Chapter 991: Inescapable Crisis P1: Spatially Locked Emerald Cove

Kanis flew toward Emerald Cove Island, his black-and-blue robes fluttering in the sea breeze.

His subordinates had already begun spreading out across the surrounding waters, establishing a perimeter to prevent anyone from escaping. Meanwhile, Rumaal and his two wives followed behind him, maintaining a respectful distance.

Kanis’ gaze roamed over on the island briefly before eventually settling it on a particular mountain peak.

A gigantic tree stood atop it, towering above the surrounding vegetation like an ancient guardian watching over the island. Its enormous trunk was thick enough to rival a mountain, while countless roots and vines extended from its base, spreading in every direction. Some disappeared beneath the earth, while others wound around distant hills and stretched across the landscape like enormous serpents.

The sight was extraordinary.

Kanis narrowed his eyes as he examined the tree from a distance. Something about its presence felt unusual. It wasn’t merely a Spirit tree that had grown to an enormous size after absorbing Spirit Essence for countless years.

The tree seemed to be the very heart of Emerald Cove Island.

Its roots and vines resembled veins extending from a central organ, connecting the various regions of the island. They spread beneath forests, crossed valleys, and disappeared into the ground near distant mountains. Even from where he stood, Kanis could sense a faint connection between the tree and the surrounding land.

It was as though the island’s vitality flowed through those roots.

‘Hmm? I have read the entire Spirit Tree encyclopedia from the Empire’s central library and still can’t figure it out. What kind of Spirit tree is this?’ he wondered.

His interest grew as he descended toward the mountain peak.

However, the closer he came, the more apparent the tree’s miserable condition became.

The enormous trunk had been split almost vertically into two halves. A deep, jagged fissure ran from its upper branches all the way down toward its base, exposing the dark interior of the tree. Large sections of its bark had been scorched black, while several branches had snapped off and fallen across the mountainside.

Its once-lush canopy had withered considerably. Countless leaves had turned black or fallen away, leaving the remaining branches looking sickly and bare. The roots that spread across the mountain were similarly damaged, with several thick vines lying motionless on the ground.

The tree was on the verge of death.

Kanis slowed his descent, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.

He had already guessed that his sword strike would cause considerable damage to the formation. After all, wielding Sword Intent beyond the conventional limits of the Lord realm wasn’t something that could be accomplished without consequences for the target.

Still, he hadn’t expected the damage to be concentrated so heavily on a single tree.

‘Wait. This doesn’t appear to be a simple Spirit Tree. Is it what I think it is, the Formation Core? A Spirit Tree capable of acting as a formation core for the island of this size? And that too creating a pseudo 4th Order barrier while being fed by 2nd Order Spirit Vein? Had I known earlier, I might have controlled the power of my strike. Damn it.’

He then looked down at the mountain beneath it.

The ground surrounding the tree was covered in cracks. Some were shallow, while others were deep enough to expose the layers of earth beneath the surface. The fissures extended beyond the mountain peak, branching into smaller cracks that ran across various parts of the island.

In several places, the earth had split apart entirely. Seeing this level of destruction concentrated around the dying Spirit Tree, Kanis was sure that he had indeed guessed right. The Spirit Tree indeed acted as the formation core.

Kanis had seen Spirit Veins damaged during battles between powerful cultivators. He had also witnessed the destruction of mountain ranges and the collapse of ancient cultivation grounds. Yet the damage before him suggested something more fundamental than the destruction of ordinary terrain.

The tree and the island seemed to share a much deeper connection.

The enormous tree had served as the Core of the Devil’s Den Formation. When Kanis unleashed his sword strike, the formation had channeled the destructive force through its core. The tree had borne the brunt of the attack, suffering catastrophic damage in the process.

Now that the formation had been destroyed, the consequences were clearly visible.

If the tree’s roots were truly connected to the island’s vitality, destroying it might have consequences beyond losing a valuable Spirit resource.

Kanis glanced at the spreading fissures once more.

