Chapter 44: Australian Continent

May 6, in the sky over Australia's continent on Earth.

A large‑bellied silvery cargo airship slowly descended, hovering at about a hundred meters altitude.

Inside the bulging airship, a uniformed staff member solemnly instructed a black‑haired youth:

"Mr. Zhou Yang, our next ship passing near Australia's continent will arrive in about ten days; please keep your communication watch on, and someone will contact you then."

"Alright, thank you all!"

Zhou Yang smiled gratefully at the staff inside the airship.

Then he lingered no more, leaping straight down from the opened hatch.

During the descent, his combat boots instantly reshaped, extending into a black footplate.

Powered by Spiritual Thought Power, the black footplate carried his figure swiftly away.

After he left, several staff members aboard the airship quickly began to discuss.

"Damn, this trainee Zhou Yang is too bold—going solo to the Australian continent to wander!"

"You have no sense, didn't you see the black skateboard that formed under his feet just now? That's the Black God Set!"

"With that treasure, unless he's tangled by king‑level monsters or a swarm of lord‑level monsters, what danger could there be?"

"No wonder he's the top‑ranked trainee, even has the Black God Set! Yet he's so powerful—why hasn't he graduated yet?"

"You really have no sense, the training camp's perks are..."

The staff continued their talk while steering the massive silvery airship to rise slowly, and in the blink of an eye it sped away.

Across the barren, tree‑filled wasteland, Zhou Yang's figure zipped close to the ground.

At this moment he was fully armed; his Long Spear, combat suit, boots, and other gear were all SS‑grade.

Moreover, the Black God Set had become an inner lining, hidden beneath the combat suit.

The throwing knives were also attached to the belt extended from the Black God Set, ready to deploy at any moment.

This Australian continent is vast, its monster population is massive, and king‑level monsters are not rare.

Even though he now has the Black God Set's protection, he still dares not be careless.

"According to the original work, Luo Feng discovered that the Yunmo Star was located beneath a massive lake island, which is perpetually shrouded in mist."

Zhou Yang moved forward while quickly recalling in his mind.

He claimed to be out training his spear technique, and asked Teacher Tao Dong to report to the training camp on his behalf, thus earning a half‑month leave.

In half a month, surveying the entire Australian continent was impossible; he could only search selectively.

"Lakes. Mist matches. There should also be a large river nearby."

Based on his recollection, Zhou Yang occasionally climbed mountain peaks, even soaring into the sky, using a telescope to scout the surroundings.

Because time was limited, whenever he encountered areas occupied by lord‑level monsters, he kept a safe distance.

Having a clear objective, his search efficiency was extremely high.

Finally, on the sixth day, a vaguely familiar massive mountain range appeared in Zhou Yang's view.

The range stretched for dozens of kilometers.

At its center lay a huge canyon populated by countless ape‑type monsters, numbering at least ten thousand at a glance.

Through the telescope, Zhou Yang saw three gigantic apes standing out among the dense ape hordes.

"Lord‑level Golden Ape, Mighty Demon Ape? This is the Ape Mountain!"

Zhou Yang felt a surge of joy.

After six days of searching this desolate Australian continent, he finally spotted a familiar location!

"Luo Feng dove into a great river near the Ape Mountains, following it to the lake where Mist Island lies."

He quickly raised his stature, scanning the surroundings with a far‑looking gaze.

Soon he spotted the raging massive river not far from the giant Ape Mountains.

"Let's go!"

Without pausing, he applied Spiritual Thought Power to the Black God Set, hugging low altitude as he flew straight toward the river.

He quickly arrived at the riverbank.

"Which direction did Luo Feng go? Hmm. If he entered the Mist Island lake, it should be downstream. Anyway, let's look around first!"

He paused briefly, then sped downstream along the river.

Now his Spiritual Thought Power had reached High‑Level War‑God rank, making his controlled flight speed reach its peak.

In just over half an hour, a massive lake shrouded in mist appeared before him.

At that moment, Zhou Yang, who had been suppressed for days, finally let out a long sigh of relief.

"Finally found it!"

His cargo ship carrying him will pass this area in a little over three days; if he can't locate Mist Island within those three days, he'll have to abandon the search for now.

Fortunately, on this sixth day he finally found it!

Zhou Yang flew in midair, carefully observing the massive lake.

The entire lake surface was enveloped by thick, dense mist.

