Chapter 252: Descendants of an Old Acquaintance (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Chapter 252: Descendants of an Old Acquaintance (Seeking Monthly Votes)
Over Myriad Islands Lake.
The misty waters stretched vast and boundless, water vapor rising.
A mortal's black-awning boat cut through the waves across the endless green expanse.
"Everyone, pay attention. We're now deep within the Myriad Islands Lake's waters. We could encounter demonic creatures at any time. Have you all taken your 'Yinhun Pills' yet?"
A young man with a face like warm jade, looking exceptionally handsome and distinguished, instructed the few people behind him.
These individuals wore cultivation robes, their faces still youthful and tender. They were, without a doubt, cultivators, though their cultivation levels were low, all within the Qi Refinement realm.
The young man who spoke first was, in fact, the one with the highest cultivation, having already reached Qi Refinement Stage Seven!
"Don't worry, Cousin Long," a round-faced female cultivator with large, blinking eyes replied. She appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, yet she was delicate and charming. "We've all taken our 'Yinhun Pills' and circulated the Qi-concealing cultivation methods. Our 'Qi-concealing Talismans' are also ready. . ."
Cousin Long took out a map again, scrutinizing it with a cautious expression.
"Sister Qin, why did we have to come to this Myriad Islands Lake? This place is truly dangerous. I heard those demonic creatures have green faces and fangs, and they devour people whole. . . " a boy who looked only eleven or twelve innocently asked.
"Because of the war. . . " Sister Qin replied, her face shadowed with sadness.
"We're actually the lucky ones. Another branch of our family has to cross mountains and traverse valleys, fleeing to the Wu Kingdom. . . and from then on, they must change their identities and can no longer acknowledge the 'Long' surname. . ."
Cousin Long also sighed. "After all, we are a Yue Kingdom family. If too many of us flee to other countries during wartime, and the superior sect still stands after the war, there will inevitably be repercussions, even the stripping of our spiritual land. . ."
His words were chilling, making everyone shiver involuntarily.
Stripping of spiritual land!
This was every cultivation family and sect's nightmare!
Compared to mortals' reluctance to leave their homeland, spiritual land held a more practical significance in the cultivation world.
Without a spiritual foundation, cultivators' techniques could not advance. They could only remain rootless rogue cultivators!
"That's right. . . Little Hu, don't be afraid. Think of the Qi family and the Xu family; they're even more miserable. They couldn't even escape to Myriad Islands Lake. . . " Sister Qin gently comforted.
Though Myriad Islands Lake appeared vast and offered places to hide anywhere, those first-order spirit islands not only had sparse spiritual energy but were also frequently harassed by demonic creatures, making their safety precarious.
Only the four second-order spirit islands were the true destinations for these refugees!
Among them, Dragon Fish Island was universally recognized as the best!
However, once the Dragon Fish Island Lord spoke, Yan Dong Qing and the others naturally dared not defy him, immediately rejecting the requests of the Xu and Qi families.
For the cultivators of these two families, secretly sneaking into Myriad Islands Lake might have been possible, but sneaking into the four spirit islands guarded by Foundation Establishment cultivators and second-order formations? That would have been like a complete joke.
The scene at the time was truly miserable.
Even the young girl named Qin still felt a lingering fear in her heart when she recalled it.
...
The black-awning boat drifted quietly for three days.
Though ghostly winds occasionally swept past, they seemed to genuinely mistake the cultivators on board for their own kind and did not harass them.
Just as all the cultivators on the boat were secretly delighted, Long Feng furrowed his brows.
Because he saw another boat.
This boat also moved through the water, but its surface was inscribed with array patterns, emitting a dark, black light. Clearly, it was an artifact!
"Who goes there?"
Two young men stood at the bow, their gazes at Long Feng's boat filled with scrutiny and vigilance.
"We are from the Long family. . ."
Long Feng gave Long Qin a meaningful look behind him. Long Qin immediately led Little Hu and the others into the cabin, a talisman paper clutched in her hand.
Only then did he look at the two men opposite him and announce his identity in a clear voice.
At the same time, Long Feng carefully assessed the two men. One held a jade flute, his demeanor leisurely, while the other had dark skin and honest, simple features. Crucially, both had reached the Qi Refinement Stage Seven or Eight, which secretly awed him.
Long Feng considered his spiritual root aptitude to be quite good, and he had received family training since childhood, yet he had only just broken through to Qi Refinement Stage Seven.
Now, suddenly seeing two people of similar age whose cultivation surpassed his own, he felt somewhat disheartened.
"Greetings, Brother Long. We are from the Myriad Islands Lake Patrol and Enforcement Team. " The dashing young man holding the jade flute exchanged a glance with the simple-featured man and replied clearly, "I am Mo Guan Feng, and this is my good friend, Hai Da Niu!"
"Greetings, Brother Mo, Brother Hai. . . " Long Feng hurriedly bowed.
"These past few days, we've indeed heard that someone from the Yellow Wind Long Family would be arriving. Are you heading to Spirit Sky Island?"
Hai Da Niu smiled honestly, revealing his clean, white teeth. "Why not come along. . . We happen to be going to Spirit Sky Island as well."
"This. . . alright."
Long Feng agreed reluctantly. Fortunately, the two seemed to have no ill intentions, merely leading the way ahead.
Before long, the two boats, one after another, arrived at the lake area near Spirit Sky Island.
"Something's not right. . ."
Mo Guan Feng examined the thin mist on the lake surface and suddenly made a gesture, signaling both boats to stop.
"Brother Mo, what's wrong? " Long Feng quickly asked.
Through their conversations during the journey, he had learned that both of them had significant backgrounds, hailing from Peach Blossom Island and having connections with Old Ancestor Ruan and Old Ancestor Fang. He couldn't afford to be rude.
