Chapter 667 18: Night Raid

Chen Chuan spent the entire night in continuous Spiritual Cultivation.

While the essence flowing from the other side couldn't compare to the period when Central City's Celestial Gate was open, there were no enemies around, nor did he need to worry about anything else.

Even if there were beings on the other side coveting this end, they were blocked by the creature occupying the Rift's entrance. This allowed him to devote himself completely to his cultivation.

Just before dawn, he withdrew from his meditation, reached for the Snow Monarch Blade beside him, and stood up.

Perhaps because he had been so immersed, it felt as if only a moment had passed.

During this session, he could feel his Spiritual Power increasing drop by drop. This kind of cultivation was truly intoxicating; he didn't want to stop at all. But he had an agreement with Tarlu not to cultivate during the day. Since they trusted him enough to let him come here alone, he wouldn't betray that understanding.

'I'll come back tomorrow.'

As he backed away, the tendrils before him twisted together once more, sealing themselves shut.

He left the waterproof bag there, taking only the Snow Monarch Blade as he turned and exited the Rift. After returning to the sea's surface, he climbed up the sea cliff.

The Sun had just begun to rise from the surface of the sea, its golden light dyeing the entire island. A thick morning mist drifted from the forest, intertwining with the light and wisps of cloud, creating a dreamlike, illusory scene from a distance.

Once he reached the top of the cliff, Elder Gan, who seemed to be waiting for him, walked over. "Mr. Chen," he said, "I thought you would stay inside. Past guests who went in never wanted to come out."

Chen Chuan, however, felt this was better. He found that being on the island had a relaxing effect on his spirit, which actually made his nightly sessions more efficient.

Elder Gan looked at him and asked tentatively, "Mr. Chen, I was wondering, during your cultivation yesterday, did you encounter any sort of being from the other side?"

Chen Chuan replied, "No, I didn't."

Elder Gan's expression turned serious. He cautioned, "You still must be careful. Tarlu encountered them when she went before, and it happened many times. Each time, it took her a long while to purge the influence. The guests who came before also had similar experiences, more or less."

He added, "There is a Lotus Seat in the Single Stream Hall. It's said to be the place where Master Hongfa once meditated on Zen. Cultivating there can soothe the spirit and purge defilements. Would Mr. Chen like to give it a try?"

Chen Chuan immediately understood. 'Are they worried my spirit was tainted down there? My coming back up without any hesitation must have made them nervous.'

He said, "You can rest assured, sir."

As he spoke, he took out the Jade Pig Dragon that Mr. Zhuan had given him. Only a tiny speck of black had appeared on it, almost invisible unless one looked closely. This was because his Second Self had absorbed most of the corruption.

Elder Gan took a look and seemed to relax a little. He said, "It seems I worried for nothing. Mr. Chen, please try to keep this with you during your future cultivation."

Chen Chuan nodded, then asked, "Sir, where is that Lotus Seat you just mentioned?" Since it was something left behind by Master Hongfa and supposedly had the effect of purging defilements, he was quite interested in seeing it.

The old man said cheerfully, "I'll take you there, Mr. Chen."

He led Chen Chuan past the training grounds. Even before the Sun had fully risen, the youths here had already begun their exercises with Tarlu. Seeing the two approach, Tarlu waved at them from a distance.

Chen Chuan nodded in response. After bypassing the training grounds, he followed Elder Gan into a cluster of dilapidated buildings. One area had clearly been deliberately maintained. Beneath an arched stone wall sat a Jade Lotus Seat. It was obviously ancient, covered in many chips and signs of damage.

The seat itself, however, was worn completely smooth.

As Chen Chuan drew near, he suddenly sensed a faint Spiritual Power, one that felt exceptionally peaceful and gentle.

He was a little surprised. 'Master Hongfa lived seven or eight hundred years ago. How could there still be a spiritual remnant on it after all this time? Or is it someone else's spirit?'

However, it felt very similar to the comforting sensation that permeated the island. It seemed the two were related.

He walked to the Lotus Seat and sat down on the soft cushion in front of it. In just a short while, he saw the black on the Jade Pig Dragon had actually faded slightly.

'Looks like it really works.'

Seeing him sit down and quickly enter a meditative state, Elder Gan suddenly felt much more at ease. He stroked his graying beard and left.

For the next few days, Chen Chuan spent his nights cultivating in the Rift and his days meditating here. Ten days passed in a flash, and his Spiritual Power had made obvious progress.

And because the foundation of his Spiritual Power was already so high, each improvement far surpassed the progress of an ordinary person.

Seeing him meditate here every day and cultivate every night without a single day's break, Elder Gan was deeply impressed. His dedication to cultivation was truly single-minded.

