Chapter 326: 326
The ship set sail and left Treasure Island behind . Every member of the delegation was on board . The only person who was missing was Jiang Yingyue, who had decided to stay with Tao Wu .
The mood on board the ship was uplifting . Everyone was energized and happy to once more be on their way towards the Demon Phoenix Continent .
As they left, one would have to be careful as pirates would be waiting for outsiders outside of Treasure City's harbor .
However, no one blocked their way, everyone was immensely polite and friendly, and Xue Wei knew that the reason for this was Tao Wu .
Although through his rank as a two-colored rainbow alchemist, he was revered, it was a double-edged sword .
This was a lawless place . It was likely that Xue Wei would have been captured and forced to create pills for one of the factions . Yet, the truth was that no one dared to do this as they knew he had a relationship with Tao Wu .
Upsetting Tao Wu was a suicidal decision .
As the ship left Treasure Island further and further behind, everyone got into the usual mood that had been onboard the blood ship .
Most of the experts sat down to cultivate, while the sailors controlled the ship .
Even Luoluo, who gained barely anything from cultivating, sat down next to Xue Wei and closed her eyes to feel the soul power in the surroundings .
The ship was enhanced with formations and inscriptions . The speed with which it moved was in no way inferior to the blood ship . There was even an essence gathering formation on board the vessel, making it so that they could advance their cultivation much faster .
The ship cleaved the sea, moving at a rapid pace towards the Demon Phoenix Continent .
The trip was very effortless, no pirates blocked their way, and the ship did not dock at any harbor .
The further along the travel they came, the more restless the sailors became and a tense atmosphere shrouded the entire ship .
"What's happening?" Xue Wei asked the ambassador as he woke up from his cultivation after a few weeks of training .
"Don't worry," the ambassador said while his eyes roamed the horizon as if he was looking for something specific .
"We are close to a forbidden area," he sighed after looking around with slight worry in his eyes .
"Although the Berserker Island was quite dangerous, it is nothing when compared to the dangers that exist within the Thunder Twilight Zone . "
"The Thunder Twilight Zone is named after how it looks like on the outside . Thunder and lightning are striking constant, and the light that breaks into the Thunder Twilight Zone makes it seem like a place where it is always twilight .
"The Thunder Twilight Zone is very dangerous . Only one out of ten who walks in will be capable of walking out . If you are beneath the Heavenly Knight rank, it is merely suicidal to enter . Saints can come and leave a bit more easily, but even they need to be careful .
"The Thunder Twilight Zone is stationary, but because of the constant storms and bad weather, hurricanes and other phenomenons will occur on route to the Demon Phoenix Continent . "
Xue Wei was slightly startled when he heard about the forbidden zone . There had been forbidden zones back in Chang'an, but that was due to the war between Primordial Beasts and humans . Humans would not enter the lair of the strongest Primordial Beasts, just as these beasts would not enter the crowded cities .
Forbidden zones that were dangerous because of natural phenomenons, he had never before encountered these things .
Xue Wei was deep in thought that day, thinking about how marvelous the world was, and how dangerous every step could become .
As he thought he suddenly realized that multiple ships had arrived in the sea surrounding him and his nerves grew taut . Were there still pirates who were eager to try their strength, even when he had publicly displayed his friendship with Tao Wu?
Standing up, he looked at the armada that was gathering in the sea surrounding them, his eyes flashed coldly, and he clenched his fist as he got ready to gather his friends .
"Don't worry . " Noticing the killing intent that was leaking out of Xue Wei, the ambassador appeared by his side . He laid his hand on the latter's shoulder and tried to calm him down . However, his voice was trembling slightly .
"These experts have all arrived because of the Thunder Twilight Zone . Although it is a death trap, many head inside anyway, the Thunder Flame can be found within, alongside many rare and extremely precious herbs and ores .
"Under the baptizing of thunder and lightning, many of the beasts that live within are also much more ferocious and horrifying . Although no one can tame them, they can sell their skin, cores, and other items for immense amounts of wealth .
"Beasts, herbs, and ores are not the only treasures within . There are many human-made treasures too . Legend says that the Thunder Twilight Zone was originally a battlefield between King and Emperor level experts . There are many treasures which can be found in the ruins . The deeper one dares to venture the more rewards one can gain . "
Xue Wei sucked in a breath of cold air when he heard his, but then he frowned .
"King and Emperor level experts?" he requested, and the ambassador looked at him curiously . "You do not know about King and Emperor level experts?" He asked, and Xue Wei shook his head .
"It is the legendary realms for cultivators," the ambassador began explaining . "The first step into cultivation is the Warrior, Knight, and Saint Ranks . To reach further than the Saint rank is near impossible, but some have managed to succeed throughout the years .
