Chapter 191

Chapter 191: Third Island

The appearance of the top-quality symbol made Wu Gang, who had lost all his trump cards, show despair on his face.

He had thought before that by doing this, he might be targeted by others, but he had believed Shangguan Qianxue would be the one to gain the advantage.

But he did not expect that Zhou Luo, who had kept a low profile all along and was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, would actually reveal his fangs at this moment.

He watched the terrifying might spread out and shouted in panic, "If we die, you won’t be able to defeat Shangguan Qianxue either. We can help you!"

This could be considered a last effort.

However, the power of the spiritual symbols had already been released, and Zhou Luo did not care about Shangguan Qianxue being alone.

Boom—

Purple light fell, transforming into countless light blades that shot forth.

Wu Gang and Liu Tie resisted desperately, but in the end, it was just a futile struggle.

Moments later, the bodies of the two men fell on the water surface and did not sink to the lake bottom.

Zhou Luo stepped forward, took all the storage bags from them, then headed forward.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Qianxue did not expect the water curtain to reappear; she had to swing her sword to block the attacks of the formation.

As for the tremors caused by the top-quality symbol, although she sensed them, she did not pay much attention.

The top priority was to first land on the island.

Whoosh—

At this moment, the water curtain fell, and Zhou Luo quickly approached from behind.

Shangguan Qianxue’s beautiful eyes flashed, and she deliberately maintained some distance.

But Zhou Luo raised his voice and said, "Dao Friend Qianxue, I have figured out the trajectory of the formation. Follow me quickly."

After saying this, he passed Shangguan Qianxue and rushed forward.

In his hand, the formation disc emitted a dense spiritual light. Wherever he passed, the formation’s attacks all missed, and even the water curtain was forcibly torn open to create a gap.

Shangguan Qianxue had doubts in her heart, but she still followed quickly.

After a quarter of an hour, the two landed on the island successfully.

Behind them, the formation gradually subsided, and everything returned to calm. Only the sparkling lake surface drifted with four corpses.

Seeing this scene, Shangguan Qianxue’s gaze when she looked at Zhou Luo suddenly became wary.

Sure enough, this guy had been hiding his true skill all along.

Zhou Luo wore a sorrowful expression and said, "I did not expect Dao Friend Wu Gang and Dao Friend Liu Tie to turn against each other at such a time. Ah, what a pity."

Shangguan Qianxue remained silent.

She and those four were just casual acquaintances; their deaths actually suited her interests. As for how they died, she did not care.

It was only because of this incident that she truly took Zhou Luo seriously.

Zhou Luo did not pay attention to her thoughts. From the moment he chose to act, he had already decided not to hide anymore.

He arrived at the center of the island and discovered a wooden box among the pile of rubble.

Opening the wooden box, inside lay a jade robe woven from jade and golden threads.

Several spiritual stones inlaid the jade robe, along with engraved runes, emanating an extraordinary aura.

Near the hem was a chip, significantly diminishing its imposing presence.

This, too, was a damaged top-grade magical artifact.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Zhou Luo’s eyes.

He still hadn’t found the dual cultivation technique.

"Since things have come to this, we’ll each take one treasure, and prepare to leave soon," Shangguan Qianxue approached, looked at the jade robe, and said expressionlessly.

Yet, Zhou Luo held the jade robe, rose to his feet smiling, "Dao Friend Qianxue, how about we continue cooperating to travel to the third island?"

Shangguan Qianxue’s expression darkened slightly, stating firmly, "Unnecessary."

She now harbored only profound wariness towards Zhou Luo, knowing this guy appeared weak and harmless on the surface, but his mind was as deep as the vast ocean.

Recalling the plight Wu Gang and the others had just suffered, she would not risk herself entering another formation.

Who knows how one would be ambushed to death then.

Zhou Luo shrugged helplessly, "Since Dao Friend Qianxue insists, so be it. However, I am definitely heading to the third island."

"As for you, Dao Friend Qianxue, you’ll have to leave alone."

A flash of displeasure crossed Shangguan Qianxue’s face. She said solemnly, "Those two formations are still active!"

If the formations remained, she would have to brave them again; without a formation master accompanying her, she wasn’t sure she could escape safely.

Zhou Luo said calmly, "Leaving from here, the formations weaken considerably. Given your strength, it shouldn’t be an issue."

This being merely a trial, the array maker hadn’t laid lethal traps. Leaving after obtaining the treasure would still face formation barriers, but far less terrifying than entering.

Shangguan Qianxue gave him a deep look, wariness flickering in her eyes.

With her power, she could easily force him to escort her out, even seize the other top-grade magical artifact.

But the fact that he remained so composed at such a time surely hinted at hidden capabilities.

Shangguan Qianxue didn’t wish to gamble. Turning away, she sat cross-legged on the ground, stating coldly, "Don’t come near me."

Zhou Luo paid her no mind. Focusing instead on the illusionary plants around him, he resumed his transplanting work.

Truthfully, while drawn to the other top-grade artifact, attacking an Immortal Sect disciple carried immense risk.

Ignoring whether she possessed life-saving talismans, merely having his spiritual signature detected by the Qinyuan Sect spelled certain death within the Longfeng Mountain range.

A damaged top-grade magical artifact wasn’t worth the gamble.

His mind was set: he would head alone to the third island later, checking if the dual cultivation technique awaited there.

A day later, using potions and spiritual stones, Shangguan Qianxue had fully restored her state.

Without hesitation, she rose and departed along her original path.

Only after she left did Zhou Luo erect a simple formation and begin his own recovery.

Another day passed before Zhou Luo inspected the collected storage bags.

Regrettably, Wei Qinghong’s storage bag lay undiscovered; he only obtained the others’.

Combined with those belonging to the two who perished earlier, there were five storage bags.

Inside lay over one thousand spiritual stones and fifteen medium-quality spiritual stones.

He had to admit, these fellows were surprisingly wealthy.

Beyond spiritual stones and potions lay various magical artifacts and cultivation techniques.

Sadly, the relentless dangers they faced had depleted most talismans and potions carried by the group.

These items weren’t terribly valuable.

What captivated Zhou Luo most was Wu Gang’s jade slip.

Unrolling the jade slip revealed partial information and a map of the Illusionary Forest.

Using this very slip, Wu Gang had guided them here.

The map indicated their current location essentially marked the Illusionary Forest’s center, though still some distance from its absolute core.

Being the forest’s innermost core, that area surpassed this place in chaos, drawing more cultivators.

Its description hinted at an ancient ruin holding treasures yet fraught with extreme danger.

Virtually every cultivator entering the Illusionary Forest journeyed there, seeking fortune.

If the third island yielded no dual cultivation technique, it could only reside within that ruin.

Should that prove true, Zhou Luo intended to cease his search.

Conflict there raged fiercer, involving cultivators at the eighth and ninth levels of Qi Refinement.

His need for the dual cultivation technique was intense, yet jeopardizing himself for it outweighed any gain.

Honestly, without Liu Fu Chen’s surprise assault and Zhen Yuan Tower’s hidden killers, he likely would never have battled eighth or ninth-level Qi Refiners.

One could say his confrontations arose solely from necessity.

Having acquired near-everything attainable, it was time to quit this treacherous mountain range.

The final island would be his last stop in the Longfeng Mountain range.