Chapter 269 - 263: Sneaking into the Island

Chapter 269: Chapter 263: Sneaking into the Island

Jiang Xu was rather curious about this so-called "Abyss of Destiny."

After all, in his previous life, there were plenty of so-called fortune-tellers and Demi-Immortals, but in his memory, most of them were just charlatans who relied on clever rhetoric to deduce their clients’ identities and backgrounds.

He had never truly experienced the feeling of "predicting the future."

People were, by nature, both curious about and in awe of their destiny.

If one could know the path of their fate in advance, even a single correct step could lead to a meteoric rise.

Even in his past life, if someone had managed to predict just one thing—Bitcoin, sports betting, the housing or stock markets, the lottery, or the pandemic—it would have been enough to change their destiny.

And that was even more true in the Cultivation World where Jiang Xu now found himself.

Perhaps learning one or two key points could even save his own life.

But from what Master Fatty said, the dangers involved were probably even greater.

’Looks like this matter requires more careful consideration.’

...

「One day later.」

Jiang Xu spotted a massive island in the distance.

The Dharma Ship’s speed gradually decreased.

After hearing so much from Master Fatty about Greed Wolf Island, he had finally arrived.

While still dozens of miles from Greed Wolf Island, a Cultivator from the island, dressed in a uniform symbolizing the Seven Stars Association, flew out to greet them.

This person knew the ship’s master was a Golden Core Cultivator, so he wasn’t disrespectful. Instead, he respectfully guided the Dharma Ship toward a specific direction.

The Dharma Ship’s master, the Golden Core Cultivator aboard, had never shown himself, not even now. All affairs were handled by the General Manager.

The one currently liaising with the welcoming Cultivator from the Seven Stars Association was also the General Manager.

The General Manager guided the ship to a port, and there it stopped.

It wasn’t that the Dharma Ship couldn’t change its size at will, but that island regulations forbade carrying one around freely.

After all, the presence of a Golden Core Cultivator was too dangerous for Greed Wolf Island. However, Greed Wolf Island was also a stopover on the Demon Passage, so they couldn’t simply forbid Golden Core Cultivators from entering.

Therefore, to ensure Golden Core Cultivators wouldn’t cause trouble or harm the island’s interests, the Island Master had implemented many measures. One of them was to impound their Dharma Ships, which made the Cultivators think twice. Even if they did cause trouble, they wouldn’t be able to make a quick getaway.

As the Dharma Ship reached its designated spot, Jiang Xu could see a Grand Array enveloping the area, likely established to ensure the ships’ safety and prevent sudden attacks.

However, when he looked toward Greed Wolf Island, his Spiritual Eye Technique revealed that the entire island was not covered by an Array.

’The island is probably too large. The resources needed to create an Array that could cover the whole thing would be astronomical. It’s just not practical.’

It likely only covered certain parts, like the residences of Cultivation Clans, the Seven Stars Association’s headquarters, and other important locations.

Under the watchful gaze of the Seven Stars Association Cultivator, Jiang Xu and the other passengers disembarked from the ship’s cabin.

The Seven Stars Association Cultivator addressed Jiang Xu and the others:

"According to the rules, every ship that arrives at Greed Wolf Island must remain for one month. Only after a month has passed can the ship set sail again. This applies to all passengers as well."

"However, as long as you have a ’Passage Order,’ you can move freely through most parts of the island and the surrounding sea within a certain range."

"You can do whatever you want, as long as you don’t violate Greed Wolf Island’s prohibitions."

Having said his piece, the Seven Stars Association Cultivator departed.

The remaining Cultivators who had disembarked exchanged glances before splitting up and heading inland, filled with curiosity.

Jiang Xu didn’t head inland immediately. He first watched Master Fatty’s movements and saw him surrounded by a group of Female Cultivators, laughing and chatting as they walked inland without the slightest hesitation.

’How did that guy get even more Female Cultivators to follow him?’

Although Jiang Xu wasn’t particularly looking for a partner right now, he was still a little envious of people like Master Fatty.