"King ranked experts are revered as Kings all over the World while the Emperor ranked experts can be counted on a single hand .
"I don't know too much about King and Emperor ranked experts . The Vermilion Bird Clan has one King ranked expert, but the entire Demon Phoenix Continent has no Emperor ranked experts at all . "
Xue Wei was astounded to hear that there were Emperor and King ranks above the Saint rank, but after careful consideration, he realized that he was simply a frog at the bottom of a well . He had not understood how vast and outstanding the world truly was .
When he thought about it, Xue Wei knew that there were many things he had not known about .
Before leaving Chang'an, he had not known about the different races that had appeared after mixing blood of the beasts and humans . Now he was also learning about the ranks above Saints .
When the ambassador saw that Xue Wei was in deep thought, he chuckled before leaving . Although Xue Wei was their savior, he came from a remote continent . It was clear that he did not know as much as all the rest of them .
Xue Wei looked at Bai Tianyi, but the sword spirit just shrugged his shoulders, "You are not supposed to know about the ranks above Saints yet," he answered honestly . "It is the world where cultivation truly begins . "
"What rank were you when you were still alive?" Xue Wei could not help but ask, and Bai Tianyi glanced at him considering answering honestly .
"I had reached the highest realm you could beneath the immortals," he said proudly . Then he looked slightly sheepish . "I was able to cleave an entire world into multiple continents . It was a strength that others could not compete against . "
Hearing this, Xue Wei nodded his head . Although he knew that Saints held much power, he was aware that they did not have the strength to do what Bai Tianyi had done all those years back .
Even if it was a full-powered strike with his life on the line, it should not be possible to cleave an entire world, but Bai Tianyi had done so .
Thinking like this, Xue Wei could not help but muse on whether or not there were ranks above the Emperor .
"Oh well," he muttered to himself . "I am not in a position to care about whether or not there are ranks above the Emperor rank . For now, I should focus fully on reaching the Heavenly Knight rank . "
Reaching this conclusion, Xue Wei felt as if a load had fallen from his shoulders, and his soul became free all of a sudden . Although he wished to get stronger, he was aware that he needed to walk step by step towards a higher rank, towards a much brighter future .
Bai Tianyi smiled slightly when he looked at Xue Wei . He could sense that the other was on the verge of having an enlightenment . An enlightenment would be capable of increasing his Qi and Spiritual Energy at a rapid pace, but he needed just the final push to enter enlightenment completely .
Xue Wei was feeling immensely comfortable . His entire soul was much more relaxed than ever before . He had understood that although he strived for the peak of martial arts, he had to take it slow, one step at a time .
Xue Wei sat down and began cultivating again . While he was cultivating, he sensed everything around him; he even sensed the fish that were moving in the sea, the birds flying in the air .
Everything turned silent; all he could hear was the crashing of waves against the hull of the ship . The sound was tranquil and soul-stirring, and it was enough to make anyone feel at ease .
While Xue Wei was as free as the birds in the sky, the rest of the ship had a dreadful atmosphere surrounding them all .
The ship, which previously had been moving around fast through the sea was now moving along at snail speed .
It was evident that they were horrified of the Thunder Twilight Zone . Xue Wei and his friends were much more relaxed . Although they understood that the Thunder Twilight Zone was dangerous, they had never seen it before, so they could not know which horrors were inside of it .
The members of the delegation had not been inside the Thunder Twilight Zone either, but they had passed the zone multiple times . One glance at the Thunder Twilight Zone would be enough to insert horror into the soul of anyone .
The closer they came, the more ships they encountered . Onboard these ships were outstanding crews, where no one was beneath the Heavenly Knight rank - even the sailors were above .
From this, one could expect that the strength that these crews commanded was immense; their fighting strength could not be belittled .
Xue Wei and his friends were all happy that they were not in a position where they had to fight against them . Although they had faith in emerging victorious against the majority of the crews, they knew it would be dangerous and that they would have to exhaust a large amount of energy to do so .
Just as Xue Wei was about to sit down and cultivate again, he felt a current of energy enter his body and roam the meridians like small lightning bolts .
Lifting his head, and looking into the distance, his eyes narrowed and his pupils constricted .
There, into the distance, as far as the eye could see, was thunder and lightning crashing down from the sky above .
All light seemed to be swallowed by the roaring thunder and blazing lightning .
All one could see was a dim, twilight-like light that had descended upon the entire world . The thunder, albeit far away, was so booming that it felt as if someone was hitting Xue Wei's heart, his whole being was shaking from the loud sounds .
He finally understood why they were so worried about the Thunder Twilight Zone . This was no ordinary thunder, only second to the tribulation lightning, and it was able to reduce weaker experts into ash in a moment .
It was no wonder that people said that experts below the Heavenly Knight rank were suicidal in case they entered the forbidden area .