38. Dawn Has Broken

"My junior is so powerful..."

On the other side, Qi Lingshan had awakened. Her transformation was profound; her skin had become fair, tender, and translucent, like frost under a clear moon. Her delicate features were flawless from every angle, an appearance that instantly evoked images of purity and ethereal grace, like a lotus rising from the water. She had always been beautiful, but after consuming the Golden Crow blood, she had evolved into a Pure Immortal Body, radiating an untainted, otherworldly aura.

This was the unique charm of the Pure Immortal Body; no one could help but be drawn to it.

When the woman in the red dress appeared, Qi Lingshan had felt a surge of malice. Fortunately, another force outside had blocked the woman, and she could clearly feel that it was her junior protecting her. By the time Fan Yijun arrived, she had already refined the Golden Crow blood. Watching Lin Fan fight through blood and fire, her heart felt as if it were being gripped by a hand, and for a moment, she had wanted to leave with the red-dressed woman if it meant protecting him.

If Lin Fan knew of Qi Lingshan's thoughts, he would only call her foolish.

Fighting two opponents was not even his limit, but he had not expected Yu Nanfei, whom he had summoned, to turn traitor. Seeing him swallow a large gulp of the Golden Crow blood, she had forgotten to breathe, her pretty eyes furrowed with deep anxiety.

In that moment, a desire sprouted within her: she wanted to grow stronger so that her junior would not have to bear such a heavy burden.

Fortunately, after consuming the Golden Crow blood, Lin Fan’s strength had surged. Having opened thirty-six silver meridians, he possessed an inexhaustible reservoir of immense power, beating Yu Nanfei until he begged for mercy.

Spare Yu Nanfei? Lin Fan would have to be an idiot to keep a traitor by his side. He was determined to finish him off.

Yu Nanfei’s heart sank to the abyss. He immediately mounted his ghost camel and fled for his life.

"Swoosh!"

Lin Fan had anticipated his flight. If Yu Nanfei had run from the start, he might have had a chance, but after taking several blows, his spectral form was now woefully weak and his speed significantly diminished. He could no longer escape. Gripping the Pure Yang Sword, Lin Fan moved like a dragon and pounced like a tiger, driving his blade through Yu Nanfei's back and piercing his spectral heart.

"Impossible! This ghost ship is about to reach the shore; how can I die here? Dammit, dammit! Those two wretches..." Pain filled Yu Nanfei’s eyes as he roared in defiance. A moment later, his spectral form was extinguished by the terrifying sword energy.

"You shouldn't have teamed up with them, and you certainly shouldn't have thought about returning to the Ghost Camel Bell. Keeping you by my side would be like keeping an untamed tiger." Lin Fan sheathed his sword, breathing heavily as his tense muscles finally relaxed. He retrieved the Ghost Camel Bell and drew the spectral camel inside.

Yu Nanfei had been able to move twice as fast while riding that creature; it could have served as his ultimate escape tool.

"Junior, are you alright? You weren't hurt by the evil spirits, were you?" Qi Lingshan walked over, her face full of concern.

Seeing the state of his senior, Lin Fan’s eyes widened in utter astonishment. "Senior, how did you become..."

She had become more beautiful—Lin Fan didn't finish the sentence, but the silence was more effective than any words. A faint blush crept onto Qi Lingshan’s cheeks. She didn't know what had happened to her; after drinking the Golden Crow blood, it felt as if she had shed a layer of skin.

In this state, anyone who looked at her could not help but feel their heart stir.

Noticing something, Lin Fan shifted the subject. "I... after drinking a mouthful of the Golden Crow blood, I opened thirty-six silver meridians. My strength has increased significantly. At first, it felt like burning fire in my body, but now it’s fine; the Golden Crow blood has been completely refined."

His ability to refine the blood was entirely due to the Yuxu Breathing Method. This mysterious technique had instantly tempered the violent nature of the Golden Crow blood, rendering it gentle. It was said that this mysterious method was given to him by his senior sister; besides taking him as a disciple, Wuxuzi had taken another—Lin Fan's senior sister—though she had left to travel the world when he was very young.

"Cunyuan, how are you?" Chen Cunyuan had been the most severely injured, having taken a direct hit from the woman in the wedding dress.

"Brother Fan, I'm fine. Just took a tumble." Seeing that the women had fled and Yu Nanfei was dead, Chen Cunyuan wore the smile of someone who had survived a catastrophe. Since his transformation, his body had become incredibly tough; a fall was no different from what a normal person might experience.

"A narrow escape. Who on earth are they? And Fan Yijun—it's like she’s a completely different person. She attacked you with every intent to kill. Is this really the Fan Yijun we knew?" Qin Fen asked in one breath.

He hadn't expected that consuming the Golden Crow blood wouldn't be the most dangerous part of the journey—it was the entities on the ship.

They couldn't understand the words spoken by the woman in the wedding dress or Fan Yijun; only Lin Fan could.

"Dr. Fan has been possessed. These two evil spirits wanted Senior Qi’s Pure Immortal Body. I don't fully understand what that constitution is, but it must be very tempting to them," Lin Fan sighed.

Because he had drawn his sword earlier, he had offended the woman in the wedding dress and the purple-clad girl, and now, Qi Lingshan’s consumption of the Golden Crow blood had put them all in danger. Fortunately, Lin Fan had repelled them; it could be called a narrow escape.

Qin Fen, Chen Cunyuan, and Qi Lingshan realized clearly that they were far weaker than the creatures on the ship, and they now understood just how perilous the Nether Ghost Ship truly was.

Pure Immortal Body? Everyone turned their gaze toward Qi Lingshan, wondering if she knew what kind of constitution it was.

"I know even less than my junior," Qi Lingshan shook her head, then added, "After I swallowed the Golden Crow blood, it felt like I entered a marvelous realm. The only distinct difference is that there is a sharp stream of energy within me. This must be the 'Dharma Qi' my junior mentioned."

As she spoke, Qi Lingshan released this flow of energy. With a sudden rush, it swirled like a sharp, sweeping blade.

The Dharma Qi that Qi Lingshan produced appeared to be of a higher grade than Qin Fen’s.

"You opened twenty silver meridians?" Lin Fan was slightly stunned. This must be what they meant by the Pure Immortal Body—opening twenty silver meridians upon the first consumption of Golden Crow blood. He could now understand why the woman in the wedding dress and the purple-clad girl had been so crazed.

Qi Lingshan nodded. She felt that there were not just twenty, but dozens more within her that had yet to fully grow.

It was unexpected that Qi Lingshan possessed the Pure Immortal Body, but in this environment, it was not necessarily a good thing.

"Whoosh—"

Suddenly, the sky, previously thick with dark clouds, parted to reveal a beam of light. As this golden radiance appeared, the surrounding nether fog retreated like a receding tide. Seeing this, everyone was overcome with excitement.

"It’s sunlight! It’s dawn!"

"My god... the sunlight is hitting my face..."

"How many days has it been? I can finally see the sun."

The warmth, like the rising morning sun, shone upon them. In that moment, the very shape of the light seemed to materialize... the warm, gentle sunlight felt like a mother’s palm caressing them from outside the womb.

More and more light poured onto the ghost ship. As the sky grew brighter, the people cheered and laughed, their voices filled with heart-stirring joy. With the nether fog gone, they could finally see the ship clearly—it was far larger than they had imagined.

"Look, the sea of blood is slowly turning back to a normal color..."

Leaning against the ship’s railing, they looked down. The once vibrant, blood-red sea was slowly becoming crystal clear, and the thousands of wandering souls that had filled it had dissipated.