Chapter 1719: Each Making Their Own Plans

He Lingchuan noticed Xiao Wencheng take a distinct breath, then pull back his sleeve, reach out, and lightly lift something on the sand table.

The northeastern beach of Silver Pearl Island on the sand table was instantly raised, transforming into a sheer cliff!

The waves foamed and churned, creating a thousand heaps of white spray.

He Lingchuan and the two others were not so naive as to think he had merely altered a sand table, for the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly, and a dull rumbling sound seemed to emanate from deep within the earth!

They instinctively looked towards the Haoyuan Golden Mirror and saw that the northeastern corner of Silver Pearl Island had indeed risen, becoming a cliff fifteen zhang high!

This dramatic change in topography was akin to a magnitude ten earthquake. Countless rocks tumbled down, and Dong Rui saw a town by the sea being crushed to powder by the suddenly elevated landmass.

In just five breaths, the entire large town was swallowed by a deep fissure in the ground.

Countless birds, startled and disoriented, scattered from their nests.

Madam Zhu murmured, "Moving mountains and filling seas!"

These Illusion Sect immortals actually possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas within their own territory! Although it was only within the confined space of the Upside-Down Sea, it still deeply shocked Madam Zhu.

The issue was that they not only accomplished it but seemed to do so with power to spare.

To achieve the feat of raising mountains and receding seas with just a flick of the wrist was absolutely unnatural.

Through the Eyeball Spider, it quietly conveyed to He Lingchuan and Dong Rui, "They are probably also borrowing the power of True Immortal Qianhuan to manipulate the terrain with this sand table!"

The fact that incense had to be lit and prayers recited before using the sand table clearly indicated that True Immortal Qianhuan's permission was required first.

Elder Xu's words were also interesting; he spoke of receiving Qianhuan's "tacit approval."

Tacit approval means no opposition, but why wasn't Qianhuan more explicit? Such a response is typically only given when mortals worship a deity.

In that instant, countless thoughts raced through He Lingchuan's mind.

He had anticipated the power of the ancient True Immortals, but their true strength far exceeded his imagination!

With a mere flick of their wrist, they could command the clouds and rain, making the sea and land transform.

How did Miaozhan Tian plan to deal with a True Immortal Qianhuan of such power?

Xiao Wencheng stopped, exhaling heavily, sweat beading on his forehead.

Regardless of whether he had borrowed True Immortal Qianhuan's power, what he had done was clearly not effortless.

"Sect Master Xiao, what was that?"

He Lingchuan surmised that the spiritual energy consumed by Xiao Wencheng's maneuver far surpassed that used for the earlier tsunamis!

Was he expending such tremendous effort to raise the land simply to prevent Bai Ziqi from landing?

Xiao Wencheng said gravely, "They cannot be allowed to land there!"

The northeastern corner of Silver Pearl Island was too close to the Illusion Sect's base at Stone Dragon Peak; they needed to ensure sufficient strategic buffer space for themselves.

He Lingchuan carefully observed Silver Pearl Island's topography on the sand table, noting that granite was prevalent along the coast. There were few gentle sandy beaches, rocky shores, or docks suitable for landing, only four in total, and one had now been rendered unusable by the Illusion Sect.

However, another thought flashed through his mind: if the Illusion Sect was truly as powerful as it appeared, why bother blocking Bai Ziqi's path and constantly preventing them from landing?

This wasn't an attack; it was passive defense!

Just a quarter of an hour ago, Xiao Wencheng had been using the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to attack Bai Ziqi's fleet, taking full advantage of the terrain and timing.

"How much spiritual energy must that consume?" Such astronomical figures were beyond even the now-wealthy He Lingchuan's imagination. If he remembered correctly, the supply of spiritual energy within the Upside-Down Sea had ceased for over half a year. "Completely preventing them from landing is unrealistic."

Bai Ziqi and the experts accompanying him would certainly find a way to get onto the island.

It was just that the several thousand elite soldiers behind him might not be able to directly climb the sheer cliffs.

"We need some time." Elder Xu's eyes burned with anger. "Decades ago, they wouldn't have survived even a single encounter!"

His words were spoken impulsively, without hesitation.

So, what had happened in the past few decades?

At sea, Bai Ziqi also realized their path was blocked. The fleet turned around and headed southeast, searching for a suitable landing spot.

"Keep a close eye on their position; they have a large force." Xiao Wencheng looked at Elder Jin. "Old Jin, Old Xu, under no circumstances must they be allowed to set up a formation!"

"We'll gather our people." The two elders nodded and turned to leave the quiet room.

"Formation?" Dong Rui wondered, "What kind of formation do they plan to set up?"

How would these immortals know what kind of formation the Heavenly Palace intended to deploy?

"The Heavenly Palace is insidious; they've invaded many grotto-heavens and blessed lands before." Xiao Wencheng's expression was grim. "Logically, they shouldn't have much chance of winning, but as soon as they enter, they will frantically drain spiritual energy. Fortunately, they entered from the sea, so it wasn't a silent infiltration. We must kill them all before the Heavenly Palace can set up their energy-draining formations."

He Lingchuan and the two others suddenly understood.

Indeed, over these thousands of years, the Heavenly Palace had gained much experience in raiding immortal abodes. Immortals hid in their cave dwellings precisely because the spiritual energy within was more abundant than outside, and the Heavenly Palace forces could weaken the immortals by draining that energy as soon as they entered.

This was akin to fighting a great white shark: if you feared you couldn't win, you'd first drain all the water from its tank, naturally weakening its ability to thrash, even if its gaping maw and fangs remained.

Without a doubt, the Heavenly Palace had perfected an effective strategy.

