Chapter Forty-One: Island Beyond Compare

As soon as these words were spoken, Huang Yue was suddenly gripped by fear, her hair trembling in panic at her ears, and all her previous speculations vanished in an instant.

“This person is from the Island of the Peerless! No wonder, no wonder!” She repeated this thought several times in her heart, and after the initial fright, a surge of immense joy welled up within her.

At this moment, Huang Yue’s heart stirred. She turned to look at Master Autumn Wind, and their gazes met—his dark pupils glimmered with light, revealing the delight in his expression.

The Island of the Peerless, in the martial world, stands alongside the Demon Clan as the Gate of Life and Death. The Demon Clan rules over death, emerging once every hundred years, and each appearance stains the martial world red with blood, rivers flowing with it. Countless heroes, prodigies, and grandmasters, no matter how mighty their power, if fortune does not favor them, are unlikely to escape death.

Thus, the martial world bears another name: Jianghu.

The lake and river filled with blood—Jianghu.

There are few of the Demon Clan, but each is exceptionally powerful. Even the weakest among them far surpasses the ordinary grandmasters of Jianghu. To oppose them requires the elite of the Martial World’s Heavenly Ranking; apart from those ranked, others must gather in groups, or else they stand no chance.

The martial world is divided into three rankings: Heaven, Earth, and Man. All those ranked possess Heaven-tier strength, but the rankings distinguish between their power. Of the three, the Heavenly Ranking is the highest, the Man Ranking the lowest, yet even those in the Man Ranking possess strength far beyond typical Heaven-tier masters.

As for the Demon Clan, even their weakest rivals the grandmasters of the Heavenly Ranking—their power is astonishing!

Each time they emerge, a reshuffling of Jianghu’s powers ensues; some rise from seas of blood to found new sects, while others see their clans utterly destroyed, their banners lost, erased from Jianghu.

Because the Demon Clan is so formidable, it is a rule among all major sects that the true inheritors must not be extinguished!

Each true inheritor is chosen from thousands of talents; whether in aptitude or strength, they are exceptional, destined to be the backbone when facing the Demon Clan. Losing even one is a tremendous loss!

Many perish in the calamity.

Therefore, the Demon Clan’s emergence is called the Demon Calamity.

The Demon Calamity is the Gate of Death in the Life and Death Gate—irresistible. The Island of the Peerless is the Gate of Life.

Unlike the Demon Calamity, which appears every hundred years, the Island of the Peerless emerges unpredictably, sometimes after decades, sometimes centuries.

But precisely because the Island of the Peerless exists, the people of Jianghu have survived to this day.

Legend says that when the Demon Calamity first erupted, the denizens of Jianghu crumbled like sand, unable to resist. In less than a week, almost all were slain, only a handful clinging to life, but even they seemed doomed.

At that moment, twelve returned from the Island of the Peerless, wielding peerless martial arts and vast internal power—a sword's light chills fourteen provinces, a blade covers the heavens, a palm suppresses the earth...

Led by these twelve, the remnants of Jianghu fought bitterly, barely managing to repel the Demon Clan and end the first Demon Calamity, allowing Jianghu to endure.

Now, untold thousands or tens of thousands of years later, the number of Demon Calamities is lost to history. Each great battle is a struggle against death; classic texts and secret manuals are rarely preserved, records fragmented and incomplete.

Though no one knows when the first Demon Calamity occurred, nor how long it has been, one thing is certain: in every Demon Calamity, the highest powers are always those who have entered the Island of the Peerless—only then can the battle be sustained.

If, when the Demon Calamity arrives, there are no survivors from the Island of the Peerless, defeat is inevitable, and only a few seeds remain.

Therefore, it can be said that the Island of the Peerless is the benefactor of all in Jianghu—a force that has saved the world. Without it, the martial world would have long since vanished.

Even now, though the martial world has become Jianghu, blood-soaked, no matter how hard or bitter, survival endures—and that is enough!

By such records, does it mean that all from the Island of the Peerless are paragons of virtue?

In fact, they are not. The legends only speak of the overwhelming power of those who return from the Island, leading Jianghu against the Demon Clan.

But few know that the Island is far from as benevolent as the stories tell, nor is it so simple.

All sects that have survived more than a thousand years have relatively complete records. In these, it is clear—the Demon Clan is the demon of death, their domain the land of death; the Island of the Peerless is a place of great danger, seeking life amidst death.

Certainly, the Island holds great opportunities, but none are gained freely. One must pay the price—a truth as old as the world. To obtain power on the Island, the price is steep; at minimum, one must be willing to risk their life.

It is recorded that those who emerged from the Island in the past, though their power defied heaven, whenever the Island was mentioned, their eyes revealed terror, their lips sealed, never daring to divulge a single detail.

This alone speaks volumes—if even those with such strength dare not speak, their fears profound, the power of the Island of the Peerless is clear!

Suddenly, Huang Yue remembered a line marked in red at the end of the ancient records: “The Island of the Peerless and the Demon Clan are one and the same.”

At this, she felt her skin crawl, her back cold. Whether it was her imagination or not, the line appeared before her eyes again.

The characters were large, bright red, vivid and gleaming. As she stared, her body stiffened—the red letters seemed to come alive, twisting and writhing like water, dripping down. Huang Yue's eyes widened in horror as she realized the words were not written in ink, but in blood!

Hoo~

Shivering, Huang Yue abruptly awoke, looking around in confusion, realizing it had been only an illusion, not reality. Her back suddenly felt damp; she reached to touch it, finding her clothes soaked through.

“The Island of the Peerless!” Now that her thoughts had run their course, Huang Yue was at a loss. The Island is a place of great opportunity—this is true—but the records and that final blood-red line all warned her of its dangers.

Moreover, the events just now lingered vividly in her mind. Mingzhen’s final gaze seemed still before her eyes—all caused by the person from the Island of the Peerless standing before her.

A promising true inheritor, chosen from countless others, had not even begun to enjoy her achievements, yet met such a fate—how tragic!

Master Autumn Wind, too, felt uneasy. He coveted the Island’s opportunities and feared no hardship; after all, cultivation and martial practice are forged through adversity.

But the knowledge about the Island, Mingzhen’s final look, and his own powerless, puppet-like performance earlier—all made his heart waver.

“The Island of the Peerless?” Upon hearing the name, Zhou Yi could not help but murmur in confusion. He exchanged a glance with Song Hai; for the past four years, both had been secluded in the secret realm, focused solely on martial training, rarely venturing out, never reading the sect’s records—not even knowing of the Demon Calamity, let alone the Island of the Peerless!