There was no doubt that the largest inland river on the entire Yulan Continent was the Yulan River. It entered from the North Sea, and its main channel ran through the O'Brien Empire, the Yulan Empire, the Loro Empire, and the Rhine Empire. Some of its tributaries spread across virtually every region of the four great empires.
It could be said that the Yulan River had nurtured more than half of all humanity on the Yulan Continent.
"What a vast river." Lin Lei sat on the deck of a large tower ship, gazing at the endless, surging waters of the Yulan River all around him, his heart filled with awe.
This tower ship was one Lin Lei had hired directly.
For ten thousand gold coins, it would take him straight to the river port closest to Chi'er Prefecture City. That port was less than a hundred li from Chi'er Prefecture City.
In Lin Lei's words, if he continued along the normal route, who knew how many assassination attempts he would face along the way. It was far better to hire a tower ship and sail southward down the Yulan River with the current…
The tower ship had been an impulse on Lin Lei's part. He didn't believe everyone aboard would be Lady Windde's people. After all, around Blackstone City, Lady Windde's influence didn't reach that far.
"Brother Lei." Jenny emerged from the cabin.
The wind at the center of the river channel was strong, blowing Jenny's long dress and hair. She smiled at Lin Lei as she walked over and sat down on the deck beside him. "Brother Lei, I was saying I'd pay ten thousand gold coins to hire you." Jenny said this with a hint of embarrassment.
To Jenny and Keenan, ten thousand gold coins was already a vast sum.
But who could have expected that Lin Lei would go ahead and hire an entire tower ship? The rental price of such a large vessel was extremely steep. For the distance from Blackstone City to Chi'er Prefecture City alone, it cost ten thousand gold coins. And that was only because the other party had seen the black panther beside Lin Lei and, out of respect for a powerhouse of his caliber, given a heavily discounted price.
Lin Lei's commission was supposed to be "ten thousand gold coins," and he had only collected a single gold coin so far. But he had already spent ten thousand gold coins. No wonder Jenny felt a little embarrassed. She and her brother wanted to pay, but they simply didn't have the money.
"Jenny, don't you think the scenery here is beautiful?" Lin Lei stood and walked to the front of the deck, where iron chains lined the edges.
Lin Lei rested his hand on one of the chains and looked around.
The surging waters of the Yulan River stretched tens of thousands of li. At its widest, it was several li across; at its narrowest, still hundreds of meters wide. This was the "Mother River" of the entire Yulan Continent — who knew how many lives it had nurtured. The recorded history of the Yulan Continent already spanned hundreds of thousands of years.
"This Yulan River must have existed for at least several hundred thousand years."
Watching the torrential waters, Lin Lei couldn't help but imagine the scenes of hundreds of thousands of years past. Gazing upon this vast river, his heart and mind expanded considerably.
"People and nations of hundreds of thousands of years ago have long since crumbled to dust and ceased to exist. Compared to the rise and fall of dynasties and empires throughout history, personal grudges seem so insignificant."
Facing the boundless river, Lin Lei felt a special kind of clarity.
"Today, six colossal powers stand upon the Yulan Continent — the four great empires, the Church of Light, and the Church of Darkness." Lin Lei's heart was calm as still water.
From childhood, his goal had been to fulfill his father's wishes and to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.
After his father's death, his entire spirit had plunged into darkness — a path of revenge, a path of slaughter… Along the way, he had also lost Grandpa Derinkoort.
Three years of bitter training in the Magic Beast Mountain Range had naturally cleansed his soul, transforming him completely — like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
"Only by reaching the pinnacle of cultivation can I achieve my goals. The Church of Light, that colossal power — didn't it choose to retreat when it faced Di Lin, the king of the Magic Beast Mountain Range?"
Lin Lei's heart brimmed with absolute confidence.
"Someday, I will reach that pinnacle too." He gazed at the surging river, ambition swelling within him.
The captain steering the tower ship was quite relaxed. Although the Yulan River's current was swift, it was far safer than the open sea. He was even casually chatting with the sailors beside him.
"Hey, did you see that black panther?" the captain said proudly. "That's a magic beast, mark my words. Before long, my son will tame a magic beast too."
"Captain, that's a leopard-type magic beast. You think your kid can handle one?" the sailors teased. The gap in status between a captain and a sailor wasn't really that great — they were all just men making a living on the water.
The captain sighed wistfully. "High-level magic beast… I really admire those powerhouses. Remember last year? When I went to the Imperial Capital, I saw the War God Sect recruiting honorary disciples. Man, you have no idea — there were so many powerhouses! Some riding massive magic beasts, others piloting flying magic beasts… They all rushed over to fight for that single spot. Those battles — when those experts moved, all I could see were afterimages. Too fast, way too fast."
The sailors all began boasting about the experts they had seen.
In the O'Brien Empire, nearly every child dreamed of becoming a powerhouse from a young age, and joining the War God Sect was the ultimate goal.
Lin Lei sat cross-legged on the deck, letting the fierce wind blow over him. The Blacksteel Heavy Sword rested across his legs. He closed his eyes and quietly felt the majesty of the Yulan River.
"The Momentum of Heaven, the Momentum of the Earth, the Momentum of endless rivers and seas." Lin Lei's soul merged completely with the wind. He could even sense the vast riverbed at the bottom of the Yulan River, and the boundless earth stretching out around it.
Naturally, he could also feel the rapid current.
The tower ship sailed downstream. Along the way, it anchored several times so passengers could eat and rest. But Lin Lei remained seated cross-legged on the deck, not eating a single meal.
In the blink of an eye, six days passed.
"Sister, is Brother Lei all right? He hasn't eaten or drunk anything." Keenan pointed at Lin Lei, who sat cross-legged on the deck, and asked Jenny with concern.
Jenny was worried too. She shook her head helplessly. "I don't know either. But Bei Bei won't let us get close to him."
"Don't worry about it," the tower ship's captain said, walking over with a grin. "Those top-tier powerhouses aren't like us ordinary folk. In front of them, even a ten-thousand-zhang cliff can't stop their stride — not even an army of a million could hope to hold them back. I've heard that some powerhouses go without food or drink for months while meditating. At their level, going months without eating is completely normal." The captain said "normal," but there was a hint of envy in his eyes.
Jenny and Keenan stared, even more astonished.
"Could it really be so?"
Just then, a murmuring voice rang out. Jenny, Keenan, and the tower ship's captain all turned to look — and what they saw made them jump in shock.