“He was one of the Fallen from our tribe,” Captain Jiao answered.

“The Fallen?” Zhenzhu mulled over this term and asked softly, “Why are they called the Fallen? How did they fall?”

This time, the tall and imposing dragon-man remained silent for a long while without answering.

The Merfolk Queen’s beautiful face hardened as she commanded, “Answer me!”

No matter how gentle her nature was, she was still a descendant of gods and demons in the Transcendent Realm, and the queen of her race.

“ROAR!”

The black flood dragon coiled above them let out a timely roar, intimidating the dragon-men.

The dragon-men’s bodies trembled, like subjects facing their sovereign’s wrath. They prostrated themselves, not daring to raise their heads. Jiao didn’t dare conceal anything and reported truthfully:

“I don’t know why they fell. They were originally elite guards of Dragon City. After they left with the Chief, they fell.”

Dragon City was the largest city in the Alsur Archipelago—in fact, the only city.

Going on an expedition… Xu Qi’an glanced at the black flood dragon in the air. The Merfolk Queen, who had been watching this man constantly, immediately asked on his behalf:

“Was Mo Yu among them? Where did they go exploring?”

“Recently,” Jiao answered tremblingly, “the Chief received information from somewhere about discovering a treasure ground. So he invited Lord Mo Yu to explore it together.

“Lord Mo Yu and the Chief were close friends. We’re all descendants of dragons, and Dragon Island and the Alsur Archipelago have always been allies.

“The Chief took his elite personal guards and went exploring with Lord Mo Yu. They were gone for more than twenty days and nights. When he returned, he was alone—the guards and Lord Mo Yu had vanished.

“The Chief told us that Lord Mo Yu died during the exploration, and all the accompanying guards had fallen. He warned us to be vigilant, then went into seclusion to heal his wounds.

“Sure enough, within a few days, massacres began occurring across the island. Those Fallen had returned, carrying out cold-blooded slaughter in their homeland…”

They returned because of their lingering attachment to their homeland… Zhenzhu couldn’t help but look at the black flood dragon. Mo Yu’s obsession with her was so deep that he came to Merfolk Island and slaughtered her people.

The Merfolk Queen relayed everything the dragon-man captain had reported to Xu Qi’an, word for word.

Exploring a treasure ground? All his good friends and personal guards fell, yet he returned safely—his strength must be impressive indeed… Xu Qi’an said, “Let’s go talk to this island chief of the Alsur Archipelago.”

With the great calamity approaching, the sudden appearance of such a treasure ground was too concerning to ignore. No matter what, Xu Qi’an had to investigate.

The Nine-tailed Fox and the Merfolk Queen nodded slightly.

The three took to the air, stepping onto the flood dragon’s back. Xu Qi’an took out the Book of Earth fragment and stored the treasure ship in the mirror, then rode the black dragon away into the blue horizon, leaving behind the thirteen dragon-man patrollers.

“Ca-Captain, we should hurry back to report to the Chief!” one dragon-man called out loudly.

The Chief no longer needs your report… Jiao looked at his subordinate with pity. “No need to rush, let’s swim back slowly.”

…

The sky was crystal clear, with clouds drifting lazily.

The black flood dragon didn’t fly too high, maintaining an altitude where the riders’ vision wouldn’t be obscured by clouds.

Two hours later, the monotonous blue below finally gave way to something else—the Alsur Archipelago appeared in the three’s field of vision.

Viewed from above, its main island was semicircular, with smaller islands dotting around the semicircle, forming an archipelago.

The island had vast fertile plains, dense rolling forests, and lakes as blue as sapphires… Indeed, as the Merfolk Queen had said, this place was rich and fertile, suitable for habitation.

Scanning the area, Xu Qi’an saw many rugged buildings scattered across various locations on the island, forming villages of varying sizes.

In the northern part of the main island’s center stood a proper city, roughly the size of a Great Zhou prefecture with a population of over a hundred thousand.

While it might not be impressive by human standards, among settlements of god-demon descendants, it was certainly one of the largest gatherings.

“Tsk tsk, this scale is quite intimidating,” Xu Qi’an remarked.

God-demon descendants were different from humans—they were born powerful, natural warriors.

“What’s so impressive about this? Humans are countless, and picking out tens of thousands of cultivators would be effortless,” the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox laughed. “Don’t be too afraid of god-demon descendants. The legends of Nine States speak of invincible god-demon descendants, but that refers to bloodlines within three generations of gods and demons. Today’s descendants have long since had their bloodlines diluted.”

As they spoke, Xu Qi’an guided the black flood dragon toward the main island for landing.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Suddenly, huge bell sounds rang out from the ancient and majestic city walls, echoing between the blue sky and the sea.

The bells were warning signals!

Then, a blue giant bird with a wingspan of ten meters rose from the forest, stirring up fierce winds as it flew toward the black flood dragon.

The blue bird’s feathers were pure blue, gleaming in the sunlight, clean and neat. Its tail feathers were blue with hints of gold, giving it a noble appearance.

“Mirror pays respects to Lord Mo Yu,” the bluebird spoke in human tongue, clear and melodious.

It was a female bird!

Her bright black eyes warily examined Mo Yu.

When the Chief returned, he had said Lord Mo Yu died during the exploration, yet here he was now at the Alsur Archipelago.

Seeing Mo Yu remain silent, the bluebird looked toward Zhenzhu, maintaining a respectful tone toward the powerful:

“Greetings, Queen.”

Her gaze swept briefly over Xu Qi’an, then moved to the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox…

The blue bird’s bright black pupils trembled violently, and her blue feathers stood on end—she was completely bristled.

