Chapter 0678 Sky Island Sword City

Chapter 0678: Floating Isle Sword City

Bao Changshou hurriedly stepped out of the cabin and onto the deck.

Qin Yun and the others followed, only to see a massive black ship emitting thick dark fumes not far away.

Both ships were protected by shields, so despite the collision, neither vessel sustained damage.

Seeing the sinister aura emanating from the ship, Bao Changshou’s expression turned grave. "That’s a ship from the Demon Wasteland’s Demon Gate!"

In the Demon Wasteland, only the most powerful demon sects could possess such an impressive vessel.

"So what if we did?" A yellow-haired elder on the ship sneered. "Who told you to sail ahead of us? Geezer, we rammed you on purpose!"

Bao Changshou’s face darkened, and he clenched his fists tightly.

Jian Ruyan whispered, "Sect Master, let’s take them out!"

"I am Bao Changshou, the Sect Master of the Immortal Armament City! I’ll give you one chance—apologize sincerely, and I’ll let this matter slide!" Bao Changshou declared.

"I’m from the Totem Pavilion. Who do you think you are? Some nobody!" The yellow-haired elder mocked. "Though the Immortal Armament City is famous, you’re just an insignificant figure!"

Bao Changshou was furious. As the Sect Master of the Immortal Armament City, he was now being openly provoked by a demon sect.

"Then die!"

Bao Changshou suddenly summoned a massive bell engulfed in flames and hurled it into the air.

*Clang!*

The bell trembled, releasing a deafening chime.

As the sound waves spread, a blazing pillar of fire surged from the sky, crashing down onto the black ship.

Bao Changshou’s sudden attack took the enemy by surprise. The black ship was struck by the flames and cleaved in two.

*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The ship was instantly engulfed in raging flames, triggering a series of explosions.

"Beast oil!" Qin Yun exclaimed. "That ship was carrying a large amount of beast oil!"

The massive black flying ship, stretching over a kilometer long, was instantly destroyed by Bao Changshou.

Notably, the item Bao Changshou had unleashed was a Celestial Artifact.

The people aboard the ship, trapped in the inferno, had no chance to escape.

The fragmented wreckage plummeted to the ground, and the spilled beast oil ignited the land below into a sea of fire.

Many fiends aboard the ship howled in agony within the flames.

The yellow-haired elder who had provoked Bao Changshou bolted in terror, unable to believe that the Sect Master of the Immortal Armament City would dare destroy their ship.

"They were transporting beast oil, probably to the Mystic Rune Hall, right?" Bao Changshou chuckled as he watched the remnants of the ship in the sky. "Those Totem Pavilion scum are used to bullying their way through the Demon Wasteland. They’ve forgotten who they’re dealing with now that they’re in the Spirit Wasteland!"

The Totem Pavilion was also Qin Yun’s old enemy. It was said to be among the mightiest demon sects in the Demon Wasteland.

"Sect Leader, why didn’t you just take down that old man with yellow hair?" Jian Ruyan said. "With your strength, you could definitely defeat him!"

"I let him escape on purpose so he could warn the Totem Pavilion! Didn’t he say I was nobody? Now I’m going to make my reputation known!"

Since taking over as Sect Leader, Bao Changshou had indeed kept a low profile—only the older disciples recognized him.

Now, to establish his authority as Sect Leader, he needed to demonstrate his strength.

Just now, those from the Totem Pavilion had dared to provoke him openly.

"If it were the Patriarch being provoked, he’d do the same!" Jian Ruyan chuckled.

"No, no—if Jian Shitian were provoked like that, he’d probably march right into the Totem Pavilion and force them to apologize! I admit I’m not as strong as Jian Shitian, so I can’t go that far," Bao Changshou laughed.

Qin Yun said, "Sect Leader, the direction that ship was heading seems to be the same as ours. Could they also be going to the Martial Arts Championship?"

Jian Ruyan frowned. "Even if the Sword Immortal Pavilion needed a large amount of beast oil, they would never buy it from the Totem Pavilion! Many major forces in Spirit Barrens only trade with demonic sects covertly. Such a big transaction wouldn’t be done so brazenly!"

"They might be going to cause trouble!" Bao Changshou gazed into the distance. "I’ve heard rumors that several powerful demonic sects will be making trouble at this Martial Arts Championship."

"The Martial Arts Championship is being held at the Sword Immortal Pavilion. Would those demonic sects really dare to cause trouble there? That’s suicide!"

Jian Ruyan knew the Sword Immortal Pavilion well and found the idea impossible.

"It was the Mystic Pattern Hall’s invitation! Because the Mystic Pattern Hall agreed to Jian Shitian’s request to host the championship at the Sword Immortal Pavilion, Jian Shitian had to agree to some of their conditions in return," Bao Changshou explained. "So, those demonic sects were most likely invited by the Mystic Pattern Hall!"

"It’s just a Martial Arts Championship—why does the Mystic Pattern Hall care so much?" Qin Yun found it hard to understand.

Bao Changshou shook his head. "The Martial Arts Championship isn’t that simple! The Mystic Pattern Hall is only responsible for organizing it, but behind the scenes, it’s actually masterminded by the Nine Sun Sect!"

The Nine Sun Sect!

Qin Yun hadn’t heard anyone mention them in a long time. Back in Wuhuang, many people from the Nine Sun Sect had appeared, but they later went to Spirit Barrens and disappeared without a word.

