On the surface of the ocean, a small iceberg the size of a room drifted with the waves. Upon that iceberg, Yang Kai sat cross-legged, his heart filled with contentment.
He had found Su Yan and learned that Meng Wuya and his little senior sister were both safe and sound. A tremendous weight had lifted from his shoulders.
Although he hadn't been able to take Su Yan away—leaving her instead at the Ice Sect—Qing Ya and the others would look after her. Su Yan would only grow stronger there, and by the time they met again, she would surely have become even more formidable.
In high spirits, Yang Kai felt no urgency to rush. He rode the iceberg, channeling a trickle of True Yuan to steer it toward his destination.
Now that he had no worries left behind him, his only task was to return to the Heavenly Mist Peak and improve his alchemy as quickly as possible. He needed to refine the sacred pill that could save the Ancient Demon Clan, then venture into the snowy mountains to find the Coffin Slave.
After receiving guidance from Elder Li, Yang Kai's understanding of alchemy had deepened considerably. Refining pills with Divine Sense Fire was far swifter and more convenient than using True Yuan.
Moreover, thanks to a recent soul-merging experience with Su Yan, combined with the insights he had forcibly extracted from other powerful cultivators through the World Extinguishing Demon Eye, he seemed to have gained entirely new realizations.
Sitting atop the iceberg, insight washed over him like a deluge. The profound truths of heaven's way and martial cultivation flashed through his mind like bolts of lightning.
Thoughts intertwined at speeds exceeding light as he comprehended his own Dao, his expression shifting with each passing moment.
The vast ocean stretched endlessly in every direction. Throughout this entire journey, Yang Kai had encountered not a single disturbance. He had forgotten the passage of time, forgotten where he even was, and simply immersed himself in that profound world, growing stronger with each passing moment.
Below the iceberg, massive sea beasts occasionally glided past, but Yang Kai had retracted all of his aura, preventing them from detecting him. Naturally, no trouble arose.
In the sky, clouds gathered and dispersed; beneath his feet, waves rose and fell. The heavens were vast, the sea boundless. For the first time since arriving on the Profound Sky Continent, Yang Kai felt the world was truly beautiful.
After drifting for a month or two, Yang Kai slowly opened his eyes and let out a soft breath, a faint smile surfacing on his face.
This period of insight had significantly boosted his strength, but it had also made him realize just how difficult it was to break through a single layer after reaching the Transcendent Realm.
Every Transcendent cultivator had endured all manner of hardship, teetering on the edge of life and death, fighting through countless battles before they could achieve a cultivation that surpassed mortals.
Those who could manage none of that would live out their days in mediocrity—or perish young.
This deep bout of comprehension had also given Yang Kai a much greater understanding of Divine Sense Fire's uses.
Divine Sense Fire was an altered form of Divine Sense. Whether used for offense or defense, it was far more effective than ordinary Divine Sense, and it could even be used to deceive others.
Yang Kai's Divine Sense was already powerful enough. By leveraging that power to envelop his body, he could feed false information to anyone who probed him—they might even underestimate his true strength, opening the door to unexpected advantages.
After a brief test, Yang Kai found the technique quite handy. All he had to do was restrain his True Yuan circulation and use his Divine Sense power to fabricate a few illusions. That was enough to blind prying eyes.
However, he figured this trick wouldn't fool anyone whose Divine Sense exceeded his own—they would see through the deception in an instant.
On the whole, Yang Kai was quite satisfied with what he had gained.
Standing atop the iceberg, he stretched his limbs and scanned the horizon. All he could see was the boundless ocean—nothing else in any direction.
His face darkened. Not good.
Although he had deliberately avoided sea beasts and unknown dangers during his meditation, he had been so deeply absorbed that he had completely lost his sense of direction.
His original plan had been to return to the Water God Temple first and meet with Shui Ling. She had helped him this time around, and she was one of the few friends Yang Kai actually had. Seeing her in person to express his gratitude was simply proper etiquette.
From there, he could use the Water God Temple as a waypoint and head back to Heavenly Mist Peak.
But now his plans had gone awry.
He stood on the iceberg, brooding for a moment, then collected himself and calmed down.
As long as he could find a living person and ask for directions, everything would sort itself out. With that thought, Yang Kai simply sat back down, watching the churning waves with a tranquil heart.
Under the azure surface of the sea, schools of fish darted past in lively clusters. Sprawling formations of colorful coral also opened Yang Kai's eyes.
Three days later, just as Yang Kai was idly watching clouds drift across the sky, his released spiritual sense suddenly detected life signs encroaching on his alert perimeter.
Yang Kai snapped to attention and rose to his feet, gazing toward the source.
Far off on the ocean surface, a tiny dark speck was passing from the side, some dozens of li away.
It was a great ship. Even from that distance, Yang Kai could make out how extraordinary it was.
These ships that sailed the open sea were no ordinary vessels. They were forged from rare minerals using special techniques, bearing the marks of true Artifacts within them. Their defensive power could rival precious Artifacts themselves—only ships like these could withstand the berserk assaults of sea beasts.