Chapter 222: Tracking
An egg-shaped island stood atop the azure ocean surface.
From the sky, it appeared like a giant duck egg on the water. A thick fog covered the island, hiding its surface from view, and only the fact that the fog was tightly sealed onto the island exposed the island’s form.
This was Wind Devil Island.
Wind Devil Island was a fairly small island in the Endless Sea Zone, with an area of 5400 square kilometers. It was long from north to south and narrow from east to west, and at its longest point, it was one hundred kilometers.
Two thirds of the island was covered in dense forest, and in the southern part of the island was a small mountain called Hurricane Peak. The summit of the mountain was beset by a hurricane year-round. Unlike in other places, as this hurricane spun day in and day out, it substantialized into a unique material known as Azulwind Jade. 40% of the Rosecloud Domain’s Azulwind Jade was produced here.
The value of 40% could not be underestimated. If the grain harvest were reduced by 40%, that would be a year of great famine, with starvation reigning over the world.
On the world stage, for any item, someone who had the ability to produce at least 10% of that item would have some ability to set the price. The only people capable of fighting back against this authority were those with stronger production and stronger fists.
The cloud-traveling Immortal ship paused over the island for only a few moments before beginning its descent. As the ship passed through the mist, the students immediately had a clearer view. All of the students immediately focused their vision so that they could memorize as much of the island as they could. This would be their only chance to get a look at the real face of the island, while the Nine Palace Illusion Formation was still not turned on.
Tang Jie was also carefully studying the island.
An area of 5400 square kilometers wasn’t possible to see entirely, even from the sky.
But on the ship, Tang Jie’s vision could pierce through all obstacles, the Eye of Heaven revealing every detail of the island.
As he focused his vision, he spotted a palace complex standing near the center of the island. This was most likely Horizon Ocean Pavilion’s base here, and a pillar of light rose from the palace, projecting the image of a giant stone.
The Ocean Heart!
“I see now…” Tang Jie muttered.
“What?” Wei Tianchong asked.
Tang Jie pointed at the pillar of light. “Young Master, do you see that pillar of light? That is where the Nine Palace Heart Ring is. This pillar of light is a signal for all the students. Once we’re on the island, we’ll probably be split up. When the time comes, the first thing you need to do isn’t to run around, but to confirm your surroundings and head in the direction of the pillar of light.”
Shi Meng worriedly said, “Once we’re on the island, the formation will be activated, at which point illusions will surround us. Space will be expanded and even our positions might be changed up. Finding the right direction is easier said than done.”
Tang Jie nodded. “That’s true, but while some things might change, some things won’t. That mountain, that water, that palace, and that pillar of light. Mark down their positions on your heart. These are the landmarks that you can use to determine your position. Didn’t I already teach you a few methods before this? Remember: no matter where you are or what sort of illusion you are facing, so long as we can find the truth in the illusion, we can always find a way out!”
Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng nodded as Tang Jie swiftly pointed out the most important points of the island.
Finally, after a brief pause, Tang Jie said, “From what I know, we don’t have to worry about the Nine Palace Illusion Formation affecting space. What’s most important is its ability to manifest all kinds of things. It can manifest fiends and monsters, but it can also manifest charming and beautiful sights. Young Master, you must remember at all times that no matter what sort of scene you come across, you can’t be moved. Harden your Origin Heart and walk upon the Great Dao. That is the best method to get out of this illusion formation as quickly as possible.”
Wei Tianchong earnestly nodded. “Tang Jie, relax. I won’t disappoint you.”
The Immortal ship was still descending, only stopping when it was several dozen meters from the ground. In the mists, one could faintly make out a teleportation formation on the ground.
A stern voice said, “All students, please disembark from the ship! Only two layers of the Nine Palace Illusion Formation will be activated this time. All students must find their own way, and the first to enter the Nine Palace Heart Ring will be considered the victor! I will be waiting in the Nine Palace complex for the good news!”
It was none other than Nan Baicheng.
He had personally come for this test.
With this roar, the students began to call on their energy and jump off.
After a year of cultivation, this fall of several dozen meters wasn’t much for the students. Even the weakest student could become as light as a swallow with a slight exertion of spiritual energy.
Countless people jumped from the ship, and the moment they hit the ground, they were whisked away by the formation and vanished.
Wei Tianchong looked at Tang Jie. “I’m going.”
He jumped off.
Following him was Shi Meng.
Only Tang Jie continued to stand at the bow of the ship.
He quietly stood there, looking into the distance.
When the first student jumped down, the Nine Palace Illusion Formation had activated, and as the fog came down, the surroundings became clouded.
But Tang Jie was unmoved. Wherever he looked, though the fog obscured previous vistas, his mind automatically produced the corresponding image.
Every blade of grass and tree appeared in his eyes, marked on his heart.
Fewer and fewer people stood around him as more entered the formation, but Tang Jie still didn’t move.
A voice said, “Why haven’t you gone down yet?”
Tang Jie turned around and saw none other than Nan Baicheng standing behind him.
Tang Jie laughed.
He said, “Esteemed Master, is there any need to be in such a hurry? Can’t I just go once all the other students have gone?”
Nan Baicheng’s complexion darkened, but just as he was about to say something, he saw Tang Jie looking around.
There were only a few students left. With a glance, Tang Jie was able to look over everyone else left, and his gaze stopped on the figure of Qinan, who was now wearing a student’s uniform.
Nan Baicheng immediately knew that this wasn’t good, and he barked, “If you don’t go down now, I’ll remove your right to participate!”
Tang Jie looked away and laughed. “I would not dare to defy an order from an esteemed master!”
