Chapter 1028: Landing on the Sacred Mysterious Void Island

On the vast, boundless square, Yu Lingdi and Gu Qingyi had given up struggling. After introducing themselves, both learned the other's identity. As the peak of the younger generation in the Five Domains of the Holy Spirit Continent, they felt a sense of mutual respect.

Gu Qingyi eventually decided to help Yu Lingdi get down from the totem pole.

He thought, "The situation on Void Island is currently unclear, and the method to leave is even more unknown. It's obvious that as the Spirit Division's Chief, this guy should know more about Void Island than I do. If he can get down, and I've helped him, perhaps I can also find a way to return to the Holy Spirit Continent..."

Of course, even if his plan didn't materialize and he couldn't return, having two peaks of the younger generation together would surely be better for facing the unknown risks of Void Island than being alone.

However, human power has its limits. Though he had the intention, no matter how Gu Qingyi tried, with his abilities, he simply couldn't free Yu Lingdi, who was bound to the massive totem pole. He couldn't pull him off, nor could he cut him down. The totem pole was imbued with Saint-level power. Below the Saint level, neither ancient sword cultivators nor spirit refiners, despite exerting all their efforts, could succeed.

"Don't bother trying anymore." At a certain moment, Yu Lingdi sighed helplessly, looking at Gu Qingyi, who was below, holding his sword and lost in thought. "If you want to return to the Five Domains, go search for a city gate around the edges here. Perhaps if you find it, you can take information about this place out. Remember, if you manage to leave, tell Rao Yaoyao that without a Saint level presence, no one should ever set foot on this island!"

Yu Lingdi, who had previously held onto hope, was now completely despairing. After speaking, a stream of light flew from his body. Gu Qingyi reached out and caught it; it was a token. "A Void Token," Yu Lingdi glanced at him and said, "Find the city gate, and with this Void Token, you can return to the Holy Spirit Continent."

Gu Qingyi took the Void Token but fell silent. His intention was to explore this legendary Sky City more thoroughly, given a path home, rather than immediately returning. After all, there were many opportunities here. If possible, Gu Qingyi didn't want to just wander around and leave empty-handed. That would be absurd! How could he, having come here ahead of time to the "Foundations for Sainthood" that so many desired but couldn't attain, simply go back without even searching?

But looking at the Void Token in his hand, then glancing up at the young man above... "Why are you up there?" Gu Qingyi asked. Having received the Void Token, which meant he had the key to go home, he was no longer in a hurry. Now, he was curious: without a third party, Yu Lingdi surely wouldn't have gotten himself onto this totem pole, would he?

"I met someone," Yu Lingdi replied vaguely.

"Who?"

Yu Lingdi clearly didn't want to answer that question. Gu Qingyi, holding the Void Token, suddenly smiled. "I can help you take the information out, but comparatively, I'm more interested in this place... If you don't tell me, I'll likely choose to explore here first."

Yu Lingdi fell silent. He had already anticipated this outcome. By the time Gu Qingyi finished exploring, the information might be outdated. But the reason he still gave the Void Token... there was no other way! This was the only solution! Yu Lingdi now only regretted why the first person to arrive here and see him wasn't someone from the Holy Spirit Temple, or someone close to them who wanted to gain favor. Gu Qingyi... an ancient sword cultivator from the Buried Sword Tomb, power, wealth, influence – none of these would likely satisfy or coerce him. Perhaps "curiosity" and "personal interest" were the only two things that could sway Gu Qingyi's actions right now. Finally, Yu Lingdi uttered the name: "Ba Zun'an. I encountered Ba Zun'an, was beaten onto this 'Sacred Punishment Square,' and then tied to this 'Sacred Punishment Pillar.'"

Sacred Punishment Square... Sacred Punishment Pillar... Gu Qingyi pondered, thinking to himself that the Spirit Division's Chief indeed knew far more about this place than he did. "Sacred Punishment..." From these consistent prefixes, it wasn't hard to discern the true meaning behind this square and totem pole.

But... "Why did Ba Zun'an tie you to this 'Sacred Punishment Pillar'?" Gu Qingyi asked, curious. He was curious not just about that, but also why Ba Zun'an was here, what kind of battle had transpired between them, what Ba Zun'an's current combat strength was, and so on. However, considering Yu Lingdi had been defeated and tied up here, it was unlikely he would elaborate on the humiliating process of his capture, so Gu Qingyi directly asked for the outcome.

