Chapter 902: Injury and Fatigue

He Lingchuan was woken by a seagull.

Leftovers from last night's meal were on the table. A cunning seagull had hopped in through the window, greedily devouring large pieces of meat and fish.

He Lingchuan was startled awake by the sound of it knocking over a cup. Then, clutching his head, he let out a low cry—

His head ached terribly.

Startled by him, the seagull squawked and flew away from the scene, not forgetting to take a few pieces of jerky with it.

He Lingchuan opened his eyes, only to see its departing silhouette.

It wasn't a hangover; he hadn't drunk any alcohol last night.

This pain was several times worse than a hangover, like someone was hammering an awl into his forehead. His body felt sluggish, and his limbs were heavy as lead.

What was going on? Last night he had entered the Coiled Dragon World.

Every time he returned from the Coiled Dragon World, he was full of energy and vitality.

Why was this time an exception?

He carefully recalled his experience from last night: he had simply escorted Lu Xun from Baisha Port back to Yuheng City. Along the way, he had a fierce battle with Fu Shanlie and was seriously injured.

Hmm, seriously injured?

Could it be because of that battle?

Not to mention injuries, he had died countless times in the Coiled Dragon World. Every time, he had been fully revived.

As he pondered this, the room door burst open, and Dong Rui strode in. "The sun's up, why aren't you awake? Don't we have important business today?"

But as soon as he spoke, he was startled by He Lingchuan's complexion:

"Wow, what did you do last night? You look awful!"

He Lingchuan's face was pale with a greenish tint, and he had dark circles under his eyes, making him look sickly and gaunt.

Was this someone who had just woken up? This was more like an addict who hadn't slept for ten days and nights, spending every evening secretly indulging.

Thinking this, Dong Rui couldn't resist teasing him. "Did you find five girls at the Jinhuan Brothel? Impressive!"

"Your limit is only five?" He Lingchuan looked at him with an expression of disappointment. "Your shortcoming… is a bit short."

"Bah!"

He Lingchuan pulled out some invigorating medicine from his pocket and swallowed four or five pills in one go. Only then did he manage to get up and pour himself some water.

As soon as he stood, he felt lightheaded, and his right shoulder throbbed faintly.

Really? He instinctively pressed his right shoulder; there was no wound, but the pain felt very real.

Was it psychosomatic or neuropathic pain?

"Are you up to it?" Dong Rui was a bit skeptical. "You look like a ghost; it seems you should lie down and sleep for seven days and nights before getting up." Not going out to sea and braving the waves.

"Too much nonsense."

He Lingchuan went to the latrine. Mid-way, he pulled out the divine bone necklace and gritted his teeth at it. "Did you, ungrateful wretch, cancel my soul protection?"

He thought long and hard. He hadn't had any unusual encounters in the past few months. The sudden change in the Coiled Dragon World's rules could only be related to his trip to the Coiled Dragon Desert two or three months ago!

He shook the necklace. "I fed you the artifact cover and a divine clone, so why are you turning against me?"

Of course, the divine bone necklace didn't react.

When he finished washing up and stepped out, everyone noticed He Lingchuan's haggard appearance.

Qiu Hu asked curiously, "What happened to our lord?" What could have happened overnight?

Madam Zhu, however, was pensive. "Has someone stolen your soul?"

He Lingchuan's heart stirred. "What do you mean?"

"You've achieved success in your cultivation and haven't fought anyone, so you shouldn't be in such a state of exhaustion, both internally and externally," Madam Zhu said. "You have so many enemies; could someone have targeted your soul at night? Like a nightmare spirit."

He Lingchuan's mind raced.

Only he knew that a nightmare spirit couldn't harm him at all. Besides, he had a nightmare spirit under his control. That creature knew the most about souls, so why not just ask it?

Dong Rui also nodded from the side. "Exactly, your condition is 'spirit injury.' Most likely, someone cursed you in secret."

"I understand. Let's get to business first."

He Lingchuan was the leader of the group. As soon as he spoke, the others immediately fell silent, and even Dong Rui no longer harped on the topic.

"Where to now?"

He Lingchuan felt a bit regretful. He had originally wanted to find a restaurant to feast on seafood. In inland cities, "freshly caught and live" might be a selling point, but here, it was commonplace.

At Dafen Port, if the seafood wasn't still wriggling before it went into the pot, you could spit in the seller's face.

But now his head was splitting, and he had no appetite.

He looked at the time, thought for a moment, and asked Qiu Hu, "Can you row a boat?"

Qiu Hu honestly shook his head. Tao Ran, nearby, chimed in, "I can. My family used to fish by the lake."

He had just returned from Bailie.

"Then go to the port and charter a fast, sturdy boat," He Lingchuan turned to Dong Rui and said, "You stay on shore."

"Huh?" Dong Rui immediately looked displeased. "Why?"

As old comrades who had shared hardships for so long, was it right to go out to sea and leave him behind?

"Where we're going, your body is too weak to handle it." This guy was a homebody who rarely exercised, and his physical strength was far inferior to He Lingchuan's and others', not to mention Madam Zhu's.

Dong Rui pointed at his own nose. "I'm weak?"

All the souls who had died by his hand would disagree!

This time, Madam Zhu spoke up. "There are some waves at sea; you'd be throwing up violently."

"...Where exactly are you going?"

