My ancestors were spiritual plant growers, so it's not surprising that I hunt demons every day,

Chu Nianwei turned her head and glared at the two of them, but she didn't seem particularly afraid.

The reason was that the elder they were referring to was her mother—Chu Huayin, a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, and she was Chu Huayin's only child.

She may not be punished when she returns, but it's hard to say what others will do.

Chu Ruoyu sighed deeply and replied:

"The precious fan was originally for my use. You brothers are just colleagues and never expected to cause such an undeserved disaster. I, Chu Ruoyu, will take full responsibility for this matter and will not let you brothers bear the blame or be punished."

The Chu family members were naturally deeply moved upon hearing this, praising him for his righteousness. However, Chu Nianwei worriedly said:

"So, are we still going to explore that little secret realm?"

The room fell silent immediately; their trip was also for that little secret realm.

However, knowing their own cultivation level was low, they only wanted to undergo trials in the outer layer of the secret realm. With the protection of the treasure fan bestowed by their Foundation Establishment elders, they dared to travel with peace of mind.

Now that the Crimson Feather Flame Fan is lost and they have lost their protection, they are starting to have second thoughts after Chu Nianwei asked them this question.

After a moment of silence, Chu Ruoyu finally advised:

"We'll be arriving at Haiyue City the day after tomorrow. It would be such a shame to turn back now. I suggest we stick to the plan and just stay on the outskirts of the secret realm. If anything changes, we'll leave immediately."

Seeing that everyone was interested, he continued:

"I still have a few Thunderfire Talismans on me. Even if we encounter a powerful enemy at the late stage of Qi Refining, they can hold out for a while, which is enough for us to escape."

Chu Ruoyu was a direct descendant of the Chu family of Fengyu Mountain. He was quite prestigious among his own disciples. Although others hesitated slightly, they eventually nodded in agreement and prepared to continue exploring the secret realm.

While the Chu family members were feeling troubled, Sun Yunliang and the others were all beaming with joy.

Today's farce was meticulously planned by him, with the aim of offering up the treasure to secure a good place for the four brothers.

Speaking of the silver crown and golden branch, they obtained it on the battlefield of Jinsha City. It was because of this spiritual object that the four of them were able to escape danger. Later, they bought a book on spiritual objects in the city and realized how precious the thing in their hands was.

The four were overjoyed to learn of the effects of the Silver Crown Golden Branch, but after calming down, they became increasingly worried, fearing that if others found out, it would bring about their deaths.

It wasn't until a few days ago, when they heard a rumor that a cultivator who had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment had returned to Nanyang Prefecture from their Thundercloud City, that they decided to offer the treasure.

This cultivator who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage is named Di Xiu.

Although this person has a high level of cultivation, his lifespan is coming to an end, and he has recently been searching for treasures but has not found any.

They came to Leiyun City to compete for a longevity-enhancing elixir, but instead of succeeding, they were severely injured and defeated by the Golden Light Sect elders in Leiyun City. They were forced to return to Nanyang Prefecture in a sorry state, which gave Sun Yunliang and his brother an opportunity.

Of all things that can prolong life, none are as precious as a silver crown and golden branches!

Di Xiu secretly thought that things had taken a turn for the better, and that an opportunity had been waiting for him here all along.

Sun Yunliang respectfully greeted Di Xiu at the head of the table and presented the jade box, which was then taken by a servant and handed to Di Xiu.

Di Xiu opened it and took a look. He had already seen through the authenticity of the silver crown and golden branch when the item appeared on the deck, but when the treasure was actually in front of him, his pupils shrank and his mind was stirred.

After being stuck at the Foundation Establishment stage for nearly a century, there is finally an opportunity to break through and test the power of the Condensed Yuan.

"This item is extremely rare. You all deserve a great reward for presenting such a treasure."

Di Xiu knew that Sun Yunliang and the other three must have something to ask for, and it was also a time when he was in high spirits and happy. As long as he had something to offer, he was determined not to be stingy.

Sun Yunliang and the others weren't greedy; they knew that no magical artifact or elixir was more valuable than having a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator as a backer. He quickly led his brothers to kneel down and said:

"We have long admired Senior Di's reputation. If we could become his disciples, it would be a great relief for us brothers, allowing us to escape our precarious lives. We would be eternally grateful!"

Di Xiu hesitated for a moment, noticing that the four people were getting older and had only average talent, so he had some reservations.

However, he had already made a promise, and being always proud and arrogant, he couldn't find the words to refuse, and could only sigh:

"You four have shown genuine sincerity, and I pity you for having been wandering for so long. Cultivation is not easy, so I will take you as my disciples. After we return to Nanyang Prefecture, you can stay by my side to cultivate."

As soon as the words were spoken, Sun Yunliang and the others were moved to tears, and they all kowtowed and addressed him as their master.

Although the newly initiated disciples were not as good as the personal disciples, they were still better than the other disciples. Moreover, they had learned that besides a few attendants, Di Xiu only had two personal disciples.

The four of them didn't expect to become Di Xiu's personal disciples, but having a cultivator at the Condensation Realm as their master was still far better than before.

Both sides got what they wanted and were extremely happy.

Sun Yunliang was also worried that if he offered the treasure, he would be silenced instead of rewarded, so he deliberately provoked the Chu family members of Fengyu Mountain and orchestrated this farce.

By the time they emerged from Di Xiu's upper room, the news that there was a silver-crowned golden branch on the ship was already known throughout the entire vessel.

Di Xiu naturally knew that he had been tricked by these people, and a surge of anger rose in his heart, but he used the silver crown and golden branch in his hand to calm down.

Most of the people on this crane-winged ship are in the Qi Refining stage, with only a handful of Foundation Establishment cultivators, so it's easy to deal with them.

He immediately cast a magic array, forming a hand seal to cover the entire cloud ship, completely sealing it off to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from leaking the information.

Just as Lei Yi and Cui Ying were discussing, another cultivator on the ship, who was in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, used a method to send a message to his family elders, but was caught red-handed by Di Xiu.

In full view of everyone, they used swift and decisive methods to shatter the man's dantian and threw his body overboard.

This was an act of making an example of someone to warn others, intended to remind the cultivators on the ship not to have any improper thoughts.

Cui Ying's breath hitched slightly, and even Lei Yi, who had already taken out a communication talisman, froze. He hadn't expected Di Xiu to be so ruthless. Then he thought that if they really let them spread the news of the Silver Crown and Golden Branch out of the cloud ship, no matter which family's elders came to attack, it would probably be Di Xiu himself who lost his life.

The struggle between cultivators is a matter of life and death, so it's no wonder that Di Xiu is so cautious.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Cui Ying poured herself a cup of hot tea and sipped it slowly.

Now that they are all on this cloud ship, the only fear is that Di Xiu might suddenly become murderous and kill everyone on board during the journey. That would be a truly undeserved disaster.

"Let them blockade us then. As long as nothing else goes wrong on the ship and we arrive at Seamoon City safely, that's all that matters."

Lei Yi understood immediately, thinking to himself that this guy was ruthless and might really be up to no good. As for him and Cui Ying, who were both Qi Refining cultivators, how could they possibly guard against the methods of a Foundation Establishment cultivator?

Now they only hope that the Crane Wing Ship will fly as fast as possible and reach Haiyue City as soon as possible so that they can leave.