Buzz, buzz, buzz…
In the secret chamber of the Water Avoiding Shuttle, the floating Tianhe Compass vibrated continuously.
Chen Mu tilted his ear to listen carefully for a while, then let out a breath, “We have finally caught up.”
The regular vibrations of the Tianhe Compass were the transmission of a secret technique from the Goose Sheep Path.
Not long after the Ping Ning Water Avoiding Shuttle arrived at the outskirts of the Heavenly River Water Mansion, the Tianhe Compass had received the residual information from this secret technique.
The transmission revealed that the Goose Sheep Path fleet had arrived early at the Heavenly River Water Mansion and would wait for one month. The receiving Water Avoiding Shuttle only needed to enter the Loach Dragon Fire Path on its own for the rendezvous.
“Shall we set off now?” Lei Hong proposed excitedly, “More than twenty days ago, the Sect Master had already led the fleet into the Loach Dragon Fire Path. If we go late, we might miss the departure time.”
“No rush,” Chen Mu shook his head.
“There are still many days left until the one-month deadline; we have time.”
“Moreover, our Water Avoiding Shuttle needs some disguise and modification,” Chen Mu squinted his eyes.
Without modification, it wouldn’t be easy to hide one’s traces.
…
Chen Mu was swift to act, keeping the Ping Ning Water Avoiding Shuttle suspended far away at the edge of the Heavenly River Water Mansion’s periphery and immediately began modifications.
He first removed the various Extinguishing Breath Stones scattered around.
These things were too powerful at concealing one’s presence, easily noticeable by outsiders as being out of place.
Then, he climbed up and down to transform the Forbidden Laws of the Water Avoiding Shuttle.
Being proficient in the Water Avoidance Shuttle Construction Method, he knew the locations of all the cores.
Within just one day, the modifications he had envisioned were completed one by one.
Late at night, inside the secret chamber of the dojo.
Chen Mu handed Lei Cheng a Jade Tablet, full of intricate Xie Script, “This is the new Dharma for maneuvering the Water Avoiding Shuttle. You’ll have to practice a few rounds according to this method.”
After carefully reading the Jade Tablet for a moment, Lei Cheng’s face showed hesitation, “Operating like this, is it possible that…”
“Yes, these maneuvers will damage the Water Avoiding Shuttle,” Chen Mu nodded. “But given your prowess in the Thunder Law, if you really can maneuver the Water Avoiding Shuttle here, it should indeed sustain similar damage.”
With the Kui Niu Drum destroyed, to control the Water Avoiding Shuttle, one could only rely on the abilities of a Qi Cultivator themselves.
Chen Mu had the Five Thunders Treasure Scroll and the Mountain-Carrying Scripture, allowing him to transform into a humanoid Kui Niu Drum and maneuver the Water Avoiding Shuttle effortlessly, but Lei Cheng could not.
The content recorded on the Jade Tablet was a unique method devised by Chen Mu after spending half a month utilizing his Perfection Level Water Avoidance Shuttle Construction Artifact Refining Technique, in combination with the degree of damage to the Kui Niu Drum.
By implementing this method, Lei Cheng could forcefully activate the Forbidden Laws of the Water Avoiding Shuttle to achieve the ability to maneuver it, but the Forbidden Laws would suffer substantial damage.
Chen Mu’s modifications inside and out that day were aimed at deliberately damaging the Forbidden Laws, creating similar traces of damage.
Consequently, Lei Cheng’s arrival at the Heavenly River Water Mansion in a damaged Water Avoiding Shuttle would seem more reasonable.
And it would also perfectly conceal the trace of his existence as a humanoid Kui Niu Drum.
…
Two days later.
Directly south of the Heavenly River Water Mansion, the enormous gateway to the Water Mansion looked like a slice of heaven.
The walls on both sides were smooth and straight, resembling precipitous cliffs.
A Water Avoiding Shuttle, sometimes sparking with lightning, resembling a malfunctioning machine on the verge of a short circuit, was slowly drifting into the Water Mansion.
It didn’t take long for the Ping Ning Water Avoiding Shuttle to pass through the gateway and enter the interior of the Water Mansion.
In dim light, a vast city, seemingly endless at first glance, appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Lit by the faint glow of luminescent algae, wide streets, neat buildings, and columns reaching the top, similar to skyscrapers of a bygone era, came into view one by one.
But this grand Water Mansion was now flooded with river water, and there was no one around.
“Is this really the Heavenly River Water Mansion?”
“Where is the water-repelling Forbidden Law?”
“The Heavenly River Water Mansion has been around for hundreds of years, and now it’s also been flooded…”
“Indeed, there has been a great change in Yunzhou…”
The scene before them caused the people inside the Water Avoiding Shuttle to change their expressions.
