In the courtyard, Xuanzhen was dozing off in the shade of a tree.
Over the past few years, Xuanzhenâs appearance had aged significantly, his hair entirely white, his face full of deep wrinkles, and his back hunched over. Even his eyes had become much more clouded.
"Youâve finally arrived!"
Seeing Yang Zhenshan walking over with his hands behind his back, Xuanzhen Taoist showed a faint smile.
Yang Zhenshan looked at Xuanzhen Taoist in some surprise; he hadnât expected the Taoist to have grown so old.
Seemingly noticing Yang Zhenshanâs surprise, Xuanzhen laughed and said, "If you donât set off soon, Iâll die of old age!"
Yang Zhenshan sat next to him, "Why insist on it?"
"If I donât see it for myself, Iâm unwilling to let go!" Xuanzhenâs expression grew much more complex.
"Thatâs true, if it were me, I wouldnât be willing either!" Yang Zhenshan said in deep agreement.
To hear the Dao in the morning, one could die content by evening.
While the Dazhao Dynasty may not represent the ultimate path, in Dazhao, one can still find a higher realm of Martial Arts.
Yang Zhenshan had two objectives in going to Dazhao: one was to seek more Spirit Roots, namely the seeds of Spirit Fruits, and the other was to find a way to break through the Innate Realm.
In the Ten Thousand Miles Sea Domain, one might find a method for Enlightenment, but definitely not a way to break through the Innate Realm to the Martial God Realm.
If Yang Zhenshan wished to become a Martial God, he must head to the Dazhao Dynasty across the Stormy Sea Area.
"Then letâs set off, in three days!" Yang Zhenshan said.
"Alright!" Xuanzhen Taoist replied with a smile.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and at the port of Divine Wood Island, there was a ship entirely black in color. This ship wasnât large, only about ten zhang in length, far less than the Da Fu Ship, and it only had three masts, barely qualifying as a medium-sized warship.
The shipâs body was relatively low, without facilities like a deckhouse, and on the deck, only the stern had two layers of cabins.
This ship was specially built to traverse the Stormy Sea Area, made entirely from heavy ironwood, with a relatively heavy body, deep draught, and strong resistance to wind and waves.
"The family will rely on you guys, I estimate itâll be seven or eight years before I return!"
At the port dock, Yang Zhenshan spoke to Yang Mingzhi and Jiang He.
"Donât worry, Dad, I will protect Divine Wood Island!" Yang Mingzhi said solemnly.
This time, Yang Zhenshan could be said to have taken away more than half of the Yang familyâs strength, shifting the familyâs focus to the Spirit Source Land, leaving not much strength on Divine Wood Island, but still not weak.
Although Yang Mingzhi had not yet achieved Enlightenment, his strength was already at the pinnacle below the Innate Realm of Enlightenment, likely surpassing many of the unenlightened old masters.
Besides Yang Mingzhi, Divine Wood Island still had over thirty Innate Martial Artists, and a thousand elite archers.
This thousand elite archers were not the previous thousand; since the familyâs focus shifted to the Spirit Source Land, Yang Zhenshan had incorporated most of the elite archers into the Protection Hall, leaving only two hundred for Yang Mingzhi.
The current thousand elite archers on Divine Wood Island were trained based on those two hundred.
Meanwhile, the Protection Hall at the Spirit Source Land also expanded by two hundred people, maintaining the scale of a thousand elite archers.
Yang Zhenshan nodded, then nodded toward Jiang He, and stepped onto the ship.
Xuanzhen, Chen Zhongshu, and Lv Hua followed onto the ship, which also had thirty sailors responsible for manning it, in addition to Li Chang and Wang Lei.
For this voyage, Yang Zhenshan openly brought this many people.
The ship set sail under the watchful eyes of Yang Mingzhi, Jiang He, and others.
Gradually leaving the port, it slowly headed east.
From Divine Wood Island to the Stormy Sea Area was still a long way, requiring an eastward sail of a thousand li, bypassing the Longdan Dynasty, then entering the Ninghai Islands from the south of the Longdan Dynasty.
The Ninghai Islands are a densely packed archipelago, extending over two thousand li from east to west, with thousands of verdant islands connected like a colored ribbon embedded in the vast sea.
None of these islands were very large; the largest was only slightly larger than Divine Wood Island, but several were about the same size as Star Moon Island.
The powers on the Ninghai Islands were numerous, countless in number, and their state of chaos far exceeded that of the central and western parts of the Ten Thousand Miles Sea Domain.
However, these had little to do with Yang Zhenshan and his group; they were merely passersby, unconcerned with the conflicts in the Ninghai Islands.
Of course, the world never lacks people seeking their own demise; itâs unheard of that one could cross the chaotic Ninghai Islands without encountering a few highway robberies.
Yang Zhenshanâs ship was not large, and being all alone, naturally, there were those who sought to intercept and seize some loot.
The outcome, needless to say, was that along the way, Yang Zhenshan and his group sent thousands to feed the fish at sea.
Encountering Yang Zhenshanâs group, one can only say their luck was bad.
After a monthâs journey at sea, Yang Zhenshan and the others arrived at the easternmost island of the Ninghai Islands, Wind Island.
A sea island located at the edge of the Stormy Sea Area, this island wasnât large nor could it be considered prosperous.
Places like Wind Island were more or less like remote backwaters; besides those wanting to venture into the Stormy Sea Area, no one would willingly come to such a remote corner.
However, you shouldnât underestimate Wind Island.
Those daring enough to venture into the Stormy Sea Area must be Innate Martial Artists, and quite powerful ones at that.
Ordinary Innate Martial Artists wouldnât dare enter the Stormy Sea Area lightly.