Chapter 1711: Incoming

The Yangshan Archipelago also has inland lakes, more than one in fact, but their combined area isn't even one-tenth the size of the one before them.

Judging by its size, it wouldn't be much of an exaggeration to call it a "sea." However, it appeared to be a completely enclosed lagoon, separated from the open sea by only a ten-meter wide reef flat.

The lake surface shimmered, reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun. As everyone surveyed it, a fish even leapt out of the water, flapping vigorously.

Just then, Ghost Ape chattered, pointing towards the lake. Everyone turned to look and immediately understood how the place got its name.

In the middle of the lake stood a natural giant rock. Though originally smooth and flat, black barnacles had painstakingly etched several large, greenish-black characters into its surface:

Reversed Cosmos.

Enter, No Return.

Wanqi Liang and the others rubbed their eyes, confirming that the characters were indeed formed by tiny barnacles arranged in a precise pattern.

What kind of technique was this?

"So 'Reversed' comes from here," Dong Rui said, rubbing the back of his head. "I just don't know if it's considered a lake or a sea."

The information He Lingchuan had obtained from Spirit Mountain described this place as an island within a sea, and a sea within an island.

The "island within a sea" part had already been verified; Silver Pearl Island truly existed in the vast ocean.

So how was the "sea within an island" to be understood? Could it be this place?

"Is this lake the 'Reversed Sea'?" Matron Zhu stepped forward, extending a claw to cautiously test the lake water.

The lake water was just water; there seemed to be nothing unusual.

Ling Guang scratched his head and ears. "Be careful, Matron!" he urged.

Matron Zhu hummed in acknowledgment and threw out a dozen or so white, thin cocoons. As soon as they landed, they burst open, each releasing spiders the size of an ordinary dog—dozens of them.

Plop, plop, plop—hundreds of spiders jumped into the water and sank.

Matron Zhu wasn't foolish; she first used her divine abilities to scout ahead.

These weren't Eyeball Spiders, so He Lingchuan and Dong Rui couldn't share their vision with them. Fortunately, the Spider Queen herself was present. She sprawled by the shore and could project countless perspectives underwater.

It was also fortunate that He Lingchuan and Dong Rui couldn't receive these perspectives; otherwise, hundreds of stitched-together viewpoints would create a kaleidoscopic vision more complex than an insect's compound eye, enough to drive any normal human insane.

Of course, for the Spider Queen, this was child's play, an everyday routine.

After about fifteen minutes, she spoke. "This lake looks big, but it's not deep. I have a few scouts that have reached the bottom; the deepest part is only about four zhang, just over thirteen meters."

"Hmm, there are many nooks and crannies," she continued. "It's a lagoon, riddled with holes from seawater erosion. It's a bit difficult to search, but so far, I haven't seen anything unusual. Also, the water is brackish. The shopkeeper said it had a hidden connection to the open sea, so that must be correct."

The fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish in the rock crevices were all scared away by her spiders.

After searching for over half an hour, they found nothing.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment and asked Matron Zhu to recall her scouts.

The small spiders emerged from the water in a steady stream, their claws clutching various prey: some carried abalones the size of washbasins, others had large green crabs weighing over a kilogram, some held conchs, and two small spiders jointly carried a flat shark ashore.

"What's this?"

"Since they went into the water, they couldn't come back empty-handed," Matron Zhu said matter-of-factly. She also wanted to taste the seafood from Storm Island.

"Don't light a bright fire," He Lingchuan instructed, "lest it attract Bai Ziqi and others." Reversed Lake was vast, and its shoreline was exceptionally winding. Even if Bai Ziqi reached the lake, without other guidance, finding He Lingchuan would be a pipe dream—

Unless He Lingchuan gave him a hint, like a bonfire by the lake.

His subordinates huddled together, grinning and laughing. "Let's dig a hidden pit! We'll use the shallow-pit roasting method we learned at the inn!"

"Nonsense!" Dong Rui reprimanded. "Are you here for a picnic or to seek immortals in such a perilous place? —Oh! Save that blue lobster for me! That one's big, that one's good!"

They dug the pit deeper, lit a small, concealed fire inside, and covered it with smooth pebbles. Before long, the pebbles were scorching hot.

They then poured the seafood in, sprinkled some rice wine, and it would quickly steam-cook.

While the others busied themselves preparing the food in various ways, He Lingchuan and Matron Zhu squatted by the lake, lost in thought.

"'The Lamp of Wisdom illuminates the Illusory Sea.'" This was the hint True Person Qianhuan had left for Spirit Mountain. "What does that mean?"

The next line was "Silver Pearl hides the cave's heart," which likely referred to Qianhuan's immortal dwelling being hidden on Silver Pearl Island and required no further pondering.

"'The 'Illusory Sea' must be the Reversed Sea or Reversed Lake, right?'" Matron Zhu scratched her belly. "What is the Lamp of Wisdom?"

"It's not yet known," He Lingchuan replied.

Matron Zhu looked at the carefree Black Armored Army and suddenly used a small spider to relay a message:

"We've been wandering on the island for so long," she transmitted. "When will someone come looking for us?"

"Soon, probably," He Lingchuan replied. "From what we just heard, the 'Wind God' and his subordinates firmly control the entire Silver Pearl Island; they are far from reclusive. Foreign ships entered as soon as the storm wall disappeared, and we strangers are wandering all over the island. Are you still worried they won't come?"

Matron Zhu stopped asking questions after this and ordered small spiders to bring two large fish for her to taste.

