Chapter 1706: Silver Pearl Island

Bai Shiqi whispered, "Perhaps it's because Master Qianhuan's spirit-gathering array was destroyed and can no longer draw in spiritual energy."

"That makes sense." The spirit-gathering array on White Hair Mountain unexpectedly stopped functioning. If Master Qianhuan doesn't have other arrays to draw in spiritual energy, the Inverted Sea would have been cut off for more than half a year.

While humans and other creatures can survive with slightly thinner spiritual energy, Immortals would find it incredibly difficult, even fatal.

"So, someone on that island must be extremely anxious, but they couldn't leave before the storm wall opened," Bai Ziqi analyzed. "The biggest variable in this trip is Master Qianhuan's unpredictable state. I heard he should have emerged long ago to take charge of Spirit Mountain, but he never did. This suggests either something happened to his cave dwelling or to him personally."

"However, his giant hydra dharma-form recently escaped from Yaowang Palace and is likely to return here. Therefore, the islanders, including Qianhuan himself, might be on guard." Facing an opponent of this caliber, Bai Ziqi was exceptionally cautious. "It's still early; there's no rush to go ashore."

Silver Pearl Island, lying quietly on the sea, instead made him feel unsettled.

The moment He Lingchuan jumped off the boat and stepped onto the dock, he felt as if he had returned to the harbor in Julu Port.

Crisp bell sounds echoed everywhere, signifying that fishing boats were returning to port to unload their catches.

Boatmen and porters, who had been waiting at the dock, swarmed forward to move the fish. Frustrated at not being able to steal food, the gulls pecked at their hair in a fit of pique.

Behind the dock was a bustling seafood market where freshly landed aquatic products were immediately bought and sold, with merchants and fishermen haggling everywhere. It wasn't enough for Wanqiu Feng and the others to merely pinch their noses; they had to hold their breath and rush through the market, or the overpowering fishy smell would surely make them faint!

However, they couldn't walk fast because the market was packed shoulder to shoulder. The soft sand ground had long been trampled hard, and a salty rain had recently fallen, causing their boots to squelch in the muddy puddles with every step.

Walking through the market gave them a real yet uncomfortable feeling of being mired in salty dampness.

After finally pushing their way out of the market, everyone let out a long sigh of "Ah."

"Oh my god, we're alive again."

Dong Rui shook the red berry hanging around his neck. "Good thing, good thing, I came prepared."

Granny Zhu, on the other hand, was unfazed; a spider's sense of smell differs from a human's, so it didn't perceive the smell as "foul" at all.

However, its unusual form meant it separated from the group as soon as they disembarked, communicating only through the eyeball spiders.

These clothed humans needed to stop for food, rest, and baths, which was quite troublesome, but it didn't.

He Lingchuan and the others had drifted at sea for ten days, constantly cramped in small, stuffy cabins, swaying with the waves. Now that they were finally on solid ground, their first priority was to find an inn to change clothes and eat.

However, they were already attracting attention before even leaving the dock.

Three- or four-year-old children with runny noses and open mouths stared at them blankly, while the two women accompanying the child pointed and whispered behind their backs.

"How strange! What kind of clothes are those?"

"They don't look like people from our island."

Indeed, the color and fabric of He Lingchuan and his companions' clothes were strikingly different from those worn by the island residents.

"Are they from outside? The wind wall just receded... Ah, has your husband returned from his fishing trip? The first boatload of seafood after the sea opened up sold for a fortune!"

An eleven- or twelve-year-old child even approached, wanting to touch He Lingchuan's clothes, but was startled away when Wanqiu Liang flicked him on the forehead.

No matter where they went, a group of curious followers trailed behind them until they entered an inn, at which point the crowd outside gradually dispersed.

The Black Armored Guards muttered to themselves, thinking how unworldly these people were.

Dong Rui whispered, "These islanders rarely see outsiders."

The island's buildings were constructed using local materials, primarily bamboo, wood, palm, and coconut fiber, painted on the surface. The construction methods were rather primitive, making three-story buildings very rare. However, the outer walls of some residences were made of sanhetu, adorned with neatly embedded white seashells.

He Lingchuan noticed that square basins were often placed in the streets and alleyways they passed. These basins, made of pottery, wood, or carved stone, all contained more or less some dark gray embers.

The eyeball spiders specifically relayed Granny Zhu's complaint: "The smell in the basins is unpleasant, quite pungent."

Everyone looked sideways.

Just now, they had passed through the reeking fish market, and the Dhole Spider hadn't batted an eye. Now, it encountered a few small basins, and while no one else smelled anything, it felt nauseous?

By the way, where was it hiding? He Lingchuan looked around but couldn't spot it.

Lingguang jumped down, sniffed the basin vigorously a few times, and even brought back a small piece of ash to He Lingchuan, saying:

"Chai Basin! This basin contains 'Five Poisons' and 'Five Herbs' burned together; the smell is very unique."

Strictly speaking, Granny Zhu also belongs to the "Five Poisons" category, which is why it disliked the smell from the basin.

"What's it for?"

"For exorcism," Dong Rui said from the side. "Burning the Five Poisons and Five Herbs together is a very ancient method of driving away spirits."

For him, it was an old, outdated method that had long fallen out of use.

Everyone found it novel. Silver Pearl Island was Master Qianhuan's territory; could spirits actually haunt this place?

The Ghost Ape bared its teeth and chattered several times.

The others didn't understand, but judging by its expression, it wasn't saying anything pleasant.

Dong Rui translated for it: "The monkey says these spirits might have been released by Qianhuan. He's a mirage immortal; what can't he conjure?"

Everyone chuckled, but Granny Zhu lowered her voice. "Do you feel like we're being watched?"

Wanqiu Feng and the others exchanged glances and shook their heads.

They were all warriors with keen spiritual senses, diligent in their cultivation, but they truly hadn't detected anything unusual this time.

On second thought, everyone they passed on the street had been staring at them, so they had felt watched the entire time anyway.

He Lingchuan frowned. Silver Pearl Island had consistently given him an uncomfortable feeling, though he couldn't pinpoint why.

Turning into another main street, they found it completely choked with people. The crowd was shouting angrily and throwing rotten eggs and vegetable scraps at a building.

He Lingchuan heard the words "a life for a life." He focused his gaze and saw it was a restaurant, "Longxiang Restaurant," with a particularly new sign, whose paint smelled fresh even from a distance.

The restaurant's main doors were tightly shut; it was unclear whether no one was inside or if they simply dared not come out.

After watching the commotion for a moment, He Lingchuan and the others continued walking. They soon found an inn with a sign hanging under its eaves. It depicted a large pancake and a wine pot, with two lines of bold text below:

Yellow Wind Tavern.

Meals, Lodging, Orders.

A protective talisman, with red characters on yellow paper, also hung directly above the entrance, looking as though it had been recently replaced.

When they stopped for a meal, they discovered that copper coins and silver notes were not accepted there. The local main currency was called "Sea Jade," thumb-sized with a smooth, horn-like surface. Its exact material was unknown, but it had small holes for stringing. It came in three colors: red, yellow, and green, with green having the lowest purchasing power and red the highest.