‘Fuc*k. Killing this tree might be equivalent to damaging the very foundation of the island itself. Even after claiming ownership of this island, we may not be able to make full use of its fertile fields. At least not anytime soon.

‘Hmm. Is this what the island owner wanted in the first place? He… he is ruthless. He’d rather let his possessions get destroyed than letting them be claimed by his enemies. Can’t blame the logic though.’

One had to recall that Varesh had immediately tried to control his attacks’ damage output after seeing that the formation core that was the Demon Tree acted as the heart of the island. He didn’t want to be the king of a ruined hill.

However, the reason behind Varesh’s self-control was that the formation’s intricacies had been laid before him when Aksai let him inside. Kanis wasn’t granted such a convenient privilege. As such, it was only natural for him to act the way he did.

Kanis then shifted his gaze away from the surrounding fissures and fixed his attention on the enormous tree atop the mountain peak.

With the siege in place, escaping Emerald Cove without being noticed would be extremely difficult. Even if someone managed to slip past the outermost perimeter, they would still have to deal with the cultivators stationed closer to the island.

Kanis was satisfied with the arrangement. He had no intention of allowing the island’s owner to escape after going through so much trouble to reach this place.

As he continued flying toward the Demon Tree, he examined the island below with increasing interest.

Emerald Cove was undeniably rich in resources. The mountains, forests, and winding rivers all possessed considerable potential for cultivation. The concentration of Spirit Essence was also impressive, and the enormous Spirit tree alone appeared valuable enough to attract the attention of many powerful cultivators.

Yet something about the island’s current condition made him realize a crucial point.

Although the land looked fertile, many of its fields appeared to have been harvested recently. The crops had been gathered prematurely, leaving behind patches of exposed Spirit soil and vegetation that had not yet recovered. Several areas that should have been filled with growing Spirit plants looked conspicuously empty.

It was not the sort of condition one would expect from a cultivator who had been managing a prosperous island without interruption.

Kanis narrowed his eyes.

‘Hmm? It looks like he was expecting us. The owner of this island might not be as simple as I initially assumed.’

The thought appeared almost randomly, but once it surfaced, he began examining the island from a different perspective.

The island’s owner had probably anticipated that imperial cultivators would eventually invade his domain.

Rather than waiting for the inevitable confrontation, he had made preparations to leave at a moment’s notice. The resources that could be harvested had already been gathered, while anything that could not be transported might have been abandoned.

It was a sensible decision.

After all, no cultivator who valued his life would willingly remain in a place that had become the target of the Imperial Court’s attention unless he possessed the strength to defend it.

And judging by the formation Kanis had just destroyed, Emerald Cove’s owner had certainly possessed some formidable means of protection.

‘If he had already predicted the invasion, he might have prepared other escape routes as well.’

Kanis’s thoughts grew increasingly focused.

Someone capable of controlling an island this fertile, with so many valuable Spirit resources at his disposal, was unlikely to be an impoverished Lord even by the standards of the Shinayin Empire.

Managing a place like Emerald Cove required considerable wealth. The owner would have needed resources to maintain the island’s infrastructure, cultivate Spirit plants, manage his subordinates, and sustain the formation that had protected the entire domain.

If the island had remained under his control for decades, the accumulated wealth would be even more substantial.

And wealth could solve many problems.

Realizing a few things immediately from the current state of the island, Kanis immediately established a mental connection with several of his squad leaders.

‘Quickly arrange a spatial-locking formation around the island. I want the surrounding space sealed as thoroughly as possible. Don’t allow the island’s owner to escape using a spatial talisman or any similar treasure.’

His orders reached the squad leaders almost instantly.

A sufficiently wealthy cultivator might acquire treasures that were otherwise exceedingly rare in the Orveth Subcontinent. Even if the local markets lacked such items, an owner with enough resources could establish connections with external merchants or obtain them through less conventional means.

Spatial talismans, escape treasures, and other life-saving trump cards were rare and expensive, but they were not necessarily beyond the reach of someone with such a background.