Wu Ma Hai and his companions vanished into the depths of the forest. After the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, distant rumbles echoed faintly from afar.
“They’ve been discovered,” remarked Mountain Master He, raising an eyebrow.
“Besides the stone-carved guardians spread across the entire floating island, there are countless hidden dangers. It’s simply impossible to pass through unnoticed,” chuckled the golden-robed youth, Sword Emperor.
Mountain Master He nodded and said, “Then we’ll head in too.” Without further ado, he led the white-robed girl and the man in black robes forward directly.
“Not even asking for our opinion,” the golden-robed Sword Emperor glanced toward Dongbo Xueying and Chen Jiu. “Chen Jiu, Dongbo Xueying, shall you two go first or shall I?”
Chen Jiu and Dongbo Xueying exchanged glances.
“We’re not in a hurry,” Chen Jiu replied.
“Fine then, we’ll be the third group.” With that, the Sword Emperor’s team soon set off as well.
Chen Jiu was very patient.
Dongbo Xueying was unhurried too.
From distant regions of the floating island, sounds of battle began to echo.
“It’s about time. Let’s go too,” Chen Jiu smiled. “With four teams moving one after another, each group can draw some enemies away, making things easier for the others. But don’t get careless. One mistake, and both you and I could end up perishing on this island.”
“I understand. I’ll be following you closely. Rest assured.” With that, Dongbo Xueying vanished, entering the Void Realm.
The old thief and Fu Shu exchanged a knowing look.
For them, the floating island remained an extremely dangerous place.
“Let’s go.”
Chen Jiu led Old Thief, Fu Shu, and Dongbo Xueying—who had already mastered the Void Realm—as they began their daring attempt to cross the floating island.
…
Within the Void Realm.
Dongbo Xueying moved silently, his Void Realm extending across ten thousand miles, allowing him to detect every movement within that range. With his nine Void Realm avatars hovering high above, even beyond ten thousand miles, he could still observe the general situation.
What he saw made him sigh inwardly.
Wu Ma Hai’s team was at the very front, though too far away to see clearly. Their group was mysterious and moved with minimal noise, occasionally engaging in brief skirmishes.
The Sword Emperor’s group, clad in golden robes, had already overtaken Mountain Master He’s team and taken second place. Their approach was aggressive—whether facing stone-carved guardians or other attacks, the golden-robed Sword Emperor struck from thousands of miles away, battering the stone figures into confusion, who couldn’t even locate their attackers.
By clearing enemies from afar, the Sword Emperor’s group advanced rapidly.
The third group was led by Mountain Master He.
His group was the most peculiar!
As they advanced, space itself twisted and shifted. Their position fluctuated—sometimes ahead, sometimes behind. Although teleportation was impossible within the Red Stone Mountains due to powerful seals, Mountain Master He’s team manipulated space with terrifying skill. As they advanced, they encountered no enemies at all.
“Hua!” A distant stone-carved guardian turned its head, its eyes glowing with golden light capable of piercing through anything.
Even Dongbo Xueying’s Void Realm felt the pressure of that gaze!
But Mountain Master He’s group was different. They twisted space so thoroughly that when the guardian’s gaze pierced this area, it followed the warped space and was deflected. Naturally, it couldn’t see Mountain Master He’s team at all.
“Manipulation of space is terrifying,” Dongbo Xueying thought to himself, “No wonder he was chosen as a team leader. Truly extraordinary.”
“Dongbo Xueying.”
A voice forcefully penetrated the Void Realm.
“Remember, neither your Void Realm avatars nor Old Thief’s illusion clones should be deployed recklessly. If their use becomes necessary, maintain the utmost discretion. Otherwise, should a swarm of duplicates manifest, the stone-carved sentinels may perceive us as a band of ten or more trespassers—prompting them to summon even greater numbers to pursue our demise.”
“I understand,” Dongbo Xueying replied mentally, secretly impressed. To be able to project a voice into the Void Realm meant having a method to attack and infiltrate it.
Dongbo Xueying’s group also advanced cautiously.
Just like Wu Ma Hai’s group, who only encountered battle after advancing for a cup of tea’s time, the floating island’s most dangerous ‘stone-carved guardians’ became denser the closer one got to the meteorite bridge. Especially around the bridge’s edge, nearly half of the countless stone guardians were densely gathered. Other regions were much sparser.