He jumped down, but his eyes remained fixed on Qinan as if he was marking him in his memory.
“He noticed me,” Qinan said, his face dark.
On Nan Baicheng’s orders, he had been planning to mix in with the students and enter the formation to act as the situation called for. There were too many students for Tang Jie to note all of them down.
They hadn’t expected this move from Tang Jie, right before they were about to enter the formation. As the students were fighting over every second, none of them wanted to delay. Only Qinan, who wasn’t fighting over the True Inheritor spot, was in no rush, but this had allowed him to be easily discovered by Tang Jie.
This would make any sneak attack on him difficult.
Nan Baicheng also nastily scowled. Taking in a deep breath, he said, “I didn’t think that he would be this cunning. He found you out before you even did anything. Fortunately, over these last few days, I’ve thought over this problem repeatedly, and I know that the only way he can help Wei Tianchong is to get to the Devil Crushing Path as quickly as possible and block it off. That being the case, Qinan, I need you to get through the formation even faster and enter the Devil Crushing Path. If another student gets there first, let them through. If Tang Jie gets there first, then…” Nan Baicheng made a chopping motion with his hand.
Qinan was flabbergasted. “Isn’t that a little too improper? This isn’t the Valley of No Return…”
“But it has fiend beasts!” Nan Baicheng sinisterly said. “They’re weak fiend beasts, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous, right?”
Qinan’s heart trembled. He knew that Nan Baicheng had panicked and had become like a crazed gambler that could not accept failure. All he could do was bow and reply, “Yes!”
“Remember, you’re at the Mortal Shedding Realm, so if you get there later than Tang Jie, then you don’t need to follow me in the future.”
Qinan’s heart trembled as he loudly said, “This subordinate will obey!”
He jumped off.
Once all the students had disappeared into the formation, Nan Baicheng shouted, “Start up the ship! To the Nine Palace complex!”
The first thing to be seen upon landing was the churning fog.
The scenery around him changed, and Tang Jie found that he was in a wide space. Under his feet was green grass and nearby was a dense grove of trees. He could make out a small mountain in the distance: Hurricane Peak.
But Tang Jie knew that he was in the formation, so everything around him could be an illusion.
The basic function of an illusion formation was to produce images. It couldn’t make things that did exist disappear, but it could make things that didn’t exist exist, thus mixing the real with the false into an indistinguishable mess.
Top-class illusion formations couldn’t only produce various illusions. They could even produce cultivators that could think and talk, generate fiend beasts that could attack, and even shift space around, creating their own worlds.
Thus, even though he was standing on Wind Devil Island, all the spatial landmarks he could see might be fake, so it was difficult to find the right direction.
For cultivators who didn’t understand the Dao of Formations, the best method was to find a landmark that they were certain of to get a sense of direction and have spiritual energy point the way toward the direction they should charge in.
An illusion formation had a border, and if one persisted, one would be able to get out eventually.
But this was the stupidest and slowest method. The best illusion formations could muddle the senses to a certain extent, and even spiritual energy guidance might gradually deviate and cause one to go around in a circle. This meant that cultivators constantly needed to find new landmarks and adjust their route.
The vast majority of students would find it impossible to walk out of this formation that formation experts of the Seven Absolutions Sect had laid down on behalf of Horizon Ocean Pavilion.
Fortunately, for this trial, only two levels of the formation had been activated. If the students worked hard, they could still break through. The only difference would be in how much time it took.
Tang Jie looked around. Instead of immediately setting off, he squatted down and grabbed some grass on the ground.
As spiritual energy surged through the grass, it let off a green light, telling Tang Jie that this grass actually existed.
He threw the grass into the air, where the wind blew, yet the grass drifted in the opposite direction, ultimately landing to Tang Jie’s left.
“The winds blow from north to south, so this direction is the south,” Tang Jie muttered, adjusting the direction he was facing.
While the Nine Palace Illusion Formation could produce false images, it couldn’t hide the truth, much less hide everything real about the island, such as the air and the grass.
Tang Jie had been tracking the direction of the wind before entering the formation, so by finding which way the wind was blowing, he could get a rough idea of which direction was where.
But knowing the direction wasn’t enough. He also needed to know where he was.
He grabbed a rock and tossed it into the air, firing an Energy Needle at it.
This Energy Needle flew at the rock, yet it brushed past it, which didn’t surprise Tang Jie at all.
In an illusion formation, all objects would suffer from deviation, with only items abundant in spiritual energy being unaffected. He had fired off the Energy Needle to test how great the deviation was. A moment later, he began to calculate.
This was basic homework in the Dao of Formations. To be more precise, this was the only method that could be considered truly defeating a formation.
The Nine Palace Illusion Formation was a major formation of an Immortal sect. Unorthodox thinking would get one nowhere. Calculating according to the proper methods was the only correct path.
As Tang Jie’s fingers rapidly moved, he finished calculating the angle of deviation for the formation and raised his head to look at the distant Hurricane Peak.
Although this Hurricane Peak was an illusion, it was a projection of the real mountain. Following his calculations, Tang Jie found that the real Hurricane Peak was actually behind him and to the side.
Hurricane Peak was the most conspicuous landmark of Wind Devil Island, and so it was the perfect landmark. After estimating the distance between him and the landmark, Tang Jie determined that he was somewhere on the western part of the island and not at all far from the center of Wind Devil Island.
“My luck is pretty good,” Tang Jie chuckled.
Calling out Yiyi and the tiger, Tang Jie pointed out a direction and said, “Let’s go!”
He charged ahead.
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