The old land of Gods and Devils

"He is a fallen one of the tribe."

"Captain 'Reef' replied."

"The Fallen?" Pearl chewed on the word and asked softly.

"Why are they fallen, and how did they fall?"

This time, the tall and imposing dragonman remained silent, offering no reply for a long time.

The mermaid queen, with a stern face, scolded:

Answer me!

No matter how gentle her nature, she is still a descendant of Gods and Devils in the extraordinary realm, and the queen of her clan.

"Aww!"

The black dragon coiled above everyone's heads roared at the opportune moment, intimidating the dragon people.

The dragon-men trembled, like subjects facing a king's wrath, prostrating themselves on the ground, not daring to raise their heads. 'Jiao' dared not conceal anything and truthfully confessed:

"I don't know why they fell from grace. They were originally the elite guards of Dragon City, but they degenerated after their leader left."

Dragon City is the largest and only city in the Arsu Islands.

While out exploring, Xu Qi'an glanced at the black dragon in mid-air. The Mermaid Queen, who had been watching this man closely, immediately asked on his behalf:

"Will Mo Yu accompany us? Where will we go on our adventure?"

'Reef' said tremblingly:

"Not long ago, the leader received news from somewhere that a treasure trove had been discovered. So he invited Lord Moyu to explore it together."

"Lord Moyu and the leader are close friends. They are all descendants of dragons, and Dragon Island and the Arsu Islands have always been allies."

"The leader, along with the elite of his personal guards and Lord Moyu, went to explore, and it took more than twenty days and nights. When he returned, he was all alone; his personal guards and Lord Moyu had disappeared without a trace."

"The leader informed us that Lord Moyu died during his exploration, and that his personal guards had also fallen. He told us to be on high alert, and then went into seclusion to heal his wounds."

"Sure enough, within a few days and nights, massacres broke out all over the island. The fallen ones had returned and were wreaking havoc on their homeland."

They returned because of their obsession with returning to their homeland. Pearl couldn't help but look at the black dragon, and Mo Yu's obsession with her was too deep, which is why he came to the Mermaid Island and slaughtered her people.

The Mermaid Queen relayed the Dragonman Captain's instructions to Xu Qi'an in detail.

Exploring a treasure trove? His good brothers and personal guards all fell, yet he managed to return unscathed; his strength is indeed impressive. Xu Qi'an said:

"Let's go and talk to the owner of the Arsu Islands."

With a great calamity looming, the sudden appearance of such a treasure land is truly unsettling. No matter what, Xu Qi'an must go and investigate.

The nine-tailed fox and the mermaid queen nodded slightly.

The three of them soared into the air, stepping onto the back of the dragon. Xu Qi'an took out the fragment of the Earth Book, put the treasure ship into the mirror, and then rode the black dragon away into the azure sky, leaving behind thirteen dragon-man patrol guards.

"Captain, Captain, let's go back and report to the leader immediately!"

A dragon-man shouted.

The leader no longer needs you to report. 'Reef' glanced at his subordinate with pity.

"No rush, swim back slowly."

The sky was clear and bright, with white clouds drifting slowly by.

The black dragon did not fly too high, maintaining a height at which the rider's view would not be obstructed by the clouds.

Fifteen minutes later, the monotonous blue below was finally gone, and the Arsu Islands came into view.

Viewed from above, its main island is semi-circular, with smaller islands dotting the surrounding area, forming an archipelago.

The island boasts vast, fertile plains, dense, rolling forests, and lakes as blue as jewels. Indeed, as the Mermaid Queen said, this place is rich and fertile, suitable for habitation.

At a glance, Xu Qi'an saw many rugged buildings scattered throughout the island.

This led to the formation of villages, some large and some small.

In the north-central part of the main island, there is a city that looks quite like a city, about the size of a county in the Great Feng with a population of over 100,000.

It may not seem like much to humans, but among the settlements of the descendants of Gods and Devils, it is undoubtedly one of the largest communities.

"Wow, this scale is a bit astonishing," Xu Qi'an remarked.

The descendants of Gods and Devils and demons are different from humans; they are born powerful and possess innate fighting strength.

"This is nothing. The human race is countless; selecting hundreds of thousands of cultivators is a piece of cake," the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox laughed.

"Don't be too afraid of the descendants of Gods and Devils. The legendary descendants of Gods and Devils and demons in the Nine Provinces were incredibly powerful, referring to the bloodline within three generations of Gods and Devils. But the bloodline of today's descendants of Gods and Devils is already diluted."

As they spoke, Xu Qi'an steered the black dragon toward the main island.

Ding ding ding.

Suddenly, a tremendous bell rang out from the ancient and majestic city wall, its sound echoing between the blue sky and the sea.

Ring the bell as a warning!

Immediately afterwards, a giant blue bird with a wingspan of ten meters took flight from the mountains and forests, stirring up a whirlwind, and headed towards the black dragon.

The bluebird's feathers are a pure blue that shimmers in the sunlight, clean and neat, while its tail feathers are blue with a hint of gold, giving it a more noble appearance.

"Jing greets Lord Moyu."

The bluebird spoke in human language, its voice clear and melodious.

It's a female bird!

Its bright, dark eyes scrutinized the black jade warily.

When the leader returned, he said that Lord Moyu died during an exploration, but now it has reappeared in the Arsu Islands.

Seeing that Mo Yu remained silent, Qingniao looked at Pearl, maintaining the respectful tone one would show to a powerful figure:

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

Her gaze swept over Xu Qi'an, then turned to the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.

The bluebird's dark, lively eyes trembled violently, and all its blue feathers stood on end; it was in a frenzy.

First it let out a sharp, mournful cry, then it screamed:

"It's you, it's you!"

It suddenly swooped down and flapped its wings, heading straight for the city.

