From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 552 The Land of No Return, Farewell to the Fragments of the World Tree
The Five Prisons King Cauldron tore through the clouds, revealing a vast and boundless azure sea below that was gradually changing. The further it went, the deeper the color of the sea became, even faintly revealing a dark red hue, as if it had been soaked in countless drops of blood. The air was no longer filled with pure water vapor and spiritual energy, but rather with a faint smell of blood, a malevolent aura, and a chaotic and mixed energy fluctuation.

On the distant horizon, the outline of an island gradually becomes clear.

The island was not small, but it was not a lush, idyllic paradise; instead, it appeared rugged and menacing. The island's surface was a dark red and blackish-brown hue, as if composed of congealed blood and weathered rust. The buildings on the island were haphazard, mostly crude stone houses, crooked wooden structures, and even many caves carved directly into the mountainside. The skeletons of some enormous, unidentified sea creatures were carelessly discarded on the mudflats or used as building skeletons, adding to the savagery and eeriness.

This is Azure Blood Island, the last common stop on the way to the perilous Ruins of Return, and also a lawless and chaotic place.

Unlike the well-ordered Wan Gui Sea City established on Wan Gui Immortal Island, Bi Xue Island has no clear ruler. Only a few powerful rogue cultivators, whose cultivation has reached the Golden Core realm, secretly maintain a fragile balance. Here, murder and robbery, and double-crossing are commonplace.

The Five Prisons King Cauldron did not deliberately conceal its treasure-level aura. As soon as it approached Azure Blood Island, it immediately attracted countless prying eyes, some open and some covert. These eyes were filled with greed, scrutiny, fear, and ill intent.

"What a fine cauldron! It's at least a mid-grade magic weapon!"

"Tsk tsk, which major sect's disciple has come out for training again? What a fat sheep!"

"A man and a woman, the man is unfathomable, the woman... hehe, she's absolutely stunning!"

"Be more cautious. If you can't see through their intentions, don't kick a hornet's nest!"

"What's there to be afraid of? Once we get to Azure Blood Island, dragons will have to coil up and tigers will have to lie low! Besides, even a fierce tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves!"

Various divine thoughts intertwined in the shadows, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue.

Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue, who landed on Bixue Island, seemed oblivious to all of this.

Li Chengqian, dressed in a green robe, his aura restrained, calmly swept his gaze over the surrounding rogue cultivators who coveted him like vultures, his eyes indifferent, as if looking at a group of ants. Fang Qingxue, dressed in white, pure and aloof, stood gracefully to one side, slightly frowning at the filthy and chaotic environment around her, the subtle electric sparks naturally flowing around her repelling all the foul auras that tried to approach.

The invisible aura created by the two caused some people with lower cultivation levels and malicious intentions to subconsciously take a few steps back, not daring to look directly at them.

"Let's go, cousin, let's see what's so special about this Azure Blood Sea City," Li Chengqian said calmly, leading the way towards the most chaotic and noisy area in the center of the island. Fang Qingxue nodded slightly and followed closely behind.

The Bloodstained Sea Market was less a market and more a massive, spontaneously formed combination of an open-air junkyard and a black market. The roads were muddy, slick with dark red seawater and unidentified filth. The stalls on either side were haphazardly arranged, displaying all sorts of bizarre and strange items: fragments of magical artifacts stained with blood, oddly shaped ores, materials from monstrous beasts reeking of foul odors, and even weak sea monsters or human slaves sealed in cages…

The sounds of hawking, arguing, and fighting filled the air. A strong stench of sweat, blood, rust, the strange smell of inferior pills, and a faint, almost imperceptible, metallic scent of blood permeated the air. Most of the cultivators trading here had fierce faces, mixed auras, and wary, greedy eyes. Many bore scars or a thick aura of malevolence, clearly indicating they were hardened criminals who had spent years living on the edge.

Compared to the superficial order and rules of Wan Gui Hai Shi, Bi Xue Island more nakedly reveals the dark side of the cultivation world, where the strong prey on the weak.

The appearance of Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue was like two clear streams flowing into a murky swamp, standing out incongruously and conspicuously. Wherever they went, the noise would subconsciously decrease, and countless eyes would focus on them, especially Fang Qingxue's aloof and peerless face, which attracted countless lewd and greedy gazes, making Fang Qingxue very uncomfortable.

Her expression grew even colder, and a barely perceptible spark of electricity flickered at her fingertips, as if it could blind those damned eyes at any moment. Li Chengqian, however, remained calm, as if strolling leisurely, but his divine sense had already spread out like an invisible net, clearly perceiving any slight hostility or energy fluctuation within hundreds of feet around him.

