Longhao

Both Huang Zhao and Min Tianxi flatly denied that the rumor had come from their side. He Lingchuan took their word for the moment, suspecting the source was actually Third Channel Chief Yue Pinghe. Apart from the Bailie people, Yue Pinghe was probably the least eager to see He Lingchuan deified, as that would only make negotiating with him all the more difficult. The pirates before him braved wind and waves, living on the edge of a blade. He Lingchuan understood clearly that to command awe and respect from such men, he needed to display a miracle. A miracle accomplished through his own personal strength. "Yin hui!" shouted the lookout sailor, pointing toward the water. The gray mist had parted, and giant python-like silhouettes, streaked with gray and black, surfaced one after another. The pirates knew all too well that these were the former overlords of the archipelago's depths: the yin hui. They had fought these creatures before and knew their terrors, not to mention that dozens were surfacing together now. Every single one was at least twice the size of a normal yin hui, their dark, glassy eyes glaring at them chillingly. Such oppressive dread made everyone's scalp tingle, their hands instinctively tightening around their weapons. Fighting a naval battle against behemoths like these—what chance of winning did they have? They had heard of Island Master He's feat of slaughtering dozens of the giant hui, but on that day, the blazing sun had been on his side. Today, however, was heavily overcast. Today's sea was the home turf of the yin hui. While the men fretted, the yin hui launched no attack. Instead, they swam alongside both flanks of the vessels, seemingly escorting them all the way to Longji Island. Human ships and yin hui moved in the same direction, separated by mere fathoms, yet entirely at peace. Roaming the Yangshan Archipelago for so many years, none of the pirates had ever witnessed such a bizarre spectacle. They turned to look at the flagship, only to see Island Master He standing at the bow with his hands clasped behind his back, his robes fluttering, perfectly calm and composed. The mirror tucked in his chest also asked, "Why aren't these yin hui attacking?" "The earth fiend yin vein will erupt tonight. If they dare offend me, I'll just come back tomorrow morning to siphon the yin fiend. How many more six-day cycles can the yin hui clan endure?" He Lingchuan smiled. "Besides, the king of the yin hui has been waiting for me. Coming on an overcast day was my deliberate way of showing sincerity." Flanked by the giant hui, the ships slowly neared Longji Island. The corpses of the yin hui on the beach were mostly gone, with no telling how their king had disposed of them. Several giant hui leapt onto the sands, hissing and roaring toward the ships. He Lingchuan translated, "The king of the yin hui cordially invites me onto the island for a talk." Min Tianxi said worriedly, "This isn't wise. It's too dangerous." The sinkhole on Longji Island was synonymous with a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. "With the right attitude, what harm is there in a talk?" He Lingchuan said to Min and Huang. "I will be back shortly. Wait here." The two channel chiefs could only nod in agreement. He Lingchuan then chose Zhu Daniang to accompany him, leaving Qiu Hu and the disciples of Mount Rong behind. Under the watchful eyes of all, one man and one spider leapt off the ship onto the sands, leaving footprints with every step as they walked toward the shore. Aboard the vessels, the pirates exchanged stunned glances, feeling they were witnessing something unprecedented in their lifetimes. Since when could yin hui communicate with humans? Since when did yin hui welcome humans onto their island? Huang Zhao also stared after their retreating backs and whispered to Min Tianxi, "Old Min, what do you think?" Even from his perspective, He Lingchuan's move seemed like courting utter disaster. Going alone—with only a giant monster along, which practically amounted to going alone—into the lair of the king of the yin hui. Did he really have a death wish? Wasn't he afraid the creature would find him disagreeable and swallow him whole in a single bite? "Wait and see." Min Tianxi kept his eyes glued to the scene. "Every time Young Master He does something astonishing, it's actually deeply calculated. In my view, he already has a plan." Last time at Fishbone Reef, he himself had been careless, while Young Master He had mapped out the entire situation in advance. After over a dozen days of interacting, he felt all the more that He Lingchuan had profound depths. How could someone like that throw his life away on a whim? Huang Zhao lowered his voice even further. "Then what about us...?" Even if their several dozen men stayed aboard the ships, this was still the yin hui's lair. If He Lingchuan failed to handle their chieftain, disaster would fall upon them as well. Qiu Hu, stationed on the other ship, looked across at the two of them. Huang Zhao kept feeling the young man's piercing gaze—had he overheard something? "Wait." Min Tianxi had already considered the matter. "Young Master He should return safely. If you run off now..." No leader could tolerate double-dealing subordinates. Huang Zhao muttered, "Where do you get such confidence?" "If you had seen them slaughter yin hui like chickens as I did, you'd have confidence too," Min Tianxi said solemnly. "The same words stand: Young Master He isn't crazy; he knows what he's doing." Huang Zhao nodded. Seeing his subordinates behind him craning their necks with shifty eyes, he could not help scowling. "What are you looking at?" "Chief Huang, should we...?" A pirate nodded toward the open sea, hinting at an escape. Huang Zhao slapped the gunwale and barked a scolding. "Should we what?! Stay put, all of you! Young Master He will be back shortly!" Qiu Hu heard this, crossed his arms, and let out a soft snort. *** He Lingchuan and Zhu Daniang set foot on Longji Island once more. The vegetation remained lush, though the mountain forest was eerily quiet. Everywhere grew giant bamboo standing a hundred and twenty to thirty feet tall, some green-skinned and some yellow, over a foot in diameter—truly as thick as water buckets. Beside mountain rocks and