The Great Ruler

Chapter 1137 - First Encounter with Garuda

Mu Chen's group of four left the Dragon Island, using the identity as three Golden Dragon Disciples as intimidation, even if everyone knew that there's a high possibility of them possessing the treasures of the Dragon Island, no one dared to attack or follow them. As for Xia Yu, he could only watch as Mu Chen's group left and did not dare to make a move.

After leaving the Dragon Island, Mu Chen's group did not search for other islands. Although they might find treasures in the other islands, their main objective right now was the legendary Heavenly Lake.

After all, the baptism of the Heavenly Lake was a rare opportunity for people like them that hadn't stepped into the Earth Sovereign Realm. Even someone of Xiao Xiao and Lin Jing's status was attracted by it, not to mention Mu Chen.

After confirming their objective, Mu Chen's group of four hastened their journey, spending half a day to pass through all the islands at their full speed.

They appeared on a lone island and swept their gazes around before they noticed that a hundred miles in radius started to empty out. There weren't any more rock islands. They had already reached the end of the area.

"This is close to the depths of the Ancient Haven Palace." Mu Chen cast his gaze out. The thickness of Spiritual Energy here was unbelievable and as the spiritual mist drifted, even rainbow clouds could be seen on the sky, which could only be formed after Spiritual Energy had condensed to a shocking degree.

Casting his gaze over, he could vaguely see some tattered pagodas on some summits with the outline of an ancient palace far away with the entire heavens and earth enveloped in a silent and ancient atmosphere.

"We should reach the Heavenly Lake after the belt of islands." Mu Chen took out the map and looked at it before speaking to the three girls.

Xiao Xiao nodded her head then cast a bewitching glance at the silent heavens and earth. Although this place looked calm without any danger, she felt that something was amiss.

"You sensed it?" When Mu Chen saw her expression, he smiled.

"What's wrong?" Lin Jing asked in puzzlement. She had also sensed it, but she couldn't source the origin of that danger.

Nine Nether swept her eyes around and yet, she couldn't find the source of the problem as well.

"See those pillars?" Mu Chen pointed his finger towards the fist-sized light pillars that seemed to descend from the sky, looking like rays of light.

Hearing Mu Chen's reminder, the three ladies then felt a peculiar fluctuation coming from those pillars of light.

Xiao Xiao flicked her finger and Spiritual Energy swept out, sweeping up a rock and aimed it towards a pillar. But when the rock came in contact with the pillar, it was sliced into two with a mirror-smooth cut, looking as if the pillars were akin to sharp blades.

"Mhm?" The three girls were also startled.

"There are Spiritual Arrays set up in those clouds. The Spiritual Energy will gather and shoot down, akin to a net that envelops the heavens and earth. Those pillars are so sharp that even Ninth Grade Sovereigns would be wounded and lose their limbs from them." Mu Chen pointed at the floating clouds as he explained.

When the three ladies heard his explanation, their face slightly changed. If they charged through without any defence, then even they would have to pay a price for it.

"Why is this Ancient Haven Palace filled with dangerous traps?" Nine Nether couldn't help speaking out.

"It should be the defensive means in the Ancient haven Palace for the Fiend Clans that invaded the Greatlaw Continent. But they weren't removed after that." Mu Chen gently sighed as he saw innumerable skeletons with tattered armours and weapons lying on the ground. Those skeletons were sparkling, emitting a faint lustre, which proved that before their deaths, they should have been powerful experts.

It looked like the Ancient Haven Palace had lost a great number of powerhouses in the war.

"But why aren't there any remains of the Fiend Clans?" Mu Chen suddenly thought of something. It seemed that since the beginning, he had never seen a remain of a Fiend Clan.

"That's because the Evil Energy that the Fiend Clans cultivated is incompatible with the Great Thousand World. So after their fall, their corpses would be refined by the Spiritual Energy of the heavens and earth as time passes without leaving any corpses." Lin Jing explained. Not just anyone would know about this, but she's not the same as them. As the daughter of the Martial Ancestor, she knew more about the Fiend Clans.

