Great Demon Sun Wukong

All set, the group steadied their emotions and continued on their journey. Looking at the map, they had traveled two-thirds of the way. Barring any unexpected events, they intended to push on and reach the center of Desolate Island in one go.

Although Desolate Island had its share of rare treasures, no one was in the mood to search for them. For one, the island was vast and had always been used as a trial ground. So even if there were some treasures scattered around, they had been mostly picked clean by participants in previous trials. The fact that they managed to find those three Fire Phoenix Fruits earlier was extremely lucky. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But good fortune doesn’t last forever. Rather than wasting time and effort seeking those treasures, it was better to arrive at the center of the island as soon as possible and strive for the rewards given to the top hundred.

They trusted that the treasures provided by the Domain Lord would naturally be of high quality. Therefore, the group put in a continuous effort day and night, with only necessary breaks, and managed to complete the last third of the journey in just two days and one night.

On the morning of that day, the four people and one fox finally reached the very center of the island, in front of a massive temple. There was a spacious plaza in front of this temple, and in the middle of the plaza stood a fifty-meter-tall bronze statue, which was naturally of Yue Huangquan himself. Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire

Looking at the plaza, aside from a team of neatly arranged soldiers standing guard, there was a Teleportation Array at the very center, identical to the one they had seen in Supreme City, also guarded by a team of twelve Nine Patterns Supreme.

After arriving, the group headed straight for the Teleportation Array. Sun Wukong in particular was eager to know their ranking among those who reached the destination. When Sun Wukong and the others reached the Teleportation Array, a kindly old man with white hair and beard slowly approached, bowed slightly, and said, "Young heroes, congratulations on safely arriving here.

Next, you can use the Teleportation Array to return to Supreme City and await entry to the Supreme Pool!"

Seeing the elder bow to them, Xi Zhao and Caomei quickly returned the gesture. Sun Wukong then asked, "Elder, may I ask which place we’re in? And what rewards will we receive?"

"Hehe, young man, patience. Once you return to Supreme City, someone will inform you of your standing," the old man replied. "I wish you a smooth journey and success in becoming a Supreme powerhouse, so that one day you may fight for the Netherworld World!"

Having said that, the elder stepped back and waved his hand. The soldiers immediately activated the Teleportation Array, and Sun Wukong’s group hurried on. After a moment of spatial fluctuation, they had arrived in Supreme City!

"Third squad has reached Supreme City, earning the third-place reward and the qualification to enter the Celestial Supreme Hall!" As soon as they appeared, a voice reached their ears.

"Haha, we’re actually in third place, not bad at all. I thought we would fall behind the top hundred due to our delays, but we’ve actually secured the third rank!"

Hearing that their group was ranked third surprised Sun Wukong, and he laughed heartily. Out of over a hundred thousand people, even considering groups of five, there were nearly twenty thousand squads. To have reached third place out of so many was indeed an excellent achievement, especially since they hadn’t hurried for the first part of the journey.

Soon, an attendant came forward and led Sun Wukong and his companions to a place in Supreme City where they could rest. They just had to wait for the first three thousand to arrive before the Supreme Pool would open.

It should be mentioned that the ranking was based on squads. The top hundred squads would receive rewards, with each team member getting one each. However, the qualification to enter Supreme City was for the first three thousand individuals, not squads.

The first squad arrived two Chinese Hours before, comprising four people. The second squad arrived half an hour ago and had seven members. Then came Sun Wukong’s group of five, securing the third place.

After leading the group to a guesthouse for rest, a stern-looking man resembling a general, followed by five soldiers, came to the resting place of the group.

Sun Wukong and the others hadn’t gone back to their rooms to rest yet. Seeing the man who looked like a general and the soldiers, each holding a box, they knew they were there to deliver the third-place rewards!

The General first gave a standard military salute, and Sun Wukong and the others returned the gesture. Then the General said, "Brave ones, you are admirable. On behalf of the soldiers from the Netherworld World, I salute you. In any world, the strong are to be respected. Next, you may choose your rewards, which include weapons, elixirs, magic treasures, and special items!"

After the General finished, Flame God was the first to ask, "Aren’t our rewards fixed? How come we can still choose?"

"You can choose the type; what’s fixed is the grade of the gifts!" The General spoke cleanly and decisively, a refreshing straightforwardness characteristic of a soldier that Sun Wukong and his companions quite enjoyed.

"We understand weapons, elixirs, and magic treasures, but what are these special items?" Xi Zhao asked this question. Xi Zhao, during his lifetime, had nearly seen all the treasures there were to see; whatever rare treasures there were, if they had appeared in the world, Xi Zhao would almost certainly know about them. Therefore, the previous items did not pique his interest.

But these special items did intrigue Xi Zhao.

Sun Wukong, Flame God, and Caomei all thought the same. As for weapons, they each already had their preferred choices and wouldn’t switch easily; the allure of elixirs and magic treasures wasn’t strong either. So, they were also quite curious about those special items.

"These special items have been collected over the years by the Domain Lord himself. They are quite unique, but I can’t guarantee that all the items are of value; it’s very possible some may just be junk."

"Oh? So, if we choose the special items, whether we get treasures or junk depends entirely on our eyesight and luck?" Xi Zhao asked, somewhat amused.

The General still spoke gravely and without a smile, "Yes, but the vast majority are valuable. After all, the Domain Lord’s discernment is certainly not poor!"

After talking with the General, Sun Wukong and the others discussed for a bit and eventually decided unanimously to choose the special items! Although there was a chance they might end up with something useless, after all, these were externals—good if obtained, and no great loss if not.

Once decided, the General said no more and pulled a jade box from his chest, opening it to reveal a purple gold cornucopia inside, exquisitely crafted.

This Cornucopia had three legs and two handles, somewhat resembling the cauldrons of the Pangu Realm. However, because the front was inscribed with "Attract Wealth" and the back with "Gather Treasure," it was taken to be an exquisite Cornucopia rather than a cauldron.

Instead of taking out the Cornucopia, the General held the jade box with both hands, saying, "The four of you... let’s say five, should each probe with your Divine Sense. What you ended up getting will depend upon yourselves."

The General had intended to say four people, but upon seeing the young fox’s suddenly raised eyebrows, he quickly corrected himself. With that, he held the jade box, waiting for the five to take turns making their selection.

The five exchanged glances, and finally, Xi Zhao stepped forward, saying, "I’ll go first." With that, he immersed his Divine Sense into the exquisitely small Cornucopia. At first, Xi Zhao was somewhat distracted, for his former status meant there were few treasures he particularly cared about anymore.

But soon, with his Divine Sense rummaging through the Cornucopia, Xi Zhao’s expression underwent a huge change, as if he had "seen" something inconceivable. Then, trembling, he used his Divine Sense as a hand to take out a palm-sized, pitch-black Token from the basin.

The edges of the Token seemed to have been melted by something, appearing somewhat worn, but the character for "Extinguish" was still visible on the front of the Token.

After acquiring the Token, Xi Zhao stepped back, gripping it tightly in his hands, shaking all over.

Sun Wukong found it odd. Did Xi Zhao recognize this Token? Yet given its battered appearance, even if it were a treasure, it seemed to be a damaged one. Unable to figure it out, he didn’t ponder further, assuming it was related to Xi Zhao’s past life.

Then taking a step forward, Sun Wukong also immersed his Divine Sense in the Cornucopia, beginning his own search!