Lady Fanshan Meng, celestial consort of the Seven-Colored Immortal, heard Wang Lin’s words, a flicker of unease in her eyes, and was about to speak with a light laugh when the Soul-Drawer Boat shuddered violently.

The tremor came from without, like a howling gale. The boat trembled, accompanied by deafening roars, and was swept back hundreds of yards.

The sudden shift caused Fanshan Meng’s expression to change; she gazed with veiled concern beyond the Soul-Drawer Boat.

Wang Lin leapt, hovering three inches above the deck, drifting with the vessel as brilliant light shone in his eyes, mirroring her gaze outward.

Beyond the boat, enveloped in a halo of seven colors, the Seven-Colored Daoist waved his hands. With each sweep of his wide sleeves, a gust of wind howled, assaulting the boat’s protective barriers. Cracking sounds echoed as the layers of light shattered, and nearly half of the barrier crumbled in moments.

“Fear not, he cannot breach this boat in mere days!” Fanshan Meng scoffed, averting her gaze to Wang Lin. “The altar you speak of was found by my sister. It holds the power of the Ancient Dao, which she cannot, nor has reason to, unlock, yet you are different.

“If you can break the altar’s defenses and gain its inheritance, your cultivation will surely rise. It is within the deepest chamber of this boat. Will you go now? Be warned, you have but three days. I can pilot this boat to evade the Seven-Colored Daoist for that time, but no longer.”

“Three days… insufficient,” Wang Lin frowned. The Soul-Drawer Boat shuddered anew, the deafening roars suggesting the Seven-Colored Daoist’s powers grew stronger, threatening to tear the boat apart.

“The blood oath can wait. I find this Soul-Drawer Boat… intriguing. Three days should suffice for my study,” Wang Lin stated, his expression unreadable.

“You would study the restrictions upon this vessel?” Fanshan Meng was taken aback. She and her sister knew little of Wang Lin’s expertise with restrictions. Her expression turned peculiar. “This Soul-Drawer Boat is a treasured possession of the Great Soul Gate. Though not of the highest grade, it is of middle quality. Even I would not presume to understand it.

“Daoist Wang, I urge you to use these three days to attempt the altar. If you can absorb its power, your Ancient God body may yet see further cultivation.” Fanshan Meng’s words were gentle, but her meaning was clear: she deemed Wang Lin incapable of understanding the Soul-Drawer Boat and found his words absurd.

*A mere Void Refinement ant dares to presume understanding of my Great Soul Gate’s treasured vessel! Such hubris!*

“Oh? Does Daoist fear that should I unravel this boat’s restrictions, I might claim it for myself?” Wang Lin asked, a sly smile playing on his lips.

He understood her intentions. She and her sister had lured him here, knowing the Seven-Colored Daoist would pursue.

They used the boat as a hidden threat and the Seven-Colored Daoist to subtly pressure him. Though no overt threat was uttered, its effect was more potent.

It seemed Wang Lin had no choice but to heed their advice and swear the blood oath, placing him entirely in their hands.

Fanshan Meng and her sister had indeed planned this. Anyone else might have felt cornered, forced to comply to escape the immediate danger.

But Wang Lin would not easily trust their words. He preferred to control his own destiny.

As long as the boat remained in their control, any attempt to reach the altar would be monitored. Worse, he was trapped inside their treasure.

Wang Lin was not one to yield so easily, and his words held a hidden intent.

Mastering the boat’s control would not only solve the problem of the Seven-Colored Daoist but also reverse their scheme.

Fanshan Meng’s expression tightened but quickly returned to normal. “Daoist Wang jests. If you have such confidence, then study the boat. I shall wait.” Yet inwardly, she scoffed. She did not believe him capable.

“Daoist seems… displeased. Fear not, even if I unravel this boat’s restrictions, I shall return it to you.” Wang Lin’s smile remained enigmatic.

Fanshan Meng regarded him calmly. “If you truly master the boat’s restrictions, then it is yours.

“But if you cannot, then waste no more time. Swear the blood oath, and I will send you to safety.”

“Very well, I shall observe it first. If I fail, I will concede.” That was the phrase Wang Lin had sought. Without another glance at Fanshan Meng, he strode aside, settled into a cross-legged position, and began his study, his divine sense spreading from the deck beneath him.

Fanshan Meng’s gaze concealed a dark intent. She needed Wang Lin’s blood oath, for it would allow her master to cast a peculiar spell, turning him into a puppet—a crucial tool for slaying the Seven-Colored Daoist.

*He is cautious, but I do not believe he can master the Soul-Drawer Boat’s restrictions. He may have some knowledge of them, but he is a mere Void Refinement cultivator, a frog in a well. How could he comprehend the restrictions of the Immortal Astral Continent!*

*This is laughable. Let him study. If he refuses the blood oath upon failure, I have other means!* Fanshan Meng’s sinister thoughts vanished, replaced by a soft smile as she watched Wang Lin.

As Wang Lin’s divine sense spread, the Ancient God stars between his brows flickered, forming a vortex. The Demon and Celestial stars in his eyes appeared one by one, and the starlight of the three ancient races merged into Dao Ancient Power. As Dao Ancient Power emerged, a faint Dao Ancient figure materialized, enveloping Wang Lin’s body.

The Dao Ancient shade took the same cross-legged pose, shielding Wang Lin.

The phantom’s size had been altered, reduced to a mere few dozen yards, yet it still resembled a small mountain. Wang Lin sat protected within.

The sight furrowed Fanshan Meng’s brow.

*He is far too cautious…*

With Dao Ancient Power guarding his body, Wang Lin felt at ease and calmly spread his divine sense, penetrating the deck. Instantly, an invisible force rebounded, halting his progress.

This invisible force was the deck’s restrictions, allowing him to observe the exterior but preventing him from seeing its inner structure.

Fanshan Meng smirked inwardly. She knew much about this Soul-Drawer Boat, a treasure of her Great Soul Gate.

*Even without considering the other complications, the restriction’s repelling force alone would be insurmountable without profound knowledge of restrictions…* Her thoughts were interrupted as her eyes widened in shock.

Wang Lin, protected by the Dao Ancient shroud, raised his right hand. Restriction hand seals began to appear in dozens, hundreds, thousands. In the blink of an eye, nearly a million hand seals appeared around him.

These hand seals overlapped, emitting a blinding, ghostly light. In an instant, the million became one, pressed down on the deck beside him.

The deck boomed beneath his palm, and the entire Soul-Drawer Boat shuddered. A dense pattern rapidly spread from his palm in all directions, passing by Fanshan Meng and covering nearly a third of the boat’s deck.

As the pattern washed over it, the deck appeared entirely different to Wang Lin. As if the covering had been removed, it revealed its source: the ground was a dense array of restriction glyphs.

Each glyph was unique, densely packed, and radiated a dim, dark light.

*He broke through the deck’s restrictions! He does not merely dabble; his mastery of restrictions is on a high stage indeed…* Fanshan Meng gasped, her gaze upon Wang Lin changing instantly.

*No wonder he is so confident. Even if his expertise in restrictions is extraordinary, those of the Lower Realm are merely a fraction of those on the Immortal Astral Continent. Three days will surely not be enough for him to master them entirely!* Fanshan Meng fell silent for a moment, a mocking smile on her lips.

Wang Lin’s expression remained calm. He raised his right hand and touched a glyph, his eyes displaying a calculating gleam.

“This deck is merely the vessel’s outer layer, yet its restrictions are vast and varied. Three days is indeed insufficient…”