Volume One: A Youth Enters the World, Chapter Ninety-Nine: A Trapped Turtle

On the island, three cleansing squads advanced methodically into the depths, carefully surveying their surroundings and keeping a wary guard. They were not familiar with this island, after all, and even the men of the Zhao Imperial Dynasty only had a hazy understanding of its terrain, for they had not set foot here in a very long time.

Although they knew this Golden Stone Isle had once been their ancestors’ home, time had long since dulled its importance in their hearts. For them, this was almost as good as a first visit.

Uncertain whether traps or dangers lurked within, the groups did not quicken their pace. Instead, they probed ahead with great caution, for the pirates may already have learned of their landing and could have laid mechanisms somewhere, waiting for them to walk straight into the snare.

Of course, they were not truly afraid. Their side held the advantage in numbers, and they had already learned that the pirates’ leader was only a cultivator at the ninth level of Spirit Gathering. By contrast, they had several ninth-level cultivators of their own, not to mention a Spirit Seed cultivator like Huo Chen. As for why they still remained cautious, it was simply because they did not wish to sacrifice their own men in vain. If they could minimize their losses as much as possible, that would naturally be for the best.

As time passed, the groups had traveled roughly a day’s journey into the heart of the island, yet strangely they had not found a single trace of the pirates. The island was covered in hard rock, and perhaps because it had been overmined, the terrain was not exactly flat, but neither was it very high. A casual glance could see for a great distance.

By rights, those pirates should not have been able to slip past their eyes so easily. Yet from the looks of things, the island seemed deserted. They could not even spot any beasts, let alone people. Could it be that the pirates had received word in advance and fled?

But that made no sense. On the shore, the pirates’ spirit vessels were still moored by the sea.

Filled with doubt, they pressed deeper and deeper. Another half day passed, and they still found nothing. Seeing no sign of the pirates for so long, everyone began to suspect that the pirates had either escaped or hidden somewhere beyond their sight.

Little by little, the crowd’s vigilance relaxed. They assumed the pirates must have been frightened off; otherwise, how could there still be no sign of a single person after so long?

But just as their minds loosened slightly, several figures suddenly appeared ahead of them. The moment those shadows spotted the pursuers, they cried out and fled in panic.

“Quick! After them. Do not let them escape!”

Huo Chen and the Grand Elder both showed delighted expressions. At last, they had encountered the pirates. If they could stay on their heels, perhaps they could wipe them all out in one sweep and bring this cleansing operation to an early end. Though they were not thinking in the same place, their intentions at this moment were in perfect agreement.

The two groups sped up and gave chase. Huo Chen and the Grand Elder, leading from the front, even surged with spiritual power as they pursued at full strength, afraid that the figures ahead might vanish in an instant. They were practically dying to teleport straight to their quarry’s side and seize him on the spot.

The people following behind saw that their island lord and Grand Elder were throwing themselves into the pursuit with such force, and they no longer cared whether danger lurked around them. They broke into a full sprint, unwilling to be left behind by Huo Chen and the Grand Elder. Better to catch up quickly.

And so both groups chased the figures ahead, casting all other concerns aside. No one bothered to think again about traps or hidden mechanisms in the surroundings.

Meanwhile, on the other side, when Fu Cang and his men saw the figures, they also gave chase, but they did not throw caution to the wind. They kept their formation neat as they ran forward. Since they had already seen their quarry, it only proved that pirates truly were hiding on this island. For now, all they needed to do was advance steadily and they could wipe them out in one move. If they lost their composure, they might easily be exploited from within.

Watching the figures keep running, Fu Cang’s party advanced at an unhurried pace. Seeing that Fu Cang did not appear anxious, the disciples of Clear Stream Sect said nothing more. They simply followed in silence, awaiting his instructions.

When they had chased the figure to a small hillock only a few dozen yards high, the figure suddenly stopped, as though waiting for them.

The Clear Stream Sect disciples were somewhat puzzled, their faces filled with suspicion, but since Fu Cang was still pressing forward, they had no choice but to follow.

Near the hillock lay a very large open square, its ground paved with stone slabs. The figure stood there now, a cold smile on his face as he looked at them.

Once the Clear Stream Sect people had all stepped onto the open ground, the man laughed and said, “You have been chasing me all this way. Why not rest for a while before continuing?”

Fu Cang’s expression remained calm, and he did not answer. Perhaps he was assessing the situation. At that moment, one of the disciples behind him could no longer hold back his anger and said, “I advise you to surrender at once, unless you want to make a fool of yourself later.”

“Haha, surrender? Brother, your tone is a little too arrogant.” The figure revealed a look of disdain.

“Arrogant? Just wait until we catch you. You’ll regret it then,” the disciple said bitterly, his emotions running high.

“Then come on.”

The figure tilted his head, his words full of provocation.

“You—”

“Enough, stop talking for now.”