"In Spirit Barrens, the region we’re in is called the Materal Realm, and there are two other regions—the Mystic Realm and the Ancient Realm. The Nine Sun Sect is at the center of the Mystic Realm, ruling over it, and they are also the most powerful force within the Mystic Pattern Hall!"

"Many years ago, they were active in the Mortal Realm as well. After establishing the Mystic Pattern Hall, they withdrew to the Mystic Realm," Bao Changshou said.

Earlier, Wu Mingxu had come to see Qin Yun, saying he wanted to explore the Mystic Realm of Spirit Barrens, but then he vanished without a trace.

"So, those from the Nine Sun Sect must be incredibly strong. If they come here, would they subjugate the immortal sects?" Qin Yun asked worriedly.

"Though they are powerful, seizing control of the immortal sects in the Mortal Realm would require heavy losses! The reason they don’t operate in the Mortal Realm is because the immortal sects have grown strong and are no longer under their control... However, we immortal sects have always kept connections with them," Bao Changshou explained. "The growth of the major immortal sects was also supported by the Nine Sun Sect!"

Qin Yun had heard before that many major forces and great families in Spirit Barrens had deep ties with the Nine Sun Sect.

"But what’s so important about the Martial Arts Championship? Winning first place awards a Divine Art, given by the Mystic Pattern Hall—that’s all!" Qin Yun said. "Why does the Mystic Pattern Hall care so much?"

"Qin Yun, if we win first place in the Martial Arts Championship, we’ll gain influence over the Mystic Pattern Hall! Over the years, most first-place winners have been factions within the Mystic Pattern Hall, followed by the Sword Immortal Pavilion."

"The Mystic Pattern Hall was formed by multiple powerful forces, who then selected stewards to manage it."

"Now, those stewards have grown increasingly powerful and want to marginalize the other factions to take full control of the Mystic Pattern Hall! But they fear being purged, so they proposed this Martial Arts Championship—if the disciples they send win first place, they will gain governing authority over the Mystic Pattern Hall."

Bao Changshou slowly recounted these underlying power struggles.

Qin Yun hadn’t realized the Martial Arts Championship was so mired in politics, but he suspected there was even more to it.

"As for exactly how things will unfold, I don’t know—because our Immortal Armament City has never won before. So, it’s up to you all!" Bao Changshou gave a wry chuckle.

"Sect Leader, rest assured—we will definitely help Celestial Armory City claim first place this time!" Jian Ruyan said confidently.

"Yan," Qin Yun chuckled, "didn't you say I wasn't as good as Jian Nanhu?"

Jian Ruyan huffed and stormed into the cabin.

...

The Flying Ship soared for two days before finally arriving at the Sword-Immortal Pavilion.

The Sword-Immortal Pavilion was a colossal floating island, suspended more than ten thousand meters above ground. Breathtaking when viewed from a distance, it was an awe-inspiring sight.

Earlier, Jian Ruyan had explained that the floating island was extremely mysterious—existing since ancient times. It contained arcane stones deep within its structure that allowed it to hover in midair.

On the island stood a massive city called Sword City, rivalling the size of Celestial Armory City. At its center lay a sprawling mountain estate—the Sword-Immortal Pavilion.

The Flying Ship could only dock at the edge of the floating island, unable to enter due to the powerful protective barrier surrounding it.

After disembarking, they boarded a cramped skiff sent by the Pavilion, flying toward the central estate.

They packed into the tiny boat, which carried over twenty people and moved rather slowly.

"The Sword-Immortal Pavilion is so cheap!" Qin Yun muttered. "Sending such a small thing to pick us up!"

Not only Qin Yun felt this way—Jian Ruyan agreed too. Others likely shared their thoughts but dared not speak them aloud with Jian Ruyan present.

The middle-aged man from the Pavilion steering the skiff quickly explained, "Originally we had many large VIP ships, but they were all borrowed by the Arcane Hall. They promised to return them these past two days, but haven’t yet."

"The *Arcane Hall*?" Bao Changshou frowned slightly. "*Why* did they borrow them?"

"I don’t know!" the man shook his head.

"Those Arcane Hall bastards are rotten to the core—why lend them anything?" Jian Ruyan snapped irritably.

"The Sword-Immortal Pavilion must have made some arrangement with them," Bao Changshou mused. "Not everyone in the Arcane Hall is bad—there are a few decent ones."

"What use is a few decent ones? The leadership consists of scoundrels!"

Jian Ruyan had once been harassed by an immortal disciple from the Arcane Hall, leaving her with no goodwill toward them.

Back in Wuhuang Town, Qin Yun had learned that most of the Arcane Hall’s leadership were villains, with only a few exceptions.

"The VIP ships are back!" the middle-aged man suddenly exclaimed, looking up at the sky in delight.

Indeed, the VIP ships were massive—some stretching up to hundreds of meters long, while the skiff Qin Yun and the others were crammed into was barely ten meters in length.

The VIP ships streaked through the sky, swiftly overtaking them.

Before long, Bao Changshou led Qin Yun and the group out of the Sword-Immortal Estate.

"Magic Warriors... The VIP ships were actually sent to pick up Magic Warriors!"

Jian Ruyan, seeing the sinister aura radiating from those disembarking, snapped in disgust.