Chapter 572: Fleeing in Disarray

Chapter 572: Chapter 572: Fleeing in Disarray

"Master, Spirit Beast Island is the stuff of legends. No one dares to set foot on it, because no one who has ever gone in has come out alive."

Long Ao nodded. He could easily imagine that Spirit Beast Island must be home to even more powerful Spirit Beasts; otherwise, a Holy Beast like the Golden Tiger Shark wouldn’t be serving as a mere gatekeeper.

The Eight Realms of Void Saint, in ascending order of power, were the Semi-Saint Realm, Saint Realm, Earth Saint Realm, Celestial Saint Realm, Saint King Realm, Saint Emperor Realm, Saint Venerable Realm, and Saint Emperor Realm.

The Eight Realms of Holy Beasts, in ascending order of power, were First Level Holy Beast, Second Level Holy Beast, Third Level Holy Beast, Fourth Level Holy Beast, Fifth Level Holy Beast, Sixth Level Holy Beast, Seventh Level Holy Beast, and Eighth Level Holy Beast.

Right now, Long Ao didn’t know the exact level of the Golden Tiger Shark guarding the entrance.

The reasoning was simple. If the Golden Tiger Shark was a First Level Holy Beast, then Spirit Beast Island might not have any Great Emperor Spirit Beasts. However, if it was an Eighth Level Holy Beast, then Long Ao could say with near certainty that the island was, at a minimum, presided over by a Great Emperor Spirit Beast.

Long Ao didn’t bother asking Long Heng, as he was sure Long Heng wouldn’t know the Golden Tiger Shark’s exact level.

"Go back and focus on your Cultivation. I’ll be back in three days."

"Master, let me go with you."

Waving a hand dismissively, Long Ao said, "Your Cultivation is too low. You’d be of no help to me."

With that, Long Ao boarded a boat the Long Family had prepared and slowly set off toward Spirit Beast Island. Aside from him, the only other person on board was the boatman.

Spirit Beast Island was one of the countless islands in the Outer Sea.

Spirit Beast Island was covered in Spirit Beasts, a veritable paradise for them, and a place no human dared to enter lightly.

The boat was fast. In just half a day, they were within a thousand meters of Spirit Beast Island.

"Senior Long Ao, I..."

"I understand. You can go back on your own."

"Thank you." The man immediately rowed away in a small boat. Long Ao wasn’t the least bit angry. After all, with legends like those about Spirit Beast Island, it was only human to be too scared to get close.

In the distance, Long Ao could already see a chain of rolling islands. Based on Long Heng’s description of its shape, he recognized Spirit Beast Island at first glance.

He slowly drew closer. When he was about thirty meters from Spirit Beast Island, monstrous waves began to crash against him. If Long Ao hadn’t immediately braced against them, his boat would have been smashed to splinters.

Golden Tiger Shark.

Just as expected. And just as Long Heng had said, a Holy Beast—a Golden Tiger Shark—was presiding over the waters outside Spirit Beast Island.

At that moment, a massive shark suddenly surfaced nearby. It was as large as his entire boat. A quick scan of its aura was all it took for Long Ao to determine that this Golden Tiger Shark was a First Level Holy Beast—the equivalent of a Semi-Saint Martial Artist Level.

"Who are you? Leave at once, or I will devour you whole."

’The Golden Tiger Shark can talk?’

Long Ao was astonished. Normally, even Holy Beasts were incapable of speech, though a rare few Spirit Beasts could manage it. As for Divine Beasts, nearly all of them could speak. Even Long Qiang, whose Cultivation had already reached the level of a First Level Holy Beast, was still unable to talk.

After his brief surprise, Long Ao replied, "I have business on Spirit Beast Island. I hope you’ll grant me passage."

In truth, Long Ao wasn’t particularly impressed by the Golden Tiger Shark. It was, after all, a Holy Beast of the sea. Even if it could come ashore, it would be no match for a land-based Holy Beast.

In the ocean, the Golden Tiger Shark’s power could double, but on land, its strength would be severely limited. The reverse was true for land-based Holy Beasts that entered the sea; it was a simple matter of environmental advantage.

Long Ao was wary of the Golden Tiger Shark. On land, he could have easily destroyed it, but here in the ocean...

"Spirit Beast Island is sacred ground! Humans are forbidden. Now, get lost!"

Being told to get lost, Long Ao’s expression darkened. ’It seems it wants to do this the hard way.’ Without another word, an oppressive Momentum erupted from his body, bearing down on the shark like a tornado.

The Golden Tiger Shark seemed stunned that he would dare to strike first. However, as a Holy Beast of the ocean, its power was undeniable. Once it recovered from its shock, it furiously counterattacked.

Long Ao didn’t dare to be careless. The Golden Tiger Shark could draw upon the power of the ocean. Wanting to end the fight quickly and get to Spirit Beast Island, he immediately unleashed his Self-Created Martial Skill: Heaven and Earth Mourn Together.

A terrifying whirlwind instantly swept across the surface of the sea. The vortex, pulling the ocean waves with it, formed a tsunami-like maelstrom that battered the Golden Tiger Shark with the fury of a hurricane.

Long Ao gave the Golden Tiger Shark no chance to recover. He instantly summoned the Dragon Seal and sent it hurtling toward the beast.

"AH!"

A pained cry echoed out. While the Dragon Seal didn’t possess the full extent of its master’s power, it was incredibly hard. The blow struck the Golden Tiger Shark squarely on the head, blasting open a bloody hole.

Overjoyed, Long Ao didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately pressed his advantage, striking again and again.

"Human, you..."

Before the Golden Tiger Shark could finish, Long Ao struck again. Aided by the power of Heaven and Earth Mourn Together and the suppression from his Momentum, the Dragon Seal in his hand almost never missed its mark.

In just a few minutes, the Golden Tiger Shark had been struck hundreds of times. Its body was riddled with bloody holes, and its blood stained the surface of the sea red. The scene was ghastly.

Watching the Golden Tiger Shark flee in a panic, Long Ao didn’t give chase. With his current power, he couldn’t stand on the surface of the water. He could fly, but who knew what kind of trouble he might encounter flying over the open ocean.

But with less than thirty meters left, Long Ao prepared to fly over.

Leaping into the air, Long Ao’s figure shot swiftly toward Spirit Beast Island.

On Spirit Beast Island, Long Ao found himself surrounded by dense forests. Ancient trees blotted out the sky, creating a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

"Master, be careful. The aura of the Treasure the Chaos Stele sensed is here."

Hearing Long Fu’s words, Long Ao was first taken aback, then filled with elation. ’My luck is just too good! I only came to Spirit Beast Island intending to kill a few Holy Beasts and refine them into Corpse Slaves to protect the Long Family, but it turns out...’

Long Ao never would have imagined that the aura of the Treasure the Chaos Stele had sensed would actually be right here.

Long Ao could well imagine what this meant. A Treasure capable of making the Chaos Stele resonate had to be one of the most powerful Divine Artifacts in existence. ’Could it be another Chaos Stele?’

It was said that there were twelve Chaos Steles in total in the world. He had obtained only one, while the other eleven were either lost or had already fallen into someone else’s hands. If he could get his hands on a second one... the very thought sent a thrill of excitement through him.