Chapter 1028: Azure Floating Islands

He traversed the island's mountains, quickly reaching the shore. As soon as he stepped off the island, the stagnation in his mana vanished, and it began to flow freely once more.

With his mana restored, Li Qing cast one last glance at the mysterious island, imprinting its landscape into his sea of consciousness.

"This island is extraordinary. I'll return to explore it thoroughly once my strength grows."

"Especially whatever's sealed within that five-colored divine altar. Though I couldn't see what it was, its origins must be significant."

With that, Li Qing turned and flew away without looking back.

The storm in the sea territory had subsided, the sky clearing to a pristine blue. Bright sunlight streamed down, painting the ocean a vibrant azure once more.

As night fell, Li Qing used the starry sky to pinpoint his location on the sea chart.

"Just as I suspected, I've drifted far off course. This journey has been fraught with peril."

After stowing the sea chart, Li Qing followed the recorded coordinates to realign himself with the correct route.

This time, he encountered no further mishaps, flying at full speed for over two months.

Finally, an archipelago emerged on the horizon. Seeing the diverse landscapes ahead, Li Qing took a deep breath.

"At last, the Azure Floating Islands!"

For over two months, his only view had been the endless azure sea, offering no scenery whatsoever—a truly monotonous and stifling experience.

Seeing the Azure Floating Islands looming ahead, Li Qing didn't hesitate. He accelerated his flight, pushing himself to full speed.

Whoosh!

His figure transformed into a streak of escape light, and in the blink of an eye, he was hovering above the archipelago.

The islands were surprisingly bustling. Merchant ships crisscrossed the waters between the islands, their decks crowded with passengers of every conceivable race.

Among them were races Li Qing had never encountered before. On one ship, a bizarre creature with a fox's head and a merman's tail steered the vessel.

Other alien races included turtle-shelled walkers, scale-covered fish-men, and various orcs.

Humans were also present on the Azure Floating Islands, but most of them exuded a fierce, piratical aura.

Li Qing's arrival drew little attention. The island's inhabitants seemed accustomed to such sights, showing no surprise at his appearance.

"Most of the alien races on these merchant ships have unremarkable cultivation levels," Li Qing observed. "Yet despite their diverse origins, the Azure Floating Islands maintain remarkably good order."

This was what surprised him most: that different races could coexist peacefully and harmoniously without any conflict.

However, none of this concerned him. Li Qing had come to this island to use its teleportation formation to reach the Azure Profound Continent.

Before he even landed, a rabbitfolk with long, fluffy ears darted over.

"Is this your first time visiting the Azure Floating Islands, Human Senior? Would you like me to guide you?"

The rabbitfolk's eyes were large, sparkling, and watery, and her voice was clear and melodious.

Li Qing raised an eyebrow and casually tossed her two mid-grade spirit stones.

The sight of the long-eared rabbitfolk reminded him of Lin Jing, the disciple he had taken in the World of Eternal Night, filling him with a sense of warmth.

It's time I paid her another visit, he thought.

"Alright, give me a brief overview of this island and explain the process for using the teleportation formation to reach the Azure Profound Continent."

The long-eared rabbitfolk, delighted to receive the spirit stones, immediately replied:

"The Azure Floating Islands consist of nearly a hundred islands. The teleportation formation you need is located on the Main Island."

"That's a very ancient super teleportation array capable of intercontinental travel. It's jointly managed and maintained by several powerful factions on the island."

"If you wish to use the teleportation array to reach the Azure Profound Continent, Senior, you'll need to wait until 200 quotas are filled before it activates."

"Of course, if you have urgent matters requiring immediate departure, you can activate the teleportation array early, but the spirit stone cost for this is astronomical."

"However, if you're not in a rush, it's been over half a month since the last activation. We should reach the 200-quota threshold within another month or so."

Li Qing nodded slightly.

Waiting a month or two was no problem for him. He had no pressing matters at the moment, so he might as well stay and explore the Azure Floating Islands for a while.

"Hmm, tell me more about the powerful factions on the Azure Floating Islands."

The long-eared rabbitfolk answered without hesitation, "The most powerful factions are naturally the four major powers that jointly manage the super teleportation array."

"The four major powers are the human race, the shell race, the golden rat burrow, and the profound whale race!"

"Each of these powers has experts in the body integration realm overseeing their territories. The profound whale race is particularly formidable; their clan elder is rumored to have reached the late body integration realm, possessing unfathomable power!"

"Fortunately, the profound whales rarely venture onto the islands, spending most of their time in the sea. Moreover, they are known for their gentle nature; as long as you don't provoke them, they rarely bother others."

She rattled off the information like a seasoned merchant, sharing a wealth of knowledge about the archipelago with Li Qing.

In addition to the four great clans occupying the Main Island, numerous smaller races inhabit the surrounding islands. The rabbitfolk, for example, hail from Rabbitfolk Island, a more remote island teeming with their kind.

The Azure Floating Islands have enjoyed years of peace and tranquility, with conflicts being rare. This is largely due to the four great clans' strict prohibition against fighting or causing disturbances on the Main Island, punishable by severe penalties.

The four clans on the Main Island have grown immensely wealthy by controlling the ancient super teleportation array, amassing vast quantities of spirit stone resources annually.

In addition to this, the four races encouraged trade, and thanks to the convenience of the teleportation formation, many traveling merchants from the Azure Profound Continent frequently came here to conduct business, making the area extremely attractive.

"Senior, if you wish to use the teleportation formation, I recommend you register for a quota on the Main Island now. That way, once 200 people have gathered, you can depart immediately."

"If you miss the quota, you'll have to wait until the next group of 200 is assembled."

The rabbitfolk blinked her eyes as she offered Li Qing this advice.

"Hmm, are there places to stay on the Main Island?"

"Of course. Cave abodes are available near the teleportation formation, but they're quite expensive."

"If you don't require a particularly rich spiritual energy environment, it would be best to rent a cave abode on one of the smaller islands near the Main Island. You can move to the Main Island when the teleportation formation is about to activate."

As she spoke, the petite and adorable rabbitfolk named Ling Long pointed Li Qing toward the Main Island.

"Excellent!"

With that, Li Qing rewarded her with two mid-grade spirit stones and sped off toward the Main Island.

Before long, Floating Azure Island came into view.