In reality, Ling Han wasn't delaying their journey because he was afraid of Jiang Anyun.
A ship would depart from Tyrant Axe Harbor every three days, yet the sizes of these ships varied.
For example, the ship this time was a large-sized ship that could hold more passengers. Moreover, it had the highest safety rating out of all the ships as it had a powerful elite at the Sun Moon Tier guarding it.
However, Ling Han and Shui Yanyu had come to exterminate pirates, so the more powerful were the people on their ship, the less likely they were to be targeted by pirates. Thus, they naturally wouldn't choose to take such a ship.
They had to wait for a small ship that was only guarded by a cultivator at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier as this would greatly increase their chances of being targeted by pirates.
The ship in three days was still going to be a large ship. They had to wait for another three days after that for there to be a small ship.
After learning of this, Ling Han and Shui Yanyu entered the Black Tower to cultivate.
Shui Yanyu practiced her martial arts techniques, while Ling Han investigated the new pill recipes that he had obtained.
Although there were only four recipes, the levels of the recipes ranged from Level One Divine Pill up to Level Four Divine Pill. This gradual increase in difficulty was exactly what Ling Han wanted.
Before now, Ling Han hadn't had a chance to investigate these pill recipes, as the two had been cultivating or on the road the entire time.
He was the Alchemy Emperor, and he had even managed to refine a Semi-Divine Pill while he was still in the small world. Right now, he was already very close to becoming a Divine Grade Alchemist.
'There are two things of utmost importance in alchemy. The first is the art of controlling flames, and the second is the intertwining of divine patterns that have been extracted from medicinal ingredients.
'However one looks at it, these two things both boil down to control and the application of one's divine sense.
'I've drunk Reincarnation Tea before, so my divine sense is naturally far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators at the medium extreme. In fact, it might even be on par with that of cultivators at the consummate level. Coupled with the tempering by the Indestructible Heaven's Scroll, the strength of my divine sense is unparalleled among those at the same cultivation level as me.
'In other words, my condition right now is far, far better than others'.
'In terms of pill refinement techniques, there's not much difference between Divine Level and Ordinary Level Spiritual Herbs. It's just that the peak temperature of the flames and method of intertwining the divine patterns far exceed those needed for Heaven Level Spiritual Herbs.
'Then, let me start now!'
Ling Han started to refine the Heavenly Qi Pill. It was a Level One Divine Pill that could increase the speed of Origin Power accumulation for cultivators at the Mountain River Tier. There were many pills that had the same effect, but the Heavenly Qi Pill was definitely one of the best among them.
However, all pills came with their drawbacks, and one couldn't eat pills as if they were candy. Thus, if one could only ingest 10 pills a month, pills that were more effective were naturally more desirable.
Fail, fail, fail…
It was a Divine Pill, after all, so Ling Han's cauldron continued to explode as if he had become an inexperienced alchemy student again. However, he wasn't disheartened, as he made clear improvements with each failure that he experienced.
Disappointingly, however, Ling Han still hadn't managed to succeed when six days passed, and they needed to set sail.
'I can probably succeed after a dozen or so more attempts.'
Ling Han and Shui Yanyu exited the Black Tower and headed to the harbor.
Not long after they arrived, others also started to arrive one after another. There were even some people with whom they were familiar.
Jiang Anyun was naturally one of them. He had 10 underlings at the Mountain River Tier, and his eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as he leered at Shui Yanyu.
"Those three are from the Luo Clan," Shui Yanyu whispered in Ling Han's ears. "Luo Yu, Luo Wu, and Luo Senyun. Luo Senyun is an elite at the Sun Moon Tier, and he most likely advanced to this tier over 30,000 years ago. It's extremely likely that he's already reached the peak stage of the low extreme.
Shui Yanyu glanced at another direction, and continued, "Those two over there are Zuo Xiao and Fan Yong, the other two followers of Zhao Lun. They've been at the high extreme of the Mountain River Tier for a long time, so they've most likely reached the peak stage already."
Ling Han nodded as he listened to Shui Yanyu. Meanwhile, he also noticed four sharply dressed females. Weren't they Liu Ying and the others, the four female guards of Sha Yuan?