Having been with He Lingchuan for a long time, Matron Zhu knew he always acted with a plan and no longer asked questions like, "Why don't we go to the Wind God Temple instead of waiting for them to find us?"

Less than half an hour later, the light in the forest suddenly dimmed. A strong gust of wind swept through, blurring their vision with yellow sand.

Everyone instinctively lowered their heads and closed their eyes, but Matron Zhu suddenly stood up and announced:

"They're here."

Before her words even faded, a crisp ringing sound echoed from the forest. It was the warning formation Wanqi Feng had casually set up; if anyone trespassed, the bells would chime automatically.

Everyone was about to draw their weapons the next second, but He Lingchuan had already spoken first:

"Stop."

As the wind and sand subsided, more than a dozen people appeared at the forest edge, all dressed in wide robes and deep garments, with their hair bound in high crowns.

The commoners He Lingchuan had seen along the way were mostly dark-skinned and gaunt; none were as tall and fair-skinned as these individuals.

The leader wore a high crown adorned with a single luminous pearl.

He looked at He Lingchuan and the others. "Are you from the outer sea?"

He Lingchuan, still seated, picked up a kidney cake and slowly savored it. Wanqi Feng chuckled, "Isn't it obvious?"

Their clothing and demeanor were clearly different from the locals'; it was evident at a glance.

Both sides surveyed each other, rapidly assessing the other's strength. Ling Guang, perched on He Lingchuan's shoulder, nervously scratched the back of his head. He believed that if their side showed too much weakness, the other party would simply seize and shackle them without asking another question.

However, these robed figures cautiously asked a few more questions: "Are you associated with the ships seen northwest of here?"

Northwest of here? Everyone exchanged glances, and a shared thought arose: *They're here.*

The storm circle had only recently disappeared. Aside from themselves, the most likely ones who could accurately time their arrival across the vast ocean were Bai Ziqi and Qing Yang!

Sure enough, Bai Ziqi had deciphered the clues He Lingchuan left and tracked them to the correct location of the sea storm. He Lingchuan had great confidence in him; besides, the puzzle he left wasn't difficult.

Dong Rui interjected, "If we were with them, why wouldn't we be together? That's a rather illogical question."

He disliked the arrogant questioning of these robed figures.

The Beijia people were arrogant enough, but not like these individuals, who practically looked down their noses at others.

"How did you find Silver Pearl Island?" the leader asked.

The storm circle moved incessantly in the Northern Sea; outsiders who could deduce the location of Silver Pearl Island were extremely rare.

Why was it that this time, as soon as the storm ended, two groups rushed into this blessed land?

Just then, footsteps sounded from the other end of the forest as two farmers emerged, their backs laden with baskets of wild vegetables.

They hadn't expected the usually quiet lakeside to be in such a state. They froze the moment they stepped out, and upon seeing the robed figures, they immediately showed extreme deference, kneeling and loudly calling them "Immortal Lords."

It was at this moment that Wanqi Feng spoke up. "We were entrusted by someone to come here to find True Person Qianhuan."

The robed figure's expression changed. "Wait!" he commanded.

With a wave of his hand, the people he brought spread out in a fan shape, encircling He Lingchuan and the others. Only then did he say, "All irrelevant individuals, withdraw."

He didn't spare them a glance, but the two farmers retreated as if flying. One even stumbled along the way but didn't dare cry out in pain, quickly getting up to bolt, terrified that a moment's delay would incur the wrath of the Immortal Lords.

The robed figure gazed at He Lingchuan. "Who sent you?"

"And who are you?" Dong Rui asked, scratching his nose. "Are you in charge of Silver Pearl Island?"

The robed figure twirled a ring on his finger, and from the dark tree shadows on the ground around them, something seemed to crawl out, stirring restlessly, accompanied by low growls.

The robed figure said coldly, "I am Lu Jing, a disciple under Elder Xu of the Illusory Sect. I'll give you one last chance."

If they didn't take the easy way, he would resort to force.

These individuals before him didn't look like easy targets either.

Wanqi Feng and the others looked at He Lingchuan, waiting for him to make a decision. The latter finished the last piece of cake and casually wiped his hands with a cloth.

"Spirit Mountain," He Lingchuan stated.

Lu Jing was startled, and the Illusory Sect disciples behind him exchanged bewildered glances.

"It was True Person Qianhuan's turn to be on duty five or ten years ago, but he never appeared," He Lingchuan explained, half-turning with one hand resting on the table. "Spirit Mountain sent people over, but they vanished like a clay ox in the sea, with no further news. So we were asked to come in and investigate. Everyone thought something major had happened at Reversed Sea, but upon entering, we see you're all living peacefully."

Lu Jing's expression softened, but he still asked, "You say you are from Spirit Mountain? What proof do you have? What were the names of the last two people Spirit Mountain sent?"

"Wang Yiduo and Xu Jingmin led the team."

After speaking, He Lingchuan took a copper bell from his pocket and gently shook it twice.

Ding-ding-ding—

The sound was exceptionally clear, like wind blowing through a sheng or flute.

But upon closer inspection, though the bell's body was bright and iridescent, it wasn't made of copper. Instead, it resembled a giant clam shell. Under ample light, with each rotation, red and blue light would ripple across its surface.

This was also a characteristic of iridescent shells.

Furthermore, the clapper inside the bell wasn't copper either, but a small white pearl.

A pearl striking a giant clam shell could produce a clear, metallic sound, which was extremely rare.

This was the token Wang Xingjiyi had personally given to He Lingchuan, telling him that presenting it to the Illusory Sect on Silver Pearl Island would grant him unrestricted passage.