Chapter 629

Chapter 629: Sudden Misfortune

Though small in appearance, the treasure ship’s speed matched any eighth-rank treasure ship, swift as lightning beyond belief.

Fang Lie felt thoroughly satisfied. After slight course adjustments, he began familiarizing himself with the vessel’s basic functions.

This Netherworld Ghost Fire warship, though fist-sized in its condensed form, remained a genuine large treasure weapon. Its core consisted of high-grade Netherworld Ghost Fire with unique properties, allowing storage within the rare Netherworld Heart. When retracted, it indeed resembled a mere clenched fist.

Yet whenever Fang Lie willed it, the Netherworld Heart could unleash its contained flames. At maximum expansion, the ghost fire spanned ten thousand miles – akin to a floating continent!

The warship’s form bent entirely to Fang Lie’s control. He could mold the flames into any shape – be it a colossal vessel resembling Mo Sect’s Mechanical City, a gargantuan demon beast, or direct combat formations.

This malleability granted near-limitless adaptability for complex scenarios. Certain Secret Realms barred large treasures, yet the Netherworld warship circumvented this by entering as a single Netherworld Heart before expanding into full battle fortress.

Despite its fiery composition, the ghost fire warship possessed startling durability. As Flame of Burning Spirits, it fed on all Spiritual Energy sources. Attacks using Dao magic or Sword Energy only intensified the flames like oil on fire. Even structural damage proved meaningless – like severing flowing water, the flames simply regenerated while the Netherworld Heart remained intact. Quick repairs from endless ghost fire reserves would exhaust any attacker.

Another key advantage lay in minimal resource consumption. Typical eighth-rank large treasures resembled Spiritual Energy gluttons – even basic maneuvers devoured vast power. Their Nascent Soul Furnaces converted environmental energy, but during battles required direct spirit stone combustion. Full combat operations might consume millions of spirit stones, making most engagements financially ruinous.

The Netherworld warship broke this paradigm. Its flames naturally harvested surrounding Spiritual Energy. Larger deployments consumed more energy but also absorbed greater quantities, maintaining equilibrium without furnaces. In combat, it fed on anything Spiritual Energy-infused – enemy corpses, spells, even opposing treasures. This self-sustaining warfare let it grow stronger through battle while weakening foes. Only instantaneous destruction of the Netherworld Heart could prevent inevitable victory through attrition.

Such peerless capabilities made the warship invaluable even without mutated ghost fire enhancements. Yet perfection remained elusive – the vessel’s critical flaw dampened Fang Lie’s enthusiasm. It utterly lacked auxiliary functions beyond combat, inferior even to low-grade warships.

Compare it to Sect Leader Mo Qianxun’s Glorious Heavenly Palace – another peak eighth-rank large treasure. Beyond Divine Pattern Restrictions for offense, it boasted hundreds of seventh-rank Mechanical Cannons, dozens of eighth-rank Divine Lightning Towers, and millions of Puppet Soldiers. Housing entire Dao Soldier battalions, it functioned as mobile war fortress enabling solo warfare.

Besides combat attachments, the Glorious Heavenly Palace also housed Herb Gardens, a Pill Room, an artifact workshop, a beast park, Linglong’s elegant waterside pavilion for leisure, a meticulously crafted garden, thousands of beautiful maids, and nearly ten thousand servants. Living there resembled dwelling in luxurious palaces, indulging in every comfort. While these amenities seemed trivial during peacetime, their true value shone during long journeys.

This proved especially crucial during expeditions to distant Secret Realms, which often spanned decades or even centuries without return. Such a grand heavenly palace essentially served as a formidable logistical stronghold – its importance beyond measure.

By comparison, Fang Lie’s Netherworld warship appeared utterly pitiful. It lacked basic facilities, forcing him to cook meals himself and even supply his own ingredients – a truly dismal situation.

Beyond living conditions, the warship fell short in other critical aspects, particularly reconnaissance. Mo Qianxun’s Glorious Heavenly Palace maintained specialized scout forces: hundreds of Dao soldiers constantly patrolled tens of thousands of miles around the vessel, providing early warnings against ambushes or hazards.

The palace also featured a grand observatory equipped with celestial-viewing treasures and dedicated Cultivators who daily interpreted the Heavenly Dao’s secrets, divining auspicious paths for navigation. Any ambush plot against Mo Qianxun would be detected beforehand through these means.

Dozens of massive Water Mirrors mounted on cloud platforms could surveil landscapes over a hundred thousand miles distant. Constant surveillance ensured immediate detection of any suspicious activity.

Beyond reconnaissance, the palace boasted stealth and escape systems. The stealth attachments concealed its presence for surprise attacks, while dual escape mechanisms included instant acceleration and void-phasing capabilities.

With triple-layered detection systems perpetually active and reliable escape options, ambushing the Glorious Heavenly Palace became virtually impossible. These safeguards allowed Mo Qianxun to travel safely through dangerous territories. Without them, even a Semi-Immortal wielding Ninth-Rank Treasures could fatally ambush him before he activated his Wisdom Token.

Though formidable in combat, Fang Lie’s Netherworld warship critically lacked surveillance, stealth, and escape capabilities. If ambushed, escape might prove impossible.

These flaws demanded correction. While Fang Lie’s undying nature reduced need for escape mechanisms, reconnaissance and living amenities became essential upgrades – treasures only obtainable from Mo Qianxun.

Being a premium warship, it required top-tier attachments – rare treasures even within Mo Sect. Though Fang Lie could leverage his connection with Mo Qianxun, acquiring them would demand significant bargaining.

Closing his eyes, Fang Lie strategized how to extract the finest treasures from Mo Qianxun at minimal cost. Days slipped by unnoticed.

During meditation in his secret room, Fang Lie suddenly felt the warship shudder to an abrupt halt. Unable to counter the violent inertia, he crashed headfirst into a wall reinforced by Divine Pattern Restrictions – walls harder than diamond that even Seventh-Rank Treasures couldn’t breach.

Though his body possessed great resilience, his skull shattered against the indestructible surface. Multicolored Nirvana fire instantly consumed his corpse, reviving him.

Trembling with wrath, Fang Lie realized he’d nearly perished mid-flight without recourse for justice. Burning with fury, he stormed from the warship to confront his ambusher.