644 Dumbfounded

"Crack."

The array of Yingzhou Island cracked open and several people got in. The first one was a middle-aged man who was holding an astrolabe. The astrolabe was made of silver and there were a lot of black gems on it which corresponded to the position of the stars. Looking from afar, they were enveloped in a silver white aura.

Zhang Ran said, "Phew, we're finally in. The array is terrifying. I thought I was going to be torn to pieces."

The other disciples of the Black Water Sect were also frightened and even Xiao Wu's face was blanched.

The middle-aged man said, "The Lord of the East House was as superior as a Sky Immortal, right after the Ancestral Patriarchs of the sects. He worked with eighteen Mortal Deities to build this terrifying array. Without this astrolabe passed down from the Earth Level Deities, the power of the array would have killed us all already."

His name was Yan Jingchao, one of the two Immortal State Warriors of the Black Water Sect.

Yan Jingchao glanced at the astrolabe and found that there was a long crack on it. It would be shattered after one more use.

"Fortunately, we're only planning to come in here once. We'll leave immediately after getting the Spirit Stones," Yan Jingchao thought.

"Dad, the Spirit Qi here is as dense as in our realm and it's so beautiful. Why did the Earth Level Deities leave back then?"

Xiao Wu opened her arms and took a deep breath.

Zhang Ran chuckled and said, "Xiao Wu, you didn't know about this. When the Battle of Deities broke out, countless Sky Immortals and Gods caused severe destruction and changes in the world. Many cultivation sects thought they couldn't stay in this world any longer, so they escaped into the Gate of Heaven. Yingzhou Island is good indeed, but it isn't as vast as our realm."

"Alright, cut the crap! We have to get to the center of the island and find the Spirit Stone Mine quickly. Remember, there are a lot of fierce beasts left here. You must stay close to me at all times," Yan Jingchao frowned and said.

People from the Black Water Sect were famous for the ability to control the Black Water.

The disciples cast a spell which created a wave as they hurried towards Yingzhou Island. After reaching the shore, they found that there were a lot of Spirit Beasts.

"Bang!"

The girl in the red dress lashed the silver wolf with a black long whip. The wolf was four meters long, as large as a tiger, and its hair was silver white. After being attacked, it got up again with no injuries and it sent out a silver light ray.

"Be careful. It's a descendant of the Moon Wolf. Even though it seems a bit weak, it's a beast after all and is comparable to a Transcendent State Cultivator."

Yan Jingchao blocked the silver light ray with his hand and cast a spell.

"Whoosh!"

A sturdy, black water dragon was formed in the air and it wrapped the giant wolf tightly. The wolf howled with fright and was then crushed into pieces.

"Thanks, Dad," Xiao Wu smiled and said, "Dad's 'Black Water Dragon Art' has become more powerful."

"This is only a normal beast. I'm no match for an Immortal State Beast if we encounter one." Yan Jingchao shook his head.

The other disciples of the Black Water Sect looked around anxiously.

They encountered many beasts along the way. They would have died if Yan Jingchao wasn't there to protect them.

"I heard that Xuan Luo and Snow Fairy went to places like the Sword Palace in Mount Shu, the Qin Mountain and the ancient city in the West Desert, to look for the treasures of the Earth Level Deities and Sky Immortals. Only us from a small sect have to come here for the Spirit Stone Mine," a disciple mumbled.

"You should be glad. Even Earth Level Deities might die when they go to places like the Sword Palace in Mount Shu. It's already a blessing to have found a Spirit Stone Mine," another disciple said.

They kept fighting with the beasts as they went forward; eventually there were no more beasts to be found.

"Phew, looks like there aren't any Immortal State Beasts on the island."

Yan Jingchao was relieved.

"Sthh."

Then, they walked out of the forest and reached an open area. There were many walls that were dozens of meters tall, as if it were a giant's palace. Unfortunately, the palace had been destroyed and only the ruins were left.

"This must be the place where the Earth Level Deities gathered back then."

Yan Jingchao and the disciples were in awe.

"During the heyday of Yingzhou Island, there were Sky Immortals and dozens of Earth Level Deities here, even more than in our realm. So, we can see that the Cultivation Realm truly thrived in the past," Zhang Ran said.

"Let's see if the stele is still there. Once we find it, we'll be close to the Spirit Stone Mine," the middle-aged man said.

