Sky Beam Mountain Island had become the focal point contested by the four camps, as well as cultivators from every side farther afield.
Relying on the power of their colossal ships, sects such as the Eight Extremes Sect had thoroughly gained the upper hand on the lake, sealing off the surrounding waters so tightly that not even wind or snow could pass through. Yet their progress on Sky Beam Mountain Island itself had been far from satisfactory. Even now, Void-Stepping powerhouses remained on the island, putting up a stubborn last stand and trying to break through the four sects' blockade. For the moment, the sects had been unable to take them down.
The most important reason for this was the unique hydrology and terrain of Sky Beam Mountain Island, and indeed the entire Ring Belt Lake region. Ring Belt Lake had been formed when an enormous mountain range sank deep into the earth. Every island had once been a mountaintop in ancient times, so their foundations were solid, their earth qi abundant, and their environments complex.
When the four sects' experts cleared out the cultivators on the island, they could generally only reach the surface. Once those cultivators found themselves outmatched, they immediately hid in the deep waters beneath the island. There were countless natural caves there, as well as the remnants of cave abodes opened by cultivators through the generations. They were almost like a maze, and with formations and mechanisms added in, it was simply an impossible task to clear them out completely in a short time without overwhelming strength and a superior realm.
After this happened time and again, the four camps finally came up with a solution: the scene before them.
Dragged by four colossal ships, all of Sky Beam Mountain Island—or at least the portion