Divine Emperor of Death

Chapter 4163  A Sacred Land?

Arys Duskbane flew the flying ship into the turbulent clouds.

It was like they were entering a giant maw of a cloudy creature.

However, since they followed the shimmering path enlightened by the talisman, their turbulence wasn't that great. The flying ship's flight was quite stable. They crossed a few stormy intersections, but the shimmering light twisted in a sudden fashion, leading them in another direction.

Davis could see these pathways weren't set in stone.

They were interchangeable according to the movement of the clouds. He inwardly praised the person who invented the talisman that found the most harmless path amidst this treacherous region.

He guessed it should be their founder, the first Realm Master of the Whispering Wildlands Lower Realm.

If this talisman wasn't present, it would truly be difficult to make it inside. Perhaps he could brute force his way with Illumina, but flying steadily was the best. He was glad some random City Lord decided to become his prey. Otherwise, getting past these thunderous cumulonimbus clouds would have been quite the ordeal and wasted time.

'It's thanks to Yama for making a sudden breakthrough…' Davis smirked.

Soon, they made it out of the boundless cumulonimbus clouds.

"What a dense heaven and earth energy…" Davis sighed. However, his attention was quickly grabbed by the scene in front of him.

What appeared in front of them was a giant floating island- no, a continent.

It was massively big, stretching almost as big as the eyes could see. With a rough estimate, Davis figured it should be as big as Stella's tiny mini realm, which was over a hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand kilometers in diameter, depending on how much time she took to develop and expand the mini-realm.

The air here was electrifying.

However, this uncomfortable air disappeared after they landed on the giant island.

"A natural killing formation that is equivalent to a High-Level Autarch Grade Formation back there and another High-Level Autarch Grade Defensive Formation is constructed around this island. No wonder no one is able to get inside here without permission. Good, good…"

Davis nodded, appearing satisfied for no reason in Arys Duskbane's eyes.

The latter couldn't understand why the Divine Emperor of Death would be nodding in appreciation. Wasn't he here to talk with the Realm Master or, at the most, destroy it with the apocalyptic flame spirit?

Davis didn't wait anymore.

He flew towards the giant palace in the distance with Illumina. It was like a city by itself but was elevated as it reached the top, sloping upward.

Davis and Illumina were breath taken as they soared towards the topmost palace.

Buildings of crystalline architecture glinted under the light filtering through the stormy clouds above. Streets paved with what appeared to be gleaming spirit jade radiated faint, multicolored hues, forming otherworldly patterns that hummed with multiple kinds of energy.

These patterns were more than mere decoration. After all, Davis could sense their connection to the killing and defensive formations, each line appearing to be a conduit that connected to the next.

Above the streets, translucent bridges of flowing light connected towering buildings, each structure crowned with banners that fluttered despite the lack of wind. Figures moved below, cultivators clad in robes of varying designs, their movements orderly and purposeful. They seemed to be permanent residents, unable to leave this place as no one seemed to be heading outside, at least from what he had seen so far.

Davis wondered if they were the family of the Whispering Wildlands Realm Masters or all the previous generations combined. He felt that the latter was possible.

"Grandfather~"

Suddenly, someone called out.

A beautiful woman clad in fiery red called out to Arys Duskbane. She waved her hands cheerfully and flew. However, she couldn't fly so far into the sky and fell back to the ground. Despite her inability to fly, she was still a Level Nine Monarch.

It seemed the formations here restricted Monarchs and below from flying.

"You-" Arys Duskbane felt his entire world shaking.

He glanced at the Divine Emperor of Death before looking back at his granddaughter, wanting her to leave. However, he couldn't be so rude about it for fear of offending the Divine Emperor of Death. Then again, he couldn't allow the Divine Emperor of Death to notice either.

"Is your entire family here?"

Davis asked, causing Arys Duskbane to freeze. He cast a forceful smile, "Of course not. I'm not lying. Only a few of my descendants are here to study and cultivate. They aren't disciples, so they aren't given any special permission to leave. If they want to leave, then they can forget about entering again unless they become Deacons who oversee the island."

"I see." Davis cast a glance at the glaringly high female population here and smirked, "So the Grand Elders send their family members here to join the lineage of the Whispering Wildlands Realm Master. Interesting…"

"…" Arys Duskbane had no words to retort.

The reason why there were so many female students here was to attract the eyes of the Whispering Wildlands Realm Master. Not only him but all the Grand Elders sent their female descendants here nearly every generation. As long as he took a fancy to one of the swans here, their mission of integrating their family with the Realm Master's lineage could said to be successful.

However, the Whispering Wildlands Realm Master was choosy. It was said that he only picked nine women in his lifetime. As for his escapades, there were apparently none, so the chances were quite low, but that was why they were also willing to send their talented female disciples here.

If they caught the Realm Master's eyes, it was good. If they hadn't, then there was nothing to worry about, and they would've gained plenty of knowledge during their time here. They could also develop a romance with some male disciples here. It wasn't a problem as long as they didn't get chosen.

Moreover, this land was not only a protective land but also a treasure trove of resources and knowledge. After all, the Realm Core was practically buried here, and the surrounding clouds made it so that the heaven and earth energy was immensely thick!

The Whispering Wildlands Peninsula was known to be a sacred land for which nearly any cultivator outside would sell their parents in order to get in.

Davis didn't stop for too long and continued upwards. The path revealed a series of terraced platforms, each adorned with meticulously maintained gardens and waterways. The terraces were alive with flora, glowing softly in shades of blue, green, and gold, their luminous petals swaying in the faint breeze coming from above. Streams of dense spirit water cascaded from one level to the next, creating a beautiful sight.

Finally, they arrived at the stairs of a grand palace that led to the topmost palace.

It was where the Whispering Wildlands Realm Master should be.

Davis wondered if his presence had already been noticed. When he tried to climb the stairs, Illumina suddenly appeared in front of him.

Two men appeared, focusing their spears toward them as they unleashed the aura of Level Six Autarchs.

"Puppets…"

Davis was intrigued. These were protective puppets kept in front of the stairs. They appeared to be wooden, but their chest was multicolored, as though possessing a gem that made them as strong as they were.

"Ah, I'm sorry." Arys Duskbane caught up.

He didn't know what was happening as the Realm Master should have supposed to notice the strangeness already. He hurriedly explained, " There's a rule that no one other than the Realm Master can walk this staircase. We should all enter from the other twelve palaces-"

*Bang!~*

Illumina lunged forward, kicking these puppets right on their chest. One puppet crashed and exploded, but the other puppet only staggered a bit before it twisted its hands and thrust the spear toward Illumina.

Illumina touched the surface with her hands, twisting her body and pushing her fingers against the surface, causing her to launch herself at the other puppet. Her foot struck the puppet's head, sending it flying.

Nonetheless, the headless puppet still stabbed Illumina.

The spear created a firmament tearing noise as it pierced the space.

However, she moved her head to the side with great indifference, causing the spear to miss. With her hands, she caught the spear and made another kick to the chest, causing the puppet's chest to sink greatly before it was sent flying.

*Boom!~*

It also exploded when it crashed into the sturdy stairs that appeared like walls.

Illumina landed but she quickly looked up.

"I wanted to see if your deathly powers will work against non-living things like puppets, but it seems like you have got yourself a prized subordinate."

A casual yet imposing voice resounded from the skies as a man clad in emerald robes descended and flung his hand to dispose of the puppets. They disappeared, and his aura spread, his eyes gleaming with an amber light

"Divine Emperor of Death, to what do I owe you the pleasure of meeting you in my humble island?"