The Sykes Family is a vast clan in the Holy Cult, with the surname Sykes meaning "to govern" or "to oversee." Since the founding of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, the Sykes have been responsible for the cult's calendar, inheritances, finances, and dissemination.
Because the Sykes Family is so vital, the Saintess of the Cult is often chosen from among them. The Saintess is the head of the Sykes, and in some respects, the family's influence can even surpass that of the Cult Master and Holy Teacher.
First there was Granny Sue, now there is Serena Yunxiang.
Drake Dandy naturally understood Serena Yunxiang's worth. This time, she had captured the Sixth Princess of Everpeace, the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon, and the Saintess in one stroke. She felt a surge of pride, but remained cautious, first removing Quinn Shepherd's Glutton Dragon Pouch, then Lynn Ling's spirit weapons, and finally running her hands over Serena Yunxiang to check for hidden weapons.
Serena Yunxiang giggled, "Sister Drake, don't touch me all over. I don't carry spirit weapons—I follow the spell path."
Drake Dandy snorted, pulling out her hairpin. "Spell path? I think you're a sword expert! This hairpin packs quite a punch!"
Drake Dandy also took Quinn Shepherd's butcher knife, hammer, and other items from his back, and even rifled through his sleeves for pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. After a glance, she saw they were ordinary items, not spirit weapons, and stuffed them back.
Drake Dandy whistled, and the little red snake darted through the three captives' clothes, searching for more spirit weapons.
She was a seasoned veteran, leaving Quinn and the others no chance to turn the tables.
Most crucially, Quinn hadn't brought the Dragon-Qilin with him this time. At this moment, the Dragon-Qilin was still asleep at the City Lord's Manor!
"Let's go."
Drake Dandy, dressed as a woman and looking enchanting, took Quinn Shepherd's arm, her expression tinged with a hint of shyness. "My ship is waiting at the harbor for the Cult Master, the Saintess, and Her Highness. By the time the Crown Prince realizes, the three of you will already be on the Eastern Sea."
Quinn Shepherd smiled, "Sister Drake, you really do think of everything."
Drake Dandy whistled, and the little red snake slithered onto Quinn's left ear, flicking its tongue. Drake said sweetly, "No matter how sweet you talk, you won't escape my grasp. Don't try anything funny—one bite from Ruby and you're dead."
The three women and one man headed out of the market. Suddenly, Wayne Shen, Wes Young, Claire Yue, and other scholars approached. As the two groups met, Drake Dandy smiled and whispered, "Act natural, or I'll kill the Cult Master and all of you right here."
Wayne Shen stopped, glanced at the three women, and said, "Cult Master, this young lady looks unfamiliar. May I ask who she is?"
Quinn Shepherd replied, "An old acquaintance. Are you all out shopping?"
Wayne Shen sighed, "I didn't want to come out, but Wes and Claire insisted, saying we should see the customs of overseas visitors." With that, he led the group into the marketplace.
Drake Dandy led Quinn and the others toward the harbor.
Inside the market, Wayne Shen's face darkened as he quickly said, "The Cult Master is in danger!"
Wes Young and Claire Yue were momentarily stunned, not understanding. Wayne Shen said gravely, "The Cult Master's weapons are missing. He always wears them, but now they're gone. Also, Serena's hairpin and Her Highness's spirit weapons have vanished. That woman is definitely trouble... You two go alert the Crown Prince—I'll track them myself!"
Wes Young and Claire Yue realized the seriousness and rushed back to the City Lord's Manor, while Wayne Shen immediately left the market, thinking, "That woman looks familiar—where have I seen her before...?"
Drake Dandy led Quinn and the three onto a tower-ship at the harbor. "Set sail!" she ordered.
The tower-ship immediately headed for the Eastern Sea. Behind them, Wayne Shen left clues along the way, then leapt into the ocean, running atop the waves to chase the ship.
The ship was fast, but Wayne Shen was even faster, able to keep pace without trouble.
"Young Master, someone's following us," said a crew member on the tower-ship.
Drake Dandy walked to the stern and saw Wayne Shen running atop the waves. She paused. "Just an Academy scholar. Does he really think he can challenge the Dragon King at sea?"
She blew her whistle, and a strange melody echoed. Soon, slick sea serpents—each over ten meters long—rose from the depths, speeding toward Wayne Shen.
Wayne Shen was startled, and flying swords shot from the sword pack on his back, slashing down the charging sea serpents.
The waters around him boiled like a cauldron, as countless sea serpents burst from the waves, attacking him in a frenzy—no matter how many he killed, more kept coming!
By the time Wayne Shen broke through the swarm of sea serpents and looked around, the tower-ship was nowhere to be seen.
Wayne Shen leapt into the air, scanning the horizon, but all he saw was endless blue sea—no sign of where the ship had gone.
"Damn!" Wayne Shen's face grew grim.
On the tower-ship, Drake Dandy did not restrict Quinn and the others, letting them wander freely as the ship sailed deeper and deeper into the sea.
Quinn Shepherd looked up and saw the sky stretching endlessly, the sea vast and deep. There was no way to leave a trail on the water's surface.
