Boom! Boom! Boom…
Suddenly, formations and Earth Formations emerged one after another from the small island, rising into the air.
Immediately after, several hundred long swords erupted from beneath the ground, soaring skyward and slashing toward the pursuers.
"Damn it, that old fool actually laid out so many things on my turf. My little island is finished," the voice from deep within the small island said with deep resentment. Then, a streak of light shot out from the island's depths and instantly vanished into the seawater beside it.
The next moment…
Boom! Rummmble…
One terrifying attack after another rained down upon the island. The pursuers hunting Chen Daoyuan and Ye Yunfei were already infuriated to the extreme. Now, facing attacks from Chen Daoyuan's Formations, Earth Formations, and sword arrays left on the island, their rage boiled over entirely. They attacked recklessly.
In just a few breaths, with a final deafening explosion, this unnamed little island was blasted into fragments, turned into a sky-filling shower of mud and stones.
Then, the island vanished, as rolling seawater swept in from all sides to engulf its remains.
By then, however, Chen Daoyuan and Ye Yunfei were long gone, speeding onward within a shimmering teleportation tunnel.
"Sir, it's bad—those things behind us have caught up again!"
A moment later, Ye Yunfei sensed the space behind them begin to seethe once more; the previous pursuers were closing in again.
"Don't worry. It won't be long before we shake them off," Chen Daoyuan replied.
And so, Chen Daoyuan led Ye Yunfei in an unceasing flight. During their escape, they landed at several different locations in sequence. At each spot, Chen Daoyuan had made prior arrangements, so the pursuers arriving would immediately face attacks, slowing down their pursuit.
"Hahaha… Young man, good news! We've officially shaken them off now!"
Chen Daoyuan suddenly burst into hearty laughter, bringing Ye Yunfei to land on another small island.
Boom! Boom! Boom…
The moment their feet touched the island, dozens of large Earth Formations simultaneously rose from beneath the ground, enveloping Chen Daoyuan and Ye Yunfei, and then they vanished.
In the next instant, Ye Yunfei found himself inside an underground palace.
"Hahaha… Truly invigorating! I've been eyeing Burial God Island for a long time, but never had the chance to make a move. To think I finally managed a good haul now—my mood soars with satisfaction!" Chen Daoyuan appeared immensely pleased, laughing heartily.
Ye Yunfei felt somewhat speechless. This man felt accomplished after raiding graves.
"Sir, have we truly shaken off those pursuers?"
Ye Yunfei sent his Soul Power energy sweeping outward in all directions, still worried those chasers might suddenly reappear.
"Set your mind at ease; we've lost them. They're probably scouring the Ancient Desolate Sea for any trace of us now. But hiding here is perfectly safe; they won't find us," Chen Daoyuan assured him.
"Young man, having your assistance was fortunate this time. Otherwise, tackling this alone might have been difficult. I'd been lingering near Burial God Island these past few days, pondering how to proceed, and then I discovered you on the island itself. What a rare stroke of serendipity!" Recalling the recent escapade, Chen Daoyuan was so excited he rubbed his hands, his face flushed.
"This guy raids graves and feels proud about it? That's a bit too unscrupulous!" the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't help but mutter.
"Hush! He can hear our Sound Transmission," Hun Lao promptly cautioned.
"Young man, be extra careful in the time ahead. Don't go anywhere near Burial God Island. Even though I erased all traces of your aura when we left, those beings on the island might have other means to track you down," Chen Daoyuan advised Ye Yunfei.
"Sir, what should I do then?" Startled by Chen Daoyuan's words, Ye Yunfei was alarmed. If he truly became tracked by the vengeful souls on Burial God Island or the Island Guardian, serious trouble was assured. Ye Yunfei was certain those terrifying presences were far more difficult to handle than the Guardian Faction from the Sixth Void.
"Alright, young man. We'll take proper rest here for a spell. Venturing out now might lead us straight into the clutches of our pursuers, so it's best we lie low until the storm passes before considering our departure," Chen Daoyuan declared.
"Very well," Ye Yunfei could only nod. In this situation, following the plan was his only choice.
"Oh, right. Young man, on the island we cooperated as partners, so the spoils include your share. Take these items." Chen Daoyuan took out a spatial ring and handed it to Ye Yunfei.
"Sir…" Ye Yunfei hesitated, unsure whether to accept it. After all, all these items belonged to the vengeful souls of Burial God Island. Would possessing them invite future pursuit?
"Take it. You've earned it." Chen Daoyuan pressed the ring into Ye Yunfei's palm.
"Take your rest here for now. We'll depart once it's feasible." With that, Chen Daoyuan turned and took a single step. Rolling earth-qi energy surged upward, and he disappeared. Ye Yunfei could tell Chen Daoyuan had arranged numerous Earth Formations within this underground palace; he had likely entered one to conceal himself and cultivate in seclusion.
After a moment's thought, Ye Yunfei also set up a small, secluded space within a Formation and then entered it to begin his own period of rest and recovery.
