[Vol. 6] Chapter 243: Spirit Veil Immortal Island and the Vanished Friend
“What the hell… is that…?”
Having just fought a [Beast of Chaos] in a bizarre, otherworldly place, the priestess had finally managed to escape and return to the real world. But as she lifted her head, she was stunned by the colossal shadow looming over the sky.
It had a structured form, yet it completely blocked out the sky above [Mirror Valley]. Just by eyeing its size, she could tell it had a radius of over ten kilometers, even larger than the [Beast of Chaos] she had just battled. This thing was truly a behemoth, one that darkened the entire sky.
But strangely enough. It was floating at an altitude of at least ten thousand meters.
It was a flying object.
Its shape somewhat resembled the UFOs from old Earth myths. A not-quite-perfect oval. From her position below, she could only see its smooth, conical underside.
At that moment, the silver pillar of light rising from the core of [Mirror Valley]’s sealing array, the [Seal of Heaven and Earth], seemed to connect seamlessly with a depression at the very bottom of the floating structure, as if it had been designed to dock perfectly.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thinner beams of light shot up from four different directions outside [Mirror Valley], embedding themselves into various parts of the flying object.
These must be the array nodes that Ling Feng had mentioned before, the ones set up by the Four Nations outside the valley.
“So… this is what they were for…?”
Hmm… If she had to compare, the scene really looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. As if an alien mothership had arrived and was now siphoning some sort of precious energy straight from the earth’s core.
But honestly… if it weren’t for the dense metallic engravings covering the iron-gray surface of the structure, as well as the unmistakable metallic sheen, Violet would have assumed it was something similar to the floating islands of the Azure Sky Kingdom.
However, it was clearly not an island.
Wait. An island…?
The black-haired girl suddenly froze.
“Wait, wait… No way… This thing… don’t tell me…”
Just as the priestess was reeling from the crazy theory that had just popped into her head, the massive “island” above suddenly lit up, its underside bursting into brilliant white light!
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
Violet watched everything unfold before her eyes.
From the opened hatches beneath the massive structure, rows upon rows of strange cannons emerged. Unleashing a widespread barrage of firepower!
Countless streaks of light shot out like a meteor shower, scattering in every direction rather than concentrating on a single point.
Only about 20% of the shots actually landed around the outer perimeter of [Mirror Valley], causing massive, deafening explosions that shook the land.
“Uwaaah…”
The priestess was starting to realize exactly where all those blazing projectiles were headed.
This was absolutely insane!
Could someone please explain why a world like the [Ancient Spirit Realm], filled with old and mystical traditions, suddenly had something that completely shattered its aesthetic?
…Whatever.
Whether or not reality matched her expectations, the most important thing right now was to regroup with her allies.
With chaos already unfolding everywhere, Violet no longer hesitated about using her SP to scan the area, even if it might draw unwanted attention.
She instantly expanded her spiritual perception, allowing it to sweep across the entire [Mirror Valley].
Images flashed before her eyes. Within moments, she grasped the overall situation.
A significant number of people who had participated in the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony], or had ties to it, had already retreated to safety.
Some were receiving medical treatment at their designated strongholds. Others were still engaged in battle against a seemingly endless horde of demons, which had appeared out of nowhere.
While many individuals were still unaccounted for, the battlefield itself remained relatively stable.
Especially after that overwhelming bombardment from the floating structure, which she still didn’t know whether to call an island or a planet-killing warship, the endless tide of demonic creatures had finally been suppressed.
This allowed the Four Nations’ armies and powerful cultivators to catch their breath and hold their defensive lines.
Not that they could turn the tide and completely annihilate the enemy, but as long as no new unforeseen events occurred, the frontlines wouldn’t collapse anytime soon.
As for the strongest among the demonic forces, it seemed that powerful warriors from various factions had already stepped forward to challenge them directly.
Among those fighting on the battlefield, Violet could recognize quite a few familiar figures, such as Peach Blossom Sage and several Cangyun Twelve Peak Lords.
