Chapter 911: Void Island Mutation Torrent of Ghost Beasts

"Oh, right," Teng Shan Hai said. "Yu Zhiwen sent an image through the spirit mirror, saying the Enforcers have made a new discovery." He pushed aside his scattered thoughts, returning to the matter at hand, and passed the image to Rao Yao Yao for her review.

"The Storyteller?" Rao Yao Yao quickly finished reviewing the image, a hint of surprise appearing in her eyes. "Isn't the Storyteller inside the Void Island?"

Teng Shan Hai had already seen the spirit mirror image and shared the same doubts. He asked, "Could it be an external avatar?"

Rao Yao Yao frowned and repeatedly scrutinized the details, feeling puzzled. "It doesn't seem like it," she said. "The cultivation of this external avatar is hidden too well. There's no spiritual energy fluctuation whatsoever—not even at the Xiantian or Grandmaster realm. Furthermore, his behavior and purpose seem problematic. Most importantly, if it were the Storyteller, how could his whereabouts be discovered so easily?"

"Night Vigil discovered him," Teng Shan Hai explained. "He's also a Dao Severer, but he wields the vast righteous qi of the Grand Void power. During the Battle of the White Cave, Red-Robed Night Vigil fought against the Saint Slave Storyteller, so he immediately sensed something was off. Upon tracing it, he indeed tracked down the Storyteller's whereabouts."

"I know Night Vigil..." Rao Yao Yao murmured. Red-Robed Night Vigil was considered a renowned Dao Severer within the Holy Divine Palace.

He was one of the first batch of experimenters. Previously, due to a shortage of Red Robe personnel, he was transferred from Bai Yi Gou Wu Yue's side, and his personal abilities were extremely strong. Since Night Vigil discovered him, there was no room for doubt.

What puzzled Rao Yao Yao was that the Storyteller's movements were erratic and aimless. He didn't resemble the Saint Slave's Seventh Hand; instead, he looked like a puppet. "What is he doing?" Rao Yao Yao wondered, suspicion in her voice.

Teng Shan Hai was stumped by the question. He couldn't possibly know; he wasn't privy to the Storyteller's thoughts. But suddenly, his gaze stopped. Teng Shan Hai's eyes fell upon the Sky City in the far distance, and a few guesses formed in his mind.

"I don't know what the Storyteller is doing, but are you responsible for the commotion at Sky City?" Teng Shan Hai pointed in the direction of the Eastern Royal City.

Rao Yao Yao followed his gaze, and her pupils suddenly constricted. Above the Eastern Royal City, the ancient, majestic city overshadowed the sky. It had clearly extracted nearly one-third of its volume and was still moving outwards, unrestrained even by the chains of the Heavenly Dao!

"When did this happen?" Rao Yao Yao had only recently emerged from the Void Island rift and was completely unaware of the external situation.

Teng Shan Hai checked the time, his expression strange as he said, "If there's no mistake, it should be after you disturbed the inner section of the Void Island and were stopped."

Rao Yao Yao's beautiful eyes immediately narrowed. A warning? Were those beings in the inner island warning her not to act rashly, or else they would directly send out Sky City? No! That's not it at all!

Rao Yao Yao quickly dismissed her own thought. If those people in the inner island had the ability to make Sky City descend at a specific time and location, would Sky City have been restrained by the Heavenly Dao chains for so long? As for that thing above the Eastern Royal City, only Ba Zun An could summon it—only the Master of the Black and White Veins!

But why at this specific time?

Teng Shan Hai was also pondering. He suddenly fixed his attention on the spirit mirror image, and a flash of inspiration struck him. He asked, "Could it be that the Storyteller's external avatar is searching for a spatial node, attempting to contact his main body in the inner part of the Void Island, and then our people discovered him?"

Rao Yao Yao's beautiful eyes lit up. "That possibility cannot be ruled out..."

But soon, she fell into deep thought again. Why go to such lengths? Why would he choose this specific moment, precisely when she, Rao Yao Yao, had just touched the inner part of the Void Island, to contact the Storyteller's main body within, and then cause such a stir?

Sky City's descent was already a foregone conclusion; it was merely a matter of time. Ba Zun An had been planning for so long, communicating with the Holy Power of the ghost beasts inside the Void Island, connecting it to the rules of the Holy Divine Continent. Even if a Half-Saint arrived, they couldn't stop Sky City from extracting itself!

So, there was no need for the Storyteller to risk exposure at such an insignificant moment just to contact his main body in the inner island. Wouldn't it be better to simply let time run its course? Unless...

Rao Yao Yao's mind worked quickly. Realizing something, she said, "Unless the Storyteller truly is contacting his main body, but the contact isn't about Sky City's extraction. Instead, he's carrying out another mission!"

"What mission?" Teng Shan Hai interjected.

How would I know? I'm not Dao Qiongcang, who can calculate heavenly secrets and divine the unknown, Rao Yao Yao grumbled inwardly, falling silent.

The two of them stood in silence in the void.

Rao Yao Yao was just about to issue orders to fully investigate any remaining traces of the Storyteller, intending to follow the clues and apprehend him. But just then.

