Stranger Danger

Only a raving lunatic would believe that the Sea Burning Demonic Fire would end in three days!

It was unrealistic to expect Ye Qing and Feng Qingyou to find a solution to the demonic fire in three days either!

Three days was just too short; so short that it could pass in the blink of an eye.

What could they possibly do in three days?

Possibly nothing at all.

However, there was no way they could tell the truth considering the situation just now. After all, if despair was allowed to fester and take root, then forget three days, they might not even last a single day.

"What are Warrior Ye and Miss Feng doing right now?" Ming Yueying couldn't help but ask after leaving the secret room.

"They're still at the Arts Tower. Miss Feng said that Warrior Ye is currently in secluded cultivation," Jin Manshan replied.

"Secluded cultivation? Now?" Ming Yueying looked puzzled. "Is he trying to become a Sage or something?"

"Impossible." Jin Manshan shook his head without hesitation. "The heaven's gate is not so easily overcome."

A moment of silence later, Ming Yueying suddenly asked in a hushed voice, "Say, do you think they actually have a plan, or were they just lying to us?"

"Master yourself! They are not that kind of person!" Jin Manshan grew angry. "Do not forget who saved our lives, Ying'er. They are the last people we should doubt."

Ming Yueying clearly regretted her own words. "I was just bringing up a possibility. Don't be mad."

Jin Manshan himself was aware that his earlier tone was a little too harsh. He explained patiently, "Just think about it. With Warrior Ye and Miss Feng's strength, is there any need for them to lie to us? What could they possibly gain by doing so?"

"Therefore, what they say must be the truth."

"You're right. I shouldn't have doubted them." It was as Jin Manshan said. The two seniors neither needed them nor feared them. There was no reason for them to lie at all.

"Should we pay them a visit and ask what they think of the situation then?"

"We shouldn't." Jin Manshan looked tempted, but he ultimately shook his head. "Warrior Ye and Miss Feng probably have their own arrangements. We should not disturb them at this moment."

"We still have three days, don't we? Worst case scenario, we can seek them out on the third and final day."

"I guess that's all we can do." Ming Yueying let out a deep, helpless sigh. "I hope that everything will turn out fine."

Jin Manshan gave her a light hug and consoled her, "Overthinking is just going to make you miserable, so stop it. Stay here and oversee the great array. I'm going to head out and patrol the island again."

"Mm. Be careful," Ming Yueying replied softly.

After leaving the secret room, Jin Manshan patrolled Gold Island as he said he would. He also checked in with his men to see if they needed help, or if they needed to prevent some sort of accident from happening.

The good news was that everything was proceeding normally—or as normally as possible considering the circumstances. There were no accidents or unforeseen events that required his attention. It allowed him to relax his taut nerves just a little.

After returning to the city lord residence, Jin Manshan enjoyed a sip of rich tea and massaged his forehead wearily. He then propped his forehead against his hands and closed his eyes to catch a short nap.

It had been a long time since he felt this exhausted after becoming the island lord of Gold Island. He literally could not remember when was the last time he felt this weary. All he knew was that it was a long time ago.

He was a Half-Sage in possession of a powerful body and spirit. Logically speaking, he could go months without eating or drinking and not feel tired or hungry in the slightest. However, the outbreak of the Sea Burning Demonic Fire had strained his nerves and pushed him to his limits. That was why he was feeling this bone deep fatigue that hadn't plagued him for so long.

Rumble...

An unknown amount of time later, a clamor of noises suddenly appeared from outside the building. The next moment, a series of soft rumbles rocked the floor, continuous and unending.

Jin Manshan instantly awakened and furrowed his brow slightly.

As if on cue, one of Princess Yue Ling's female attendants stepped inside.

"What happened?" Jin Manshan asked.

The female attendant answered somewhat panickedly, "Demonic monsters are attacking Gold Island."

"A monster assault?" Jin Manshan exclaimed in shock. "Did someone on the island somehow catch the demonic fire and transform?"

The female attendant hurriedly explained, "No, that's not what I mean. Demonic monsters are attacking the island from outside."

Jin Manshan let out a sigh of relief first. Then, he voiced his puzzlement, "I don't quite get what you're trying to say. Is there a Demon Tide?"

"I can't say. You will know if you check it out yourself," The female attendant replied. "The princess is waiting for you."

"Got it." Jin Manshan did not dilly dally. He immediately took off toward the periphery.

He was still in the sky when he figured out what the female attendant meant by, "The demonic monsters are attacking Gold Island."

The periphery of Hold Island were crawling with demonic monsters. There were humans and Strangers, powerful entities and small fries. They were all battering the Golden Peak Sky Holding Great Array.

"What is going on, princess?"

Jin Manshan landed on the tower he left behind earlier and asked immediately, "Is it a Demon Tide?"

A Demon Tide happened when the demonic fire spread, and large amounts of living creatures were transformed into demonic monsters. When they gathered together, they formed what people called the Demon Tide.

The Demon Tide destroyed all things and slew all living things in its wake. It was terrifying to put it mildly.

However, a Demon Tide usually took place during the middle or the late-stage of the Sea Burning Demonic Fire, specifically after large amounts of living creatures had been converted into demonic monsters.

After all, demonic monsters possessed no intelligence whatsoever. They acted based on pure instinct and did not possess any sort of herd mentality either. Therefore, a Demon Tide would only take form after an obscene amount of living creatures had been transformed into demonic monsters.

However, it had only been two or three days since the Sea Burning Demonic Fire broke out, and they should still be in the early stages. It did not make sense for a Demon Tide to happen at this time, and yet this scene before him said otherwise.

"It doesn't look like a Demon Tide. Or at least, it's not your conventional Demon Tide," Yue Ling answered with a puzzled frown.

Jin Manshan looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"For one, we are in the early stages of the Sea Burning Demonic Fire. There shouldn't be a Demon Tide at this time."

Yue Ling explained, "Two, these demonic monsters are behaving abnormally. Look. They're not flooding in from one direction, and their numbers aren't that great at the beginning. The reason there's so many of them is because they're constantly swarming in from every direction."

"A demonic monster possesses no sentience. Normally, it will never form a group on its own. And yet, these demonic monsters are clearly gathering at Gold Island. It's strange, isn't it?"

"You're right."

Jin Manshan agreed after a moment of observation. As Yue Ling said, demonic monsters were swarming in from various directions and intentionally attacking Gold Island. This did not fit their usual characteristics.

"What on earth is going on here?"

Jin Manshan felt his scalp scrawl as he looked at the ever-growing amount of demonic monsters. However, he was even more uneasy and puzzled.

"I'm not sure yet." Yue Ling also shook her head with a grave expression. "Judging from their behavior though, I can think of two possibilities."

"One, there is something on Gold Island that is deadly attractive to the demonic monsters. Whatever it is, it cannot be us humans. Two, something is controlling them."