Chapter 3551 — Preparing to Unseal Cloud Terrace Island
Sure enough, on the sea thirty degrees to the northeast, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was at its most violent—the sea wind howled, the waves towered to the sky. Though Cloud Terrace Island was still nowhere to be seen, having a direction was always better than none!
"All inheritors, make ready—the pressure of the Five Elements and Five Baleful Forces may descend at any moment!" Though the Southern Heaven Libationer resented Wei Zhao, he could not let the man die. If Wei Zhao died, none of them would be going to Cloud Terrace Island; nor could Ancestor Xuanchen bring along the new underling he had just taken in.
In the distance, the other trial-goers were frowning deeply, watching everything unfold with unbearable tension. The might of this spiritual energy was simply too vast—far beyond the scope of their imagining! In that moment, it seemed the whole world was trembling at the emergence of Cloud Terrace Island.
This state of affairs lasted about half an hour, and the violent spiritual energy only grew more ferocious. At the thirty-degree mark to the northeast, a white, misty region gradually appeared. No one knew what it was, yet everyone's heart raced with excitement—surely this was none other than the legendary Cloud Terrace Island!
"Cloud Terrace Island has manifested! All trial-goers, prepare to land on Cloud Terrace Island!" the Southern Heaven Libationer bellowed.
The trial-goers were thrilled and excited, yet none dared to breathe too loudly, nor to cry out in applause; one and all they watched the strange spectacle before them in tense silence, awaiting the Southern Heaven Libationer's next command.
The ground beneath their feet began to quake along with the raging spiritual energy, and the sea's swells grew ever more turbulent—spray leapt to heights of dozens of meters!
That misty white region held every heart in its grip. Suddenly, the white expanse on the sea shot forth rays of every color—seven distinct hues, upon close inspection—threaded through with streaks of black light!
This must be the radiance of the Five Elements and Seven Attributes, and that black—the demonic qi of the Five Baleful Forces!
Everyone was tense now, eyes fixed unblinking on that white region. Could this... truly be the legendary Cloud Terrace Island?
"The pressure is about to begin! Inheritors and Zhang Naipao, protect the opener with all your strength!" the Southern Heaven Libationer shouted.
No sooner had his words fallen than Cloud Terrace Island blazed with a fierce, blinding light, plunging everyone's eyes into a brief blindness.
They were all Heaven-rank Great Perfection experts; ordinarily, even the harshest glare would not impair their sight. But this time, it left them seeing nothing at all—even their spiritual perception was blinded along with their eyes!
Inheritors and trial-goers alike—never had any of them imagined that such dazzling light could exist in this world, light that could rob them of all sight!
Yet unlike the others, Wei Zhao, perceiving outward from within the jade pendant space, could see what was happening outside—though the white region had, at some unknown point, begun drawing closer to the shore! Or rather, it had been close all along; it was only the interplay of light and shadow that had made it seem so distant.
With the eruption of that blinding light, the boundless pressure of the Five Elements and Seven Attributes, together with the pressure of the Five Baleful Forces, was suddenly unleashed, rolling toward the coast!
"Begin circulating your heart-method mantras to resist!" the Southern Heaven Libationer shouted.
The pressure had now descended in full force!
The inheritors and Zhang Naipao dared not slacken; they hurriedly set their heart-method mantras spinning, bracing against the enormous pressure crashing down upon them like a violent storm.
In that moment came a feeling of suffocation. Zhang Naipao was absorbing the demonic qi of the Five Baleful Forces—of them all, he was surely the most at ease! Though he absorbed without pause, he fared better than the other inheritors.
The force of the pressure was unbearable, stealing the breath from their lungs—yet each inheritor knew her own mission! Had the person at the center been Tagan Long, they might not have striven so hard; but the one at the center was Wei Zhao, the man they loved, the man for whom they would give their lives. So every inheritor gritted her teeth and held on...
Beads of sweat slid ceaselessly from the inheritors' brows. Wei Zhao saw it, and it cut him to the heart—yet there was nothing he could do!
Standing where he was, he was utterly helpless. He had his own mission!
As the pressure was released, Cloud Terrace Island, once faint and elusive, gradually grew distinct. Through that riot of five-hued light, a vast white island appeared before everyone's eyes.
It seemed so distant, this island—and yet it was right before them!
And yet it was as though the island had sprung from nowhere, for when they had arrived, the calm surface of the sea had held nothing at all!
"A four-dimensional space?" Elder Jiao's voice sounded at Wei Zhao's ear. "This Cloud Terrace Island is actually hidden within a four-dimensional space!"
"A four-dimensional space?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback.
"Indeed. Much like the jade pendant space, Cloud Terrace Island is a four-dimensional space concealed within the Endless Western Sea. No wonder human technology has never discovered an island like this—a special place the size of a small nation!" said Elder Jiao.
"So that's how it is!" Wei Zhao understood easily enough. Was the jade pendant space not likewise hidden from ordinary people?
But that being so, not just anyone could enter or leave Cloud Terrace Island—no wonder a formation was needed to unseal it!
"Opener, attend—your mission is at hand!" Just as Wei Zhao and Elder Jiao were marveling, the Southern Heaven Libationer's voice rang out. "Make ready: once the pillar of light opens a passage, ascend it and unseal Cloud Terrace Island!"
A pillar of light? Wei Zhao was briefly startled—but the next instant, a beam of light struck the center of the Eight Trigrams formation, exactly where Wei Zhao stood!
"Enter the pillar of light at once and unseal the seal!" the Southern Heaven Libationer shouted.
Wei Zhao was momentarily dazed—and then, to his astonishment, he discovered that the pillar of light was solid. In other words, he could walk upon it!
At the thought, Wei Zhao dared not delay; he stepped quickly onto the pillar of light and strode forward.
Yet the pressure all around made it hard for Wei Zhao to keep his balance! Still, he dared not spare a thought to resist it, for the pillar was cylindrical and its surface utterly smooth—the moment his attention wandered, he would fall!
"Inheritors, speed up your heart-method mantras, or Wei Zhao will be in grave danger! The pressure above converges on him—it will tear him to pieces!" Ancestor Xuanchen roared. In saying so, he was also threatening the inheritors, forcing them to give their all!
Sure enough, hearing that Wei Zhao was in danger, the inheritors had no choice but to accelerate the circulation of their heart-method mantras! (Second update.) (To be continued.)