In the secret chamber of the Ping Ning vessel’s dojo.
“It can’t be fixed?” Chen Mu furrowed his brows.
“Yes, the Kui Niu Drum has suffered severe damage; both the artifact embryo and internal talismans have been compromised.”
“The artifact embryo is complex, but given more effort, it can also be repaired.”
“However, no one aboard the Ping Ning knows how to restore the Kui Niu Forbidden Laws needed for the internal talismans,” Lei Hong carefully observed the mysterious figure before him.
His own brother’s life was in the other’s hands; he dared not conceal the truth.
“For such a crucial Secret Technique, hasn’t your Lei Family considered keeping it in your grasp?” Chen Mu asked skeptically.
“The main issue is that we can’t learn it.” Lei Hong gave a wry smile: “Many from the Goose Sheep Path have tried to study and practice the Kui Niu Forbidden Laws, but no one has managed to learn them.”
“Then who is the one refining the Kui Niu Drums?” Chen Mu did not believe it.
“It’s Sect Master Qiu.” Lei Hong spoke honestly: “All the inner talismans within the Kui Niu Drums were personally infused by Sect Master Qiu.”
So throughout the Goose Sheep Path, the only one who grasped the Kui Niu Forbidden Laws was Sect Master Qiu Jinwu?
Is the Secret Technique truly that difficult to learn, or is there something wrong with it intrinsically?
Chen Mu’s brow tightened further.
“Not just the Kui Niu Drum, the Water Avoidance Shuttle’s hull is also difficult to repair,” Lei Hong cautiously glanced at Chen Mu.
“Wasn’t it already repaired with Exotic Beast Blood and Flesh?” Chen Mu’s heart sank.
“That’s far from enough,” Lei Hong gave a bitter laugh.
“Even if all the Exotic Beast Meat aboard is used, it can only ensure the hull won’t be crushed by the Sky-reaching River Water.”
“But once it starts to sail, the underwater currents swirl, and if there’s the slightest collision, that would be…” Lei Hong sighed and shook his head.
The core component, the Kui Niu Drum, was difficult to repair, and the hull of the Water Avoidance Shuttle was as fragile as paper-mâché.
Troublesome indeed.
Chen Mu couldn’t help but shake his head as well.
“What about my second brother?” Lei Hong spoke anxiously.
Lei Cheng, who originally lay in the secret chamber, had vanished without a trace, giving Lei Hong no choice but to worry.
“Your second brother is very safe.” Chen Mu came back to his senses, waved his hand, and instantly, shadows spread across the ground.
Lei Cheng, previously hidden away in Thousand Lanterns City by Chen Mu, emerged from the shadows. His pallid complexion had gained a bit of rosiness, and he breathed steadily, as if in a deep slumber.
Lei Hong stepped forward to examine him and noticed indeed signs of improvement, which immediately eased his mind.
“With Huang Jian dead, the Nightmare Victory Spell is no longer effective. As long as he rests peacefully, Lei Cheng will slowly recover.”
“I need to return to the fleet as soon as possible, to safely leave Yunzhou.”
“By cooperating with me, you can find a way to get the Water Avoidance Shuttle moving; this is a win-win for both of us,” Chen Mu looked at Lei Hong calmly.
“Do you agree?”
“I agree, I agree…” Lei Hong nodded repeatedly.
Even Ping Ning’s second most powerful expert, Huang Jian, had been easily killed by a flick of your finger, how could I not agree.
…
Days later, in the quiet room on the second floor.
On a low table, a wide scroll of fine silk spread out long, covered with complex Xie Script symbols.
Chen Mu sat cross-legged at one side, staring at the scroll on the table, lost in thought.
After a long while, he regained focus, a glimmer of enlightenment flashing through his mind.
“The Water Avoidance Shuttle is vast, filled with different varieties of Forbidden Laws, which ordinary Qi Cultivators can’t refine and manipulate.”
