Chapter 205: Star‑Realm Pillar

Ao Xi Li Ya stopped casting.

Yisu emerged from the Shadow Plane and, upon seeing her, his eyes instantly brightened.

Because the shapeshifting ring was lent to Lei En, today Ao Xi Li Ya did not disguise her face, revealing astonishing beauty, a mysterious aura with a hint of cold elegance, enough to attract the eyes of every man in the world.

Yisu, without waiting for Lei En to introduce him, lifted his hood, revealing a handsome face, placed his left hand on his chest in a gentleman's salute, and politely said, "Beautiful lady, I am Yisu Asassin, may I have the honor of learning your name?"

Ao Xi Li Ya let out a light hum and gave no reply.

Lei En glared at Yisu with some displeasure; it was a direct undermining of his own support, and although Ao Xi Li Ya was only a casual friend, such a move was far too ungracious.

No wonder the pink pony's elf, Lao Bo, calls him a lecher!

"Yisu." Lei En rose and called out to the Shadow Assassin, not intending to introduce him, and asked directly, "Did you come to me with news?"

"Yes, hehe!" Yisu detected Lei En's displeasure and sneered.

He sensed a dangerous aura from this stunning beauty, and because she was cold and aloof, unwilling to engage with him, he courteously kept his distance and replied, "Count, I have found a place you should find interesting."

"Where?" Lei En's spirits lifted, surprised at Yisu's efficiency.

He had expected at least a month or two for news, but it took only ten days.

Yisu hesitantly glanced at Ao Xi Li Ya, saw that Lei En had no intention of avoiding her, and continued, "At sea."

"These past days I have been lying in wait at Jun Gong Gang, covertly eavesdropping, followed three ships out to sea, and after confirming they were fine, I disembarked and returned."

"Until the day before yesterday, I finally pinpointed a cargo ship of the Pu Mo Er family; after leaving the port, it sailed for half a day, then abruptly veered off course toward a remote deserted island. That island had a hidden small pier; the cargo ship docked there for half a day before departing, returning to its normal route."

Upon hearing this, Lei En could basically confirm that Yisu had not erred in his location.

"Did you ever set foot on the island to investigate?"

"A legendary Wizard resides on that island, having set up multiple rune arrays; I feared traps, so I did not land and returned directly." Yisu replied calmly.

Lei En nodded, understanding Yisu's caution.

He exchanged a glance with Ao Xi Li Ya, instantly grasping her thought, and turned to say, "How do you travel back and forth over the sea? Can you take us to that island?"

"If it's just the two of you, there's no problem." Yisu pursed his lips and whistled.

A black silhouette materialized before him, a sleek eagle‑falcon that seemed to have slipped through the Shadow Plane, landing on Yisu's shoulder, its talons gripping firmly.

The black hawk was small, under half a meter tall, its plumage as black as ink, its beak and talons gray‑white, with no other hue; even under midday sun it remained indistinct, perpetually shrouded in a faint shadow.

"It's called Senu, my closest companion; it will take us out to sea." Yisu affectionately stroked the black hawk's feathers.

Lei En's soul‑eye discerned the black hawk's origin.

It is a Xia Duo Black Hawk, a bird born in the Shadow Plane, possessing numerous shadow‑related abilities; its true form is massive, but it usually shrinks, appearing much like an ordinary eagle.

The one before him is just that, wielding high‑tier demonic soul power.

Moreover, Lei En saw a faint ethereal line in its soul linking to Yisu, indicating a soul contract between them.

Soul contracts are most common among Wilderness Hunters.

Such contracts allow mutual mind‑link, granting each a portion of the other's Element, benefiting both greatly; once formed, they are hard to break, sometimes tighter than a marital bond.

The famed Dragon Knight is, in fact, an exalted being who has signed a soul contract with a giant dragon.

"I'll prepare and set out immediately."

Lei En found Xika Lius and Emily in the castle, gave them a few instructions, and told them to guard the castle.

Emily realized what Lei En intended to do, offered to accompany him, but Lei En declined.

It had nothing to do with her and lay outside her employment contract, so there was no need to involve her. Moreover, with him gone, the domain needed someone to keep everyone in check, including the Dragon Stone Mercenary Corps; Emily was the best choice.

Back in the study, Lei En saw Yisu both teasing the Xia Duo Black Hawk and attempting to converse with Ao Xi Li Ya.

For reasons unknown, Ao Xi Li Ya took strong objection to Yisu; no matter what he said, she gave not a single reply.

Lei En chuckled to himself, entered and said, "Let's go, we can set out now."

Ao Xi Li Ya immediately cast, opening a portal, and stepped through first, seeming not to want to linger with Yisu even a second.

Yisu muttered a few disgruntled sounds and followed through.

On the other side of the portal lay an empty seaside; Yisu tossed his hand upward, the Xia Duo Black Hawk spread its wings and launched, its shadow swelling, and in a blink became a colossal creature with a wingspan over twelve meters.

Its massive wings beat, sending sand and stones flying along the shore, darkening the sky.

