…”

And so forth.

Deep within the Heavenly Pass, eight Wardens watched this scene through crystal, their gazes cold and sharp. As expected, remnants of the ancient divine realm were stirring up trouble.

“The great ones are all watching. This time, we must uproot them completely!” declared the Warden of the Kingdom of Devices with fierce determination. Ever since their defeat in ancient times, these people had been hiding like rats, causing mischief from the shadows.

“This time, they must have made preparations. We cannot take them lightly,” the Warden of the Fools cautioned.

“With the Heavenly Pass here, how much of a storm can they possibly raise?” remarked Daoist Mingzhen, the Warden representing the Daoist League.

“We just need to wait for the masterminds to show themselves. With all the youth of the Eight Provinces as bait, we’ll see what sort of monstrous fish we can catch,” said Lord Wen, his words revealing their intention to use Zhou Tian and the others as bait.

In the midst of the void—

Once the ancient ships set sail, Zhou Yan instructed everyone to enter the cabins. There was nothing to see outside in the midst of the void storm, and standing on deck served no purpose.

The saying “distant mountains tire out horses” fit perfectly here—the Forsaken Land seemed close, but its sheer size was deceiving. Despite the speed of the ancient ships, it would take a full week to traverse the void storm and reach their destination.

In a certain mysterious place within the endless void storm—

“They’ve set out,” a majestic voice resounded, accompanied by a blinding light. Six immense wings spread wide, holy radiance flowing around, and countless divine kingdoms floated, the sound of chanting echoing through the void.

“All is prepared,” said a figure shrouded in a black robe, the sound of flowing water accompanying his arrival. Muddy, turbid river water streamed from his feet into the void, and fiery-red flowers of the other shore bloomed along the riverbank, utterly unaffected by the raging void storm.

“They will pay for what they did to us—sooner or later!” said another voice, resonating clearly through the void storm, though no further vision appeared.

No one replied, and no further sound was heard.

The light faded, the flowers withered, and the void once again fell into silence.