Coldwind Island was a full several million li away from Soul Wraith Island. Even if a Nascent Soul cultivator flew at full speed, it would take them dozens of days to arrive.
It was precisely because the two locations were so far apart that Grand Ancestor Jiuyou, who normally had to remain stationed at Soul Wraith Island, simply couldn't spare the time to make the round trip himself. This was why he had never personally visited Coldwind Island all these years.
Moreover, he had very few Golden Core cultivators under his command to begin with. Quite a number of them had been refined by him to enhance his cultivation and extend his lifespan. As such, Coldwind Island was only guarded by a single Mid-Golden Core cultivator.
But Coldwind Island was located in a remote area, and combined with the large-scale concealment formation he had laid down, ordinary cultivators had no way of detecting the island's existence at all.
Yet who could have imagined that a single misstep would lead to eternal regret? A hundred years of planning, and it had nearly been ruined by a group of mere Golden Core cultivators.
A century ago, Coldwind Island had been nothing more than an ordinary barren island. The reason it had become the spiritually-endowed island it was today, constantly battered by biting cold winds and producing an abundance of Coldwind Wood, was entirely Jiuyou's doing.
Back then, he had seized the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on an eighth-rank beast, the Frost-Turtle, just as it was passing through its tribulation of transformation and was severely injured. One had to know that an eighth-rank beast possessed strength comparable to an Early Nascent Soul human cultivator. If not for the fact that it was at its weakest point after the tribulation, Jiuyou would have had no confidence in subduing it.
After succeeding, Jiuyou spared no effort in setting up a Soul-Locking Grand Formation, sealing the eighth-rank transformed beast deep beneath the ground of Coldwind Island.
With every breath the beast took, it spewed out a fierce, bone-chilling wind. Over the long years, this erosion had shaped the Coldwind Island of today.
But he had never imagined that despite all the layers of defenses he had laid down, a bunch of Golden Core cultivators would find a way to slip through and nearly ruin his great plan.
The moment this thought crossed his mind, Jiuyou's flying speed increased even further. A cold light flickered in his eyes, killing intent churning within him, and a cold snort escaped his lips.
"This old man's Coldwind Wood isn't so easy to take! I've also set up several sets of trapping formations on the island. Even if those Golden Core cultivators have someone proficient in formations among them, it'll take at least half a month to break them. A bunch of ants, daring to covet this old man's spirit materials, hmph!"
Jiuyou raced along the way. Everywhere he passed, cold winds howled, and the surrounding temperature plummeted to freezing point. Only a dark green rainbow streak was left behind in the air.
During the journey, aside from occasionally stopping on uninhabited barren islands for a brief rest to recover his magic power, he paused for almost nothing. His mind was solely focused on returning to Coldwind Island as quickly as possible.
A full half a month passed before Jiuyou finally crossed the several million li sea region and arrived above Coldwind Island.
The moment he arrived, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. The aura of the Golden Core elder stationed there had completely dissipated. The several killing formations he had personally set up also showed no fluctuations, clearly having been completely broken.
Jiuyou was both shocked and enraged. His divine sense swept across the entire island in an instant, immediately locking onto a figure hidden in a corner of the island.
The moment that figure was locked by Jiuyou's divine sense, it shuddered all over. Not daring to hesitate for even a moment, it hurriedly channeled its full magic power, transformed into a streak of blue light, and fled frantically out of the island.
This person was merely a Mid-Golden Core cultivator, yet at the moment of life and death, the speed he burst forth with far exceeded that of an ordinary Late Golden Core cultivator.
"Flee? Ridiculous. Just the struggle of an ant."
Without any hesitation, Jiuyou raised his hand and twisted it towards the void. The space around the blue-robed cultivator was instantly locked by him. Dark green magic power swirled at his fingertips, flickering in and out, carrying boundless momentum as it pointed straight at the fleeing ant.
"Dammit! A Nascent Soul cultivator! The owner of this island is actually an old monster of the Nascent Soul! If I had known this, I wouldn't have stepped into this muddy water for anything!"
