Chapter 324 - 287: (Revised) Two Mice
Eight Diagram Island.
Wu Ba and Wei Xiong covered their faces, quietly making their way onto the island’s rocky shore.
"Are you sure there’s no one on this island?" the burly Wu Ba asked.
The skinny Wei Xiong confirmed, "I’ve been watching around here for about a month, there’s only a Late-Stage Foundation Establishment female cultivator on this island, most of the Heavenly Interence Sect’s disciples and two Golden Core Masters are on those islands in front."
"Just now during the beast tide, I saw with my own eyes that the female cultivator went forward to assist. The battle up front is fierce, I estimate their losses are heavy, and they won’t recover anytime soon. If we sneak in quickly, there shouldn’t be much of a problem."
Wu Ba spat quietly, cautiously spreading out his Divine Sense to check for any Great Arrays in the surroundings.
"If it weren’t for being spotted by that red-clothed woman, we would wait for the Sect Leader and the others to arrive, and take these islands in one go. By then, we could hide in the outer sea, and even if they come to kill us, they wouldn’t find us."
Wei Xiong discovered a path and signaled Wu Ba to follow, "Are you stupid? Even though we’re both Early-Stage Golden Core, it’s just the lowest Ninth-Grade Golden Core. There’s no hope of advancing to Mid-Stage Golden Core in this lifetime, we’re only slightly stronger than Peak Foundation Establishment. Do you really think the Sect Leader will find a way to improve your Golden Core quality? Don’t dream!"
"People have to rely on themselves. Don’t tell anyone about this, we’ll split the benefits equally. Save up some assets and try our luck in the Dragon Palace Relic Realm, where there are many secret techniques and treasures of the Dragon Clan."
"Wait, aren’t we going in circles?"
Wu Ba stopped and realized that after walking for half a day, they were still on the rocky shore by the sea, surrounded by massive rocks taller than a person.
Wei Xiong appeared more astute, squinting and examining for a while, then sneered, "It’s just an Illusion Array, watch me."
With that, Wei Xiong detached the Spiritual Beast Bag from his waist and released a white rat with three gold lines on its back. It was palm-sized, with a pair of large, round ears standing upright.
"Lead the way."
The rat jumped down, its ears twitching, and suddenly trembled all over, retreating a few steps, unwilling to go forward.
"Could there be a trap?" Wu Ba asked.
Wei Xiong’s expression turned cold. He cast a spell on the Spiritual Rat, which cried out in pain before reluctantly leading the way ahead.
Before long, they smoothly exited the rocky shore and found a wooded path leading to the foot of the mountain, with a wooden sign by the roadside.
[Today’s Purchase: Purple Monkey Flower, Seven Stars Grass, Demon Beast Blood...]
[Today’s Supply: Upper-Level Ice Heart Elixir, Spirit Recovery Wine, Water Escape Talisman, Continuous Pearl Thunder Talisman...]
"Is this an island where the Heavenly Interence Sect stores supplies?" Wu Ba asked excitedly upon seeing the wooden sign.
Wei Xiong pondered, "It shouldn’t be. I often saw disciples from the islands ahead come here. The female cultivator on this island should be skilled in Alchemy and Talisman Making, so she needs a quiet place."
Still led by the Spiritual Rat, the two of them each cast a few spells on themselves, and their figures instantly vanished without a trace.
Along the way, they used special techniques to create small openings in the arrays they encountered, passing through safely without disturbing the arrays.
This secret technique was also why they could become core members of the Heavenly Robbery Sect.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of the mountain and saw over a hundred acres of Spiritual Fields, where peculiar Puppets were working the fields, harvesting Spirit Fruit and transporting it to the wooden house nearby.
Outside the wooden house, several large wine vats emitted a faint fragrance, enticing the senses.
Wu Ba clicked his tongue in wonder at the Planting Puppets, "I didn’t think Spiritual Fields could be tended without people now. This is great! Also, look, aren’t those Blue Bell Fruits supposed to grow on the ground? Why are they on vines?"
Wei Xiong took a closer look, also quite curious. He glanced at the entrance to the cave dwelling beside them, "Let’s take the stuff from the cave dwelling first, we can check the Spiritual Fields if there’s time afterward."
