Although Mountain-Sea Divine Palace had already sent people to assassinate Ian Song twice, and this time had even laid an inescapable net on Penglai Island, waiting for him to walk right in himself—
he didn’t actually hate them that much.
Now that he was together with Lyra Hale, he was even more inclined to subdue them.
Besides, with Sea God Hall’s people also on Penglai Island, he wouldn’t need to make a separate trip to Fuso Island—he might as well take care of everything at once.
He was quite confident in his own strength.
In terms of true essence quantity, the reserves in his two dantians were no less than those of an Innate Ninth Layer expert.
And as for true essence quality, even the so-called Earth Realm Ninth Layer masters of this world couldn’t compare.
With both quantity and quality combined, he could absolutely crush ordinary Innate Ninth Layer experts. Plus, with his flying sword powered by Innate Eighth Layer true essence, he could instantly kill any Innate Ninth Layer opponent.
Add in his divine abilities, and even facing Dominic Donghuang and Sea God King Gerald Jiang—both Earth Realm Ninth Layer super-experts—his confidence was sky-high.
Still, strategy called for underestimating the enemy, but tactics demanded respect—know yourself and your opponent, and you’ll win every battle.
After weighing things over, Ian Song turned his gaze to Lyra Hale. "Xin’er, how much do you know about Dominic Donghuang’s strength?"
Lyra didn’t answer Ian, but instead asked worriedly, "Brother-in-law, are you really going to Mountain-Sea Divine Palace?"
Ian nodded.
"Don’t go, brother-in-law! You’ll die!" Lyra cried, gripping Ian’s arm, her eyes full of worry and fear.
Ian spread his arms and pulled Lyra’s soft body into his embrace. Feeling her trembling, he gently patted her back. "Xin’er, don’t worry. If I dare to go, it means I’m confident I’ll survive."
Lyra continued, "But both the Palace Master and the Sea God King are Earth Realm Ninth Layer top experts. And just to deal with you, they specially selected nine disciples to train in a combined assault formation. That formation can trap even an Earth Realm Ninth Layer master!"
"So Penglai Island basically has three Earth Realm Ninth Layers?" Ian mused, half to himself, half to Lyra.
Lyra nodded earnestly. "Exactly, brother-in-law! So you really shouldn’t go. Let’s just wait on this island—if a ship passes by, we can seize it and get back to the Shenzhou Continent."
Ian smiled. "Xin’er, you have to understand—running away never solves anything. Besides, even if I’m up against three Earth Realm Ninth Layers, I’m still confident I can beat them. Did you know I once killed an Earth Realm Ninth Layer with a single sword strike?"
Hearing that Ian could kill an Earth Realm Ninth Layer in one blow, Lyra was utterly shocked.
"Brother-in-law, are you really that strong?"
"Of course. Would I ever lie to you, Xin’er?" Ian replied with an easy smile.
Half an hour later, Ian Song rowed the wooden raft to the fog-shrouded shores of Penglai Island and called out in a loud voice, "I am Ian Song, here to request an audience with Palace Master Dominic Donghuang of Mountain-Sea Divine Palace!"
On Penglai Island—
Dominic Donghuang and Sea God King Gerald Jiang had been waiting for Ian Song to arrive.
Now, more than ten days had passed since the agreed-upon time, and yet Ian Song had still come.
At the sound of his voice, Dominic Donghuang and Gerald Jiang, seated cross-legged in their respective palaces, both sprang to their feet, eyes flashing with sharp light.
"Master, Ian Song is finally here!"
Ji Yuxi burst in, face full of excitement.
"Let’s go."
Sea God King Gerald Jiang narrowed his eyes. In a flash, he left the palace, just as Dominic Donghuang emerged from another palace. They exchanged a look, both seeing a trace of gravity in each other's eyes.
"Proceed as planned."
Dominic Donghuang said gravely.
Gerald Jiang nodded slightly.
"General Song, please enter the island."
A deep voice came from the mist, and soon the fog churned, opening a path into the island.
"Thank you."
Ian Song responded from within, then used true qi to propel the raft along the passage.
When the raft was halfway through, the misty passage ahead and behind suddenly vanished, leaving Ian and Lyra trapped in the fog.
Ian narrowed his eyes, a hint of disdain curling at his lips.
He’d already heard from Lyra Hale that a natural maze formation of mist surrounded Penglai Island, filled with hidden reefs and traps. So, even if someone managed to find Penglai Island, without permission from Mountain-Sea Divine Palace, they couldn’t pass through the mist array to enter the island.
But Ian Song was an exception—he possessed the divine ability of clairvoyance, allowing him to see through every trap and hidden reef at a glance.
So, with a relaxed expression, he continued to guide the raft toward the island.
On Penglai Island stood a man-sized bronze mirror—a magical artifact whose sole purpose was to control the mist array surrounding the island.
Seeing Ian Song unaffected by the mist, easily avoiding traps and reefs as he approached, Dominic Donghuang’s expression changed.
Gerald Jiang’s face also darkened. Besides his martial arts, he was skilled in array calculation, and even he wasn’t certain he could pass through the mist formation—but Ian Song seemed utterly unfazed.
"It looks like the mist array can’t stop him!"
"Not necessarily!"
Dominic Donghuang sneered and instructed a nearby attendant, "Quickly send word—have the inner disciples ambushing in the array assassinate Ian Song!"
"Yes, sir!"
The attendant nodded and quickly ran to a bronze bell, striking it three times. Instantly, the bell’s sound echoed across the island.
Within the array, nine inner disciples of Mountain-Sea Divine Palace lay in ambush.
At the sound of the bell, their faces turned cold, killing intent radiating from them.
On the raft, Ian Song’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Three figures burst from the water, three cold flashes of steel following, stabbing toward Ian Song’s vital points like lightning.
"Dominic Donghuang, I really gave you too much credit—sending a bunch of weaklings to assassinate me!" Unfazed, Ian Song mocked Donghuang and flicked out three bursts of energy.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The three energy bursts struck each assassin’s middle dantian, causing them to shudder and fall straight back into the water.
Sssst!
Suddenly, a sharp sword shot out from beneath the raft. Unfortunately for the attacker, Ian Song simply lifted and dropped his right foot, pinning the sword in place so it couldn’t move another inch.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
At that moment, five magical treasures of different colors flew out from the mist, roaring toward Ian Song.
"Putting magical treasures in your hands is a complete waste," Ian Song said with a faint smile. He reached out, grabbed all five treasures at once, and instantly poured true essence into them, destroying the spiritual marks inside.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
From the mist came the sounds of blood spraying and muffled groans.
"This man’s strength really has reached Earth Realm Ninth Layer!"
In front of the bronze mirror artifact, Dominic Donghuang’s face was grim as he spoke.
After dealing with the nine hidden assassins, Ian Song continued steering the raft toward the island. Minutes later, the mist dissipated, and a towering dock appeared before his eyes.
"Xin’er, let’s go!"
Ian Song took Lyra Hale’s hand, leapt from the raft, and landed on the dock.