Moreover, the farther toward the lake's center, the denser the mist became.

Across the vast lake, water plants thrived, occasionally accompanied by strange cries.

The surface churned with rolling waves, making it impossible to discern what lies within the lake with the naked eye.

"If I recall correctly, this lake hides a multitude of lord‑level monsters; in the original, Luo Feng almost fell into trouble the first time he came here."

Zhou Yang thought lightly.

"But now my Spiritual Thought Power is at High‑Level War‑God rank, and I already have the Black God Set, so this lake shouldn't pose much threat to me."

A sudden thought made the Black God Set flow like liquid, instantly enveloping his entire body, leaving only his mouth, nose, and eyes exposed.

At the same time, Spiritual Thought Power acted on the Black God Set, lifting his figure to a height nearly a hundred meters above the lake surface, and only then did he cautiously fly toward the depths of the lake.

"Roar~~"

"Gaga~~~"

Beneath the mist‑shrouded lake surface, the roars of various monsters kept sounding.

However, Zhou Yang had initially lifted his figure to a position hundreds of meters above the lake, so for the time being he did not suffer attacks from aquatic monsters.

Moreover, as he moved deeper, the various monster roars at his ears gradually subsided.

Before long, the surroundings became completely silent.

"We should be close!"

Zhou Yang felt a surge of joy and slowly lowered his altitude.

Soon, a gray‑white beach appeared in his sight.

"Swoosh!"

Zhou Yang quickly descended onto the beach.

He looked up and scanned the surroundings.

On this Dao Yu, mist swirled, making visibility extremely limited.

What was even more unsettling was that since arriving on this Dao Yu, not a single monster roar could be heard.

The entire small island lay in a strange hush, so quiet it sent a chill down one's spine.

Zhou Yang did not act immediately; instead, he began to think quickly.

The original text records that the Yunmo Star vessel lies at a depth of at least ten thousand meters underground.

This mist‑covered island is not small, and Spiritual Thought Power encounters great resistance in soil and rock.

He just tested it; even with his high‑grade War God level Spiritual Thought Power, it only barely seeped into the ground to a distance of about two hundred meters.

If he were to explore even a little further, who knows when he would ever find it.

"No, no"

He suddenly realized.

According to the original, all the treasures that appear on this mist‑shrouded Dao Yu—whether the numerous plant spirits, the Mo Yun Teng, or the Mu Ya Crystal—

were deliberately released by the intelligent lifeform Babata hidden within the underground Yunmo Star ship.

Its purpose was to lure the Earth's top elites and geniuses here, in order to try selecting those suitable to inherit the Yunmo Star Inheritance.

And Luo Feng, under its active guidance, discovered the Yunmo Star vessel buried tens of thousands of meters underground.

"With Babata‑controlled detection equipment, it should easily cover the entire island, so I should already be within its observation now."

"If my aptitude meets its requirements, I should soon receive its guidance."

"Now let me check whether my aptitude is sufficient; I think it evaluates the breadth of my brain Domain, but I'm not sure if I can meet that intelligent being's selection criteria."

"However, its intangible guiding ability seems to have a distance requirement, so to be safe..."

Zhou Yang looked at the ground beneath his feet and quickly made up his mind.

Behind him, several throwing knives shot out, then spun rapidly to form a sharp cone.

The sand, soil and the like beneath his feet were swiftly pulverized and softened by the SS‑grade throwing knives.

Zhou Yang's intention shifted; the Black God Set enveloped his whole body, forming a conical shape beneath his feet.

Then, propelled by Mental Power, his entire body plunged rapidly into the ground.

After about half an hour,

Underground, at roughly three thousand meters deep, a subterranean dark river was quietly flowing.

"Wha‑la~~~"

As the sound of falling debris rang out, a black silhouette smashed through the rock wall and fell straight into the subterranean dark river.

"Swoosh!"

Zhou Yang's figure leapt swiftly out of the river water.

The Black God Set opened quickly, revealing his entire face.

"This must be the subterranean dark river where Luo Feng discovered the Mu Ya Crystal."

"But why haven't I felt any guidance yet? Is my aptitude insufficient for Babata's requirements, or..."

Just as Zhou Yang hesitated slightly, an invisible wave swept over his body in an instant.

In that instant, a vague perception formed in Zhou Yang's mind.

(End of Chapter)