Chapter 51: Eternal Life Island
Su Xiao looked at the three soul arrows in his hand. The trial mission's content was simple and brutal: go to Eternal Life Island and obtain the "Primordial Water" to complete the first ring. The mission had only two rings in total.
Su Xiao knew he still had a choice. He could opt for the easier path of breaking through the 200-point barrier with a single attribute or dual attributes, or he could gamble everything, go big, and ensure that after his Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence attributes all surpassed 200 points, they would remain his main attributes, continuing his four-attribute development.
In this world, Su Xiao had the Doom Number. Although the Doom Number brought a curse, it was also an opportunity. No need for deliberation; Su Xiao had already made his choice. He wasn't afraid of dying on the path to becoming stronger. Everyone has their pursuits, and this was what he sought. It was difficult, dangerous, but the scenery along the way... was quite good.
"Octopus, if I go to Eternal Life Island, what do I need to prepare?"
Su Xiao sat on the ship's railing, facing the sea as he lit a cigarette. The sea breeze gently blew, scattering the smoke.
"Prepare a life, that's enough. That place..."
Brother Octopus's spiritual fluctuation changed, revealing a hint of terror.
"Is Eternal Life Island that dangerous?"
Seeing Brother Octopus's expression, Baha felt a bit uneasy. After all, Brother Octopus was the King of the Demon Sea—that title wasn't just for show. Brother Octopus had the strength to match it.
"Puff puff puff puff..."
Brother Octopus's laughter was strange. After laughing for a while, he said, "I used to be more than four times bigger than your ship. I went to Eternal Life Island once, and ended up like this. The stone cup on that island... was leaking."
Brother Octopus's expression was bitter. He had once dragged a five-masted ship to the bottom of the sea, but now, including his tentacles, stretching his body straight, he was only about three meters long. He had gone from a "sea monster" to "fresh seafood." If made into grilled octopus, there wouldn't be enough to feed many people.
"Damn, leaking? Then is there still Primordial Water?"
Baha was worried, but he didn't know that the problem he was concerned about wasn't a problem at all.
"Is there Primordial Water? Do you really think that stone cup was meant to gather Primordial Water? That thing was created by some ancient existence, a gift to brave beings, and also a seal. It sealed the spring of Primordial Water. The Primordial Water in the stone cup would overflow and stop, waiting for someone to take it, then overflow again. Each overflow took a long time.
Now that thing is leaking, and the Primordial Water inside keeps flowing out. Luckily, there's a small pool beneath it. Eternal Life Island doesn't just have a cup of Primordial Water—it has an entire pool of it. A pool, you understand? That much."
Brother Octopus spread his tentacles, but due to his limited size, he couldn't quite show how big the pool on Eternal Life Island was.
"Let me put it this way: once, a great pirate drank a cup of Primordial Water, and he ruled the Demon Sea for a long time. Puff puff, guess how many creatures are on that island? Oh, and good news: all the creatures on the island have mutated."
Brother Octopus had a gloating expression. After all, he wasn't going to Eternal Life Island.
"So, you've been to Eternal Life Island?"
Su Xiao exhaled smoke, looking at Brother Octopus meaningfully.
"I've been there. Puff puff, even if you roast me, I'm not going back!"
Brother Octopus chuckled nervously. Soon, his expression gradually turned serious as he realized things weren't simple. The bullhead not far away was already about to light a fire and start grilling.
"Eternal Life Island... how nostalgic."
Brother Octopus looked at the horizon, saying this, but in his heart, he wanted to slap himself with a tentacle. Why hadn't he just jumped off the ship earlier?
The Doom Number set sail. Su Xiao prepared to see just how dangerous Eternal Life Island really was.
He had Ghost Shadow go to the ship's hold to fetch a large wooden barrel. After filling it with seawater, Su Xiao placed one of the soul arrows inside.
The soul arrow didn't sink but floated on the surface, slowly rotating. When it pointed in a direction, it stopped, working much like a compass.
The sea voyage wasn't boring. With Bubu Wang on the Doom Number, plus Kaiser and Brother Octopus, the ship was even livelier.
Winnie, who had just woken up from a beauty sleep, walked out of the cabin, breathing in the cool sea breeze.
"Where are we going?"
Winnie was in a good mood. Although she was the most cowardly in battle, as a witch, she had collected many rare treasures.
"Eternal Life Island."
Baha saw the smile on Winnie's face and a hint of mischief appeared in his eyes.
"Eternal Life Island? Never heard of it. Are we blowing up another island? Why did I say 'another'? Sigh~"
"This time, it's a sightseeing trip. Get ready your hot swimsuit, assuming the Demon Sea has swimsuits."
"Of course, it does. I'll pick the one I like best."
Winnie blinked, starting to look forward to Eternal Life Island.
"Count yourself in for the Eternal Life Island 'tour group.' No ticket needed, just..."
Baha didn't finish, his smile turning mischievous. If Winnie stepped onto Eternal Life Island in a swimsuit, the scene alone made him want to laugh.
At the Doom Number's speed, it took nearly ten hours to reach the vicinity of the destination.
Su Xiao looked ahead but didn't see an island. However, the three soul arrows had already floated up, all pointing forward.
"We're here."
As soon as Brother Octopus finished speaking, the three soul arrows flew out, piercing the air ahead.
Crack, crack...
Cracks like broken glass appeared in the air. A strong spatial fluctuation occurred, and after a series of crisp sounds, the barrier-like thing ahead shattered.
The sea remained the same, but an island appeared ahead. It was lush green, with white sandy beaches at the edge. In the shallow waters nearby, the sunlight cast a deep blue hue.