Feeling inspired, he spread out paper on the bow and began painting. Drake Dandy leaned over to look—Quinn was painting the sea: towering waves, black clouds swallowing everything, a tower-ship battling the storm, lightning illuminating the darkness.
The painting had a strange atmosphere, as if you could step right into it.
"I didn't know Cult Master Quinn could paint so well."
Drake Dandy praised him, "If you went to the capital to sell paintings, you'd earn a reputation as a cultured gentleman."
Nearby, a boatman hefted a ghost-head saber, mockingly tracing Quinn's neck with it. He laughed, "Too bad the Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon is about to die, but still has time to doodle."
Drake Dandy said coldly, "Ghost Third, until my father gives the order, Quinn is still a guest invited by the Dragon Tamer Sect. Show some respect!"
Lynn Ling's eyes lit up as she leaned closer to admire Quinn's painting, secretly exchanging a glance with Serena Yunxiang.
Quinn Shepherd seemed dissatisfied with the painting, setting it aside and starting another—again, a stormy sea, but this time with no ship.
Drake Dandy watched with interest at first, but soon grew bored as Quinn kept painting the same storm scene over and over. She stopped watching, leaving Ruby hanging from Quinn's ear as before.
Quinn painted a dozen stormy seascapes, then picked up his brush to add final touches. With each stroke, the paintings seemed to come alive—the thunder and wind almost leaping from the paper.
He added the final stroke to each of the dozen paintings, then casually threw them overboard.
Drake Dandy saw this and secretly thought it was a shame.
Quinn Shepherd clasped his hands behind his back and asked Drake Dandy with a smile, "I've heard the sea is full of storms. Can your ship handle them, Sister Drake?"
Drake Dandy sneered, "It's clear skies now—what storms?"
Just as she finished speaking, the wind suddenly picked up—from a gentle breeze to a raging gale in a single breath. The sky darkened, furious winds howled, and waves as tall as mountains tossed the tower-ship into the air before slamming it down again.
Everyone on board was caught off guard and scrambled to steady themselves as lightning crackled all around the ship. Amid the chaos, Quinn Shepherd flicked the little red snake from his ear.
The red snake had just flown out and was about to reveal its true form when hundreds of lightning bolts converged, striking it with a deafening crash!
Drake Dandy jumped in shock as the red snake fell into the sea, with countless bolts of lightning continuing to strike where it landed. In the water, the snake finally revealed its true form, but was hit by so much lightning that it became paralyzed and sank toward the seabed.
"Where did this storm come from? And why is it only striking Ruby?"
Panic rose in Drake Dandy's heart. She looked around and felt a strange sense of déjà vu: "This scene looks just like what he painted earlier..."
Quinn Shepherd grabbed Serena Yunxiang with his left hand and Lynn Ling with his right. The three of them leapt into the dark sea.
Drake Dandy cried out in surprise as the tower-ship suddenly shattered, tossing everyone into the sea. Just then, she saw another tower-ship appear from the stormy waves—Quinn, Lynn, and Serena stood at its bow. The young Cult Master waved at her, and then the ship sailed into the darkness and disappeared.
Drake Dandy immediately gave chase, but a wave as tall as a mountain crashed over her, dragging her beneath the water.
Drake Dandy grunted, broke through the waves, and leapt into the air—only for countless bolts of lightning to strike her at once, charring her on the outside and tenderizing her inside!
Drake Dandy fought desperately against the thunderstorm, but after a while the lightning vanished, the wind died down, and the sea went calm.
Soaked and bedraggled, Drake Dandy stood atop the water, looking around to see only patches of ink slowly dispersing across the sea.
A giant crimson python swam over to her, its body covered in wounds.
A chill crept into Drake Dandy's heart. Looking around, she realized the boatmen from the ship had all died in the sudden disaster—especially Ghost Third, who died the worst.
"Did Cult Master Quinn really paint this shipwreck into existence?" Drake Dandy still couldn't quite believe it.
Quinn Shepherd and the two women stood at the bow of the ship. Soon, the tower-ship faded away, turning into a patch of ink and vanishing into the sea. The three of them used their vital energy to land on the water's surface. Looking ahead, they saw an island rising on the horizon.
"Drake Dandy brought us deep into the Eastern Sea. With our cultivation, it would be nearly impossible to cross the sea back to Hezhou—we'd be exhausted to death."
Quinn Shepherd suggested, "Let's rest there for now. Wayne Shen is clever—he's probably already informed the Crown Prince. With Vance Skyler's fast ship, it won't be hard for them to find us."
The three landed on the island, and suddenly a crowd of yellow-clad little people rushed from the forest, brandishing knives, forks, and clubs as they charged. But as they reached the trio, the little people stopped, staring up at them in terror.
"Giants!" one of the yellow-clad little people screamed hoarsely.
The army instantly scattered in panic. These little people were only about a foot tall—some hid in the rocks, others buried themselves in the sand, some hid under leaves, and a few, finding nowhere to hide, simply lay down pretending to be dead, eyes bulging and tongues sticking out.
"So many Polygonatum spirits?"
Serena Yunxiang exclaimed, "They're Polygonatum spirits—edible, and great for boosting cultivation."
"The giants want to eat us!" The little Polygonatum spirit who'd played dead jumped up and ran, only to smack into a tree and pass out.