Chapter Twenty-Two: The Treasure’s Resting Place
“Time is running out...”
“We have to hurry!”
Within the profoundly mysterious Void Rift on Dark Island, Chu Yi, who had regained his cognitive faculties, vaguely surmised that his ability to break free from the rift’s enigmatic power was due to the third earthly might of his Asura’s Eye. Fully aware of the urgency, Chu Yi found himself with no time even to think; his sole focus was clear—first find Tiger, then lead him out of this trap!
Why was Chu Yi so certain that he could escape the Void Rift’s grasp thanks to the earthly might? There were two reasons.
Firstly, this was not the first time Chu Yi faced the threat of the Void Rift. More precisely, it was the second time he had been restrained by its mysterious power. He vividly recalled the first time he was ensnared—completely powerless to resist. Had it not been for Moria’s unexpected intervention, Chu Yi would have long since been swallowed by the rift, making his recent battle with Kaido and the awakening of the earthly might impossible.
Secondly, during this current entrapment, now awakened to the earthly might, Chu Yi clearly felt his mental stagnation prolonged—but, remarkably, he managed to break free from the rift’s grasp at the moment of being fully engulfed. The one difference from before was precisely his awakened earthly might.
On this basis alone, Chu Yi was at least fifty percent confident that the earthly might could counteract the Void Rift’s mysterious power.
As for the second reason...
When Chu Yi broke free from the rift’s bonds using his earthly might, he distinctly sensed his soul’s strength waning. This meant that his Asura’s Eye was autonomously harnessing the earthly might to resist the rift’s arcane force.
Because of this, he was absolutely certain that the earthly might was the key to his escape, which heightened his sense of urgency.
Earlier, in his confrontation with Kaido, Chu Yi’s soul energy had already been overextended once. Now, trapped again in the Void Rift, he was forced to continuously expend soul energy to wield the earthly might for protection. Though the drain was minimal, his soul energy was limited, and the constant consumption meant he had to race against time to find Tiger.
After all... Chu Yi still did not know Tiger’s whereabouts.
Even if he found Tiger, Chu Yi had no method to escape the rift—yet.
Thankfully, as Chu Yi began to sprint using his restored strength and the technique “Shear,” he discovered that his Observation Haki, though weakened, still functioned within the Void Rift, aiding him in accelerating his search for Tiger.
Soon enough...
“Whoosh!”
His Observation Haki locked onto a familiar aura!
A trace of joy flickered in Chu Yi’s eyes as he saw Tiger’s silhouette appear before him while rushing forward with “Shear.”
“Tiger, you rascal...”
“You sure made me work for this!”
At this moment, Tiger, like the other fishmen pirates of the Kill Heaven crew, stood stiff as wood, his eyes vacant, completely subdued by the rift’s mysterious power.
How to help Tiger break free from this mental paralysis...?
Chu Yi grasped a faint clue—using the earthly might to restore Tiger’s cognitive abilities.
“If Tiger regains his mind, with his insight, he’ll surely help me devise a way out.”
“In that case...”
“The cost is worth it. Let’s restore Tiger’s mind first!”
After a brief moment of contemplation, Chu Yi decided without hesitation to employ the earthly might.
“Hum!”
Just as he had when confronting Kaido, the eerie purple glow of the Asura’s Eye enveloped Tiger’s body.
As the strange purple light covered Tiger entirely, a milky white halo appeared within Tiger’s body.
Yet when Chu Yi tried to communicate with Tiger’s soul energy, attempting to awaken it using his own soul energy...
An unexpected event occurred!
Chu Yi’s original intent was simple: to use his soul energy to activate the part of Tiger’s soul energy trapped in “ice.”
Unfortunately, after several attempts, he realized the “ice” had to be completely dissolved to awaken Tiger’s soul energy.
What was freezing Tiger’s soul energy?
Undoubtedly, it was the Void Rift’s mysterious power.
But as Chu Yi’s soul energy began its first direct clash inside Tiger’s body with this arcane force...
Suddenly!
“Boom!”
The collision was like throwing a barrel of oil onto a blazing fire; the moment they met, a terrifying chemical reaction erupted!
The shockwave was so intense that Chu Yi’s vision darkened, and he nearly lost consciousness.
As his sight gradually cleared and he once again surveyed Tiger’s condition through the Asura’s Eye...
“Huh?”
Chu Yi was astonished to see that Tiger’s soul energy was completely freed from its frozen state!
The portion of the rift’s mysterious force responsible for the freezing had collided with Chu Yi’s soul energy, igniting a dazzling explosion. Following this, the remaining energy dove into Chu Yi’s body and fused with his own soul energy.
“What is happening?”
“Why... why do I feel my soul energy growing stronger?”
Staring in astonishment at the mysterious energy merging with his own, Chu Yi’s shock quickly turned to delight as his soul energy was replenished.
The reason was clear...
Chu Yi had discovered a way to enhance his earthly might!
“I’ve always treated the earthly might like a nuclear weapon—cautious, fearing overexertion of my soul energy might cause unknown dangers.”
“But if I can absorb the rift’s mysterious power to strengthen my soul energy...”
“With greater soul energy, I might no longer need to fear the earthly might’s backlash!”
Inwardly, Chu Yi marveled at the irony: the once perilous Void Rift had become his personal treasure trove.
Every fragment of the rift’s power used to “freeze” others’ minds was now his nourishment.
Not to mention the bounty he could reap to rescue all the Kill Heaven pirates.
Yet, a true warrior must temper his greed to avoid unnecessary troubles.
Therefore, after obtaining some replenishment from Tiger, Chu Yi refrained from hastily “hunting” more energy within the rift.
Especially as Tiger gradually regained his faculties, the dullness in his eyes lifting bit by bit.
The first words Tiger uttered upon waking caused Chu Yi’s expression to darken.
“You... brat...”
“Did you encounter that guy?”