Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The central area contained a vast lake that was engulfed by fog, so it was impossible to get a full view of it.
At this moment, more than ten people were in the sky atop the lake, and they comprised what were left of the teams of Cao Ze and Ying Ying. They were unexpectedly safe and sound, and they had even assembled together without any conflict arising between them.
âI havenât discovered anything in this d*mned land, and I have even lost some of my subordinates. If there isnât anything here, I will be obliged to teach you a lesson.â
Ying Ying seemed in a sorry state as he had lost half of his subordinates. As he spoke, he glared at Xia Jiang, the Young Sovereign who had brought them news about the Empyrean Goddessâs remnants.
Cao Ze, who was on Xia Jiangâs team, didnât speak up for him. He had the same expression as Ying Ying. His junior brothers had suffered miserable deaths, one after the other, and if he hadnât been the last one to enter the building, he would have also lost his life.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Xia Jiang felt great pressure weighing on his shoulders. He didnât understand why the situation had turned out like this. It was impossible for him to stop now. He could only place his hopes on the lake.
Xia Jiang took out a crystal from his pocket, and a blazing light emanated from this transparent crystal. Its light flickered ceaselessly because they were next to the lake.
âA Mysterious Crystal!â
When the people in the vicinity witnessed it, the uneasiness and vexation apparent on their faces disappeared and were replaced by zealotry.
A Mysterious Crystal was a precious resource that had been made by the Empyrean Goddess, who had become a Divine King. She had absorbed the worldâs energies before she used her peerless divine powers to change some substancesâ compositions and form this crystal.
The little piece of Mysterious Crystal in Xia Jiangâs hands was as valuable as a Pseudo-Immortal Artifact, and the energy contained within it could help a martial-grade expert raise his power by leaps and bounds.
It was rumored that once pieces of Mysterious Crystals were close to each other, they would start shining. This was why the crowd became full of expectations for the lake when they saw the reaction of the Mysterious Crystal in Xia Jiangâs hand.
Cao Zeâs tense expression even became milder. This affair had already become so grave, and Ying Yingâs intervention had made it get completely out of hand. Even a Demon Slayers Palace disciple like him was worried about the outcome.
If they gained nothing in the end, Cao Ze would probably want to kill some people.
âLetâs go explore the lake!â
A group of greedy people proceeded toward the lake. Some of them tried to scatter the fog engulfing the lake, but they couldnât affect the fog no matter what they did.
Moreover, when they came in contact with the fog, they discovered that nothing about it was unusual.
They didnât know what they should do about this, and they could only sigh with emotion about how mystical this was.
.....
After a short while, Jiang Chen, Xuan Qing, and Murong Yanran reached the lake also.
âThere is a piece of land in the middle of the lake, and a bamboo house was built there. The Great Demon Lord is stranded there,â Xuan Qing said.
âOkay, letâs go.â
If Jiang Chen hadnât been so pressed, he would have waited for a whole day so that he could once again form new magical clones. But there was no time to lose, and he could only enter along with Xuan Qing.
The fog on the outskirts of the lake was quite faint, but as they ventured deeper, the fog became thicker, and the area around them where they were able to see became smaller and smaller. This continued until they could no longer see their fingers if they extended their hands.
Jiang Chen immediately held Xuan Qingâs hand so that they wouldnât get lost.
âThis is fishy!â Jiang Chen and Xuan Qing came to with the same conclusion.
They had flown in the fog for a long time, for more than 100 miles. The lakeâs expanse wasnât that vast.
âLetâs go back and consider this matter,â Jiang Chen felt that something was fishy, and that was why he wanted to leave the area of the fog.
But when they turned around and flew for the same distance as before, they found themselves still within the fog, and the fog had become even thicker.
âThis fog is a part of a formation spell, and itâs preventing us from going inside,â Jiang Chen said, as all of a sudden he understood everything. He was surprised by this.
He was surprised because he hadnât discerned at first that this was a formation spell, and he had only found the fog slightly unusual. He had never imagined or expected that a formation spell that could deceive him existed.
