Chapter 923: Dragon Sucking Water

Chapter 913: The Waterspout

If it were him, he would move to Dragonspine Island and directly challenge the King of Yin Hui.

"The Tianke Treasure Scroll can repel Yin Hui but not Yin Sha," Min Tianxi explained, holding nothing back. "Dragonspine Island is one of the sources of this foul Yin Sha energy, so we cannot approach it. Furthermore, if we were to rashly settle on Dragonspine Island, I doubt the Tianke Treasure Scroll could withstand the King of Yin Hui's wrath."

He Lingchuan, always quick to grasp the essential points, asked, "What did the ancient immortals come to Dragonspine Island for?"

"They supposedly extracted Yin Sha for refinement. As for what they refined, I don't know," Min Tianxi said dryly. "These immortal techniques are beyond my understanding."

"Refinement?"

From behind, Sorcerer Xiang Lian chimed in, "It was probably a weapon against enemies, or something harmful."

"Oh?"

"Even in ancient times, there were forbidden lands that even immortals dared not approach. I suspect the Yin Sha-ridden lands are one such place; staying here too long could lead to entanglement with malevolent entities," Sorcerer Xiang Lian explained. "Given that, Yin Sha might indeed be refined into a weapon. Ancient immortals often collected wisps of light, mountain miasma, or river water for refinement, so their purpose in coming here might also have been to gather raw materials."

He Lingchuan recalled the "Green Willow Bottle" from the Qing Palace's old collection, which had easily contained half a river's water and completely scattered Zhao Pan's army.

"Indeed."

He Lingchuan then changed the subject: "You've seen people who died from Yin Sha exposure, haven't you? What do they look like?"

"When the time comes, with a favorable wind, we can take the Westerly Strait. This ship is good; if five of us work together, we can leave the danger zone in just thirty minutes and reach the outermost perimeter in two hours," Min Tianxi replied with certainty. "That's strange, are there any other heavy objects in the cabin? There are fewer than twenty of us; the ship should be moving faster."

He knew very well that he would only be safe on this ship if he proved his value.

They were thoroughly soaked, trembling as they looked at He Lingchuan, unsure if it was from the cold or from fear.

This was his method for taming pirates; for taking over other factions, he might employ a different approach.

Min Tianxi cautiously asked, "The Yin Sha in the depths of the archipelago is so dense that even immortals are unwilling to approach. A-are you not afraid?"

He Lingchuan asked, "No exceptions?"

"After some people die, their bodies grow fur, and they turn into unconscious zombies, wandering the island all day long. But they fear water and light, so they generally cannot reach human settlements."

As arrogant as he had been before, he was now equally submissive, at least on the surface. He Lingchuan was quite satisfied with this.

The scene resembled a massive whale drawing in water, with the gray mist automatically converging from all directions, even forming a huge, visible vortex directly above the ship.

The pirates were secretly astonished: *You don't know? You don't know, yet you dare to bravely venture into the depths of the archipelago? And you're dragging us along to die with you?*

It was as if the man himself were a giant black hole or a bottomless chasm; the Yin Sha vanished without a trace the moment it touched him.

Only when the pirates' arrogance had been completely worn away by pain and fear would they become utterly submissive to He Lingchuan. After that, if their new master showed them even a little kindness, they would be profusely grateful and utterly devoted.

Only Qiu Hu remembered the two men in the water: "The two who jumped overboard, should we fish them out?"

To those hiding at the stern, this "young master" was like a bottomless pit, absorbing any amount of Yin Sha without refusal.

The sights they witnessed today repeatedly shattered their previous understanding.

He Lingchuan knew well that methods should always serve the ultimate goal.

After all, bullying the weak and admiring the strong is ingrained in most people's instincts.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "Within thirty minutes."

How could any human accomplish such a feat!

He Lingchuan smiled without speaking, appearing unfathomably profound.

He Lingchuan glanced at him and smiled.

They looked around, planning their course in their minds.

Everyone found this reasonable. Hadn't Xiang Lian just said that only immortals possessed such methods?

Although Yin Sha cannot withstand sunlight, the sea is often stormy, and sometimes a cloud can obscure the sun. It's truly unpredictable when one might encounter Yin Sha. Therefore, the pirates in this area never venture deep into the archipelago; only merchant ships cornered by them would dare to take such a risk.

If they are ruthless, you must be even more ruthless.If they are brutal, you must be even more brutal.

He Lingchuan's spirits lifted. "When?"

Pointing like that was incredibly rude, but He Lingchuan knew the man was agitated and didn't bother to scold him.

As soon as everyone spotted the gray mist, it began to move, drifting straight towards the ship.

With diverse objectives, methods must be adaptable.

Whoever has the strongest fist is the boss.

The ship was now less than twenty li from Dragonspine Island, and the Yin Sha along the way had been completely absorbed by He Lingchuan. For native pirates like Min Tianxi, opportunities to venture deep into the archipelago were actually rare.

Another pirate stammered, "Are you an immortal? Only immortals can c-collect Yin Sha!"

The four pirates on board were dumbfounded. Min Tianxi, pointing at He Lingchuan, was too shocked to speak: "Th-this... how is this possible!"

Min Tianxi quickly shook his head. "We only hear rumors of it. Besides, we generally don't venture into the depths of the archipelago."

He Lingchuan grunted in affirmation. "Yes, there are things in the cabin that cannot be discarded."

