Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 501: Chapter 272: The Ship Was Stolen?

Off the coast of an island in the far reaches of the East Sea.

Cheng Zongyang had set up three Teleportation Arrays along his route, arriving at a large, isolated island he had previously circled but never set foot on.

Out on the water, Cheng Zongyang circled the island once more, observing it from the deck of the Dragon Bone Ship. A plan was already forming in his mind.

’This island is quite large, and its vegetation is rather lush. If a ship were to pass by, its crew would likely come ashore for fresh water or supplies. Placing the Teleportation Array on an island like this actually increases the risk of it being found. I can’t place it in any easily discoverable locations.’

In the end, he steered the Dragon Bone Ship to a sheer cliff on the far side of the island.

What Cheng Zongyang didn’t notice was that as his ship rounded the island, a figure leaped from a tree on the mountainside. This person shadowed the vessel to the far side of the mountain, finally stopping near the sheer cliff.

He stared at the bizarre vessel in confusion. It had only one person aboard and no sails or oars, yet it navigated the waters with speed.

But no matter what, he had to get on that ship and go back this time!

He just couldn’t understand what the man on the boat was doing, circling the island without coming ashore or docking. He wanted to steal the ship but couldn’t find the right opportunity.

’This sheer cliff is perfect. All I have to do is dig a cave midway up, conceal the entrance, and it’ll have natural camouflage. Then I’ll set up an Array, and no one will be able to get inside.’

Gazing at the vertical, uneven rock face, Cheng Zongyang had made up his mind.

As for how to get down there, that wasn’t a problem for him.

He maneuvered the Dragon Bone Ship near a massive boulder. Then, as light as the wind, he pushed off from the ship and landed on the rock, and with a few more leaps, he was at the base of the cliff.

The waves crashed against the rocks at the base of the cliff, polishing them smooth.

As he passed some of the giant rocks, he also noticed many Buddha’s Hand Clams, oysters, and mussels.

Under normal circumstances, foraging by the sea would have been quite pleasant, but Cheng Zongyang had no time for that now.

He scanned his surroundings, then chose a route to head up the mountain. All he needed to do was rappel down from the top to the halfway point and use his weapons to dig out a spot for the Mole Beast to stand.

And just as Cheng Zongyang was making his way up the mountain around the cliff face, the figure on the summit looked down at the ship. Noticing that Cheng Zongyang had left, an excited expression appeared on his face.

’Finally, a ship to get me out of here!’

"I’ve been stuck here for five years! I can finally go back!"

The middle-aged man, who appeared surprisingly clean, choked back a sob. Then he leaped into the air, activating his Body Technique. He used a move—pushing off his right foot with his left for a mid-air boost—to control his speed as he landed on a rock. With another light tap of his toes, he landed steadily on the deck of the Dragon Bone Ship.

The next moment, he spun around and thrust his right palm toward the shore. A powerful surge of True Qi erupted from his body and slammed into the bank. Aided by the immense recoil, the Dragon Bone Ship shot rapidly away from the island.

Watching the ship swiftly retreat from the shore, the man threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Hahaha, I, Li Cungang, have finally escaped! Old Fool Tuoba! If I don’t turn your world upside down and slaughter every last disciple of your Direct Lineage, then my name isn’t Li!"

After a bout of wild, cathartic laughter, the pent-up frustration in his heart seemed to dissipate. Only then did he look back toward the cliff.

As it happened, he saw the young man standing on the cliff’s edge halfway up the mountain, looking right back at him.

"Sorry about this, kid," the man said with a faint smile. "It’s better to leave you alive on this island than to fight over the ship and have to kill you!" He then slapped the surface of the sea with his palm again, using the force to drive the ship even farther away.

With that, he turned and entered the ship’s cabin to check on the situation, wondering how many people were rowing in the hold.

In his view, if there was no one on deck, then the crew must be below.

On the island, halfway up the cliff face, Cheng Zongyang watched someone steal his ship and leave, his face a mask of utter astonishment.

He would never have imagined that someone was actually living on this lonely, isolated island.

’Those two moves just now... that’s definitely something only an expert of the Upper Three Grades, or perhaps even an Innate Expert, could pull off, right?’

To be able to project True Qi externally with such power, he even suspected the man had the strength of an Innate Expert.

As for his ship being stolen, Cheng Zongyang wasn’t concerned in the slightest.

’Without my permission, who could possibly steal it from me?’

’Whatever, I’ve got more important things to do. I’ll let you enjoy yourself for a little while, you moron.’

Cheng Zongyang sneered. With a single command of his will, he had the Dragon Bone Ship sail a bit farther out, then begin to slowly circle the island. This would also prevent the man from seeing him dig his cave.

As for whether there was anyone else on the island, he figured there wasn’t. Otherwise, that guy would have taken them with him.

Once at the summit, Cheng Zongyang entered the Wilderness World, retrieved a coil of rope from his warehouse, and reemerged. He wrapped the rope around the trunks of two trees growing close together, then tossed the end over the cliff.

A moment later, Cheng Zongyang had rappelled down the rope to the midpoint of the mountainside.

With a thought, the Tang Blade appeared in his hand.

Next, he used the Tang Blade to quickly trace a two-meter-square work area on the cliff face, then began working inside the outlined area with his blade.

Finally, he put away the still-pristine Tang Blade, channeled True Qi to his right palm, and began to bombard the cliff face using the Great Strength Vajra Palm.

Because the Tang Blade had already pierced the cliff face and damaged the rock internally, the task was not difficult. As chunks of stone were shaken loose, Cheng Zongyang didn’t stop, continuing to strike the cliff face with all his might.

Meanwhile, aboard the Dragon Bone Ship—which Cheng Zongyang had commanded to sail a dozen-odd nautical miles away—Li Cungang now stood on deck, his expression absolutely foul.