"I'd like to know too..." Yu Lingdi's eyes flashed with confusion upon hearing this. He had been tied to the Sacred Punishment Pillar but hadn't experienced the so-called Saint power execution. Instead, he only felt the pillar constantly drawing spiritual energy from his body. However, for a spirit refiner who had just achieved a breakthrough at the Dao Realm Consummation, this rate of spiritual energy absorption was too weak! Yu Lingdi could withstand the drain simply by relying on the basic recovery rate of his Qi Sea's spiritual energy. He felt he would remain here for a long time, until... Ba Zun'an's true objective was fulfilled!

"You don't know either?" Gu Qingyi frowned and asked again, "Then what happened to you while you were hung here?" As soon as he spoke, Yu Lingdi's body suddenly went into severe spasms. Simultaneously, the entire ground of the Sacred Punishment Square lit up, and the Dao patterns composed of water element profound energy burst into light in an instant. "Ugh, ugh, ugh..." Yu Lingdi trembled in agony, sweat pouring down with the drizzling rain. "Again?" Gu Qingyi was stunned. He had seen this state many times before. While trying to rescue Yu Lingdi previously, he had often trembled without reason, then his aura would weaken, as if... his essence, spirit, and vitality had been inexplicably drained by some unknown force.

According to previous occurrences, Yu Lingdi's trembling shouldn't last long, stopping after just a few breaths. But this time, things seemed different. "Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh..." On the Sacred Punishment Pillar, Yu Lingdi's spasms continued even after dozens of breaths. All the power from his body continuously flowed into the Sacred Punishment Pillar. Soon, his Qi Sea was depleted, and the Sacred Punishment Pillar began to drain Yu Lingdi's life energy!

"What is this?" Gu Qingyi's pupils constricted. What exactly was happening? Ba Zun'an hanging Yu Lingdi here must have a profound meaning, but what could it be? Ten breaths... thirty breaths... sixty breaths... The energy drain seemed unstoppable! The Dao patterns on the ground of the Sacred Punishment Square glowed blindingly due to the influx of massive energy. Gu Qingyi couldn't sense any power threatening him, meaning the anomaly on the Sacred Punishment Square was only targeting Yu Lingdi and had nothing to do with him as an outsider.

"Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh!!!" Yu Lingdi was drained to the point that even blood flowed from his skin and into the Sacred Punishment Pillar. "How miserable," Gu Qingyi thought, watching the scene, but powerless to help. After observing for so long, he finally felt a sense of déjà vu. How similar was this Sacred Punishment Pillar's energy extraction process to the water spheres draining spiritual energy from spirit refiners in the Deep Sea World? Gu Qingyi had entered the deep sea and naturally experienced his spiritual energy being drained. As a pure ancient sword cultivator, his Qi Sea contained very little spiritual energy to be extracted, so almost immediately, water spheres appeared, and then his life energy began to deplete. However, having mastered Swordless Art, Gu Qingyi quickly overcame his predicament in the deep sea and eventually found the ancient gate at the bottom that led to Void Island...

"Void Gate?" Thinking of that ancient gate, Gu Qingyi felt he had grasped the key. By now, he already knew that since the deep-sea ancient gate connected to Void Island, it must be the "Void Gate." And to open the Void Gate, it required sacrifice and a vast amount of energy. So, the spiritual energy drained from spirit refiners by the water spheres in the deep sea was to prepare for opening the Void Gate?

"I understand!" Gu Qingyi finally realized. The Void Gate outside required energy to open, connecting to Void Island and teleporting people in. Therefore, within Void Island, there must be an energy reception point connected to the Void Gate at the bottom of the deep sea, forming a bidirectional... spatial tunnel? "In other words, Yu Lingdi is the... sacrifice on this side of the spatial tunnel?" As Gu Qingyi's thoughts reached this point, his pupils defocused and widened, and his mouth began to twitch. Ba Zun'an found Yu Lingdi here, brought him to this Sacred Punishment Square, then tied him to the Sacred Punishment Pillar, and then utilized Yu Lingdi's vast spiritual energy foundation from his King's Dao Realm Consummation to lay a foundation for the deep-sea Void Gate, enabling it to "better receive visitors to Void Island"? —This was too cruel! Gu Qingyi could hardly believe his own thoughts. Even then, not only were his doubts not fully resolved, but many more confusions arose.

Why did Yu Lingdi enter Void Island early? How did Ba Zun'an know Yu Lingdi was here? Dao Realm Consummation, water element profound energy, vast spiritual energy... Yu Lingdi, as the easiest and most suitable sacrifice for this side of the spatial tunnel among those below the semi-saint level... Was it a coincidence, or intentional? "A trap? No! Impossible! This must be a coincidence!"

While Gu Qingyi was still pondering the almost unacceptable coincidences of the situation, Yu Lingdi on the Sacred Punishment Pillar was about to give out. "Ugh, ugh, ugh... Get, get out... Find... Rao Yaoyao... Deliver... the information... Thank you..." He was still struggling!