Confused and bewildered, Xu Qi'an looked at the nine-tailed fox with a questioning gaze.

The silver-haired enchantress smiled and said:

"When I came last time, some of their birds offended me."

So I roasted them, and they tasted really good.

After she finished speaking, she stuck out her delicate tongue and licked her bright red lips.

It was clearly a seductive, alluring little gesture, but Xu Qi'an's mind was filled with nothing but complaints. He thought for a moment, then asked in a low voice:

How delicious is it?

"A delicacy from heaven." The nine-tailed fox blinked, gave him a flirtatious look, and urged, "I'll take you to eat it later."

As they were talking, the bluebird returned, carrying a nine-foot-tall dragon-man to the three of them.

This dragon-man was covered in blue scales, with blunt triangular spikes growing on his elbows, knees, and back. His mane on his neck and head was brown mixed with silver.

This foreshadows that even in the realm of the extraordinary, where lifespan is exceptionally long, this island lord is no longer young.

Xu Qi'an learned from Pearl that the island lord's name was "Nu Lang," which was more of a nickname than a name.

In his youth, the island's owner once created towering waves hundreds of feet high, making him invincible in this sea area, hence the name.

The Azure Scaled Dragonman nodded slightly to Pearl and the Nine-Tailed Fox, then passed by Xu Qi'an and stared at the Black Dragon with a complicated expression.

"How could he be with you?"

The Azure-Scaled Dragonman gazed at the Black Flood Dragon, his voice unconsciously lowering slightly.

Pearl then recounted the general process of how Mo Yu slaughtered the merfolk and was subsequently subdued by Xu Qi'an and the Nine-Tailed Fox.

Since Pearl didn't overstep her bounds and boast on Xu Qi'an's behalf, Nu Lang assumed that it was the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox who had subdued the Black Dragon.

This demon king from the Nine Provinces Continent is an outstanding figure even among the second-rank cultivators. Let alone a black dragon, even if you add his raging waves, they would be no match for him.

"Angry Wave, where exactly did you and this dragon find?"

Before Pearl could speak, the nine-tailed fox took the initiative to ask, finally voicing the curiosity and doubts that had been pent up in her heart for so long.

"This is not the place to talk. Please move to my place."

The Lord of Angry Waves Island was respectful and courteous.

Xu Qi'an rode the black dragon, following the bluebird as they landed on the tallest tower in the city.

The buildings in the city were generally built with huge stones, heavy and simple. Hmm, was it to cope with typhoons and tsunamis? Xu Qi'an's thoughts wandered casually. Under the guidance of the Lord of Angry Wave Island, the group entered the main hall on the top floor of the tower.

After waving away the bluebird, the Lord of Angry Waves Island said:

"A while ago, I met an old friend who returned from the far south with news that an island had emerged from the depths of the Guixu in the south. It is suspected that ancient Gods and Devils live on the island."

"His cultivation was shallow, so he did not rush in. He only observed from a distance for a while before rushing back to report the news."

"After receiving the news, I contacted Moyu and we went on an adventure together. Little did I know, the danger there far exceeded my expectations."

The silver-haired enchantress pressed on, asking:

What did you encounter and see there?

The Lord of Angry Waves looked rather grim and slowly said:

"The island was vast and boundless, more like a small continent than an island. We heard terrifying roars outside the island, saw giant turtles entwined with snakes, and birds engulfed in flames, like a second sun."

"I saw a one-eyed giant wandering aimlessly, and a three-headed golden lion devouring its own kind."

Xu Qi'an's heart raced as he listened. He had seen many of the Gods and Devils figures mentioned by the Lord of Raging Waves in fragments of the Gu God's memories.

"Mo Yu and I also believed that the Gods and Devils had not completely perished, but were merely trapped on that island. For countless years, we have never been so excited. As long as the Gods and Devils on the island return to the Nine Provinces, this world will still belong to us, the Gods and Devils."

"But as we approached that island..."

Fear began to flicker in the eyes of the Lord of Angry Waves, and he said in a trembling voice:

"Our spiritual essence was distorted by some force, and we gained many incomplete spiritual essences that did not belong to us. Mo Yu and his guards went crazy on the spot."

"I was fortunate enough to retreat in time and not follow their example. Looking back now, their madness stemmed from being influenced by the island's atmosphere."

Xu Qi'an, the silver-haired enchantress, and the mermaid queen looked at each other, all seeing confusion in each other's eyes.

The Mermaid Queen frowned slightly.

"What kind of place is that? I've never heard of it, nor have I seen any pictures of it in the murals left by my ancestors."

The Lord of Raging Waves said in a low voice:

"At first I didn't understand either, but as I reflected on it during my recovery, I roughly knew what that place was."

In the pitch-black depths of the sea, a colossal monster rides the dark currents.

"Three more days south, and you'll reach the legendary Ruins of Return." Huang's voice echoed through the dark depths of the sea.

"Legend has it that the Ruins of Return are the final resting place of the sea, and life that enters the Ruins of Return will return to its most essential state. The Ruins of Return did not exist in the age of Gods and Devils; it only appeared after the fall of the Gods and Devils. Do you know what its function is?"

The supervisor transmitted his voice in a low voice:

Why are you telling me all this?

Huang's voice remained ethereal, but his tone had changed, as if he were forcibly suppressing his excitement.

"The Ruins of Return are used to preserve the ancient battlefield of Gods and Devils; we are about to return to that Savage Wilderness land," Huang said.

"You took me out to sea just for that ancient battlefield of Gods and Devils?" the supervisor asked in a tone of sudden realization.

The Lord of Raging Waves said, word by word:

"That's where ancient Gods and Devils once lived and fought. My instincts tell me I can't be wrong! Perhaps, the secrets of the Gods and Devils' demise are buried there."