A starlit night stretched endlessly across the vast sea. A lone shuttle sliced through the waves, surging ever forward without hesitation.
Inside the vessel sat one man and three women, gazing through the transparent crystal canopy at the breathtaking sea of stars reflected on the surface of the ocean.
This vessel was none other than the Moon God Shuttle, and the four inside it—Zhu Ziyang, Zhang Lexuan, Jiang Nannan, and Qian Lingyi.
By now, three months had passed since their departure. The Moon God Shuttle had long since left Douluo Continent's coastal waters and entered the uncharted far seas—territory no soul master had ever reached. The chart inscribed into the shuttle was useless here. With no landmarks to guide them, they relied solely on the constellations to fix their course, ever eastward.
For ordinary people, three months of aimless drifting would have been enough to drive them insane. But Zhu Ziyang and his companions were anything but ordinary. Each one was a recognized genius, and such solitude and monotony hardly fazed them.
Moreover, they were not truly alone. Counting their soul spirits, there were ten of them in total.
At this moment, Zhu Ziyang had summoned Xue Bing Shuangluo, Jiang Nannan had brought out Chacha, and Zhang Lexuan had released Yuyu. Their lively presence added warmth to the quiet vessel.
If not for Electrolux's refusal, Ziyang might even have called forth the radiant warriors dwelling within the Holy Law Demi-plane.
Speaking of Electrolux—ever since the demi-plane's creation, he spent less and less time in Ziyang's spiritual sea. Most of the time, he remained inside the demi-plane, teaching and training the newly reborn souls—those resurrected from undeath into life.
According to him, these "reborn from death" races would one day form Ziyang's greatest foundation for conquering the God Realm and traversing the stars.
Though somewhat helpless before such lofty ambition, Ziyang never once stopped him. The old man needed something to occupy his time, after all.
"Ziyang, there's an island ahead!" called the Ice Emperor from the cockpit.
"An island? What kind of island?" Ziyang asked, lifting his head from Zhang Lexuan's lap and glancing toward the cockpit.
"It's still far—we can't see clearly," Ice Emperor replied. "But it's definitely large. Larger than any island we've seen before."
"Larger than Starry Sky Island?" Jiang Nannan's hand froze mid-motion, the fruit slipping from her grasp as her face lit with surprise.
Starry Sky Island was the largest island within Douluo's seas—comparable in size to the entire Dou Ling Empire. Though nominally under the Star Luo Empire's domain, it housed the Starry Sky Kingdom, the only independent kingdom on the continent.
If this new island was larger still, it was no mere island—it could well be called a small continent.
"Big Brother, let's land and take a look!" Qian Lingyi urged, eyes shining with excitement. At some point, she had adopted Nannan's way of addressing him, calling him "Big Brother." Though Nannan clearly disliked it, Ziyang himself was secretly pleased.
"Of course we'll go!" Ziyang decided at once, rising to his feet and striding toward the cockpit. The three women followed eagerly, while their soul spirits showed little interest.
Through Ice Emperor's guidance, the four could make out the faint silhouette of the island in the distance. Though too far to see details, its massive outline was undeniable. Without hesitation, Ziyang channeled soul power into the shuttle, accelerating toward it at full speed.
Gradually, the island's true form emerged before their eyes. Its size was indeed colossal—one side alone rivaled Starry Sky Island's span. Rugged mountains rose sharply across its surface, at least four peaks visible even from afar.
As the shuttle closed within a kilometer, the full scene spread out below them. The entire island was cloaked in lush green forest, towering trees covering even the cliffs and tidal flats by the sea.
No trace of human habitation could be seen. Their hearts sank slightly—it appeared to be a deserted island. Still, they decided to circle it first, searching for a suitable landing point.
After completing a full circuit, they confirmed one thing: the island was vast, at least twice the size of Starry Sky Island. Comparable, in fact, to the combined territories of the Heavenly Soul and Dou Ling Empires.
"An island this big… could it truly be uninhabited?" Jiang Nannan asked with regret.
"Whether it is or not, we'll know once we explore," Ziyang replied with a smile. "If it really is uninhabited, we can record its location and let Douluo Continent develop it in the future."
"Exactly," Zhang Lexuan agreed. "We've already passed countless deserted islands—one more won't matter."
Finding a suitable cove to dock, they stowed the shuttle away and stepped onto the shore. Cautious, they oriented themselves, then decided to head for the island's highest peak to get a clear view of the terrain.
The peak was an isolated mountain rising more than five thousand meters, towering above the surrounding jungle. Conveniently, it wasn't far from their landing point.
Taking flight together, Ziyang unfurled the Ice Dragon King's Wings, Qian Lingyi entered Spirit Possession, summoning two angelic wings, and Zhang Lexuan, as a Titled Douluo, needed no such aid to fly. Even Nannan, now a Soul Sage, could fly with ease.
They rose to a hundred meters above the ground, making their way toward the peak while scanning the forest below. A river wound its way through the jungle, its source somewhere atop the mountain. Along the banks, unfamiliar soul beasts prowled—but none strong, not even a single ten-thousand-year beast.
Following the river upstream, they flew for four to five hours before finally reaching the foot of the mountain.
Why not fly directly to the top? The reason was simple—conserving soul power. This peak lay at the heart of the jungle, and wherever such dense soul beast populations gathered, there was always the possibility of a hundred-thousand-year beast reigning at the center.
Their caution proved justified.
They had only climbed a thousand meters up the slope when a massive tiger-type soul beast barred their path.
"You dare trespass upon the Sacred Mountain without summons? To disturb His Majesty the Holy Emperor's slumber—you deserve death beyond measure!" the beast roared, to their astonishment speaking human tongue.
Its words carried information that immediately caught their attention.
"Ziyang, what do we do?" Zhang Lexuan whispered, drawing close.
"This tiger has only just broken through to the hundred-thousand-year level. Its aura is unstable. If we restrain it, we can extract valuable information about this island," Ziyang replied swiftly.
"Alright," Lexuan agreed without hesitation. When it came to Ziyang, she always trusted him unconditionally.
"Then let's move!" Ziyang ordered. Silver light flashed in his eyes as a peculiar wave pulsed outward, enveloping the area.
At the same time, Lexuan's nine soul rings rose around her, her final scarlet ring blazing as she unleashed her ninth soul skill—Seal of the Moon Emperor.
The tiger, a Heavenly Thunder Roar Tiger, never imagined that within the Sacred Forest's core, atop the Holy Mountain itself, someone would dare strike at it—the Holy Emperor's most trusted subordinate. But before it could react, it was already bound.
Lexuan's Seal of the Moon Emperor suppressed its soul power completely, rendering it unable to fight. With her current strength compared to the beast's, the effect would last at least three minutes.
Three minutes—more than enough for interrogation.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10