Outside the range of Three Spirits Suppression Mountain, a damaged magic warship was whistling forward. However, it was moving a little unstably, as though it would fall at the next moment.
Regardless of whether it was the outer layer or the deck, it was filled with a large number of cracks and simple repair marks. It looked like it could fall apart at any time.
It gave off the feeling that the owner didn't have the money to repair it and could barely sail.
What was even more exaggerated was that occasionally, some parts would fall from the magic warship and land on the ground.
This was Xu Qing's magic warship.
Yanyan looked at the very busy captain who was flying around outside the magic warship and frowned.
"Brother Xu Qing gave you the control of the magic warship because he trusts you. He will be angry if you do this."
"Yanyan, what is wrong with you? Why are you so impolite and rude?"
The captain held a brush in his hand and drew a crack on the outer layer of the magic warship. When he heard Yanyan, he looked at her unhappily.
Yanyan's eyes instantly turned cold and vicious. Even though the cultivation of the person in front of her could easily suppress her, as long as his cultivation didn't surpass her grandmother's, she wouldn't be afraid.
Since she was young, anyone who dared to scold her like this had been skinned alive by her.
Other than Brother Xu Qing.
"You're still glaring?" The captain's expression was even more displeased. He glared at Yanyan and continued to scold.
"Let me tell you, little girl. You have to be polite, understand? Xu Qing calls me Eldest Senior Brother. Since you follow Xu Qing, you should call me Eldest Senior Brother too. You're the only female cultivator beside Xu Qing who has such an honor. Come, tell me that you're wrong."
"Huh?"
Yanyan was stunned. Her small face turned slightly red and all the hostility instantly disappeared. She obediently spoke.
"Eldest Senior Brother, I was wrong."
"That's more like it." The captain beamed with joy and felt smug. He lifted his right hand and waved it, tossing a brush over.
"Go and smear the other side. Little Qing, this brat, is a blockhead. Why is his ship so clean? It doesn't match our Seventh Peak's tradition at all. I'm helping him."
As the captain spoke, he continued to smear on the outside of the magic warship. As far as the eye could see, he had drawn cracks on all the places he had smeared, and they looked real.
"The magic warship has to look a little tattered like this for it to have miraculous effects."
Yanyan hesitantly took the brush and started smearing as well.
"But Eldest Senior Brother, why did you occasionally throw some parts down and even cast a spell to make them release smoke?" Yanyan couldn't help but ask.
"Fishing. How many spirit stones did we consume to fly all the way? We didn't set off with the sect this time. We have to bear all the expenditure ourselves, so we naturally need to fish and rob."
"Yanyan, I need to remind you. Xu Qing is extravagant. You can't be like him. You have to save money, understand? I'm helping Xu Qing save money!" The captain said solemnly.
When Yanyan heard this, she hurriedly nodded. Her expression was one of comprehension as she committed it to memory.
"Also, on our way to the extreme north snowfield where the Absolute Beginning Separation Pillar is located, we have to pass through the forbidden region of the Yinghuang Province and the mainstream of the Immortal Enrichment River. There are a certain amount of risks on the way. By making the ship look so shabby, those experts might not be too interested in attacking."
The captain continued to smear until he finished drawing the last crack. He then jumped onto the deck and looked at his masterpiece in satisfaction.
"Not bad, not bad. It looks much better now."
Yanyan looked at the tattered magic warship and still felt a little hesitant. Just as she was about to speak, the captain's expression suddenly changed and he abruptly looked at the cabin door.
His expression became solemn. His body turned cold and a face appeared in his eyes. His entire person emitted a terrifying aura.
Almost at the instant the captain looked over, the door of the cabin rumbled and collapsed, turning into countless fragments that shot out. At the same time, a low roar that sounded like that of a wild beast rang out. It was filled with madness and hunger.
What followed was a skinny skeleton-like hand that grabbed the door frame tightly and slowly moved out, revealing a skeleton-like body.
It was Xu Qing. His clothes had turned black and were covered in dried, stinky black blood. His face was also caved in, and he looked like a malicious ghost.
The madness in his eyes caused Yanyan's mind to shake. The captain's expression also changed. He was familiar with this gaze.
He was also like this when he was hungry.
"You're just breaking through to the third Heavenly Palace. Do you have to risk your life like this?!" The captain's body swayed as he headed straight for Xu Qing and grabbed the latter's arm. Yanyan was about to rush over.
"Yanyan, don't get close. His mind is struggling now. He clearly ate something he shouldn't have, causing him to be severely lacking in vitality. He's extremely hungry."
The captain looked very experienced. After supporting Xu Qing, he took out a piece of flesh from his storage bag and stuffed it into Xu Qing's mouth.
Xu Qing swallowed it in one gulp and closed his eyes. A few breaths later, when he opened them again, although his eyes were still red, his rationality had suppressed his madness.
"Eldest Senior Brother, thank you. Do you have more?" Xu Qing's voice was hoarse as he looked at the captain beside him.
"None left. That's the snack I prepared for myself… In your current situation, you need to kill and devour the vitality of all things. How did you fall into this state?" The captain was a little surprised.
"I ate a little thing." Xu Qing slowly spoke. The hunger in his body surfaced again, causing his breathing to involuntarily become hurried. He could also sense his current state.
After the third palace in his body fused with the Poison Restriction Pill, as the poison pill that had lost too much spirituality and was almost dead gained nourishment, it showed signs of recovery. It was like a huge black hole that instantly devoured everything.