These four females couldn't be underestimated, as their cultivation levels were all at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier.
Apart from these familiar faces, there was also a youth in coarse clothes who looked to be around 17 or 18 years old. However, he was evidently at the Immortal level already, though it was hard to discern what specific tier and sub-minor level he was at. This youth had a fierce gaze that could instill fear in those he stared at.
There was also a woman in a white dress who was as beautiful as a celestial maiden. Her skin was as white as jade, her lips were as red as dye, and her long hair was braided into a large plait that rested on her jade-like neck. She wore an aloof expression that made her appear like an unapproachable icy beauty.
Nearby, there was also a youth who hugged his sword to his chest wherever he walked. It seemed as if he was unwilling to ever let go of the sword.
The last person present was an ordinary man in gray clothes. He was the type of person who wouldn't attract a second glance if thrown into a crowd of people.
Ling Han had the Cloud Piercing Shuttle, so he and Shui Yanyu had naturally arrived here the quickest. However, the Luo Clan, Sha Clan, and Zhao Clan were all able to easily identify his final destination. Thus, they were also able to arrive here not long after Ling Han.
"We're departing in 30 minutes," a sailor shouted. "If you want to board, then hurry up. Each person has to pay 10 True Origin Stones."
The coarse-clothed youth was the first person to board. Following him, the woman in white and the sword-hugging youth also boarded. However, no one else followed after them.
Ling Han couldn't help but smile. By the looks of it, the remaining people all had their eyes set on him. If he didn't board, the others naturally wouldn't board, either.
'Come on, then!'
He and Shui Yanyu walked onto the ship deck after paying 20 True Origin Stones. They stood near the bow of the ship.
Immediately after they boarded, the people from the Luo Clan, Sha Clan, and Zhao Clan all paid 10 True Origin Stones each and boarded the ship.
"Halt! You're at the Sun Moon Tier, so you're not allowed to board this ship." The sailor stopped Luo Senyun from boarding the ship.
"Why can't I board?" Luo Senyun asked in displeasure. A mere cultivator at the Mountain River Tier actually dared to block him? He unleashed his aura, and instantly caused the sailor to tremble.
"Humph! Sir, please go elsewhere if you want to show off your might. Don't forget, this is Tyrant Axe Harbor!" An elder in an embroidered robe walked over like a spirit. There were a sun and moon hovering behind his back, and he said, "The rules of our Yang Clan are simple. Small ships only accept passengers at the Mountain River Tier. This is to ensure everyone's safety and to prevent fellow passengers from targeting each other while out at sea."
The guards on small ships were only at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier, so how could they maintain the safety of all the passengers if an elite at the Sun Moon Tier boarded?
Luo Senyun stared at the elder for a long time before humphing in displeasure. He turned and whispered a few words to Luo Yu and Luo Wu before retreating back onto the harbor.
A powerful dragon couldn't defeat a snake in its nest. Moreover, Luo Senyun couldn't be considered a powerful dragon when compared to the Yang Clan anyway.
He didn't mask his killing intent as he stared at Ling Han intently. Even if he couldn't board the ship, Luo Yu and Luo Wu were both at the consummate level of the Mountain River Tier. Luo Yu was more so at the peak stage of the consummate level already. He could definitely suppress Ling Han with a single hand.
After 30 minutes, the ship raised its anchor, and started to sail toward the boundless sea ahead.
This ship was small, measuring only 30 meters in length and 15 or so meters in height. There was a total of three levels, with the uppermost level for passengers, and the lowest level for sailors. The middle level was for storing weapons, and it also housed the cannons of the ship. These cannons were powered by True Origin Stones and could unleash devastating attacks.
However, these cannons were normally never used, as they consumed one or more True Origin Stones with each shot that they fired. The price of using them was far too high.
The fuel for the ship was also True Origin Stones, and there was a formation set up inside the ship. When they couldn't rely on the wind, they could use True Origin Stones to activate the formation and power the ship.
When the ship disappeared from the harbor, many pairs of eyes were already fixed on Ling Han's body.This means that a powerful person can't necessarily defeat a weaker opponent if the weaker opponent enjoys a home ground advantage.