Longji Island

If not for this yin fiend energy, paving roads and building bridges would have taken barely half a month. Standing at the edge of the slope, everyone was greeted by a striking sight. Ahead lay an open plain—perhaps not vast enough for ten thousand horses to charge across, but certainly plenty for a thousand. Moreover, only wild grasses grew here, with scarcely any trees. Naturally, the grass stood taller than a grown man. Beyond the plain rose a rolling mountain range, its ridge plunging into the lowlands like a jagged blade, truly living up to the name "Dragon's Spine." Here, there was more than just boundless verdure. In late August, wild blossoms still bloomed riotously across Longji Island in a sea of vibrant purples and reds. In truth, living creatures had not vanished entirely from the island. At the very least, He Lingchuan spotted flocks of hummingbirds sipping nectar, each considerably larger than its ordinary kin. Fresh water exposed to sunlight was purified, so it posed no harm to these small creatures. Yet they were exceedingly wary, darting away the moment anyone drew near. Just then, gray mist began oozing from every nook and cranny of Longji Island, heading straight for He Lingchuan. Drawn by the divine bone necklace, the mist rushed forward. But as sunlight still fell from above, the gray vapor dissolved into thin air the moment it showed itself, leaving not a trace behind. This method of purification was certainly convenient. Then the sun slipped behind the clouds once more. Sensing danger, the hummingbirds immediately abandoned their food and took to the skies, though a few were too slow. Fortunately, the passing gray mist paid them no heed, intent solely on He Lingchuan. Like a whale drawing in water, this human black hole rapidly swept up and devoured every wisp of yin fiend energy nearby. He then pointed to the southwest and said, "The fiendish mist is drifting from over there." The source of the dense mist was indeed the island's southwestern corner. Lu Xun had not lied to him. He had initially worried that the Dafang Pot might stop feeding once full, leaving them stranded in the thick fog. But judging by this, the Dafang Pot turned nothing away, devouring as much as was offered. Then what was there to fear? Forward, let's go investigate. With such a divine artifact at his side, He Lingchuan led the group at a brisk pace toward the southwest. The trail was rugged and difficult, taking them across a natural bridge and through a water-curtain cave. Fortunately, everyone in the group was nimble and hardy, traversing mountains and ridges as easily as flat ground. Even so, it took them more than two hours and several detours before they reached the southwestern end of Longji Island. Compared to forest explorers elsewhere, they enjoyed one blessing: No mosquitoes or horseflies! Yet on the ground crawled some bizarre little bugs—unassuming, wingless, uninterested in humans, and apparently unafraid of yin fiend energy. A living creature's ability to adapt to its environment was truly remarkable. This was a low valley among the mountains. From afar, the group could see a massive void collapsed deep within the dense forest. Tao Ran muttered, "Damn, it's that huge?" With a single glance, He Lingchuan knew this great pit was the "sinkhole" Lu Xun had mentioned. It even had a proper name: The White Abyss. The opening was an irregular flattened circle, a hundred zhang across. From where they stood, they could gaze down at the jagged crags within. It looked like a monster's gaping maw. Standing halfway up the mountainside roughly a li from the sinkhole, He Lingchuan watched as gray mist billowed from the forest below and the pit itself, rushing toward him only to dissolve into nothing beneath the sun. Here, the mist was so dense it verged on black. Moreover, the forest encircling the sinkhole was likely so thick that no light penetrated, affording the gray mist a place to hide. The reservoir of gray mist in the sinkhole was exceptionally vast, surging outward for a full fifteen minutes before finally beginning to thin. Right then, strange howls rose from the forest—sounding like crows crying in the night, yet also like the wailing of infants, rising and falling in waves. Qiu Hu also spotted the massive trees rustling and swaying without wind, as though something was rushing toward them. And in no small numbers. "Are those the yin hui?" Everyone gripped their weapons, bracing for combat. Before long, numerous shifting silhouettes emerged beneath the shadows of the trees. Some were black, some gray, and others marked with black-and-white patterns. At first, He Lingchuan thought they were great serpents, but taking a closer look—holy crap! These damned things had snake-like bodies, legless, slender, and scaled, slithering in the same winding, erratic curves as serpents. Yet they possessed four arms! Furthermore, as they moved, their upper bodies reared upright like human torsos, with slightly protruding shoulder blades. And their necks, like a cobra's hood, were broad and flattened. The smallest of these monsters was about a zhang long, while some reached three zhang, their torsos thicker than water buckets. They crowded along the forest edge beneath the shade of the canopy, glaring viciously at He Lingchuan and the others, yet refusing to take a single step forward. Ahead lay ground bathed in sunlight. One or two, overly agitated, accidentally let their arms brush into the sunbeams. With a sharp sizzle, smoke visibly billowed from their flesh. Like being scalded, the creatures snapped their limbs back at lightning speed. "These things fear sunlight just like the gray mist!" Lingguang realized. "Hui naturally favor cold, shaded places, and having lived on Longji Island for years, these yin hui have grown accustomed to the presence of yin fiend energy. Now that we've suddenly siphoned it all away, they feel miserable instead." Yet no matter how miserable they felt, they could not cross the open, sunlit ground to settle scores with He Lingchuan and his companions. Less and less gray mist drifted from the forest; its reserves were clearly running dry. The yin hui clustered in the shade grew increasingly dense, restless