Chapter 1709: Each Testing Their Limits

Bai Ziqi’s lips curled into a smile: “So, how do mortals worship an immortal?”

“At the foot of the mountain, there’s a Wind God Temple. True Lord Qianhuan said that the Wind God is merely one of his avatars, and he told everyone to go there to burn incense and worship. He would then sense their devotion.”

As long as spiritual energy was abundant, it wasn't difficult for an immortal to grant every wish.

But Bai Ziqi was somewhat interested in the “Wind God”: “Is the Wind God the deity these fishermen believe in?”

“The people of Silver Pearl Island live within the storm zone year-round, and the deity they revere and fear most is the Wind God!” This natural, powerful force inspired worship, leading to the emergence of the Wind God faith.

Bai Ziqi understood: “When did their worship of the Wind God begin?”

“They say it’s been from ancient times until now; there’s no definite starting point.”

“The Illusory Sect has ‘manifested’ quite a few times at the Wind God Temple, haven’t they?”

“Yes, previously, every two or three months, the Wind God would manifest, either bestowing blessings or meting out punishment!” Bai Shiqi said. “But the last manifestation was a year ago. A series of murders broke out on Silver Pearl Island; the victims all lost their heads in their sleep. The local authorities couldn't catch the killer, and the common people were terrified. It was the Wind God who appeared and directly apprehended the murderer, earning immense gratitude from the populace who hailed him as a divine sage.”

Granting only favors makes people joyful but not necessarily astute; it takes a combination of benevolence and might to inspire both fear and respect. The Illusory Sect had certainly mastered this principle.

Bai Ziqi gave a faint smile: “True Lord Qianhuan took control of the Upside-Down Sea over 150 years ago. Regardless of whether a ‘Wind God’ existed then, it is now merely a shell for True Lord Qianhuan.”

If the Wind God faith had already existed here before True Lord Qianhuan arrived, then he had surely usurped it.

Human lifespans are short; after just a few generations, descendants would only recognize Qianhuan as the true Wind God.

“Do they have to pay tribute from their earnings?”

“Yes. The common people on the island must donate half of their income to the Wind God Temple. Anyone caught evading this payment faces a dire fate.”

Bai Ziqi nodded: “As expected, it’s the same old trick.”

In the Upside-Down Sea, Qianhuan and the disciples of the Illusory Sect still enjoyed the offerings of the common people.

“However, most islanders make their contributions willingly because the Wind God selects children with excellent roots and talents, takes them to the immortal mountain, and teaches them the art of longevity!”

Bai Ziqi hummed in acknowledgment.

Becoming an immortal was the lifelong dream of countless people. If they could secure an opportunity for their descendants to cultivate and become immortals, commoners would endure any hardship.

“Furthermore, the Wind God also defends them against evil spirits from the Upside-Down Lake, also known as yakshas!”

“Yakshas from the Upside-Down Lake? This is getting more interesting,” Bai Ziqi said. “There’s also an Upside-Down Lake here?”

“Yes, it’s at the southeast corner of Silver Pearl Island. These two boatmen said that the Upside-Down Lake is the legendary ‘Ghost Realm,’ and its entrance is on Silver Pearl Island. Normally, the Wind God uses his supreme magic to separate the human realm and the ghost realm, protecting Silver Pearl Island from yaksha invasions. But during these few days when the storm wall disappears, the separation between the two realms also opens, and yakshas rush into Silver Pearl Island to devour and harm people.” Bai Shiqi paused, then added, “The reason those boatmen were so nervous when they saw us earlier was that they mistook us for yakshas from the Upside-Down Lake.”

“Didn’t you say the Upside-Down Lake is *on* Silver Pearl Island?”

“The boatmen have always believed it has an underwater passage connecting it to the outer sea,” Bai Shiqi replied. “When the yakshas suddenly launch a massive attack, Silver Pearl Island is ravaged with bloodshed. Entire villages, towns, and even small city residents are completely devoured by the yakshas. This has happened multiple times in the past, and each time, the people of Silver Pearl Island have had to pay a heavy price to repel the yaksha attacks.”

Bai Ziqi was a little curious: “Why can’t the ‘Wind God’ protect the common people when the storm wall disappears? What’s the reason given?”

“The Wind God’s power comes from the storm wall. During these ten days, the storm wall temporarily vanishes, and the Wind God naturally becomes weaker.”

“Alright, alright,” Bai Ziqi nodded. “Very logical.”

Those who believed in the Wind God probably wouldn’t find any logical flaws.

Unless, like Bai Ziqi, they knew that the storm wall’s appearance and disappearance had absolutely nothing to do with True Lord Qianhuan.

Bai Shiqi had only managed to ask this much; the boatmen had limited knowledge.

Bai Ziqi then asked him, “Are the things that needed to be placed, placed properly?”

“Yes, they are!”

Bai Ziqi walked back to the sand table and indeed saw a small dot moving on it—it was the fishing boat that had just departed.

The two fishermen had received a large silver ingot, worth several days of their catch, so they simply stopped fishing and rowed straight home.

Bai Shiyi watched from the side and couldn’t help but ask, “Lord Commander, do you think… they know we’ve arrived?”

Before Bai Ziqi could answer, the subordinate controlling the kite suddenly cried out “Ah!” and clutched his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I flew the kite a bit too low, and a cold light shot out from the mountain, and then…” The man lowered his hand; his left eye was bloodshot.

He shared vision and sensations with the kite, so when the kite was attacked, he felt the pain as well.

“Which mountain?”

