Chapter 628: Devil’s Isle

Shi Hao prepared to set off for Devil’s Isle.

Before his departure, he conducted thorough research, starting with various legends, consulting experts, and finally purchasing numerous bone scriptures describing Devil’s Isle to study every detail.

“That place is extremely dangerous. Though it holds great opportunities, eight out of ten who venture there never return,” warned a grey-haired elder, the guardian of the teleportation array in a grand city. His face was gaunt, his eyes deep and piercing as he addressed the crowd.

Though within the Five Elements Prefecture, Devil’s Isle lay on its distant fringes. Travel there required a complex, grand teleportation formation.

Such inter-prefecture teleportation arrays were closely held by only a few great sects.

This array appeared pale blue, constructed from a peculiar type of stone, adorned with intricate and mysterious symbols. Consecrated with sacred bones, it radiated mystical power.

The altar began to glow. A golden beast bone shattered first, followed by two purple bird bones. Soon, all the bones offered for sacrifice ignited, releasing divine energy.

Such immense consumption was evident—most sects couldn’t afford its activation!

With a thunderous boom, glyphs spread and the grand formation activated, piercing the void. A pale blue light pathway unfolded into the distance.

Thousands stepped into the glowing channel together, all heading for Devil’s Isle. Some sought adventure, while others were enforcers escorting dangerous criminals.

The pale blue road was solid, traversing the void across millions of miles. Orderly, the travelers entered and vanished one by one.

Before long, a colossal light portal emerged ahead—the destination. This was space travel, crossing astronomical distances in moments through spatial transcendence.

“This time, the numbers aren’t too high,” commented someone at the portal, a guardian ensuring safety through Teleportation to a Specific Location to avoid accidents.

“Indeed, last time over ten thousand arrived, yet many never returned after entering the isle,” sighed an elder.

This formation activated only every half-month, requiring at least thousands of travelers to share the astronomical cost—without such pooling, even great sects couldn’t afford it.

To travel alone required offering treasures of rare value, the equivalent of thousands’ worth of precious resources combined.

Stepping through the channel, Shi Hao gazed up. The sky was grey, heavy with oppression. The sun rarely shone, perpetually shrouded in mist.

Though called an isle, Devil’s Isle wasn’t in the sea or any ordinary marsh. It hovered in the void, unyielding and eternal.

“You can’t see much from here. You must cross an eight-hundred-mile mist zone to truly enter,” explained a ferryman offering passage.

“Only eight hundred miles? I can fly there myself,” scoffed one traveler, taking flight on his treasure artifact.

Yet after mere dozens of miles, he screamed in terror.

“The mist zone is deadly. Ordinary flyers can’t survive,” another ferryman added, enticing travelers.

Indeed, the mist was fearsome. Those who flew ahead returned battered, bruised, and broken, fleeing in panic.

“At least they survived. Remember, countless unknown dangers lie within,” warned an elder.

Thus, doubts dispelled, the crowd boarded ferries, choosing safer routes.

Shi Hao joined them, observing as the fog thickened. Eventually, visibility dropped to mere feet—without a guide, easy to become lost.

This wasn’t a boat traversing water, but one soaring higher into the sky, crafted from a unique material from Devil’s Isle, crackling with lightning energy.

“I wonder what that is?”

Suddenly, a traveler cried. Through the mist, a hundred feet away, glowing red eyes, like lanterns, appeared—cold, bloodthirsty, and murderous.

Undoubtedly, a colossal entity prowled the mist, now eyeing the ferry passengers.

“See now? Flying solo through this eight-hundred-mile mist would bring countless dangers,” said the ferryman, igniting a bone lantern at the bow. Strangely, the red eyes closed, and the great beast silently retreated, its killing intent vanishing.

The ferry moved cautiously, avoiding perilous zones—an early sign of the harsh survival ahead.

Shi Hao meditated on the deck, recalling the Myriad Beasts Diagram, contemplating deeply. Never would he waste time on the journey.

In the Upper Realm, he couldn’t risk using signature techniques like Kun Peng’s Art, lest he draw unwanted attention and expose his identity.

The Myriad Beasts Diagram transformed the mundane into the miraculous. The more Shi Hao contemplated, the calmer he became. Ever since his revival, he had studied it diligently.

“This is it,” announced the ferryman after much time. The vessel stopped, and travelers disembarked.

This was a massive isle, continent-sized, suspended in the void—like a dark cloud casting an ancient, heavy aura.

“At last! The legendary Devil’s Isle—so vast, I can feel an ancient, mysterious power emanating.”

“This shall be my proving ground, my path to strength begins here!” murmured excited, nervous youths.

Elder travelers remained composed, observing in silence.

