Chapter 335: Drumbeats and Echoes

After a while, the currents of the Tongtian River stabilized. Many aquatic creatures, still feeling disoriented, began to inquire among themselves, and some even went directly to the River God's Mansion to ask for details.

The yakshas of the Water Palace, somewhat flustered, returned to their posts and nervously questioned each other.

"What just happened?"

"It seemed like an anomaly at Dragon Pool!" "Ah? Is the Dragon Lord alright?"

"It's still unclear. The Commander has already gone to Dragon Pool to inquire!"

Some yakshas and fish maidens were restless, swimming back and forth in the Water Palace. Others went to the collapsed palace sections to salvage furniture and items, setting upright everything that had fallen over.

The Water Palace was now suspected of having been attacked, a situation unprecedented in centuries. It was still unclear if there were any casualties, but they knew the disturbance in the Tongtian River had been significant.

After a long while, a red-haired yaksha, holding a halberd, emerged from the entrance of Dragon Pool and faced the anxious aquatic creatures.

"Disperse, everyone, disperse! It's nothing serious. The Dragon Lord merely sneezed twice; there's nothing major. He instructed us to restore the Water Palace and return to our posts."

"Oh... so that's what it was!" "So it was the Dragon Lord sneezing..."

"Truly worthy of the Dragon Lord. Even a few sneezes can cause such turmoil in the Tongtian River. Imagine if he were truly angry?"

"Heh, I certainly wouldn't want to see the Dragon Lord angry." "Me neither!"

The yakshas of the River God's Water Palace and all the aquatic creatures now understood what had happened. They sent word to calm the anxieties of the other aquatic creatures, and a minor disturbance in the Tongtian River finally subsided.

However, the old dragon in his own Dragon Pool could not sleep.

Around him, the brilliant light of luminous pearls shone. Spiritual energy converged from all directions, and rich water spirits spontaneously entwined around his dragon body. His pair of enormous amber dragon eyes blinked.

"How strange. What's going on with these uncontrollable sneezes? Was I enchanted? No, that's not right. Could it be some highly empathetic cultivator speaking ill of me behind my back? Who possesses such cultivation?"

The old dragon narrowed his eyes and pondered, recalling everything he had done recently. Finally, he blurted out,

"Could it be that fellow, Ji Yuan?"

"Achoo..."

On the Nine Peaks Mountain's realm flying boat, Ji Yuan had just sat down at a restaurant in a deck market when he couldn't help but let out a violent sneeze.

This left Chi Gui, Lin Jian, and the dragon maiden Ying Ruoli, who were nearby, wide-eyed in astonishment. The higher a cultivator's cultivation level, the stronger their control over their bodily sensations. For an immortal cultivator of Ji Yuan's caliber, sneezing was practically impossible unless done intentionally!

"Uncle Ji, is there something wrong with this restaurant?"

"Indeed, Immortal Ji. If you don't like it, we'll change to another place immediately!" "Right, right, I know a restaurant at the end of the market that often uses spiritual vegetables and fruits for cooking!"

Seeing their reactions, Ji Yuan shifted his body, rubbed his nose with one hand, and waved the other.

"It's fine, it's fine, nothing serious. It was just a sneeze; someone must be praising me. Let's eat, let's eat!"

Saying this, Ji Yuan gestured to the proprietor who was cautiously attending nearby. Since their arrival, the proprietor had personally come over but had not dared to make a sound to disturb them.

Other mortals might not recognize Chi Gui and Lin Jian, but as someone whose family had run a restaurant on the realm flying boat for generations, it would be incredibly lacking in discernment not to recognize the two Immortals from Nine Peaks Mountain.

And seeing Chi Gui and Lin Jian personally bring people to the restaurant, he could pretty much guess that the man and woman were very likely the "whale riders of the sea" who had recently been the subject of much talk.

Seeing the gesture, the proprietor naturally stepped closer.

"Patron, how may I help you?"

Ji Yuan inquired.

"Your restaurant is located on a flying boat frequented by immortal cultivators; it must have some special qualities. What are your signature dishes?"

"Erm, hehe, what are you saying, honored guest? We just serve some homely dishes, but we prepare them diligently and meticulously. As Immortal Lin just mentioned, we also have dishes made with spiritual vegetables and fruits."

Ji Yuan nodded and patted the table, gesturing for the dragon maiden and the two Immortals from Nine Peaks Mountain beside him to also sit down.

"Since that's the case, Proprietor, please select a few dishes you deem good and have them prepared and sent over. About nine dishes and one soup will suffice. Oh, and two pots of good wine, please."

"Coming right up!"

The proprietor acknowledged, walked a few steps away to personally give instructions in the kitchen, and after a while, returned to attend by their side.

Ji Yuan looked at him and couldn't help but ask,

"Do you all live here permanently?"

The proprietor smiled.

"Some have just arrived, others come and go. But my Ma family has been here for generations."

As if knowing what Ji Yuan was about to ask, the proprietor continued.

"On this immortal boat, there are no harsh taxes, no natural disasters, and we can witness magnificent sights rarely seen by mortals. Moreover, if we, who live here, can one day form a good relationship with an immortal and guide our descendants onto the path of immortality, it would be like our entire household ascending to become immortals themselves."

Ji Yuan looked at Chi Gui.

"Are there such cases?"

The latter nodded.

"Indeed there are. The spiritual energy on the flying boat is, at least, more abundant than outside, and long-term residence here is indeed beneficial to people. However, it is actually best to periodically live on solid ground for a while before returning, as one cannot be truly grounded when the flying boat travels through the sky, which is ultimately a deficiency in terms of the five elements' principles."