and twitching, their cries growing shriller by the second, reminding He Lingchuan of a teeming school of sardines. Qiu Hu looked up at the sky with concern. "My lord, it will be dark in another three hours." If they remained on the island by then, without sunlight blocking the way, these yin hui would almost certainly swarm out to devour them. There were far too many of them, and night was their home turf; his side would hold zero advantage. Young Master He's treasure could absorb yin fiend energy, sure, but could it suck away the yin hui too? Before He Lingchuan could reply, a piercing screech echoed from within the sinkhole. Resonant and ear-splitting, it drowned out the cries of all the other yin hui. He Lingchuan held up a hand. "Let's observe a little longer." The gray mist in the forest had likely dispersed completely, and the sunlight held firm, refusing to duck behind the clouds again. Otherwise, the four of them would have had to turn and flee right then. The yin hui in the shade grew frantic. Dozens of them thrashed their heads and tails in sheer madness, appearing to be in terrible agony. In the end, they actually leaped out of the woods and charged at He Lingchuan's group! The sunlight falling upon them acted like water poured over quicklime, sizzling with dense plumes of white steam. Their smooth scales rapidly sloughed off, and the flesh touched by sunlight blackened and burned... In just seven or eight breaths, the massive serpents were scorched to charcoal, twitching a few times on the ground before falling completely still. Sunlight was practically their bane. Yet they continued hurling themselves forward wave after wave—were they driven by the roar from the sinkhole, or simply in too much agony to bear? "I was wrong," Lingguang said upon seeing this. "The connection between the yin hui and the gray mist is likely like fish and water. Now that you've drained all the mist, they've become fish out of water, suffering unbearable agony." Death awaited either way, so charging at He Lingchuan and the others was preferable to enduring the torment of suffocation. Yet no sooner had it spoken than another long howl sounded from the sinkhole. The yin hui lifted their heads toward the sky, ceased their charge, and retreated back into the shadows. They truly answered to commands after all. Zhu Daniang suddenly spoke up, "Dark clouds are drifting in from the east. I'm afraid we don't have three hours." So these monsters were waiting for overcast skies. Once the dark clouds blocked out the sun, they could give chase. He Lingchuan turned around at once. "Let's go." Two fists were no match for four hands, and these damned things were born with an extra pair of arms. Gathering their true power, everyone spun around and bolted. Their skills were superb, allowing them to traverse the wild mountain terrain as smoothly as flat ground. As the howls faded into the distance behind them, Lingguang, perched on He Lingchuan's shoulder, asked, "What's inside that sinkhole?" While the others were running for their lives, it alone remained at ease. Hearing this, He Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Daniang. "Probably a yin hui king?" With social monsters like these, it would be strange if one or two chieftains didn't emerge. Zhu Daniang was proof enough. Zhu Daniang snorted. "Next time I'll call my sister over with her spider demon army, and we'll see who has the real numbers!" He Lingchuan asked in amusement, "Why don't you build an army?" "I don't like it!" Wandering wherever it pleased all on its own was clean and swift. Why be like its sister, burdened by family and entourage, having to mobilize an entire host just to relocate? Tao Ran warned, "The clouds in the sky are closing in!" And they were still only halfway there. Zhu Daniang grumbled in displeasure, "You're too slow. Get on my back, all of you." He Lingchuan and the others were already exceptionally agile among cultivators, yet she still looked down on their speed. They had no choice but to leap onto the giant spider's back, taking care to avoid its sharp spines. Getting stabbed by those spines would probably hurt even worse than a bite from a yin hui. "Hold on tight!" As they happened to pass a cliff, Zhu Daniang called out casually and leaped into the void with her three passengers— Endowed with the prowess of a jumping spider, it sprang more than thirty zhang across the air, as if riding the clouds and mist. Yet after soaring, down they must fall. Wind whistled past their ears, and both Tao Ran and Qiu Hu blanched. In a free fall like this, even with Zhu Daniang cushioning the impact, the three of them would hardly survive. Yet with a sharp whir, Zhu Daniang shot out several strands of spider silk, anchoring them to several large trees. It swung through the air, skimming barely above the ground. Leaping and swinging like this, it raced toward the shore at more than triple the speed He Lingchuan and the others could manage! Hadn't Zhu Daniang relied on this exact skill when carrying He Lingchuan away from Mount Xu? The pursuers behind them were merely yin hui now, not gods of the Heavenly Palace; its heart was entirely unperturbed. Carrying an eyeball spider, He Lingchuan stayed in communication with the ship, which had been circling the island to keep pace with them. At this moment, He Lingchuan directed them to anchor beneath the cliffs at Longji Island's southwestern tip. In less than half an hour, Zhu Daniang carried the three of them to the cliff edge, launching into one high swing and landing right onto the vessel. "Go!" Without waiting for He Lingchuan's command, everyone hauled in the lines, raised their oars, and rowed furiously. Tao Ran hoisted the sail, while Zhu Daniang chanted a wind-summoning incantation. A gale swept in, pulling the ship northward at blistering speed. Once they had traveled two hundred zhang, Lingguang pointed astern. "The yin hui have entered the water!" By now, dark clouds completely obscured the sun. He Lingchuan looked back and saw countless small black specks leaping into the water from the beaches of Longji Island. Needless to say, their pursuers had arrived. By all appearances, these yin hui were adept swimmers as well.