Wei Xiong cast another spell, causing the Spiritual Rat at his feet to cry out in pain. It quickly ran to the Barrier at the cave dwelling entrance. The three gold lines on its back flickered with light as it bit into the Barrier and tore vigorously, creating a tear in the Barrier.
The Spiritual Rat, as if gnawing at food, chewed open a gap in the Barrier bit by bit. Whatever was in its saliva prevented the Barrier from closing and didn’t trigger the Protective Great Array.
The burly Wu Ba went in first, followed by Wei Xiong stepping into the cave dwelling. Inside, it was pitch black. As soon as the Spiritual Rat entered, it squeaked in terror and burrowed into Wei Xiong’s clothes, trembling.
Thud!
A massive rock fell, sealing the entrance to the cave dwelling. A white figure silently appeared ahead, startling both of them and making their scalps tingle.
"To think you could make it into my cave dwelling, you two must have some skills."
A cold, stern female voice echoed. Wu Ba’s expression turned severe, and he swung a heavy axe, cleaving through the white figure.
Boom!
The axe struck the mountain wall behind with a loud explosion, causing the ground to tremble and stones to fly, leaving a terrifying large pit.
Before the two could feel smug, they suddenly noticed the cleaved white figure transformed into countless feathers, which reassembled into a human form.
She stepped out of the darkness, smiling—it was Jiang Yuebai.
"The target is tricky, let’s go!"
Wei Xiong hissed softly. Although Jiang Yuebai’s revealed aura was only Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, their rule of the empty-handed was always to come silently and leave silently; once discovered, they must flee immediately.
Moreover, they knew there were Golden Core Masters on the islands ahead, and once the fight started, they’d surely suffer a loss.
"You want to leave? There’s no way!"
Another white figure emerged from behind them, also appearing like Jiang Yuebai, expressionless and wielding a long sword, not seeming like a real person.
This was the Sword Sky Puppet modified by Jiang Yuebai, looking identical to her.
Flanked on both sides, the two threw out Smoke Pills, filling the cave with smoke and blocking Divine Sense detection.
When Jiang Yuebai dispelled the smoke with a breeze, the two were no longer there.
"An Escape Skill, huh? It’s even more advanced than the Five Elements Escape Talisman and faster and simpler than the Five Ghosts Earth Escape Technique. Interesting."
Their methods indeed exceeded Jiang Yuebai’s expectations. Whether it was the Spiritual Rat, Concealing Method, how they broke through arrays, or the Escape Skill they just used, all were quite advanced, perfect for stealing.
But this time, they picked the wrong person to steal from.
The Crane Feather Avatar and Sword Sky Puppet both pursued them, while the True·Jiang Yuebai, hidden deep within the cave, remained sitting by the Cold Pond, controlling the overall situation with the Eight Arrays Plate.
After fleeing the cave dwelling, Wu Ba and Wei Xiong flew through the sky, striving to leave the island as quickly as possible. Yet, no matter how fast they went, they couldn’t escape the island’s boundaries.
Suddenly, a shadow loomed overhead, and a gigantic mountain peak crashed down, catching them off guard.
Boom!
Dust filled the air, and the ground was struck with a horrifying crater.
The two felt their bones break and couldn’t get up in time as the surroundings turned into a sea of flames, burning fiercely.
"This is... Earth Evil Fire!"
The two felt as if their insides were incinerating; their Divine Souls screamed in pain. Struggling out of the fire sea, they stumbled into a land of ice and snow.
Roar!
A fierce Hornless Dragon appeared silently behind them, its head held high, staring coldly at them.
The two swallowed hard, retreating, as countless thorny vines shot out from beneath the ice.
"We’ll fight to the end!"
Clenching their teeth, they unleashed all their skills, but the vines were endless, the Hornless Dragon roared, and Ice Arrows rained like a storm.
After a fierce and bloody battle, they barely caught their breath, only to find the surroundings change into endless yellow sand, and overhead, a Flying Sword hovered menacingly.
Stars twinkled in the sky; within the array, the world kept changing. Jiang Yuebai sat by the Cold Pond, yawning.