As one of the highest authorities on Spirit Mountain, True Immortal Qianhuan clearly knew what the Heavenly Palace would do upon entry, which was why even arrogant immortals like Xiao Wencheng were still tense in the face of the Heavenly Palace's invasion.

The Heavenly Palace's target for this operation was no small matter: True Immortal Qianhuan, one of the ancient True Immortals. How could they dare enter without thorough preparation?

Therefore, Xiao Wencheng dared not be overconfident and intended to send his two junior brothers ahead to prevent the Heavenly Palace from establishing their formations and to gauge the opponent's strength.

Just as Bai Ziqi's fleet neared the coast, another shallow area rapidly rose, transforming into a high cliff with a rumbling sound.

Onboard the seventeen large ships, everyone watched this scene unfold, their eyes wide with unconcealed shock.

Was this the power of immortals? Most of the Heavenly Palace's followers on this expedition came from the Glimmering Gold Plains and had never witnessed such a marvel.

Waves crashed back from the cliff, causing the ships to sway violently from side to side.

The seawater beneath the ships had almost turned into a thick, paste-like consistency. Bai Ziqi ordered several divine abilities to be used, but with little effect, so he simply allowed the Lamp Spirit Swordfish to continue towing the ships forward.

Slowly, if need be.

Bai Ziqi stood at the bow, gazing at the cliff for a while before ordering, "Turn around and find the next landing spot."

"Lord Commander, what if the Immortal Sect raises all the landing points?" Bai Shiqi couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't it be better if we first sent people ashore to build a grand formation?"

"Even if a formation could be built, it would require strict protection. This is True Immortal Qianhuan's territory; you don't know where the Illusion Sect will attack from." Bai Ziqi said earnestly, "We need the assistance of these warriors. Furthermore—"

He raised his right hand, and the ring on his finger glowed. "This is another hidden worry."

Given the dangers of this expedition, the Heavenly Palace had equipped everyone with these rings, which would glow when near unknown divine abilities or potent poisons.

The problem was that since entering the storm zone, this ring had never dimmed; it had been flashing continuously the entire time!

It glowed when the tsunami struck.

It glowed when the large black fish attacked.

And it was still glowing as they approached the coast of Silver Pearl Island.

If this thing glowed constantly, what was the difference between it glowing and not glowing at all? It served no warning purpose whatsoever.

However, Bai Shiqi would not question the quality of a Heavenly Palace product. This could only mean that True Immortal Qianhuan and the Immortal Sect's divine abilities surrounded them constantly, waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc.

"As for landing locations, you needn't worry. The sea beds to the south and southwest of Silver Pearl Island are very shallow. Unless the Illusion Sect raises all those areas, we will always find a place to land."

That was what he said, but Bai Shiqi was unsure of Bai Ziqi's true thoughts.

"The enemy's attacks have made the Luodian and Kaxiye people somewhat apprehensive."

Before entering the Upside-Down Sea, the strongest opponents the Luodian people had ever encountered were merely great demons from the Glimmering Gold Plains, whom they could fight by simply gathering an army. They had never seen an opponent capable of such world-shattering destruction! They hadn't even engaged in combat, yet the enemy had almost killed them.

Facing an opponent of this magnitude, Bai Shiqi would also be timid without something to rely on.

"The Goddess used the Eye of Truth to confirm that the sudden tsunami was not an illusion but a genuine, supreme divine ability!" Those few black giant fish could barely be dealt with using the lamp spirits, but the tsunami was beyond human resistance; only a god could counter it.

Even Bai Ziqi sighed, "An ancient True Immortal's dwelling is indeed extraordinary."

At this moment, a hawk flew back to the ship and let out two calls towards Bai Ziqi.

Bai Shiqi walked over and untied the bamboo tube from its claw.

Inside the bamboo tube was a piece of rough paper with somewhat distorted handwriting, but still legible.

Bai Shiqi presented it to Bai Ziqi, who read:

The Illusion Sect members possess the abilities of flight and invisibility.

The entrance to the Illusion Sect is directly behind the Wind God Temple.

The letter also described the appearance of the Wind God's (i.e., True Immortal Qianhuan's) statue, then stated that the Illusion Sect had a total of 1,400 to 1,500 members, all residing in high cottages on Stone Dragon Peak, far from the ground and perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist.

Although they lived on Stone Dragon Peak, the sect's younger disciples had never met True Immortal Qianhuan; they usually only interacted with their masters and fellow disciples.

It was said that the Wind God was in seclusion, preparing to accumulate power for the next cycle of the wind wall barrier.

The one in charge of all matters, big and small, on Stone Dragon Peak was True Immortal Yuanyu, Xiao Wencheng. He and the other elders of the Illusion Sect were the most capable immortal masters under the Wind God's command, possessing boundless power!

As for the spiritual energy in this grotto-heaven and blessed land, it had been slowly decreasing for half a year, for unknown reasons.

Everyone had asked True Immortal Yuanyu about it, but he only told them to be patient.

In truth, everyone understood that he had no good solution either. As disciples of the Illusion Sect, they were also trapped within this grotto-heaven and blessed land, unable to take a single step outside!

As for when they became trapped, Young Master Fang was also unaware.

This intelligence had been gathered by the insect demon Bai Ziqi had dispatched earlier. When it consumed humans, it could extract many memories from its prey's brains.

Bai Ziqi's gaze narrowed slightly when he read the last sentence:

He Xiao was seen at the Wind God Temple, riding an Illusion Sect goat cart towards Stone Dragon Peak.

Bai Ziqi had previously used magic to create a portrait of He Xiao and shown it to his subordinates. The facial features were depicted so vividly and accurately, resembling the original person, that the insect demon easily recognized him.