It was truly horrifying thinking that there was something so powerful hiding inside the ship. The princess quietly asked: “Should we secretly take a look?”
“Just let it be.” Li Qiye said flatly: “I don't care if it's evil or not as long as it doesn't mess with me. If it's foolish enough, I'll end it.”
The princess heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. Staying by Li Qiye's side was safer than anything else. As long as he was around, even a more terrorizing event wasn't worth mentioning.
“We're about to reach Hope Corner, would you like to leave the ship for a look, Young Noble?” She asked.
“Hope has been excavated completely long ago. Anything good there is gone now, the ones left must be ominous stuff that even emperors don't want to deal with in order to avoid a disaster.” Li Qiye chuckled and shook his head.
The princess quietly nodded and didn't say anything else.
On the second day, Eternal anchored far outside of Hope. From the distance, Hope looked like a vast continent filled with chaos energy.
Alas, this place engulfed in energy didn't have a sliver of life. It was devoid of any tree, not even a blade of wild grass could be found.
There were mountains everywhere that looked like sleeping dragons. Thus, the terrain was certainly impressive enough outside of not having any vegetation. It was a land of black, fertile yet lifeless.
Hope Corner was the first stop of Exploration Grounds, the place found first in this area.
No one knows if this was the truth, but the majority of cultivators did indeed start in this place. Emperors weren't included in this group.
There was a very simple reason for its popularity, safety. It had been excavated in while so there was no danger to speak of. It was considered the safest location of Exploration Grounds.
At the same time, there were naturally places left pristine despite the effort of the mass. Occasionally, someone would find a treasure or dig out something interesting.
This also added to its popularity at the entry location for Exploration Grounds. Moreover, those who only came to sightseeing found this place the best. It was cheap and safe. This could become a nice conversational topic in the future, not to mention finding some items if they were lucky enough.
“Esteemed passengers, we have arrived at Hope Corner. Please exit the ship if you wish. We will be stopping here for five days. Those who are going to other areas, remember to come back on time. We will definitely leave in five days without delay.” The captain announced.
People rapidly left after hearing the announcement. Even for those whose final destination wasn't here, they still wanted to take a look, especially the first-timers at Exploration Grounds.
In a short time, half of the passengers left the ship, causing it to be quieter.
They quickly excavated the place and left holes on the ground. Others opened mountains while some chose to go deeper into the abysses.
“There's no adventure here.” One first-timer became disappointed at Hope Corner.
“Even if there are dangerous places here, they're not meant for juniors like us.” His senior replied: “This is the entry area, many experts including High Gods and Emperors have been here. Anything usable had been found already.”
“Were there treasures in this place?” A different disciple instantly asked.
“Once, many many treasures. In fact, a few High Gods became rich because of this place. Rumor has it that a Grand Emperor from the War-Monarch Clan found the remains of an immortal in this place. This eventually became their defining treasure.”
“The remains of an immortal? Really now?” The disciple's eyes widened in astonishment.
The senior gently shook his head: “Not too sure since no outsiders have seen it. Rumor has it that some emperors had taken a look after the clan got it. But the exact details remained a well-kept secret by the clan.”
“Then let's start digging, maybe we can find the same thing.” This disciple became eager after hearing the old tale.
“Less daydreaming now.” The senior slapped the disciple's back of the head and scolded: “This place has really been squeezed dry already. It wouldn't be your turn to find the remains of an immortal. Just go look around, leave it up to fate.”
The scolding didn't diminish the disciple's excitement. He continued to dig everywhere – to no avail, of course.
“Treasurehunt Guidebook, three thousand chaos stones for one, personally compiled by World Emperor. Come, come, do not miss it, this Treasurehunt Guidebook is worth it!” The newcomers found that there were cultivators selling in this place.
Even though Excavation Grounds wasn't suitable for cultivation, many cultivators still came here for business. It was very convenient; they just needed to set up a shop and start shouting.
There were many stores including treasure guides, shovels, and regional specialties.
“Hope's unique Laying Stone, only one in every three hundred years. This is the most special souvenir in Hope. Gift it to your senior, junior, or lover… The best choice on your journey.”
There was all kind of shops here. Many merchants came early just to start advertising.
In fact, Eternal wasn't the only ship here. There were many others docking in this place. Of course, it was still the largest.
Even though Hope wasn't suitable for habitation, it was still exciting enough. More than ten thousand people visited each day, creating quite a crowded environment.
This was the closest place to Outer Realm City. For many cultivators that didn't have the means to go farther, visiting Hope was good enough – cheap, safe, and didn't require too much time.
Li Qiye didn't care for any of this. In the next two days, who knows if the princess' advice was successful or that Wu Fengying had gone to Hope but she didn't come to bother Li Qiye.
Four days flew by during this stay but something unexpected happened on the fifth.
“Buzz.” A virtually inaudible noise came about, prompting Li Qiye to open his eyes and stopped meditating. He got up and left the room.
“Young Noble, did something happen?” This surprised the princess.
“There's a problem.” Li Qiye gazed towards Hope with a serious expression.
“A problem?” She took a deep breath and followed his gaze.
A “problem” coming from Li Qiye meant that the situation was quite serious because of his level. Ordinary things weren't alert him at all.
At this moment, Hope was still as lively as before.
“Not good, not good, run!” In this split second, several people fled with amazing speed. It was apparent that they were top Dao Celestials.
“What's going on?” The cultivators nearby were startled because of the fleeing experts.
Only one kind expert shouted: “Run for your life! A disaster is coming!” Having said that, he got on his ship and escaped with urgency.
This reaction stunned the crowd; they didn't take the warning seriously. Only a few experienced and careful cultivators immediately left.
“Be alert, activate the barrier.” The veteran captain of Eternal told his crew: “Summon the passengers back, something strange is happening.”
“Clank, clank, clank!” The bell of Eternal echoed across the sky. After hearing it, the passengers from Eternal immediately left. Others lingered around out of curiosity.