After the earth-shattering teleportation light and sound ceased, Ye Chen opened his eyes to find himself and nine others from the Fourth Sea Island now standing within a new realm.
"Is this the 'Central Giant Isle'?"
Upon arriving in this new realm, Ye Chen's divine sense and vision immediately swept around, enveloping a thirty-mile radius. Astonished, he took in the entirety of their surroundings.
Below his feet was an unbelievably gigantic lotus leaf, its size measuring thousands of feet in diameter.
The lotus leaf floated on the surface of an azure blue lake, and looking further afield, he could see more equally immense lotus leaves drifting not far away.
One vast lotus leaf after another floated upon the azure blue ripples, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
It was impossible to know how vast the lake was or how many giant lotus leaves it contained.
"Such enormous lotus leaves?"
"Good heavens, these lotus leaves are extraordinarily huge, thousands of feet in diameter! Standing on them feels as if we're on solid ground. I've never seen such massive lotus leaves before!"
"Is this really the 'Central Giant Isle'? Were we transported here, to the very place where the Legacy Treasure lies within this lake?"
"Didn't they say we'd be united with people from other islands upon being transported to the Central Giant Isle? Why don't I see anyone from other islands?"
Just as those initially teleported to the giant lotus leaf were marveling at their entrance to this new realm, amid a series of "boom, boom, boom" glowing flares, another group of ten from a different island also arrived upon this same lotus leaf.
These ten, just like Ye Chen's group, were taken aback at the sight of the immense lotus leaves and the water of the azure lake below, gazing around in astonishment and starting to discuss among themselves.
The moment these ten appeared, followed by more groups being transmitted. As streaks of light flickered, ten batches in total, representing the qualified individuals from ten islands, arrived on this enormous lotus leaf spanning thousands of feet.
While more people continued to arrive on the lotus leaf, Ye Chen kept an eye out for the newcomers. When he spotted Jiang Yao among the fifth group of ten, clad in her pale yellow garments, he joyfully flew straight toward the girl.
Ye Chen had been worried about Jiang Yao's welfare on the other islands, and seeing her safely arrive and reunite with him at last eased his anxious heart.
"Ye Chen!" Jiang Yao also noticed him; a smile bloomed like pear blossoms across the delicate features of her face.
She too had been concerned for Ye Chen; the feeling of being separated on different islands while venturing through such a bizarre ancient tomb had been unsettling.
Now, the two were reunited on the Central Isle's vast lotus leaf!
From here on, no matter the challenges, they would face them together!
"How are you doing, were there any problems? Which island were you on?" When Ye Chen reached Jiang Yao, he immediately drew her into his embrace, inhaling her delicate fragrance, feeling a profound sense of tranquility.
Being held , Jiang Yao's fair cheeks flushed with a touch of shyness. She lifted her chin slightly, looking up at Ye Chen, "I'm fine, luckily the sisters from the Moon Concealing Sect took good care of me. I was on the Eighth Sea Island, Ye Chen, which one were you on? How have you been this past month?"
"I was on the Fourth Sea Island, everything went well," Ye Chen said with a smile as he looked into Jiang Yao's clear, stellular eyes.
As they shared their separate experiences, others on the lotus leaf also gathered with those they knew well, engaging in their own discussions.
While everyone was busy sharing their own stories from the outer islands and exploring this sudden realm of the Central Giant Isle, a tumultuous splash erupted from the azure lake. Then, a massive golden carp, over two hundred meters long, soared from the water's surface, shooting into the air as it fixed its gaze on the people above the lotus leaf.
"Just as 'Lord Tiger' said, ninety-three people have arrived on the Central Giant Isle?"
This gigantic golden carp actually spoke in a human language!
"This is a Demon King!"
The sudden appearance of the talking golden carp gave all the Tomb Explorers on the lotus leaf quite a scare.
It was their first time hearing the voice of a living creature within the ancient tomb. And by what the golden Demon Carp implied, it seemed that there were other Demon Kings within the tomb, addressing someone called "Lord Tiger."
Could there be other Demon Kings dwelling in this ancient tomb?
The Tomb Explorers had already encountered the tomb's eeriness on the outer islands.
Now, having suddenly arrived on the vast lotus leaf of the Central Giant Isle and faced with this talking golden Demon Carp, all the Tomb Explorers fell silent for a moment.
Ye Chen and Jiang Yao exchanged glances before turning their attention to the colossal golden carp.
Together, they had previously encountered Demon King-level beings while venturing into the Thousand Lotus Cave Abode—the two Demon Kings under Heavenly Saint Qian Ji and Heavenly Saint Lian Yue, a giant fire ape and a giant feathered bird, both with auras more formidable than this golden Demon Carp!