The blue-robed cultivator was scared out of his wits, drenched in cold sweat, and filled with regret. He had never expected that behind this remote, tiny island was the asset of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
He had originally discovered this island by chance along with three other Golden Core rogue cultivators. The four of them had joined forces to break the concealment formation and had exhausted all their strength to kill the stationed Golden Core cultivator.
Since he had the fastest flying speed, after discussion, the others had decided that the remaining three would enter the island to take the treasures while he stayed outside to keep watch.
They had already anticipated that others might come to explore or provide support. What they had never expected was that the one coming was a Nascent Soul great power, an existence they simply couldn't contend with.
Just as he was gripped by terror, the sound of shattering glass echoed in his ears. The void around him gradually became covered with dense, web-like cracks.
"What's happening?" His voice trembled, filled with extreme panic.
The moment he finished speaking, the space in front of him shattered with a bang. Behind the cracks, raging dark green flames burned. A chain wreathed in green flames, carrying the oppressive might of a Nascent Soul cultivator, came directly at him in a twisting attack, incredibly fast!
The blue-robed cultivator knew this was bad. He immediately channeled every ounce of his magic power, erecting a defensive barrier to block.
But it was all futile. More and more sounds of shattering space rang out. Cracks filled the void in all directions. Clusters of dark green flames shot out from the cracks. Countless green flame chains descended from all directions, overwhelming him.
In the blink of an eye, his magic power barrier was easily torn apart like a piece of paper. His entire body was firmly bound by the chains, his magic power completely suppressed, leaving him unable to move. A piercing, bone-chilling pain spread throughout his body along his skin.
Jiuyou didn't kill him immediately. He wanted to extract from this man exactly how many people had come, what their cultivation levels were, and whether there were any other accomplices.
He took a single step, instantly traversing several tens of li, appearing before the blue-robed cultivator. An aura of biting cold radiated from his body.
The blue-robed cultivator's pupils constricted. He struggled desperately but to no avail, and could only stammer, "S-senior..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Jiuyou's pale, withered, large hand had already gripped his head firmly, directly executing the Soul-Snatching Secret Technique. The excruciating pain of his soul being torn apart caused him to let out a blood-curdling scream on the spot.
Jiuyou couldn't be bothered to waste words with this insignificant ant. In the blink of an eye, he had rifled through his memories and grasped the entire situation.
"Three more Golden Core rogue cultivators. Two at Early stage, one at Mid stage. Quite the bold move, daring to trespass on this ancestor Jiuyou's territory!"
"Three Golden Core rogue cultivators... nothing to fear. But if they've loosened the Soul-Locking Grand Formation because of them, then that's the real trouble..."
Jiuyou's voice was hoarse, murderous intent blazing in his eyes. With a slight force in his hand, he directly tore apart the other's soul and absorbed it completely.
He then let the corpse fall towards the seafloor. With a flick of his finger, a cluster of dark green flames shot out, instantly incinerating the corpse to ashes, which scattered with the wind, leaving no trace.
"Since you've come, don't even think about leaving."
Jiuyou's tone was icy cold, revealing no hint of anger or joy. With a flick of his finger, a wisp of dark green flame shot out, landing at the core of the hidden formation on the island.
Using his overbearing, Nascent Soul-level magic power for precise control, he transformed the concealment formation into a giant trapping formation in an instant, tightly enveloping the entire Coldwind Island and sealing off all exits.
The next moment, his figure shot into the island like an arrow from a bow. Countless green chains interwove around him, carrying the green flames that exuded a chill. Wherever they passed, the sea surface and the ground instantly froze into thick ice. A cold wave swept across the entire island.
At the same time, deep beneath Coldwind Island, the eighth-rank transformed beast, the Frost-Turtle, which had been sealed for a hundred years, sensed a slight loosening in the Soul-Locking Grand Formation. It immediately let out an excited yet venomous, deep roar. The sound penetrated the layers of earth and echoed throughout the entire island.
"Hurry... if you want to live, hurry up!"
"Hahaha! This king is finally about to break free! Jiuyou, you old fiend! You've sealed this king for a hundred years! One day, I will trample your Soul Wraith Island into dust and avenge this blood feud!"
The chill deep underground grew even more violent and untamed. The light of the Soul-Locking Grand Formation began to dim.