Becoming evil makes you ten times stronger, but becoming a demon gives you hundredfold strength

However, the system had filled Meng Yu with confidence.

On the Flying Boat, there were people of all sorts. As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Meng Yu naturally caught the interest of many. Meng Yu suppressed his cultivation level, appearing to be at the Third Layer of Foundation Establishment, but regardless, a Qi Refinement Practitioner who had achieved Foundation Establishment gains the right to speak. Moreover, the continuous battles two months earlier had bolstered his aura significantly, making him appear not to be trifled with, sharp as a drawn sword—not because he couldn't contain his aura, but because there was no need to.

The battles from the past few days were a treasured wealth. He was tightly focused on absorbing and comprehending them to strengthen himself, ensuring they weren't wasted as time passed. And what if someone noticed something unusual about him?

Thus, in the eyes of others, this Foundation Establishment Cultivator was ruthlessly concise in speech and clearly not simple.

Regarding the continuous battles, Meng Yu heard a great deal of discussion.

The news spread quickly, further fueled by those with intentions, until it became common knowledge.

More than twenty days ago (while Meng Yu was at the Immortal Sect for two months, here it had only been about half a day), Meng Yu won two battles in a row, which greatly shocked the Eternal Night Palace and the spectating forces. Although Meng Yu didn't appear after that and vanished without a trace, no one would say Meng Yu was cowardice. On the contrary, it indicated that he was lying low, preparing to strike the Eternal Night Palace hard.

Although the Eternal Night Palace reassured everyone that these were just minor setbacks, for the lower-ranking cultivators, these were cataclysmic events.

Not to mention, among the three hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators who died this time, who wasn't a pillar of their family? And what if the Eternal Night Palace lost again?

This "loss" refers to the Eternal Night Palace losing in the Second-Order Minor World, not Meng Yu defeating the Eternal Night Palace.

On the Flying Boat, everyone was talking, all feeling uneasy, as if they were aboard a tiny boat amidst a raging storm, unable to fathom what the future holds.

"Lao Cao, what do you think?"

The speakers were several young cultivators, chuckling. They were elite disciples of a Sect, traveling under their master's guidance. They had made numerous friends on the Flying Boat and were particularly interested in Meng Yu, a self-proclaimed Loose Cultivator, whose occasional display of aura greatly shocked even their master.

"Don't be formal, just call me Lao Cao," Meng Yu had boarded the boat and changed his surname.

"Lao Cao, the roasted meat is good, you should try some."

The speaker was a junior cultivator who had met Meng Yu on the Flying Boat and had been actively serving him back and forth. The young man was at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement and his eyes held the foolishness and clarity of youth.

He was different from these Orthodox Sect disciples; the path of a Loose Cultivator was tough.

"The way I see it, hiding is the only option."

The young man had seen Meng Yu's cultivation level and especially the aura he occasionally displayed, so he humbly served the senior, hoping to get close and receive some guidance from Meng Yu.

"At this time, one should learn from them, find a place to hide and not show oneself."

Not far away, there was a couple with a pair of children. They were leaving Sleepless City destined for a city below to seek refuge with relatives, and their whole family was retracting, spreading out.

"When two giants fight, it's the grass that suffers first. Now is not the time to talk about traveling or visiting relatives. Do you know how many people the Eternal Night Palace has lost, how many Golden Cores? They are seething with anger right now. Aren't you afraid that the inspector, a Golden Core in a bad mood, might just arrest you all for mining work?"

"Not to mention, the war has just begun. You don't think Meng Yu will swallow his pride and let the Eternal Night Palace overpower him, do you?"

"Isn't that so?"

The sixteen-year-old boy was somewhat defiant.

"All right, you're right," Meng Yu spread his hands, too lazy to say anything.

"Sorry, the kid doesn't understand much. We really apologize."

The couple understood better; they were only at the Second Layer of Foundation Establishment, seemingly mythical on their family's territory, but out here, they were reminded by others, and yet their child had retorted.

