Mechanical Spirit is easier to understand; it sounds similar to the Mechanical Sect.
The key issue is the biological transformation, which unmistakably carries the aura of the Demon Sect.
And as Zhao Ya had guessed, in the subsequent narration by the Snake Woman, the Wuyou Longevity Palace is essentially a notorious Demon Cultivation Sect, with disciples that are beyond unruly, treating all rules and reason as nothing.
Take this Black Ship for instance.
It is the most famous murder weapon of the Wuyou Longevity Palace, and in a sense, it has even become its symbol.
And the purpose of such a Black Ship is solely to sail on the boundless Sea of Mist, searching for those lost islands.
If luck is on their side, it might even find a lost Small World, just like the world Zhao Ya and his companions currently inhabit.
"So your arrival here was purely a stroke of luck?" Zhao Ya asked, somewhat surprised.
"That’s right." The Snake Woman nodded and then explained.
"Sir, residing here for a long time, you might not be aware of the outside world! The Sea of Mist is boundless and indescribably vast. Even a true Immortal doesn’t know its full extent, as it connects to countless worlds. Even the Black Ship of Wuyou Longevity Palace can only rely on luck to find lost islands or Small Worlds."
Zhao Ya pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Why is Wuyou Longevity Palace so obsessed with finding new worlds? What are they up to?"
The Snake Woman was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "What else could they be after? Naturally, they seek fresh, usable subjects for their experiments."
It turns out that in the Pure Bright Realm, because of the suppression by many powerful sects, even Wuyou Longevity Palace, as the Demon Path Leader, must act discreetly.
This led to a severe shortage of required experiment subjects.
To solve this problem, Wuyou Longevity Palace began expanding outward.
After all, no matter how strong the sects in the Pure Bright Realm are, they cannot control those lost islands or Small Worlds.
And with its nearly overwhelming overall advantage, no civilization could withstand even a single encounter with the Black Ship.
This is why the Black Ship previously viewed the united resistance of various sects with disdain.
Understand that, for the Pure Bright Realm and many other powerful worlds, only those who have broken the Celestial Gate are worthy of attention.
All others are mere ants.
Therefore, the previously invincible Black Ship met with obstacles in the Beyond the World region.
The reason being, even the members of Wuyou Longevity Palace who control the Black Ship did not expect to encounter someone like Zhao Ya in such a remote and tightly sealed place.
The more Zhao Ya listened, the colder his gaze became.
Although the Snake Woman did not explain in detail, Zhao Ya could guess the meaning of "experiment subjects" from the literal wording.
This was not all.
After all, even wars between mortals sometimes use methods that cross the baseline of human morality.
The key issue is that from the beginning, this Black Ship has always maintained an arrogant stance, treating the united assaults of numerous sects with contempt, not even bothering to say a word.
This attitude of "destroying you has nothing to do with you" is what is most infuriating.
Meanwhile, after explaining the cause and effect, the Snake Woman cautiously glanced at Zhao Ya, not daring to move an inch.
After a long while, Zhao Ya slowly spoke, "So the Black Ship is under the command of Wuyou Longevity Palace’s people?"
The Snake Woman’s eyes lit up, then she immediately bowed her head, "Yes, they are hiding inside the Black Ship."
"Do you know the entrance?"
"Of course!" The Snake Woman replied without hesitation.
"Take me there!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Ya dispersed the Divine Thought gathered around him.
At this moment, the wind and rain had ceased, but the sky was still devoid of stars and the moon. The damp sea breeze hit him, bringing an indescribable sense of desolation.
The Snake Woman led the way quickly, soon arriving at the ship’s chimney.
"Sir, there are two ways to enter the Black Ship; one is the passage we exited from, but it is now closed."
"The other is through this chimney. Though it looks impossibly hot on the surface, inside there is a hidden passage; jumping in leads you into a corridor."
"Enough talk, you go in first!"
Zhao Ya, of course, would not blindly trust the Snake Woman’s words and spoke bluntly.
The Snake Woman hesitated not, her figure turning as she swiftly climbed up the chimney and jumped inside.
Zhao Ya waited silently outside.
He had left a trace of Divine Thought on the Snake Woman. If any accident happened, Zhao Ya would know immediately.
After waiting for a moment with no change in the Divine Thought, Zhao Ya leaped to the top of the chimney.
The scorching heatwave hit him, but relying on the Divine Thought left on the Snake Woman, Zhao Ya found that the inside of the chimney indeed held a hidden passage.
Moreover, with his current strength, even if he fell into this chimney, he could ensure his safety for a short time.
Thus, Zhao Ya leapt into the chimney without hesitation.
The scorching heat waved away quickly, and Zhao Ya felt himself entering a cool realm, focusing to see a long corridor before him.
Refreshing air flew at him.
"Sir, follow this corridor to the core area of the Black Ship, but they will surely have detected our intrusion and will take corresponding measures," the Snake Woman explained fearfully.
In truth, she wasn’t sure if her decision was right or wrong.
After all, if Zhao Ya defeated the people of Wuyou Longevity Palace, it would be fine; but if not, her fate would undoubtedly be miserable.
But by now, she had no retreat.
Because the rules of Wuyou Longevity Palace are cruel; any transformed creature with intelligence is not allowed to live for more than five years.
This rule was meant to prevent any rebellion from transformed creatures.
And now, the Snake Woman had survived over four years, soon to face mental destruction and re-recording.
She naturally wanted to fight for herself.
That’s why, upon meeting Zhao Ya, she quickly switched allegiances, placing all hope on Zhao Ya.
Zhao Ya, gripping a short knife, remained silent, striding forward.
Before taking a few steps, Zhao Ya suddenly waved a hand, and a sliver of knife light flickered, followed by a scream in the dark above. Soon, a massive Ghost Monkey fell down.
Immediately after, Zhao Ya’s knife never stopped, and in the flashing light, no creature could withstand even a single move from him.
Rapidly, Zhao Ya reached the end of the corridor.
Here stood two lavishly decorated doors, with countless bizarre creatures engraved on them.
Without hesitation, Zhao Ya punched directly.
Crack!
Cracks appeared on the Stone Gate, which then shattered.