Chapter 456 - 409: Sudden Change (Part 2)

Chapter 456: Chapter 409: Sudden Change (Part 2)

Seeing the black Spiritual Vessel, Zhao Lin’s heart sank. ’This is bad!’

Spiritual Vessels were a common sight in the Cloud Layer, but to avoid collisions, they had to follow the same rules of the road as ground-based carriages. Two vessels should never be this close.

Following another vessel so closely was a clear sign of ill intent.

Through the swirling mist, three masked cultivators could be seen on the black Spiritual Vessel. Suddenly, the one in the center raised a hand and cast an array art toward the vessel.

BANG!

An electric light flashed from the bow of the attacker’s vessel. Dozens of Array Patterns lit up at once as Spiritual Qi gathered frantically, rapidly condensing into a massive white orb of light.

This was the telltale sign of an offensive Array gathering power for an imminent attack!

Tang Zhengquan also noticed and immediately turned the bow, trying to dodge to the right.

But it was too late. The Spiritual Vessel was already locked on. At such close range, escape was impossible.

With a deafening BOOM, the black Spiritual Vessel fired the white orb of light. It ruthlessly slammed into the rear of the cargo vessel, blasting a corner of its stern clean off.

The defensive Array failed in an instant. Like a kite with its string cut, the Spiritual Vessel wobbled and plummeted toward the ground.

After landing the hit, the black Spiritual Vessel didn’t give chase. Instead, it ascended and made a beeline for the Hongyan Talisman.

The Hongyan Talisman sensed the danger and sped away.

The image from the talisman grew increasingly blurry before cutting to black.

Zhao Lin set down the fragmented talisman, his face grim and silent.

"Shopkeeper Zhao, I saw the Han Chi County emblem on the vessel that was shot down. I take it that Spiritual Vessel belongs to your shop, correct?"

Wei Zongchuan read his expression and knew he was right, but he asked for confirmation nonetheless.

"It is."

Zhao Lin nodded in confirmation. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and quickly run through the events in his mind. "Elder Wei," he asked, "when did you receive the Hongyan Talisman?"

Wei Zongchuan thought for a moment. "About half an hour ago. I sent for you as soon as I finished watching."

Zhao Lin had already regained his composure, his thoughts clearing. "I returned to Han Chi County at the start of the year and I recognize the location of the incident. It’s about three hundred li from here."

"Given the Hongyan Talisman’s speed, it would have taken about a quarter of an hour to get here. That means the attack happened no more than an hour ago."

He then stood, bowed to Wei Zongchuan, and said, "I implore you to help, Master Wei."

The priority now was to find the crashed Spiritual Vessel. If Tang Zhengquan was still alive, rescuing him came first.

He needed Master Wei’s support for this. If he went alone and the black Spiritual Vessel was still there, it would be a suicide mission.

The Chenghua Sect’s domain was vast. Cultivators congregated around Spirit Veins, leaving ninety-nine percent of the land desolate and uninhabited.

Barring major incidents, the parties involved were generally expected to resolve matters themselves.

Of course, Zhao Lin could have requested aid from his home county, but that would waste precious time. Besides, they would likely just send someone to file a report and leave it at that.

Wei Zongchuan understood Zhao Lin’s implication and nodded slowly. "The market is only responsible for security within a hundred-li radius. We generally don’t get involved in matters beyond that—nor do we have the capability."

"However, since Shopkeeper Zhao has a shop here, you are a member of our market. I can dispatch two of my patrol cultivators and a battle-vessel to accompany you."

Zhao Lin’s face lit up. "Thank you, Master Wei!"

Wei Zongchuan immediately summoned two patrol cultivators and instructed them to requisition a battle-vessel and accompany Zhao Lin to investigate.

The two patrol cultivators, one named Zhang Lie and the other Yan Zhenguan, were both at the Late-stage of Qi Refining.

There was no time to waste. Zhao Lin bid farewell, left the administrative office, and headed out of the market with the two patrol cultivators.

The three of them arrived at the docks and boarded a large, impressive battle-vessel.

Battle-vessels were designed for combat and had two major differences from ordinary Spiritual Vessels. First, they were faster, giving them an Innate advantage in pursuit and evasion.

Second, they had superior offensive and defensive capabilities. The hull was constructed from thick, heavy ironwood and was fitted with multiple Tier Two or higher offensive and defensive Arrays.

Based on the recording from the Hongyan Talisman, the black Spiritual Vessel wasn’t a battle-vessel. It was just a modified craft with a reinforced offensive Array on its bow. It was enough to bully an old cargo vessel, but it would be no match for a true battle-vessel.

Zhao Lin took out two one-hundred-Spirit-Coin coins and discreetly passed them to Zhang Lie and Yan Zhenguan. "My friends, I’m sure accompanying me on this trip is taking you away from your cultivation. Please, accept this small token of my appreciation."

The two made a show of refusing before accepting the Spirit Coins, their attitudes becoming considerably more cordial.

Zhang Lie channeled an array art into the Array Plate. The battle-vessel shot into the sky instantly, not even pausing to spiral, and charged directly into the Cloud Layer, heading southwest.

The battle-vessel was incredibly fast, covering the three-hundred-li distance in just over a quarter of an hour.

As they neared the site of the incident, the vessel descended to a lower altitude and slowed its pace.

The warning Array on the battle-vessel could extend one’s Divine Sense out to a thousand zhang. With this ability, they quickly located the downed Spiritual Vessel.

"Over there."

Zhang Lie pointed downward. Following his gesture, Zhao Lin looked down and saw it: nestled in a forest next to a large river, a Spiritual Vessel lay silently among the shrubs.

The battle-vessel circled once above the downed craft, confirming there were no people or other Spiritual Vessels lying in ambush, before slowly descending.

Zhao Lin was the first to jump off. He strode to the damaged Spiritual Vessel and saw that it was completely empty—not a single piece of cargo remained. He couldn’t help but clench his fists.

This cargo Spiritual Vessel had been allocated from Han Chi County by Zhou Hongfang, and the shop had been using it on loan ever since.

In fact, Zhao Lin had long intended to purchase a new Spiritual Vessel, but all of last year’s profits had gone toward repaying the principal on a loan from Lu Yuanxiu.