Chapter 441 - 410: An Isolated Island at Sea

Chapter 441: Chapter 410: An Isolated Island at Sea

Just like that, half a month had passed.

And for all fifteen of those days, the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon had tailed them relentlessly.

When the Spiritual Boat slowed, it slowed.

When the Spiritual Boat sped up, it sped up too.

If they tried to fly the Spiritual Boat up into the air, its right head would writhe violently, summoning crushing waves to block their path. If they angered it, the beast would simply smash them with the waves. It was utterly relentless, impossible to shake off.

The good news was that the storms in the Chaotic Sea Region had gradually weakened. However, the black clouds had not dispersed, still blanketing the sky. After all, the Undersea Palace had existed for thousands of years, and the Spiritual Qi it had accumulated was too immense to dissipate so quickly.

The bad news was that they were getting farther and farther from the coastline.

"We can’t escape. There’s no way to escape."

Yu Yunfei clutched his Golden Saber, his eyes fixed on the shadow beneath the waves.

He was restless by nature, and their repeated, failed attempts to escape had frayed his nerves. The Fierce Flood Dragon blocked their path every time the Spiritual Boat tried to take to the air, leaving him increasingly agitated:

"Are we just going to let this beast hunt us to our deaths? Is there really no way out? If you ask me, we should strike while it’s weak! Once it fully awakens, we’ll truly have no chance of survival."

Hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Could they even win?

Even though two of its heads were dormant, its ferocity was undiminished. Three days ago, a Double-tailed Dragon Shark had strayed into its territory. Before the shark could even turn, the beast had bitten half its body off in a single strike. The memory of that savage display was still fresh in their minds, a chilling image that refused to fade.

"Valley Master Chen, do you have a plan?"

Sighing inwardly at her exasperating brother, Yu Yunko approached Chen Che. He sat cross-legged at the front of the deck, as still as a mountain. ’How can the two of us be so different?’ she wondered.

"I don’t."

Chen Che shook his head, playfully teasing the small Juvenile Turtle resting on his lap.

"Strictly speaking, we’ve been at a dead end since the moment we encountered it."

"It was formidable on land, but its ferocity multiplies in the water. I’ve been observing it. It seems to be recuperating, but in reality, it’s toying with us like a cat playing with a mouse."

"Perhaps we look tastier than the Aquatic Race."

Wherever its shadow fell, that was the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon’s territory.

He had tried contacting Xiao Chan, only to find the Communication Wrist Wheel’s connection severed. He also wanted to return to the Earth Element Star for help, but that too had failed, as the entire ship was locked down by the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon’s Qi Mechanism.

After all, the Jade Seal’s teleportation required one to be out of combat.

"You seem quite composed, Valley Master."

Yu Yunko stood at the prow, the sea breeze whipping her fine hair across her face, blurring her features. Seeing Chen Che look at her, she shook her head as well:

"I have no plan either. This demon’s ferocity far exceeds our estimates. I’ve even been wondering if the ancestor from my clan who perished in Jinghai fell prey to this very beast. But the dangers within Jinghai are hardly limited to this. Whether it was this beast or not... who can say for sure?"

Perhaps because death felt so near, Yu Yunko had become surprisingly philosophical.

"Oh? What other dangers are there in Jinghai?"

Chen Che was suddenly intrigued.

In his view, the dangers of the Black Tortoise Calm Sea came in two forms:

First, there was nature itself. The power of the heavens and earth was beyond the comprehension of even Cultivators, let alone mortals. The seas of clouds, the wind, the lightning—they were ever-changing, capable of turning the world upside down in an instant.

Second, there were the creatures of the sea.

The vast Jinghai stretched for countless miles. Not only was it boundless in its breadth, but it was also bottomless in its depths. Who knew how many members of the Aquatic Race or how many Fierce Beasts hid within it? They usually lurked in the deep, enjoying the sport of capsizing ships and preying on the unprepared.

And yet, Yu Yunko was now saying the dangers didn’t end there?

"Of course. The ruins left behind by our predecessors," Yu Yunko said with a smile. "One type is like the palace within the Sea Ruins. Those are the Cave Mansions of past experts, where opportunity outweighs the danger."

Chen Che nodded.

’If you have the strength, they are opportunities. If not, they are death traps.’

"And the second type?" Chen Che asked.

Yu Yunko smiled and glanced back.

Over the past few days, they had not been idle. Meng Qianxun, for instance, had tried to use a Sea Snail to gather a school of the Sea Race, hoping to create a beast tide like Fang Shuxian once did. But the result was pathetic; the few fish that answered the call wouldn’t even have been a snack for the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon.

Chen Xi was racing against time to refine several more Puppets, while Yu Fansong sat to one side, continuously painting Talismans. However, having run out of high-tier talisman paper, he could only create Low Tier Talismans.

Everyone was fighting for a sliver of hope.

It is easy to follow fate, but hard to defy it.

But how could Golden Core Cultivators simply resign themselves to their fate?

