After spending so much time together, the others had long become accustomed to Qin Fang's extraordinary abilities. It seemed there was nothing he wasn't skilled at—whether it was horseback riding or swimming...

They had seen it many times before and were too lazy to be surprised any longer, so they chose to ignore it.

"Is there really a problem?"

A one to two-kilometer swim was not a difficult task for Qin Fang and his group. Moreover, the lake was free from fierce beasts like great white sharks, making it a relatively smooth journey. In just over ten minutes, they could already see the lake heart island, which wasn't very large.

It was at this moment that Little Dragon, who was part of the advance team, relayed a message—it had discovered some anomalies!

They had previously witnessed a mysterious scene, but later couldn't find it again, which was already quite strange. It seemed as if what they had seen earlier was like a mirage.

But if it truly were a mirage, there was no reason why only Qin Fang and his group saw it, while Hattori Sanzo and his group did not.

If it wasn't a mirage, then there was definitely something very wrong with this lake heart island...

Now that Little Dragon had indeed discovered some anomalies, Qin Fang understood and yet felt that something was amiss.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing the change in Qin Fang's expression, Song Qingshan, who was closest to him, asked.

"Something feels off..."

Qin Fang's swimming speed didn't slow, but his brows were furrowed, as he had a very strange feeling deep inside.

This sensation came abruptly. Given that martial arts experts like Qin Fang usually had very stable minds, nothing should provoke such a reaction in them, unless...

"Quick! Get to the island fast..."

As Qin Fang was still contemplating, his eyes suddenly darted around as if he remembered something, and he loudly urged the three accompanying him.

Not only that, Qin Fang immediately burst forth with incredible power, flailing his arms as he swam rapidly toward the shore of the lake heart island with astonishing speed.

"What's going on?"

The others were also startled and somewhat confused, not knowing what was up with Qin Fang.

But since Qin Fang was swimming so quickly and urgently, it definitely meant something was happening. Though they found it strange, they also burst into action, frantically paddling their arms toward the shore.

Originally only around one to two hundred meters away, the four of them closed the distance in the blink of an eye, swimming at a pace that could compete with professional swimmers, if not faster...

These martial arts experts are like glitches—they could easily dominate many Olympic events, including swimming.

Qin Fang didn't have time to explain further. At top speed, he even left the others behind as he approached the lake heart island. Nearing the shore, he slammed the water surface, propelling himself several meters into the air before landing steadily on the shore.

Nearby, Monk Wukong wasn't to be outdone. He executed a similar move, leaping out of the water, and with the Reed Crossing River Technique, rushed straight to Qin Fang.

As for Song Qingshan and Ji Xiang, they weren't as fortunate. Without any Qinggong skills, they had to keep paddling vigorously.

Though not far away, the distance did cost them some time. By the time they reached the shore, Qin Fang and Monk Wukong had already dashed quite far.

When they finally caught up to Qin Fang, both Qin Fang and Monk Wukong had stopped for quite a while...

Precisely speaking, they were standing on a small patch formed by randomly piled rocks, looking dazed.

"Any discoveries?"

As soon as Ji Xiang arrived, he noticed something was odd about Qin Fang and Monk Wukong's expressions and couldn't help but ask.

He carefully examined the surroundings of the lake heart island but saw nothing peculiar, finding no anomalies.

Regarding the spot where Qin Fang and Monk Wukong stood dazed, aside from some scattered rocks, there seemed to be nothing extraordinary.

"Formation?"

Ji Xiang hadn't noticed anything, but Song Qingshan mumbled suspiciously.

Given the strange expressions of Qin Fang and Monk Wukong, they must have discovered something. Yet, the surroundings seemed ordinary, indicating there was something wrong here.

If there was a problem but it remained undetected, Song Qingshan instinctively thought of formations... Additionally, he noticed Qin Fang's fingers constantly moving as if calculating something.

Although Monk Wukong didn't imitate Qin Fang, his face was somber and brows tightly knotted, searching for something.

"Alas..."

A few minutes later, Monk Wukong sighed, "Still a step too late..."

Qin Fang remained frowning, but upon hearing Monk Wukong's sigh, he paused only slightly before resuming his task.

"What? Late for what?"

Ji Xiang, still puzzled, asked Monk Wukong directly.

"This lake heart island is special; it conceals a very unique formation. The scene we saw earlier was likely due to a flaw in the formation's operation."

Monk Wukong knew more about formations than Song Qingshan, giving Ji Xiang a brief explanation. Ji Xiang, having grown up abroad, had little knowledge about ancestral things despite advancing in strength. Monk Wukong had to explain it to him.

"But you said 'a step too late'..."

Ji Xiang only knew the name of formations without real experience; even with Monk Wukong's explanation, he struggled to understand.

"This formation is of high level, and its flaws aren't always apparent!"

Monk Wukong smiled wryly, pointing at the rocky area.

His implication was clear—the formation's flaw had vanished, its operation restored. Without finding the flaw, they couldn't break the formation.

Moreover, he explained that even if a flaw existed, breaking such a high-level formation was uncertain; without the flaw, there was even less hope.

"Did we come for nothing?"

Ji Xiang was disappointed and frustrated.

A high-level formation concealing the lake heart island intrigued him deeply—what hid within?

Especially the scene they had witnessed, likely cloaked by the formation, deeply fascinated Ji Xiang.

Now that the formation's flaw had vanished, everything remained hidden, leaving him disappointed.

"Don't worry, it might not be hopeless..."

As their spirits dulled, Qin Fang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

His words immediately rekindled the spirits of Ji Xiang, Monk Wukong, and Song Qingshan, who looked at Qin Fang with surprise and anticipation.

"This is an island-guarding great array, very high-level. Although it remains operational, the array itself has likely been unattended for years, and is severely damaged... By carefully searching, we might find a breakthrough!"

Qin Fang's expression didn't change much, but he gave a brief explanation.

"Breaking this formation might be impossible with our abilities... but opening a small breach might be possible!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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