Chapter 077: Crisis on the Flight Path

Afterwards, Shen Tuo and Feng Jun spent five or six uneventful days aboard the "Sailing Ship." During this time, the vessel stopped at a small port for half a day to replenish supplies.

On this particular day, the weather turned gloomy, with thick clouds filling the sky and fierce winds lashing the river. Even the open-air tavern on the deck of the "Sailing Ship" was closed, and the sails had been lowered for fear that the stormy weather would affect their course.

Shen Tuo and Feng Jun stood on the deck, their mage robes billowing in the wind. Wei Dong, spotting the two still outside, hurried over to them.

"A heavy rain is coming—you two should head inside!" he urged.

Shen Tuo turned to him with a smile. "Brother Wei, how much longer until we reach the Three Perils of the Tianqing River you mentioned?"

So these two restless adventurers had remained on deck to witness one of the continent's marvels.

Wei Dong shook his head helplessly. "Another hour or two along the river, and we should see it. But a storm's coming—you really ought to go inside and wait it out. You'll have plenty of time to admire the sights once it passes."

The two, with their peculiar way of thinking, grew excited at the nearness of the Three Perils, making no move to return below deck.

"Brother Wei, you go ahead. We'll stay right here. A bit of rain is nothing, but we can't miss the spectacle," Shen Tuo replied with a gentle smile.

Wei Dong could hardly fathom how these two minds worked. He tried a stern warning instead. "The storms on the Tianqing River are nothing like ordinary storms—especially near the Three Perils."

He had meant to scare them into caution, but his efforts backfired.

Shen Tuo’s voice brimmed with anticipation. "Oh? Is that so? Then all the more reason to see it today, right, brother?"

Even Feng Jun's usually expressionless face showed a flicker of excitement.

"There's just no reasoning with you two," Wei Dong sighed. "But since you call me Brother Wei, I suppose I'll stay and watch with you." His resignation was evident as he spoke, a stark contrast to the fierce aura that usually surrounded the burly swordsman.

The three lunatics stood in a straight line on the deck, drawing the attention and murmurs of the passengers inside.

The black clouds overhead thickened rapidly, and the river's surface was whipped into churning waves. Were it not for the size and sturdiness of the "Sailing Ship," any smaller boat would have long since been capsized by such a storm.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky, as if ripping open the darkness, followed by a deafening crash of thunder.

Xiao Lan, coiled around Feng Jun's wrist, gazed up at the sky with luminous, watery black eyes, clearly delighted by the storm.

As thunder crashed overhead, the wind on the river grew even fiercer, and a torrent of rain came pouring down, drenching Wei Dong in moments. His gray mage robe clung to his body, outlining his strong build and long, muscular legs.

To stand in such a storm on the mother river of the continent, the Tianqing River, brought a raw sense of struggle against nature, as if one were standing atop the highest peak, gazing down at the world below—a liberating feeling.

Wei Dong relished the elemental force of nature beating against him, and suddenly understood why Shen Tuo and Feng Jun insisted on remaining on deck.

He turned to share his exhilaration, only to find the two beside him entirely untouched by the rain—not a single hair wet—while their robes and hair danced in the storm.

Compared to them, his own appearance could only be described as bedraggled. His earlier good mood was thoroughly dashed, and this nine-foot-tall man even felt a touch of aggrievement.

Shen Tuo and Feng Jun, immersed in the wild scenery, suddenly sensed a chill at their backs and turned to see Wei Dong standing there, soaking wet.

Shen Tuo rubbed his nose to hide his amusement and, feigning innocence, said, "Brother Wei, you chose to stay. We didn't force you."

Wei Dong ground his teeth, cursing the two devious scoundrels in his heart until he felt better.

Meanwhile, the other mages peering from the cabin door noticed that Shen Tuo and Feng Jun were entirely dry, and stared in disbelief.

The truth was, with his current skill, Shen Tuo could not yet shape his sword aura into a shield against the elements. It was all Feng Jun's doing; he had used his spiritual energy to form a protective barrier, keeping the rain at bay.

Suddenly, Xiao Lan began to writhe restlessly around Feng Jun's wrist, its watery eyes fixated warily on the river ahead.

Shen Tuo narrowed his eyes, studying the odd, concentric ripples in the water—waves vanished immediately upon reaching that spot.

Even the mighty "Sailing Ship" seemed insignificant in the storm, tossed and rocked as if it might break apart at any moment.

A sudden gust snapped a dead tree on the riverbank, sending it crashing into the water. The current carried it downstream until it reached a particular patch of water, where it was abruptly halted—then instantly ground to pulp.

The three on deck saw the scene clearly. Wei Dong’s face changed drastically. "This is bad—a whirlpool ahead! You two stay here, I’ll warn the captain to change course at once!"

Shen Tuo was just as shocked. To encounter a whirlpool in weather like this—what luck!

Feng Jun glanced at Shen Tuo, his voice low. "Xiao Lan says a horde of phantom beasts is surging toward us in the river..."

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours— as if a whirlpool weren’t enough, now a tide of phantom beasts.

With limited experience, the two had never faced such a thorny situation before, and their brows furrowed in concern.

Wei Dong quickly returned, bringing several others onto the deck.

At the head of the group was a burly, bearded man who looked to be in his fifties; the men following him were tall, blond, blue-eyed, and the youngest appeared over thirty.

Wei Dong, paying no mind to his own soaked state, swiftly explained the situation.

The bearded man was the captain, named Dick, a five-star spirit mage, actually over a hundred years old. He had spent nearly his entire life on the Tianqing River, with a family that had been in shipping for generations. Those with him were his brothers and sons, the weakest among them a seven-star great mage.

"We've run into both a whirlpool and a migration of devil rays," Captain Dick declared at a glance, his experience showing.

Devil rays were water-dwelling, communal magical beasts found in the sea and rivers. Like many bird-like magical beasts on land, they migrated seasonally. But unlike birds, these beasts were vicious by nature; wherever they passed, not even fish or shrimp remained—just as locusts strip the land.