"It's nothing," Mo Xinyi gently shook her head and said, "I’ve just been tossing and turning all night, unable to sleep. I wanted to chat with Young Master Xu."

"Sure," Xu Zimo nodded.

He glanced at Mo Xinyi and asked, "It's pretty cold tonight. Aren’t you cold wearing just a skirt?"

"A little," Mo Xinyi bit her lip and nodded, hugging her thin frame tighter into her clothes.

"Really?" Xu Zimo chuckled and replied, "Good thing I dressed warmly, I don't feel cold."

Mo Xinyi turned her head and looked seriously at Xu Zimo.

Shouldn't a guy offer his coat to a girl at times like this?

Are you seriously a steel-hearted straight man!?

"I said, I feel a little cold," Mo Xinyi repeated.

"If you're cold, why not stay in your room? What are you doing out here? Serves you right," Xu Zimo replied.

"You... You..." Mo Xinyi pointed at Xu Zimo, fuming, but couldn’t find the words to say.

"I actually understand what you're trying to do," Xu Zimo shook his head slightly. "But do you really think there’s any possibility between us?"

Mo Xinyi lowered her head, her eyes growing red. In the end, she said in a hurt voice, "It’s not like I want to debase myself like this. But in a family like ours, we don’t get to choose."

"If your family truly wants to make the Mo Imperial Clan great again, I can point you in the right direction," Xu Zimo said.

"What?" Mo Xinyi quickly looked up.

"You have a boy in your family named Mo Chen. He could be the key to your clan’s rise," Xu Zimo said. "As long as you don't stand against me."

Hearing this, Mo Xinyi softly replied, "Thank you."

Xu Zimo shook his head slightly and waved her off.

Watching her walk away, he let out a light laugh.

…

During the seven days Xu Zimo stayed at the Mo Imperial Clan, nothing major happened.

Some members tried to curry favor with him, but he didn’t really respond.

He had no deep resentment toward the Mo Imperial Clan, but no fondness either.

Just another passing scene in life.

On the eighth day, Mo Canghai sent someone to fetch Xu Zimo.

The two arrived at a vast open space.

In the center, a five-pointed star formation glowed with a dark yellow light.

The light shot skyward, and each rotation of the array caused the space around it to tremble.

The booming sound was constant.

"Xu Zimo, dear nephew," Mo Canghai explained, "this teleportation array can't directly send you to the Middle Continent. Because the distance is too great, we have a transfer station in the middle of the Endless Sky Sea. Once you’re there, another teleportation array will take you straight to the Middle Continent."

"So complicated?" Xu Zimo asked. "Isn’t there a way to do it in one shot?"

"Impossible. The spatial jump would be too vast and unstable, the formation simply wouldn't work," Mo Canghai replied, shaking his head.

"Alright then," Xu Zimo nodded.

"We’ll activate the array from the outside. You stand in the center," Mo Canghai instructed.

"Once the space starts to fluctuate, try not to resist."

"I understand," Xu Zimo replied.

He stepped into the array, and the five-pointed star lit up brightly.

As the light swallowed everything, thunderous sounds rang out from all directions.

Ripples spread through the space, which suddenly collapsed, and Xu Zimo’s figure vanished within it.

…

It felt like a space voyage, surrounded by chaotic spatial turbulence.

Xu Zimo’s body floated weightlessly, drifting along a pre-set path through the Infinite Void.

He lost track of how long it lasted, what started as a novelty became monotonous.

He didn’t know how long he had slept, occasionally catching glimpses of strange objects drifting through the void, but they all passed by quickly.

Finally, the space around him began to shift with increasing intensity.

One day, Xu Zimo felt as though his whole body was being swallowed.

The weightless sensation vanished, and light returned to his vision.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself still standing inside a five-pointed star formation.

There were guards posted around the array.

"Who are you?" asked a disciple dressed in green.

Xu Zimo took out the token Mo Canghai had given him and said, "Get the array to the Middle Continent ready."

"Sir, the array will take at least seven days to prepare," the disciple quickly replied.

"What a pain... Just do it as fast as you can," Xu Zimo responded.

…

The disciple immediately reported to the transfer station's overseer.

This man was Mo Feihai, the Mo Imperial Clan’s seventh elder and the person in charge of this area.

He briefly met with Xu Zimo, got a few basic details, and left in a hurry.

Xu Zimo didn’t give it much thought. The array would take seven days to prepare, after all.

The next morning, while still sleeping, he was awoken by a loud rumbling and the ground shaking violently.

He stepped out of his room.

This transfer station was built on a small island in the Endless Sea.

At the moment, the island was covered in smoke, and faint beastly roars echoed from the distance.

"What’s going on?" Xu Zimo grabbed a hurried disciple and asked.

"Don’t worry," the disciple shook his head. "It’s probably just the pirates or Sky Whale Race attacking again. Happens a few times every month. They’ll leave in a few days."

Watching the disciple run off to assist, Xu Zimo pondered for a moment and decided to follow.

…

The Endless Sky Sea sparkled blue and clear.

The island was now surrounded by a dense fleet of ships.

The pirates were easy to spot, wearing crude green vests, with some even bare-chested.

Their cultivation was mostly at the Desolate Meridian Realm or above. Their ships were enhanced with formations.

These formations allowed them to concentrate their energy attacks and fire them like cannons.

Aside from the pirates, many Sky Whale Race’s beasts were present.

These beasts were huge, with tough hides that made normal attacks useless.

They could also manipulate the seawater of the Endless Sky Sea.

The pirates attacked from the rear using energy cannons, while the Sky Whale Race beasts led the charge at the front.

The assault was fierce, but thankfully, the island’s defenses were even stronger.

The Mo Imperial Clan had superior high-level combat power, five Empyrean Meridian Realm cultivators.

Xu Zimo observed the entire day from a distance as the battle raged on.

By the time both sides were exhausted, they finally retreated.

That evening, Xu Zimo sought out Mo Feihai to ask about the situation.

…

At that moment, nearly all five Empyrean Meridian cultivators of the Mo Imperial Clan were gathered in the main hall.