Full-Level Fierce Person
Chapter 674 - 365 Severe Cold

Chapter 674: 365 Severe Cold

In a daze, two months had passed by.

Although the vanguard of the fleet had been completely lost, there were still four Guardian Fleets around the large ship, each of which dispatched a warship to immediately form a new vanguard fleet.

Thus, the voyage was not greatly affected.

After all, the vanguard fleet was essentially cannon fodder, meant to lead the way.

It must be admitted that the long-range fleet built by Ji Yuanwu with the effort of an entire nation still had a considerable foundation.

Nevertheless, these two months of sailing were still against the wind and rain, filled with dangers and difficulties, not as smooth as one might have imagined.

The big ships trailing behind continuously broke down or were forced to return to port, and only a pitiful four remained today, a heavy loss indeed.

That evening, the temperature plunged suddenly!

Wuu wuu~

The sky was overcast with clouds, and soon it began to snow heavily, swirling and tumbling like fragments of crushed jade pouring from the heavens, spreading across the boundless sea.

The deck quickly accumulated a layer of thick, pristine snow, covered in silvery white.

The chill spread everywhere, condensing into large droplets on the inner walls of the cabin.

Pop~

A droplet fell, landing precisely on Xigou’s head.

"Damn!"

Xigou, who had been fast asleep, suddenly woke up, shaking his head instinctively and shivering.

The room was stuffy, cold, damp, and low on oxygen, making breathing extremely oppressive.

Fang Zhixing also woke up, released his Divine Soul Perception, and frowned slightly.

"What’s going on, a sudden cold snap?" Xigou asked.

Fang Zhixing telepathically replied, "It’s snowing outside."

"Snowing?"

Xigou immediately became interested, "Speaking of which, since the two of us left Qinglin County, we haven’t really enjoyed a good snowfall."

Fang Zhixing stood up and said, "The weather is a bit strange, let’s go out and see."

A man and a dog walked out of the room.

By coincidence, an old man with gray beard was walking down the outside corridor.

It was the old master of the Sword Pavilion, whose name was unknown, and people in the Jianghu called him "Qingyun Sword Immortal," as famous as another "Sword Saint."

Both were on the giant ship.

However, Qingyun Sword Immortal wanders in the Jianghu, respected and revered, while the Sword Saint had long submitted to Ji Yuanwu, becoming a Royal Tributor with high status and power.

The Great Black Buddha Mother found out that Qingyun Sword Immortal probably had three to five cubit walls hidden away.

The problem was, he kept them hidden and showed no intention of trading.

"Old Sword Immortal."

Fang Zhixing greeted him with a smile.

Qingyun Sword Immortal stopped, bowed with hands clasped and said, "You flatter me, Fellow Daoist Fang. My surname is Ning, you can simply call me Ning."

Fang Zhixing replied with a smile, "Elder Ning, are you also going out to enjoy the snow?"

Qingyun Sword Immortal stroked his beard and smiled, gesturing with his hand as he replied, "Together."

The two men and the dog reached the deck.

Looking around, the heavy snow made the world white, beautiful like a painting.

The cold wind howled, chilling to the bone.

Fang Zhixing exhaled a breath of white air, felt it, and noted that the temperature had fallen below minus twenty degrees.

Moreover, the further forward they went, the colder it became.

It seemed as if the sea area ahead was in a terrifyingly cold region.

Qingyun Sword Immortal looked around, frowned and said, "This is bad, the seawater has frozen."

Fang Zhixing also noticed that the extremely low temperatures had frozen the seawater, forming a thick layer of ice, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The ice sealed thousands of miles!

Bang crack crack~

The giant ship continued to move, soon colliding with the huge layer of ice, creating a loud noise of ice breaking.

Although the bow of the ship was reinforced, the pressure it could bear when hitting such a thick layer of ice was imaginable.

Not to mention, the speed of the ship drastically dropped, making progress extremely difficult.

Before long, the entire Royal Fleet was forced to stop, truly unable to move forward.

Seeing this, Qingyun Sword Immortal resignedly said, "This is a big problem."

Fang Zhixing quickly replied, "Elder Ning, no need to worry. We just need to form an Ice Breaking Team to forge a path ahead, and we’ll be able to continue our voyage."

Qingyun Sword Immortal gave a bitter smile and said, "Easier said than done!"

But he had to admit, it was likely the only solution.

Sure enough!

Shortly thereafter, Empress Xiahou Mi issued an order, instructing the martial artists on the third layer of the cabin to take turns breaking the ice.

The third layer was mostly composed of nobles and members of Aristocratic Families, with cultivation levels between the Nine Ox Realm and the Hundred Cows Realm.

They were numerous, swarming out, jumping down from the giant ship onto the ice.

Next, the sounds of thunderous roars erupted one after another.

Everyone demonstrated their unique skills, furiously attacking the ice to forcibly clear a hundred-meters-wide waterway.

Fang Zhixing scanned the crowd and suddenly noticed a familiar figure.

Helian Zhou from the Helian Clan of Dai State.

Fang Zhixing had met him once and had a fairly good impression of him.

Helian Zhou was also assigned to the Ice Breaking Team, working hard.

The scene couldn’t help but evoke a sense of melancholy.

The members of Aristocratic Families in Great Zhou were extremely esteemed, yet once at sea, they had fallen to hard labor.

"Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west..."

Fang Zhixing shook his head slightly, his heart filled with myriad emotions.

"Let’s go, ice sliding!"

At this moment, not to be outdone, Xigou leapt from the ship and began wildly running on the ice, playfully frolicking.

Xigou, with his thick fur, wasn’t afraid of the cold; instead, he quickly adapted to the ice and snow, reveling in it.

Fang Zhixing glanced at Qingyun Sword Immortal, stayed silent for a moment, then spoke, "Elder Ning, I heard you have a few cubit walls, is that so?"

"Oh, do I?" The Sword Pavilion master stroked his beard and chuckled.

Fang Zhixing earnestly said, "If Elder Ning would be so kind as to part with them, I would be incredibly grateful."

Qingyun Sword Immortal neither confirmed nor denied, looked up at the heavy snowfall, and suddenly changed the topic, "This sea voyage has gathered experts from both the righteous and demonic paths. To which do you belong, Fellow Daoist Fang?"

Fang Zhixing, quick-witted, pondering the deep meaning in the old master’s words, firmly stated, "I am but a rebel."