Looking at this, I'm afraid that the golden koi is a demon king at the initial stage of the Whirling Dan realm.
At this moment, the golden koi's bewitching eyes emitted a dim glow, sweeping over the people on the lotus leaf.
"Ninety-three people."
"Lord Tiger has ordered that for this first deadly zone 'Azure Blue Lake' within my domain, I must eliminate the weaker ones, so the rest can enter the second deadly zone."
"So, as per Lord Tiger's instructions, let me explain the rules of the Azure Blue Lake to these little ones from the thirteen southern kingdoms!"
Being sized up by the golden demon carp's eerie glowing eyes, many people on the lotus leaf felt a tingling fear in their hearts, after all, this was the presence of a demon king. Despite appearing to be just a demon carp, if a great battle were to erupt, the vast majority here could easily be slaughtered!
Only a few people like Ye Chen, Jiang Yao, Fairy Nishang, Liu Yan, and Yun Luo from the Heavenly Net Sect were able to remain somewhat calm.
As everyone waited, the golden demon carp finally spoke again, "Little ones, your goal of entering the ancient tomb to obtain the legacy treasures of this tomb has come to my knowledge!"
"I am the master of this ancient tomb, the very guardian left behind to oversee this first treasure seeking area in the heart of the giant island. As you entered the tomb, I awakened from my seal."
"I shall tell you, this realm is called 'Azure Blue Lake', and in this lake lies the Whirling Dan level legacy treasure you desire!"
A Whirling Dan level legacy treasure hidden in the lake?
The words of the golden demon carp directed everyone's gaze towards the azure blue lake.
While everyone inspected the lake, the demon carp issued a series of mocking laughs, just like a human, then continued, "The legacy treasures of Azure Blue Lake are not so easy to come by."
"You've just been teleported here, and you probably don't know that, aside from the lotus leaf you're standing on, you can't go anywhere else!"
The words of the demon carp left many in disbelief. Some tried to fly from the lotus leaf to the outside, only to find, as if blocked by a massive barrier, no matter how hard they tried, they could not escape the confines of the lotus leaf!
This lotus leaf, spanning thousands of yards, was their only realm of activity, including even a thousand yards up in the sky where a barrier similarly prevented escape.
After one person attempted the feat, the others also tried their luck, including the strongest among them, such as Ye Chen, Fairy Nishang, Liu Yan, and the others.
In the end, everyone found that they were truly constrained to this giant lotus leaf.
Apart from the few like Ye Chen who had real trump cards they had not yet played, and therefore remained somewhat calm, everyone else's expressions grew grave.
After all, this feeling of being constantly manipulated by others was far from pleasant!
Seeing the ninety-three people testing their limits, the golden demon carp chuckled mockingly, "This 'Azure Blue Lake' was personally created by the master of the tomb, the great Heavenly Saint Lord, over three thousand years ago. Naturally, you will have to act according to the Heavenly Saint Lord's arrangements."
"If you want to obtain the legacy treasures from the Azure Blue Lake, there is a way for you to leave the lotus leaf and enter the lake to seek treasures. Now, listen carefully to how you can do this!"
Upon hearing the golden demon carp's words, everyone on the giant lotus leaf perked up their ears.
"Out of the ninety-three of you, I will only allow fifty to leave the lotus leaf and enter the lake to seek treasures. Similarly, after a month passes, these fifty qualified treasure seekers will be transported to another realm, continuing to seek treasures in other parts of the central giant island."
"As for the remaining forty-three, lacking the qualifications to enter the lake and proceed to the next realm, you can stay obediently on this lotus leaf!"
Only fifty people are eligible to seek treasures?!
This caused the faces of many on the giant lotus leaf to shift visibly.
At that moment, a half-Whirling Dan member of the Flame Sect on the lotus leaf asked, "Great Golden Carp, how will these fifty be selected?"
The opportunity to enter the lake to seek treasures and proceed to the next realm was something nobody on the lotus leaf wanted to miss.
After all, they were strong individuals who had fought their way into the central giant island from the outer islands; naturally, none wished to fall behind upon entering the central giant island and end up with nothing on the lotus leaf!
"How will the fifty be chosen?" the golden demon carp chuckled, "That, of course, is for you to decide!"
"You may fight amongst yourselves on the lotus leaf, you may opt for open nomination, I do not care; whoever can subdue the others naturally qualifies for the fifty treasure-seeking spots!"
"I will not interfere with how you seize the opportunity to enter the lake. In an hour, I will come back to see the outcome, and then one by one, I will allow you to enter the lake!"
After finishing its speech, the golden demon carp no longer paid attention to the crowd. With a flip of its mighty tail, it rolled back into the Azure Blue Lake.
At this moment, the ninety-three individuals on the scene were plunged into utter silence, with many casting unfriendly looks at each other.