txolops Chapter 430 Qiyuan Island
Chapter 430 Qiyuan Island
Chapter 430 Qiyuan Island
"That guy Feng hope must be furious to lose the Wind and Thunder Wings he painstakingly crafted. The Rift Wind Beast and the Flood Dragon Clan have always been on good terms, so it's reasonable for it to be driven by them or actively cooperate in searching for suspicious human cultivators in this sea area, especially for Han Li's whereabouts."
While Luo Ming was processing the information and pondering, Xiang Jun and the other two were completely captivated by the brief but still powerful battle that had just ended.
Their gazes involuntarily drifted to the two corpses of the seventh-level dragons, each several thousand feet long, that the Xuan Turtle had dragged back. Then they looked at the Zhiyang Bird, which had now transformed into a crimson-gold shadow and was obediently perched on Luo Ming's shoulder, preening its magnificent feathers. The three of them were already in a state of shock and unease, and the lingering fear on their faces did not fade for a long time.
"This—is this really the strength that a level seven demon beast can possess?" Xiang Jun was shocked, and his throat went dry.
All three of them were experts in the Core Formation stage, so they naturally knew how terrifying a level seven demonic beast was.
In the deep sea environment, even if the three of them joined forces, the outcome against a level seven dragon was uncertain, and they could be killed if they were not careful.
But this giant tortoise, as large as a mountain, was able to fight two level seven dragons head-on. Not only did it not lose, but it also relied on its terrifying and despair-inducing defensive power to completely ignore the attacks of the other party. Then, it countered with its amazing gray lightning, and crushed and killed the two fierce dragons!
The power displayed by that crimson-gold divine beast was even more terrifying. Its crimson-gold flames, which could scorch the heavens and boil the seas, could easily trap three Wind Rift Beasts known for their speed and ferocity. No matter how much they struggled and charged, they were like insects caught in a spider web, and were eventually completely devoured by the terrifying flames.
"I'm afraid he's already on par with some early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, isn't he?" Xiang Jun secretly guessed.
After a moment, Luo Ming digested the information, exchanged a map of the approximate area of human strongholds in the nearby sea from the three, put away the two spirit beasts, and with a flash of azure light around him, he transformed into a solid and swift azure rainbow and soared into the sky.
Watching the blue rainbow completely disappear, Xiang Jun and the other two seemed to have a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. They breathed a long sigh of relief, looked at each other, and saw in each other's faces the relief of surviving a disaster, as well as deep shock and bewilderment.
"Brother Xiang, where are we going next? Are we still going to enter the Misty Sea of Fog as originally planned?" The young man in black robes looked at Xiang Jun and asked with some uncertainty in his tone.
Their original plan was to escape into the Fog Sea to avoid being hunted by monsters. Now that the pursuers have been eliminated and the threat has been temporarily relieved, the Fog Sea itself is fraught with danger, so whether or not to go in has become a question.
Xiang Jun didn't answer immediately. He turned around, his gaze sweeping in the direction where Luo Ming's rainbow had disappeared, then back to the horizon where Luo Ming had come from. His eyes flickered, as if he were thinking rapidly. After a moment, a decisive glint appeared in his eyes. He turned to his two companions and said in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, this senior likely came from the direction of Silver Shark Island. A hundred years ago, I visited Silver Shark Island once for a transaction; it's one of the most prosperous islands in the outer sea."
He paused, his tone becoming even more resolute: "Now, monsters are rampant in the direction of Qiyuan Island, and our original settlement is probably no longer safe. Rather than drifting aimlessly in these perilous outer seas, or being hunted by monsters, it would be better—we should cross the Misty Sea and head to Silver Shark Island!"
Upon hearing this, the other two exchanged a glance, both seeing the interest in each other's eyes. Silver Shark Island, with a Nascent Soul cultivator stationed there and relatively far from the core area currently being ravaged by the Flood Dragon Clan, did indeed sound like a good choice.
"Alright! We'll listen to Brother Xiang!"
"Silver Shark Island—it's better than living in fear in the open sea."
The three quickly reached an agreement without further hesitation. They first took pills and rested briefly to recover some of their magical power. Then, Xiang Jun summoned the silver flying boat again, and the three boarded it. After determining their direction, they pushed the flying boat to its maximum speed, transforming it into a streak of silver light and speeding towards the approximate location of Silver Shark Island.
Although the journey was long and there might be other dangers along the way, the three of them had a new goal, and their eyes were filled with less fear and more hope.
Ten days later.
High above Qiyuan Island, an area was shrouded by Luo Ming's exquisite water mist concealment technique.
Luo Ming stood with his hands behind his back amidst the clouds, his black robe fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. He looked down at the enormous island below, once bustling with people and lined with markets, but now completely transformed.
Compared to what he saw when he came here more than a hundred years ago, the island's outline and terrain have not changed much, but the "humanity" has vanished. In its place is a dense demonic aura that permeates the entire island, and countless demonic beasts that move and dwell on the island, in the shallow sea, and in the air.
A cursory glance reveals at least ten auras of level five or higher dragons, some entrenched in the ruins of the remaining palaces, others roaming the surrounding seas. In addition, numerous high-level demonic beasts of other races are mixed in, turning this place into a massive demonic beast lair.
