The golden light of the early morning sun broke through the high mountain mist, bathing the central plaza of Imperial Sun City in a soft, ethereal radiance. The crisp morning air carried the faint scent of dew-covered pine needles, mixed with the rich, aromatic smoke rising from the tea houses and breakfast stalls opening along the perimeter of the plaza.
At the very center of the vast stone square stood a massive, elevated docking platform constructed from heavy blocks of white granite and reinforced with intricate brass array runes. Suspended three hundred feet directly above the platform, anchored to four colossal stone pillars by thick, glowing spirit-chains, was the Floating Cloud—the legendary flagship galleon of the Central Merchant League.
The vessel was a breathtaking marvel of ancient engineering and spirit-crafting. Over two hundred feet in length, its hull was forged from dark, light-weight Shadow-Cedar wood, reinforced with bands of polished brass and protective silver runes. Massive, multi-layered spirit-sails made of shimmering woven silk hung from its three high masts, gathering the ambient atmospheric Qi like giant, glowing webs. Below the main deck, four colossal bronze turbine arrays hummed with a low, resonant vibration, keeping the immense ship perfectly stable in the high mountain winds.
A wide, carpeted gangway—suspended by glowing levitation arrays—extended smoothly from the central docking platform up to the grand reception deck of the galleon.
At the base of the platform, standing in crisp formation, were fifty elite guards of the Central Merchant League, dressed in pristine white-and-gold scale armor with drawn ceremonial halberds. The surrounding square was packed with hundreds of local merchants, minor clan leaders, and curious citizens who had gathered to witness the departure of the flagship.
Standing at the front of the reception line was Vice-President Lin Xuan himself. He wore his finest sweeping robes of deep royal purple silk, his hair bound neatly with a high jade crown. Beside him stood his chief steward and three high-ranking merchant elders, all wearing expressions of utmost solemnity and quiet anticipation.
"Vice-President," the chief steward whispered, leaning in slightly while eyeing the crowd. "All cargo holds have been sealed, and the spirit-core engine is forty percent primed. We are set to depart on schedule in half an hour. Should we begin boarding the secondary passage holders?"
Lin Xuan raised his hand smoothly, stopping the steward mid-sentence. His sharp, refined eyes remained fixed on the wide avenue leading from the western hill district.
"No," Lin Xuan said calmly, his voice firm and unwavering. "Until Senior Li arrives, no one steps foot on the gangway. The reception deck is reserved exclusively for his arrival."
The steward bowed his head respectfully. "Understood, Vice-President."
A soft hush slowly swept across the crowded plaza. The chatter of the onlookers died down into a quiet, reverent murmur as the sea of people automatically parted, creating a wide, open corridor through the center of the square.
Walking smoothly down the paved avenue was a towering figure in a simple, unadorned dark coat. Across his broad back rested a massive heavy blade, tightly bound in dark cloth and secured with tough leather thongs. His dark, abyssal eyes looked straight ahead, containing an absolute, mountain-like tranquility that seemed to settle the chaotic air around him.
Holding his broad right hand was Xiao-Yue. She wore her neat lavender tunic, her silver hair ribbons fluttering in the morning breeze. She walked with light, bouncy steps, her small left hand tightly clutching her wrapped pink lotus lantern, while her small leather backpack was strapped securely to her shoulders.
As the pair approached the docking platform, the atmosphere in the plaza grew visibly heavier. Every cultivator present—from Stage-1 guards to Stage-3 clan elders—felt an instinctual, subtle pressure in their chests. It was not an aggressive aura, but rather the natural, overwhelming presence of a true sovereign who possessed the power to shatter the sky with a single sweep of his blade.
Lin Xuan's eyes brightened instantly. He straightened his purple robes, stepped down from the raised dais, and walked briskly forward to meet them at the base of the platform.
When he reached three paces from Li-Wen, Lin Xuan stopped, cupped his hands together, and bowed deeply in a formal, ninety-degree salute of absolute respect.
"Greetings, Senior Li!" Lin Xuan spoke, his voice clear, warm, and echoing across the quiet plaza. "The Central Merchant League is deeply honored by your presence. The Floating Cloud has been fully prepared for your arrival."
Li-Wen stopped smoothly, his dark eyes resting on the bowing Vice-President.
"Vice-President Lin," Li-Wen replied, his low voice steady and calm. "You have gone to great lengths."
