Biluo Island!

Ming Yue carried the unconscious Kristina on her back and ran back to Sanyan Village.

"Where is this?" Kristina asked as she woke up and looked around.

"This is Sanyan Village," Ming Yue said.

Kristina was startled. "How did we get back to Sanyan Village? Where are Xueman and An Bai? Did they kill Qin Qing and Leng Yue?"

"The mission failed!" Ming Yue said, putting on a look of regret. "Leng Yue ambushed you and knocked you unconscious. Xueman and An Bai were furious and immediately tried to kill Qin Qing and Leng Yue. But when the fight started, they discovered that both of them had advanced to become Fourth Realm War Gods. Although Xueman and An Bai could still suppress them, Qin Qing and Leng Yue held out long enough for a beast army to arrive. We were surrounded, and they told me to escape with you first..."

After hearing the story, Kristina’s face turned as pale as paper. "Xueman and An Bai are likely dead."

"Are those beasts really that strong?" Ming Yue asked.

"Yes," Kristina nodded. "The beasts of the Abandoned City are all genetically modified. Their strength and defenses are formidable. The Boar King has even reached the level of a Fifth Realm War God, and there are several other beasts with the strength of a Fourth Realm War God. Xueman and An Bai stood no chance of survival against them."

Ming Yue was speechless. How on earth did Qin Qing tame those creatures? she wondered, before asking aloud, "What do we do now?"

"Let’s go. We’ll leave tonight to gather troops from other islands," Kristina said, getting up abruptly.

The Eternal Kingdom consisted of 27 large islands and dozens of smaller ones. Biluo Island was located at the southernmost point, closest to Tamwood City.

The island stretched 300 kilometers from north to south. Without any vehicles, Ming Yue and Kristina would have to traverse it entirely on foot. Then, they would have to take a boat to the next island.

The islands surrounding Biluo Island were inhabited by the lower class, people of the Fifth Rank. This meant Ming Yue and Kristina would have to travel north, traversing seven islands by climbing mountains and crossing ridges. Since each island was separated by the sea, they would have to row from one to the next. Even as Martial Artists, they couldn’t possibly travel at top speed without eating, drinking, or sleeping. The journey was destined to leave them half-dead from exhaustion.

「Eight days later!」

Ming Yue and Kristina finally arrived at Cloud Mist Island. This was an island inhabited by people of the Fourth Rank, roughly the same size as Biluo Island. It was named for Cloud Mist Mountain on its shores.

"We’re finally here!" Kristina stood at the entrance of the military camp on Cloud Mist Island, panting heavily.

In the span of eight days, she and Ming Yue had endured the elements, each losing about ten pounds. They were as filthy as beggars.

"Right now, all I want is a huge meal and to sleep for three days and three nights. I’m dead tired," Ming Yue said. She felt as if her soul was about to leave her body, her limbs completely numb from fatigue.

"Your wish is my command," Kristina said with a wry smile.

Just then, a soldier at the camp entrance shouted, "Who goes there?"

"I am Kristina. Take me to your Great Marshal," Kristina commanded, exuding the authority of a princess.

"Greetings, Princess!" The soldier, hearing it was Kristina, immediately prostrated himself on the ground. He then got up and said, "This way, Princess!"

The two followed the soldier to the camp’s administrative building and into the Great Marshal’s office.

When the Great Marshal saw the Princess arrive, he immediately threw himself to the ground, trembling.

"I’ll skip the pleasantries," Kristina said as she sat down and commanded, "Immediately arrange for an army of 3,000 Fourth Realm War Gods to head to the Abandoned City on Biluo Island at top speed. Capture Qin Qing and Leng Yue and bring them here. I’m giving you eight days."

The Fourth Realm War Gods were much faster than Kristina and Ming Yue. Eight days would be more than enough for a round trip.

"As you command!"

The Great Marshal immediately left the office to muster the troops, also arranging for food, drinks, and accommodations for Kristina and Ming Yue.

The two had a hearty meal and then fell fast asleep.

Just as they had fallen asleep, Lin Feng sneaked into Kristina’s room.

She must be completely exhausted.

Lin Feng sat beside the bed, casually pressed a pressure point on the sleeping Kristina to ensure she wouldn’t wake, and then took out blood-drawing equipment to begin the extraction.

In truth, Lin Feng had been left with no other choice. He had followed Ming Yue and Kristina to Biluo Island, originally planning to return to his own base to organize his forces. However, he found Biluo Island to be very strange. After hypnotizing and questioning a few people, he learned what had happened in the Eternal Kingdom.

With no other option, he lay in wait at the northern port of Biluo Island for Ming Yue and Kristina to arrive, then trailed them all the way to Cloud Mist Island. He wasn’t nearly as exhausted as the two women, because he had slept on the boat while they rowed. He only got a bit tired from running to keep up with them on the island. But with his great strength, his endurance was high.

What a prize! Lin Feng thought, smacking his lips as he looked at the extracted Golden Blood. He understood its wondrous uses far better than Ye Xiu. I’m just a Purple Pupil Superpower User now, but after drinking this Golden Blood, I’ll be able to merge two totems. And... hehe...

Lin Feng quickly packed up the Blood Storage Bag and quietly left Kristina’s room.

Just as he left, Ming Yue emerged from the neighboring room.

Despite being exhausted and in a foreign land, Ming Yue had remained vigilant.

Who was that? It looked like he was holding Kristina’s blood...

Ming Yue didn’t recognize Lin Feng and didn’t know the marvelous uses of the Golden Blood. However, she realized it had to be something extraordinary. She found a small vial, sneaked into Kristina’s room, and drew a little for herself.

She didn’t have any ulterior motives. She simply kept the Golden Blood in case of an emergency, thinking it could help her escape the Eternal Islands if needed.

***

The 3,000-strong army of Fourth Realm War Gods marched rapidly for three days before they finally sighted the northern port of Biluo Island.

"We’re finally here, Commander. We’ve been marching nonstop for three days, and the men are exhausted. Can’t we rest for a day before heading to the Abandoned City?" someone proposed to the Commander.

The Commander thought for a moment before replying, "No. The Princess gave us only eight days. We’ve already spent three marching here, and we’ll need another three for the return trip. That leaves us only two days for the mission. We can’t guarantee there won’t be delays. If we fail, we’ll have to face the Princess’s wrath. We complete the mission first, then we rest."

The 3,000-strong army fell silent. They were truly exhausted to their limits from the forced march, but since the Commander had spoken, what could they do? Just then, their ships reached the port.

"Everyone ashore! We march directly to the Abandoned City!" the Commander ordered, and the 3,000-strong army immediately prepared to disembark.

"Well, look who it is," a mocking voice called from the shore. "We’ve been waiting for you."

The 3,000-strong army looked up and saw a line of one hundred masked figures dressed in black, each one holding a Gatling gun.

"Damn it, it’s an ambush..." The Commander’s scalp tingled as he yelled, "Quick, get ashore!" but his warning came too late.

"Open fire!" one of the masked figures commanded.

Instantly, one hundred Gatling guns unleashed a deadly torrent of steel, mercilessly reaping one life after another.

This 3,000-strong ragtag army, all of the Fourth Rank, had not cultivated iron skin and bones. They could not withstand the onslaught of the Gatling guns.

Moreover, they were crammed together on the boats with nowhere to hide.