CHAPTER 765: CHAPTER 765: BARELY SURVIVING

As the wind howled louder and the waves rose higher, the ship’s front tilted dangerously upward. Rain slashed across their faces like knives.

The cyclone was now towering over them, its massive spiral of clouds reaching from the sea to the sky.

The guards screamed as the ship began to spin, caught in the cyclone’s pull.

No amount of cultivation could prepare them or get them through a situation like this.

The power of nature was so strong that even Core Formation Realm soldiers felt like they would be crushed like biscuits if they fell in the mouth of the Swirl.

As the ship tilted, they could see the face of the terrifying currents of the sea but focused on holding on to the floor with their qi.

They remained stuck, like they had been glued to the wooden planks.

Noah’s figure was covered in a translucent coating that prevented any water from splashing on him while the other barely held on. He stood on the wooden edge with his hands clasped behind his back, calmly feeling the breeze brushing past his face.

When the guards caught sight of his immovable figure, they felt their hearts drumming with excitement and respect.

They secretly hoped that they could also do the same thing and act cool before everyone, but their lack of skills prevented them from doing so.

"It’s time." The flared Captain Black sword shouted at the top of his lungs, seemingly excited about the raging sea around him. He did not even bother to create a protective shield around himself and let the water smash into his face. "We charge through!"

Captain Black Sword didn’t hesitate.

With a mad grin and eyes burning with excitement, he twisted the wheel with both hands, guiding the ship along the edge of the swirling current. The vessel didn’t go into the eye but skirted just close enough to catch the violent wind and use it.

The ship spun.

It didn’t crash. It moved, slicing along the spiral of the cyclone like a blade cutting through a storm.

Everyone held on as the ship picked up speed—faster, faster—riding the curve of the vortex with terrifying grace. The wind screamed past them, waves soared and crashed around them, and lightning crackled above in a web of light.

"I’m going to be sick," one guard groaned, clinging to a barrel.

Sylvheriel pressed a hand against the railing, trying to stay balanced, but her gaze never left the captain. Shock and disbelief mixed in her expression. "He’s... controlling it. Using the storm."

Just as it seemed like they were about to be swallowed by the cyclone’s core, Captain Black Sword gave the wheel one final, massive spin.

With a grinding snap of wood and sails, the ship twisted with the storm’s pull—and slingshot out the other side like a spirit arrow loosed from a divine bow.

The sudden drop in wind was deafening.

Somehow, they had escaped the cyclone unharmed and crossed it!

But the worst had yet to come.

Behind them...

The tornado that had been moving in their direction from the right had nothing else to target, but the currents of the wind let it move forward, and now it was moving in the direction of the swirling cyclone of the sea.

"They are going to collide." Wuhan muttered in realization and snapped towards the guards, "Shields, NOW!"

His thundering voice echoed through the ship as the guards snapped out of their daze and moved to their stations.

Glowing sigils lit up across the vessel’s surface. With a loud hum, the main formation kicked in. A brilliant translucent sphere of energy expanded around the ship like a bubble, lifting it slightly off the surface of the sea.

The moment the shield snapped into place—

Boom!

The sea cyclone and the tornado collided with an earth-shaking roar.

There was no fire—but it didn’t need any. The sheer force of clashing winds and pressure exploded outward, sending slicing gusts of compressed air and jets of water shooting in all directions like invisible blades.

Even within the protective dome, the shockwave struck hard.

Crack!

The ship creaked dangerously. Wood groaned under the strain. The orb protecting them was strong—but it wasn’t meant to tank this kind of natural fury.

The next blast of pressure hit them like a divine slap.

The entire ship was launched into the air.

"Brace yourselves!" Wuhan shouted, standing tall despite the wild ride.

Inside the protective barrier, they were weightless for a moment. Then the force of gravity tugged them downward again.

"Spread the fans!" Wuhan roared.

The guards moved swiftly. The wooden planks along the ship’s side cracked open with deep, ancient groans. Hidden compartments unfolded like wings.

Giant fan-like paddles, carved with ancient wind runes, extended outward.

The fans caught the remaining gusts of storm energy like sails, and suddenly—

The ship flew.

Not just floated or glided—but truly soared above the sea, skimming across the skies like a legendary artifact come to life. Rain streamed around them. The protective barrier hummed like a beating heart. The wind howled past, but it could not touch them anymore.

Sylvheriel gaped, her red eyes wide. "This ship... it can fly?"

Captain Black Sword spoke dryly. "What kind of ride would it be if it didn’t?"

Now that they stormed out of the perilous sea, all of his momentum faded like a burnt candle, and he returned to his normal, lazy, carefree self, who would do anything to get a good sleep.

As they flew across the sky, piercing through layers of clouds and wind, a shape began to form on the horizon.

"Land?" One guard blinked in disbelief.

Sure enough—beneath the clouds and beyond the storm’s edge, a small island slowly revealed itself in the vastness of the sea. Rocky cliffs rose above the waters, and dense green trees swayed under the fading winds.

"It’s not the Elven Continent," Noah said quietly, eyes narrowing, "but it’ll do."

Wuhan nodded. "We’ll make a temporary stop. Let the ship recover. Check the damage."