Lin Xuan raised his head with a humble, respectful smile. "For a master of Senior's caliber, no effort is too great. Please, allow me to escort you and the young lady to the grand cabin."
Lin Xuan turned slightly and gestured toward the wide, levitating gangway. He then looked down at Xiao-Yue, his expression softening into a gentle, friendly smile. "Young Lady Xiao-Yue, I have personally ordered the ship's head chef to prepare a plate of the Central Capital's finest honey-glazed cloud-apples for your morning snack."
Xiao-Yue's dark eyes lit up with pure delight. She looked up at Li-Wen, her small face filled with eager expectation. "Brother Li-Wen, cloud-apples! Can I try them?"
A faint, almost imperceptible trace of approval touched the corner of Li-Wen's lips. He patted her small head gently. "After we settle inside."
"Yay!" Xiao-Yue giggled softly, holding Li-Wen's hand tighter as they stepped onto the glowing gangway.
As the three figures ascended the levitating walkway toward the sky, the surrounding crowds below bowed low in unison. The local clan leaders stood in awe, watching the man who had humbled the arrogant Overlord Sect in a single day depart into the clouds like a true, untouchable immortal.
The interior of the Floating Cloud was a display of unimaginable luxury and sophisticated array architecture.
While the outer body of the ship was built for high-altitude resistance and speed, the grand deck was lined with elegant carved wooden pavilions, marble walkways, and small, enclosed courtyard gardens nourished by soft, artificial sunlight.
Lin Xuan led Li-Wen and Xiao-Yue past the main reception halls, moving directly toward the highest tier of the ship—the Sovereign Cloud Suite.
This exclusive pavilion occupied the entire upper stern of the ship, completely isolated from the lower passenger decks. The main living chamber was spacious and airy, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows made of crystalline spirit-glass that provided a sweeping, two-hundred-degree view of the vast sky and mountains below.
The floor was covered in plush, snow-white fur carpets imported from the northern wilderness. In the corner sat a large, carved jade table loaded with fresh, glowing spiritual fruits, vintage tea sets, and a plate of crisp, golden cloud-apples that emitted a sweet, mouth-watering aroma.
A Grade-4 Tranquil-Mind Array was embedded directly into the polished wooden ceiling, filtering the air into an exceptionally pure, high-density stream of spiritual Qi that made one feel refreshed with every single breath.
"Senior Li," Lin Xuan said, presenting a small, golden master-talisman on a velvet tray. "This is the control key for the Sovereign Suite. Once activated, the external isolation array will seal this entire section. No passenger, crew member, or guard can approach within fifty yards without your explicit permission."
Li-Wen reached out and picked up the golden talisman, feeling its cool, dense spatial resonance. He nodded faintly. "You have done well, Vice-President Lin."
Lin Xuan bowed once more. "The journey to the Central Imperial Capital will take approximately five days across the Cloud-Pass Mountains. During this time, I shall remain on the secondary bridge. If Senior requires anything—whether rare herbs, specialized information, or adjustments to the route—you need only send a divine thought through this talisman."
"Understood," Li-Wen said.
"Then I shall take my leave and allow Senior and the young lady to rest," Lin Xuan said smoothly. He gave a small, polite nod to Xiao-Yue before backing out of the suite, the heavy shadow-cedar doors sliding shut silently behind him.
CLICK.
Li-Wen channelled a tiny sliver of his Frost Qi into the golden talisman.
Instantly, a faint, translucent blue barrier flared around the perimeter of the suite, completely sealing off all sound, vibration, and spiritual probing from the outside world. The grand chamber fell into an absolute, luxurious serenity.
"WOW!"
The moment the doors sealed, Xiao-Yue kicked off her small embroidered slippers and sprinted across the soft, white fur carpet toward the massive spirit-glass windows. She pressed her hands and small nose against the clear glass, her big eyes wide with unbridled amazement and joy.
"Brother Li-Wen! Look! The houses are turning into tiny ants!" she squealed in excitement.
Outside the window, the four colossal spirit-chains anchoring the galleon to the stone pillars released with heavy, echoing CLANGs.
The four massive bronze turbine arrays beneath the hull roared to life, emitting a deep, musical hum. The giant silk spirit-sails expanded fully, catching the high-altitude air currents as the colossal ship smoothly rose higher and higher into the blue sky.
