Chapter 534 - Arriving at the Hidden Dragon Island

“Golden Ring Sect...” Chen Fan sped across the sky at lightning speed. His eyes were icy cold, emanating killing intent.

He never expected the Golden Ring Sect to be so bold as to join forces with the Blood Demon Cave to besiege him.

“Just you wait. When I return from Hidden Dragon Island, the Golden Ring Sect will be annihilated!”

Incomparably eerie cold killing intent surged in Chen Fan’s eyes.

This close call with death from the combined forces' encirclement made his escape feel like a stroke of fortune.

However, he would keep this score in mind for now. When he was strong enough, this score would be settled.

......

On his way to the Hidden Dragon Island, he came across many others also heading toward the eastern sea.

The location where geniuses from across the world would compete and train this time was a top-tier sect from three thousand years ago. Many hoped to fish in troubled waters, seeking to infiltrate the event.

Chen Fan crossed several empires, including the Black Dragon Empire, one of the six great nations. The Black Dragon Empire's overall strength ranked within the top three among these nations.

The Black Dragon Empire’s royal family was the nation’s strongest force. Although they did not have any Heavenly Star realm experts, they had a high-level Divine Nascent realm powerhouse in their ranks.

Such an expert could dominate the skies of the Great Chu Empire single-handedly, forcing everyone else to submit.

To put it into perspective, the strongest force in the Great Chu Empire was the Cloud Sky Sect with three Divine Nascent realm powerhouses. Their strongest member was their sect leader, recognized as the most powerful in the entire Great Chu Empire. Yet, he was only a third-level Divine Nascent realm expert.

The disparity between a low-level and high-level Divine Nascent realm was immense.

Chen Fan also learned that the Black Dragon Empire's strongest young genius, Prince Ye Cangxuan, was a member of the royal family. Rumors had it that he had reached the five-revolution Golden Core realm before the age of thirty.

A five-revolution Golden Core expert could rival the law enforcement grand elder in the Spring Autumn Sect, second only to their two Divine Nascent realm powerhouses. Currently, Chen Fan was far from being his match.

This underscored the vast gap between the Great Chu Empire and the Black Dragon Empire.

If the Black Dragon Empire’s prince was already this powerful, then how strong would Prince Li Yao of the Great Li Imperial Court—the supreme ruler of the Hong Domain—be?

His cultivation and strength surely surpassed Ye Cangxuan's.

Twenty days went by in a flash.

During this period, Chen Fan encountered some fools who tried to rob his nomination token, wanting to impersonate him and go to the Hidden Dragon Island.

Without exception, Chen Fan killed them all.

Such incidents were common. After all, not every nation’s geniuses were as strong as those from the Great Li Imperial Court or the six great nations.

The geniuses nominated by some lower-ranked nations were only at the sixth level. For them, the nomination tokens were like hot potatoes, attracting unwanted attention. It was inevitable that the weak would be robbed or even killed en route to Hidden Dragon Island.

These occurrences were typical in all the past Grand Sect Conferences. Many of the weaker nations’ geniuses had their tokens and lives stolen on the way to the ruins. This was why many chose to travel in groups.

Finally, Chen Fan arrived at the shores of the eastern sea. He found a wooden boat and drove it with his true primeval, speeding along.

Although flying would be faster, the seas within fifty thousand kilometers of the Hidden Dragon Island were a no-fly zone for those below the Divine Nascent realm.

Despite this, his pace wasn't slow. Chen Fan wasn't aiming to be the first to land, so he wasn't in a hurry.

As Chen Fan sailed, he occasionally saw groups rushing to the Hidden Dragon Island. Some traveled in threes and fives, others alone, and some in large groups of over a dozen people.

The morning sunlight reflected off the sea, creating a dazzling and beautiful sight.

The journey continued for three days, but Chen Fan did not feel tired at all. At his cultivation level, rest was immaterial.

In the distance, Chen Fan saw someone rapidly approaching. Upon looking carefully, he saw a young Daoist dressed in green, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

He wore a Daoist robe and was running on the water, his movements dashing and carefree. If he were a bit older, he would have truly resembled the immortals of legend.

Chen Fan was a little surprised to see a Daoist here.

In a world where martial arts were revered, most Daoists focused on cultivating their temperament. However, Daoism had always been mysterious, with a long-lasting and enigmatic legacy that should not be underestimated.

This young Daoist, for example, gave Chen Fan a very dangerous feeling. His cultivation level was at least in the four-revolution Golden Core realm.

This young Daoist’s movement arts were extremely outstanding. He soon arrived at Chen Fan’s side.

However, this young Daoist did not stay with Chen Fan. He simply nodded in greeting as he passed by, displaying no arrogance.

Watching the Daoist pull further ahead, Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, “This Daoist is so strong. I couldn't see through him at all. He is a mysterious figure. The school of Daoism is indeed deeply unfathomable.”

Chen Fan’s expression became somewhat grave.

As he made his way to the Hidden Dragon Island, he got a rough understanding of the situation of the younger generation in the Hong Domain.

When compared to the entire Hong domain, the thirty geniuses of the Great Chu Empire were, as Feng Baiyu had said, first-rate or quasi-first-rate.

The Great Li Imperial Court’s Prince Li Yao, the younger generation of the six great nations, the Great Li Sword Mountain’s Gongsun Zhong, and the others were all geniuses even among geniuses.

They had already reached the three or four-revolution Golden Core realm, perhaps even higher, at such a young age. Compared to the younger generation of the Great Chu Empire, they were far too powerful.

Not only that, there were many of them, not just one or two.

Take that young Daoist he saw earlier, for example. He was an exceptional talent, undoubtedly on par with the top geniuses of the six great nations. Among the numerous geniuses heading to the Hidden Dragon Island, he was probably extremely outstanding.

Moreover, who knows what other hidden geniuses had yet to make themselves known to the world?

Fortunately, this expedition to the Hidden Dragon Island wasn't a brutal competition where only one victor could emerge. If it were, despite the allure of the island's opportunities, few would dare to participate.

Most conflicts arose only when fighting over treasures and were not forced occurrences.

Aside from the invincible experts who could dominate their peers, those who exercised caution and avoided unnecessary conflicts could also survive. Many shared this mindset.

The Grand Sect Conference could attract so many people to participate because fortuitous encounters and treasures were aplenty in the ruins. Simply making a round could yield tremendous benefits.

It wasn’t that there weren’t any battle maniacs who wanted to fight all their peers, but there were very few of them.

Most people were more inclined toward looking for treasures and fortuitous encounters.

In the blink of an eye, another two days passed, and Chen Fan could finally see the Hidden Dragon Island.