Chapter 2032: Geng Metal Divine Thunder and the Giant Beast

"Master Feng? Who is Master Feng?" Jin Yue's eyes narrowed as she pressed for answers. Jiang Qingfeng, not daring to delay, recounted everything truthfully.

"I need to perform a soul search. Cooperate with me if you don't want to die." Jin Yue's expression was icy as she stepped forward, her right hand illuminating with a dazzling golden light that she pressed onto Jiang Qingfeng's head. Jiang Qingfeng dared not resist and complied honestly.

"Feng Yao, the Black Hawk Clan, the Orcs, and the Merfolk... Hmph, no wonder my ancestor mentioned encountering members of other races in the Profound Wind Grotto-Heaven. So, they were from the Black Hawk Clan." Jin Yue suddenly understood. She looked at Jiang Qingfeng and stated coldly, "Take me to their rendezvous point, or help me find them. Otherwise, you know the consequences." Jiang Qingfeng had no other option but to agree. He didn't know the exact location of the Azure Luan Divine Fruit, but Feng Yao had placed a restriction on him, allowing them to sense each other's presence within a certain range. The two then ascended into the sky and vanished into the distance.

Above a vast, endless black sea, the sky was cloudless and the winds were calm. A streak of black light swiftly soared across the sky. Moments later, a deafening thunderclap suddenly echoed from above, as several thick black lightning bolts ripped through the firmament, striking the black light. The black light shimmered and solidified, revealing a dense black barrier. Within this barrier were Wang Changsheng and his four companions.

The Azure Luan Divine Fruit tree was situated in a unique location; they needed to breach a powerful restriction before they could reach it. A rumbling thunder echoed from the sky, as several thick black lightning bolts tore through the firmament, striking the black sphere precisely. These bolts vanished without a trace, as if sinking into the sea.

"The Ink Mist Pearl is refined from Thunder Cloud Stone, making it very effective against lightning-based attacks," Feng Yao explained. "However, that's not the most difficult part. The Golden Adamantine Divine Thunder is the biggest problem. Everyone, increase your evasion speed." As he spoke, his escaping light surged, and Wang Changsheng and the other four followed suit.

The black sphere rapidly flew into the distance. As they proceeded, thick black lightning bolts continuously ripped through the sky, striking them. These black lightning bolts hit the black sphere, vanishing without a trace as if absorbed into the sea, though their evasion speed was somewhat impacted.

Half an hour later, the black sphere's speed significantly decreased, and tiny cracks appeared on its surface. Feng Yao's face was slightly pale. Approximately a hundred li ahead, they spotted an island, also a hundred li in circumference. The island was lush and vibrant, teeming with exotic flowers and rare plants, a stark contrast to the barren surroundings outside.

"Be careful," Feng Yao cautioned. "To enter this island, you must withstand the attacks of the Geng Metal Divine Lightning." As he spoke, he conjured a fifth-tier talismanic soldier. Chanting an incantation, the talismanic soldier immediately glowed brightly, transforming into a burly young man in silver robes. The silver-robed youth flew towards the island. As soon as he drew within ten li, a thick golden lightning bolt tore through the sky, striking him precisely, unleashing a blinding flash of golden lightning. A moment later, the golden lightning dissipated, revealing the silver-robed youth with a weakened aura and charred skin, as he flew back to them.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, how did your ancestor enter this island? Do you not have any other method to get in?" Wang Changsheng asked with a frown. The power of the Geng Metal Divine Lightning was extraordinary, capable of injuring a fifth-tier talismanic soldier with a single strike.

"My ancestor appeared directly here upon entering the Profound Wind Grotto-Heaven," Feng Yao explained, "but at that time, the Azure Luan Divine Fruit hadn't matured, so he didn't disturb it. There's a sixth-tier demon beast on the island, which is restricted to a certain range. It was likely left here specifically by Exalted Profound Wind to guard the Azure Luan Divine Fruit." His expression grew serious as he continued, "We will attempt to land on the island as quickly as possible. Whether we succeed will depend on our individual strength. Apart from some highly specialized treasures, ordinary artifacts simply cannot withstand the Geng Metal Divine Lightning." With that, he performed a hand seal, and countless black runes surged across the black barrier, rapidly sealing its cracks.

Their escaping lights surged, and they sped forward. The moment they drew within ten li of the island, a deafening thunderclap roared from above, and several thick golden lightning bolts ripped through the sky, striking the black sphere precisely. The black sphere's spiritual light dimmed, and it developed numerous cracks before quickly shattering.

Wang Changsheng was prepared. He executed a hand seal, and shimmering blue light emanated from his body, forming multiple layers of water curtains that enveloped both him and Wang Ruyan. The golden lightning tore through these water curtains but was then blocked by a spherical blue light barrier—the Water-Moon Profound Light. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's escaping lights surged, and they flew towards the island with exceptional speed.

A tremendous rumbling thunder sounded as hundreds of thick golden lightning bolts ripped across the sky, striking down upon them. Dazzling lightning engulfed them, but Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, working together, unleashed the Water-Moon Evasion Light, moving slightly faster than Yu Xin and Feng Yao. The dense golden lightning bolts struck their Profound Moon Shield, transforming into countless golden arcs that enveloped their forms.

A moment later, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan landed safely on the island, though their Profound Moon Shield crumbled into a pile of wood chips. Without its protection, they would undoubtedly have sustained injuries. Feng Yao and his two companions landed on the island in succession. Feng Yao and Yu Xin's bodies emanated black mist, covered in numerous wounds and mangled flesh. Yuan Shu's left arm was incapacitated, and his body was covered in bloody marks. This occurred even with the restriction significantly weakened; had it been at full strength, they would likely have perished.

"Fellow Daoist Feng," Yuan Shu asked with a frown, "once we've obtained the Azure Luan Divine Fruit, we won't have to fly back out through here, will we?" "No, there's no need for that," Feng Yao replied gravely. "My ancestor set up a random teleportation array here. We can use it to teleport away, though the exact destination will be unpredictable."

"Let's focus on acquiring the Azure Luan Divine Fruit first," Yu Xin said with a worried frown. "That demon beast hasn't advanced to the seventh tier, has it?" "That beast was severely wounded by my ancestor back then; it's fortunate it's even alive," Feng Yao scoffed. "It's been trapped here. Do you really think it could advance to the seventh tier simply by cultivating here for a few millennia? If diligent cultivation alone were enough for advancement, why would we bother entering the Profound Wind Grotto-Heaven to seek treasures?"

Wang Changsheng released his Twin-Eyed Rat. The rat sniffed a few times, letting out excited squeaks, and its eyes suddenly glowed with dazzling yellow light. A wisp of Wang Changsheng's consciousness attached to the Twin-Eyed Rat, allowing him to clearly see a massive blue beast, resembling neither a deer nor any other familiar creature, resting in a corner of an underground cavern. The blue beast appeared to be asleep, completely still. In the lower-left corner of the stone cavern, a continuously flickering golden barrier shimmered, its surface covered with profound, enigmatic runes. Behind this yellow barrier, he could faintly discern a green fruit tree, over a hundred zhang tall, adorned with more than a dozen glistening green fruits.

"That demon beast is located in the cavern at the end of this valley," Feng Yao stated in a low voice, pointing to a vast, branching valley. "It can only move within the valley and the cavern itself. We'll set up a sixth-tier formation outside the cavern to trap it, and then we can harvest the Azure Luan Divine Fruit."