Stranger Danger

As one of the four big islands, Floating Island's most incredible characteristic was easily its ability to float in the air.

The reason for that was the Kun Pearl.

It was said that there existed a fish in the Northmost Ocean called the Kun. The Kun was so big that it was countless thousands of kilometers long. It could both swim in the sea and fly in the sky. It was a Stranger that only existed in legends.

Floating Island was the remnant of a Kun.

A Kun was magical, so the island its body transformed into was equally extraordinary. It could float in the air and not sink.

However, the Kun was dead, and it was only a matter of time before its energies were exhausted. When the time came, Floating Island would fall and sink into the ocean.

At the very beginning, Floating Island used to float thousands of meters aboveground. It was a true sky island at the time. However, as time passed, the Kun's energies gradually disappeared, and Floating Island began falling bit by bit. In just three hundred years or so, it had gotten to the point where it was only ten meters above sea level.

If they did not come up with a plan soon, then Floating Island would definitely sink into the sea and disappear.

Two hundred years ago, to combat this problem the founder of the Yu Clan recruited the Sages of the Profound Alliance and all the craftsmen under the realm to focus the remaining power of the Kun into one orb. It was then forged into the Strange Artifact, the Kun Pearl.

The Kun Pearl was connected to the Floating Island via a great array. By periodically injecting energy into the Kun Pearl, it could preserve the power of the Kun and prevent Floating Island from sinking.

Thanks to this, the Floating Island remained afloat for the past two hundred years. It was still sinking, but it was at such a gradual decline rate that one could almost ignore it.

Although this crisis of Floating Island plummeting into the sea was resolved, the method was not without its flaws.

The Kun Pearl was created by the power of multiple Sages, but it was unbelievably fragile. Even a small impact would be enough to destroy it. The great array maintaining the Kun Pearl was also very complex and fragile. If even one area went wrong, the entire island could fall apart and sink into the sea.

The Kun Pearl was an item that literally decided the fate of the Floating Island. Naturally, its existence was top secret. Only a handful of people knew about it, and everyone's mind was implanted with multiple restrictions to prevent them from leaking it.

Besides that, the Yu Clan had set up great arrays and restrictions to ensure the Kun Pearl's safety, and dispatched elites and suicide warriors to guard it.

Therefore, it was normally impossible for an outsider to find out about the Kun Pearl.

And yet, someone did. Not only that, it was a Stranger who found out about it. Not onlythat, he was a Rakshasa prince, sworn enemy of the human race!

Just how was this possible?

How could she not be shocked?

How could she not be afraid?

"Can you consider cooperating with me now, Fairy Hongluan?" Jewel Tree Prince asked proudly while savoring Yu Hongluan's expression.

It was an inquiry, but he knew that Yu Hongluan would agree. From the moment he found out about the Kun Pearl, she no longer had the right to refuse him.

The only reason he tried so hard to persuade Yu Hongluan into cooperating with him wasn't because he was feeling merciful or benevolent, however. It was purely because Yu Hongluan—a Yu Hongluan who was alive—was the only one who could make his grand ambitions come true.

After all, his plan and ambitions were a long-term thing, and Yu Hongluan was one of, if not the most critical part of it all. Few things could begin without Yu Hongluan.

Moreover, the Profound Alliance valued human geniuses like Yu Hongluan very, very much. They had planted multiple restrictions and secret arts in her not just to protect her during times of crises, but also to prevent Strangers like him from searching her soul or possessing her.

Therefore, killing Yu Hongluan was never an option. If she died, the Profound Alliance would notice immediately. Searching or possessing her soul, controlling or twisting her mind into his puppet, or disguising himself as her all wouldn't work either. He would simply be alerting his foes and ruin his grand plans instead.

That was why Yu Hongluan must be alive, and she must cooperate with him and be of use to him "willingly". Only then could he ensure that his plans would succeed.

This was why he was willing to waste his breath on Yu Hongluan.

Of course, he did not care if Yu Hongluan was truly "willing". The moment she nodded and agreed to cooperate with him, she would become grasshoppers on the same boat as him. She would never, ever be able to disembark after that.

Sometimes, there was no turning back once you started something.

And now, his success would soon be at hand.

Yu Hongluan did not give Jewel Tree Prince an answer though. Instead, she let out a sigh and said, "I see. There is a traitor in my midst!"

Yu Hongfeng did not know about the Kun Pearl. Naturally, it was impossible for her brother to have told him about it. Only a handful of people in the entire island knew about the Kun Pearl, and they were all her trusted aides. Therefore, as much as she loathed to believe it, one of them must have told the Jewel Tree Prince about the Kun Pearl.

"Truly, no thief is harder to guard against the one in the your family!"

For some reason, Yu Hongluan's musings suddenly irritated Jewel Tree Prince. "My patience is limited, Fairy Hongluan. Please do not test me."

To his surprise, a smile broke on Yu Hongluan's face. "What's wrong? Are you feeling fear or worry?"

"I thought victory was already in your grasp? What is there to be scared of?"

She was right. Everything was in place, and victory was already in his grasp. There was nothing to be worried or scared of.

And yet, he was feeling uneasy for some reason. It was this unease that made him irritated and angry.

"I'm not scared or worried. I just don't want to waste time," Jewel Tree Prince replied.

"Hahaha... see? You're worried! I knew you're worried!" Yu Hongluan burst out laughing when she heard this.

"Silence."

Yu Hongluan's laugh was like a spark that lit the accumulating anger in Jewel Tree Prince's heart. He threw a slap at her to shut her up and to make her regret her impudence.

It was at this moment a chill suddenly flickered in Yu Hongluan's eyes. She abruptly jumped to her feet and punched Jewel Tree Prince squarely in the chest.

Jewel Tree Prince wasn't expecting Yu Hongluan to retaliate at all. Or more accurately, he never thought that a Yu Hongluan poisoned by Hopeless would be able to move. Caught completely off guard, half of his body exploded as the other half crashed through walls and houses.

Before Jewel Tree Prince could land on his feet, a luan bird wreathed in flames descended from above.

The next moment, the entire hall burned into ash, and the Emerald Garden itself turned into an inferno.

Inside the inferno, buildings were collapsing, lakes were drying, earth was breaking, plants were burning, and every subverted human or Stranger lying in ambush throughout the venue disintegrated into ash.

Only a handful of stronger Strangers and humans were able to escape the initial blast, but only the initial blast. The fire was growing bigger, and the temperature was still skyrocketing as the luan bird chirped. The survivors could only hang on and wait for their master to rescue them.