A crystal mountain thirty thousand meters tall whistled through the air and smashed down on the two giant zombies. The inner sea shook as well, but in a different way from the last time.
When the floating isle had previously moved, it’d been when the six unholy terrors had displayed their prowess with their crystal mountains. Innumerable formations on the floating peak, together with the formation that’d returned to its origins, had borne the brunt of that power. Though it had indeed crashed into the inner sea in the end, it hadn’t been too affected otherwise.
This time around, the Deaf Prince unleashed the mountain’s full power. Dazzling white light blossomed on its surface, illuminating the entire inner sea. Unimpeded by formations, the crystal mountain rammed into the ocean with irresistible force and momentum.
Massive waves arose from the impact, washing all directions with immense surges of water. They quickly converged into a mighty flood, submerging all of Levitating Island. Compared to the moment of the floating peak’s demise, the crystal mountain’s impact was a far more cataclysmic happening.
The floating peak, Levitating Island, and the inner sea formed a single whole, so no lasting damage had been inflicted on the inner sea the last time. However, the crystal mountain being used to attack now was a different entity entirely. Refined into an immortal treasure, its exceptional weight had been augmented by the inexhaustible energy of heaven and earth contained within.
But its power didn’t stop there. On top of that, it could also bestir the local power of the land.
Their bodies far too enormous to dodge in time, the two giant zombies were sent howling piteously into the water. Before one could even blink, Levitating Island was no more.
When he’d smashed Jiangchen Wushang’s great formation, the Deaf Prince hadn’t called upon his crystal mountain’s true power. He hadn’t summoned the power of the land, either, but simply used the weight of the treasure itself to flatten a dao realm zombie.
However, not daring to run any risk against two zombies born from corpse coffins, the prince had immediately deployed the strongest force available to him. A gentle radiance shone from the silver box in the prince’s hand, shielding Lu Yun and company.
“The power of the world…. This is the World Chest!” Inside the Scroll of Shepherding Immortals, Empress Myrtlestar recognized the swell of tender energy: the World Chest.
According to legend, the chest contained an entire world inside. It was a peerless, legendary treasure even in the ancient times. The empress herself had never come into possession of it, but she could still recognize its signature energy.
……
It took an interminably long time for quiet to finally return to the vast inner sea. In contrast, Levitating Island was certifiably, completely ruined.
All of the cities on the island and various congregation sites had been reduced to broken chunks and worthless scraps. Thankfully, all of the island’s inhabitants were either cultivators or immortals; there had been no ordinary mortals embroiled in the battle. Caught in the deluge, the cultivators had all escaped via sword flight, so no one had been too severely injured.
In contrast, the island itself had been wrecked. The underground veins, mountains and rivers, flora and terrain, including mines and life points, had all been destroyed by the flood. The island’s life force and immortal energies were scattered, making it inhospitable even after the waters receded.
When Lu Yun’s group finally struggled back to the island, all they saw was ruin and devastation.
“The sacred land of the monster spirits was destroyed, just like that?” The little fox poked her head out of Qing Han’s clothes, her watery blue eyes full of shock and confusion.
“Miao?” Su Xiaoxiao said subconsciously, a little startled by the sudden sight of the creature.
“You know me?” the fox asked, blinking at her with puzzlement.
Lu Yun glanced at the little creature, astonishment writ large over his face. He flipped through the relevant part of Su Xiaoxiao’s memories, at long last grasping the identity of this fox that was missing part of her soul and liked to act silly and play cute all day long.
“I do.” Su Xiaoxiao nodded, a little thunderstruck. “In the past, I received orders from the immortal emperor and visited the sacred land of the monster spirits to heal their gravely injured ancestor.”
She carefully examined the fox in Qing Han’s arms, then unequivocally declared, “You haven’t changed at all after all these years. Even the way you look at me is still the same.”
“Who am I?” The fox slipped out of Qing Han’s arms, but looked back reluctantly, as if unwilling to leave the disguised girl’s embrace.
Qing Han couldn’t help but smile wryly, then steal a glance at Lu Yun. Sure enough… there was a hint of jealousy in the young man’s eyes. Empress Myrtlestar is right. Although Lu Yun hasn’t yet noticed I’m a woman, his subconscious is fully aware of that fact and he treats me like one.
Su Xiaoxiao looked around her, making sure there was no one else in the barren surroundings before murmuring, “Who would’ve thought that the monster ancestor who founded their sacred land would be a small fox that can never grow old….”
“Wha?!” The fox stared agog, while Qing Han and Diexi were similarly stunned.
Monster ancestor? This little fox was the ancestor of the monster spirits?!
The ancestor whose secrets could allegedly be found on Levitating Island, the one the fox persistently chased after… turns out to be herself? Wait, so this means the monster ancestor’s still alive?
Well, the fox had indeed died at one point. Not during the ancient era, but after the great immortal war! In fact, the past events that the little fox could vaguely remember were all from the current era, and not from the far-flung past.
Empress Myrtlestar also found this hard to swallow. She’d met the monster ancestor in the past, since that august personage had been one of her rare peers in the world of immortals. But she remembered the ancestor as a stunningly handsome man. Clad in white, a longsword rested on his hip as he loftily surveyed the world. He’d captivated and entranced countless women. Meanwhile, the little fox in front of her… was female.
“You’re saying that… I’m the ancestor of monster spirits?” the fox asked weakly, her eyes blinking rapidly.
“Correct.” Su Xiaoxiao nodded gently. “But it appeared that you’d suffered an attack from a time manipulation art. Your life and cultivation both regressed, and it was impossible for you to ever grow older. When I first saw you, you were a golden immortal, just like you are now.”
In the past, she would’ve never divulged the ancestor’s affairs so carelessly. But the ancient age was just a distant memory now. Everything was just words inked in history books. The monster ancestor, together with the ancestor’s friendships and enmities, were all long buried in the long river of time.
The fox looked vacantly at Lu Yun, but he gently shook his head.
“Then what’s the deal with the ancestor’s tomb?” The fox swiftly darted on top of Lu Yun’s head and looked very solemnly at Su Xiaoxiao.
According to many records unearthed from ancient tombs, the tomb located in the monster spirits’ sacred land was said to be the resting place of the monster ancestor, after his death in the ancient era before the immortal war.
In those times, the monster spirits were one of the major races at the top of the immortal world. However, the tribe sharply declined after their ancestor’s passing, ultimately devolving into evil and untoward degenerates.
“One part of your ethereal and corporeal soul is buried inside.” Su Xiaoxiao thought for a moment. “You buried it yourself. As for what happened after that, I’m not sure either. It must have happened after my d—hmm.”
She’d almost reinforced the fact that she’d come back to life. It was better for such things to remain a secret.
In fact, Myriad Returns City had been born from the Myriad Returns Formation that the small fox had created back in the day. She’d combined the dao of illusions with that of formations, refining the illusory into reality.