Chapter 318: 318. Chapter 318: Departure

318. Chapter 318: Departure

After Long Xuan departed, he boarded a ship and sailed toward Xue Island, one of the ten major islands of the Black Sand Archipelago, where a Teleportation Array leading to Central Earth was located.

All ten major islands possessed Teleportation Arrays leading to Central Earth, but only Xue Island was closest to him, so he had no choice but to go there.

At the speed of his Green Dragon Ship, reaching Xue Island would take merely ten days; the Green Dragon Ship was a backup vessel he had meticulously replicated from the Divine Dragon Ship.

Given his cautious nature, he had certainly suspected what would happen if the Divine Dragon Ship sank at sea, in which case only a backup ship could save his life.

The sunken ship salvaged from the Death Sea Region was simply too massive, containing ample high-grade shipbuilding materials that fully supported him in constructing several more backup vessels.

With that multi-handed oddball Di Xin around, he did not spend much time building this Green Dragon Ship.

The Green Dragon Ship was identical to the Divine Dragon Ship in every way, and its performance was exactly the same.

The only difference was the prow; the Dragon Head on the Green Dragon Ship's prow was crafted in the form of Xiao Qing, this green dragon, hence the vessel was named the Green Dragon Ship.

On Tianxing Island, it was now deep night.

A full year had passed since Long Xuan's Clone, under the identity of a Third Grade Alchemist, had taken up residence with the Yun Clan.

Over this past year, the Yun Clan, selling pots and pans and liquidating vast amounts of clan assets, had finally gathered all the materials listed on the Calamity Gu Formula.

That was right; the Calamity Gu Formula had been grind-completed by Long Xuan to 100%, and the Yun Clan, mobilizing their entire tribe, had managed to collect all the materials on the formula for him.

However, while they had gathered the materials for Long Xuan, they themselves had become destitute, having sold off all clan assets until every clansperson was tightening their belts to survive.

Yet this was an effect they had deliberately created.

The four other families on the island were already gnawing away at the Yun Clan's assets, and to buy time, the Yun Clan had no choice but to sell off large quantities of their holdings.

What the Yun Clan needed now was time; with copious amounts of Realm-Breaking Pills, the more time they were given, the greater the number of Gu Kings who would achieve Breakthrough.

Initiating conflict with the other four families too early was by no means a wise move.

Therefore, to lull the four families into complacency, the Yun Clan consistently showed weakness, retreating a step whenever the others advanced one.

They even deliberately released certain industries, causing the remaining four families to clash over unequal division of the spoils.

In their view, the lost industries were only a temporary setback.

Once the other four families were annihilated, not only would all industries return, but they could also seize the opportunity to plunder even more assets.

Thus, through the Yun Clan's intentional delays, they had finally secured a year of peaceful development.

Then, a year later, that Ancestor of the Yun Clan finally succumbed to severe injuries and died suddenly, plunging the entire tribe into Memorial.

Upon hearing that the Yun Clan's last Gu King Peak had finally perished, the other four families could no longer restrain themselves and jointly launched a night raid against the Yun Clan.

They prepared to completely erase the Yun Clan from the island in this single night.

At this moment, Long Xuan was sleeping soundly in a luxurious room, when suddenly he heard fierce fighting outside, with shouts of battle and screams of agony coming from all directions, and the view outside the window was ablaze with firelight.

He was instantly jolted awake, hurriedly sat up in bed, and all traces of sleepiness vanished.

"What's happening? Why is it so chaotic outside!"

Long Xuan hastily dressed and ran out, only to see firelight everywhere and fighting breaking out in all places.

Utilizing the Long-Distance Vision ability of his Heavenly Mechanism Eye, he roughly made out the situation outside, and his expression inevitably turned peculiar.

Are the other four great tribes on this island sick? When the Yun Clan had only one dying Gu King, they didn't attack.

Now that the Yun Clan already has over twenty Gu Kings, they come charging in howling; isn't this just seeking death?

In his line of sight, the Gu Kings from the four families who had charged into the Yun Clan looked utterly bewildered.

They were probably still wondering where these Yun Clan Gu Kings had sprung from, and why so many had suddenly appeared.

Currently, the number of Gu Kings in the Yun Clan was one and a half times greater than theirs, allowing them to form two-against-one engagements in the melee among Gu Kings; how could the attackers possibly have any chance of victory?

