AWB Chapter 70 The raft arrives at the island in the middle of the lake and sees the statue.
Chapter 70 The raft arrives at the island in the middle of the lake and sees the statue.
The next morning.
Luo Yifei walked heavily along the stream towards the mountaintop.
"Is what the old folks in the village said reliable?" Luo Yifei asked Shi Hao, who was standing next to him.
“Maybe so, he has no reason to lie to us,” Shi Hao replied.
The two climbed to the top of the mountain and finally saw the big lake the old man had described.
"I wonder if this is the Peach Blossom Spring, or the cursed place the old man mentioned." Shi Hao tried to communicate with Luo Yifei.
“No matter where this place is, I’m leaving. You wouldn’t happen to have taken a fancy to the old man’s grandniece, would you?” Luo Yifei replied.
This morning, the old man called over many young people, including quite a few women of marriageable age.
The old man first wanted to marry his grandniece to Shi Hao, and then his granddaughter to Luo Yifei.
Luo Yifei refused outright, but Shi Hao hesitated for a long time before finally refusing.
The old man then introduced the two to many other women of marriageable age, but they all politely declined, saying they only wanted to leave.
The old man had no choice but to ask everyone to leave, but he insisted that the two of them stay for breakfast.
“No, no, how could that be? We only met once. Mr. Ding gave me orders to escort you safely to see him. I will definitely complete the task,” Shi Hao replied.
Luo Yifei gave Shi Hao a meaningful look, then said, "Let's cut some branches and make a raft."
Shi Hao nodded silently, said nothing more, and went to chop down the tree with his sword.
Luo Yifei began to look around, trying to find the lake's exit or another way to leave the area. The two divided the work clearly, and soon a simple raft was completed. Luo Yifei nodded in satisfaction, sat on the raft, and tested its stability.
"Shi Hao, do you think this lake will have an outlet?" Luo Yifei asked calmly, looking at the lake surface.
"I don't know, but we have to try," Shi Hao replied, and sat down on the raft.
The two picked up the raft and paddled towards the center of the lake. The water was crystal clear, and fish swam to and fro; everything seemed so peaceful and harmonious. But Luo Yifei and Shi Hao both knew that the place they were in might not be so simple.
After paddling for a while, they discovered a small island in the middle of the lake, covered with all sorts of exotic flowers and plants, and where some small animals were playing. The two decided to go ashore and see if they could find a way to leave this place.
They reached the shore, landed on the island, and began to explore. They discovered an ancient building on the island, which looked like a temple used for worship. They went inside and found a statue of a deity, but the face of the statue was blurry and they couldn't tell who it was.
Luo Yifei walked up to the statue and examined it closely. Suddenly, he noticed a line of text engraved on the base of the statue. He crouched down, read it carefully, and then exclaimed in surprise.
"Shi Hao, come and take a look at this!"
……
On this floating continent, in the southern seas, I long for your return to the island.
After a long time, the sea finally calmed down.
Dugu Xin and Long Haocheng looked at the sea, which had just calmed down, and both of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“The things down here are becoming more and more active. Do you have any ideas?” Dugu Xin asked.
"No. I went down to check several times, and the cracks in the underwater altar are getting bigger and bigger," Long Haocheng replied.
“Perhaps we can find other ways to seal it,” Dugu Xin said, frowning in thought.
"There's only one way to seal it, unless we can find another divine artifact." Long Haocheng shook his head.
"A divine artifact?" Dugu Xin looked at Long Haocheng in confusion.
“Yes, divine artifacts. I’ve read in ancient texts that there are five divine artifacts on the Floating Continent, each representing one of the five elements. Only by collecting all five can the thing at the bottom of the sea be completely sealed,” Long Haocheng explained.
"The power of the five elements? Where should we look for these divine artifacts?" Dugu Xin asked.
“I don’t know, it’s not recorded in ancient books. Perhaps we can ask those ancient sects and families; they might know some clues,” Long Haocheng said.
“Okay, then I’ll contact Chu Ji right away and have him send people to look for clues about these artifacts,” Dugu Xin nodded and said.
After their discussion, Dugu Xin left Wangjungui Island and returned to the southern sea area of the Floating Life Continent. Long Haocheng, on the other hand, remained on the island to continue monitoring the underwater activity.
Soon after, all the major sects and families on the Floating Life Continent received Chu Ji's orders and began to search for clues about the Five Elements Divine Artifacts with all their might. Dugu Xin also personally went to some ancient sects and families, hoping to find some useful information.
However, the search for the divine artifact did not go smoothly. Despite the fact that various sects and families dispatched a large number of people, they still could not find any clues about the artifact.
……
And so, time passed day by day, and the group still hadn't found Luo Yifei.
"Forty-five days have passed. I can't wait any longer. I have to shut down the channel." A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the satellite phone.
"Wen Bin, please give us a little more time. Please." Wan Li said, sitting at the table and looking at the murals on the top of the pagoda.
"The tunnel will close at noon in the last three days. That's all." The person on the other end of the phone hung up after saying that.
Ye Xuehan, Nan Tian, Wan Li, and Lin Hai exchanged glances, a heavy silence hanging in the air. They knew time was running out, and Luo Yifei was still missing. Each of them was filled with anxiety and helplessness, yet unable to express it.
"Shouldn't we prepare for the worst?" Ye Xuehan broke the silence, her voice trembling slightly.
"The worst-case scenario is that Luo Yifei is no longer in this world," Nan Tian said in a deep voice, his eyes revealing deep pain and helplessness.
“No, I believe he is still alive.” Wan Li suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining with determination. “He is our hope, we cannot give up on him.”
“Yes, we can’t give up.” Lin Hai nodded in agreement. “Mr. Ding is still sending people to search for him. Maybe he’s somewhere we don’t know.”
However, three days passed quickly.
As the midday bell rang, the atmosphere inside the pagoda grew even more somber. Wan Li stood by the window, gazing intently at the distant sky, his heart filled with helplessness and resentment. He knew the passage was about to close, and Luo Yifei remained missing.
"We did our best," Ye Xuehan said softly, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Yes, we did our best." Nan Tian nodded, his voice a little hoarse.
"Let's go back." Wan Li patted Nan Tian on the shoulder.
Ye Xuehan and Nan Tian were already standing on the trampoline on the eighth floor of the pagoda. With a powerful jump, they entered the time tunnel and disappeared into the air.
Wan Li and Lin Hai remained inside the pagoda. They stood there, watching Ye Xuehan and Nan Tian disappear into the time tunnel.
The appointed time with Wen Bin had arrived. Lin Hai threw a Go stone into the air, but it didn't disappear; instead, it fell to the ground.
“Let’s go too. The tunnel is closed,” Wan Li said, turning to Lin Hai.
"Yes." Lin Hai nodded, his eyes shining with determination.