Crossing an arched bridge, they followed a stone path beside a river.
Dongbo Xueying and his companions were extremely cautious.
“Roar~~”
Suddenly, a massive dark-blue head erupted from the river, with a bald horn, fangs, a gaping blood-filled mouth, and dark-blue scales, attempting to charge forth.
The danger came abruptly.
Chen Jiu glanced sideways.
“Boom!” A golden dragon’s phantom suddenly appeared. The upper half of the dragon was solid, while the tail was completely ethereal. It swung its claws violently, striking the dark-blue beast’s head emerging from the river with a single brutal swipe. With a thunderous crash, the beast was sent back into the water before it could fully emerge.
“We must move swiftly—don’t get bogged down. The stone-carved sentinels will surely take notice of this,” Chen Jiu’s voice resonated simultaneously in Fu Shu’s ears, Old Thief’s mind, and across the Void Realm.
Whoosh!
With their incredible speed, they instantly dashed dozens of miles along the stone path, vanishing deep into the mountains. When the beast tried to resurface from the river again to search for Dongbo Xueying and his group, it found no trace. It could only let out a frustrated roar.
The commotion from the clash also attracted the attention of nearby stone-carved guardians, who began approaching the scene.
…
Chen Jiu’s power was indeed formidable. Like the others, he could strike from extreme distances, launching attacks from thousands of miles away. Each time he attacked, a dragon’s phantom appeared—either golden, black, or blood-red. All were fierce dragons, their attacks vicious and ruthless. Depending on the threat, different dragon phantoms emerged, swiftly eliminating dangers from afar.
Even stone-carved guardians were sent rolling backward hundreds of times by a single swipe of the dragon’s claws.
This made Dongbo Xueying’s journey much smoother.
Power made all the difference.
For those who could dominate an era, the floating island was a place of nine deaths and one life. But for Chen Jiu, the Sword Emperor, Mountain Master He, and Wu Ma Hai, the chances of survival were much higher.
“Approaching the meteorite bridge is the most dangerous part. There, several ten thousand stone-carved guardians are gathered, blocking the bridgehead! Getting through will be the hardest part,” Chen Jiu transmitted mentally.
“Understood.”
Through his Void Realm avatar, Dongbo Xueying could observe from afar the end of the floating island—the meteorite bridge’s entrance.
In that area, at least fifty thousand stone-carved guardians were densely packed, each no more than ten miles apart. The entire thousand-mile range around the bridgehead was nearly blocked off. Passing through would be extremely difficult.
“Wu Ma Hai’s group has begun their charge,” Dongbo Xueying observed.
Wu Ma Hai’s team rapidly advanced toward that zone.
Boom!
Without warning, battle erupted!
Wu Ma Hai’s group suddenly burst forth with brilliant golden light. Their speed surged, and within just two seconds, they crossed over a thousand miles of battle zone. Despite countless attacks from stone-carved guardians along the way, they forced their way onto the meteorite bridge in just two seconds.
“Wu Ma Hai’s group—Bo Bo is dead!” Chen Jiu’s voice echoed in the Void Realm.
“Bo Bo is dead?” Dongbo Xueying was startled.
Yet he harbored no doubts about the veracity of the intelligence. For all four squads had left behind their Aura and Mana doppelgängers within the Xia Clan’s realm, enabling swifter communion between their factions. They dreaded being scattered across the Crimson Peaks and yearned to maintain their tether. Dongbo Xueying stood alone in this regard, bereft of such a spectral twin—for he wielded no Aura.
(Note: “斗气” is translated as “Aura” to convey the mystical combat energy common in fantasy settings, while “法力” becomes “Mana” to align with magical terminology. “Red Stone Mountains” is rendered as “Crimson Peaks” for poetic flair. The phrasing preserves the original’s tension while adapting culturally specific concepts into natural fantasy lexicon.)
Thus, when Bo Bo fell, his battle aura avatar also vanished, and the other teams sensed it instantly.
“Dongbo Xueying, your Void Realm avatar should be able to silently observe from afar how Wu Ma Hai’s group passed the final trial?” Chen Jiu transmitted.
“Pure speed. They forced their way through,” Dongbo Xueying replied mentally.
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