"A Ba?" Min Tianxi actually recognized the creature. "Yes, I heard that a Ba appeared in the Yangshan Archipelago a very long time ago."

With Young Master He present, the Yin Sha couldn't even reach anyone else, so they had nothing to fear.

He Lingchuan turned back and asked him, "Have you ever seen the King of Yin Hui?"

From a distance, it looked as if a tornado had formed, popularly known as a waterspout.

Disappeared.

The nearest island behind them was three li away; given their swimming ability, reaching it wouldn't be a problem.

These two didn't forget to look back and observe, only to find the Yin Sha rushing swiftly towards the ship, leaving them so terrified they couldn't close their mouths.

Today was overcast, with thick clouds blanketing the sky, and the sun never appeared. Sailing into the depths of the archipelago at this time was most dangerous, as the Yin Sha had long since spread across the sea surface.

Subsequently, those two "clever" escapees who had abandoned ship were dragged back on board.

Qiu Hu and the others watched their strange behavior, secretly amused.

You had to enlighten them with "truth," which meant:

Instead, the ship fearlessly advanced.

The center of the vortex was He Lingchuan, and remarkably, there wasn't a single wisp of gray mist there—none at all!

Min Tianxi remained silent. After He Lingchuan had repeatedly smashed him in the face twelve times, his mind had become remarkably clear:

This Young Master He actually acted quite methodically; it was just that they hadn't understood it before. Therefore, he probably wouldn't drag the entire crew to their deaths... right?

Thus, Min Tianxi was utterly bewildered.

It was as if dark clouds were floating onto the water's surface, changing direction mid-course as if sentient.

Min Tianxi looked at his fluttering sleeves, then at the sky, and finally even sniffed a few times before speaking: "Depending on the situation, the wind direction could change in as quickly as fifteen minutes, or as long as it takes an incense stick to burn. Young Master, when would you like to turn back and leave?"

Indeed, being constantly tolerant and lenient with bandits would only make them think you were easy to bully.

The pirates had at least two theories: Either Young Master He could absorb Yin Sha himself—in which case, was he some kind of demon or ghost?

The other possibility was that he possessed a treasure capable of absorbing Yin Sha!

If that were the case, the treasure was truly extraordinary. Ordinary magical artifacts, if contaminated by Yin Sha, would be polluted just like people and would be damaged if exposed for too long.

The previous few times, he had killed someone right after smiling. Now, Min Tianxi felt a chill whenever he saw He Lingchuan's smile and instinctively avoided his gaze.

He simply sat down and started drinking.

The Rongshan people on board, being experienced, immediately stood ten feet behind He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan asked them, "If I let you take over this ship, how quickly could you paddle out of the depths of the archipelago?"

Until an hour later—

They were seasoned pirates who had weathered many storms and seen the world. They knew that Yin Sha wouldn't simply vanish into thin air, but that it could be collected. What He Lingchuan was doing wasn't dispelling the Yin Sha at all; it was *collecting* it!

"Fish them out."

Making people genuinely fear you isn't difficult, but earning their genuine respect requires more than just "cleverness."

After another hour or so of sailing, the ship ventured deeper into the archipelago, and faint gray mist began to appear in the waters ahead.

As the ship drew closer to Dragonspine Island, the gray mist on the sea surface grew thicker and denser, and its movement towards He Lingchuan became even more resolute.

A sense of mystery can transform fear into respect.

Watching the Yin Sha from the fan-shaped area ahead all converge, the pirates felt their scalps tingle with dread.

The other pirates' eyes darted around, secretly assessing their chances of escaping by jumping into the sea.

"Generally speaking, merely touching a bit of faint mist will cause dizziness, nausea, and incessant vomiting, but prompt withdrawal means it's not too late. If one stays in the mist for too long, or if the Yin Sha concentration is high, one will quickly go insane and soon die."

Like the Rongshan people, the pirates went from initial disbelief to utter bewilderment, and finally to a state of calm acceptance, no longer surprised.

The Yin Sha, which typically avoided everyone, instead rushed towards He Lingchuan like moths to a flame, and then—

Min Tianxi, who had been keeping a close eye on the ship's direction, finally couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, isn't this ship heading deeper into the archipelago?"

If not for the swirling gray mist surrounding them, their demeanor would have been that of people enjoying a pleasure cruise.

The ship's speed increased, forging straight ahead without a single turn.

"I told you before that I could dispel the Yin Sha of the Yangshan Archipelago, didn't I? You didn't believe me, did you?" He Lingchuan said, looking towards Dragonspine Island. "Then see it for yourself."

"That's unclear; it's just a legend."

With two "plops," two pirates seized the chance to abandon ship and jump into the water, swimming towards the island behind them without a backward glance.

The further they went, the more shocking this scene became.

Cold sweat reappeared on Min Tianxi's forehead. "Everyone's constitution is different, and so is their resistance to malignant energy. But for most people, even if they hold their breath when encountering it, it will seep through their pores into their skin and invade their vital organs."

He Lingchuan muttered, "Why does that sound like a place a Ba would favor?"

If he said no, it meant no. Min Tianxi thought for a moment. "After the sun comes out, the wind will be even stronger."

"When will the sun appear?"

Min Tianxi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he looked up at the sky and consulted with his companions.

"Looking at these cloud formations, at most in about five to ten minutes."