The water vines retreated.

Not only had the water vines retreated, but they had even taken the two corpses with them. Peace and normality returned. It was as if this were a tranquil afternoon where the warm sun shone down to a carefree tune.

However, Ling Han didn’t dare to let his guard down. He refused to believe that these water vines would give up so easily.

“Not good!” With a frown, he instantly leaped into the sea.

Plop!

He looked down, only to see 19 water vines silently sneaking over, targeting their “ship.”

These water vines were truly quite intelligent. They understood the concept of killing the horse before killing its rider.

Even though they were discovered, they had still achieved victory. They had forced Ling Han to battle in the sea.

Ling Han’s gaze was baleful, and he said with his divine sense, “Since you insist, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

He retrieved the Heaven and Earth Origin Stars. This was a devastating weapon that could threaten the lives of even low-level Celestial Kings.

Sure enough, the 19 water vines faltered upon seeing this. It was as if they understood the danger of this item. They didn’t dare to approach. However, they didn’t retreat, either. Instead, they came to a stop in the distance, and it was as if they were staring at Ling Han with cold gazes.

This wasn’t good news. After all, Ling Han could only stay in the sea for a limited amount of time. However, if these water vines didn’t retreat, he couldn’t return to the “ship,” either. He had to stand guard here. This put him on the back foot.

Ling Han decided to sheath his sword. With one hand, he grabbed the fur of the wolf corpse to carry himself forward, and with his other hand, he held the Heaven and Earth Origin Stars to threaten the water vines.

The “ship” continued to move; it was being furiously pushed forward by the three women.

Meanwhile, Ling Han’s stamina also continued to rapidly drain. This sea was incredibly terrifying. In fact, it could even be treated as a Second Heaven Celestial King. By entering the sea, Ling Han was essentially facing the pressure exerted by such a Celestial King.

Even though the sea wasn’t unleashing its full strength, this pressure was rushing at Ling Han from all possible directions. There was no reprieve anywhere. Ling Han had no option but to expend a huge amount of his energy to resist this pressure, increasing his expenditure.

Of course, replenishing his energy was also easy. He simply needed to eat some food and rest for a while. Doing so would definitely help him recover.

However, did Ling Han have any time to recover?

One hour quickly passed by. At this moment, Ling Han was already starting to feel some strain. He had estimated that he could stay in the sea for around two hours. However, that was the absolute limit. Starting from the one-hour mark, he was already starting to feel stretched. This feeling would only worsen, all the way until he was unable to endure it.

Time continued to creep by. Cold sweat started to form on Ling Han’s forehead.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but cherish the Black Tower. However, he immediately reminded himself that precious tools were only assistive tools. There would eventually come the day when his strength surpassed the Black Tower. If he became overly reliant on it, what would he do then?

Thus, he needed to get used to life without the Black Tower.

Ling Han gritted his teeth and endured. He had already made up his mind. If he truly became exhausted, he would extract some power from the Dimension Scroll. That would replenish some of his energy. Moreover, the formation of a Heavenly Venerate Tribulation would also very likely scare away these water vines.

The time approached two hours, and cold sweat was already pouring down Ling Han’s forehead. His hand that held the Heaven and Earth Origin Stars was also trembling slightly.

The water vines clearly noticed this as well, and they all started to become restless. They were itching to make a move.

Right at this moment, the Empress suddenly transmitted a message with her divine sense, saying, “Hold on for a little longer! There’s an island up ahead!”

Ling Han was overjoyed. This was truly like the arrival of rain in a drought-stricken land. There couldn’t be better news.

He could sense the speed of the ship increasing, and he could also make out a fuzzy and ginormous dark figure before him. This was most likely the portion of the island that rested below the water.

However, seeing the island was only one matter. Sailing there would still take a significant amount of time.

Ling Han could only grit his teeth and endure.

Crack…

His bones creaked and cracked, which was due to the immense pressure of the sea. His entire body ached, and it was as if his bones were about to explode.

However, the island drew closer and closer. Perhaps they were only 15 minutes away from it.

The water vines seemingly “saw” this as well, and they couldn’t help but become agitated. They started to sway around, and it was as if they could barely hold themselves back from attacking.

However, they were extremely fearful of the Heaven and Earth Origin Stars, so they continued to hold back from attacking.

Peng!

Ling Han felt the “ship” shudder, and he could already see the black stone before him. He immediately dashed up.

Splash!

He broke through to the surface, and he immediately collected the wolf corpse as he did so. They would still need it to leave the island.

The three women had already ascended the island. Ling Han followed behind them, and he almost fell on his behind. He had never felt so tired before.

Splash…

The 19 water vines also shot out from the water. They were arched like snakes, and it was as if they were staring at Ling Han and his companions. They didn’t attack, nor did they retreat. They simply hovered there as if they were guards.

“Let’s go!”

The Empress and the others carried Ling Han as they quickly left the shore.

Just then, they had been fully focused on steering the ship, so they hadn’t had the time to carefully observe the island. Only now did they have a chance to do so.

This was an island that was filled with a primordial aura. It measured 30 kilometers or so in diameter, and it couldn’t be considered as a big island. Lush green vegetation covered the island, and the trees towered 300 meters into the air. Their leaves were healthy and large, blocking out much of the sun. As a result, the ground was always moist and dark.

Ling Han retrieved some food and voraciously devoured it. The best way to replenish energy was to eat highly nutritious foods. Thus, he was either eating the meat of high-level Immortal Beasts, or chowing down on Celestial medicines. His energy and stamina were rapidly replenished.

The island wasn’t large, so with their speed, they arrived at the center in no time at all. This was also the highest point on the island. When they walked out of the dense forest, they felt as if everything had suddenly become open and clear.

There was a patch of empty land before them. This land was flat, and there were surprisingly a few people sitting there.

Ji Wuming, Jia Lan, Shi Chanzi, the Rain Emperor… Ling Han immediately recognized four of them. There were also two people who he didn’t recognize. However, they were both brimming with vitality, and they were clearly powerful monarch stars!

“Ling Han!”

“Fourth Brother!”

Upon seeing Ling Han, several of these people exclaimed in greeting. However, apart from the brotherly affection shown by the Rain Emperor, the rest of them all wore interesting expressions. This was especially the case with the two people whom Ling Han didn’t know. They both wore slight scowls, and it was clear that they were filled with animosity.

Ling Han stood still as he nodded at the Rain Emperor, and replied, “Second Brother!”

The Rain Emperor walked over, and Ling Han asked with his divine sense, “What’s going on?”

“I was pursued by several water vines, and I was fortunate enough to come across this island where I can rest for a while,” the Rain Emperor replied with his divine sense. He paused for a moment before continuing, “It’s the same for everyone else.”

Ling Han frowned, and said, “In other words, we’ve all been trapped here?”

The Rain Emperor nodded, and replied, “I tried to set off again, but no matter where I leave from, I’ll always encounter those water vines.”

Ling Han was even more astonished. “But we weren’t attacked by the water vines before we arrived on the island. Combined with your situation, it seems like these water vines are purposefully herding us onto this island.”

The Rain Emperor also frowned upon hearing this. If the water vines were truly herding them onto this island, then it was clear that this island wasn’t a safe place, either.

“Brother Ji, what do you say?” Ling Han asked as he looked toward Ji Wuming.

This wasn’t the first time that Ji Wuming had entered the Celestial Path. If someone understood the current situation, it would definitely be Ji Wuming.