They kept walking down the road towards the center of the island. There were many blurry paintings on the walls around them, which depicted spectacular events of the Sages and the disciples of the Black Water Sect were all envious.

"Dad, there's a cute giant leopard!"

Xiao Wu yelled with excitement.

Yan Jingchao turned around and was instantly frightened.

A black, five-meter leopard was lying and yawning on one of the walls, and there seemed to be sparks in his eyes.

"A Thunder Beast. This is an Immortal State Thunder Beast."

Yan Jingchao turned pale.

An Immortal State Beast!

The disciples were all terrified. Nobody was stronger than the legendary Spirit Beasts, even in the Realm of Deities. Besides, once the Spirit Beasts entered the Immortal State, they would have mastered different divine powers and were as powerful as the cultivators of the same level.

"Luckily, there's only one. I believe we can deal with it with our powers."

Yan Jingchao then noticed a giant snake winding around the pole. The snake was about sixty meters long, and was white and clear like ice.

"Another Immortal State Beast?"

Everyone was terrified.

But it was only the beginning. They soon discovered that there were also an old turtle and a Pegasus.

"A black turtle, a Pegasus… Oh God! There are four Immortal State Beasts on Yingzhou Island!" Everyone froze.

Then, the Thunder Beast yawned and signaled them to follow with its paw.

Immortal State Beasts were highly intelligent.

They had no choice but to follow them. Yan Jingchao sent out his Immortal Will on their way and said, "When I get a chance, I'll release the 'Divine Thunder' of the Heavenly Thunder Sect and attack one of the beasts. Then, all of you run away immediately… I'll meet you at the entrance."

Zhang Ran and the others nodded.

Tears welled up in Xiao Wu's eyes.

Even Xuan Luo and Tian Mingzi would also be at a loss if they were to encounter those four Immortal State Beasts.

Soon, a cloud-capped black gold stele appeared in front of them, but what astonished them was the man and the bird sitting down there.

Zhang Ran thought they were the only ones on Yingzhou Island but there were in fact other people living there.

They were stunned by what they saw.

A young man in a white shirt sat near the stele lazily with a pile of black stones next to him, while a bit further from him stood a giant bird as tall as three men. The giant bird saw the young man closing his eyes and thought that he was asleep. It tried to take away one of the stones silently but was slapped by the young man every single time.

"Another Immortal State Beast and… Spirit Stones?"

Yan Jingchao's eyes popped out and he stared at the pile of black stones.

Zhang Ran and the others were also excited. They had never seen such a large amount of Spirit Stones in their lives. That pile of Spirit Stones in front of them was enough to buy the entire Black Water Sect.

"Crack!"

Something that broke their hearts happened.

The young man picked up a Spirit Stone and threw it to the giant bird next to him. The bird jumped up and ate the stone. It then screamed with joy, rubbing itself against the young man like a pet.

"What a waste! Doesn't he know that a Spirit Stone is worth an inferior-grade Dharma Artifact in our realm?" Everyone was enraged.

Yan Jingchao was startled.

Being able to tame more than one Immortal State Beast, the young man's power must be beyond their imagination.

"I'm Yan Jingchao from the Black Water Sect and these are our disciples. Which sect are you from?" Yan Jingchao bowed and asked.

Chen Fan didn't answer and he picked up a random Spirit Stone.

After crushing the black Spirit Stone, a pure Spirit Qi twined around Chen Fan's body and turned into flames, making his body shine like emeralds and producing golden threads.

Yan Jingchao and the disciples immediately became respectful.

Only a high-level Earth Level Deity could use Spirit Fire to refine his body, so that the Spirit Body could reach the maximum level and turn to a Golden Core Body.

"The Black Water Sect? I've never heard of it."

The young man in the white shirt shook his head.

Yan Jingchao was stunned. Even though the Black Water Sect wasn't as superior as the Azure Mystic Sect and the Snow God Palace, at least they had two Immortal State Warriors and ruled a city. Any Earth Level Deity should have heard about it.

While Yan Jingchao was about to explain, the young man said.

"I'm Chen Beixuan. This is the base of the North Qiong Sect. What are you doing here?"

"What? Chen Beixuan? The North Qiong Sect?"

Yan Jingchao and the others were dumbfounded.