Chapter 529 - 526: Onward to the Hua Sheng Islands

Chapter 529: Chapter 526: Onward to the Hua Sheng Islands

A faint mist swallowed the view. For the three days they had drifted through the Sea of Clouds, Li Luo had been learning about the Hua Sheng Islands.

The Hua Sheng Islands were discovered even before the Pipe Fortress was established.

Back then, humans had just arrived on the fourth floor of the Abyss. Many members of the advance teams were injured due to immature synchronization technology. The healing creatures on the Hua Sheng Islands selflessly rescued them all, not only healing their fresh wounds but also curing their old injuries and chronic ailments.

Even more miraculously, one of the advance team members was a deaf-mute who had never spoken a word. The healing creatures cured him, and he spoke for the first time in his life.

Logically, even if a deaf-mute person’s hearing is restored, they shouldn’t be able to speak, as they wouldn’t understand language. But the healed team member found that a language for communication had automatically appeared in his mind.

When the advance team asked the healing creatures how they did it, they gave this answer:

"As long as we consider it an illness, we can cure it."

The abilities of these healing creatures didn’t seem to stop there. They could even perform conceptual "cures." The advance team spent a long time investigating but could never understand the source of this healing power.

The creatures were very interested in the advance team’s medics. They would constantly pester them with all sorts of questions, ranging from human anatomy to strange and bizarre diseases. Sometimes, they even asked the medics to use human medical techniques on them.

When the medics asked why, they couldn’t give a clear answer, saying only that they found it interesting.

Later, after beacons were invented, humanity sent an investigation team to the Hua Sheng Islands to install one. The creatures didn’t obstruct them; on the contrary, they were very supportive. They hoped to establish a connection with humans so people could come to them for treatment in the future.

And just as expected, they did indeed cure many humans.

They could even completely cure curses and contaminations that humans considered beyond remedy.

Even more shockingly, they could heal the side effects caused by certain relics. If it weren’t so difficult to reach this place on the fourth floor of the Abyss, countless more people would surely have been sent to the Hua Sheng Islands.

Unfortunately, just as humanity was preparing to deepen its relationship with these creatures, the Hua Sheng Islands suddenly became a dangerous, forbidden zone.

Any creature that set foot on the Hua Sheng Islands would be deemed "terminally ill," imprisoned, and subjected to endless "treatment."

This information came from the beacon, which had sent an extremely strong warning to surrounding monitoring stations. But no one knew what had truly happened on the Hua Sheng Islands.

No one knew why the healing creatures had suddenly become so warped, or why the once-friendly beings had grown so paranoid...

Li Luo gazed at the digital screen, which displayed a blurry photograph of a healing creature.

The healing creatures disliked having their pictures taken, making this photo one of the few visual records that showed their full appearance.

They bore a strong resemblance to humans, but their heads were giant orbs of light, like skinny old men with the sun for a head.

No matter which direction you viewed it from, the giant orb of light always seemed to be staring right at you, its profound glow looking as if it could pierce through anything.

Just by looking at the picture, Li Luo could feel that hair-raising gaze.

"Is this really a friendly species?"

Li Luo felt a deep sense of doubt about the information in the records.

They weren’t far from the Hua Sheng Islands now, and the airship was gradually slowing down. According to the crew, turbulence would force them to land on the outskirts of the islands.

Li Luo opened her map and studied it carefully.

The mist outside grew thinner, and a massive Black Shadow appeared in the distance.

’We’re almost there.’

The airship drew closer and closer to the massive Black Shadow, finally flying right into it.

’Are we here?’ Li Luo looked outside. The airship had landed on a desolate plain littered with dead trees and jagged rocks.

Li Luo glanced at the digital screen in her hand, then back at the desolate plain.

’Something’s wrong. This is supposed to be a forest full of flowers...’

She cautiously opened the cabin door and stepped out with Block. Then she immediately took out an observation sphere and began surveying the area.

Mo Ling was also observing the surroundings.

As far as the eye could see, the landscape was desolate. Bare rocks were scattered everywhere, and the dead trees were completely devoid of life. For a moment, the sight made Mo Ling think he had returned to the 2nd Floor of the Abyss.

’This is even more desolate than the Moon. Are there really any living things here?’

His vision probed underground. Mo Ling had thought there might be some life in the dirt, but to his surprise, the soil had long ago compacted into solid rock.

Mo Ling searched for a long time but found no living creatures—not even a single insect. Aside from the dead trees, not a blade of grass grew. There were absolutely no signs of life.

The wind howled past, kicking up clouds of gravel.

With no vegetation for cover, the wind scraped painfully against their skin.

Li Luo pulled her clothes tighter and recalled the observation sphere.

’How did this place turn into a wasteland...?’ She checked the map again and again, then carefully reviewed the data recorded by the observation sphere.

The area was undeniably desolate, but their landing coordinates were correct. That left only one possibility:

’Something must have happened here to turn this once-lush forest into a wasteland...’

Li Luo walked over to a dead tree and gripped one of its branches.

As if completely weathered, the branch shattered at her touch, crumbling into dust and fragments in her hand.

Staring at the fragments in her hand, Li Luo grew even more anxious.

’This doesn’t seem like a place where a healing race would live...’

’All life has perished. What need is there for healing anymore?’

Li Luo remembered clearly from the records that the Hua Sheng Islands had always been vibrant with life. The healing creatures didn’t just treat visitors who chanced upon the islands; they also tended to the native species.

The most abundant life on the islands was plants. They bloomed and withered, bursting with vitality, but this also led to numerous diseases. The healing creatures worked tirelessly to cure the plants, which made the Hua Sheng Islands even more vibrant.

’This is Hundred Flowers Island, one of the Hua Sheng Islands. Its forests are filled with colorful flowers. Every few steps, you can see a different kind. These flowers are all species unique to the Abyss, and some even possess special abilities...’

Li Luo pulled up the detailed file on the Hua Sheng Islands and confirmed the information again.

"Hundred Flowers Island? But there are no flowers here."