Yisu's figure flashed as he perched on the giant hawk's back; Lei En followed suit, and Ao Xi Li Ya sat on the opposite side, deliberately placing Lei En between herself and Yisu.

"Senu, fly!"

Yisu called lightly, and the giant hawk violently beat its wings, soaring skyward.

The Xia Duo Black Hawk accelerated extremely fast, climbing upward like a fighter jet piercing the clouds before settling into steady flight.

Lei En was no stranger to flying mounts; he had studied Gryphon riding, but riding a giant hawk felt entirely different.

The speed difference exceeded a factor of two.

There was no foothold on the Xia Duo Black Hawk's back; a moment's lapse would cause a slip.

If not for an invisible shadow force blocking the high‑altitude airflow, few could stay seated; a gust would blow everyone off its back.

"This Xia Duo Black Hawk is superb—size‑adjustable, portable at will, stable and swift in flight, a panoramic cockpit; the flying experience far surpasses that of an airplane!"

Lei En admired it inwardly, thinking that if the chance arose, he'd acquire a flying mount.

He looked down; moments later, his view was only the endless sea, occasional one or two ships sailing, each appearing no larger than a palm.

Gazing ahead, the horizon showed a slight curve.

It rose in the middle and fell on both sides.

This phenomenon made Lei En realize that the Prime Material Plane he inhabited was likely shaped as a planet overall.

He flew onward, the sun gradually shifting west.

Estimating direction and speed, after half a day's flight Lei En was now roughly five hundred‑plus kilometers from the coastline.

Continuing straight in that direction should lead into the central waters of Wu Jin Zhi Hai.

Crossing Wu Jin Zhi Hai would reach the New Continent, but that is beyond what a Xia Duo Black Hawk can achieve. Not even a high‑tier bird, let alone a giant dragon, can traverse the dangerous, vast Wu Jin Zhi Hai.

Soon after, the sky went completely dark.

"We're almost there."

Yi Su said something, ordering Xia Duo Hei Ying to lower its flight altitude, and began scanning the sea surface. However, after more than half an hour of searching, the desolate island he mentioned was still not seen.

"It should be nearby; I've calculated the direction and distance."

Yi Su explained, looking up to compare the positions of the stars, and awkwardly scratched the short whiskers on his chin.

Lei En was not in a hurry and comforted, "There are no reference points at sea; unless you're an experienced sailor, getting lost is normal."

He activated his Soul Eye to help search.

Each time he levels up, or undergoes a Soul Transformation ceremony, the Soul Eye's visual range expands; now, over the open sea with nothing blocking the view, Lei En can see objects up to thirty kilometers away.

A moment later, a black dot appeared in his view.

Lei En locked on and zoomed in; it was a cargo ship sailing toward Wu Jin Zhi Hai.

"There's a ship over there; let's go take a look," he pointed the direction. Yi Su and Ao Xi Li Ya followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

Xia Duo Hei Ying turned and flew away; a few minutes later, the two finally saw the ship.

"You can see it even from that far away!"

Yi Su found it incredible; he had formed a Soul Contract with Xia Duo Hei Ying, gaining the Eagle Eye Element, and after years of training had reached level five. He considered his vision unrivaled, believing only a few could compare, even among legendary transcendent beings, and had always been extremely proud.

Yet he encountered such a pervert.

Based on this flight distance, Lei En's visual range limit is at least twice his own, and it's nighttime!

"How many levels does his Eagle Eye have?" Yi Su guessed in his mind.

Ao Xi Li Ya remained silent, but kept sizing up Lei En, surprised by his super vision.

Lei En smiled without replying; at such a close distance, he could already see the shape of the ship ahead. It was a cargo ship, without a flag, and its name on the hull was deliberately covered with canvas.

The cargo ship's draft was deep, clearly loaded with goods.

"It should be a Pu Mo Er family cargo ship," Lei En judged, saying, "It's also heading to that desolate island."

Yi Su nodded, "That's right; it looks similar to the ship from the day before yesterday."

"No need to follow behind the ship; let's go to the island first and observe," Lei En said.

"Alright."

Yi Su immediately ordered the giant eagle to adjust its flight direction, hide in the darkness, and fly toward the front of the cargo ship.

Soon, a small island emerged on the sea surface.

It covered only two or three square kilometers; one side of the island was high, the other low, shaped like an irregular crescent. Vegetation was sparse, with only a few weeds covering the rubble, and from the sky one could see the whole layout at a glance—utterly desolate.

Yi Su pointed to the higher end of the island, "There's a rune formation beneath that, covering the dock."

"I see it."

Lei En focused his gaze; the rune formation had no effect on his eyes, revealing a crude dock.

The dock was built from raw timber, only large enough for a single ship, and behind it clung a steep rock wall with a tall opening carved into it.

At the high part of the cliff wall, several hidden sentries were concealed.

The sentries were camouflaged with rocks and weeds, housing guards who periodically scanned the sea with telescopes, maintaining extreme vigilance.

