When monsters that had eaten humans for thousands of years suddenly stopped, it was never due to a sudden change of heart; it had to be out of sheer necessity.
"Indeed. The man who bought the islands is named He, and he commands a formidable force. Rumors in Blade Harbor have always claimed that this Island Master He possesses the power to purge malevolent miasma and command the yin hui. When the Blade Harbor Maritime Trade Office gave him trouble in the past, they were promptly taught a brutal lesson by the yin hui. Now, all ships traveling the Golden Shipping Route must pass through his archipelago to avoid being attacked by the creatures."
An Island Master of Yangshan who commanded the yin hui? Wulu's gaze sharpened. Blade Harbor was far from Storm Bay—a two- or three-day voyage by sea. For monsters from the Yangshan Archipelago to suddenly appear en masse, who had ordered it? The answer was glaringly obvious.
Which meant the Island Master of Yangshan was aiding the Bailong tribe?
At that moment, another confidant chimed in, "General, Moqi Song and his nephew Moqi Feng from the Bailong tribe sought refuge with Island Master He over half a year ago. The royal court issued notices multiple times demanding their expulsion, but the Yangshan Archipelago turned a deaf ear."
He stopped there, and Wulu did not ask what followed.
Given the Ya Kingdom's temper, if the Yangshan Archipelago had been an easy target to discipline, they would have struck without hesitation.
Yet if these yin hui had been sent by the Yangshan Archipelago to support the Bailong tribe... Remembering the soldier's remark that the island master commanded a formidable force, Wulu grew tense at once. "Pass the order..."
Just as he spoke, a bodyguard at his flank cried in alarm, "Look out!"
Before his voice died away, the bodyguard lunged behind Wulu.
Several dark shadows suddenly surged from the ground beneath their feet. One of them shot a sticky net toward Wulu, only for the bodyguard to intercept it.
With a light tug, the burly guard—weighing well over a hundred and fifty jin—was violently dragged away. It happened so fast the others could not even react.
If not for his selfless plunge, the one snagged would likely have been Wulu himself.
The soldiers focused their eyes and saw yet another yin hui!
Only up close did they realize just how massive these creatures were—especially when rearing upright, ordinary men had to look up to take in their full stature.
Behind it lurked several more yin hui, each clutching specially crafted crossbows in their hands.
These waterproof crossbows could fire three bolts at once. After firing, the rear rack of bolts could be pushed forward to shoot another volley immediately!
In other words, they could loose six bolts in the span of two breaths.
And yin hui had four arms.
The beasts raised their crossbows, and with a chorus of sharp whistling, dozens of bolts rained out, aimed straight at Great General Wulu!
The barrage rivaled the fury of the Arrow Locust in Moqi Feng's hands.
A row of Ya Kingdom guards instantly went down. Protected by their origin power, they were not necessarily dead, but injuries were guaranteed.
Weapons produced by Songyang Mansion came with a guarantee of quality.
However, a heavy iron puppet suddenly stood before Wulu, nine feet tall, shielding him completely.
The bolts struck its surface with a clatter of metallic clangs, leaving only shallow dents in its hard plating.
"Protect the general!"
Amid shouting and battle cries, other Ya Kingdom guards rushed forward.
The yin hui had no intention of lingering. Their leader snatched up the soldier who had just reported the military intelligence to Wulu, hurled him forward, and let out a raspy screech.
Upon hearing the order, the yin hui wheeled around and retreated downward.
To explain this, one must look at the local terrain.
The peninsula Wulu occupied had been shaped by earthquakes, resulting in massive chasms and sheer ravines stretching from the shore deep into the island like a cake sliced several times through.
Wulu had chosen this spot to camp in order to command a high, distant view, but nearby lay a bottomless fissure.
At first, Wulu had paid it no mind. The Bailong were never known for seafaring prowess, and even if an underground river connected the chasm directly to the sea floor, the edges of the ravine were lined with crags sharper than blades. How could humans traverse it at will?
Who could have guessed that creatures like yin hui existed in the world—legless, yet capable of scaling mountains and ridges?
In fact, the southwest beach of Longji Island featured an almost identical topography, where yin hui navigated with ease.
While the Ya soldiers were preoccupied watching the sea, these yin hui had swum from the ocean into the bottom of the ravine, then scaled the cliff to launch their ambush.
Neglecting the danger beneath his feet had nearly cost Wulu his life.
"Bring them down!"
Recovering their wits, the Ya soldiers surged forward with weapons bared. But the yin hui plunged straight into the chasm. Despite their massive bodies, larger than grown men, they moved through the narrow crevice with complete freedom. Soldiers tossed several torches down; in the flickering light, they saw the silhouettes dart among jagged rocks, vanishing into the darkness within a dozen breaths.
Yet one yin hui was snared by a grappling claw hurled by Wulu.
Its body was sleek and tightly scaled, but the claw's hooked prongs dug into its flesh like iron spikes once contracted.
The monster hissed in pain and thrashed violently. But with a furious roar, Wulu held it fast through sheer individual strength.
His guards rushed forward to assist, pulling together to drag it out of the crevice.
Seeing no hope of escape, the yin hui wheeled back to pounce on Wulu, only to be impaled by a forest of blades and spears, skewered through like meat on spits.
Seeing the creature still flicking its tongue, Wulu stepped forward. "Who sent you? Where is he?"
The yin hui merely bared its fangs, snarled, and tried to spit acid at him.
Wulu questioned it twice more, but the beast remained unresponsive.
A confidant said, "General, this monster probably cannot understand human speech."
Wulu nodded. "Kill it."
If it could yield no confession, it held no value.
After executing the creature, Wulu decided to relocate his command post to another hill—this time, far away from any fissures.
Even if monsters understood the concept of capturing the leader to rout the rest, how could they have known Wulu was the commander while lurking under the sea?
They had to have another leader—one familiar with the peninsula's topography, Wulu's encampment, his troop distribution, and even his exact location!
The thought of someone watching him so closely from the shadows sent cold sweat down Wulu's back.
Connecting this to the golden eagle being shot, Wulu suddenly sprinted to the cliff edge, raising his spyglass to sweep the horizon.
Nothing here, nothing there.
Just as he was about to exhale in relief, the lens caught the faint silhouettes of dimmed sails.
Wulu's heart sank violently. Scanning several other stretches of sea, he discovered nearly a hundred vessels slipping in through the night, already close to the shore!
These ships varied in size and capacity, but every single prow was packed with fully armed soldiers without exception!
"Enemy approaching from the sea!" Wulu rasped hoarsely. "Dispatch twenty-three hundred men back to Storm Bay to engage them immediately! Quick, make haste!"
Tonight was overcast and moonless, enveloped in dense fog. Had he not possessed a magic artifact capable of piercing through haze and darkness, he would never have detected their approach!
What a scheme! The enemy had first used the yin hui and the Bailong to steal ships, luring over a thousand of his soldiers into the water. Then they had sent yin hui around their rear through the crevice to strike Wulu directly, drawing his attention so he had no time to watch the sea.
All of it was merely to clear the way for their fleet to mount an amphibious assault!
Chapter 1067