“The Kui Niu Drum can connect and control all parts of the Water Avoidance Shuttle, rather like a computer chip’s core in my previous life.”
“As long as one masters the Kui Niu Drum, it’s possible to employ very little force to mobilize each part’s Forbidden Laws, controlling the Water Avoidance Shuttle’s operation.”
After ruminating over the past few days, Chen Mu had come to understand the role of the Kui Niu Drum within the Water Avoidance Shuttle.
He frowned again as he looked at the scroll in front of him.
The text of the scroll was titled “Complete Book of Water Avoidance Shuttle Construction,” provided by Lei Hong, which contained detailed plans and processes for constructing the Water Avoidance Shuttle.
The Mustard Seed Spell section, which he had previously participated in, was also written in it.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t include the Kui Niu Forbidden Laws,” Chen Mu lamented, shaking his head.
Thinking about it, he found it reasonable; given that the Kui Niu Forbidden Laws were related to the safety of the entire fleet of the Goose Sheep Path, they naturally had to be kept secret.
But as a result, Chen Mu found himself in a bind.
With the Gray Wall, he wasn’t worried about not being able to learn the Secret Technique, but without the Transmission Jade Scroll, he could only sit and gaze helplessly.
“The Kui Niu Forbidden Laws are out of reach; we’ll have to find a solution that can replace the Kui Niu Drum.”
With this in mind, Chen Mu continued to bury his head in the Construction Method scripture.
…
“Can’t catch an Exotic Beast?”
In the dojo’s secret chamber, Chen Mu appeared with a darkened face.
He didn’t use Lei Cheng’s appearance; instead, he transformed into a tall and thin Daoist dressed in a black Daoist Robe, with Gongsun Sheng stepping into the scene once again.
“Search thirty li in every direction, but not a single Exotic Beast was found,” Lei Hong didn’t dare conceal anything.
“And more than that, I’m more afraid of the unknown dangers lurking in the waters around us.” He shivered with obvious tension.
“With such a vast expanse of water, no living creatures to be seen, dead silence all around, we… we might have intruded into some Big Demon’s territory!”
Not exactly a Big Demon, but the waters around here are indeed far from simple.
Chen Mu’s expression eased slightly.
Over the past few days, besides pondering the Construction Method for the Water Avoidance Shuttle, he had also utilized the Truthful Listening Technique to probe his surroundings and indeed found no traces of Exotic Beasts.
Fortunately, he hadn’t detected any strong and obscure qi flows either, which didn’t resemble anything like the presence of a Big Demon.
However, the entire body of water exuded a deathly aura, akin to a graveyard, certainly not a welcoming place.
“If we want to repair the hull quickly, it looks like we’ll have to rob Peter to pay Paul,” Chen Mu narrowed his eyes.
What does that mean?
Lei Hong was a bit confused.
“The entire structure of the Water Avoidance Shuttle is built from Bone Bricks provided by the Hundred Refinement Hall.”
“The Bone Bricks are made from Exotic Beast Bone Powder; dismantle all the buildings and throw them into the Cycle Well.”
“Even if they cannot fully fix it, they will suffice to support the Water Avoidance Shuttle’s normal navigation.”
“I’ve already tried, but to no avail,” said Lei Hong with a wry smile and a shake of his head.
“The Hundred Refinement Hall put too much effort into it. The Bone Bricks and Bone Tiles are refined to be too hard; even if ground into powder and thrown into the Cycle Well, the Water Avoidance Shuttle can’t digest it.”
Can’t digest it?
“Just break them down and soak them until they’re soft,” Chen Mu said, his expression indifferent.
His right-hand index and middle finger raised in front of him as his lips moved; a string of cold Curse Words arose.
Yin Spirit Divine Power spread, Netherworld Summoning Secret Technique activated.
With a ripple-like tinkling sound, a pale yellow water mass, large enough to cover the entire Secret Chamber, abruptly appeared in mid-air.
