Chapter 153. The Legendary Three Immortal Islands, a Ship Riding on Purple Qi

The three islands appeared close together, but they were actually extremely distant from each other. The officials received the news immediately and brought various instruments to investigate, only to discover that a mysterious force shrouding the islands prevented any further probing.

For safety's sake, they didn't send helicopters or fighter jets to survey the area, suspecting there could be living beings present on the island. As for whether they were friend or foe, it remained to be seen.

Of course, the officials chose not to hide this news but made it public instead. The advent of the New Era meant more bizarre phenomena would appear in the future. By making such a bizarre sight public, the people could easily adapt to more bizarre phenomena in the future.

Once news of the three islands was revealed, it immediately garnered attention and sparked heated discussions online; everyone speculated about the origins of those three islands. Eventually, someone posted a theory that these were very likely the legendary Three Immortal Islands.

According to ancient records, the Bohai Sea harbored islands where immortal beings lived.

During the Qin Dynasty, the First Emperor dispatched Alchemist Xu Fu with three thousand boys and girls to seek the elixir of immortality. The three most famous immortal islands were Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang.

The idea that immortals lived on those islands piqued the people's curiosity, and many rushed over, wanting to see whether there were truly immortals on them.

Soon, many Awakened gathered before the Bohai Sea. They whipped out their phones to record and film the strange phenomenon.

Some level-headed people believed these so-called immortals could just be Awakened, and it remained to be seen if the appearance of the Three Immortal Islands was a blessing or a disaster waiting to happen.

The officials understood the gravity of the situation and dispatched troops to maintain order. They forbade people from venturing out to sea, as they had yet to determine whether the Three Immortal Islands could be considered good news or bad news.

Elder Ji and Elder Yun held multiple meetings and referenced vast amounts of data to draw conclusions. In the end, they concluded that the islands could truly be the legendary Three Immortal Islands.

They knew nothing more than that. They wanted to discuss it with Lu Yuan, but he was in seclusion, so they had to let it be for now. Until then, they planned to monitor the three islands closely.

At Mount Tai Trials Academy, Jiang Ningxian also learned of this matter, and her face became solemn. "Uncle Jiang, the reappearance of the Three Immortal Islands means the Separation of Heaven and Earth has gotten even weaker. The Great Age has become infinitely closer to us."

Jiang Ningxian raised her head to gaze at the sky as if watching something. Though she knew what was inside, she paid it little mind. In her eyes, the appearance of the Three Immortal Islands was merely an omen.

"I've also received news from our side," Uncle Jiang said, "Our people from the Ancestral Star have already set out and are halfway here. However, the first to arrive in the Milky Way Starfield should be the Celestial Race, followed by the people from the Ji Clan.

"Additionally, great clans from the Eternal Starfield and the Sukhāvatī Starfield have departed."

Uncle Jiang frowned upon naming several prominent starfields. The Milky Way Starfield was where this world was located.

"It seems all the top one hundred starfields have set out, all converging on this place. Just as Father had said, this great age has never been seen in millions of years," Jiang Ningxian remarked, lowering her head.

Although the starfields were incredibly distant, they had methods of traversing the universe. Even though the journey would take time, it wouldn't be

that

long, especially when the Separation of Heaven and Earth was weakening here.

"The Great Age..." Uncle Jiang pondered those words. "Can our Jiang Clan truly forge our own, brilliant path during the Great Age?"

"Who knows?" Jiang Ningxian raised her elegant brows. "We'll do our best. Until the very end, no one can know for sure."

Uncle Jiang nodded without continuing the conversation. Instead, he asked, "What about the Three Immortal Islands? Will the people inside affect our plans?"

The meaning behind his words was simple. Since the Jiang Clan had decided to collaborate with the officials of Huaxia, they couldn't allow any threat to their lives.

Hence, Uncle Jiang wondered if they ought to do something.

"They're just a bunch of gutless cowards," Jiang Ningxian said in disdain. "With Lu Yuan present, they won't stir up any waves."

"Saintess, you value that Lu Yuan so highly?" Uncle Jiang remarked, stunned.

Even setting aside their own clan, there were many prodigies among the top one hundred starfields. Despite that, the Saintess paid exceptional attention to Lu Yuan.

"Uncle Jiang, you don't understand it," Jiang Ningxian said, smiling mysteriously. "Lu Yuan is still only at the Unfettered Realm, yet he can defeat those at the Golden Body Realm. What does that mean?"

After hearing that, Uncle Jiang fell into deep contemplation. What was the meaning of that?

It meant Lu Yuan had shattered quite a few genetic shackles while being strong enough to ignore the difference between realms. Someone like him would be a prodigy, even among the powerful starfields. Given the right opportunity, he'd transform into a true dragon.

To make matters even more astonishing, Lu Yuan grew up in this world.

Uncle Jiang fell silent.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ningxian sat cross-legged and closed her eyes. With each breath she drew, light rose and heaved within her. Her clothes also billowed out, making her look as if she would ascend to the heavens at any moment.

At the same time, Lu Yuan sat cross-legged with his vital qi surging. Dense, scorching aura emanated from him, pervading the chamber. His surging golden vital qi swirled around him as well, making his entire form as radiant as the sun.