Moreover, that Gu King Peak of the Yun Clan had already faked his death and risen again, while the four families did not possess a single Gu King Peak, making any hope of victory even more nonexistent.

Their charge inward was simply a tragedy.

In Long Xuan's view, their defeat was merely a matter of time, and the outcome of this melee was already beyond doubt.

Long Xuan helplessly shook his head, silently holding a Memorial for these pitiful Gu Kings.

Since the Yun Clan was now in total chaos and no one was paying attention to him anymore, this turmoil presented the perfect opportunity to depart.

Long Xuan glanced around, located the most chaotic area, and then stealthily made his way in that direction...

Ten months later, Xue Island.

Xue Island was one of the ten major islands of the Black Sand Archipelago; dominated solely by the Xue Clan, the island was named after the character 'Xue'.

The Xue Clan, monopolizing a large island, was counted as one of the ten overlords of the Black Sand Archipelago, with numerous large, medium, and small surrounding islands subordinate to Xue Island.

The Xue Clan was a colossus within the Black Sand Archipelago, capable of mobilizing an unknown number of Gu Kings and Gu Cultivators.

However, over the past year, the Xue Clan had faced no small amount of trouble; suspected of having seized Repair Gu, they suddenly found themselves standing at the forefront of the storm.

Finally, on this very day, the Xue Clan was attacked by a mysterious and powerful force, plunging the island into chaos.

Long Xuan, having arrived on the Green Dragon Ship, leaped onto the island and, seeing smoke rising everywhere and the sounds of battle filling the air, was instantly stunned.

What was going on? Tianxing Island was fighting, and here they were fighting too; why now, of all days? Was he just this unlucky?

Long Xuan's face changed drastically, immediately revealing an anxious expression as he hurriedly rushed toward the Teleportation Array on the island that led to Central Earth.

He could only pray that the Teleportation Array was still functional, otherwise he would be in serious trouble.

Although there were ten Teleportation Arrays connecting the Black Sand Archipelago to Central Earth, Xue Island was the closest to him.

If the Teleportation Arrays in the Black Sand Archipelago were unusable due to the war at this moment, he would not only have wasted these ten days but would also need to spend even more time traveling to other major islands possessing arrays.

He simply did not have that much time.

He had already wasted ten days, leaving only twenty days remaining until the Earth Spirit Fruit ripened.

If he wasted more time traveling to other major islands, there would be absolutely no time left to visit the Teng Family, and the plan to seek the Earth Spirit Fruit from the Teng Family would definitely have to be abandoned.

Long Xuan cursed inwardly; truly, plans could not keep up with changes, and any kind of accident could occur.

Xue Island had seen no war for hundreds of years, yet war broke out precisely today; what a coincidence.

Long Xuan, his face iron-green, ran toward the Transmission Hall maintained by the Xue Clan on the island.

The moment he arrived there, his expression immediately sank.

At this time, a crowd packed the area outside the Transmission Hall, filled with sounds of furious cursing.

Seeing such a situation, it was eighty percent likely that something had gone wrong with this Teleportation Array.

"What's happening? Could this Teleportation Array have been destroyed by the forces currently attacking the island?"

Long Xuan randomly grabbed a passerby and asked.

At this moment, his brows were deeply furrowed; when he had entered Xue City, the City-Protecting Great Array of Xue City had clearly already been broken, which was why he had walked into the city without any obstruction.

It was just that those external enemies attacking the island had only slaughtered the Gu Cultivators of the Xue Clan and had not made a move against the Gu Cultivators of other surnames on the island.

Under such circumstances, one truly could not rule out the possibility that the Teleportation Array had already been destroyed by that mysterious faction.

"The cost of constructing a Teleportation Array is far too expensive; that faction did not have the heart to destroy this Teleportation Array."

"They merely killed all the Xue Clan Gu Cultivators guarding here and then seized all the Teleportation Talismans."

"You should understand that without a Teleportation Talisman, whoever enters the Teleportation Array will die."

"This Teleportation Array appears undamaged, but it is no different from being broken; no one can teleport to the distant Central Earth without a Teleportation Talisman."

"Now everyone is crowded here unable to pass, and no one knows whether, after wiping out the Xue Clan, that mysterious faction will choose to make a move against us; it's enough to worry a person to death," this passerby sighed.