"Luckily we came at night; Xia Duo Hei Ying is a shadow creature, hard to detect in darkness, otherwise we'd have been exposed."

After consideration, Lei En said, "We'll go down, get closer, and see if there's a chance to enter."

The three discussed briefly, and Ao Xi Li Ya began casting.

She bestowed the Flight Technique on everyone, and released Invisibility Technique on herself and Lei En. Yi Su patted the back of Xia Duo Hei Ying, which instantly shrank and entered the Shadow Plane together with Yi Su.

Lei En and Ao Xi Li Ya flew slowly toward the island.

Yi Su followed in the Shadow Plane.

A few minutes later, the three were on the sea outside the dock; moving forward another ten meters or so would enter the rune formation's range.

Lei En scanned a few times, shaking his head repeatedly.

The rune formation was ingeniously arranged; it not only obscured vision but also incorporated an Alertness Technique to prevent intrusion.

Yi Su could enter via the Shadow Plane, but once he materialized, the formation would trigger.

Lei En had no study of the rune formation, and gave Ao Xi Li Ya a look, asking if she had a way to break it.

Instead, Ao Xi Li Ya's face showed great surprise, as if she had discovered something remarkable.

Lei En felt puzzled.

After a few seconds he realized that Ao Xi Li Ya was currently invisible; he shouldn't have been able to see her.

"Damn, I'm exposed!"

Lei En felt helpless; he had been too focused on scouting the dock and had overlooked this.

But now was not the time for nitpicking; pretending not to see Ao Xi Li Ya was pointless, so Lei En openly looked at her and again cast an inquisitive glance.

Ao Xi Li Ya's chest rose and fell unevenly, her eyes showing a hint of embarrassment.

Only after a few minutes did she calm down, shaking her head to indicate there was no way.

Lei En didn't know whether she truly couldn't or was still angry at him, so he stepped back a bit, carefully observing the dock, trying to find a flaw.

On the sea surface, the cargo ship sailed toward the island, gradually slowing to prepare for docking.

A group of expressionless workers ran out of the cliff opening, and under the command of several transcendent beings, they proceeded to the dock to unload cargo.

These transcendent beings were quite powerful: one high-level Wizard, two Mid-stage Iron Guards, and the remaining three were Mid-stage Spearmen.

With their strength, they easily suppressed the ordinary workers.

Lei En scanned back and forth between the cargo ship and the dock, his eyes brightening as he thought of a plan.

He formed words with his mouth toward Ao Xi Li Ya but made no sound, mouthing, "Board the island together with the cargo ship."

Ao Xi Li Ya nodded in understanding.

The two flew toward the cargo ship, clinging to the outside of the hull, without making any sound.

The cargo ship quickly entered the range of the rune formation, smoothly docked at the pier, and Lei En and the other did not trigger the formation's alarm.

"Success."

Lei En was overjoyed, but this was only the first step.

A figure who seemed like the captain leapt down from the cargo ship and exchanged a few words with the senior Wizard on the dock; the two were clearly unfamiliar with each other—one only handled delivery, the other handled receipt.

The sailors began unloading, carrying the large crates off the ship onto the dock, where workers lifted them into the cavern.

Lei En and Ao Xiliya slipped into the workers' ranks, invisibly trailing behind two of them into the cavern.

They passed through a wide, long passage, descending, and the view ahead opened up.

It was a massive underground space.

The entire cavern had been manually excavated; its height exceeded thirty meters, its widest point over a hundred meters, roughly an irregular columnar shape, and from the passage a spiral staircase led down to the cavern's floor.

Carved into the surrounding walls were numerous caves used as dwellings and storage warehouses.

From the excavation marks, it seemed the place had existed for many years.

However, what shocked Lei En most was the massive, intricate rune formation etched into the cavern floor.

At that moment, a legendary Wizard stood in the center of the rune, channeling soul energy to activate the formation.

Mysterious energy coursed through the formation; thousands of runes lit up, eventually channeling into a crystal pillar-shaped gem floating at its center.

The dazzling gem was indescribable in color, as if it contained infinite starlight, making it impossible to stare at directly.

Lei En instantly recognized it as a Starrealm Crystal Pillar!

This rare gemstone from the Starrealm can be used to construct ultra‑long‑distance teleportation formations, even opening a gate to other planes.

Lei En observed the rune formation covertly while following the workers downward.

As the formation continuously absorbed soul energy, the power converged, the Starrealm Crystal Pillar grew brighter, the cavern gave a slight tremor, and the space at the formation's center opened, revealing a tall, shimmering portal!

Beyond the portal, a faintly visible enclosed space could be seen.

Lei En widened his eyes, trying to discern the scene beyond the portal, and followed the workers carrying wooden crates onto the rune formation, drawing ever closer to the legendary Wizard.

After the legendary Wizard opened the portal, he no longer needed to maintain it, and his expression relaxed.

He glanced at the laboring workers and shouted loudly, "Move faster, get everything inside; if you delay, beware that I'll skin you!"

(End of Chapter)