Even though they had already learned about the situation inside the Water Mansion through the Vermilion Feather Sword’s investigation, seeing the completely submerged Heavenly River Water Mansion with their own eyes, Chen Mu still couldn’t help feeling a chill in his heart.
This was the second submerged Heavenly River Water Mansion he knew of.
For the previous Water Mansion collapse, he had only heard about it through others. But this one, he saw with his own eyes.
“Yunzhou really is no place to stay anymore.”
At the center of the Water Mansion, there was a pit like a sky well, huge and bottomless. The entrance to the Loach Dragon Fire Path lay within it.
At this moment, the pit was already filled with river water, and countless bubbles kept emerging, with a faint red light visible at the bottom.
“It is said that thousands of years ago, a certain master of the Heavenly River Water Mansion wanted to use the geothermal heat to cultivate the Loach Eel Transformation Dragon Scripture, so he drilled down from the center of the Water Mansion.”
“While searching for a suitable environment and cultivating, once he attained his black dragon True Form and burst through the ground, he found that he had crossed the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”
“Since then, this Loach Dragon Fire Path has existed.” As the Water Avoiding Shuttle slowly sank, Lei Hong enthusiastically explained the related legends to Chen Mu.
“Have you thought about how you’re going to deal with your family’s ancestor?” Chen Mu looked at Lei Cheng.
“I’ve thought about it.” Lei Cheng nodded.
“Then keep this stone with you.” Chen Mu handed Lei Cheng a palm-sized gray stone.
It was the Extinguishing Breath Stone retrieved from the Water Avoiding Shuttle, inside which he had stuffed a Vermilion Feather Sword.
As long as Lei Cheng kept this Magic Sword on him, Chen Mu could monitor his surroundings at all times with the Truthful Listening Technique.
“All the Extinguishing Breath Stones have been removed, and the Water Avoiding Shuttle has also been modified to appear battle-damaged.”
“The people inside the Water Avoiding Shuttle have been kept in the dark about my existence. The Lei brothers, who are making contact with the Elder High Cultivator from the Goose Sheep Path, were also intimidated in advance.”
Chen Mu recalled all the recent arrangements one by one, feeling more and more relaxed and at peace.
“As long as there are no mishaps when Lei Cheng and the Goose Sheep Path Elder meet, I will definitely not be discovered!”
“There is a Condensing Aperture Wild Cultivator hidden on your ship,” Qiu Jinwu stated calmly, looking at Lei Cheng.
Chen Mu: “…”
What? I’ve been exposed?!
We’ve just met, and we haven’t even spoken, how can it be exposed already?!
Watching the scene transmitted back by the Truth Listening Divine Power, Chen Mu felt his scalp tingle.
He had originally thought that the person in contact with Lei Cheng would be the Lei Family ancestor, but to his surprise, Sect Master Qiu Jinwu himself showed up.
What was even more unexpected was that merely upon meeting, Qiu Jinwu was certain that a Condensing Aperture Qi Cultivator was hidden inside the Ping Ning.
“A Condensing Aperture Wild Cultivator? I don’t think so,” Lei Cheng responded dumbfoundedly, with a simple and honest look on his face.
“No?” Qiu Jinwu frowned. “Without a Condensing Aperture Qi Cultivator’s help, can you operate the Water Avoiding Shuttle?”
“It’s indeed troublesome; because of improper operation, the Water Avoiding Shuttle nearly fell apart.” Lei Cheng began to explain with a look of embarrassment.
From being ambushed to repairing the Water Avoiding Shuttle and finally forcefully stimulating the Forbidden Law to pilot it in a destructive manner.
Lei Cheng explained methodically, neither too fast nor too slow, and honestly… bullshitting.
He mixed the Artifact Manipulation Technique provided by Chen Mu into his real experience, and it was convincing enough that Qiu Jinwu nodded repeatedly.
“I see,” Qiu Jinwu said with sudden realization.
They had somehow muddled through.
Lei Cheng nodded in agreement.
Chen Mu also let out a long sigh of relief.
That moment just now really was a bluff, and fortunately, Lei Cheng responded smoothly and naturally.
“That was tough on you,” Qiu Jinwu sighed deeply.
“It’s my duty, not tough at all,” Lei Cheng replied solemnly with a bow.
Through the Truth Listening Divine Power, Chen Mu watched with glee.
The honest man could deceive so well, even the Daoist Foundation high man Qiu Jinwu couldn’t see Lei Cheng’s flaw.
But before he could revel for long, he heard Qiu Jinwu praise, “It was tough on you to come up with such a convincing lie.”
Chen Mu: “…”
“So, there really is a Condensing Aperture Wild Cultivator hidden inside the Ping Ning, right?” Qiu Jinwu asked with certainty, speaking calmly as he looked at Lei Cheng.
Wait, how did you figure it out?!
Weren’t you just suddenly enlightened and accepted Lei Cheng’s explanation?
Why did you change your mind now?!
This is bad!
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