Chapter 289: The Mysterious Yinyin Island

Judging from the gains this time, the master of this spacetime of lingering obsession was undoubtedly Mister Bai.

Now that his obsession has been completely resolved, I'll likely find myself in a different location the next time I enter the Fallen Immortal Realm.

I wonder what encounters await me then.

Looking back, it seemed that being trapped within the same spacetime in the Fallen Immortal Realm was, in fact, a rare opportunity.

If one only had a single attempt, unable to repeatedly strategize and uncover the various clues hidden within the spacetime, it would likely be extremely difficult to obtain such abundant rewards.

Of course, the prerequisite was being able to escape the trap of the endless cycle.

As for how things truly stood, he would know once he entered again.

Sensing the cooldown time, Li Fan frowned.

Perhaps because he had obtained two harvests this time, the cooldown period for re-entry had nearly doubled in duration. He estimated it would take roughly a year before it ended.

The best things require patience and the will to overcome hardship.

Li Fan sighed to himself.

***

The desolate island.

Ever since Su Xiaomei and Zhang Haobo had departed, Xiao Heng seemed to have been spurred on by something, cultivating with increasingly fierce dedication.

Not long ago, the bottleneck that had long troubled him finally dissipated; he could advance to the Golden Core realm at any time.

Following a certain intuition, he traveled to the central waters of the Congyun Sea to seek his own destined opportunity.

Meanwhile, the Yin sisters had also simultaneously reached the final-stage Qi Refinement realm. From the Bone Vanguard Realm, they each obtained a high-grade Curio of Man, the Treasure-Concealing Veil and the Spirit Evasion Needle, and began their own secluded retreats for Foundation Establishment.

On the desolate island, the only one who had not yet established their Dao Foundation was Su Changyu.

However, he had only just broken through to the late-stage Qi Refinement realm. Foundation Establishment was a distant prospect, far beyond the horizon.

For a time, even with Su Changyu's normally steady temperament, he couldn't help but feel adrift.

By the time Xiaomei and Xiao Heng return, they'll probably have stepped into the Golden Core realm.

And I'll still be lingering at the Qi Refinement realm.

The gap between us will only grow wider and wider as time goes on.

Su Changyu stood on the beach, watching the tide ebb and flow, a bitter taste inevitably rising in his heart.

He was no saint. Everyone around him was exceptionally talented. Spending every day with them, how could he not feel pressure?

It was just that he had always suppressed these frustrations within, never speaking of them to anyone.

Now, the familiar faces around him had suddenly vanished.

Even the two little sisters who joined the island after him were going to establish their Dao Foundations a step ahead of him.

Su Changyu finally felt his stoic facade crack.

When it came down to it, he was just an ordinary young man. His heart was troubled, and he couldn't muster the energy for cultivation.

For the first time, Su Changyu flew away from the desolate island, wandering aimlessly for an unknown length of time.

Whenever he encountered other cultivators along the way, he instinctively avoided them.

When he finally came back to himself, he found that he had unconsciously arrived near a different desolate island.

The island was small, with little vegetation. Only a single, square structure forged from black stone stood upon it.

Seeing that the island seemed inhabited, Su Changyu prepared to give it a wide berth to avoid any misunderstanding.

Just as he was about to move away, a sudden blaze of fire erupted from within the black stone building, accompanied by faint cries for help.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Changyu ultimately descended and charged into the square building.

Inside the structure stood numerous transparent cages, each holding bizarre, unnatural creatures.

Two giant serpents, a turtle with a ram's head, a massive disc-shaped leech, a grotesque species composed of six heads and hands, and more.

For some reason, all these creatures had already lost their vital aura. Only their corpses remained, lying silently within the cages.

Su Changyu’s expression turned grave. He raised his guard and pressed deeper inside.

Moving inward, he arrived before a massive rectangular transparent cage.

Four smaller prison cells flanked it on each side, connected to the central rectangular enclosure.

These four cells each held several mortals in tattered clothing. Some were already dead; others still clung to life.

Flames were spreading from the central giant cage toward the surrounding ones.

The cries for help Su Changyu had heard earlier came from these mortals.

Seeing this, Su Changyu formed a hand seal to command water, intending to douse the fire.

But this was no ordinary flame. Water not only failed to extinguish it, but caused the fire to burn even more fiercely.

Su Changyu’s expression changed. As he manipulated the water, he channeled his internal spiritual qi into the effort.

Only then did he slightly hinder the raging flames. But he could not extinguish them completely.

Before long, Su Changyu began to struggle. His output of spiritual qi grew increasingly faint, while the fire blazed stronger.

Seeing an Immortal Master had come to save them, hope for survival kindled within the mortals in the cages. They began kowtowing to Su Changyu.

Su Changyu gritted his teeth and held on.

Just as his spiritual qi was about to be exhausted, two bizarre voices spoke simultaneously.

“Why? Why would a cultivator like you bother saving these mortals?” “Why? Why would a cultivator like you bother saving these mortals?”

Su Changyu started in alarm, turning toward the voice.

A cultivator with snow-white hair, appearing somewhat aged, had somehow appeared behind him.

The man stared at Su Changyu with a deranged look, murmuring the question.

For a moment, Su Changyu didn’t know how to answer.

He had left Great Li and shed the life of a mortal only a little over a decade ago. From then on, he had stayed on a deserted island, living with family and friends.

He’d never really embraced the notion of a rigid divide between cultivators and mortals. Seeing people in distress and lending a hand was simply instinctual.

The man, observing Su Changyu’s flustered expression, let out a scornful laugh.

With a casual wave of his hand, the fiercely burning flames instantly dissipated.

Su Changyu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

“Come with me.” “Come with me.”

Again, the two voices spoke as one.

A nearby door swung open, and Su Changyu followed the man inside.

The chaotic scene within startled him. It looked deliberately vandalized—the floor was littered with shattered bones and remains. Some were human; others belonged to various exotic beasts.

In the middle of the passage lay a small dog with human hands for limbs and a belly covered in eyes.

The white-haired cultivator seemed indifferent to it all. He casually swept the debris aside, clearing a path.

Su Changyu followed carefully.

At the end of the passage was a staircase leading downward.

The man glanced back at Su Changyu. He smiled mysteriously as if motioning for Su Changyu to follow. Then he descended slowly.

The entire place was steeped in an aura of eeriness. Su Changyu took a deep breath, considered for a moment, and still chose to walk down the stairs.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness of the space below. When the surroundings came into focus, a chill instantly surged into Su Changyu’s heart.

The area wasn’t particularly large, yet it was densely packed with hundreds of corpses.

Most of these bodies were already shattered, like ragdolls that had been viciously torn apart, the various body parts scattered irregularly across the ground.

It was a scene of true horror, resembling a hellscape.