Chapter 1213
"This is…" Wu shi quickly turned to the island .
Despite being the vice head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, this was the first time he had seen the rumored Ghost Cavern .
It was a small island, roughly three kilometers in diameter . At the very center was a lake shaped like an eye, and it was impossible to see how deep it was just by looking at its surface . Bizarrely-shaped stones were scattered throughout the island .
Even though the island had surfaced from the marsh, it was as if some kind of mysterious power was shrouding it, preventing the slightest hint of mud from being visible on the ground . On the contrary, there was low-lying lush greenery to be seen all around .
The eerie voice sounded once more . "If you wish to kill me, come over! I'll be hiding somewhere within . You can slowly take your time to find me; I'm in no hurry at all…"
Following which, a layer of mist seemed to suddenly drift into existence around the island, gradually shrouding it from view . It was as if the island would sink back into the marsh very soon .
"Let's head over," Zhang Xuan said as he began to make his way over .
However, before he could get to the other island, Division Head Liao abruptly stepped in his path to halt him . "We can't go! It's obvious that the enemy has come prepared . We were nearly done in even before we could enter the Ghost Cavern . If we really enter the Ghost Cavern, there will surely be plenty of traps that will come our way!"
Even someone of Hall Master Xing's strength had nearly been eradicated by the lightning ordeal due to the other party's schemes . If they stepped onto the island, there was no doubt that they would face countless traps, and chances were that one of the traps would claim their lives .
Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, "He already knows that we are going after him . If we don't head enter the Ghost Cavern now, he will only have more time to prepare, and that will put us in greater danger in the future!"
From the looks of it, it was apparent that Vicious had anticipated their arrival and made preparations beforehand . As such, there was no point delaying the matter any longer; it would not make a difference either way . In fact, the more time they wasted, the more time Vicious would have to kill more master teachers .
Since that was the case, it would be simpler if they barged in and got it over with .
Otherwise, once the Ghost Cavern descended into the marsh once more, they would not be able to do anything about Vicious anymore .
"But…"
Zhang Xuan was still shaking his head as he interjected, "If we do not enter the Ghost Cavern now, the enemy will just continue his attack . Rather than allow more innocent lives to be lost, we might as well head in to see what he's up to . Besides, if he really wanted to make a move against us, at least half of our group would have been dead by now!"
The enemy they were facing was Vicious, the legendary expert who had clashed directly with Kong shi back then! Furthermore, it was apparent that the memory of the Vicious in the Ghost Cavern had recovered to a greater degree compared to the Vicious in his Book of Heaven's Path . Even though Zhang Xuan was able to withstand the other Vicious' soul arts, it was hard to say the same about the three Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle elders from the Master Teacher Pavilion .
In fact, it was also doubtful whether Division Head Wei and Division Head Liao would be able to withstand Vicious' soul arts or not .
Vicious inviting them into his lair instead of assaulting them head-on meant that he had some schemes in mind, and as risky as it might have been, this could have been their only opportunity to find out what Vicious was up to and bring him down!
Seeing Zhang Xuan insisting on the matter, Division Head Liao was a little conflicted . At this moment, he suddenly felt something hard in his hands . It was a wine gourd . At the same time, he heard a telepathic voice in his ears . "Give Hall Master Xing this wine . "
"You want Hall Master Xing to drink wine?" Division Head Liao was taken aback .
Hall Master Xing had just been through the lightning ordeal, and there was not the slightest patch of un-charred skin on his body . In such circumstances, he should be fed with pills in order to hasten his recovery, and yet… wine?
Division Head Liao stared at the wine in his hands in a dilemma . At that moment, the feeble Wu shi suddenly walked over and bellowed deeply, "Hurry up and go!"
"Yes!" Hearing Wu shi agree with Zhang Xuan, Division Head Liao swiftly got to action . He pried open Hall Master Xing's mouth and poured the fine wine in .
A moment later, Hall Master Xing finally opened his eyes . Even though spirit had finally returned to his eyes, his movements were still dull with lethargy, similar to Wu shi .
"Since Principal Zhang has already said so, let's head in together . We have come as a group, so we should advance as one too," Hall Master Xing said .
With Division Head Wei's support, he struggled to his feet before wobbling his way over to Zhang Xuan .
Zhang Xuan shot him a faint smile before leaping over to the other island, and the others quickly followed suit .
The little island was deathly silent, to the point where they could vaguely hear a deafening ring in their ears . It was as if there was some kind of formation that isolated them from the rest of the world . Wu shi and the others quickly scanned their surroundings as grimness seeped into their eyes .
"It seems like… a grade-8 formation!"
Even though the island was completely sealed, they found that they were unable to tell exactly what was wrong with it . Without a doubt, the formation cast over the island was one that was on par with those they had encountered back at the Qiu Wu Palace .
A Grade-8 formation… Even though two members of their groups had just achieved a breakthrough to the Leaving Aperture realm, they were still far from matching a formation of that caliber .
Zhang Xuan nodded as well .
While he did not think that it would be easy for Vicious to kill them, given that they were already standing in the other party's territory, it would be unwise for them to let their guard down .
Vicious was an existence who had trapped even Kong shi back in his prime, so the means he had up his sleeve were bound to be frightening .
Zhang Xuan activated his Eye of Insight and began assessing the island silently .
There was indeed a formation cast around the island, but it was not one intended for offense . Instead, its purpose was to float and conceal the island .
It seems like this land didn't float out of the marsh after all! Instead, it operates like a boat . Using the power of the formation, it floats above the marsh and roams around the area freely, appearing only before others when it wants to, Zhang Xuan thought .
Vicious needs to devour master teachers in order to regain his strength, so he intentionally spread the news regarding the abilities of the Ghost Cavern to draw cultivators and master teachers into the marshlands . Considering the treacherous terrain of the marshlands, the high death toll in the region has not drawn the suspicion of others, and all he had to do was let off a few cultivators from time to time in order to further the legend…
Slowly, a complete picture formed in Zhang Xuan's mind .
Previously, he had heard that the Ghost Cavern could temper one's mental resilience, and countless master teachers and cultivators came to the marshlands in the hope of a chance encounter with it . However, from the looks of it, it seemed like most of those who managed to find the Ghost Cavern end up becoming Vicious' nourishment .
On the other hand, the few successful cases who had their mental resilience significantly boosted would become living advertisements for the Ghost Cavern, drawing in a steady supply of cultivators and master teachers for him .
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