Chapter 2415: Chapter 2415
When the Feiyan crashed, the aircraft bore the brunt of the impact, leaving Ye Liuyun and Qiong Qi relatively unscathed.
Qiong Qi had been knocked unconscious by the shockwaves, but Ye Liuyun quickly regained his senses thanks to the Divine Command Token. Moreover, after his recent physical enhancements, his defenses far surpassed Qiong Qi’s.
Qiong Qi crawled out of the wreckage, looking thoroughly disheveled. Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun swiftly stored the remains of the Feiyan into his spatial realm, not even leaving behind the scattered debris on the ground.
"Turns out this really is an island!" Qiong Qi muttered as he took in their surroundings.
Just then, a piercing screech echoed from above. Through the gaps in the dense canopy, they caught sight of a massive dark shadow gliding overhead.
"That sea eagle sure holds a grudge!" Qiong Qi remarked with a sigh.
Ye Liuyun glanced upward with his golden pupils and corrected him, "That’s not the same one that attacked us."
"Wait, there’s more than one?" Qiong Qi asked, startled.
"Yeah," Ye Liuyun replied briefly before turning his attention back to scouting the area.
Unlike the mist-shrouded treetops, the ground level of the island was surprisingly clear. With his enhanced vision, Ye Liuyun could see far into the distance.
"This way seems to lead to the island’s center," he said, motioning for Qiong Qi to follow as he headed in a particular direction.
The entire island was enveloped in fog, making it impossible to discern directions. However, Ye Liuyun had noticed a concentrated surge of mist rising from one area, leading him to suspect it might be the heart of the island.
Qiong Qi extended his divine sense but detected no signs of life.
"With so many sea eagles up there, how are we supposed to get off this place?" he grumbled as they walked.
"Going back is simple—we can just teleport," replied Ye Liuyun.
"You should mark the coordinates here. If we run into any danger, we can retreat first and return later to continue exploring," Qiong Qi reminded him.
Ye Liuyun immediately recorded the coordinates in the teleportation black tower before pressing forward with Qiong Qi.
They had only taken a few steps when Qiong Qi suddenly grabbed Ye Liuyun’s arm.
"Stop. This is a formation."
Ye Liuyun halted at once, letting Qiong Qi take the lead.
After studying the area for a while, Qiong Qi guided them in a different direction.
Their path seemed to circle the island, spiraling gradually toward the center.
But at least under Qiong Qi’s guidance, they encountered no immediate dangers.
"Using trees to set up a formation on this island—someone put in serious effort! No one would go through this much trouble just for fun," Qiong Qi mused, rubbing his hands together excitedly as they walked.
"All these trees are part of the formation?" Ye Liuyun had never seen such an elaborate setup before.
"Exactly! Anyone who doesn’t understand formations or can’t see through them will end up in a dead end—literally," Qiong Qi confirmed.
Hearing this, Ye Liuyun felt a surge of anticipation. They might have found the right place after all.
After a while, Qiong Qi suddenly stopped.
"Leave a clone here," he suggested. "If anything goes wrong, it can help us out. This is a formation node—as long as it stays in place, it’ll be completely safe."
"Got it!" Ye Liuyun agreed without hesitation.
Qiong Qi’s unusual caution spoke volumes—even he sensed the danger lurking here.
Ye Liuyun first had his doppelgänger stow Pei Yong’s army of 100,000 into a spatial realm before releasing him. For extra security, he left behind four second-level Heavenly Realm experts to guard the doppelgänger.
"If things go south, form a combat unit with the Flying Swifts and break through. Qiong Qi and I will retreat using the Black Tower’s teleportation," Ye Liuyun instructed his double.
Qiongxi chimed in, "We need ten more scouts—cannon fodder, if you will."
Without delay, Ye Liuyun released ten captured soldiers and ordered them to scout ahead as Qiongxi directed.
The two pressed on for half a day before nearing the heart of the mist’s origin.
Progress was slow—Qiongxi had to carefully study the formations along the way—but they encountered no immediate threats.
As they approached the central zone, Ye Liuyun’s golden pupils finally pierced through the swirling mist, revealing a hidden palace beyond.
Yet the dense, ever-rising fog made it unclear whether they could even breach it.
"Stay sharp. Once we leave the woods, danger could strike at any moment," Qiongxi warned.
"Understood," Ye Liuyun replied, summoning two more second-level Heavenly Realm warriors to shield them both.
When they finally stepped out of the dense forest, the full scope of the central area unfolded before them.
A vast circular expanse stretched ahead, paved entirely in dark stone.
At its very center stood the palace—suspended in midair, connected only by four stone bridges arching toward its entrance.
Beneath the stone bridge lay a bottomless abyss, from which thick mist continuously billowed.
"Something’s moving!" Qiong Qi suddenly warned Ye Liuyun.
As a Devil Beast, Qiong Qi’s senses were far sharper than a human’s. Only after concentrating intently did Ye Liuyun catch the faint sounds rising from the depths below the bridge.
The noises grew louder—a distinct, unsettling scraping, as though something massive was crawling upward.
Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun summoned over a hundred surrendered soldiers. "Formation! Defensive stance!"
The soldiers swiftly arranged themselves, raising the shields embedded in their armor, bracing for the unseen threat.
Meanwhile, Qiong Qi studied the four stone bridges, weighing which one to take.
All four led to the grand hall, but there had to be traps—otherwise, why build so many when one would suffice?
Soon, Ye Liuyun heard the ragged, panting breaths of beasts, followed by the increasingly clear rustling of scaled or clawed limbs dragging against stone.
The thick mist surging from below obscured spiritual sense, leaving the creatures hidden in the abyss.
Then came the low, guttural growls of predators—hungry, bloodthirsty.
"What kind of beasts are these?" Ye Liuyun muttered, unable to recognize the sounds.
Qiong Qi, ears twitching, backed up nervously until it stood beside him. "Definitely not herbivores."
Just then, a dark-furred head emerged from the cliffside, its crimson eyes locking onto them.
The creature’s face was rat-like, though its skull matched a human’s in size. Razor-sharp fangs glinted in its gaping maw, and its ears stood rigidly upright.
Upon spotting Ye Liuyun and the others, the creature lifted its snout to sniff the air before slowly crawling toward them. Drool dripped from its jaws—clearly, it saw them as prey.
As it drew closer, Ye Liuyun realized its body resembled an ape’s, with forelimbs that could rise upright. Without hesitation, he drew his Demon-Slaying Blade, bracing for battle, while simultaneously activating the crimson pupils in his spiritual vision to ensnare the beast in an illusion.
The monster froze mid-movement, tilting its head with an eerily human-like expression of bewilderment.
But then, more creatures emerged—one after another—their heads peeking out before hauling themselves up, inching ever closer.
