Chapter 254: A Flash of Light

"Cultivators set formations faster than your poison smoke, and you don't even exert effort; if you don't understand, don't speak recklessly," Jiang Tu complained about its chaotic commands.

Guo Jue stuffed a spirit fruit into the little snake to block its mouth, "The previous group's teleportation was a few shichen ago; the next group might arrive five or six shichen after us."

"From Master's meaning, we need to draw enough guardian talismans to support the teleportation before it can take effect."

Jiang Yu thought, "This is a talisman that consumes Nascent Soul mana; drawing one requires three to five days of rest."

No matter how many each sect actually prepared before, they could never truly let the Dongzhou people know.

It's unreliable to infer the next teleportation time from this, and the subsequent arrivals could all be from the Demon sect, which would be even more disadvantageous to us.

Guo Jue pondered briefly and agreed with her: "So we break the formation, then?"

"We can keep looking; perhaps there are other passages."

"If there's no passage, at worst we find a suitable spot and dig through it." It was a bit of wasted time; Jiang Yu heard the dragon soul's transmission, which said that after fifty breaths of the Ten Thousand Demons sound, cultivators are prone to spiritual‑soul injuries, and unless the formation can be broken within a quarter hour, they should not keep trying.

That's why Jiang Tu stopped the breaking of the formation: "Right, such a huge abandoned mine must have been tunneled through during earlier excavations."

The few of them discussed for a while, reached a consensus, and decided to explore the passage on the right side of the teleportation array.

But after turning a few steps, they suddenly heard a rumbling outside the cave, and the sharp demonic sound rippled into their ears again.

"Guardian spirit, close your ears and perceive," Jiang Yu, not allowing Jiang Tu to object, instantly sent it back to the dragon pearl.

Guo Jue mimicked the action, returning the little snake to its spirit‑beast bag, and released pill fire again, aiming with Jiang Yu to destroy the demon shadow floating on the stone surface.

However, as thunder and fire slammed into the huge rock, it went "clack clack clack," and the rock suddenly cracked open.

Under a burst of starlight, Xun Zong Zhenjun stood aloft and said, "Come out."

This time, Jiang Yu and Guo Jue did not hesitate, flying out of the cave in succession to bow: "Thank you, senior, for your assistance."

Xun Zong Zhenjun lightly nodded, "Do you have two sets of high‑level hidden formation discs?"

"Yes." Jiang Yu immediately took out two from her storage ring.

Xun Zong Zhenjun did not accept them; instead, he tossed a jade slip into the cave and instructed her to place it at the entrance, saying, "This deserted island mine has only this one exit."

"Remember to leave a copy of the breaking‑formation method inside the cave for others to use, and also to keep a fallback for yourself."

Jiang Yu followed the instruction, then thrust the formation flags "whoosh whoosh whoosh" around the cave entrance; the entrance vanished instantly, and she then laid a second layer of hidden formation over a larger area.

Then Xun Zong Zhenjun acted, adding the final layer, and said, "There is a high‑level Yao cultivator's lair nearby; a spiritual‑sense shield of two to three li around you is optimal. I'll escort you both to the human island."

"Much obliged, Zhenjun." Jiang Yu, not seeing the other two Nascent Souls, guessed that Xun Zong Zhenjun had returned alone.

She and Guo Jue obediently leapt onto the Nascent Soul cultivator's flying sword, continuously scanning the surrounding sea and sensing qi different from that of Tianyuan Continent.

Unexpectedly, after flying thousands of li, an earth‑shaking beast roar faintly reached them.

Xun Zong Zhenjun suddenly increased his evasion speed, "Someone has provoked a Yao cultivator; you two activate your highest defense."

Jiang Yu just activated the protective jade talisman when a massive vortex erupted on the distant sea surface, and in an instant, a hundred‑zhang giant demon surged out.

It opened its mouth, releasing a sheet of frost that caused the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.

Xun Zong Zhenjun swiftly changed direction, but a hail of ice, like blades, whizzed "whoosh whoosh whoosh" toward them.

