Chapter 302: Floating Sky Island
Translator: Radiant Translations Editor: Radiant Translations
The sight of the vast starry sky beyond the island, especially those countless stars always changing trajectories, mesmerized Xue Ying to the point of dizziness.
Only after he immediately closed his eyes did that spell of dizziness disappear.
"Truly frightening." Xue Ying gasped. "The intelligence report was exactly right."
Chen Jiu began explaining, "It was the master of Crimson Rock Mountain who changed the heavens and the earth to create this starry sky. From what I’ve heard, this nightscape was created with the help of extremely deep Laws of Profound Mysteries, so deep that even World Deities do not understand them, much less us. We won’t gain anything by forcing ourselves to stare at it, and it might even harm us. Even so, we might as well take a glance at it now before we start climbing the mountain. We won’t get another chance to see the this scene once we begin."
"Mn." Xue Ying nodded.
This area next to the big door was the starting point and was an absolutely safe location.
The moment they stepped away from this region, they would find themselves on a hostile island brimming with danger! It would be no place to relax. In that sort of situation, wouldn’t they be simply seeking death if they decided to take a look out at the starry sky and make themselves dizzy?
"This Floating Sky Island is truly beautiful." Xue Ying smiled in appreciation.
The decorations spread over the island were truly exquisite: the small bridges over the flowing rivers, the stone path, the forest and the mountain ranges…there were even the occasional buildings of various types and colors.
Stone sculptures lay scattered around in various spots around the island! Some of them were large while some were small, but the majority were around the height of an ordinary person. Most were human-shaped, and a small portion of them depicted beasts. Of the countless statues, some were faulty, covered in scratches; the sculptor was quite clearly not a grandmaster.
"Very beautiful," Chen Jiu praised. "I’ve heard before that, long ago, the master of Crimson Rock Mountain—that incredibly powerful existence of the Deity world—had lived here for a time, right on this Floating Sky Island! Those buildings were made for him to reside in! From here, he operated the starry sky, changing the heavens and the earth while working on comprehending the laws and cultivating. Apparently, a long time ago, every single cup or table found in those buildings was potentially a treasure! Those Demigods who entered Crimson Rock Mountain in the period after it first fell had actually gained a lot from the buildings! By now, though…hehe, those structures have long since been swept clean."
Xue Ying laughed. He was thinking back to the sack which Ancestor Black Wind left behind.
In order for one to see it, they had to look at it with the naked eye. Any other form of observation was useless; even the Mirage could not reflect it! That was mostly likely a common item used by powerful existences of the Deity world.
"No wonder it’s so masterfully crafted," Xue Ying commented.
"In spite of its beauty…it hides countless dangers in its midst," Chen Gu, the old man with the goatee, muttered. His eyes wandered to those stone sculptures scattered practically everywhere on the island. "That powerful expert from the Deity world is really bad at sculpting. Why would he even bother making so many of these…"
Xue Ying laughed.
On the Floating Sky Island…
The most dangerous objects were these stone sculptures! Every last sculpture had the combat power of an Era Suppressor. Not only that, there were more than ten thousand such stone sculptures on the entire island, and they were all ‘of one heart!’ The moment one of them discovered a Transcendent, every other sculpture would also become aware of them and immediately rush over to suppress them! Fortunately, the island was large enough, and the sculptures were relatively slow, which gave the Transcendent at least a chance of survival.
Otherwise, instead of one out of ten making it out alive…it would have been ten out of ten who died!
After all, each sculpture had the combat power of an Era Suppressor. Not even Xue Ying or Chen Jiu could survive being surrounded and attacked by as many as a hundred of them.
These statues were also known as the ‘Stone Sculpture Protectors.’
Chen Jiu stepped in again. "These sculptures were crafted by that powerful existence from the Deity world; they’re truly mystical. Through their direct vision, these Stone Sculpture Protectors can see through any sort of concealment or disguise! However, as long as we don’t enter their field of view, we’re completely safe. Old Thief, Uncle Fu, remember to stick to the shadows. If we’re to be discovered by those sculptures, we have to immediately switch to speed and get away as quickly as possible. Keep in mind: you cannot fight against them, since you’d be doomed the moment they surround you."
"Understood." Old Thief and Uncle Fu nodded.
"As for other dangers on the Floating Sky Island, the two of you should be able to handle them with a little caution. It’s just the Stone Sculpture Protectors that we have to be aware of. Xue Ying, you should also be cautious. Even if your combat power is quite formidable, upon getting trapped by these sculptures, more and more of them will come to surround us, and that would simply spell doom for us. Don’t think you can just hide in the Mirage—the Stone Sculpture Protectors are very unique in that no form of hiding techniques can be used against them," Chen Jiu reminded.
"Understood." Xue Ying nodded.
"You’re in a much better position than us." Chen Jiu gazed into the distance. "As long as you get through the Floating Sky Island and cross the Meteor Bridge, you should be able to find a cure for your Six Ghosts Resentment hexing poison."
"Mn."
Xue Ying also turned to look into the distance.