The training chamber became extremely hot, as if a volcano was inside. Fortunately, he wore the Primordial Qi Robe; otherwise, he would have been reduced to his birthday suit by now.

The Bloodforce Pagoda and the Great Sun's Flame Divine Furnace were no longer inside him, but an even more profound power was gradually manifesting inside him.

After many days of seclusion, he had completely fused the two divine artifacts and assimilated them at once. However, he still needed some time if he wanted to make them coexist with his physique and vital qi.

Once he succeeded, the increase in strength wouldn't be that big, but what mattered to him was the changes to his physique by then. It would be a bodily reformation—a metamorphosis that would strengthen his foundation even more.

The Great Sun's Flame Divine Furnace was even more powerful than he had anticipated. It was no wonder Jiang Ningxian called it a

supreme

treasure.

Lu Yuan knew that tempering one's physique required patience and had to be taken step by step. He couldn't be anxious in the process and had to strive for perfection in every step, which would allow him to go even further beyond on the path of evolution.

With that in mind, he emptied his mind and focused on shattering more genetic shackles and manifesting more grotto-heavens instead of tempering his physique. The Great Age was nigh, after all, and time was running short.

He needed to be prepared to face the Great Age.

***

A small coastal city stood by the shore of the Bohai Sea. During the old era, it housed many people, but the civilians here were forced to relocate after the Global Awakening.

The decision made sense. After all, the city was a remote place, and the ferocity of mutated sea beasts rivaled those on land—no, they were even more ruthless and fierce at times.

Today, a temporary military base was installed in the city. Soldiers patrolled the perimeter, and the majority of them were Awakened. The officials had been cultivating more and more Awakened these days. Some of them became a part of the Aurora Academy, while others joined the armed forces of the nation.

They knew that they couldn't rely on ordinary people alone to maintain order, so they had been slowly replacing the ordinary soldiers of the old era with Awakened soldiers. Of course, it was a slow process that demanded a lot of time.

Regardless, the nation was growing stronger day by day.

People stood on the beach of the small city, gazing into the distance. The Northern Emperor, the Ice Fairy, and Chunyang stood at the helm, while the rest were elite students from the Aurora Academy.

Zhu Qingyu and Monk Huikong were absent.

On the distant horizon, purple qi steamed upward, and radiant light filled the sky, dyeing the clouds in the same purple hue. Beneath the purple qi was the silhouette of three islands; it was a surreal sight.

"Senior Gu, what do you think? Are there really people on those islands?" the Ice Fairy asked, her voice carrying curiosity and solemnity.

Senior Gu was the Northern Emperor; his true name was Gu Sang. At this point, no one called him "Northern Emperor" anymore. In fact, the Ice Fairy followed Zhu Qingyu's example by addressing him as "senior[1]."

"I have no idea, but someone took pictures of a few immortal cranes flying across those islands. Even if there aren't people there, there should be other living beings," Gu Sang said.

Chunyang nodded in agreement.

Thanks to their excellent talent, the three reached the Awakened Realm, making them the cream of the crop. Elder Ji dispatched them to monitor the Three Immortal Islands, allowing them to handle any emergencies.

However, nothing was happening so far. Without receiving any orders to take a closer look, they could only stand on the shore and observe from afar.

"Senior Gu, Senior Ji, something is happening!" a student shouted, pointing into the distance.

Everyone's hearts jumped as they stared wide-eyed at the distant horizon. In the distance, a massive ship slowly crept closer while riding on what looked like waves of purple qi.

The ship wasn't a modern one; it was constructed entirely from wood. Of course, the wood was anything but ordinary, appearing extremely sturdy and durable.

Several enormous sails caught the wind, propelling it toward the mainland.

"A ship riding on purple qi... Are there actually immortals out here?" someone asked with a shocked face.

"Immortals? If they were immortals, why would they need a ship? Wouldn't they fly on swords instead?" Chunyang retorted, shaking his head. He knew the immortals spoken of in ancient times could be compared to modern-day Awakened. Flight required a certain degree of evolution. The people on that ship clearly hadn't reached such a level, but since they were from the Three Immortal Islands, they were certainly not ordinary beings.

The Ice Fairy notified the officials while the others waited. The temporary military base received the news and immediately reinforced them. Some set up a line of defenses while others brought in vehicles.

Chunyang and the other two stood at the very front.

As the strongest present, they commanded the troops behind them, serving as the temporary base's commanders.

Everyone stared intently at the approaching ship. They were prepared for a battle. After all, no one knew whether they were friends or foes. In fact, they were not even certain if those beings were human.

As time ticked by, the ship drew even closer to land.

Gu Sang walked forward with the Ice Fairy and Chunyang.

"Stop right there! Please declare your identity before coming ashore!" he shouted.

Their voices echoed loudly, but those on the ship seemed like they couldn't hear them. The ship continued straight ahead, seemingly ignoring their presence.

The three frowned at the sight but withheld the order to attack. They dispatched a patrol boat to contact those on the ship, but before the patrol boat could come close, a purple-robed figure suddenly appeared at the ship's bow.

The purple-robed figure raised a hand, and the calm sea surface generated a wave that capsized the patrol boat. At the same time, the massive ship rushed forward, going full steam ahead toward the mainland!

1. In this case, the word senior is 学长. Like how you would call an older schoolmate ☜