Chapter 1426: 200,000

Little Immortal Honglian fell silent for a long time, an awkward expression rising on her face.

Seeing this, their senior sister smiled faintly. "I knew you couldn't bear to part with him."

She did not continue the topic, instead instructing everyone, "Do not spread what happened today between Fang Chen and me. Not because I'm afraid of losing face, but to protect him."

"Protect him?"

Little Immortal Honglian was confused for a moment, then her expression turned grave. "Because of the Spirit God Sect..."

"We've begun fighting the Spirit God Sect. It's not a full-scale war, just small localized clashes. It should end in maybe 100 to 180 years." The senior sister nodded lightly. "This time, the Enlightenment God Palace lost several core disciples in the Formless Purgatory. All were killed by the Spirit God Sect. Naturally, this debt must be repaid properly."

Everyone's expressions became heavy.

Although the Spirit God Sect's strength ranked at the bottom in the Fangcun Real, they still possessed Immortal Boat Formations, and that was enough to contend with powerhouses like the Enlightenment God Palace.

***

Half a year later, Fang Chen finally refined the core of the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat, gaining complete ownership of the Immortal Boat.

It resembled an immensely enhanced version of the old Essence Dragon Immortal Boat. It had all facilities complete, its materials far superior, and its forging process unfathomable. Clearly, it was crafted by a top-tier expert of the Enlightenment God Palace.

"Senior Sister, may I test the speed of the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat?" Fang Chen requested.

"You alone cannot draw out its full power. At minimum, you need a small squad of first-transformation immortals. But I can tell you its limits," said the senior sister.

She smiled and looked at Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign.

"I have a Candle Dragon Immortal Boat as well." The Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign smiled faintly. "To unleash its full power, it requires a sixth-transformation immortal and twelve fifth-transformation immortals assisting me. You can substitute the twelve fifth-transformation immortals with another sixth-transformation immortal. At full power, in Qingming, instantaneous travel across a million miles is possible."

"A million miles in a single instant?!"

Lin Yuan and the others were stunned. Such speed was unimaginable.

Even Lin Dong's Immortal Boat back then was far slower.

"Put it this way, once we reach the Langgui Constellation, if you can unleash the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat's full power, you can travel to any corner of it within 30 days," The Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign said with a light smile.

"The Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign leads his own expedition team. When I'm in closed-door cultivation, he and his team can unleash the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat's full strength," Senior Sister added with a smile. "In the Ancient Forbidden Zones, possessing a Candle Dragon Immortal Boat... You should understand what that means."

Fang Chen nodded. In ancient forbidden zones, a Candle Dragon Immortal Boat meant that they would possess unmatched safety, major boosts in exploration, and a huge advantage in acquiring merit points!

"When the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat uses only one-tenth of its power, it is the most energy-efficient. Even as a first-transformation immortal, as long as you bring enough spirit stones, you can roam Qingming for hundreds of years without losing your way," explained the senior sister. "Also, its attached map is the most complete one aside from the Black Dragon Immortal Boat. 80 to 90 percent of the areas known to our Enlightenment God Palace are included."

She smiled. "If you want to test how much power you can draw out, we'll wait ahead."

"Thank you, Senior Sister," Fang Chen said promptly.

Before long, only Fang Chen and his Candle Dragon Immortal Boat remained in Qingming. The senior sister had already taken the Black Dragon Immortal Boat ahead.

Inside the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat, Fang Chen felt its core respond to him far more intimately than the old Essence Dragon Immortal Boat ever had. He felt he could control any formation within it with a single thought.

He did not release Huang Wuji. He only wanted to test how much speed he could muster alone.

He remembered that when the old flood dragon drove the immortal boat to the Nanqing Constellation, its speed had reached a staggering 100,000 miles instantaneously, about one-sixth light speed.

The Candle Dragon Immortal Boat's limit was 1,000,000 miles in an instant, exceeding light speed, but required two sixth-transformation immortals to pilot it.

With a thought, Fang Chen poured immortal essence into the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat. The Immortal Boat's arrays activated, immortal seals bursting with light. A moment later, it shot forward at an astonishing speed.

As Fang Chen continued to infuse more immortal essence, the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat accelerated further.

Soon, it reached the speed the old flood dragon once achieved, even though Fang Chen was only a first-transformation immortal whose immortal essence was comparable at best to that of a second transformation.

The old flood dragon back then had been a fourth-transformation immortal.

"This has nothing to do with cultivation. It's simply a difference in Immortal Boats. The Upper Three Realms are far ahead of the Lower Six Realms when it comes to Immortal Boats. If the Old Flood Dragon drove the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat... I wonder what fraction of its power he could awaken."

His thoughts surged as he poured in even more immortal essence.

When his immortal essence drained rapidly, the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat suddenly surged forward.

It moved 200,000 miles in an instant, twice the speed the old flood dragon could achieve.

As his immortal essence hit bottom, it rebounded rapidly and began regenerating.

The Candle Dragon Immortal Boat slowed during recovery. Once restored, it accelerated again.

Without needing to maintain maximal speed, Fang Chen did not need spirit stones. He himself was an endless source of power. Each restoration increased his immortal essence slightly, saving him the effort of normal cultivation.

Far away, the Black Dragon Immortal Boat hovered still.

On its star map, both the Black Dragon Immortal Boat and Fang Chen's Candle Dragon Immortal Boat were marked. The Candle Dragon Immortal Boat was 5,000,000 miles away.

The senior sister smiled. "At this distance, if Fang Chen can use one-tenth of the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat's power, he'll reach us in fifty seconds."

"Senior Sister, normally, how much power can a first-transformation immortal draw out of the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat?" Little Immortal Honglian asked curiously.

She gestured toward Hundred Battle. "He knows. Let him answer."

Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign smiled and answered, "A normal first-transformation immortal can at most draw out 0.5 percent of its power. But Fang Chen is exceptional, even at the peak of his realm, so he should manage at least one percent."

As he spoke, everyone saw a streak of light racing toward them. On the star map, the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat rapidly closed the distance.

Their vision flickered, and the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat stopped right in front of the Black Dragon Immortal Boat.

"Thirty or so seconds. That's about right," the senior sister commented. "He managed to draw out nearly two percent of its power, though he can't maintain it for long. It must have consumed quite a few spirit stones."

Fang Chen dismissed the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat and approached.

"Well, are you satisfied with its capability?" She smiled. "With that speed, unless an Immortal Sovereign is piloting an Immortal Boat, no one in Qingming can catch you."

Fang Chen cupped his fist. "I'm satisfied. Thank you, Senior Sister."

Hundred Battle Immortal Sovereign sighed emotionally, "If you reach the sixth transformation, you alone could draw out the Candle Dragon Immortal Boat's full power."

Hearing such praise, Lin Yuan and the others could not stop grinning.

In their minds, they were already imagining the glorious future of the Nine Realms Expedition Team.