The crowd was evacuated swiftly.
Thanks to early discovery of the island's sinking and the coordination of military forces from every country, there weren't many stampedes or incidents.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Soon, the crowd had boarded the cruise ships that had brought them here. Above them, warships hovered in formation, circling. Although they had left the island, they didn't go far. All eyes remained locked on the scene behind them.
The island was sinking.
And Oracle King hadn't left.
On one hand, people were puzzled by the sudden submersion.
On the other, they were captivated by one question:
Why was Oracle King still there?
At that moment, he stood alone on what remained of the Pacific island.
Still. Silent.
But inside, he was buzzing with excitement.
There was something beneath the island—something extraordinary. He could feel it.
This island was more than just land. It was a hidden formation—an invisible array that had been activated, likely triggered by the impact of his earlier sword strikes.
And now, the island was sinking at an accelerating pace.
The sea level climbed higher and higher.
Soon, water was at John's waist.
Still, he refused to leave.
He was certain—this island was far from ordinary.
Crash!
At last, the island fully submerged beneath the surface.
The sea roared and rolled for several moments before settling again.
Calm returned.
The island was gone.
As if it had never existed.
And the one who disappeared with it… was Oracle King.
But no one believed he'd simply drowned.
A man with such divine abilities? If anyone could survive underwater for hours, even days, it was him.
And they were right.
John was still alive.
What he saw beneath the surface took his breath away.
When the water reached his head, he instinctively held his breath—but quickly realized something strange.
The water around him began to recede.
A vast space opened up—a sealed underwater world created by the formation itself.
Then, before his eyes, a cylindrical stone pillar slowly rose.
Floating atop it was something glowing—a radiant object casting light so intense it illuminated the entire submerged realm.
John narrowed his eyes and activated Lucifer's Eyes, trying to see the object clearly.
Instead, he was nearly blinded.
"A treasure," he whispered.
"A treasure powerful enough to blind Lucifer's Eyes..."
His heart pounded wildly.
He stepped toward the stone pillar, but the closer he got, the stronger the force pushing him back became.
It was like walking into a hurricane.
Vital energy surged through his body as he pushed forward.
Still, his progress was excruciatingly slow.
Sixty feet.
Thirty feet.
Ten feet.
By the time he was within arm's reach, he was dripping with sweat, completely drained.
This was, without question, the greatest resistance he had ever faced as a cultivator.
And yet—he was thrilled.
The harder it was, the more valuable the treasure.
"Excalibur—break it!"
With a roar, he slashed with Excalibur.
The red sword cut through the force like lightning, parting the pressure just enough.
He made it—three feet away from the glowing object.
So close.
But he couldn't move another inch.
His body trembled. He panted heavily.
Even now, the treasure was too bright to see clearly.
"So close!" he gritted his teeth.
"Just one step left…"
He waited.
Recovered.
Gathered himself.
Then, he tried to take that final step.
Boom!
A violent surge blasted him backward—far more powerful than anything before.
He was thrown back ten feet.
The force had grown a thousand times stronger.
Impossible!
John had never encountered resistance like this.
He gritted his teeth and sat down, choosing to conserve energy.
Fortunately, the mysterious formation here allowed enough spiritual energy to gather—enough to recharge his Vital energy.
Time passed.
He tried again and again.
Every attempt ended in failure.
The treasure hovered so close… and yet remained unreachable.
Still, he refused to give up.
After a long rest, his strength fully returned.
Again, he advanced.
The same force.
The same resistance.
John roared:
"I'm the King of Horizon! No one stops me from claiming what's mine!
Excalibur—BREAK!"
He lunged forward.
His clothes exploded as the invisible pressure shredded through them.
The force transformed into countless blades, slicing across his skin.
Blood streamed from the gashes, merging and condensing into a blood-red sword.
It pierced the resistance ahead.
John's expression twisted into a mix of agony and madness.
And then—ecstasy.
He had touched it.
His hand trembled.
Pain exploded through his palm like a bolt of lightning. His entire arm went numb.
But he could feel it—something had embedded itself in his hand.
He stumbled back and opened his palm.
His pupils shrank violently.
A tiny, diamond-shaped mirror now rested in his palm, glowing faintly with a soft, white light.
"This… This little mirror was the source of all that light?"
He stared, confused.
The treasure didn't look like much.
What could it be?
What was it for?
Before he could think further—
The underwater world around him began to tremble.
Light scattered in all directions.
Countless wisps of white energy came to life, converging toward him—