Boom! Boom! Boom!
After the earth-shattering teleportation light and sound ceased, Ye Chen opened his eyes to find himself and nine others from the Fourth Sea Island now standing within a new realm.
"Is this the 'Central Giant Isle'?"
Upon arriving in this new realm, Ye Chen's divine sense and vision immediately swept around, enveloping a thirty-mile radius. Astonished, he took in the entirety of their surroundings.
Below his feet was an unbelievably gigantic lotus leaf, its size measuring thousands of feet in diameter.
The lotus leaf floated on the surface of an azure blue lake, and looking further afield, he could see more equally immense lotus leaves drifting not far away.
One vast lotus leaf after another floated upon the azure blue ripples, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
It was impossible to know how vast the lake was or how many giant lotus leaves it contained.
"Such enormous lotus leaves?"
"Good heavens, these lotus leaves are extraordinarily huge, thousands of feet in diameter! Standing on them feels as if we're on solid ground. I've never seen such massive lotus leaves before!"
"Is this really the 'Central Giant Isle'? Were we transported here, to the very place where the Legacy Treasure lies within this lake?"
"Didn't they say we'd be united with people from other islands upon being transported to the Central Giant Isle? Why don't I see anyone from other islands?"
Just as those initially teleported to the giant lotus leaf were marveling at their entrance to this new realm, amid a series of "boom, boom, boom" glowing flares, another group of ten from a different island also arrived upon this same lotus leaf.
These ten, just like Ye Chen's group, were taken aback at the sight of the immense lotus leaves and the water of the azure lake below, gazing around in astonishment and starting to discuss among themselves.
The moment these ten appeared, followed by more groups being transmitted. As streaks of light flickered, ten batches in total, representing the qualified individuals from ten islands, arrived on this enormous lotus leaf spanning thousands of feet.
"Jiang Yao!"
While more people continued to arrive on the lotus leaf, Ye Chen kept an eye out for the newcomers. When he spotted Jiang Yao among the fifth group of ten, clad in her pale yellow garments, he joyfully flew straight toward the girl.
Ye Chen had been worried about Jiang Yao's welfare on the other islands, and seeing her safely arrive and reunite with him at last eased his anxious heart.
"Ye Chen!" Jiang Yao also noticed him; a smile bloomed like pear blossoms across the delicate features of her face.
She too had been concerned for Ye Chen; the feeling of being separated on different islands while venturing through such a bizarre ancient tomb had been unsettling.
Finally.
Now, the two were reunited on the Central Isle's vast lotus leaf!
From here on, no matter the challenges, they would face them together!
"How are you doing, were there any problems? Which island were you on?" When Ye Chen reached Jiang Yao, he immediately drew her into his embrace, inhaling her delicate fragrance, feeling a profound sense of tranquility.
Being held like this, Jiang Yao's fair cheeks flushed with a touch of shyness. She lifted her chin slightly, looking up at Ye Chen, "I'm fine, luckily the sisters from the Moon Concealing Sect took good care of me. I was on the Eighth Sea Island, Ye Chen, which one were you on? How have you been this past month?"
The words of the golden demon carp directed everyone's gaze towards the azure blue lake.
While everyone inspected the lake, the demon carp issued a series of mocking laughs, just like a human, then continued, "The legacy treasures of Azure Blue Lake are not so easy to come by."
"You've just been teleported here, and you probably don't know that, aside from the lotus leaf you're standing on, you can't go anywhere else!"
The words of the demon carp left many in disbelief. Some tried to fly from the lotus leaf to the outside, only to find, as if blocked by a massive barrier, no matter how hard they tried, they could not escape the confines of the lotus leaf!
This lotus leaf, spanning thousands of yards, was their only realm of activity, including even a thousand yards up in the sky where a barrier similarly prevented escape.
After one person attempted the feat, the others also tried their luck, including the strongest among them, such as Ye Chen, Fairy Nishang, Liu Yan, and the others.
In the end, everyone found that they were truly constrained to this giant lotus leaf.
Apart from the few like Ye Chen who had real trump cards they had not yet played, and therefore remained somewhat calm, everyone else's expressions grew grave.
After all, this feeling of being constantly manipulated by others was far from pleasant!
Seeing the ninety-three people testing their limits, the golden demon carp chuckled mockingly, "This 'Azure Blue Lake' was personally created by the master of the tomb, the great Heavenly Saint Lord, over three thousand years ago. Naturally, you will have to act according to the Heavenly Saint Lord's arrangements."
"If you want to obtain the legacy treasures from the Azure Blue Lake, there is a way for you to leave the lotus leaf and enter the lake to seek treasures. Now, listen carefully to how you can do this!"
Upon hearing the golden demon carp's words, everyone on the giant lotus leaf perked up their ears.
"Out of the ninety-three of you, I will only allow fifty to leave the lotus leaf and enter the lake to seek treasures. Similarly, after a month passes, these fifty qualified treasure seekers will be transported to another realm, continuing to seek treasures in other parts of the central giant island."
"As for the remaining forty-three, lacking the qualifications to enter the lake and proceed to the next realm, you can stay obediently on this lotus leaf!"
Buzz!
Only fifty people are eligible to seek treasures?!
This caused the faces of many on the giant lotus leaf to shift visibly.
At that moment, a half-Whirling Dan member of the Flame Sect on the lotus leaf asked, "Great Golden Carp, how will these fifty be selected?"
The opportunity to enter the lake to seek treasures and proceed to the next realm was something nobody on the lotus leaf wanted to miss.
After all, they were strong individuals who had fought their way into the central giant island from the outer islands; naturally, none wished to fall behind upon entering the central giant island and end up with nothing on the lotus leaf!
"How will the fifty be chosen?" the golden demon carp chuckled, "That, of course, is for you to decide!"
"You may fight amongst yourselves on the lotus leaf, you may opt for open nomination, I do not care; whoever can subdue the others naturally qualifies for the fifty treasure-seeking spots!"
"I will not interfere with how you seize the opportunity to enter the lake. In an hour, I will come back to see the outcome, and then one by one, I will allow you to enter the lake!"
After finishing its speech, the golden demon carp no longer paid attention to the crowd. With a flip of its mighty tail, it rolled back into the Azure Blue Lake.
Boom!
At this moment, the ninety-three individuals on the scene were plunged into utter silence, with many casting unfriendly looks at each other.