This expedition was a disaster. I knew I shouldn’t have come, but my master insisted on bringing me along despite the fact his nickname was Mr. Timid. Honestly, I’m not impressed. Back when I was still Bloodmoon, I thought the seven great sects were unbeatable monolithic organizations. I didn’t expect for the strongest of the seven great sects to have their expedition party nearly annihilated by one individual. I suppose we’re better off than the second strongest of the seven great sects. Everyone in their party died. Perhaps the third strongest sect will be annihilated and suffer losses within their sect outside of the ancient ruin.

Or, it’s just me. I’m the unlucky one. I committed too many bad deeds as Bloodmoon, so I’m being punished in this life. It’s not unheard of; evil people are given tougher tribulations. Should I work on doing good deeds to improve my karma? I know Ilya Pentorn entertained that thought for a while, but she gave up on it. If someone with the resources at her disposal found it to be a waste, then I don’t think it’ll help me either. I wonder if the negative karma of one person could drag a whole sect down. That shouldn’t be the case; if it were, then who was the evil fellow that caused the Flowing Water Sect’s downfall?

“Stop.”

I immediately came to a halt upon hearing Senior Mu’s command. I wasn’t going to ask her what was going on; I learned from the last time she told me to stop. As expected, Senior Mu froze in place, and her forehead scrunched up as she scanned the region. Unfortunately for me, the range of my divine sense had shrunk pitifully when I inhabited this body. Luckily, it worked well enough to replace my self-damaged eyes. A second later, a black blur rocketed through my field of vision, entering and leaving my perceptive range in an instant. Was that a creature? A flying vehicle?

“Do you know what that was?” Senior Mu asked and pointed towards the sky.

If she didn’t know, why would I know? “A void dragon, perhaps?”

“Maybe,” Senior Mu said and nodded, still staring up at the sky. The frown that had just gone away reappeared on Senior Mu’s face. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as I saw what she saw: a massive shockwave of combusting spiritual energy crashing towards us. I barely had time to throw myself behind Senior Mu, putting her in harm’s way to save myself. Of course, she didn’t mind because it was her job to protect the disciples under her lead. Then again, if she cared about doing her job, I wouldn’t be the only disciple left under her command. The shockwave smashed into a barrier that Senior Mu had erected with a flick of a talisman. The barrier was V-shaped, causing the shockwave to split upon contact. The sound resembled waves of lightning crashing against a shore as the ground was torn apart at the edges of the barrier.

“That excludes void dragon,” Senior Mu said and made a grasping motion with her hand. The talisman that had been suspended in the center of the barrier flew into her sleeve, and the barrier crumbled out of existence. “They’re not this ostentatious when they travel.”

Dragons are strong: their scales are impervious to low-grade attacks; their blood is filled with amazing vitality; their claws can tear through the strongest of metals. However, instead of being intimidated by powerful things, humans want them for themselves. To cultivators, humans and demons alike, acquiring a dragon’s body is akin to winning the lottery. A void dragon wouldn’t announce their presence just to show off. They’re arrogant, but they aren’t stupid. At least, that’s what the books about them say; I’ve never met one before. It’s sad to say, but if I were still Bloodmoon, I wouldn’t even qualify for a spot to enter this ruin; I’d have to sneak in.

Speaking of ostentatious, Lucia created quite a scene with her entrance and debut as the White-furred Tyrant’s disciple. A void dragon wouldn’t travel at sound-breaking speeds, but a squirrel with zero empathy for others like Lucia definitely would. Thankfully, I know that wasn’t Lucia. If it was her, she would’ve used that flying vehicle from the start.

“Stop.”

Senior Mu froze in place again. For some reason, it felt like my stomach was aching despite this body not having consumed food for tens of years, and the feeling wasn’t hunger. Anxiety? The black object zoomed into my divine sense’s range of perception and came to a halt. In preparation for the shockwave, Senior Mu flicked out her barrier talisman once more. A single day hasn’t passed, yet we’ve already encountered two groups of individuals who’re not to be offended even with our status as Blazing Sun Sect members. One was a lunatic squirrel. The other’s the owner of this boat.

“Oh, great! I knew I recognized them!”

Correction. The lunatic squirrel is also the owner of this boat. I’m not sure if it can even be called a boat. What exactly is it? It looks more like a metal flying fish, and where the gills should be, there’s an opening where Lucia’s waving at us from. There isn’t a railing, just an open sliding door; it doesn’t look very safe, but she’s an immortal capable of flying, so it’s really a nonfactor. From where I’m standing, I can see some parts of the vehicle’s interior through my divine sense, and it looks nothing like other metal flying ships I’ve seen. When I first met Lucia, she was simply a frog in a well. Now, her horizons are already broader than mine.

“Hey!” Lucia shouted down at us while waving. “Do you guys want a ride?”

No, thank you. Of course, my opinion was invalid. All the executive decisions were to be made by Senior Mu. Since she’s wary of squirrels, I don’t think she’ll accept Lucia’s offer.

“Since you’re offering, certainly,” Senior Mu said and nodded at Lucia. She glanced at me, and as if knowing my unasked question, she said, “Remember what I said? Squirrels are like natural disasters. It’s pointless to resist.”