The father promptly reprimanded the child with the flat of his sword, while the mother hurriedly apologized to Meng Yu, their expressions full of sincere fear. Meng Yu's heart softened.

"It's okay. I think you haven't run far enough. Actually, it's best to find a place to hide straight away. Don't mind about losing face. The coming months will be like stormy seas. The Eternal Night Palace might be domineering, but as long as the basic rules of this land hold, what do you think could happen right before it collapses?"

The couple were taken aback, seemingly still unclear about what Meng Yu had said.

After all, the powerful Eternal Night Palace had existed for hundreds of years, and no one believed they would suddenly collapse.

"Hurry and find a place to hide. After the storm comes the brilliant sunshine, right?"

Meng Yu said calmly, having spent a few days with these people, most of whom were quite decent -- as for others...

Suddenly, Meng Yu frowned.

He felt that the Flying Boat had silently changed its direction towards another place, and the Golden Cores onboard were scanning everything on the Flying Boat with their Divine Sense.

The Flying Boat was comparable in size to a ten-thousand-ton cargo ship on Azure Star, filled with many passengers, and Mirror Twelve had discovered a massive amount of wealth inside when investigating.

"Two more Golden Cores are coming."

Mirror Twelve hinted.
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Vaguely guessing what was about to happen, Meng Yu just sighed and walked to the porthole to look at the scenery below.

The young man diligently followed him and handed over the roasted Spiritual Meat.

Then, he held something in his hands -- three Spirit Talismans, a Golden Armor Talisman, a Godspeed Talisman, and a Concealment Talisman.

"Trouble is coming soon, hide and don't say too much."

The young man quickly nodded in agreement, showing he thought the same.

Over the past few days, Meng Yu had casually given him some advice, each piece striking to the point, and it benefited him immensely. In his heart, Meng Yu was even more formidable than those in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, especially after seeing the fine talismans in his hand; he felt confident he had encountered a truly strong supporter.

"Don't act on your own, the enemy consists of three Golden Cores."

Meng Yu's second remark completely shattered his emerging bravery to rally the tourists, plunging him instead into boundless despair.

An hour later, the Flying Boat arrived at a canyon, and by then, some passengers were already sensing something was amiss.

The surrounding Vital Energy had formed a Great Formation, blocking off the area, and several mountains were linked together -- it was the Thousand Peaks Demon Suppression Map!

"What are you trying to do?"

One person tried to escape and, not long after flying out, was struck by lightning and turned to ashes.

"Master Chen, I am a disciple of the White Flower Sect, and this time I am traveling the world, my master and..."

The woman trying to curry favor was ordered to roll back to the crowd, then the oppressive aura of the Golden Core Master weighed down like a mountain.

"A descendent of the Blood Demon has infiltrated on board. Now the Eternal Night Palace is conducting a search; any resistance will be met with death!"

Golden Core Master Chen should have been stationed on the ship, but now he was demanding everyone surrender.

On the ship, the cultivators were all in uproar, knowing one thing -- life and death should not be controlled by the hands of others; once one ceased to resist, it was like being fish on the chopping board.

However, at that moment, two more oppressive forces arrived -- two more Golden Core Masters!

In an instant, many faces turned deathly pale, and even pigs could sense something was terribly wrong at this point.

Why such a large show of force?

Moreover, everyone also recalled a rumor that the Eternal Night Palace had recently suffered heavy losses, thus demanding more manpower and tribute from below, and whenever that happened, some very unpleasant things occurred.

Was there any better target than this Flying Boat?

Meng Yu had mentioned earlier to flee to a safe place before the storm; actually, many people knew this, so many aboard the Flying Boat were carrying their life's savings to be taken somewhere else.

"Master Chen, Master Lin, and Master Su, can you swear by your moral hearts that this is just to check for Blood Demon descendants and not to rob us? If you want money, we can give it to you!"

This was asked by someone.