"Gurgle—" Another strange sound emanated from the Void Island rift. Being close by, Rao Yao Yao and Teng Shan Hai felt their skin crawl from the eerie sound.

"Why is it making noise?" Rao Yao Yao was startled. Along with this phenomenon, the surrounding space, which had just been restored, began to shatter again. Soon, a black hole, hundreds of zhang in circumference, was blasted open once more by the holy power fluctuations. In the eyes of those in the Cloud Realm Mountains and the Royal City, the sky had opened its maw again!

Teng Shan Hai once again felt the aura of holy power, his mood turning grave. "The Void Island rift made a sound once before, not long before you emerged," he said. "Last time was similar; it completely shattered the surrounding space. This time, the holy power fluctuations are clearer and more powerful."

Rao Yao Yao struggled to withstand the torrent of holy power aura. Both she and Teng Shan Hai were blasted back a few steps. She flared up in anger, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Teng Shan Hai felt utterly wronged. "Aren't matters conveyed one by one, according to their priority?" he thought. "I only have one mouth; how could I simultaneously tell you several important pieces of information?"

But now was not the time for argument. Teng Shan Hai felt the intensified holy power fluctuations and was greatly shaken. "Why does it feel like this phenomenon is somewhat different this time?" he wondered.

Last time, it was merely a whimper. This time, however, there seemed to be a drastic change within the Void Island rift. It was as if an ancient monstrous beast, a Taotie, was about to step out. A terrifying aura permeated the air, threatening to suppress all who felt it.

"How is it different?" Rao Yao Yao had not experienced the previous holy power invasion. She hesitated for a moment, then drew the Mysterious Azure Divine Sword from her back and declared, "I'll go in and see!"

"Are you mad!" Teng Shan Hai immediately intercepted her. This might be the beings from the inner Void Island retaliating against Rao Yao Yao's previous probing. How could she risk going in?

"I—" Rao Yao Yao was about to speak. Suddenly, both of their expressions changed simultaneously.

"Something is coming out!" In their spiritual perception, a large quantity of unknown things, engulfed in immense holy power, surged forth from an unknown place. It was like a flood, like a tsunami, about to burst through the Void Island and descend upon this world.

"All Trial Officials, immediately drop what you're doing and gather before the Void Island rift!" Rao Yao Yao made a decisive call. If what she thought was true, all the ghost beasts within the Void Island would break through their seals and descend upon this world. Then what followed would truly be the end of days!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... At the same time, the Trial Officials who received the summons, disregarding everything else and putting aside their various tasks, leapt into the sky from the Cloud Realm Mountains, soaring into the clouds. Thousands of shadowy figures belonging to the Trial Officials wove together into lines, forming an impenetrable net in the sight of all the trial participants.

At this moment, everyone finally realized that the Holy Divine Palace had deployed an astonishing number of personnel in the Cloud Realm Mountains!

"My heavens, here it comes again..." In the Cloud Realm Mountains, numerous Spirit Refiners looked up at the sky. Even the progress of the Nine Dragon Veins competition was interrupted by another wailing sound from the Void Island rift.

"What on earth is going to happen? This celestial phenomenon makes it feel like the end of the world!" someone exclaimed. "Damn it," another grumbled, "if I'd known the Eastern Royal City trials were so dangerous, I would have just participated in the Capital trials in the Central Region. Why did I travel all this way to this wretched place!" "That Sky City, it feels like once it bursts out, its landing spot will either be the Eastern Royal City or the Cloud Realm Mountains. We won't get directly crushed as soon as we secure a spot in the Holy Palace trials, will we?" "This is too tragic," another lamented. "While our clan elders vie for the Dao, we little ants are just collateral, forced to come here and die without any power to resist." "Why does that spatial rift above faintly emit a Half-Saint's aura?" someone whispered. "Terrifying indeed..."

The trial participants who had survived until now were all individuals of considerable background. Some had witnessed the power of a Half-Saint, while others even had hidden Half-Saints within their clans. The first strange sound from the Void Island rift had merely attracted attention, but this second time, the holy power fluctuations were completely undisguised.

This was the Holy Dao! When saints vie for the Dao, even bystanders suffer! Spirit Refiners at the Xiantian and Grandmaster realms had no idea how to resist; all they could do was await death. The true trial participants were filled with dread.

Meanwhile, in the Cloud Realm Mountains, the stowaways who had not yet been caught were each growing excited.

"It truly is holy power!" "Indeed, this spatial rift is the gateway to Sky City!" "Sky City is said to contain the foundation for sanctification; while it's a rumor, there's no smoke without fire... This daring venture will surely yield something!" "Next, we'll have to see if this celestial phenomenon, before Sky City's descent, is a blessing or a curse." "If it's a blessing..."

Every stowaway at the Dao Severer and Grand Void realms looked up, their hearts pounding. If it was a blessing, and it concerned Sky City, then the opportunity for the foundation of sanctification might just appear with this phenomenon from the Void Island rift. In that case, this would be everyone's only chance to achieve immediate sanctification without needing to enter Sky City!

