Aside from our group, Jin Pingnan and Wen Chihu displayed expressions of surprise, which quickly faded into a calm demeanor, exuding an impressive composure.
Meishu promptly fulfilled her promise, delivering a substantial cache of firearms. I assisted Guan Ling in selecting over ten suitable weapons, while I opted for a larger haul of silver-forged demon-piercing ammunition.
With the Heart of the Undead Warrior at my disposal, these weapons felt almost superfluous to me.
Meanwhile, the Wolf King filled his modest arsenal to the brim and encouraged me to choose a few modes of transportation. Even the self-proclaimed Demon Slayer, Bajing Zhenfu, succumbed to the Wolf King's persuasion and acquired two heavy submachine guns, both of which were treasures of the third and fourth tiers.
"What a farce! They claim we can choose any weapon, yet all we have are these energy firearms. The Demon Sealing Mercenary Corps boasts numerous skilled individuals; even if Snoke leads an army of the undead, it may not exert such tremendous pressure on us.
What is truly amiss?" A sudden insight struck me as I observed the expressions of Meishu and Gu Yali. Although Meishu's countenance was grave, it lacked any hint of worry, while Gu Yali maintained her characteristic serious and resolute demeanor, devoid of the tension typically found on the eve of battle.
Gu Bo's behavior, however, was entirely consistent with the current circumstances. Yet, from my perspective, he seemed to exhibit traces of artifice.
Before I could ponder further, we were ushered onto the teleportation magic array. I gently grasped Guan Ling's hand and whispered, "Once we exit the magic array, immediately unleash the strongest group attack of the Colorful Phoenix, striking in all directions without restraint. This matter concerns our lives; it is no jest.
Guan Ling nodded, unperturbed by my bold gesture of holding her hand. My intention was not to take advantage of her, but rather to use my abilities as a Temporal Order Keeper to protect her during the teleportation process, necessitating my audacious grip.
As the magic array activated, I sensed its extreme instability, likely due to a malfunction at the receiving end. Fortunately, none of us were novices at using teleportation magic, allowing us to maintain our composure.
I released a silvery radiance, enveloping both Guan Ling and myself in protection, effectively warding off the encroaching temporal turbulence. Just as we were about to reach our destination, a sudden tremor jolted through me, and I realized with alarm that a counteracting Tunguska magic array had formed beneath us.
Though I had yet to fully grasp the intricacies of the teleportation array, my studies of the Tunguska magic array had yielded some success, allowing me to stabilize the temporal turbulence and manipulate the teleportation process to a degree.
Countless Tunguska magic symbols swirled upward from beneath our feet. My research into the magic array was still in its infancy, leaving me ill-equipped to handle such anomalies. Before my eyes, the Wolf King, Bajing Zhenfu, Jack, Meishu, Gu Yali, and Gu Bo vanished one by one, their fates uncertain. I understood that they had not reached their intended destination.
It seems we must make an emergency landing. Continuing like this is untenable; I dread the possibility of being sent to an unpredictable timeline from which there may be no return."
The silver runes of the Temporal Order Keeper coalesced into a resplendent halo around my fist. I struck a fleeting temporal node with all my might, producing no sound, yet my eardrums felt as though they had been struck by a multitude of hammers, causing excruciating pain and rendering everything inaudible. My vision was overwhelmed by a blinding light, akin to an atomic explosion, leaving me in a haze where nothing was visible.
Yet, in that moment, the pressure around me dissipated, and my feet unexpectedly found solid ground. A fierce wind surged, indicating that Guan Ling was executing the strongest group attack of the Colorful Phoenix to clear potential threats.
In a hurried attempt, I activated a healing card, but the effects of the temporal turbulence were clearly not due to physical injury;
the healing card proved ineffective. Only the power of the silver symbols on my hands continued to wash away the negative effects.
After several minutes, I managed to regain my senses. Guan Ling wielded her colorful ribbons, fiercely battling against a dozen monstrous birds, black as crows yet magnified tenfold in size. It appeared we had indeed encountered some trouble.
After taking a moment to recuperate, I regained a semblance of my fighting spirit and unleashed a barrage of fireballs, promptly incinerating the bothersome creatures into charred remnants. This was Guan Ling's first encounter with the island's monsters;
despite her martial prowess being more than sufficient to handle the situation, she seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of these strange black birds, resorting to consecutively executing the techniques of the Colorful Phoenix without daring to confront the vicious beaks and claws of her foes.
Noticing my ease in dispatching the monsters, Guan Ling wiped the sweat from her brow, appearing somewhat disheartened. I smiled and reassured her, "You simply lack experience in battle. I was far more flustered during my first encounter with the Night Lady on Demon Island!
I recounted my earlier misadventure with embellishments, eliciting laughter from Guan Ling and dissipating her tension.
As I conversed with her, I surveyed our surroundings, growing increasingly familiar with the landscape until I spotted a low hill and recalled that this was the very nameless island where Snoke and I had sought the Colorful Phoenix fruit.
I never anticipated such a significant deviation. Fortunately, we are not too far from Demon Island and can reach it swiftly.
A cold smile crept across my face as I mused, "But why should I hurry there?" If my arrival on Demon Island were to plunge me into chaos, I would have no choice but to fight for my life against any who dared to attack me.
The safety of this nameless island was undeniable, and I had no reason to abandon such security for a battlefield where death lurked at every turn.
I soon located the keyhole to the secret door on the low hill. Having mastered the Heart of the Alchemist, this minor obstacle posed no challenge for me.
My eyes shimmered with a dark golden halo as the structure of the door was swiftly deconstructed into its simplest components.