Ling Fan did not mind paying a price to hire guides from Hongtian Island.
Chen Xia widened her beautiful eyes slightly and said, "Young Master Ling, you are still going to Undead City! What a coincidence, we are also going to Undead City. The Undead Empress has sent out invitations for the Undead Holy City celebration, and our Hongtian Island is also on the guest list. My father said that Undead City is establishing a Holy Land, which is a great event that will benefit the entire Storm Sea Domain. Therefore, we are going to help the Undead Empress boost her prestige and lend her support. We are going to Ten Thousand Artifacts Island this time precisely to select gifts."
Upon hearing that Hongtian Island was going to help the Undead Empress and Undead City, Ling Fan's good impression of Island Master Chen and his daughter grew.
"I am also going to help the Undead Empress support the event."
Ling Fan smiled faintly.
Hongtian Island was an indigenous force in the Storm Sea Domain, accustomed to its environment. Moreover, these specially crafted treasure ships were indispensable tools for traversing the Storm Sea Domain.
In less than a day, the treasure ship arrived before a colossal island.
This island was hundreds of times larger than Xuanyue Island, so vast it was like a continent floating on the boundless ocean!
Ling Fan spread his divine sense and discovered that this island contained no less than ten human kingdoms, countless martial cities, and a population of a billion. Furthermore, the proportion of martial artists among these people was very high.
This also meant that the number of powerhouses on this island was not small.
The area with the most concentrated martial arts aura and the most powerful individuals was the very center of the island, where a massive city stretching for a hundred miles stood, with towering buildings, magnificent splendor, and a multitude of experts.
Boom!
As if sensing Ling Fan's probing, a powerful counterforce emanated from the giant city, as if a giant with an immense aura had discovered Ling Fan and intended to strike down this audacious trespasser who dared to spy on Ten Thousand Artifacts Island.
However, Ling Fan's pupil power was incredibly strong. With a slight activation of his Demonic Eye, he neutralized this mental attack, which was enough to turn a quasi-saint below the fifth stage of Dao Integration into an idiot.
"A top-tier quasi-saint, no less than the Sect Master of Butian Sect or the Master of Shenji Tower, and there seems to be a trace of a mid-grade Earth-tier saint artifact's aura. His combat power is directly comparable to a true saint. This Storm Sea Domain truly harbors hidden dragons and crouching tigers."
Ling Fan remained unfazed, following the people from Hongtian Island onto Ten Thousand Artifacts Island.
"Young Master Ling, we must keep a low profile on this Ten Thousand Artifacts Island. Ten Thousand Artifacts Island is a behemoth ranked among the top ten of the Thirty-Six Immortal Islands, far more powerful than our Hongtian Island. Moreover, Ten Thousand Artifacts Island possesses countless powerful spirit weapons and magical treasures with infinite might. Most importantly, the strength of the Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island is unfathomable; even powerhouses from the Three Great Sacred Domains show him respect when they arrive here," Chen Xia cautioned Ling Fan with good intentions.
"Later, we will go directly to the Ten Thousand Artifacts Tower, the core of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, to purchase items. Do you have enough money? If not, I can lend you some."
Ling Fan shook his head.
He was now a true giant who possessed an entire sacred domain. Although the Lingtian Sacred Domain could not yet compare to the Three Great Sacred Lands that had been managed for countless years, the combined wealth of the ten domains was an astronomical sum.
Apart from the materials needed to set up the first great formation of the Samsara Divine Cauldron, Ling Fan's storage ring now held nearly ten million low-grade Earth-tier pills, an astronomical figure equivalent to a hundred low-grade Earth-tier Golden Core spirit artifacts, or one mid-grade Earth-tier saint artifact.
However, saint artifacts were generally priceless and unavailable on the market.
"Little sister, ignore him. He doesn't appreciate your kindness, so why are you still being so nice to him!"
Chen Zhendong discontentedly pulled Chen Xia aside and then warned her in a low voice, "This person's strength is not good, yet he is arrogant and will surely bring trouble upon himself sooner or later. We should keep our distance from him to avoid being implicated!"
"It can't be that bad, Young Master Ling is actually quite a good person."
Seeing that Chen Xia was not listening, Chen Zhendong immediately put on a stern face and glared fiercely at Ling Fan, as if warning him to stay away from his sister.
Ling Fan acted as if he saw nothing and stepped onto Ten Thousand Artifacts Island.