First, she let out a sharp, shrill cry, then screamed:

“It’s you! It’s you!”

She suddenly dove downward, flapping toward the city.

Xu Qi’an, still unclear about the situation, looked questioningly at the Nine-tailed Fox.

The silver-haired enchantress smiled gracefully: “Last time I came here, several of their avian tribe offended me.

“So I roasted them—the taste was truly excellent.”

After speaking, she extended her small lilac tongue and licked her red lips.

Though it was a seductive, bewitching gesture, Xu Qi’an’s mind was full of questions. After thinking for a moment, he asked softly:

“How good did they taste?”

“A heavenly delicacy.” The Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox blinked her eyes, throwing him a flirtatious look, and urged: “Later, sister will take you to try some.”

As they spoke, the bluebird returned, carrying a nine-foot-tall dragon-man before the three.

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

This indicated that this island chief, even among the long-lived Transcendent Realm, was no longer young.

Xu Qi’an learned from Zhenzhu that this island chief’s name was “Raging Wave”—though it was more accurate to call it a title than a name.

In his youth, this island chief had once raised hundred-yard-high tidal waves, becoming invincible in these waters, hence the name.

The blue-scaled dragon-man nodded slightly to Zhenzhu and the Nine-tailed Fox, ignored Xu Qi’an, and then stared at the black flood dragon with a complex expression.

“How did he end up with you?” the blue-scaled dragon-man asked, looking at the flood dragon, his voice unconsciously dropping lower.

Zhenzhu then described how Mo Yu had slaughtered the merfolk and was subsequently subdued by Xu Qi’an and the Nine-tailed Fox.

Since Zhenzhu hadn’t presumed to boast on Xu Qi’an’s behalf, Raging Wave assumed it was the Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox who had subdued the black flood dragon.

This ruler of the demon country from the Nine States mainland was outstanding even among Second Realm experts. Not just one black flood dragon, but even if you added him, Raging Wave, they would be far from her match.

“Raging Wave, what exactly did you and this flood dragon find?” Before Zhenzhu could speak, the Nine-tailed Fox took the initiative to ask, voicing the curiosity and doubt she had held for so long.

“This is not the place for such discussion. Please come to my residence,” Island Chief Raging Wave said respectfully and courteously.

Xu Qi’an guided the black flood dragon, following the bluebird as they descended onto the highest tower in the city.

The city’s buildings were generally built with huge stones, heavy and plain. Hmm, was it to withstand typhoons and tsunamis? Xu Qi’an’s mind wandered as he followed Island Chief Raging Wave, and the group entered the great hall at the top of the tower.

After dismissing the bluebird, Island Chief Raging Wave said:

“Some time ago, I met an old friend who had returned from the far south. He brought news that in the depths of the southern Returns Void, an island had surfaced. Ancient gods and demons were suspected to still live on the island.

“His cultivation was shallow, so he didn’t dare enter rashly, only observing from afar for a while before hurrying back with the news.

“After receiving this information, I contacted Mo Yu and went exploring with him. Who knew the danger there would far exceed my expectations.”

The silver-haired enchantress pressed further: “What did you encounter there? What did you see?”

Island Chief Raging Wave’s expression darkened as he slowly said:

“That island was vast and boundless—more like a small continent than an island. Outside the island, we heard terrible roars, saw giant turtles entwined with serpents, and saw birds burning with flames like a second sun.

“We saw one-eyed giants wandering, saw three-headed golden lions devouring their kind…”

Xu Qi’an’s heart raced as he listened. Many of the divine beings Raging Wave described, he had seen in the Gu God’s memory fragments.

“Mo Yu and I also believed the gods and demons hadn’t completely perished, but were just trapped on that island. In endless years, we had never been so excited. If the gods and demons on the island returned to the Nine States, this world would belong to us gods and demons again.

“But when we approached the island…”

Fear began flickering in Island Chief Raging Wave’s eyes as he said tremblingly:

“Our spiritual essence was twisted by some force, and we gained many incomplete spiritual essences that didn’t belong to us. Mo Yu and the guards went mad on the spot.

“I was fortunate to retreat in time, avoiding their fate. Looking back now, they went mad because they were contaminated by the island’s aura.”

Xu Qi’an, the silver-haired enchantress, and the Merfolk Queen exchanged glances, all-seeing bewilderment in each other’s eyes.

The Merfolk Queen’s fine brows furrowed slightly: “What kind of place is that exactly? I’ve never heard of it, nor seen such a place in the murals left by our ancestors.”

Island Chief Raging Wave said softly: “At first, I didn’t understand either, but after thinking during my healing period, I think I know what that place is…”

…

In the pitch-black deep sea, a massive monster rode the dark currents.

“Three more days south, and we’ll reach the legendary Returns Void,” Huang’s voice transmitted through the dark depths: “Legend says Returns Void is the ocean’s final destination, where life returns to its most essential state. Returns Void didn’t exist in the age of gods and demons—it appeared only after their fall. Do you know its purpose?”

The Supervisor transmitted back indifferently: “Why are you telling me this?”

Huang’s voice remained ethereal, but his tone changed, seemingly forcefully suppressing excitement.

“Returns Void exists to preserve the ancient battlefield of gods and demons. We are about to return to that primitive land,” Huang said.

“You brought me to sea just for that ancient battlefield of gods and demons?” the Supervisor said in a tone of sudden realization.

…

Island Chief Raging Wave said word by word:

“That is the place where ancient gods and demons once lived and fought. My instincts tell me I’m not wrong! Perhaps, that place holds the secret of the gods and demons’ fall.”