rushing streams, such giant bamboo often shot up from the earth, flourishing into magnificent groves. This was also the most common sight throughout the Yangshan Archipelago. Walls of leaves woven by bamboo branches were practically airtight. A yin hui waited within the bamboo grove. Seeing He Lingchuan approach, it turned to lead the way ahead at an unhurried pace. The route headed southwest. He Lingchuan followed behind it, strolling leisurely. He had secured a protective charm for himself; otherwise, how would he dare venture deep into a hui lair? Last time, Dong Rui had successfully tested the Dragon-Torture Pillar on Alfalfa Island, which also confirmed He Lingchuan's warning to the king of the yin hui: Besides him, someone else could siphon the fiendish energy of the earth fiend yin vein. If the king of the yin hui dared harm him, it could expect He Lingchuan's companions to come for revenge! When that time came, it would spell the doom of the yin hui clan. This was He Lingchuan's true backing for entering the hui lair alone. After an hour of crossing hills, traversing gorges, and threading through sinkholes and caves, the man and the spider slowly approached the great sinkhole. The yin hui had led them via a shortcut, or else their previous journey would have taken far longer. Standing at the rim of the sinkhole, one felt all the more the magnificence of this geological wonder. He Lingchuan had been to Zhu Erniang's Demon Nest and had attended lectures at the Hall of Immortal Inquiries in Panlong City—the Hall of Immortal Inquiries was itself a massive sinkhole, but compared to the White Abyss before him, neither size nor depth was even in the same league. Over a hundred fathoms away, on the other side of the sinkhole, a waterfall plunged straight down thousands of feet with thunderous roars and billowing mist. Seeing this hanging white ribbon of water, He Lingchuan understood the origin of the name "White Abyss." Upon reaching this point, the guiding yin hui scaled down along the thick vines clinging to the cliff. Zhu Daniang said immediately, "Climb onto my back." He Lingchuan climbed onto the spider's back, thoroughly familiar with the routine by now. Then the giant spider moved its eight legs, scurrying down clinging to the rock face. It had no need for vines, simply walking down the sheer ninety-degree cliff. The deeper into the sinkhole they went, the darker and more secluded the surroundings became. At the bottom of the deep pit where sunlight never reached, exotic flowers and strange plants grew in profusion. The guiding yin hui continued downward, but Zhu Daniang halted on a massive stone platform. "Something is coming up from below." This protrusion of hard rock jutted out, roughly parallel to the bottom of the sinkhole; it was also what blocked sunlight from reaching the deep pool below. Just as Zhu Daniang finished speaking, He Lingchuan also discerned another sound masked by the roar of the waterfall: Clang, clang, as though some heavy, hard object was being dragged across the stone. A dozen breaths later, a colossal silhouette hauled itself up from below onto the platform: A yin hui. The one that had led He Lingchuan earlier was forty feet long, already a rare monstrosity on land; yet compared to the yin hui before them, it was like a kitten beside a fierce tiger. Just the half of its body that crawled onto the platform was eighty feet long, with the rest of its tail still hidden in the darkness, its full length unknown. The build of this yin hui was not much different from the others, but its snout was elongated, its nostrils prominent, and fine whiskers even sprouted along the edges of its jaw. Stranger still, two distinct bulges rose atop its head. At first glance, He Lingchuan actually thought it bore a hazy resemblance to a... flood dragon? Zhu Daniang's voice sounded in his ear: "Blessed by heaven and earth. In another century, it might just cultivate into a yin flood dragon." Her tone carried no small amount of envy. While the world's spiritual energy waned, certain spirit beings could rely on unique habitats to thrive far better than other demons. The great fire spirit Juju of Mount Xu was one such case, and so was this monster in the depths of the sinkhole. Yet this yin hui's scales were not sleek and glossy like those of its brood. Instead, they appeared weathered from wear and scars, with the edges of its scutes even tinged white, like riverbed pebbles washed by rushing water year after year. This was an ancient creature. And no one could overlook the several long chains running across its back! Two chains pierced the shoulder blades of the king of the yin hui, while two others were likely nailed into its ribs, clanging dully with every movement. This was the strange noise He Lingchuan and Zhu Daniang had heard earlier. He was also extraordinarily astonished: what kind of magic artifact could withstand the corrosion of yin fiend turbidity to bind this king of the yin hui for so long? Looking closely, however, the chains were neither gold nor iron. Instead, they glowed with the lustrous white of bone, and the sections near the shoulders of the king of the yin hui were slightly yellowish—it possessed four arms, and thus had an extra set of shoulders compared to a serpent demon. These were... bone chains? What creature's bones could endure the ravages of yin fiend turbidity, as well as the struggles of this king of the yin hui? The colossal creature before them spoke first: "We have resided here for so long. Why do you harm my offspring?" It did not roar as before, yet both who held the Golden Restraint Scroll could hear its suppressed fury. He Lingchuan asked in return, "How should I address you?" "Longhao," the monster said in a deep voice. "Mount Qingling, Upside-Down Sea, of the lineage of the yin dragon." "My surname is He. You may call me Island Master He." He Lingchuan cupped his hands in greeting. "I have taken over the Yangshan Archipelago from the hands of Bailie." "Island Master He?" Instead of anger, the king of the yin hui, Longhao, let out a chuckle. "You and I had no grudge or grievance in the past. Why must you seize the foundation of my clan?" He Lingchuan looked up at it. "If I had come for a peaceful visit, would it have been possible to see you?"