He said to Tarlu, "Legend says that Master Hongfa once sat for ten years and achieved true enlightenment. This Mr. Chen is so young, yet so powerful and so diligent. No wonder Mr. Zhuan recommended him to us."

Tarlu nodded in firm agreement. If it were anyone else, seeing Chen Chuan's diligence would have sent them running back to train harder under the pressure. But not her.

She practiced fighting simply because she enjoyed it. She worked hard for herself, not for anyone else, so she wouldn't change her ways because of others.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past, carrying with it the CLATTERING sound of loose gravel. Elder Gan looked at the sky and narrowed his eyes. "A strong wind is coming."

Tarlu grunted in acknowledgment. Every year in mid-July, strong sea gales would blow through here. Fortunately, they were very experienced in dealing with them. The houses on the island had already been reinforced, and any guests would be advised to leave ahead of time.

Meanwhile, the members of the Turbulence Squad, having spent several days on the island posing as tourists, had already figured out the situation. After being advised to leave, they returned to report to their captain, Uteco.

"The Fighter is on a large platform halfway up the mountain. We've barely seen her come down. We didn't get a closer look for fear of alerting her, but we confirmed with the villagers that besides her, everyone else at the Fighting Hall is average at best.

"But there are at least a few thousand residents on the island, and they have methods of communication we don't know about yet. It won't be easy to control all of them..."

Someone spoke up, "Kenwa refuses to cooperate with us. He has a lot of men under him. If we had brought them along, we wouldn't have to worry about this."

Another person said with contempt, "Don't bother with that lunatic. He thinks just because he received power from above, he can disrespect the captain. He's just a clown. Besides, his strength is nothing special. It wasn't gained through his own cultivation. How far can you really get by relying on someone else's charity?"

Uteco said in a low voice, "That's right. Only power you gain for yourself is truly your own. The number of islanders doesn't matter. When the time comes, we just need to control the main ferry crossings and docks. Once the storm hits, no one will be able to cross the sea."

A squad member suddenly said, "Captain, a lot of people have been lurking around recently, seemingly searching for something. It looks like other groups have their eyes on this place too. Definitely more than one. We seem to have a lot of rivals."

Uteco's expression was cold as he said, "Ignore them for now. Stick to our own plan. If they get in our way, we'll just get rid of them all."

Two days later, on the fifteenth of July, a fierce wind began to whip up the sea. On a reef nearest to Feiguang Island, the Turbulence Squad, already fully clad in diving suits, waited for night to fall. Then, one by one, they leaped into the churning waves and began swimming underwater toward Feiguang Island.

Their elite squad consisted of six people, every one of them a Third Limit Fighter highly skilled in coordinated sieges. Uteco, their leader, had even begun to cultivate Spiritual Power, putting him on a level that no ordinary Third Limit Fighter could match. Thus, they were extremely confident about this operation.

A little over forty minutes later, the Turbulence Squad arrived on Feiguang Island.

The members who had been on the island before had already stashed some equipment nearby. Upon arrival, they successfully retrieved it and geared up.

Most of them carried crossbows and projectiles. While firearms were effective, they were also loud. At close range, throwing weapons were more practical for them.

With their strength, they could have slaughtered the entire village within ten minutes, but they had no intention of doing so. After all, they planned to stay here for the long term. If the Rift was here, they couldn't leave, and they would need people to provide services and daily necessities.

As long as they eliminated or controlled the village leaders and the people from the Fighting Hall, they could take over the Hall's original ecological niche.

Once everyone was ready, they immediately began moving swiftly up the mountain.

On the platform halfway up the mountain, Tarlu was kneeling before the Stone Lotus Seat. After stepping onto the path of Spiritual Power cultivation, she spent most nights regulating her breathing instead of sleeping, using the Lotus Seat's influence to aid her practice.

At that moment, she suddenly sensed something—a distinct disturbance, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake.

She opened her eyes, stood up, and snatched a Long Staff into her hand. As she backflipped away, a few hastily fired Crossbow Arrows landed at her feet just as she moved.

At the same time, as she leaped sideways, she twirled her staff in a flurry of motion, deflecting the remaining arrows and projectiles. Several presences appeared around her, forming a large encirclement that began to close in and pressure her.

Tarlu took one look and showed no intention of fighting them. With a flick of her staff, she bolted, because she had determined in a single glance that she couldn't handle these people alone.

Old Tarlu had told her: fight if you can win, run if you can't.

"Huh?"

Uteco had considered many possibilities and had even anticipated this one. 'But you're the heir to the Fighting Hall! So many people see you as their guardian deity, yet you run at the first sign of trouble? Have you no shame?'

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