Crack in the Island

The metallic hull of the vessel gleamed coldly, its sides adorned with flowing runes. An luminous spirit stone was embedded at the prow, while carved jade pillars stood on either side of the deck, their tops illuminated by the soft glow of night pearls. The doors and windows were inscribed with intricate spell formations, making the entire structure resemble a floating ribbon of light.

At the sight of such a massive flying vessel, not only Luo Xi and the others but even Bai Qianshuang couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise,

"A flying vessel? But how—"

"Such a huge flying vessel—how did you fit it into a storage artifact?" Bai Qianshuang wasn’t concerned about its origins but rather puzzled over how Ye Chuan had produced it. A vessel of this size couldn’t possibly fit inside a storage pouch.

It was said that some mighty cultivators could tear open small spatial rifts to store items, but clearly, Ye Chuan’s strength wasn’t at that level yet.

"It’s a family heirloom."

"..." Seeing that Ye Chuan wasn’t willing to explain, Bai Qianshuang dropped the subject. With a light step, she landed gracefully on the deck, her ethereal presence making her seem like a true celestial maiden.

"Let’s go," Ye Chuan said.

"Alright."

Ye Chuan wrapped an arm around Luo Xi’s waist and effortlessly flew up with her.

"Wow..." Luo Xi gazed at the enormous flying vessel, her eyes brimming with curiosity as she took in every detail.

Ke Ning silently observed the vessel, her mind already itching to study it. But the next moment, she gripped the Rubik’s Cube-like artifact beside her, and an invisible buoyancy lifted her effortlessly onto the deck.

As for Wang Yanran, she simply leaped up. Though her cultivation had been artificially boosted with elixirs, she was still no ordinary person, and she landed smoothly on the deck.

"Me too!" Lan Xiaoke tried to follow Wang Yanran’s lead, but for some reason, her jump fell far short. She flailed mid-air. "Huh? Wahhh!"

She plummeted downward.

Bai Qianshuang immediately released a surge of spiritual energy to catch her, but the next second, she noticed Lan Xiaoke’s body turning semi-transparent.

"Huh?" Lan Xiaoke floated in mid-air, blinking in confusion. "What’s happening? Why am I a ghost again?"

"Did I just die from jumping?!"

She pressed her hands against her cheeks, horrified, kneeling mid-air.

"NOOOOOO!!!!"

"No, no!" She even started rolling around in distress.

"Get up here already. You’re not dead," Ye Chuan’s exasperated voice came from the deck. Lan Xiaoke looked up and saw that his body was also semi-transparent.

She floated onto the vessel, sniffing non-existent snot.

"Ye Chuan, did you die too?"

"You’re the one who died." Ye Chuan glared at the airheaded white-haired girl before dispelling the ghostly state. Lan Xiaoke immediately dropped onto the deck with a thud.

"Ow! My butt’s split in half!"

"Wahhhh..."

"Your butt was always in two halves," Ye Chuan said dryly. "Your cultivation is stronger than Yanran’s—how could you not even jump onto the deck?"

"Wahh..." Lan Xiaoke whimpered like a small animal. A few seconds later, she finally seemed to realize something and patted her body. "I’m alive again?"

Then, as if finally understanding, she turned to Ye Chuan.

"Ye Chuan, was this your doing?"

"More or less. I can use a secret technique to pull you into a ghostly state—basically turning you into a ghost temporarily," Ye Chuan explained.

"Really?"

After a confirming hum, Luo Xi, who had been watching curiously, spoke up. "Chuan, how does this big thing work? Does it need fuel?"

"It requires spirit stones," Bai Qianshuang answered.

"Not necessarily." Thanks to his Holy Grail, Ye Chuan had already refueled the vessel. With just a thought, the massive flying vessel trembled slightly before swiftly ascending into the sky!

Wang Yanran looked down and saw people below taking photos. But it wasn’t a big deal—ever since the spatial rifts appeared, the world had grown accustomed to all sorts of bizarre phenomena.

"Ye Chuan, just how many secrets do you have?" Wang Yanran muttered.

Every time she thought she had him figured out, he’d pull out something that shattered her understanding.

"Where’s the island?" Ye Chuan asked.

"Hmm... it should be in that direction," Wang Yanran pointed. "This behemoth must be pretty slow, right?"

She didn’t even understand how the vessel was flying—it seemed to defy common sense.

"Not slow at all. At full speed, it can reach a thousand kilometers per hour," Ye Chuan said, steering the vessel toward the direction Wang Yanran indicated.

The scenery on both sides blurred past, the speed leaving Wang Yanran stunned.

"Wow... why does it feel like we’re not moving at all? It’s so smooth!" Luo Xi peered outside.

"Most vehicles have stabilizing formations," Bai Qianshuang explained.

"Oh." Luo Xi didn’t understand formations, but she found it fascinating.

A journey that should have taken two hours was completed in just ten minutes.

"That’s the place," Wang Yanran said, spotting the small island ahead. But she sounded uncertain.

"Ah, I see the rift!"

Ye Chuan and the others looked down and saw a small spatial rift, along with swarms of monsters crawling all over the island.

Since the island was uninhabited and difficult to access, the creatures there hadn’t been cleared out yet.

"Let’s land." Ye Chuan guided the vessel downward, its massive form immediately drawing the attention of the monsters. Some winged creatures shrieked and flew straight at them!

The bat-like monsters, enlarged to terrifying sizes, were blocked by the vessel’s defensive formations, unable to get close no matter how they tried.

"There are so many... Chuan, is this okay?" Luo Xi asked nervously, eyeing the dozens of giant bat monsters.

"No problem." Ye Chuan assessed them—they were only at the Foundation Establishment level. Pathetically weak.

But this was a good opportunity to train Lan Xiaoke and even Luo Xi. Though Luo Xi had her Pokémon for protection, her own strength was still crucial.

"Luo Xi, want to try taking one down?" Ye Chuan grinned.

"Me?" Luo Xi pointed at herself. Weren’t they just here for a beach trip? Why was she suddenly fighting monsters?

"It’s good practice. And you’re plenty strong—trust me," Ye Chuan reassured her.

With her top-tier spiritual roots and physique—even if Ye Chuan couldn’t get her a legendary constitution—she was more than capable of handling these bat monsters.

"Alright, I’ll try." Though hesitant, Luo Xi mustered her courage and stepped forward. "Chuan, what do I do?"

"Channel your spiritual energy and attack." With a smirk, Ye Chuan deactivated the defensive formations.

"ROAR!" The monsters lunged!