Especially Hai Da Niu, whose ancestors were tenant farmers of the Dragon Fish Island Lord. Even now, his family still paid annual tribute to Dragon Fish Island and could even meet Old Ancestor Fang and speak with him!
"This mist seems to be mixed with Yin Qi. . ."
Mo Guan Feng pulled out a white pearl and used his spiritual power to draw a wisp of mist from the lake surface into the pearl.
The next moment, the pearl suddenly emitted a ghastly green light.
"Oh no, the 'Qi-observing Pearl' is acting like this, it means there's really ghostly qi! " Hai Da Niu exclaimed.
"It's not just ghostly Yin Qi; looking at its intensity. . . there might be a second-order demonic creature. This direction is towards Spirit Sky Island. . . It's likely another ghost tide attacking the island."
Mo Guan Feng sighed, "During a ghost tide, Spirit Sky Island is surrounded by demonic creatures. It seems we absolutely cannot get close, let alone land on the island. . ."
"Ah? Then what should we do? " Long Feng was dumbfounded.
"As things stand, we can only leave and send a message to the other three islands for help. . . " Mo Guan Feng gritted his teeth. "We four great spirit islands of Myriad Islands Lake support each other. Even if Spirit Sky Island is the weakest, we won't abandon it. . ."
Long Feng, however, knew that the other three great spirit islands of Myriad Islands Lake each had a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator overseeing them. However, the Long family had the best relationship with the Yan family, and in terms of the island's atmosphere, Spirit Sky Island was the most lenient, which was why they had chosen this island.
He hadn't expected such a 'surprise' upon arrival!
"Don't worry, Spirit Sky Island is protected by the 'Six Profound Tortoise Shell Array', and Old Ancestor Yan is personally overseeing it. Although Old Ancestor Yan is only at early Foundation Establishment, relying on the second-order array to defend to the death should be enough. . . There have been ghost tides before. . ."
Hai Da Niu seemed to notice Long Feng's unease and specifically tried to comfort him.
But after hearing Hai Da Niu's words, Long Feng actually wanted to move to one of the other three islands even more. . .
...
Dragon Fish Island.
Evergreen Pavilion.
Fang Xi was enjoying wine when Zhong Hong Yu rushed in, holding a jade slip in her hand.
"What happened? " He took another sip, asking casually.
"Spirit Sky Island has been hit by a ghost tide and is asking us for aid! " Zhong Hong Yu respectfully replied.
"This Spirit Sky Island, its feng shui is truly bad. How many times has this happened now?"
After a playful remark, Fang Xi's expression turned serious.
He knew, of course, that it wasn't Spirit Sky Island's bad feng shui, but rather that among the demonic creatures, there were some with higher intelligence, and even Core Formation demonic cultivators manipulating things from behind the scenes. Naturally, they chose to pick the softest persimmons to squeeze.
Moreover, a ghost tide like this might have other motives!
"But whether it's besieging a point to draw out reinforcements or some other scheme. . ."
"My stance is to remain constant to adapt to all changes. No matter if the sky falls and the earth collapses, I will not leave Dragon Fish Island. . . That way, at least I won't suffer any harm."
Fang Xi pondered for a moment, then spoke: "Send word to Maple Leaf Island and Golden Turtle Island. . . order them to firmly hold their grand formations and not to venture out. . . Spirit Sky Island is ultimately part of our faction, so we should provide rescue. . . Hong Yu, you and Green Corner Fish Dragon will go to assist them."
He thought for a moment, then patted his storage pouch, and a jade box appeared.
On the box, there was even a talisman specifically to prevent spiritual energy leakage.
Fang Xi smiled faintly, handing the box to Zhong Hong Yu. "Take this for your protection. Be careful on your journey. . ."
"Yes!"
Seeing Fang Xi's solemnity, Zhong Hong Yu couldn't help but respond with gravity.
After Zhong Hong Yu left, Fang Xi tapped a small bell, summoning Yan Ying. "Go and invite Guest Elder Hong!"
Although Yuan Fei Hong had settled on Dragon Fish Island, he still had to give the Black Heaven Sect face, so he changed his surname to 'Hong' and wore a bronze mask.
Before long, the masked Yuan Fei Hong arrived at Evergreen Pavilion, a smile on his face. "What. . . does Island Master wish to invite me for a drink?"
"It's not too late to drink a whole jar once this matter is done. " Fang Xi replied with a smile, then explained the situation: "This incident can be considered a tempering experience for Hong Yu, but I am still somewhat uneasy. With you secretly watching over her, it will be virtually guaranteed to succeed. . ."
"A mere trifle. . ."
Yuan Fei Hong agreed wholeheartedly, then asked with some curiosity, "I can see that you value this girl, so why not follow and protect her yourself in secret?"
"How can an island master move so lightly? I still need to preside over this island's formation. . . " Fang Xi shook his head.
In reality, it wasn't that he couldn't, but that he was unwilling. . .
His regard for the 'Longevity Art' naturally surpassed that for Zhong Hong Yu.
Fang Xi saw Yuan Fei Hong off from Dragon Fish Island, gazing at the direction of his escaping light, deep in thought. "Those Core Formation demonic cultivators never leave Emerald Cliff. Even if there are demonic creatures comparable to late-stage or even perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators making a move, this arrangement should be sufficient. . ."
His eyes flashed. Just as he was about to go back and continue, he suddenly saw two boats, one after another, arrive at the edge of Dragon Fish Island, signaling for help.
The two people on one of the artifact spirit boats seemed faintly familiar to him.
His divine consciousness spread out. After listening for a few moments, he immediately smiled: "So, they are the descendants of an old acquaintance. . ."
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