In the central area of the island, where the core of the human forces' buildings once stood, the demonic energy was now at its most intense and soaring. Two powerful auras belonging to transformed demon cultivators were faintly visible within. Although they were deliberately concealed, they were still like torches in the night under Luo Ming's keen perception at the Nascent Soul level.
"As expected, this place has completely fallen into the hands of the demon race." Luo Ming understood, his expression calm and unwavering. He had no interest in reclaiming the island; his purpose in coming here was simply to confirm its location.
He lingered no longer, even suppressing his curiosity about the specific identities of those transformed demon cultivators. His figure swayed slightly within the concealing mist, then silently changed direction, heading in the opposite direction of the main island of Qiyuan Island, towards the location of Haiyuan in his memory, and quietly departed.
If it weren't for those two transformed demon cultivators on the island, Luo Ming might have easily dealt with these demon beasts to feed his own spirit beasts. But with the transformed demon cultivators, things were different. If they awakened some strange supernatural power and he couldn't defeat them, then he would have to face the combined pursuit of the entire demon race all by himself.
He is not invincible enough to confront the entire demon race, so naturally he would not do something so extremely risky.
As Luo Ming flew away, he pondered in his heart that the Xuan Water needed to "refine the natal magic treasure Xuan Yuan Pearl" was of paramount importance. If he were to slaughter demonic beasts indiscriminately here, especially those dragons, it would surely alarm the dragon clan of the Black Abyss Sea, and might even attract the Golden Dragon King.
This place isn't too far from the Black Abyss Sea, but there are too many variables. If things aren't handled properly and word gets out, the consequences will be dire. It's best to take the Mystic Crystal and leave as soon as possible.
He glanced back one last time at the strangely aura-filled Qiyuan Island, his eyes filled with indifference.
The demonic beasts on the island were completely unaware that their lives had just been decided by Luo Ming's mere thought. If he had intended to kill them, with his current strength and the combined power of the spirit beasts, even if he couldn't slaughter all the demonic beasts on the island, severely damaging their leaders and causing chaos would not have been difficult. But weighing the pros and cons, it wasn't worth it.
With his mind made up, Luo Ming hesitated no longer. After traveling hundreds of miles away from Qiyuan Island and confirming that no one was pursuing him, the azure light surrounding him suddenly became solid and dazzling, and his speed increased several times over. He transformed into a streak of azure light that tore through the sky, and sped off at full speed towards the southeast direction where the Sea Abyss was located, just as he remembered!
Half a month later, a vast expanse of sea appeared eerily dark, as if it could devour all light.
Luo Ming hovered in the air, his expression somewhat grim. He gazed at the deep, oppressive black sea below, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
"It's been completely mined out—" he muttered to himself, his voice tinged with barely suppressed disappointment. "Could it be that Tian Wuzi and his group completely drained this mine before they left? Or was it later discovered by other cultivators or demonic beasts and mined out of it all?"
He had been in this sea area for seven or eight days. Relying on his memories and powerful divine sense, he quickly located the special ley line node on the seabed. However, when he found that familiar place, what he saw before him was a scene of utter chaos and excavation marks!
Luo Ming was unwilling to give up. For the past seven or eight days, he had meticulously searched the area within a radius of several thousand miles, centered on the abandoned mine. But the results were disheartening. Apart from finding a few fist-sized pieces of "Submerged Sea Mystic Crystals" of decent quality, he found nothing else. Compared to the enormous quantity needed to refine a large number of "Mystic Yuan Pearls," this harvest was simply a drop in the ocean.
With a flick of his wrist, a pale blue jade slip appeared in his palm. This was the rough map of the possible locations of secret human settlements in the nearby seas that he had obtained from the three Core Formation cultivators he had rescued earlier.
Xiang Jun had said that, in order to prevent the map from falling into the hands of the demon race and implicating others, the jade slip only recorded the general area, and the locations of those gathering points were not fixed and changed frequently. The map was only valid for about a year.
"Hopefully it hasn't expired yet, or maybe I can find some clues." Without further hesitation, Luo Ming identified a relatively nearby suspected gathering point marked on the jade slip, and with a flicker, he transformed into a blue rainbow once more and soared into the sky.
A month later, on a seemingly inconspicuous desert island, only a few miles in circumference and sparsely vegetated.
A streak of azure light descended from the sky, then faded, revealing Luo Ming's tall and imposing figure.
He looked around. The island was deathly silent, save for the rustling of the sea breeze through the low bushes and the distant rumble of waves crashing against the rocks. His powerful divine sense had already scanned the entire island, inside and out, countless times.
As a result, nothing was gained.
Apart from a few nests of low-level seabirds and monsters, no higher than level two, and some insects and rodents underground, there were no traces of human cultivators on the island, no residual restrictions, no man-made caves, and not even any signs of recent arrivals.
"Could it be that this gathering point has been abandoned or moved? Or have I come to the wrong place?" Luo Ming's expression was slightly grim.
Just as he was starting to feel frustrated and even began to consider using more risky methods, "Hmm?"
His expression suddenly shifted, and he abruptly turned his head, looking towards the horizon where the sea met the sky, about three hundred miles to the northeast. At the edge of his divine sense, far surpassing that of his peers, he clearly sensed intense and unstable fluctuations of spiritual energy!
"Someone is fighting! And at least one side is a human cultivator!" A glint flashed in Luo Ming's eyes, and he was immediately overjoyed.
Above a complex sea area dotted with reefs and tiny islands of all sizes and shapes.