Most were waiting to recover their peak condition to fight the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon one more time—she herself was thinking the same. ’Abandon the ship and flee? Impossible. Even the Little Chick can’t escape from the vessel.’

"The Grand Arrays in the sea."

"?"

"Throughout history, there have been countless Fierce Beasts like this Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon. Aside from those suppressed or slain on land, many were simply too powerful to defeat. Major Cultivators could only lure them into Jinghai and trap them. And those Grand Arrays... those are the true deathtraps."

As she said this, Chen Che immediately understood.

A Grand Array capable of imprisoning such a Fierce Beast and preventing its escape would be an absolutely lethal place.

"Sigh. It’s just a pity."

At this, Yu Yunko let out a long sigh, her gaze turning distant.

Chen Che turned to look at her. "A pity about what?"

"It’s a pity that our dream of restoration is hopeless. For generations, the Yu Clan has laid low, with the sole purpose of taking back the Star-Picking Sect. Over the past few centuries, we’ve gathered these Golden Core Cultivators, hoping to find some opportunities in the Black Tortoise Calm Sea to raise our cultivation and strength to the next level. But now, it seems highly likely that no one will make it back alive."

Yu Yunko sighed deeply.

"Such is time, such is fate."

’She’s finally speaking her true mind.’

Chen Che glanced at her.

She had approached him from the very beginning with an ulterior motive.

"Valley Master Chen, if you make it back alive, what will you do?" Yu Yunko asked, sensing his gaze. "Duobao forced you to come here. You can’t possibly let a grudge of life and death like that go, can you?"

Of course. Chen Che nodded without any attempt to hide his intentions.

But right now, they hadn’t even escaped the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon’s watch. Talking about such things felt far too distant.

SPLASH—

A briny gust of wind swept over the prow, and the sudden flapping of the sails shattered the quiet on deck. The already gloomy sky grew even darker. The waves crashing against the hull rose higher, and everyone involuntarily stopped what they were doing.

"Valley Master Chen, the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon’s left head has opened its eyes!"

Lu Yuntian’s voice was hoarse and filled with despair.

Even without his warning, Chen Che could feel the Demon Qi in the air thicken considerably. At the same time, the churning waves grew more violent, even lifting the Spiritual Boat into the air. The Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon was stretching its body.

For a moment, the atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive with the awakening of the second Flood Dragon Head.

But the tension didn’t last long.

It was immediately broken by another cry of alarm.

"Huh?"

Startled, Chen Che stepped onto the ship’s railing to gaze into the distance. A black dot had appeared on the horizon, vanishing and reappearing with the rise and fall of the waves, seemingly drifting with the current.

"Is that a Dragon Turtle?"

"A shadow that big... it might even be at the Nascent Soul Realm..."

"We’re saved!"

Everyone cheered.

A Nascent Soul Realm Dragon Turtle would definitely intimidate the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon. If they fought, the group could use the opportunity to escape. After drifting at sea for so long, they had finally found a path to survival.

"That’s not right."

Chen Che narrowed his eyes and turned to Yu Yunko. "Why do I get the feeling that’s an island...?"

"Don’t be ridiculous."

Before Yu Yunko could speak, Yu Yunfei interjected, "What island moves? It must be a Dragon Turtle Island."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

The ’island’ was drifting erratically, bobbing up and down in the sea. Crucially, the waters around it were calm. What else could it be but a Dragon Turtle carrying an island on its back?

Yu Yunko shot her brother a glare, then cupped her hands in apology to Chen Che before speaking:

"Valley Master Chen, should we go or not?"

"Go!"

Though doubtful, Chen Che didn’t hesitate for a moment. "The worst-case scenario is death, and we might find a chance of survival on that island. But we have to be careful. The Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon could attack at any moment."

The prow of the ship immediately turned, heading for the island.

Following Chen Che’s advice, everyone kept their eyes fixed on the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon. If it launched a sudden attack, they would abandon the ship and fly to the island. If the island truly was a Dragon Turtle Island, the Fierce Flood Dragon would surely be wary.

No one dared to be careless. Most of them sat in meditation on the ship, swallowing Pills and racing to restore their Cultivation in case the Fierce Flood Dragon attacked.

But the beast merely followed them in silence.

Another day or two passed in a flash. Before they knew it, a sea fog began to rise around them. It was a hazy, thick fog that seemed to lock down the sky. The island, however, had stopped moving. It no longer bobbed with the waves but hung motionlessly in the sea.

By this point, Chen Che’s Divine Sense could reach it. From every angle, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary little island.

The others could see it clearly too.

But to everyone’s surprise, the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon hesitated before the island...

"Oh?"

Chen Che’s eyes lit up.

The island seemed perfectly ordinary, yet it had made the Three-Headed Fierce Flood Dragon pause. This meant there was very likely something on the island that the beast feared. ’If we can find it, we might actually have a chance to escape!’

"Alright, we’re boarding the island!"

Chen Che announced decisively.