Countless meteors could be seen floating at the end of the island, each of them linked to the others, thus forming a passage toward someplace deep in the starry sky. It was those countless meteors connecting with one another…that made up the Meteor Bridge!
At the end of this bridge was a long, jade-green vine extended all the way across the starry sky. It had grown all the way to the highest point in the starry sky and was surrounded by many gigantic leaves, each one bigger than a star.
"Our intelligence reports say that, as long as I get through the Floating Sky Island and reach the end of the Meteor Bridge, I’ll be able to request a treasure I seek," Xue Ying said. "I hope I’ll be able to acquire some medicine to cure my poison there."
The Floating Sky Island and the Meteor Bridge…
Those were the paths which many Demigods had to go through after entering this place.
Ancestor Black Wind as well as many outsiders had crossed these paths over the years, yet they would cause about nine out of ten Era Suppressors to perish.
"In my case, however, I have to cross the Sky-Reaching Vine and continue even further upwards," Chen Jiu said, with a subtle shake of his head. "I have to pass the Sky-Reaching Vine and reach an even higher level while keeping myself alive; that’s where the treasure sought after by that powerful World Deity is located."
"To pass the Sky-Reaching Vine?" Xue Ying also gently shook his head. "You’ll face more than any normal amount of danger."
"Nine die, yet one lives. It’s nothing but a gamble with your life!" Chen Jiu replied.
The path through the Crimson Rock Mountain was split into two sections.
The first consisted of the Floating Sky Island and the Meteor Bridge. Successfully getting through them would allow one to request and attain a certain treasure.
The second section went along the Sky-Reaching Vine toward the space of a higher level. It was there that those treasures sought after by World Deities existed.
"Crimson Rock Mountain is essentially a proving ground which the expert from the Deity world used to select his disciples. Despite that, rewards would be given out for anyone who could get through the first section, while those who passed the second section would be even better recompensed! That’s exactly why even those who had no hopes of becoming the disciples of that powerful Deity would still try their luck inside Crimson Rock Mountain."
"A trial for selecting disciples?" Xue Ying shook his head and laughed.
He was aware of his own capabilities.
His primary objective on this trip was to find a cure for his hexing poison, while keeping himself alive! He was certainly not arrogant enough to gamble his life for the chance of getting a bit further. After all, it was very important for the Xia Clan that he kept his life.
Furthermore, his current comprehension of the realms wasn’t deep enough yet. In the future, after he reached the peak stage three realm for all three of his grade two True Meanings, or perhaps even the Deity Heart realm, as well as with the help of his secret skill, the combat power he could unleash would be even more formidable. At that point, he would be in no rush to become a Deity, and he would be in a much safer spot to try his luck here again.
Even if such a heaven-defying Transcendent was willing to come down, those formidable World Deities would simply not be able to afford the price! If even sending Demigods of Chen Jiu’s level already left them with their hearts aching and unwilling to send another, how could they afford to send someone stronger than him?
...
The atmosphere around the four teams was solemn. Their goal was, of course, to get through the Sky-Reaching vine and reach the higher-levelled space.
Even with a mortality rate of 90%, they still had to take this gamble!
They thus decided to be more cautious in the early phases, which would ensure that more of their team members could stay alive until later. It was only in this way that they could hope to reach a bit further.
"I have to get through the Sky-Reaching Vine and enter the higher-levelled space." The Meishan Clan Master’s eyes emitted a faint light. It was for the sake of this very day that he chose to go through three hell-ranked missions, leave the control of the Temporal Temple, and come to the Xia Clan world!
"The higher-levelled space…" Chen Jiu also sent a look towards the enormous Sky-Reaching Vine that split the starry sky in two. His eyes were filled with killing intent. "I have to return alive; I will ensure the prosperity of my Flying Sword Cloud Manor and exterminate all enemies!"
"The extinction of a certain clan… I, Wu Ma Hai, have long since looked forward to that day. Even if only one out of ten can come back alive, as long as I’ll be that one, I’ll be able to change everything." Wu Ma Hai clenched both his fists so hard that black cracks appeared at their center.
Jian Huang casually said, "This is our chance to get out of this impasse. So what if only one out of ten gets out alive? Haven’t we already gotten through two of the hell ranked missions?" Yet the tall and thin man as well as the enchanting woman wore serious expressions. It was for the sake of this gamble that they had come all the way to this point.
Xue Ying was also expectant.
The pressure on him was lighter. As long as he could cure the poison, he would be successful in his venture.
His only other hope was that he could attain treasures from the mountain which could grant the Xia Clan a greater chance of victory in the upcoming war.
"Everyone, those Stone Sculpture Protectors are extremely dangerous. We’d be doomed the very moment we get surrounded. I therefore think that it would be better for us to operate in smaller groups," Wu Ma Hai said. "Let’s maintain a distance of more than five thousand kilometers between each group. We’ll be the first to leave!"
He didn’t even finish speaking when he took Bo Bo and Ba Han along and left the safety region around the black door. They began walking along the seemingly beautiful stone path before heading deep into the forest.