"Let us get moving. Although those pillars are troublesome, we just have to be cautious and avoid them." Mu Chen said towards the three ladies before slowly moving out. As he approached the pillars, he avoided them. At the same time, those pillars did not chase after him, since there was evidently a flaw after the passage of time.

When the three ladies saw how Mu Chen safely traversed, they felt relieved and swiftly followed after him.

This region had slowed down their speed, but with his reminder, this region, which was initially dangerous, was easily passed through by them.

After passing through the region of spiritual clouds, Mu Chen's party of four hastened their speed for nearly half an hour before they started to slow down.

That's because they suddenly heard peculiar sounds coming from the distance.

Rustle!

Those were crisp sounds of water.

When they heard the sounds, they could clearly feel an attraction force on the Spiritual Energy in their bodies and they started to stir. The feeling was akin to a person that was about to die of thirst finding water…

The four of them could sense the Spiritual Energy in their bodies stirring up, but they quickly suppressed it, which took a brief moment, before the Spiritual Energy gradually calmed down and shock appeared on their faces.

It was only the sound of water and it could cause the Spiritual Energy in their bodies to stir, so the origin of that sound definitely had to be their objective, the Heavenly Lake!

The four's eyes lit up with excitement on their faces before they quickened their speed and in just ten-odd breaths, they had already passed through a myriad-foot high peak.

The towering peak disappeared and their vision instantly widened. At the same time, a dazzling lustre blossomed, which caused them to feel a stinging pain in their eyes, even after shrouding their eyes with the protection of Spiritual Energy, causing them to uncontrollably squint their eyes.

The dazzling lustre lasted for a brief moment before they gradually got used to it and their vision started to clear up. Immediately, they uncontrollably sucked in cold breaths.

What appeared before them was a boundless azure ocean with a starry sky as the background. The ocean glittered and sparkled in the darkness, flickering with a lustre, as if the ocean contained stars. Occasionally when the water rolled, there was a crystallised dust that swept up and every speck of that was refined with Spiritual Energy, turning back into a water state when it fell back into the ocean…

Because of the dense Spiritual Energy above the ocean, the spiritual mist looked similar to a dragon and phoenix with myriad beasts charging forth. It looked profound, akin to a small realm.

Furthermore, this ocean was floating in the sky!

Space had shattered at the edge of the ocean, causing space to fluctuate when the ocean's waves swept out. Mu Chen's party could clearly sense that although the ocean was just before their eyes, it was in a different space from them.

Evidently, the ocean was sealed in a space created by a powerhouse.

Mu Chen's party was intimidated by the ocean before them and only gradually recovered a brief moment later. Their faces were filled with a shock, which soon turned into joy. They knew that this ocean that looked like it was floating in the sky but it was in fact sealed in space was the objective that they had been yearning after.

The Heavenly Lake!

"Truly the cornerstone of the Ancient Haven Palace's strengthening base…" Xiao Xiao also couldn't help exclaiming in admiration, despite her stunning status. This Heavenly Lake was definitely a great hand and back then, when it was created, the Heavenly Emperor of the Ancient Haven Palace must have done a lot for it. Such a huge resource was not something that those supreme forces in the current Great Thousand World could take out.

Lin Jing nodded her head in acknowledgement. The foundation of this force that was once the Overlord of the Greatlaw Continent was truly stunning.

As they spoke, Mu Chen gradually recovered and retracted his gaze from the Heavenly Lake. Just when he was about to speak, his attention was distracted from a reaction that rose from his heart. He turned his head and looked towards a distant mountain.

On the mountain stood a black-clothed, slender-figured man with his hands behind his back. His bearing was akin to the abyss, deep and unfathomable. The myriad-foot high peak beneath his feet should've been majestic, but when he stood there, his bearing had suppressed the mountain and all the attention was only focused on him. This person was definitely out of the ordinary!

Mu Chen shrunk his eyes as an indescribable guard rose in the depths of his heart, tensing his body and entering into a battle state.

Although he wasn't familiar with that man, Mu Chen could tell his identity with a glance.

To be able to cause his body to enter an alert state by reflex, aside from Garuda, who also possessed the Great Solar Undying Body, who else could it be?!

While Mu Chen was slightly shocked, the man had also sensed something and his abstruse gaze shot over from afar.