“This is River of Oblivion Water, capable of returning to the root and tracing back to the source,” Chen Mu gestured, throwing out three white jade jars as tall as half a man with round bellies, filling them with the River of Oblivion Water suspended in mid-air.
“Dilute it a bit, find the right concentration, and soften the Bone Bricks with corrosion before adding them to the Cycle Well.”
“Will this… work?” Lei Hong asked, skeptical.
He had never heard of River of Oblivion Water.
“If it doesn’t, then I’ll stuff your fat into the Cycle Well to fill the holes!” Chen Mu said expressionlessly.
You think I’ve read the Complete Book of Water Avoidance Shuttle Construction these past few days for nothing.
“It will work, it definitely will!” Lei Hong nodded with conviction.
Chen Mu rolled his eyes and no longer paid attention to the slippery fat man, turning to walk into a swirl of black fog.
…
Inside the quiet room on the second floor.
A black smoke vortex appeared, and Chen Mu walked out of it—it was the long-unused Netherworld Ferry Secret Technique.
“Why would Netherworld Power seep into the bottom of Tongtian River?” Chen Mu wondered.
Netherworld Ferry could use the power of the River of Oblivion for Ground Shrinking; to perform the Secret Technique, Netherworld Power must be present nearby.
Back in Da Qian, he could use Netherworld Ferry at will because the place was riddled with City God Dojos, which could be connected to activate the Secret Technique.
But in the Great Li’s Goose Sheep Path, where Netherworld Power couldn’t reach, the Secret Technique was useless.
Now that Netherworld Ferry could be employed again…
“Da Qian Lock Dragon Institute, they didn’t build the City God Dojo into the Tongtian River, did they?” Chen Mu shook his head, “I need to leave quickly and rejoin the fleet, to get away from Yunzhou soon.”
Just thinking about it, you’d know there’s serious trouble here; he had no desire to be embroiled in it.
Chen Mu’s gaze returned to the “Complete Book of Water Avoidance Shuttle Construction.”
A new item emerged on the gray wall before him.
Artifact Refining Technique (Water Avoidance Shuttle Construction): 4930/10000;
After days and nights of relentless contemplation, insights continuously flowed into his mind, reflected by the gray wall, deepening his understanding of the Water Avoidance Shuttle.
“Ultimately, it will come down to Thunder Law,” Chen Mu realized.
Kui Niu Drum was essentially a Thunder Law amplifier, which could augment a Qi Cultivator’s Thunder Law to probe every corner of the Water Avoidance Shuttle, and by leveraging the small for the large, to maneuver the Water Avoidance Shuttle.
With a sufficiently powerful Thunder Law and a clear understanding of the various Forbidden Laws operating within the Water Avoidance Shuttle, even without the Kui Niu Drum, the Shuttle could still be controlled.
“If the Kui Niu Drum can’t be fixed, then no need to fix it.”
“Without the Kui Niu Drum as the core, replace it with a human-formed core instead.”
Chen Mu’s eyes moved lower, looking at another entry on the gray wall.
Five Thunders Treasure Scroll: 2093/10000/Second Rank;
Over half a month had passed since the Five Thunders Treasure Scroll’s last breakthrough to Second Rank. But recent continual mishaps had delayed the progress of the Thunder Law; even now, the Proficiency had just crossed two thousand.
“If the Five Thunders Treasure Scroll advances another rank, leveraging its intricate control power to manipulate Kui Water Yin Thunder, there’s a high chance of infiltrating the interior of the Water Avoidance Shuttle.”
“Combined with my understanding of the Construction Method, I could then replace the Kui Niu Drum, and pilot the Water Avoidance Shuttle myself!”
With this in mind, Chen Mu’s ears twitched, ensuring that Lei Hong had started gathering people to dismantle the buildings and repair the Water Avoidance Shuttle. He then took a deep breath and focused on the cultivation of the Five Thunders Treasure Scroll.
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