Chapter 332 - 158: Crossing the Sea True Intent
’Gu Changge...’
Liang Cheng hadn’t gone far.
Han Cheng had deliberately used his Pill Qi to stir the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi as he roared. It was a clear sign he had realized he’d been tricked by Gu Changge.
If Liang Cheng were merely at the Beginner Level, Han Cheng probably wouldn’t have been so reckless.
’But I’ve never had any grudge against Gu Changge before. Why would he do this?’
Liang Cheng couldn’t figure it out for the moment, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
’First, to Dragon Burial Island!’
...
「Half a day later.」
They had arrived at Dragon Burial Island.
The Cloud-Piercing Shuttle hovered over the sea, three miles from the island’s shore.
Liang Cheng stood at the fore of the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle, gazing at the island ahead, which was shrouded in a gray mist.
The island was long and narrow, about thirty miles in length and nine to twelve miles in width. At its center was a tall peak that pierced the clouds.
The churning mist enveloped the entire island, obscuring any view of what lay within.
Ye Zhiqiu and the other two stood behind him, also staring at the island.
Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but swallow nervously.
"This mist... it looks sinister."
Yun Jinghong tightened her grip on her sword’s hilt, her eyes fixed on Dragon Burial Island without a word.
Liang Cheng stared at the mist and extended his Divine Sense, only for it to be repelled by a strange power.
"The mist is still here. That means the dissipation period hasn’t fully arrived yet."
He glanced at the Dragon Burial Order in his hand. The Token was now faintly glowing.
"We’ll wait."
The Cloud-Piercing Shuttle remained hovering above the sea as the four of them sat cross-legged to regulate their breathing.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Suddenly, the mist ahead began to churn violently!
As if stirred by a giant, invisible hand, the gray mist covering the island started to recede from the edges toward the center!
A Quarter Hour later, the mist had completely vanished, revealing the true face of Dragon Burial Island.
The island was covered in dense vegetation and ancient, towering trees. The faint outlines of dilapidated ruins could be seen scattered among them.
The central peak was now clearly visible, and something on its summit seemed to be flashing in the light.
Liang Cheng put away the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle and took a step forward.
"Let’s go."
Liang Cheng strode through the air, leading Ye Zhiqiu and the other two as they swept toward the island.
...
The moment Liang Cheng’s group of four set foot on the island, a strange aura washed over them.
An indescribable sense of oppression made their skin crawl.
Ye Zhiqiu subconsciously tightened his grip on his longsword.
"This place... doesn’t it feel weird?"
Leng Feng remained silent, but his eyes were constantly scanning their surroundings.
Yun Jinghong stood with her hand on her sword, Gang Qi flowing around her body.
Liang Cheng extended his Divine Sense, carefully sensing his surroundings.
The Spiritual Qi on the island was indeed chaotic, fluctuating between strong and weak with no discernible pattern.
Even stranger, his Divine Sense could only extend a thousand feet before it seemed to be blocked by some kind of force.
"Stay close to me," he said in a low voice, striding forward.
The four of them followed a barely discernible ancient path toward the center of the island.
Along the way, they saw dilapidated ruins everywhere.
Collapsed stone pillars, half-buried stone statues, and crumbling walls covered in moss.
The sight left Ye Zhiqiu thoroughly unnerved.
"What kind of battle must this have been? Who could have fought here to cause this much destruction?"
Liang Cheng didn’t answer, but he couldn’t help but quicken his pace.
Suddenly, the sounds of fighting came from up ahead!
Liang Cheng raised a hand, signaling them to stop.
The four of them concealed their auras and crept closer.
Ahead was an open area where a dozen or so people were locked in a chaotic battle.
On one side were seven or eight Cultivators in gray robes, and on the other were five or six Martial Artists in black. Flesh and blood flew as they fought, and blasts of Gang Qi erupted.
Four or five bodies already lay on the ground.
Liang Cheng’s gaze swept over them, and he recognized a few of the combatants.
The gray-robed Cultivators were from Cyan Stone Island.
The black-clothed Martial Artists were from Profound Turtle Island.
The two groups had a long-standing feud. Now that they had met on the island, it was naturally a fight to the death.
Yun Jinghong asked in a low voice, "Should we go around them?"
Liang Cheng shook his head.
’They’re only at the True Gang Realm. There’s no way they could discover us while our auras are concealed.’
"Ignore them. Let’s go."
The four of them silently skirted the battlefield and continued deeper into the island.
...
「Half an hour later.」
They arrived at a mountain hollow.
Within the hollow was a dilapidated Stone Hall, half-buried in the earth, with only its roof and a few broken stone pillars exposed.
In front of the Stone Hall stood a stone stele.
Three words were carved on the stele.
Cross-Sea Cliff.
Liang Cheng stopped in his tracks.
’Something is wrong.’
’The map marked Cross-Sea Cliff at the central peak of the island. This is just a hollow, so why is there a stele for Cross-Sea Cliff here?’
This was still just the Central Area.
He walked closer to inspect it carefully.
The stele was mottled and the inscription was blurry, but they were indeed the three words "Cross-Sea Cliff".
The lower half of the stele was buried in the earth, and it was impossible to tell how deep it went.
Ye Zhiqiu couldn’t help but scratch his head.
"This isn’t right, is it? Cross-Sea Cliff is supposed to be on the summit. What’s it doing in a hollow?"
Ye Zhiqiu crouched down and examined the soil around the stele.
"This stele must have been moved."
He pointed at the base of the stele.
"Look, the soil around here is freshly packed. It’s a year or two old at most."
A thought struck Liang Cheng.
’Someone moved the stele here on purpose?’
’Why?’
He extended his Divine Sense and carefully probed the stone stele.
The stele was made of ordinary cyan stone, and there were no fluctuations of any Prohibition.
But just as he was about to withdraw his Divine Sense, the Divine Soul Liquid in his Sea of Consciousness suddenly trembled slightly.
Liang Cheng’s gaze sharpened.
He extended his Divine Sense once more, following the guidance of the Divine Soul Liquid to probe the earth beneath the stele.
A thousand feet.
Three thousand feet.
Five thousand feet.
Suddenly, his Divine Sense touched a layer of Prohibition!
The Prohibition was extremely faint; if not for the guidance of the Divine Soul Liquid, he would never have noticed it.
Beneath the Prohibition, something was faintly calling to him.
Liang Cheng withdrew his Divine Sense, his expression grim.
’This stele is probably just a marker... for the location of the real Cross-Sea Cliff.’
He stood up and looked at the other three.
"I’m going down there."
Ye Zhiqiu frowned.
"What’s down there?"
Liang Cheng shook his head.
"I don’t know, but I have to go."