Heroes' Prison-Chapter 1286 - 1221: In the South Sea Lies a Celestial Mountain, Where Yun Veils Its Whereabouts
It seemed like an eternity had passed, yet it also felt like just a moment, when Huang Yi heard an old man speaking to him.
The voice was somewhat blurred, vaguely echoing, as if coming from a far-off place, yet it also seemed to be right next to his ear.
"Why have you come here?" The old man in the house, without knowing when, appeared next to Huang Yi and asked softly.
Huang Yi’s thoughts slowly returned, his expression a bit dazed, and he couldn’t help but rub his temples.
The old man had just spoken in Barbarian tongue, a language that was once spoken by primitive humans during the Eternal Ancient Era, long since lost. If it were someone else, they definitely wouldn’t understand. But after Huang Yi became the World’s Guardian, he acquired many privileges, one of which was linguistic, allowing him to understand all the major languages that had been widely circulated throughout the history of The Second World, including Barbarian tongue.
Huang Yi rubbed his eyes and said drowsily, "I don’t know either, I was originally heading to Fallen God Continent, but suddenly I was struck by a strange power that sucked me onto this island."
The old man stroked his long white beard and laughed, "It seems the Barbaric Turtle mistook you for food. Over the years, nature’s spiritual energy has been becoming more sparse, making food harder to find for the Barbaric Turtle, so it’s been picking food more carelessly. As long as someone’s strength reaches Ascension or above, it will eat regardless of who they are."
"Is it really the Barbaric Turtle?!" Huang Yi was slightly startled, "Wasn’t the Barbaric Turtle long extinct? How can there still be one?"
"The world is vast, and people’s knowledge is too small, so they would say that." The old man looked up at the blue sky outside the door, staring at a retreating white cloud, saying softly, "According to the stories passed down by our ancestors, this Barbaric Turtle was the mount of a grand figure from the Eternal Ancient Era, and it has just survived until now. Hearing the words of you outsiders, it seems such creatures no longer exist out there."
"From Eternal Ancient Era to now? Did it conquer time?" Huang Yi asked. The Eternal Ancient Era is the most ancient of times, and creatures that have survived from then until now are few and far between, mostly found within the Demon-Sealing Space, like the criminals in Heroes’ Prison, the Seven Archdemons, and others.
"It didn’t conquer time; it merely avoided it." The old man shook his head, "Actually, this Barbaric Turtle doesn’t exist in the outside world; it is a small world in itself. It and the people on its back on this island can greatly slow the passage of time. It only occasionally manifests in the outside world, and only the lucky ones can see it."
"So, this is the legend of the Fairy Island?" Huang Yi suddenly realized.
In the mouths of some seaside fishermen, one often hears—"There is a Fairy Island in the South Sea, hidden deep within the clouds, unknown to its location." The legend speaks of a Fairy Island deep in the southern seas, shrouded in mist, elusive and hard to find.
It seems that this Fairy Island is likely this Barbaric Turtle; it’s not in The Second World, so it’s impossible to find no matter how it’s sought. It can only be seen when it actively manifests in the outside world.
"Fairy Island..." The old man laughed, stroking his beard as he heard these two words, "Sounds beautiful, but in reality, it’s cruel. Those who enter this Fairy Island can never leave; they will age and die here, ultimately becoming nourishment for the Barbaric Turtle."
"Has no one ever left in history?" Huang Yi frowned and asked.
"No!" The old man stroked his beard and stared at Huang Yi, "Being drawn to this island by the Barbaric Turtle makes you food for its future, but it doesn’t consume you through the mouth. The Barbaric Turtle is a very ancient and kind creature; it merely imprisons you on this island, and when you die of old age, it absorbs everything from you naturally."
"And what about you?" Huang Yi asked.
"I’m naturally its food as well." The old man smiled kindly, "Not only me, but my ancestors for generations have been the food of this Barbaric Turtle. However, we continue to reproduce generation after generation, becoming its endless source of food; that is our destiny."
As he spoke, the old man paused, his tone becoming dreamy, "According to the records left by our ancestors, our ancestors are as ancient as this Barbaric Turtle. They were the last descendants of a great being from the Eternal Ancient Era, and their descendants have been confined on the back of this Barbaric Turtle, for them this is the entire world. Generation after generation, people are born, grow up, get married, have children, age, and die on this island, ultimately becoming nourishment for the Barbaric Turtle."
"Child!" At this moment, the old man reached out and patted Huang Yi’s head, "Accept this fate! Throughout history, many outsiders have accidentally stumbled here, many of whom were great figures with remarkable skills, but upon arriving here, all became ordinary people. They tried all means to escape, but to no avail. They were angry, fearful, despairing, but eventually, they all came to peace, accepted their fate, and died of old age here. Some men and women even united, had offspring, and lived their lives happily."
Upon hearing this, Huang Yi couldn’t help but sense his own strength, only to find that all his power had vanished, and his skills and equipment were rendered ineffective, offering him no help; he had become an ordinary person.
"I am the Heaven-Sent Man, different from others. I should be able to leave; I can leave as long as I die!" Huang Yi said resolutely.
"Heaven-Sent Man? A strange term. But it doesn’t matter who you are, you can’t leave, though you can try." The old man said gently.
Huang Yi thought for a moment and finally chose to commit suicide.
The incarnation’s death didn’t incur any loss, nor did it send him to the Underworld, just like dying in the Tower of Pantheons, it merely consumed one of the daily resurrection counts.
When Huang Yi’s incarnation resurrected again, he suddenly appeared in a bamboo forest. The scenery here felt somewhat familiar, with a tranquil bamboo grove and the crisp, pleasant sound of cicadas; everything was just as it was before.
A bad feeling arose in his heart as he quickly walked out of the bamboo grove, and sure enough, he saw the familiar village house again, saw the chickens pecking on the lawn by the door, saw that big yellow dog napping at the entrance, and saw the old man sitting on the bamboo chair inside the door.
"I told you, no matter what method you use, you can’t leave." The old man shook his head and laughed.
This time, Huang Yi’s mood finally sank into heaviness. His incarnation had indeed been trapped here, and even death and resurrection had ceased to work! His incarnation would be stuck forever on this isolated island, unable to leave, and unable to provide any assistance!