This was an inevitable process for the recovery of the Poison Restriction Pill. Although Xu Qing had expected it previously and was very well-prepared, the consumption of vitality items during the fusion was unexpected. Moreover, the recovery of the poison pill was too fast, causing his preparations to be lacking.
However, this wasn't all a bad thing. It could even be said that this was Xu Qing's great opportunity.
This was because once he provided enough vitality for the Poison Restriction Pill, it would allow this almost withered pill to truly revive.
After it recovered, it would no longer be sourceless. Instead, it would be endless, allowing Xu Qing's combat strength to soar.
His third palace would be the most extraordinary palace since ancient times.
It was filled with extraordinary might and mysteries.
However, all of this required dense vitality.
Other than that, Xu Qing could also clearly sense that if he wanted this Poison Restriction Pill to truly recover, vitality was only one aspect. He also needed dense anomalous substances.
This discovery shocked him. This meant that… he could absorb anomalous substances!
Although they were actually absorbed by the Poison Restriction Pill in the third palace, to a certain extent, it was equivalent to him absorbing them.
As for absorbing anomalous substances, this was a special right that only those who were heavily affected and newborn races had after the god's fragmented face arrived. It was difficult for cultivators to use them.
This was because the so-called anomalous substances were actually the aura of the god. Some people also called them divine energy.
"Eldest Senior Brother, how far are we from the nearest forbidden zone?"
Xu Qing took a deep breath and let out a hoarse voice. He also saw Yanyan's nervous and concerned expression and nodded slightly to indicate that he was fine.
Xu Qing had never ignored the concerns of others.
"There's about half a month left until we reach the Sword Forbidden Region. If you can't endure it, we can also find a nonhuman sect or a small nonhuman country…" The captain was a little worried but the meaning in his words revealed clear coldness to the nonhuman races.
It was as though in the captain's heart, as long as Xu Qing was fine, it was fine if he ate nonhumans.
"If it's half a month, I should be able to endure it." Xu Qing shook his head. Although the nonhuman races also had life force and there were anomalous substances in their bodies, in the end, these anomalous substances were inferior to the forbidden zones or regions.
He could sense that the amount he needed was extremely large, so the best choice was the forbidden region.
"Then let's go to the Sword Forbidden Region. As the only forbidden region among the many forbidden zones in the Yinghuang Province, it's as famous as the Phoenix Forbidden in the Nanhuang Continent and the Corpse Forbidden on the Forbidden Sea. Moreover, according to the information in the Alliance, the emperor of this Sword Forbidden has been in a deep sleep for many years and doesn't show any signs of awakening. We just need to be a little careful."
As the captain spoke, he circulated his cultivation base and fused it into the magic warship, causing it to emit cold air. Its speed increased and it transformed into a rainbow in the sky, flashing into the distance like lightning.
The wind in the surroundings blew over and spread out from the magic warship's protective barrier. As it flowed, it formed a whistling sound.
Xu Qing sat cross-legged on the deck and tried his best to suppress the hunger in his body. At the same time, he was also adapting to the reaction after fusing the Poison Restriction Pill with the third palace.
He could sense that although his current state was bad, his combat strength had increased by a large extent. Coupled with his emperor-level cultivation art, he could display the power of at least four palaces.
The vast majority of Golden Cores could only reach six Heavenly Palaces at most.
"Next, after my poison pill recovers, I have to consider the materialization of the fourth Heavenly Palace."
The hunger in Xu Qing's body gradually couldn't be suppressed. His breathing became increasingly hurried and the blood vessels in his eyes increased. He could only think about his cultivation to distract himself.
As for the shadow and the Diamond Sect's ancestor, they had long hidden themselves, afraid that Xu Qing would notice them.
At this moment, Xu Qing was like a man-eating ferocious beast. He gave them an extremely terrifying feeling.
Although Yanyan was shocked by Xu Qing's aura and skeleton-like body at the start, she still couldn't help but walk over after she gradually got used to it.
As she got closer, Xu Qing abruptly lifted his head. His bloodshot eyes stared at Yanyan's neck and he struggled for a moment before retracting his gaze.
"Brother Xu Qing, do you… want to eat it? It's fine, I'm not afraid of pain."
Yanyan looked at Xu Qing and bit her finger, reaching out to Xu Qing with a trembling hand. Her eyes revealed anticipation and confusion.
Xu Qing looked at Yanyan and fell silent, closing his eyes.
Yanyan felt some regret and sadness. She silently retracted her hand and sat at the side.
As the captain controlled the magic warship, he turned his head and looked back. His gaze was blurry when he saw Yanyan giving her finger to Xu Qing. He also saw the regret and sadness on Yanyan's face after Xu Qing ignored her. He couldn't help but feel sour inwardly.
"When I was hungry in the past, why didn't I have a good-looking female cultivator to feed me fingers? How am I lacking? This Little Qing doesn't understand romance. If it was me, I would definitely take a bite."
Just like that, time flowed by. While Xu Qing endured forcefully, they got closer and closer to the Sword Forbidden Region.
Just when Xu Qing's body trembled violently and the feeling of hunger reached its limit and he was about to lose control, the pitch-black Sword Forbidden jungle appeared in front of them.
Even the anomalous substances outside of the jungle were already much denser than other areas. Xu Qing's senses were extremely sharp and his eyes suddenly opened, emitting a red glow.
