Chapter 081: Clear Skies After the Rain

Her encouragement instantly sparked hope in everyone! The magical beasts, previously exhausted, now rallied and persevered under their masters’ urging. She ordered sturdy hemp ropes to be tied onto the Sailwing, then turned to Feng Jun in the distance and called, “Big brother, take me to the devil ray swarm.”

Benyi was busy pulling the Sailwing and couldn’t leave; the distance to the fish was too great for her spiritual power to reach, and only Feng Jun possessed the ability to fight in the sky.

A pentagram of blue light flickered beneath Feng Jun’s feet as he appeared before her. He crouched, his strong arms slipping beneath her knees, and lifted her gently to his chest, then soared away.

He summoned his inner spiritual energy to form a protective shield around them, shielding them from the torrential rain.

The girl’s body was cold and damp from the downpour, yet in his arms she felt soft and delicate; Feng Jun sensed that any tighter grip might harm her, so he held her with extraordinary care and tenderness.

But Shen Duo, her mind entirely focused on saving the Sailwing, failed to notice the rare warmth softening his usually stoic expression.

Soon, the two arrived above the devil ray swarm. Thanks to Shen Duo’s earlier taming of the devil ray leader, the swarm had not attacked the ship but lingered in this stretch of water under their leader’s guidance.

Shen Duo took a deep breath, striving for calm.

Seeing her gaze fixed on the devil rays, Feng Jun suddenly understood her intention, shock filling his eyes. “Little Duo, you’re going to control the devil ray swarm?”

Shen Duo nodded firmly. It was the only way now, so she must succeed!

Feng Jun had witnessed her “madness” in taming beasts before, but faced with this horde of a thousand devil rays, even he felt anxious. Yet, since Shen Duo had decided, he would stand by her unconditionally.

Shen Duo focused on the swarm, channeling the scroll in her core to split her spiritual power into a dozen strands, gently reaching out to the leader devil rays, transmitting her consciousness to them. Seconds passed without response, as if her efforts had vanished into the depths. In the freezing storm, sweat beaded on her anxious brow; she refused to give up, intensifying her connection and urging the scroll in her core to emit white light, constantly replenishing her lost spiritual power.

After more than ten seconds, finally one leader devil ray moved; with its action, hundreds followed, swimming toward the Sailwing.

Soon, all the leader devil rays responded to Shen Duo’s instructions, and the entire swarm was swimming swiftly toward the ship.

Passengers on the Sailwing were initially terrified at the swarm’s movement, nearly leaping with fright. Yet as the devil rays drew closer, they did nothing to threaten the vessel; instead, as if guided by an invisible hand, they clustered at the stern.

This miraculous sight left everyone utterly stunned.

Feng Jun, still holding Shen Duo, instantly appeared at the stern. Shen Duo instructed the magical beast masters to help secure the ropes onto the devil rays.

Among the thousand-strong swarm, Shen Duo had tamed over a dozen leader devil rays, all holy magical beasts, with even a five-star among them. Such a force was an extraordinary asset.

With the devil rays’ aid, the beleaguered magical beasts and their masters could finally relax. The swarm’s strength was so overwhelming that not only could they easily pull the Sailwing, but even two ships would be no challenge, hauling them against the river’s current.

Devil rays were water-type beasts, migrating up and down the Tianqing River for years, intimately familiar with its environment. Their assistance swiftly resolved the Sailwing’s crisis.

Soon, the Sailwing had left the whirlpool far behind, and everyone aboard was safe!

Half an hour later, the wind and rain subsided, the turbulent river calmed, brilliant sunlight washed over smiling faces, and a beautiful rainbow arched across the sky. The air was fresh and invigorating.

Because Shen Duo had not forged a magical beast contract with the leader devil rays using holy brilliance energy, she could not command them directly, so she continued to control the dozen leaders with her spiritual power. Even with holy brilliance energy constantly sustaining her, the overuse of her mind left her drained. Now that the crisis had passed, she appeared especially weary.

Yet her clear eyes shone with spirit, clearly delighted to have rescued everyone aboard.

Feng Jun, now released from his armored state, stood by Shen Duo’s side, gently supporting her. Dick, accompanied by his deputies, approached Shen Duo and Feng Jun. Deeply moved, he bowed low in gratitude.

“Thank you, honored ones, for your assistance. On behalf of everyone aboard the Sailwing, I, Dick, offer my heartfelt thanks!” He finished, retrieving two silver badges from his storage pouch, each engraved with the image of a ship, and presented them to the pair.

“These are special badges from the Continental Waterway Shipping Association. With them, you can travel by ship anywhere for free and enjoy special treatment aboard. Though not precious, they represent the gratitude of every passenger on the Sailwing. I hope you will accept them.” Dick’s words were sincere, full of appreciation, without a trace of flattery.

Everyone on the Sailwing had shared this life-and-death ordeal, and their feelings became more genuine, gaining a new perspective on life and the continent they called home.

Humans are creatures shaped by experience; special moments can alter a person’s values and outlook. Now, everyone aboard the Sailwing was undergoing such a transformation.

Shen Duo did not refuse this gesture of thanks; she and Feng Jun accepted the badges graciously.

Though a symbolic silver badge could not rival gold or treasure in value, it stood as recognition of one’s contribution—a true honor!

An honor acknowledged by all!

She was not some saintly flower, and sometimes even selfish or ruthless, but faced with so many living souls, she could not repress her conscience. She had done her utmost to help them, and that brought her joy. Even in exhaustion, nothing could stop the gratitude and kindness reflected in every gaze upon her from the deck!

To save the Sailwing, Shen Duo and Feng Jun had revealed their true strength without reservation, but no one aboard was jealous—everyone was grateful, for it was their power that had saved them from disaster.

Wei Dong looked at the young girl before him, and the white wolf at her side, now mimicking her steps, and suddenly felt puzzled: Was she a swordswoman or a magical beast master?

If she were a swordswoman, how to explain the presence of the freakishly powerful Iron-Winged Silver Wolf? Some swordsmen kept magical beasts as pets, but only low-intelligence, low-value small beasts; he’d never seen anyone keep a holy magical beast as a pet… This was simply terrifying…