She also spotted warriors from the [Ancient Spirit Realm]’s Top 100, some of whom had previously appeared to deal with those massive teleportation gates.
But what truly shocked Violet was the increasing number of fox-eared figures pouring out of the massive flying ship, including Ming Lianyun and Ming Lianxin.
Their individual strength was ridiculously high. Almost none of them were below the [Seeker of Immortality] level.
And the moment they entered the battlefield, they instantly became the dominant force, taking on the frontlines and holding back the relentless demonic assaults with overwhelming power.
Seeing these beings, the ones called the Spirit Veil Tribe, confirmed Violet’s earlier suspicions.
“So it really is… Spirit Veil Immortal Island. That name is so misleading…”
There was no doubt anymore.
The legendary Spirit Veil Immortal Island, the mythical sanctuary, revered as a place beyond mortal reach, the very symbol of enlightenment, had finally revealed itself at the end of the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony].
Just as they had declared to the world.
That’s right.
This massive super UFO was the so-called Spirit Veil Immortal Island.
This was likely the first time in a thousand years that the island had shown its true form in the [Ancient Spirit Realm].
Until now, no one had known exactly what the island actually looked like.
Any descriptions of this holy land had only existed in ancient texts from the previous era.
Violet had searched through and studied various records in the past, but to be honest, all of them were frustratingly vague.
Things like, "Its form is like the clouds that veil the sky, unseen by ordinary eyes, only visible to those destined." Or "Wherever it appears, a thousand rays of divine light follow, dimming even the stars, shifting day into night and turning the seasons upside down."
…Seriously, what kind of nonsense was that?
Who Could Have Understood This…?
Even Violet had trouble making sense of it all.
According to Bai'er, who had once set foot on Spirit Veil Immortal Island, she had never actually seen the full form of the so-called "island."
From what she described, after the [Four Saints' Immortal Selection Ceremony] ended, an Immortal Envoy representing the island would lead the victors to a special location.
There, a beam of light would descend from the sky.
Anyone who stepped into that light would be teleported directly inside Spirit Veil Immortal Island.
However, as outsiders, they were not allowed to wander freely on the island.
Most of the time, they stayed inside specific buildings, focusing on their training. If they needed to travel to different areas, they could only do so through those mysterious beams of light.
From the few windows that provided a glimpse of the outside, Bai'er could barely make out that they seemed to be somewhere high above the clouds.
Even Violet, in all her experiences, had never imagined that this so-called immortal island was actually a massive high-tech flying fortress or rather a giant starship.
No wonder it could vanish without a trace, coming and going as it pleased.
No wonder that even during the [Demon Rebellion] a thousand years ago, nothing had been able to touch it.
Though now that it had finally revealed itself, most people in the [Ancient Spirit Realm] with their current level of understanding. Probably wouldn’t even be able to comprehend what a flying vessel was.
Letting go of her expression as if she had seen Godzilla in the real world, Violet took a moment to regain her composure.
She shifted her gaze away from the starship, which had just finished a barrage of attacks and was now glowing mysteriously, seemingly preparing for something unknown.
Regardless of what Spirit Veil Immortal Island truly was, or why it had taken a form so out of place in this world, one thing was certain. It was fighting alongside the [Ancient Spirit Realm] against the demons.
Since it was an ally, there was no need to rush into figuring out its secrets just yet. There was a more urgent issue at hand.
Where Are They?
When Violet spread her spiritual perception outward, it expanded across nearly a hundred kilometers.
Nothing was hidden from her view. Except for one thing.
Her perception couldn’t penetrate that flying island, as if it were blocked by some special force. Still, everywhere else was clear to her.
She found Murong Yun and the other two, who had successfully returned through the teleportation gate.
She found Ling Feng, Bai'er, and other commanders, all busy leading their forces against the demons.
She even caught a glimpse of the shocked expressions on the enemy leaders, who were clearly not expecting this turn of events.
But two people were missing. The two people she cared about. There was no sign of Xiao Kong or Hen. Neither alive nor dead.
“That’s strange…”
The priestess furrowed her brows deeply.
At a time like this. Why would they suddenly disappear together?