The Doom Number stopped about a hundred meters from the island. Su Xiao jumped onto a small boat, and Amu rowed. The boat carried Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Baha, Kaiser, and Winnie toward Eternal Life Island. The surrounding seawater was filled with shadowy cursed people.
Winnie wore a light red swimsuit, her blonde hair loose, with a small bag beside her. She was applying some plant juice to her skin to avoid tanning.
"..."
Su Xiao looked Winnie up and down, a puzzled expression on his face. Baha beside him seemed "lost in thought," acting as if he knew nothing.
The small boat docked. Winnie was the first off, running barefoot onto the beach, in an excellent mood.
Seeing this, Kaiser also got off. As soon as he stepped onto the island's sand, he shivered.
"My dear friend, Kaiser has some urgent business. Really urgent."
Kaiser pretended to run back, but under the warm "invitation" of Amu and Baha, Kaiser was moved by "friendship." He pulled out a tattered cloth like a tablecloth, stuck his head through the hole in the middle, and the dry, hard black cloth covered his entire body, leaving only his head exposed.
The cursed people materialized on the beach. After crossing the sand, the executioner led the way with a large cleaver, cutting through the oversized banana leaves.
The vegetation on Eternal Life Island was lush. There were many coconut trees by the beach. After passing the sandy area, Su Xiao stepped onto the soft, damp fallen leaves. Surrounding him was a dense forest with fresh air. Among the lush vegetation grew trees much taller than those outside.
Colorful birds chirped, and occasionally, monkey calls could be heard, giving the place an ethereal feel.
Su Xiao looked around. From the current situation, aside from the dense vegetation, there seemed to be no other threats on Eternal Life Island.
To be safe, Su Xiao brought 600 cursed people, including Mad Dog Quake. At this moment, Quake had transformed into a mad dog over five meters long, covered in gray-black fur, baring its teeth and making threatening sounds from its throat.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked, stopping in his tracks and lightly bumping Su Xiao's leg, signaling that something was approaching.
Whoosh—a blur passed through the branches. Almost simultaneously, Su Xiao's hand pressed on the sword hilt at his waist.
Claws sank into a tree trunk, and a dark red creature appeared ahead. It was about four meters long, with exposed flesh and dark red tentacles growing from its back, hanging down nearly two meters.
The monster had two hind claws and one front claw gripping the tree. For its nearly 20-centimeter-long claws, the tree trunk was as fragile as tofu. This creature was called a Bloodthirsty Hunter, with a strong territorial instinct. It had broken through the limits of life, evolving into a forest predator.
"Roar!"
The Bloodthirsty Hunter roared, then vanished. It appeared in front of a cursed person, and only then did the tree it had been on explode into fragments. It was too fast.
The Bloodthirsty Hunter swung a claw. The cursed person raised a hand axe to block, but it was too late.
Bang!
A dull sound echoed far across the island. A large spray of flesh and blood shot out like shotgun pellets, piercing through many trees before disappearing into the dense forest.
After smashing half of a cursed person's body, the Bloodthirsty Hunter crouched, extending its barbed tongue to lick the dark red blood and flesh from its claws. It cleaned them in one lick. This monster had nearly incapacitated a cursed person with one blow.
Clang—the cage holding Mad Dog Quake opened. Quake burst out with speed no less than the Bloodthirsty Hunter's, appearing in front of it in an instant.
Boom! Boom!
The sounds of battle echoed through the forest by the beach. Large trees fell. Moments later, Mad Dog Quake pinned the Bloodthirsty Hunter to the ground, tearing at its flesh. Because the Bloodthirsty Hunter's body was so tough, its skin stretched like rubber before snapping with a pop. Mad Dog Quake ate heartily, as if the Bloodthirsty Hunter's flesh had an irresistible allure for him.
It could be said that Mad Dog Quake was quite formidable, taking down a Bloodthirsty Hunter in less than a minute.
[Tip: Your temporary summon has killed a Bloodthirsty Hunter.]
[You have obtained 12 Soul Coins.]
Seeing the amount of Soul Coins obtained, Su Xiao frowned. It wasn't too little; it was too much. He had a feeling that on this island, Bloodthirsty Hunters might not be considered very powerful.
As Mad Dog Quake enjoyed his "lunch," the sound of claws stepping on fallen leaves came from ahead. Another Bloodthirsty Hunter emerged from the dense forest. It had no eyes but possessed innate perception—extremely sharp perception.
Rustling sounds came from the forest, along with faint, rapid footsteps. The sounds were dense and subtle.
"Woof woof arf!"
Bubu Wang burst out from the side of the forest. The running sounds earlier weren't from him.
Seeing Bubu Wang's terrified expression, Baha immediately asked, "How many? Dozens?"
"Woof!!"
Bubu Wang didn't stop running. Su Xiao, Amu, Baha, and Kaiser immediately turned and retreated. What Bubu Wang had said was: "There are hundreds of Bloodthirsty Hunters in the forest. This is their territory, and there might be more behind."
The key point wasn't the hundreds of Bloodthirsty Hunters. If they fought head-on, Su Xiao's team could go all out, along with 800 cursed people, and wipe out those hundreds of Bloodthirsty Hunters. Even if the cost was heavy—with nearly all the cursed people dying—they could still win.
The Bloodthirsty Hunters' attack power was ridiculously strong, but their defense wasn't too abnormal. The main point Bubu Wang wanted to convey was that this was the Bloodthirsty Hunters' territory, and in the neighboring forest, they even had "neighbors."