Dozens of ferries arrived, thousands disembarking together, stepping onto this vast, mysterious, and perilous isle.

Shi Hao noted some extraordinary travelers—those whose blood qi lay hidden, like slumbering fiends, clearly powerful, having kindled divine flame.

Among them were astonishing youths, obvious prodigies with formidable attendants.

“Could there be ‘primordial progeny’ among them?” Shi Hao wondered, spotting a couple of youths hidden among lesser beings like dragons among beasts.

“Hahaha! At last! This is both a peril and a chance. I shall seek the legendary immortal tomb, forging an invincible body with immortal blood!” laughed a purple-robed youth.

Many turned, scoffing at his arrogance.

“Looking what’s looking?” the youth roared, his mighty blood qi surging, forming a colossal beast shadow behind him—ferocious, oppressive.

“A Taotie!” the crowd gasped, instinctively retreating, chilled with fear.

This young Taotie was of noble lineage, flanked by deep-eyed elders, silent guardians.

The Taotie were among the mightiest races, consuming Heaven and Earth, capable of devouring laws when fully matured—truly formidable.

“Hmph!” came a cold snort from afar—a golden-feathered youth surrounded by golden radiance, dazzling and bright.

“A Golden Garuda!” someone whispered. Another formidable race, rare yet fearsome.

“Not satisfied? We’ll meet again on the isle!” the Taotie youth laughed.

“Looks like this time’s travelers are no ordinary folk,” muttered elder figures, observing.

Many fierce races had gathered.

Shi Hao, too, noticed their might. Besides the flame-kindling beings, he focused on one silent youth.

The youth had pale skin, dim eyes, and an air of listlessness—silent since arrival. Yet Shi Hao sensed an instinct—this one was terrifying.

“Let’s move, into the isle!”

No conflict occurred. Thousands advanced. Sparse vegetation, perpetual mist, and cracked earth with boulders everywhere marked the land.

Devil’s Isle divided into two zones: one a prison zone, the other a natural death realm.

The prison loomed—a black sprawl. All structures, forged from black gold and rare treasures, were unbreakable. Grandmasters had inscribed immortal formations to seal it.

Inside, countless mighty beings and demonic fiends were imprisoned—some even celestial gods!

“Move faster!”

Near the cold-shining prison, wardens wielded glyph-lit whips, lashing shackled, sealed prisoners toward a mine.

Once confined within Devil’s Isle’s black jail, freedom vanished. Many were flame-kindling beings, their former strength reduced to cursed labor, digging mines in eternal darkness, a grim fate.

Deep beneath Devil’s Isle lay a treasure—infused with lightning, used in crafting lightning artifacts, even high-grade ones known as divine materials.

“It’s said this island once belonged to a supreme Demon Overlord, who attained an unparalleled fruit, sweeping across sects in ancient times, hailed as Supreme Emperor of his age. In his twilight years, seeking transcendence beyond Heaven and Earth’s limits, he drew the wrath of Immortal Dao laws—lightning descended, annihilating his once-holy isle of treasures and Spiritual Energy, leaving desolation.”

In that war, the Demon Overlord nearly transcended, shattering Heaven and Earth, binding Immortal Dao laws. Legend claimed he slew a forbidden entity born of the Immortal Thunder.

The Overlord perished. His flesh and blood fused with the island, preventing its destruction. His essence drew Immortal Thunder into the isle, creating rare treasures.

Moreover, legend spoke of an Immortal Tomb deep in the death zone, belonging to that forbidden entity.

Through endless eons, haunting phenomena occurred, bloody incidents, even celestial gods perishing here—thus earning the name Devil’s Isle.

“Half prison, half death zone. Choose where you go,” instructed wardens as travelers entered.

Shi Hao chose the prison district, walking that way.

Of thousands, only hundreds followed. Most aimed for the death zone, more perilous but bearing greater rewards.

The black prison housed famed ancient mines, brimming with treasures. Some even unearthed severed bones stained with Supreme Emperor blood.

A being nearly transcending Heaven and Earth, reaching the pinnacle—his blood contained unimaginable mysterious power, imperishable through ages. Once unearthed, it could be forged into divine pills.

Prison wardens typically forced prisoners to mine. Yet outsiders were allowed to explore, albeit with a seventy percent share of finds.

Curses and mysterious forces lurked underground—frequent perils. Without such dangers, the mines wouldn’t be open to outsiders. Mining came at great cost.

Shi Hao arrived, choosing this cursed region. He sought news of his grandfather, desperate for clarity. He missed the revered elder he hadn’t seen in over a decade, fearing for his safety.

Unexpectedly, upon arrival, long before deeper inquiry, he heard—his grandfather, the Fifteenth Elder Great Demon God, was a famed figure here!