"Quick, check what's inside that spatial ring! Every treasure left behind by the powerful figures buried on Burial God Island must be incredibly valuable!" Before Ye Yunfei could even settle down, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm couldn't wait any longer, urging eagerly.
"Alright, I'll check now." Ye Yunfei was also somewhat eager. After all, helping Chen Daoyuan plunder the vengeful souls' belongings on Burial God Island had involved immense risk; the contents of this ring were his well-deserved reward.
Ye Yunfei immediately sent his Soul Power energy sweeping inside, beginning an inventory of the items within the spatial ring.
Soon, he was thoroughly excited.
First, it contained a massive pile of energy crystals—the most advanced he had ever seen to date. They came in numerous varieties, and even the lowest grade among them should be Heavenly God-level energy crystals, while there were also Sovereign God-level energy crystals.
Ye Yunfei took stock of the various energy crystals one by one, his excitement mounting.
"These energy crystals... they're brimming with Mental Force energy!" Ye Yunfei suddenly discovered that one small mountain of energy crystals radiated rich Mental Force energy. Moreover, these Mental Force-infused crystals were of Heavenly God grade, and there seemed to be Sovereign God-grade ones as well—their numbers were quite substantial.
"Excellent! With these high-grade Mental Force energy crystals, my Mental Force level is bound to improve drastically. And these crystals... they contain Sword Dao energy! Sword Dao energy crystals are exceedingly rare. To think there's a whole pile here! The Sword Dao energy and sword law contained within these crystals are of an extremely advanced level. This is immensely beneficial for me." Ye Yunfei discovered another pile of Sword Dao energy crystals and voiced his delight.
Some time later, Ye Yunfei finished counting all the energy crystals. He allocated space-energy crystals to Hun Lao and the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, bestowed illusion-energy crystals to Hu Miao, and handed a batch of shadow-type energy crystals to Huang Shang. Both the grade and quantity of these crystals were impressive.
Next, Ye Yunfei started examining the pills within the spatial ring and quickly sorted out a considerable number of Heavenly God-level Divine Pills.
"And these… they should be Sovereign God-level Divine Pills." Ye Yunfei stared at a small pile of jade vials, awestruck. The Divine Pills within these vials were all of Sovereign God grade. Although Ye Yunfei, as an alchemist, currently couldn't refine Heavenly God or Sovereign God-level pills, he could recognize them.
After clearing out all the pills, Ye Yunfei found a large batch of medicinal herbs within the spatial ring. These herbs were also Heavenly God and Sovereign God-grade, with Heavenly God-grade being more plentiful and Sovereign God-grade somewhat rarer.
Then, Ye Yunfei moved on to inventorying the magical treasures within the ring, ultimately identifying a significant number of Heavenly God-level treasures and some that appeared to be Sovereign God-level.
"Why is it that all the energy crystals, pills, herbs, and treasures in this spatial ring are of Heavenly God or Sovereign God grade? Could it be that the items left behind by the powerful beings on Burial God Island are all of Heavenly God or Sovereign God grade? I'm certain that old codger intentionally set it up like that. Every one of those powerful figures buried on Burial God Island possessed formidable strength in life; the treasures they left behind would be priceless heirlooms. How could they all just be Heavenly God or Sovereign God grade? That old fellow definitely took the truly valuable treasures for himself and gave you these things that seem less precious to him. That must be it! He's truly rotten!" Having observed Ye Yunfei inventorying for so long and seeing that everything fell into Heavenly God or Sovereign God categories, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm found it highly suspicious and immediately sent Ye Yunfei a message.
"Whether that's the case or not, there's nothing we can do about it. Given our current strength, obtaining Heavenly God and Sovereign God-level items like these is already quite fortunate," Ye Yunfei privately agreed with the Silkworm's suspicion, but he could only smile wryly.
"You took immense risks participating in plundering those vengeful souls' belongings. If he took the best things and left these less valuable ones for you, then the risk you undertook doesn't match your reward. It's just unfair," the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm argued, still upset.
"There's plenty more inside this ring yet to be checked. Let's finish the inventory first," Ye Yunfei replied.
"Oh! Here's a sheaf of talismans! I wonder what they do." Suddenly spotting a stack of talismans in one corner, Ye Yunfei was pleasantly surprised.
He immediately began studying the talismans. A short while later, Ye Yunfei had categorized them. Some were offensive, others defensive, auxiliary, specialized in formation-breaking, or served as anti-toxin measures.
"These talismans likely possess significant power." Ye Yunfei used his Soul Power energy to probe within the talismans and found depths as profound as the ocean, seemingly containing immense, infinite power. Their potential was clearly terrifying.
Ye Yunfei continued inventorying the spatial ring's contents.
"This should be a cultivation technique jade slip. Why do I detect such a strong, pungent smell of blood?"
He found a jade slip that seemed to carry a distinct, rich scent of blood, sparking his curiosity.
Not only did this jade slip record techniques, but it also contained a tiny storage space inside, apparently holding quite a few things.
Soon, Ye Yunfei discovered the jade slip had a small internal compartment. Stored within were many wooden barrels—it was from these barrels that the strong, coppery scent of blood emanated.