Fu Cang raised a hand, signaling the disciple behind him to be quiet. Then he slowly walked up to the figure and asked, “Has everything been arranged properly?”

“Yes, Second Boss. Everything is ready,” the figure said respectfully.

Fu Cang nodded, then turned to look at the Clear Stream Sect disciples. The figure they had been pursuing all this time now stood dutifully at Fu Cang’s side.

The Clear Stream Sect disciples looked at Fu Cang, then at the man beside him. Their gazes suddenly froze, and their hearts shook violently.

What was going on? Why was the man they had been chasing calling their martial uncle Second Boss?

Could it be...

At that moment, one of the Clear Stream Sect disciples stepped forward and asked Fu Cang, “Martial Uncle, why does this man call you Second Boss?”

Fu Cang showed no expression and said indifferently, “Because I really am the Second Boss he speaks of.”

Hearing him admit it personally, the disciples of Clear Stream Sect trembled inwardly, their eyes growing panicked. They had never imagined that their revered martial uncle was truly the second in command among the pirates. What did that mean? It meant that this so-called cleansing operation had long since been discovered by the pirates, who had merely been waiting for them to take the bait.

Such a sudden turn of events was difficult for them to accept. In their hearts, they refused to believe what was happening before their eyes.

“Martial Uncle, why would you do this?” one of them demanded.

Fu Cang shook his head, and with a somewhat desolate expression he said, “I did not want things to turn out this way either. If anyone is to blame, blame Fang Tian. He saved people from Clear Stream Sect, and if not for that, matters would never have reached this point. To put it plainly, I had no choice.”

“Martial Uncle, you have been in the sect for so many years. There is one thing I do not understand. When did you join these pirates? Was our bond as fellow disciples truly worth so little?” The disciple was visibly agitated, and Fu Cang’s betrayal left a bitter taste in his heart.

Seeing the disciple so worked up, Fu Cang frowned and said coldly, “Fellow discipleship? What do you understand? A bunch of fools sheltered by the sect. The world is full of danger and cruelty—how could people like you ever see it clearly?”

Hearing such words, the Clear Stream Sect disciples all began to show resentment. The disciple from earlier looked around and then said, “Martial Uncle, so what if you are the Second Boss? Right now you have only two men. We have nearly a hundred people here. Even if we cannot defeat you, surely at least some of us can escape. Once the ones who get out meet up with Island Lord Huo Chen and the others, I’d like to see what you will do then.”

Fu Cang chuckled softly, his gaze almost mocking. “Relax. I already considered that problem long ago. All of you, come out.”

As soon as the words fell, a large crowd suddenly appeared from all around and instantly surrounded them. Every one of those people held a long blade, their eyes flashing and their mouths curled into cold smiles as they looked at the Clear Stream Sect disciples with ill intent.

Seeing this, the disciples of Clear Stream Sect felt fear rising in their hearts. Even the hands gripping their weapons began to tremble. They had never imagined Fu Cang would have prepared so thoroughly. At this rate, they truly had no way out.

Looking at the fearful expressions on those faces, Fu Cang said with some satisfaction, “Now, do you still think you can escape?”

The crowd fell into utter despair. Not a trace of resistance remained in their hearts. It looked as though they were fish trapped in a jar, waiting only to be butchered.

At that moment, Fang Tian, who was stationed on shore guarding the spirit vessel, suddenly felt a disturbance from his communication artifact. He quickly took it out, poured spiritual power into it, and activated it.

The artifact flashed once, then a voice came through: “Fang Tian, come save me quickly.”

What was coming had finally arrived. Fang Tian called everyone together and said, “There is a situation on the island. I need to go check it out. You stay here and keep guard. If anything happens, report to Xie Qing first.”

After speaking, Fang Tian looked at Xie Qing as well. After all, Xie Qing was one of the four who had come through the contest, and Fang Tian trusted him fairly well. Earlier, when Fu Cang had asked whether he wanted to choose the people himself, Fang Tian had thought it over and selected Xie Qing. As for why he had not chosen Mu Qiaoqiao, Fang Tian had considered that the girl was quite strong, and even if danger arose, she would likely be able to face it calmly. Besides, he could not leave all of them behind. So in the end, he chose Xie Qing, whose strength was decent and who inspired his confidence.

“I’ll leave this place to you for now. While I’m gone, you’ll be in charge of everyone.”

“Brother, go quickly. Leave this to me,” Xie Qing said, feeling a little warmth at Fang Tian’s trust.

“Good. I’m going. Be careful as well.”

With that, Fang Tian no longer lingered. He leaped off the spirit vessel and sped away in the direction where Fu Cang and the others had disappeared, racing across the shore at top speed. Since Mu Qiaoqiao had already sent a plea for help, it meant they had indeed encountered danger, and it had even reached the point where she had to contact him. Moreover, since Fu Cang had not contacted him, the danger Mu Qiaoqiao was facing was very likely related to him.