Chapter 1746: Strange Light

"Just a fruit?" Bai Ziqin had the Silver Pearl Fruit right next to him. He lowered his gaze to the ring on his hand, seeing its red light intensify and flicker.

"This is a product of divine ability."

Why would these fruits, imbued with divine ability, be produced within Qianhuan's illusion?

Right before everyone's eyes, the Silver Pearl Fruit's light gradually dimmed, eventually transforming into an unassuming yellow-skinned pear.

The nearby villagers had said this fruit was edible and quite sweet.

"They haven't experimented with this Silver Pearl Fruit?"

"As long as they can remember, these 'Silver Pearls' have been abundant by the lake, so they're quite accustomed to them. But aside from glowing on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, there doesn't seem to be anything special about them," Bai Shiqi said. "Once picked, their glow lasts exactly a quarter of an hour, no more, no less."

A quarter of an hour? Bai Ziqin pondered. What could be accomplished in a quarter of an hour?

Inverted Lake, Silver Pearl Fruits.

What hidden mystery lay within? The Illusion Sect had tried every means to lure the Heavenly Palace team here. Besides the endless tide of yakshas, what other traps awaited them?

Surely the immortals didn't think these yakshas alone could hold back the Heavenly Palace?

He gazed at the shimmering lake surface. "Send some puppets into the water. I want to see what secrets lie beneath the lake."

Most of the yakshas had been drawn to the northeast side of Inverted Lake by the Heavenly Palace. The avian demons had just circled a few times and found virtually no water specters on the southwest or northwest sides.

Bai Shiqi assented and went to make arrangements.

Soon, an avian demon flew towards the southwest side of Inverted Lake, carrying a small pouch. It then opened the pouch and, in a high-altitude toss, emptied its contents into the lake.

These were hundreds of water lice, resembling both cockroaches and woodlice, each smaller than a fingernail, appearing dehydrated and frozen in place.

But the moment they entered the water, they revived and swelled up. They then flipped over, their dozens of legs paddling in unison, swiftly diving towards the lakebed.

Simultaneously, their size expanded upon contact with water, growing until they were as large as watermelons.

If Granny Zhu had witnessed this, she would probably have recognized them as giant isopods, creatures that live on the seabed and consume all kinds of decaying flesh.

Of course, the Heavenly Palace wasn't releasing them for a meal, but to investigate the lakebed. These creatures' compound eyes, composed of four thousand tiny facets, are highly adapted to dim underwater environments.

Another avian demon flew over, also carrying a pouch, and threw a dozen Silver Pearl Fruits into the water.

Several giant isopods swam over, each clutching a Silver Pearl Fruit, and submerged once more.

Bai Ziqin was somewhat concerned about these Silver Pearl Fruits, so he had them used as a control group to see what effect submerging them in water would have.

Approximately two quarters of an hour later, the experiment's results were in:

The lakebed contained muddy weeds, shellfish, and aquatic creatures. Some of the giant isopods even unluckily encountered yakshas and were speared and eaten by them.

Other than that, the bottom of Inverted Lake was no different from any other lakebed; it didn't even have any perforated orifices.

And the Silver Pearl Fruits?

They showed no other reactions after entering the water, nor did they trigger any changes, until their glow disappeared after a quarter of an hour.

As for the yakshas, Bai Ziqin had initially thought they emerged from the lakebed's mud. The giant isopods investigated and found the bottom was solid, preventing them from diving through.

However, they also witnessed the entire process of the yakshas' appearance: blue dead souls first materialized on the lakebed's aquatic plant leaves, like blue dewdrops after rain. Then, the surrounding water currents rushed in, circling them a few times, and combined with the lake mud to form the yakshas' bodies!

The process was like molding clay figures, swift but casual, as if done on a whim, because each yaksha had a unique appearance.

Bai Ziqin scanned the lake surface. From his current vantage point, he could see the large rock in the distance.

He knew eight characters were inscribed on it:

Invert Heaven and Earth.

No return for those who come.

What did the character "come" mean here? Where did they come from?

At that moment, an urgent message arrived from the north, which Bai Shiqi relayed to Bai Ziqin:

"Thirteen li from here, the bottom of Kidney Lake suddenly lit up brightly."

Kidney Lake? Bai Ziqin's interest was piqued.

He had looked at the sand table map and knew Kidney Lake was slightly northwest of Inverted Sea, not far away.

It was merely a simple inland lake, small in area, but being freshwater, many households lived around it. Four towns encircled the lake, with a total population exceeding five thousand. Yu Village, where Goddess Fenghu went, was also by Kidney Lake.

"Send someone to investigate Kidney Lake. Tonight, no anomaly can be overlooked. And ask the villagers again what's going on with that lake."

Bai Shiqi went to question them.

The villagers replied that whenever there was a moon in the sky, the algae at the bottom of Kidney Lake would also glow.

"Algae?"

"It's said that the bottom of Kidney Lake is covered in algae. They absorb moonlight and then re-emit it, as if a bright moon is shining underwater. If one boats on the lake, everything beneath the surface is clearly visible, even fish and shrimp have nowhere to hide."

Bai Ziqin murmured, "Glowing fruits by Inverted Lake, glowing algae at the bottom of Kidney Lake. What's the connection between these two?"

Bai Shiqi immediately replied, "Both are related to moonlight, and both grow by or under water."

But they are separated by over ten li.

Bai Ziqin thought for a while. "Is there anything else special about Kidney Lake?"

"It's rich in fish, shrimp, and crabs, and the water quality is excellent. Other than that, nothing," Bai Shiqi said. "The townspeople live off the water, having fished there for decades, but they've never heard of anything strange, apart from occasional drownings. However, they also say that drowning by lakesides and seashores is normal, happening every year."

Bai Ziqin pondered in silence.

He Lingchuan passed through the mirror, feeling a chill again.

This time, the transfer was precise; there was no transmission accident. The surrounding scenery blurred, and he appeared on a hillside. The next second, he saw his companions, several immortals, and the Illusion Sect's elites.

Then, he heard the clamor coming from below.

The surrounding bushes were dense. Elder Liu pushed aside a tangle of branches, pointed upwards, and said to He Lingchuan, "The Sky Demon has arrived and just erected a lighthouse on Companion Hill!"

This low hill was only about twelve zhang from the ground, perfectly situated between Yu Village and the mining area. Yu Village was on one side of the hill, and the spiritual ore vein was on the other.

That's why it was named "Companion Hill," signifying a low hill that would long accompany Yu Village. Of course, if the Yu villagers knew the Sky Demon would build a tower only on a high point, they would now prefer not to have this companionship.

The lighthouse was built at the highest point of Companion Hill. From He Lingchuan's position, the Eye of Truth at the top of the tower was clearly visible.

After Miaozhantian's previous adjustments, the lighthouse's initial coverage area had shrunk, but it would quickly grow taller and larger, eventually enveloping both Yu Village and the mine. By then, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror would no longer be able to see what was happening within the barrier, and many of Inverted Sea's rules would no longer apply inside the barrier.

It would also connect with two other lighthouses, forming a large blind spot, which is why the Illusion Sect absolutely could not tolerate its presence.