The proprietor, listening from the side, quickly cupped his hands in thanks to Ji Yuan and the others.

He had heard such information before, but it was not confirmed. Now, hearing Chi Gui's words, it must be true.

Not long after, several dishes, exquisite in color, aroma, and taste, were brought out. A waiter brought the tray to the table, and the proprietor personally served the dishes. Two pots of fine wine also arrived simultaneously.

The two Immortals from Nine Peaks Mountain merely made a symbolic gesture with their chopsticks; essentially, Ji Yuan was the only one eating, while Ying Ruoli, with sleeves rolled up, poured wine for him.

In the restaurant, Ji Yuan felt no awkwardness. He ate heartily and drank freely. Chi Gui and Lin Jian occasionally chatted and answered questions, while the dragon maiden ensured Ji Yuan's cup was never empty. Meanwhile, several young waiters stared傻傻地 at the strikingly beautiful dragon maiden.

This scene was quite harmonious and pleasant. If the judges who enjoyed painting were present, they would certainly not miss this sight.

Just as the wine had made its rounds and the food had been savored, a powerful, high-decibel roar suddenly erupted from beneath the flying boat.

"Lady Ruoli—Mr. Ji—where did you go? Did this strange flying boat abduct you? Quickly hand over Mr. Ji and Lady Ruoli... Roar woof... Roar woof woo."

A powerful yet strangely melodious whale cry resounded. It was extremely piercing, and even on the flying boat, many mortals and cultivators covered their ears.

The dishes on Ji Yuan's table rattled incessantly.

Chi Gui formed hand seals and activated a spell in the air. In an instant, all sound vanished; it must have been blocked by the flying boat's restrictions.

But then, the next moment.

"Boom..."

With a "boom," the dishes on the table lifted two inches. The entire flying boat shook uncontrollably, causing some ordinary people and shopkeepers in the restaurant to sway back and forth, and some even fell to the ground.

"This oaf is certainly loyal. He's already gone wild. Ruoli, go calm him down."

"Yes!"

The dragon maiden stood up with a slight smile. After responding, she flew straight out. Because she needed to exit, Chi Gui opened the restriction again, and the piercing, powerful whale cries once again came through: "Woo woo woo..."

"General Giant Whale, don't be so noisy! Uncle Ji and I are guests on this flying boat!"

Although Ruoli's clear, cool voice wasn't loud, Ji Yuan could hear it clearly. Sure enough, the whale's cry stopped abruptly and was replaced by a mixture of joyful and anxious sounds.

This farce came and went quickly. Soon, the dragon maiden returned, while General Giant Whale continued to circle and swim beneath the flying boat, attracting many to lean over the railings to watch.

In the dark night, aided by the flying boat's luminescence and the countless stars, visibility was quite good.

But this night was destined not to be peaceful. While Ji Yuan was still enjoying a rare meal, a sound like a drumbeat slowly began to grow louder, as if something was constantly approaching.

"Boom..." "Boom..." "Boom..." "Boom..."

This was a vast, ethereal drum sound, particularly striking in the dark night over the sea. It slowly approached from afar, causing Ji Yuan's chopsticks to pause.

Ji Yuan looked around and noticed that Chi Gui and Lin Jian were completely unresponsive. Even the recently returned dragon maiden had a natural expression. Seeing Ji Yuan look at her with a strange expression, Ying Ruoli asked with concern,

"Uncle Ji, what's wrong?"

Ji Yuan frowned. He put down his chopsticks and looked at the two Immortals from Nine Peaks Mountain, then at Ying Ruoli.

"Ruoli, and you two, can you hear a drum sound?"

Ying Ruoli looked at the two Immortals, whose expressions indicated they agreed with her. She then shook her head and said,

"We don't hear anything!"

"Boom..." "Boom..." "Boom..."

The drum sound grew louder and louder. Ji Yuan could no longer ignore it; he immediately stood up and walked out, going directly to the ship's railing and looking in the direction of the sound.

The night sky was pitch black, and the starlight was brilliant. Ji Yuan opened his eyes wide, even using all his magic power to assist his sight. In his vision, a peculiar red gradually emerged on the horizon.

It seemed indistinctly infinitely far away, flickering as if it were a fire.

There were no clouds, nothing unusual. This expanse of light moved from far to near, and the drum sound grew increasingly loud.

"Boom..." "Boom..." "Boom..."

"Did you see or hear it?"

Ying Ruoli exerted her magic power and looked in the direction of Ji Yuan's gaze, but she still saw nothing. The two Immortals beside her also had the same result.

Ji Yuan shifted his gaze. The red light in the sky passed overhead, continuing towards the east. It gave an extremely distant impression, and while seemingly slow, it was actually moving incredibly fast.

Ji Yuan rose on a cloud, directly soaring towards the red light in the sky, but no matter how he flew, the perceived distance did not diminish at all.

The red light in the distance grew farther away, yet became brighter. Just as the drum sound was about to fade,

"Roar woof..."

General Giant Whale, below the flying boat, let out a faint whale cry.

"Oooohhh————"

Besides the drum sound, a strange cry came from the distant red light. Then the light disappeared, and all sounds vanished without a trace.

'First day of the first lunar month... What exactly was that?'

Ji Yuan looked down beneath the flying boat; General Giant Whale was very quiet now.

'Were those two calls an echo just now?'