Imperial Sun City—its grey stone walls, grand avenues, and the distant western hill district—rapidly shrank beneath them, turning into a tiny, toy-like arrangement of wooden blocks set against the vast, dark-green expanse of the mountain ranges.
Li-Wen walked over smoothly, standing beside Xiao-Yue by the glass window. His tall frame cast a long, protective shadow over her small figure as he looked down at the disappearing border city.
This small, isolated town had been their temporary resting place—the place where he had fully unsealed the first phase of his ancestral heritage and shattered the regional dominance of the Overlord Sect. Now, it was slipping away into the mountain mist behind them.
"Is it pretty?" Li-Wen asked softly, his low voice echoing gently in the quiet room.
"It's so pretty!" Xiao-Yue nodded happily, pointing down at a winding white thread below. "Look, Brother Li-Wen! That's the mountain pass where the noisy old man was! It looks like a tiny white string now!"
She then turned around, hopped over to the jade table, and picked up one of the crisp, golden cloud-apples. She took a tiny, careful bite, her eyes lighting up with happiness as the sweet, spiritual juice melted on her tongue.
"Mmm! It's super sweet!" She held up the fruit toward Li-Wen with both hands. "Brother Li-Wen, take a bite!"
Li-Wen looked down at the glowing golden fruit, then at her bright, innocent face. He reached out, took a small bite from the side, feeling the refreshing, low-grade spiritual energy dissolve smoothly in his mouth.
"It is good," Li-Wen said faintly.
Xiao-Yue giggled with delight, happily munched on her apple, and then settled onto a soft silk cushion by the window, watching the clouds drift past the high-altitude glass like giant, fluffy mounds of cotton.
While Xiao-Yue enjoyed her sweet snack and the breathtaking view, Li-Wen stepped toward the center of the suite.
He sat down cross-legged on a raised wooden platform carpeted in thick fur. With a unhurried sweep of his sleeve, his broad, wrapped blade materialized across his lap, its dark cloth binding resting heavily against his dark coat.
Li-Wen closed his dark eyes, entering a state of deep, inner meditation.
Inside his dantian, the vast ocean of northern frost energy was circulating with flawless, rhythmic precision. The Ancestral Northern Rune Slab stored within his spatial ring pulsed faintly in harmony with his heartbeat, continuously feeding subtle, refined strands of ancient northern Qi into his meridians.
His foundation at the Stage-4 Peak had completely stabilized. The violent energy from the previous battles had been thoroughly digested and turned into pure, crystalline blade-intent that resided deep within his bones.
However, as the spirit-galleon pierced through the upper cloud layers, heading east toward the vast central continent, Li-Wen's divine perception expanded far beyond the hull of the ship.
His keen, refined senses swept through the surrounding cloud banks, feeling the rushing mountain winds, the atmospheric pressure, and the vast, empty expanse of the high sky.
The Central Imperial Capital... Li-Wen thought, his eyes remaining closed as his consciousness merged with the flow of the wind.
He knew that leaving Imperial Sun City was merely stepping out of a small pond and entering a deep, turbulent ocean. The Central Capital was the heart of the empire's power—a place where ancient aristocratic clans, sovereign sects, and royal powerhouses competed for absolute dominance.
There, a Stage-4 Peak master was formidable, but no longer unrivaled. True Stage-5 Martial Sovereigns held absolute authority, and ancient secrets lay buried beneath centuries of royal intrigue.
Moreover, Xiao-Yue's awakening Fire-Lotus bloodline would become increasingly difficult to conceal as her power grew. The rare, pure fire energy radiating from her tiny body would inevitably draw the attention of predatory alchemists and ancient factions seeking rare physiques.
Li-Wen slowly opened his dark eyes. A cold, brilliant star-like glint of divine frost blade-intent flared deep within his pupils before vanishing into the abyssal blackness.
He reached out his broad right hand, his fingers lightly brushing against the dark cloth wrapping of his heavy blade.
It did not matter how many ancient clans existed in the Central Capital. It did not matter if Stage-5 Sovereigns stood in his path. As long as his blade remained in his hand, he would carve a safe, unyielding path through any storm that dared to touch the small, warm light in his life.
Outside the crystalline window, the Floating Cloud sped smoothly through the high heavens, cutting through giant waves of white mist like a sharp silver arrow, carrying the two travelers toward the center of the continent as the morning sun climbed high into the clear blue sky.
See you in next chapter...