"To a natural Yinsha energy ley line. Can you withstand the Yinsha energy?"

Dong Rui thought for a moment and then kept silent.

He Lingchuan asked the little monkey on his shoulder, "Lingguang, can you make a pill to counter the effects of the Yinsha?"

Lingguang scratched the back of his head. "It can only reduce the damage from the Yinsha invasion by about seventy or eighty percent. But the pill only lasts for three hours, and you can only take it again once. For the next dose after that, you'll have to wait twelve hours."

So it would be effective for a total of six hours. "Alright, prepare the medicine then."

His personal pharmacist was back, making things much more convenient. During their previous sea journeys, Lingguang had handled all sorts of issues, from Dong Rui's seasickness to guests' emergencies and a sailor's sudden hemoptysis.

Fortunately, Dafen Port was well-supplied, and the herbs Lingguang needed weren't rare. They gathered everything after visiting just two apothecaries.

As for He Lingchuan, he took the opportunity to find a place to rest and even managed to doze off, but he didn't dream.

His head still ached terribly; even a nap hadn't made it much better.

Soon, Lingguang finished refining a batch of pills, which he called "Shattering Fiend Pills."

By then, Madam Zhu had arrived, and Tao Ran had chartered the boat. Everyone readily left Dong Rui behind and set sail from the port.

Their destination: west.

It was a large fishing vessel, capable of carrying twenty to thirty people. The hold could store fish or accommodate sleepers, but the fishy smell was so strong that no one wanted to go down there.

Tao Ran couldn't operate it alone; the others also had to lend a hand.

The sea was rough, and Tao Ran was a bit flustered. Fortunately, everyone was quick to learn, and under his guidance, they quickly managed to handle the boat proficiently.

On the distant horizon, a faint outline of an island appeared. He Lingchuan pointed to it and said, "Go there."

Yes, the outermost island of the Yangshan Archipelago was actually not far from Dafen Port, just across the sea.

Tao Ran rowed while saying, "Young Master, when I went to charter the boat just now, the boatman heard we were going to the Yangshan Archipelago and warned us to hug the coastline, never to go deep into the islands, and ideally to reach Blackleaf Island to rest before dark, otherwise it would be very dangerous."

Those were his exact words. The boatman's concern wasn't for them, but for the chartered vessel.

When the fiendish energy emerged, it would also spill onto the sea. Among the Yangshan Archipelago, only a few outer islands were unaffected by the fiendish energy. Blackleaf Island was one of them, serving as a rest and supply point for travelers at night.

"Often, boats encounter storms and are swept deep into the archipelago. Those boats rarely come out again."

He Lingchuan dismissed it with a smile. "Don't listen to him. Head straight for Dragon's Back Island."

Why else would he have come?

"...Yes." The young master certainly didn't take the ordinary path.

He Lingchuan and the others had grown tired of sea scenery during their long boat journeys.

The ocean was all water, and looking at it for too long, it became monotonous.

Yet, the islands were lush and green, like pearls scattered across the sea. As the boat slowly approached, they saw the islands' varied scenery: towering cliffs, white waves chasing the sand. Trees swayed in the wind, and various seabirds circled, presenting a vibrant scene.

This place was beautiful; it would be well worth a trip purely for tourism.

However, the group soon discovered that the deeper they went into the archipelago, the fewer birds they saw, and the quieter their surroundings became.

Not even ripples disturbed the sea surface, and the air had a heavy, solemn feel.

"Behind the small island we just passed, two boats are concealed," Qiu Hu suddenly said. "They've been following us."

There were no merchant ships in this area, so it could only be pirates targeting them.

The interwoven islands and dense vegetation provided natural hiding spots. Pirates could move freely here.

They might not necessarily intend to rob them, but they wanted to observe why He Lingchuan and his group had come.

He Lingchuan understood. "Ignore them. Keep moving forward."

After proceeding a few hundred more zhang, the outline of Dragon's Back Island's mountains became faintly visible. The two pirate ships behind them no longer dared to follow and stopped where they were.

Further ahead, the fiendish energy was dense. Were these people ignorant, or were they simply seeking death?

In any case, they stopped following and turned back.

He Lingchuan glanced back; there was no sign of a second boat on the empty sea.

Only their small boat sailed on, alone, towards Dragon's Back Island.

At that moment, large dark clouds drifted across the sky, completely blocking the sunlight from reaching the sea. Not a single ray leaked through.

By then, they were less than two hundred zhang from Dragon's Back Island.

Madam Zhu suddenly said, "Look there!"

Following her raised paw, everyone looked and saw wisps of gray mist drifting ahead, spreading outwards along the water's surface, and soon it would engulf their boat.

The gray mist seemed to carry a heavy sense of ominousness, making goosebumps rise on every cultivator's back.

Their instincts warned them:

Danger!

This was the Yinsha Qi? He Lingchuan decisively ordered, "Take the pills."

Everyone, including Lingguang, took out a Shattering Fiend Pill and swallowed it.

With such immense celestial and earthly fiendish power ahead, it was best to show respect.

Dozens of breaths later, the gray mist rolled in, enveloping the entire small boat.

Without the warmth of the sun, the water temperature plummeted. Everyone felt a chilling cold invade their bodies, as if they were facing a perpetually sunless cave.

In just that short time, frost actually formed on the boat's gunwale.