âWhat should we do now?â Xuan Qing questioned him.
âI will break the formation spell. So we have to wait for a short while.â
This was the only solution, but the time he ended up spending on breaking the spell wasnât just a short while.
At first, Xuan Qing and Murong Yanran were full of expectations, but they gradually became restless, and then they turned apathetic.
After half a day had passed, Murong Yanran almost collapsed, and she said, âI have said that this isnât a matter we can deal with.â
âI didnât ask you to follow us,â Xuan Qing spoke coldly.
Murong Yanran was left speechless. She couldnât say anything else.
Time gradually elapsed while they kept their silence. Even after a whole day passed, Jiang Chen was still moving back and forth in the fog, and he hadnât managed to discern any clues.
âIs this real?â Jiang Chen felt like he was looking up at a lofty mountain.
A whole day had passed, yet he still hadnât found any clues about this place, and he couldnât find any formation spell here.
Frankly speaking, he was sure that he was trapped in a formation, but he still couldnât find any marks of the formation spell.
This was why Jiang Chen ended up in an awkward situation. He didnât know where he could start breaking the formation spell.
âHow is it possible for this strange formation to exist in the world?â Jiang Chen found this matter too scary.
No matter if it was an ancient formation or a star formation or even the modern formation system, they wouldnât have given him this feeling.
âThe more mysterious and profound a matter, the simpler will be the truth hiding beneath it.â
When Jiang Chen started getting irritated, he recalled some words his father had told him.
Jiang Chen let out a long breath and tried to regain his calm. He said to the two women, âWait a little bit.â
The two women werenât aware of Jiang Chenâs attainments in the formations field, and, after they had gone through such a long disappointment, they werenât very confident in him.
âWhy donât we rush all over. We can probably get out like that, canât we?â Xuan Qing raised a suggestion and questioned him.
âLuck doesnât play a role in something arranged by the Empyrean Goddess,â Jiang Chen said, rejecting this suggestion and starting to observe this place without paying attention to the two women.
The two women were left without a choice. They could only stay at Jiang Chenâs side. After all, Jiang Chen was their teamâs core, even though his realm level was only at the Martial Emperor Realm.
âHa, ha, ha, ha, Empyrean Goddess, Empyrean Goddess!â
After an hour, Jiang Chen had finally discovered the truth, and he couldnât stop laughing out loud. His laughter was filled with delight and respect.
He had been tricked and played with by the Empyrean Goddess.
There wasnât any formation in the world with marks that couldnât be discovered, and even the Empyrean Goddess wasnât an exception to this rule. But the Empyrean Goddess was quite clever and had used a diversionary tactic that couldnât be any simpler.
That was right, the fog was a diversionary tactic, and the formation was located in the water of the lake.
A weapon used against this would be formed by water and fog, and their subtle transformation formed an exquisite formation that would bewilder anyone.
Jiang Chen couldnât help but commend the Empyrean Goddess. She didnât just have great fighting prowess, her skill in different fields also reached great heights.
âJiang Chen, are you all right?â
Upon seeing Jiang Chenâs current look, the two women became frightened. They had assumed that Jiang Chen had lost his mind because he was too irritated and annoyed.
âItâs all right, letâs go down to the water.â
Jiang Chen pulled Xuan Qing and plunged into the lake along with Murong Yanran. They didnât stop for even a moment, and they swam until they were 1,000 yards beneath the surface. It was then that they got to see the lake bed.
But Jiang Chen still didnât lower his speed. He even raised it.
Xuan Qing pulled at his arm and wanted to warn Jiang Chen, but he was still unmoved, and he shot forward like an arrow.
Xuan Qing couldnât help close her eyes and prepare herself for the impact.
SPLASH!
But what she didnât expect was that when they were about to ram into the lake bed, both she and Jiang Chen ended up coming out of the water.
They were on top of the lake, but the fog had disappeared, and an island with enchanting scenery and a bamboo house on it was in front of them.