They had lain low until now, hiding like stray cats and dogs under the authority of the Throne Trial Officials whom they usually disdained. Wasn't this precisely what everyone sought?

"Good heavens, it's really happening!" Above the Fourth Dragon Vein, Xu Xiao Shou, in the form of Mu Xiao Gong, also looked up at the sky, his heart filled with excitement.

The commotion in the Void Island was naturally not caused by his Storyteller image avatar. Because he was attacking the mountain, he had tried to remotely control the image avatar for the first time, causing its movements to be intermittent and not as expected. He had thought this would be one of the flaws, but unexpectedly, the phenomenon from the Void Island rift directly compensated for it.

"To the Red Robe higher-ups, even if the image avatar's movements are strange, its identity is still suspicious. So, they should connect the Void Island phenomenon with the peculiar movements of the image avatar, right?" Xu Xiao Shou was pleased.

Whether the image avatar played a role was actually irrelevant. If it did, it would expend the Red Robes' manpower and waste their time. If it didn't, and they couldn't trace it back to him, it would still waste their time. This was an open stratagem, a smoke bomb he threw out that the opponent had no choice but to focus on.

But the phenomenon from the Void Island rift was real!

"Lei Shuangxing has started acting..." Xu Xiao Shou was certain that this was Lei Shuangxing's doing, following his "Besiege Wei to Save Zhao" strategy. Considering the time, even if the Void Island was difficult to contact, after a night had passed, Ba Zun An should have received Lei Shuangxing's message. And after receiving the message, it was perfectly normal to release another smoke bomb at the Void Island rift after thorough preparation!

Sure enough, all the Trial Officials in the Cloud Realm Mountains were immediately drawn away. Now, who had time to look for clues about the murderer of Yi Bu? With these holy power fluctuations, one wrong move, and not only the Chief of the Yi Department, but all six department chiefs, including Rao Yao Yao, would perish here!

"It's coming..." Xu Xiao Shou murmured. "I just wonder what it will be this time?" He couldn't help but wonder.

He had personally experienced the depth of Ba Zun An's cunning. That fellow would definitely not meekly follow his own plans.

Xu Xiao Shou still remembered the immense commotion Ba Zun An had caused the last, and only, time he had borrowed the Saint Slaves' hand to 'Besiege Wei to Save Zhao' for the people of Heavenly First Tower during the Ling Que Trade Fair.

That guy, like a deity, directly cast a spell in the Cloud Realm Mountains and summoned a Sky City even larger than the Eastern Royal City!

Perhaps this was already one of Ba Zun An's plans. It was just that at Xu Xiao Shou's request, he had advanced the timing of a certain action in his plan slightly. In this way, he gained a favor from others, smoothly executed his next move, and also caused the Holy Divine Palace to be in a state of panic and unease.

How could such an old schemer obediently follow Xu Xiao Shou's 'Besiege Wei to Save Zhao' strategy and merely release some unsubstantiated holy power fluctuations?

"Something major is definitely about to emerge..." Xu Xiao Shou was very serious. He was most afraid that Ba Zun An would make a massive move and release all the ghost beasts from within the Void Island. The consequences... "Goodness," he thought, "he shouldn't have that kind of ability, right?"

From the Void Island rift, holy power fluctuations spread in all directions. As time passed, its power grew increasingly terrifying, until it completely shattered the sky. Day turned into night, and darkness invaded.

"Everyone, form ranks!" With a wave of Rao Yao Yao's hand, the Red Robes and White Robes, following their training, formed a grand Heavenly Secret Protective Array before the Void Island rift. "The Seventy-Two Segmented Dragon Yuan Array!"

Rao Yao Yao's eyes were filled with solemnity. This Grand Void-level Heavenly Secret Protective Array could not be breached by anyone unless a Half-Saint personally arrived; this was also her final safeguard.

"It's coming..." Everyone watched nervously. A whistling wind began to emanate from the Void Island rift, and a large number of unidentified objects, enveloped in holy power, surged forward.

"Stop them all! Don't let a single ghost beast pass!" Rao Yao Yao roared sharply.

Just as she waved her hand downwards, the first 'ghost beast' wrapped in holy power streaked past the Red Robes' heads and was intercepted by the power of the grand array. Bang! Holy power and array power collided, producing a booming sound. The nearby Red Robes were pushed back, and the 'ghost beast,' stripped of its holy power protection, finally revealed its true form.

But at that moment, all the Red Robes and White Robes who saw the 'ghost beast's' true form collectively froze. "This is..." It wasn't a ghost beast! It was a spirit sword, a First-Grade Spirit Sword!

A nearby Red Robe grasped it, and a surging power was unleashed. With a casual swing, the spirit sword's might shattered space.

"My heavens!" Everyone's scalps tingled, and when they looked back at the 'ghost beast torrent' surging out of the Void Island rift, their eyes simultaneously burned with desire. What was going on? What was coming out wasn't a torrent of ghost beasts, but a torrent of treasures? If even a random item was a First-Grade Spirit Sword, then what about the ones coming later... What level would they be???