On the path to immortality, I can see destiny.

After traveling for half a day, the flying boat had covered hundreds of miles. Zhao Fan leaned against the gunwale, looking down at the rolling mountains and winding rivers, and gradually relaxed.

The waiter lay at his feet, dozing off, his ears occasionally twitching as if he were chasing something in his dream.

Su San remained seated with her eyes closed, Su Ziyan leaned against the ship's railing in a daze, Su Zixin sat cross-legged to regulate her breathing, and Su Ziqiu sat in the far corner with his head down, seemingly lost in thought.

The airship suddenly shook violently.

Zhao Fan suddenly grabbed the gunwale, startling the waiter awake, who looked around warily.

A shout came from ahead from the Zhou family cultivators.

"What happened?"

"Reporting to Senior, there's a problem with the flying boat's spiritual energy circuit; it needs to be inspected."

A member of the Zhou family ran over from the bow of the boat, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"It's possible that the spacecraft is overloaded and the core array is unable to withstand the load."

The leader, a peak Qi Refining expert, frowned and immediately raised his hand to signal the entire team to stop.

Three airships slowly landed on an open space beside a stream, surrounded by dense forests, with a low hill faintly visible in the distance.

"Inspect the airship and rest in place."

The team leader's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"We'll depart in half an hour."

People disembarked from the flying boat, some finding a shady spot to sit and meditate, while others gathered in twos and threes to chat.

Zhao Fan followed Su San off the flying boat and found a flat rock by the stream to sit down. Xiao Er also immediately ran to the stream and lowered his head to drink water.

Su Ziyan stretched and loosened his muscles, then complained.

"This Wind Chariot looks impressive, but I didn't expect it to be so unreliable."

"Even ritual implements can wear out."

Su San said calmly.

"Besides, there were quite a few people attending the apprenticeship ceremony this time. It's already quite good that the flying boat could fly for half a day without encountering problems due to overload."

When Su Ziqiu got off the flying boat, his face was a little pale. He glanced at Su San, then quickly lowered his head and sat down to the side.

Zhao Fan noticed his unusual behavior but didn't think much of it, assuming it was just his first time traveling such a long distance by airship and he was a little unaccustomed to it.

Time passed little by little.

Su Ziqiu sat quietly in the corner, while the others meditated in place.

Until that Zhou family member shouted.

"The airship is repaired and ready to depart."

Su San stood up, glanced around, and suddenly frowned.

"Where is Ziqiu?"

Zhao Fan was taken aback. He looked around, but there was no one by the stream, no one by the woods, and no one in the crowd.

Su Ziyan and Su Zixin also stood up and looked around, but they couldn't find Su Ziqiu anywhere.

Su San's face darkened. She quickly walked to the grove of trees by the stream and called out a few times, but there was no response.

He searched along the stream upstream and downstream for a while, but still couldn't find anyone.

"Fellow Daoists of the Su family, it's time to set off."

The Zhou family cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining walked over, his tone somewhat impatient.

Su San had not yet returned, so Su Zixin immediately turned around, clasped her hands in greeting, and said...

"Fellow Daoist, two members of my Su family have not yet returned. Could you please wait a moment?"

The cultivator frowned, about to speak, when the leader's voice came from the flying boat.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?"

"Report back to the team leader, someone from the Su family is missing."

The cultivator quickly responded.

The team leader stood at the bow of the boat, looking down at Zhao Fan and his two companions with a calm voice.

"How long have you been searching?"

"The time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Su Zixin said.

The team leader was silent for a moment, then shook his head.

"We can't wait any longer. If we delay any longer, it will delay the apprenticeship ceremony. You can each leave one person to search, and then catch up with them once they find it."

After he finished speaking, he turned and went into the cabin, clearly not intending to discuss it further.

The Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator, Chong Susan, shook his head and turned to leave.

Su San stood there, her face somewhat gloomy.

Su Ziyan was a little anxious and hurriedly asked.

"What should we do? Should we keep waiting?"

"Wait, the Zhou family's flying boat isn't fast. We can catch up with it later."

Su Zixin made a quick decision and spoke up.

Su Ziyan remained silent for a moment, looked at the flying boat in the sky, and finally nodded.

Zhao Fan had no objections. With family members missing, this matter was naturally more important.

And so, the three of them waited for Su San to return.

They waited for an hour, until the three of them became somewhat anxious and were about to go out to search.

Suddenly, a sound of trees snapping came from the distant woods, as if someone was rushing through the forest and breaking branches.

The three men tensed up and quickened their pace to push forward. Pushing aside a clump of bushes, they saw a figure covered in blood, staggering out of the depths of the woods.

The person who arrived was none other than Su San.

His clothes were torn in several places, and there were obvious wounds on his chest and arms. The bloodstains had dried and turned dark red.

His face was pale, his steps were unsteady, but his eyes remained sharp.

When he saw Zhao Fan and his group, he was first taken aback, and then his expression changed drastically.

"Why are you still here?"

Su Zixin quickly stepped forward to support him.

"Third Uncle, how did you get so badly injured? Where's Ziqiu?"

Su San didn't answer her question, but instead gritted her teeth and urged her on.

"Run!"

Zhao Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on the Golden Marrow Thorn.

Su Zixin also realized what was happening, grabbed Su Ziyan, and turned to run into the depths of the woods.

Zhao Fan supported Su San with one hand and followed closely behind the two of them, with Xiao Er also following closely behind.

Behind him came a voice that Zhao Fan recognized very well.

"Trying to run now? It's too late."

Zhao Fan turned around and immediately saw a burly man dressed in black.

Based on the size of the person and the familiar voice, Zhao Fan instantly guessed who it was.

"Isn't he already dead?"

Zhao Fan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Su San glanced at the burly man behind her, her voice icy.

"Ziqiu has already died at the hands of this big man. You must escape quickly. If you can catch up with the Zhou family's flying boat, you can live."

"and you……"

Just as Zhao Fan was about to ask a question, he felt his hand go empty. Su San had stepped back and blocked the path of the big man's pursuit.

"You think you can stop me?"

The burly man looked at Su San with disdain.

"Whether we can stop them or not, we have to try."

Su San clenched his fists, looking at the burly man in front of him. Now, every extra breath he could hold on would give them a better chance to live.

In the distance, Su Zixin and Su Ziyan looked at Su San behind them and unconsciously stopped in their tracks.

They were naturally afraid, but they also couldn't bring themselves to abandon Su San.

"Let's give it our all! With three of us at the late stage of Qi Refining and one at the middle stage, we might just be able to defeat him!"

Su Ziyan took the lead in assuming a fighting stance and took out several magical artifacts.

Su Zixin didn't speak, but she also made hand seals, her eyes revealing determination.

Seeing this, Zhao Fan immediately put away the waiter and prepared to unleash his Flame Burst Technique.