Chapter 272: Dong Tianzes Suspicions

Chapter 272: Dong Tianze's Suspicions

The Scarlet Dawn Boat shot up into the sky.

Pang Jian stood by the rails and peered down at the shrinking sea of massive boulders below, eyes focused as he tried to spot the Outer God known as the Observer.

But still, there was nothing.

The massive boulders soon turned into specks in the distance as the Scarlet Dawn Boat left the Third World behind.

"Pang Jian, I must say, I'm only able to join this trip to Absolute Heaven thanks to you," Zhou Qingchen said, sitting next to him with a smile.

Pang Jian sat down next to Zhou Qingchen. "Big Brother Zhou, how many strands of divine sense have you condensed?"

"A bit over forty," Zhou Qingchen replied with slight embarrassment.

Many exceptionally talented individuals were on board this Scarlet Dawn Boat, such as Zhao Yuanqi, Fang Boxuan, the highly regarded Dong Tianze from the Sinister Soul Temple, and his life-and-death companion, Pang Jian.

Each of them was a brilliant genius in their own right.

Zhou Qingchen had always known his talent in cultivation was not on par with the others, but the knowledge that he was the weakest among them made him feel a bit self-conscious.

"Big Brother Zhou, do you remember what you told me back on Central Lake Island?" Pang Jian asked.

Zhou Qingchen was momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing as he nodded.

"That's right, I shouldn't compare myself to you guys. The only comparison I need to make is with my past self!" The knot in his heart seemed to untangle at the reminder. Leaning in, Zhou Qingchen asked quietly, "Pang Jian, how many strands of divine sense do you have?"

The others on the Scarlet Dawn Boat—Fang Boxuan, Dong Tianze, and even the aloof silver-haired girl—cast curious glances over when they heard his question.

A few strands of silver hair danced across Zhao Yuanqi's forehead with the wind, cold eyes glinting with curiosity.

Sect Master Liu Lingyun had both openly and subtly suggested she get closer to Pang Jian. She even mentioned Li Zhaotian of the Sword Pavilion, stating that he had high hopes for Pang Jian as his cultivation talent was one in ten thousand.

However, Zhao Yuanqi had never seen Pang Jian's talent or combat prowess for herself.

During the incident in the Primordial Wilderness, she had left the slaughter early aboard the Scarlet Dawn Boat and had not witnessed Pang Jian's battles. During their most recent encounter at Spirit Offering, they had all been under Li Yuqing's protection.

So, she could not help but be skeptical about Pang Jian's talent and found it hard to believe the rumors.

Noticing the attention Zhou Qingchen's inquiry had garnered, Pang Jian replied calmly, "Not much."

"Over a hundred, right?" Fang Boxuan questioned.

Pang Jian had left a deep impression on him back in the Primordial Wilderness. Thus, he felt slightly intimidated when he first heard that he would be going to Absolute Heaven with Pang Jian.

After mulling it over though, Fang Boxuan decided that he and Pang Jian could not be considered enemies anymore as both Sect Master Tang Hongxiong and Jiu Yuan were dead.

Fang Boxuan had seen Pang Jian kill Liang Ying and Jiu Yuan firsthand, and so harbored extreme wariness and a healthy amount of fear toward Pang Jian.

Therefore, he was convinced that Pang Jian's divine sense had undoubtedly exceeded a hundred.

"More or less," Pang Jian replied vaguely.

"I'm at one hundred and five strands, Zhao Yuanqi's at one hundred and seven strands, and Yang Rui used to be the strongest among us with one hundred and eleven strands," Fang Boxuan shared.

Glancing at the stern-looking Dong Tianze, he asked, "What's yours?"

"More than yours, that's for sure," Dong Tianze replied coldly.

Dong Tianze could not care less about anyone on board besides Pang Jian and had no interest in talking to them.

"More than mine..." Fang Boxuan knitted his brows and curiously sized up this thorny character. "No wonder the Sinister Soul Temple insists on protecting you, even after it was revealed that you were the Sect Leader of the Shadow Specter Sect."

Dong Tianze glared coldly at Pang Jian at the reminder of the reveal.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Scarlet Dawn Boat had been crafted by the Divine Treasure Sect's Li Family and was armed with layers of radiant mist that could activate to withstand the impact of astral winds.

Crackle! Sizzle!

Sparks flew from the hull of the Scarlet Dawn Boat. Its upward momentum shifted and the boat shook violently.

"Everyone, be careful. We've just had the misfortune of running into the astral wind layer below the Second World," Fang Boxuan informed. "The Scarlet Dawn Boat can withstand astral winds, but we should also activate our protective shields."

With that, Fang Boxuan summoned a deep crimson protective shield.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Zhou Qingchen, Dong Tianze, and Zhao Yuanqi followed suit and summoned their respective protective shields.

Pang Jian, on the other hand, did not rush to activate his protective shield. Standing by the railing, he used his body to feel the full force of the raging astral wind, sensing the sharp wind blades slashing at him from every direction.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Blades of wind slashed against Pang Jian's silver Illusory Bone Realm body, causing sparking streaks of silver light.

His body was strong enough to withstand the astral winds without a protective shield.

"Pang Jian, you'd better be careful," Zhou Qingchen shouted over the wind. "I heard that even the Sinister Soul Temple’s Divine Spirit Pagoda, the Radiant Sun Sect's Fire Cloud Ship, the Star River Alliance's Gilded Chariot, and the Blood Moon Sect's Formless Sailboat can be torn to shreds when the astral winds are bad.

"The only flying vessel from the Third World that can withstand the most intense astral winds is the Scarlet Dawn Boat built by the Divine Treasure Sect's Li Family.

"That's why we're taking a Scarlet Dawn Boat to the Sacred Soul Continent in the Second World. So, don't be reckless!" Zhou Qingchen urged, concerned for Pang Jian's safety.

"Alright," Pang Jian acquiesced, activating his green protective shield.

Not long after, a fierce bout of astral wind did indeed blast through, causing his green protective shield to flicker.

Skrreech!

The wind scratched long narrow gouges along the refined iron hull and deck of the Scarlet Dawn Boat.

However, as Zhou Qingchen said, the Scarlet Dawn Boat managed to withstand the harsh astral winds and continued its shaky ascent.

"Everyone, hang in there. We'll break through the layer of astral wind in less than half an hour!" Fang Boxuan shouted encouragingly.

Pang Jian peered upward curiously. A massive expanse of land rested in a cluster of white clouds with smaller floating fragmented lands surrounding it.

A pure black ship sailed horizontally toward the continent.

"Down below, there's a Scarlet Dawn Boat from the Red Mountain Sect." Someone on the ship chuckled. "Haha, they're trapped in the astral winds. The Scarlet Dawn Boat is shaking quite violently."

"Let's go mess with them."

"Let's go!"

The pure black ship dove down like a ferocious beast, stirring up an even more powerful astral wind in the direction of the Scarlet Dawn Boat.

The Scarlet Dawn Boat was already struggling to ascend, only for this more intense round of astral wind to engulf it and stop it in its tracks.

It started to plummet.

"Haha, I bet it won't make it up here!"

"It can't make it up here even though that's only four times the force of a normal astral wind. The Scarlet Dawn Boat is indeed no match for our Demon Incursion Ship."

"That goes without saying."