GHOST ISLAND
"It's just ten miles before we reach Ghost Island. I wonder how many of them will survive this. Blood lust venerable seems determined this time. Three people surviving will be impossible", Anthony heard one of the guards in the ship say, as he regained consciousness.
He noticed that they were in a big ship.
He was facing the rails, so he could clearly see the sea water.
However, this sea water was black.
Pitch black.
There was no fish swimming around, it was eerily quiet.
The only sound that could be heard was the roar of the ship's engine and the voices of the guards.
There was no bird flying overhead.
It's obvious this sea was ominous.
There's definitely something terrible sealed in here.
Maybe it's a dreaded existence or treasure, spreading the aura of darkness around.
He closed his eyes and continued to listen.
"Anyone that is not cruel enough won't survive the training. Anyone that doesn't have a high mental and emotional tolerance won't survive. Anyone that can't endure pain and torture also won't survive. And most importantly, a weak person has no chance. If you don't have a strong foundation for cultivation, he will declare the person useless. They're looking for powerful souls that will wake the Blood lust demon king. They have been trying to perform the ritual and wake him for years to no avail. The venerable is now desperate and will take it out on those unlucky souls" another said.
Suddenly, a cold evil wind blew.
Eerie sounds of wraiths came from the direction the ship was heading to.
"Get ready to anchor!" Someone shouted.
"Ghost Island. I hate this place!" A guard muttered.
He took a deep breath.
'My wounds seem to have healed but I still feel the pain of the poison. I need to be in my best condition to face whatever that is ahead' he mused, wondering how to eliminate the poison.
The pain of Priscilla's betrayal was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment.
His eyes brightened immediately he remembered the pills he sewed into the hems of his clothes.
It was a habit he developed long ago, after he was stranded in the wilderness while wounded years ago.
He still secretly maintained it.
But he never let Priscilla find out for fear she will find him weird.
Priscilla thought he was at home fooling around but he had been busy developing different drugs and elixirs according to the blurry information in his memories.
He had produced nearly a hundred drugs which were meant to cure various ailments which medical science had currently declared incurable.
He had also produced the immortal pill which was a panacea that can also extend someone's lifespan.
His secret lab was in a hidden compartment in the basement.
He intentionally built it like that.
No one will ever be able to find it.
He was planning to hand it over to Priscilla during their second wedding anniversary which was coming up in two days.
He even programmed a new app, all meant to be gifted to the love of his life.
The joyful smile he anticipated, will forever be a lost cause.
Luckily, this particular outfit was one of his favorites, so he sewed in lots of drugs because he wore them often.
He sneakily turned and lay on his belly, bringing his sleeves to his teeth while shielding his face with the other hand.
He went straight to the section he slipped in the highly potent anti poison and tore it with his teeth.
He swallowed the bitter pill and waited for it to dissolve in his belly.
Just then, the guards came with whips, hitting everyone to wake them up, including the females among them.
They were shepherded into the pitch black island.
Even the sand had a black hue.
Anthony's hairs stood on edge, proving to him that there was indeed a dark existence sealed here.
They were pushed into a dark hall and the door was quickly shut behind them.
The hurry with which the guards shut the door immediately made Anthony realize that there was something fearful around.
Almost immediately buzzing sounds arose all around them.
Little creatures flew out from hidden corners.
They were small but terrifying, with blood stained fangs protruding out of their mouths.
And there were many of them.
No, they were numerous.
"Kill them all or become their food. Once you kill them, you move on to the next phase" a voice echoed.
The ominous old voice seemed to come from all around them, sending chills down everyone's spine.
The cultivators among them immediately realized that they had fallen into the clutches of evil cultivators, while the rest still had the good sense to know they were captured by an evil organization.
A girl screamed in horror as one of the bats sank its teeth on her head, piercing her skull with its fangs, while its sharp claws gouged out the girl's eye.
Screams arose from the room as people ran and hit the bat madly with their hands while trying to escape to nowhere in particular.
They just kept running around the big hall in confusion, making some bump into bats that ended them while escaping from another.
An information immediately appeared in Anthony's memory as he stared at the bats calmly.
Hell blood bat.
It is a vicious undying creature.
Its only vulnerable spot is the white patch on its belly.
Anthony immediately grabbed a chair and hit an approaching bat with it, sending it plummeting to the floor.
He quickly smashed the chair against the wall, tearing off two legs of the chair.
There were nails protruding from the ripped off joints making him happy.
He held the two spiked pieces of wood, his eyes blazing with fury.
The bat flew up from the floor with a vicious shriek and dived towards Anthony, thirsting for his blood.
He immediately hit the bat, targeting the white spot.
Immediately, the invincible bat shrieked as purple blood oozed out of the hole.
He hit it again, sending it to the floor.
So the information in his mind was correct.
He smirked coldly at the army of bats flying angrily towards him, apparently coming to avenge their deceased colleague.
He began to hit them recklessly, using his right hand to target their white spot, while the left fended off the attacks from the bats.
Soon a hundred bats lay dead around him.
Some of the cultivators noticed that he's killing the undying creatures and watched his actions.
They soon began to hit the white spot, killing the bats coming for them.
Soon, all the bats lay dead around them.
Those still alive looked at Anthony gratefully.
Thanks to his foresight, they are still alive.
Even though they had varying degrees of wounds unlike Anthony who was totally unscathed, they were still grateful.
The door immediately opened and ten fearsome looking guards walked in.
"Wow! For the first time people actually killed them instead of being eaten. Your batch truly has potential. Take them to the forest. This is getting more interesting. Hehehe" the ominous old voice echoed once more.
The fully armed guards shepherded them to a dark tunnel.
"You better not think about revolting. Anyone that tries to attack a guard will automatically be swallowed by the island" the guard informed arrogantly.
Even though it sounded ridiculous, they knew the ominous island probably had some supernatural abilities.
Soon they came into a forest.
It was filled with thorny plants and trees, it looked barren and ominous.
"Enter the dead forest. There's no animal or fruit tree in it, except poisonous plants. However, fear not, there's clean water available" the guard said again.
Wrapped spices were shared to the captives.
"These are spices and salt for roasting meat. There's no animal, so you must be wondering where the meat will come from. You are the meat. You must kill each other and use the corpse of the person you killed as your food, till this phase is over. And it will last for months. Kill those you're stronger than. Sorry to the weak ones. You will find daggers in the forest, bye" the guard said with an evil smile.
A heavy wind immediately pushed the captives deep into the forest.
Anthony frowned.
They are forcing them into cannibalism?
They must eat human flesh to survive?