The two strolled around casually, occasionally stopping at some stalls. Li Chengqian's gaze swept over the so-called treasures, most of which were junk. The few items that occasionally possessed a special aura or were ancient did not catch his eye.

Fang Qingxue was drawn to several ores that shimmered with lightning or contained strange energy. She bought a few pieces, which were not expensive, but they might have some minor reference value for her to comprehend the Great Dao of Thunder and the Chaos Technique.

As if sensing something, Fang Qingxue suddenly paused slightly and stopped in front of a stall.

The stall was very simple, without even a stall cloth. It was just a few tattered sea animal skins casually spread on the ground, with a few items scattered on them: a badly rusted iron lump, a few unknown animal bones, a dull bead, and a piece of wood about a foot long, completely black, with a rough and lusterless surface.

The stall owner was an old man, barely breathing and shrouded in a tattered black robe. His cultivation was only at the tenth level of the Divine Transformation Realm of the Physical Body, placing him at the very bottom of the hierarchy on this Azure Blood Island, as if he could die at any moment. Fang Qingxue's gaze fell on the piece of pitch-black wood.

Li Chengqian, who was standing to the side, also focused his gaze on the piece of wood.

"Holy crap, this is unbelievable! It's another fragment of the World Tree!"

Even though Li Chengqian considered himself a man of deep thought, his heart skipped a beat when he saw that piece of wood, leaving him utterly speechless.

A subtle hint of doubt flashed in her cool eyes. The piece of wood looked ordinary, even somewhat ugly, yet she couldn't completely penetrate it with her divine sense. She only felt that it was unusually heavy, and its internal structure was denser than she had imagined.

She crouched down, extended her slender white fingers, and gently touched the piece of wood.

A cool, hard, and seemingly timeless texture came from her fingertips. With a slight exertion, and despite her Yuan Gang Realm cultivation, she couldn't leave the slightest mark on the wood!

In a brief moment, she tried several methods but found nothing unusual.

"Boss, where did this come from? What is it used for?" Fang Qingxue raised her cold eyes and looked at the old man in black robes.

The old man raised his cloudy eyes, his voice hoarse like a broken gong: "I...I don't know...I picked it up from the seabed of an ancient battlefield...It's incredibly hard, fire can't melt it, water can't penetrate it, this old man doesn't know what it is...If the young lady takes a liking to it, just give her some pills...or...a magic artifact will do..."

The old man's hesitant tone revealed him to be at the very bottom of the Azure Blood Island. Even knowing there was something amiss, he dared not ask for more, because if he did, he would be unable to leave the market.

Upon hearing this, Fang Qingxue didn't ask any further questions. She could sense that the old man wasn't lying. After a moment's thought, she took out a jade bottle containing ten Essence Pills, and then a fairly high-quality flying sword, handing it over: "Is this enough in exchange for these?"

When the old man saw the jade bottle and the flying sword, his cloudy eyes lit up with excitement, and he nodded repeatedly: "Enough! Enough! Thank you, fairy! Thank you, fairy!" Ten essence pills were enough to restore a lot of his energy, and the flying sword could be used for self-defense!

He had studied this piece of broken wood for a long time but couldn't find any use for it. He never expected to hit the jackpot today!
Fearing that Fang Qingxue might change her mind, he hurriedly and laboriously picked up the piece of wood and respectfully handed it over.

Seeing how much effort he was putting in, Fang Qingxue was also somewhat surprised. But after she took the wood, her expression changed. It was so heavy that a piece of wood about a foot long weighed nearly 10,000 jin. Even with her cultivation level, she felt her wrist drop slightly!
He couldn't help but glance at the old man who looked like he was about to die, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes.

This old man isn't as weak as he seems on the surface!
“Cousin, do you recognize this piece of wood?” Li Chengqian asked from the side.

"I didn't recognize it, but I just felt a connection with it, so I bought it," Fang Qingxue said.

We clicked!

Li Chengqian shook his head helplessly, not intending to reveal the matter of the World Tree here. Then, he raised his head and looked ahead, as if waiting for something.

"Cousin, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, a dead person is coming." Li Chengqian smiled.

No sooner had they finished speaking than a group of people appeared before them. There were about five or six of them, all dressed in uniform blue robes, and their cultivation levels were all between the first and second levels of the Divine Power Realm. The young man in the lead had an arrogant expression and a frivolous look in his eyes. His gaze swept over Fang Qingxue with unbridled arrogance, and he suddenly laughed, "This fairy, do you know where your immortal home is?"

(End of this chapter)