Shaking his head to clear away these stray thoughts, Jiang Xu also started walking toward the interior of Greed Wolf Island.

The path just off the ship was crowded with Cultivators. After flying for a while until no one was around, Jiang Xu altered his appearance again and concealed himself using the Concealing Breath Spell.

He had a feeling that members of the Seven Stars Association might be monitoring them, so he thought it best to hide.

...

Greed Wolf Island had deliberately established a large-scale Marketplace near the port. After leaving the port, this was the only place one could enter.

Want to go somewhere else?

Sorry, not allowed.

The surrounding area was covered by an Array—a Tier Two Array, at that. Ordinary people couldn’t get out, and neither could Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

As for Golden Core Cultivators, they weren’t blocked, but the Seven Stars Association had other measures in place for them.

For Jiang Xu, however, their Array was ineffective against him.

Not only did he have some knowledge of Arrays himself, but his Spirit-Devouring Insect alone could silently chew a hole right through it, allowing him to come and go as he pleased.

Although Jiang Xu was curious about the Marketplace, he hadn’t forgotten that he was carrying the piece of Agarwood the Seven Stars Association was hunting for.

He knew that the nearby Marketplace was set up specifically for passengers like them; everyone entering and exiting was likely to be inspected.

Besides, given Greed Wolf Island’s monopolistic practices, the prices in this Marketplace were bound to be exorbitant. Everything sold inside was probably double the price.

Even if he wanted to buy some local specialties, he couldn’t buy them here. If he went out and found his own channels, he could probably save a lot of Spirit Stones.

Jiang Xu focused his mind and held his breath. After confirming there were no Divine Sense scans in the area, he slapped his Spirit Beast Bag and summoned the Spirit-Devouring Insect.

A one-meter-long insect floated out. It was silver-white, its edges traced with faint golden threads, and its body was covered in strange, complex patterns.

The moment the Insect left the Spirit Beast Bag, it instantly locked onto a weak point in the Array ahead and flew swiftly toward the defensive barrier.

It landed gently on the Array, and like an invisible flame touching snow, it instantly caused a subtle change.

The Insect pressed its body against the Array’s light membrane. With a lazy flick of its wings, the countless patterns on its body streamed out, covering dozens of meters of the Array in front of it and continuing to spread outward.

"Stop, stop, stop! Just chew a hole big enough for me to get through! Don’t overdo it, or you’ll destroy the whole Array!" Seeing things getting out of hand, a cold sweat broke out on Jiang Xu’s back, and he hurriedly stopped it.

If the entire Array was destroyed, it would be a huge mess.

Everyone who got off the ship would probably be rounded up for questioning.

The Insect seemed a bit regretful, not only because it missed a big meal, but also because it missed a chance to cause trouble for Jiang Xu.

It recalled most of its Sub-Insects, leaving only a few to begin absorbing, decomposing, and devouring the Array’s Spiritual Power structure in an imperceptible manner.

Under the Spirit-Devouring Insect’s effect, a section of the Array’s defensive barrier began to dim. The originally smooth-flowing lines of Spiritual Power showed signs of disorder.

The spiderweb-like Array Patterns gradually broke and vanished as the Spirit-Devouring Insect gnawed on them, like a piece of cloth being silently torn to create a small hole.

The entire process was silent. If not for Jiang Xu observing carefully with his Spiritual Eye Technique, it would have been impossible to notice the Array being eroded.

As time passed and the Spirit-Devouring Insect continued to chew, a hole large enough for one person to pass through finally appeared in the Array’s defensive barrier.

The edges of the hole were smooth and even as if formed naturally, showing no signs of man-made damage.

Seeing this, Jiang Xu inwardly marveled at the Spirit-Devouring Insect’s devouring ability. He then quickly concealed his aura and slipped silently through the gap the insect had bitten into the Array.

After getting through the Array, Jiang Xu didn’t relax; on the contrary, he became even more cautious.

He extended his Divine Sense, scouting the surrounding terrain and environment while also watching out for any possible surveillance or tracking methods, doing his best to avoid the eyes of the Seven Stars Association.