“Stone… Stone Dragon Peak!”

That was Silver Pearl Island’s highest peak, the residence of True Lord Qianhuan, wasn't it?

Bai Ziqi glanced at Bai Shiyi: “They’ve not only discovered us but are also observing us.”

Otherwise, with the abundance of birds on Silver Pearl Island, why would the people on Stone Dragon Peak only target this particular kite? “They know this kite flew from my ship. This means they probably knew of our presence as soon as we entered the storm zone.”

This was reasonable. Immortals had their own mystical methods; how could they remain oblivious to an intrusion into their territory?

Bai Shiqi asked for instructions: “What do we do now…?”

“We wait!” Bai Ziqi sat down. “Calm yourselves.”

As he spoke, he thought of He Xiao.

Where was that fellow?

Although seafaring was full of variables, Bai Ziqi had a premonition that He Xiao would most likely also arrive in time for this grand event.

There was no specific reason; he just knew.

So, where was He Xiao digging a trap for him to fall into?

More than half an hour later, the small dot on the sand table docked at Silver Pearl Island and then moved ashore.

The two boatmen, having received a windfall, had no desire to fish and simply rowed back home.

They did not live on the main Silver Pearl Island but on another small island three li away.

However, as soon as the fishing boat docked, people were already waiting on shore:

Three people in white robes, with wide sleeves and high topknots, stood with indifferent expressions.

They said brusquely, “You two, get down.”

The two men startled, their faces filled with fear.

“Hurry up!”

The two boatmen’s legs turned to jelly, and they immediately plopped onto their knees in the sand as they came ashore. “Immortal sirs, we haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Who were those people out at sea just now?”

“They, they were passing sea merchants. They happened to encounter the storm dissipating, so they, they came in and asked us for some information.”

“What information?”

The two men recounted their entire conversation, not daring to omit a single word.

The three listened and sneered, “You dare to babble nonsense about matters of the immortal mountain? Your greed is showing!”

Just as the boatmen were about to beg for mercy, one of the three raised his hand, and a cold light shot out from his sleeve, piercing straight through one of the boatmen.

The other boatman was horrified and turned to flee.

But before he could even get to his feet, the cold light pursued him again, piercing through his back.

Only then did the Illusory Sect disciple reach out and check their bodies. “No tracking spells,” he muttered.

“Who were those people?”

“In any case, they mean no good. We should go back and report to Master.” This person pulled out a silver leaf, intending to throw it on the ground, but his fellow disciple said, “How long has our spiritual energy supply been cut off? You still want to fly back? Don’t waste it!”

Realizing the truth, the person immediately put away the silver leaf. “There are many of them. I’m afraid Master will be getting impatient.”

“What good is a crowd? This is the immortal cave dwelling of an ancient True Immortal! Even if there were a hundred times more of them, entering here would be a death trap!”

The three leaped onto the fishing boat, pointed towards the stern, and cast a water wave spell. “Go,” they commanded.

As soon as the words left their lips, waves churned at the stern, propelling the fishing boat towards the main island without the need for manual rowing.

However, the fishy smell in the boat was too strong. The three casually cast two cleansing spells, but still found the stench lingering, so they simply held their breath to avoid smelling it.

“I find it strange. We can’t even leave this blessed immortal land, so how could these people sail in?”

The person who spoke earlier sneered, “They’re seeking death, so of course they got in.”

“Are you saying, Master…”

“Don’t mention it! Be careful, Master might punish you with three years of silence again.”

The three chatted for a few moments, none of them noticing a strange insect clinging to the bottom of the fishing boat.

This creature was shorter than a pinky finger, shaped like a scorpion, but its tail didn’t curl upwards or have a pointed barb. Instead, it ended in several long, branching tendrils, and its entire body was pure black.

If He Lingchuan were here, he would probably recognize what this creature was; he had encountered one in Jade Balance City in the Panlong World.

Currently, this strange insect was hidden in a crevice of the fishing boat’s wood, with the boat’s bottom submerged in water. The three Illusory Sect disciples on board were completely oblivious to it.

A quarter of an hour later, the fishing boat reached the main island. The three found a random spot to dock.

As soon as they departed, the strange insect crawled out from beneath the boat, shook off the water, unfurled its membranous wings, and flew, trailing far behind the three.

Though the three were clearly walking, each step covered more than five *zhang*, yet their posture remained leisurely. The strange insect, flying through the air, had to exert itself to its utmost just to keep up.

Further ahead, human voices could be heard, as if it were a town.

The three didn’t stop walking, yet their figures vanished from their spots.

Invisibility spell!

Fortunately, the strange insect could track human body heat. In its sensory perception, these three intensely hot figures were still moving rapidly, passing straight through the small town without pausing for a moment.

However, the townspeople coming and going couldn’t see them at all and had no idea that these three Illusory Sect disciples were passing right by them. At most, they felt a gust of wind.

Living by the sea meant experiencing the unpredictable sea winds, which they had long grown accustomed to.

The strange insect dared not follow too closely, fearing discovery.

Following this path towards Stone Dragon Peak, they soon reached the foot of the mountain.

The two boatmen hadn’t lied; a large temple had been built at the entrance of Stone Dragon Peak. Its outer walls, three *zhang* high, were more than sufficient as defensive city walls.

Inside, the buildings were often three to five stories tall, exquisitely constructed. Plaques, pillar carvings, and couplets were all gilded, and the wood was painted with precious lacquer, appearing both sacred and solemn amidst the lingering incense smoke.

This was the Wind God Temple.