"Do you mean the Xue Clan cannot hold out at all and will be wiped out today?" Long Xuan asked in alarm.

The Xue Clan was by no means weak; the Xue Clan was one of the ten overlords of the Black Sand Archipelago, controlling countless small and medium-sized islands, and one did not know how much Gu Cultivator power they could mobilize.

That such a colossus would be annihilated today was truly a difficult thing to imagine.

"Among the strong, there are always stronger hands; in this world, factions stronger than the Xue Clan are truly too numerous."

"This mysterious faction is clearly not a local power; they come from a vaster place and possess a greater number of Gu Kings."

"In less than a single day, the City-Protecting Great Array has already been breached; do you think the Xue Clan still has any possibility of holding out?"

"The Xue Clan is definitely going to be erased from the rolls today."

Hearing this, Long Xuan looked toward the direction of the battlefield; indeed, the Xue Clan Gu Cultivators were greatly at a disadvantage, and it looked as though they could not hold out for much longer.

He was also uncertain whether, after killing all the Xue Clan Gu Cultivators, this faction would make a move against the Gu Cultivators of other surnames on the island, or even slaughter the entire island.

A rush of anxiety surged in his heart; he knew he absolutely could not stay here and must leave this place with the utmost speed.

Long Xuan immediately stopped hesitating, forced his way directly into the Transmission Hall, and his domineering physical strength knocked down who knows how many people, while behind him arose a chorus of furious cursing.

It was true that the Teleportation Array could no longer teleport people, but that certainly did not include him.

The reason others must carry a Teleportation Talisman when entering the Teleportation Array is that the farther the distance of spatial teleportation, the greater the spatial pressure inflicted upon the physical body.

A human's flesh-and-blood body is fundamentally unable to withstand such immense spatial pressure, which is why one must borrow a Teleportation Talisman to offset the pressure of space.

But Long Xuan truly did not fear the pressure coming from space.

His Water Bear was famously capable of resisting pressure.

The Water Bear could even withstand terrifying water pressure capable of deforming steel.

Confident in his domineering physical body and possessing the dual protection of the Water Bear Gu and the Heavenly Dream Soul Armor, teleporting to Central Earth without a Teleportation Talisman was absolutely no problem for him.

Of course, this was also because the distance from Xue Island to Central Earth was not so far as the ends of the earth and seas; if it were a teleportation from Xue Island to the Central Region, a distance that far, then even Long Xuan would have to think twice about teleporting without a Teleportation Talisman.

After rushing quickly into the Transmission Hall, Long Xuan was startled to discover that the number of people intending to teleport without a Teleportation Talisman was actually not small.

Among them, the body of a handsome young man suddenly turned into a pool of water and surged into the Teleportation Array, disappearing without a trace.

Presumably, a watery form could resist pressure; this young man passing through the Teleportation Array in the form of water would likely not be crushed to death by spatial pressure.

Upon seeing this person, Long Xuan's pupils immediately contracted.

The ability to transform one's body into a liquid form was Shui Juanyun's signature capability, so he subconsciously thought of Shui Juanyun.

Were there many Gu Cultivators who possessed the water-transformation ability?

This person's appearance was clearly not that of Shui Juanyun.

Either Shui Juanyun had used Disguise, or he had committed Possession upon a shell.

Of course, one could not completely rule out the possibility that this person was simply not Shui Juanyun at all.

It was just that this possibility was rather low.

The water-transformation ability was an invincible technique; a person possessing such an ability was basically invincible within the same realm, so how could it be something others could possess just because they wanted to?

There were absolutely not many people in the entire world who possessed such an ability.

With matters now at a critical urgency, Long Xuan was too lazy to guess who this person actually was and directly followed closely behind, rushing into the Teleportation Array and disappearing without a trace.

After he entered the Teleportation Array, the array immediately lost its luster.

The Teleportation Array ceased operating, and the curtain of light within the doorframe also vanished.

Each activation of the Teleportation Array required the consumption of a massive amount of energy.

Clearly, after Long Xuan entered the Teleportation Array, the array's energy was completely exhausted.

He became the last person to enter the Teleportation Array; those behind him were now thoroughly stranded here, and at this moment, the Transmission Hall was filled with sounds of furious cursing... (End of Chapter)