Yet once more it was avoided by Xun Zong's companion, and Jiang Yu and Guo Jue's sky‑filled fire talismans and thunder spheres.

Boom boom boom, bang bang bang

Amidst massive fire and thunder explosions, the giant demon was forcibly halted for a few moments; when it tried to strike again, it saw evasion light fleeing far away.

Unwilling to give up, it plunged into the water to chase, but each time it caught up, a cultivator's talisman blocked it for a few breaths.

Worse, two ninth‑tier spirit fruits struck its snout, and after it rudely swallowed them, it felt drowsy and, within moments, sank into a deep sleep on the sea floor.

Xun Zong Zhenjun's spiritual sense continuously observed the rear, "What did you put inside the spirit fruits?"

"Anhun Powder." Guo Jue hadn't expected Jiang Yu to devise the clever trick of hollowing the fruit core and inserting medicine.

"Interesting idea." Xun Zong Zhenjun couldn't help but laugh, and he wasn't about to tell the two that the giant whale couldn't catch up with him.

Jiang Yu was a bit curious: "Senior, this demon is already ninth‑level; is it unable to transform, or does it simply choose not to?"

The earlier beast roar didn't seem to be from this demon either.

"Hmm." Xun Zong Zhenjun gave a simple reply.

The question Jiang Yu wanted to ask was immediately halted; she and Guo Jue remained on high alert to avoid another encounter with the Yao Race.

Jiang Tu thoughtfully eased Jiang Yu's tension, "After feeding, the giant whale likes to sleep in the deep sea; that beast roar must have disturbed it."

And we, representing humans—not demons—have suffered.

Jiang Yu, do you think those four demonic cultivators provoked some demon?

……

Far on Tianyuan Continent, before the teleportation array, a group of Nascent Soul cultivators again saw two soul lanterns go out.

"It's the two from the second batch; it seems that place is also perilous."

"Brother Liao Wu, Brother Lin, how are things on your side?"

"Amitabha, the temple has replied; Guo Jue's soul lantern remains as before."

"Jiang Yu's is also doing well," Elder Lin Ze said, his heart still unsettled.

Someone else asked, "When does the next batch depart?"

"I think we still need a Nascent Soul realm envoy; otherwise the losses will be too great."

"How about sending those unaffiliated cultivators who are asking for slots?"

"We cultivators have never feared danger; as for unaffiliated sects, I'll go," a Nascent Soul from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect said.

A Nascent Soul from Hehuan Sect was equally eager, "It was previously agreed that Hehuan Sect, Tianmo Sect, and Profound Heaven Sect each send a Nascent Soul to probe the opposite teleportation array, then return."

Someone immediately disagreed, "There are too few people; we need to send more to effectively handle the unknown danger."

"I think…"

In a short time, a group of Nascent Souls began to split into factions, debating who should go and how many, and even as the sun rose high, no conclusion was reached.

Meanwhile, after flying through half a night plus a morning, Xun Zong Daojun finally spotted human traces.

Only see a sea island shrouded in clouds and mist, with cultivators constantly flying in and out; it is obvious that a formation protects it.

After drawing slightly closer, Xun Zong Zhenjun ordered Jiang Yu to ask a cultivator who had just flown back.

Jiang Yu selected two female cultivators who had just flown back, both at Foundation Establishment; she said nothing, only tossing each a middle-grade spirit stone.

The two female cultivators shifted from fear to delight, clasping the spirit stones and bowing their fists: 'Senior, is this your first time coming to Pursuing Origin Island?'

Jiang Yu's eyes lit up; what these two spoke was actually the Heavenly Origin language, albeit with a slight accent, but it was indeed the Heavenly Origin language.

She nodded and gave a soft hum, saying, 'I've heard this island is somewhat different; do tell.'

'Yes.' The two female cultivators vied to speak, and in just a moment they had explained everything about the island in rough detail.

In the distance, hidden among the clouds, Xun Zong Zhenjun said, 'This island is not suitable for me to enter; you should seek your own fortunes.'

Before his words had even faded, he had already flicked his sleeve and vanished far away.

By the time Jiang Yu returned after finishing his inquiries, his silhouette was already gone.