Gu Qingyi: "..." *How resilient.* After a moment of admiration, Gu Qingyi dared not stay there any longer. He feared that once the Sacred Punishment Pillar had completely drained Yu Lingdi, it would unleash its Saint power, capture him, and begin draining him as well. The situation would then spiral completely out of control! Enduring the heavy gravity, he took off running.

Gu Qingyi looked back every three steps, thinking as he ran. *For the dignified Chief of the Spirit Division to die like this... wouldn't it be too ignominious?* Just then, subtle anomalies appeared in the distant sky in all directions, catching Gu Qingyi's attention. "Another anomaly?" Each time Yu Lingdi had a spasm, there would be a slight tremor in the sky. Gu Qingyi didn't know if it was because he was far away that the anomalies seemed minor, or if these changes were inherently like this. But now that he understood Yu Lingdi's abnormal state was linked to the Void Gate, Gu Qingyi seemed to comprehend what these anomalies represented.

"Previously, Yu Lingdi would recover after just a few breaths... that meant the Void Gate on the deep sea side was opened, but not many people entered, perhaps only one?" Gu Qingyi looked back, seeing Yu Lingdi still desperately struggling, not wanting to die. "Now, after so long, his abnormality hasn't ended, which means the Void Gate has fully opened... Many people came in at once?" Gu Qingyi gripped the Void Token, suddenly halting his intention to run towards the edge.

Although he didn't know how many people would eventually come from the deep sea side, things had come to this. Barring any surprises, Void Island should now become lively. "If I send out the information now, it will definitely be too late, and besides, whether Sword Immortal Rao can be found after leaving is another matter. Since I'm already delayed anyway, if everyone else has arrived, I might as well stay and compete for opportunities..."

The Void Token in his hand suddenly felt "hot." Receiving a benefit but being unable to complete the corresponding task made Gu Qingyi uncomfortable; he wasn't someone who went back on his word. But... he thought of Lonely Sound Cliff, closest to the deep sea, and his dearest junior brother, Gu Qing'er, was there. If a large number of people poured into the deep sea... would Gu Qing'er also jump off the cliff? "Yu Lingdi..." "Junior brother..." Faced with these two choices, Gu Qingyi hesitated for only a moment before making his decision. No matter how good a stranger's gift was, as the eldest disciple of the Buried Sword Tomb, he couldn't abandon his own family to complete a task that had been thrust upon him.

"My apologies." Gu Qingyi looked up and bowed in apology to Yu Lingdi, who was on the verge of losing consciousness. "If my junior brother comes here, with his personality, something will happen sooner or later. This Void Token, I'm returning it to you now. I must stay here and find him!" With that said, regardless of Yu Lingdi's response or whether he could respond, Gu Qingyi threw the Void Token back. He resolutely followed his instincts, moving towards the faint, familiar sword intent. He wouldn't accept a reward without earning it. If his junior brother was in trouble, then the key to going home was meaningless!

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he had fallen from the sky. Just a second ago, he was still in the deep sea, holding Situ Yongren, maneuvering around Rao Yaoyao and the Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi. But shortly after the Saint Emperor's Golden Edict unfolded, the Void Gate stirred, and dazzling light swallowed everyone in front of the gate. Barring any accidents, all the survivors in the entire deep-sea world should have been sucked into the Void Gate by that terrifying pull, right? According to the Water Ghost... beyond the Void Gate lay Void Island!

"Is this the center of the storm, Sky City, reputed to hold the 'Foundations for Sainthood,' also known as the 'Land of Exile,' trapping even Semi-Saints and Saint Emperors... Void Island?" He looked up. Before him was a massive rock, and in the distance were the ancient city streets that gradually ascended. His vision, along with his five senses and six consciousnesses, were currently suppressed by Void Island's strange magnetic field, preventing him from seeing very far. But his "Perception" wasn't. Looking inwards with his "Perception," the deeper he looked, the larger the buildings became. Void Island was practically a kingdom of giants! It seemed the race that built this kingdom consisted entirely of "Frenzied Giants"!

"This is Void Island?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the place, but the many legends he had learned about Void Island filled him with anxiety and unease. Yet, as the old saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." The Water Ghost hadn't lied; Void Island was indeed a place of death, but also of great opportunity! Only... "Where is everyone?" Xu Xiaoshou turned his head and looked at his right hand. He had clearly been holding Situ Yongren in the deep sea, so how did he disappear during the teleportation?

"Random teleportation?" Xu Xiaoshou fell into thought. He wondered, if Situ Yongren, his excellent human shield, was gone, then if he happened to encounter Rao Yaoyao or Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi here, wouldn't he not even have a scapegoat? "Damn it!"