This attitude immediately ignited Chen Zhendong's anger. If it weren't for his apprehension of the two fierce great demons, he would have already taught this arrogant brat a lesson.
Upon entering Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, strong individuals immediately stepped forward to question them.
"I am Chen Yushan, the Island Master of Hongtian Island. Please inform your superiors." Chen Yushan said amiably.
"So it is Island Master Chen gracing us with his presence!"
The strong individuals of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island immediately changed their attitude and respectfully invited Chen Yushan, Chen Zhendong, Chen Xia, and the others in. Ling Fan, along with the demonic horse and the toad, also followed them into Ten Thousand Artifacts Island.
Chen Zhendong raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ling Fan, feeling quite smug.
At this moment.
On the highest floor of the Ten Thousand Artifacts Tower, a majestic middle-aged man reclined on a throne. Before him was an ancient and peculiar prism, which displayed the scene of Chen Yushan and his entourage entering Ten Thousand Artifacts Island.
"Father, the people from Hongtian Island have indeed arrived, and it's even led by Chen Yushan himself! They must be here to buy gifts for that shrew, the Undead Empress."
A gloomy young man, bearing some resemblance to the middle-aged man, said.
This young man had faint dark circles under his eyes, appearing to have a body depleted by wine and women. This person was the Young Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, Wan Guanning.
And the middle-aged man was naturally the lord of one of the top five great island domains among the Thirty-Six Immortal Islands in the Storm Sea Domain, the Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, Wan Renwang.
Wan Renwang, the Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, shrewdly spun a string of jade beads in his hand, remaining silent.
His son, Wan Guanning, continued, "Father, these people from Hongtian Island are truly spineless! To think they are ranked among the Thirty-Six Immortal Islands alongside our Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, what a disgrace! The Undead Empress is an outsider, and now she wants to establish some so-called Undead Holy City, trying to ride roughshod over us Thirty-Six Immortal Islands. It's bad enough that the people of Hongtian Island aren't joining us to resist, but they even want to support that bitch and lend her strength. They are truly ungrateful traitors!"
Wan Guanning became increasingly indignant as he spoke, his eyes flashing with cold light. "To think they want to use the treasures of our Ten Thousand Artifacts Island to curry favor with that bitch, the Undead Empress. What a dream! Father, I will go and drive them out right now!"
"Wait."
The Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island stopped him.
"Father! Can you tolerate this insult?" Wan Guanning exclaimed.
"Naturally, I cannot. Hongtian Island has chosen the wrong side. Simply driving them out would be too lenient for them!"
The Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island sneered sinisterly, like a cunning, treacherous, and ruthless old wolf.
"I have secretly allied with nine great island domains, including Sanhua Island, Hailong Island, Wuying Island, and Panlong Island. Furthermore, I have contacted one of the Three Great Sacred Domains. As soon as the powerhouses of Wuzhou Sacred Domain make a move during the Undead Holy City celebration, our nine great island domains will jointly pressure her. I'm not afraid that the Undead Empress won't yield! Now, the powerhouses of the nine great island domains are on their way. Ning'er, you will find an excuse later to detain the people from Hongtian Island. Once the powerhouses of the nine great island domains arrive, we will spring a trap and ensure they have no escape, thus directly cutting off one of the Undead Empress's allies."
"Father is brilliant! Your son admires you!" Wan Guanning exclaimed.
"This is my specialty, Father. Just watch. The daughter of the Island Master of Hongtian Island is beautiful and sexy, she's exactly my type! I'll start with her."
Wan Guanning's eyes flashed with lecherous light as he disappeared from the highest floor of the Ten Thousand Artifacts Tower.
After Wan Guanning disappeared, the Island Master of Ten Thousand Artifacts Island, Wan Renwang, frowned, recalling the extremely powerful mental probe from earlier. He felt that things were not entirely stable and that some unforeseen events might still occur.
"The recovery of that saint artifact in the Nine Springs Sacred Water should be almost complete. I should retrieve it in advance to ensure everything is foolproof!"
Wan Renwang's body suddenly vanished from the throne. When he reappeared, he was already deep underground in the Ten Thousand Artifacts Tower. Here, countless powerful spirit artifacts formed a great formation, concealing all aura and suppressing the earth's energy.
A cold, dark, spiral staircase descended into a massive cavity, leading to an unknown depth underground. Pale, cold air rushed up from the depths, causing even Wan Renwang, with his cultivation, to shiver.
...