Chapter 931: Invitation to the Sisters

He Lingchuan’s spiritual consciousness entered the newly opened Mud Pill Palace, and he immediately felt profoundly comfortable, as if soaking in a warm, pleasant hot spring. However, this contradicted what A Luo’s master, Helian Chen, had said earlier: this Upper Dantian barely stored any true power; instead, it was the dwelling place of the soul!

The old man probably hadn't opened his Upper Dantian himself, which explained his inaccurate explanation to He Lingchuan.

Once opened, the Mud Pill Palace overlapped with the Sea of Consciousness, also known as the "Divine Residence." This was not the acupuncture point in the upper abdomen, but rather the nurturing ground for the primordial spirit.

Ancient immortals who could project their primordial spirits and travel hundreds of miles at night all began by cultivating the opening of the Divine Residence.

He also discovered that the Upper, Middle, and Lower Dantians were integrated, meaning a disturbance in one affected the entire system.

With all three Dantians opened, the circulation of true power became significantly more efficient, more than double what it was before.

The more stable one's soul, the higher their cultivation limit could become.

Body and soul, by nature, were interdependent and indispensable.

From this perspective, opening the Upper Dantian was a major obstacle for most cultivators.

In the ancient times, when spiritual energy was abundant, this achievement would have been equivalent to laying a solid foundation, finally taking a crucial step towards the supreme Dao, promising limitless potential and a vast future.

However, constrained by the current era and its environment…

Without favorable conditions, grand ambitions cannot take flight.

He would eventually experience the constraints and limitations that the environment imposed on cultivation.

Of course, that was a matter for later; He Lingchuan realized he still had room for improvement.

Tomorrow's troubles will come tomorrow.

He slowly concluded his practice, remaining seated as he yawned.

The Soul-Snatching Mirror immediately reacted, "Wow, you're finally out of seclusion? You were in there for three days this time! I saw your body twitch several times; were you possessed by inner demons?"

"Almost," He Lingchuan said lightly. "I opened my Upper Dantian."

"Oh," the Soul-Snatching Mirror responded after a moment's pause. "Oh? You what?"

He just opened it, without any fanfare?

He Lingchuan got up, stretched, washed his face with hot water, and then found a restaurant for a big meal.

He had expended a great deal of energy over the past three days and nights; his stomach felt like a bottomless pit. His appetite was at least twice his usual, and he was already a big eater.

He devoured five large, glossy, purple-golden braised pork trotters in one sitting.

He also finished two whole lamb legs boiled in spring water.

Eight large bowls of seaweed fried rice and shrimp fried rice, each bigger than his face.

And countless other seafood dishes, staples, and fruits.

Seven or eight hungry dockworkers couldn't eat as much as he did alone.

After he ordered refills twice, the restaurant's chef refused to believe one person was eating all this and rushed out to see for himself.

Upon seeing him, the chef and other diners witnessed He Lingchuan devouring the food like a storm.

They had never seen anyone eat so much!

The Soul-Snatching Mirror couldn't help but ask, "Hey, is the benefit of opening your Upper Dantian just to gorge yourself?"

The benefit of opening the Upper Dantian was to stabilize the soul and integrate the primordial energy. He Lingchuan cracked open a crab shell with a crunch. "Whoa, the top is full of roe!" he exclaimed.

"If you walked back and forth from the gates of hell dozens of times, I guarantee you'd eat even more than me."

This breakthrough attempt had lasted three days and three nights, leaving both his soul and body utterly exhausted.

The joy of success couldn't negate such physical and mental exhaustion.

Full and satisfied, he walked back to the inn and immediately fell asleep.

A good night's sleep was the best way to restore his vitality.

Dong Rui found He Lingchuan and handed him a black wine urn:

"What you wanted!"

The urn was sealed with wax and a talisman. He Lingchuan weighed it in his hand, feeling small objects inside.

These were the divine bones, processed and cut by Dong Rui.

It was not easy to keep the divine bones active after removing them from the tomb; He Lingchuan wondered how Dong Rui had managed it.

As soon as He Lingchuan took the urn, Dong Rui spread his hands. "Where's my island? When will you give it to me?"

"There's still one major hurdle to overcome," He Lingchuan sighed. "I still don't know the full extent of that monster on Dragon's Ridge Island. I've sent people to inquire everywhere over the past few days, including the elders of Blade's Edge Port, but no one has ever seen this King of the Shadow Vipers."

He asked Granny Zhu, who was beside him, "Granny, have you ever heard of such a monster before?"

"Rarely," Granny Zhu, a straightforward woman, replied. "Earthly Fiends aren't uncommon; they usually make land barren and life impossible. But an Earthly Fiend Yin Vein like the Benevolent Archipelagos is quite rare."

He Lingchuan recalled the Coiling Dragon Desert and the former territory of Yuan Kingdom, which indeed exhibited typical characteristics of so-called "cursed lands."

Dong Rui asked, puzzled, "Are Earthly Fiend Yin Veins rare?"

"Earthly Fiend Yin Veins *like this* are rare!" Granny Zhu emphasized the word "this." "The Benevolent Archipelagos are bathed in sunlight during the day, and all the Earthly Fiends in exposed areas are purged by the sun, only regenerating every seven days. Other Earthly Fiend Yin Veins are mostly in extremely Yin and desolate places, never seeing sunlight."

"Although Shadow Vipers live in Yin Fiend areas, Yin Fiend energy is like air to them; it allows them to breathe normally. But besides that, they also need to eat."

He Lingchuan understood: "The Benevolent Archipelagos have both Yin Fiend energy and ordinary living beings, making them an ideal habitat for Shadow Vipers."

"Exactly. There are fish in the water, and they taste good," Granny Zhu said, having casually caught a few on the boat. "That's why Shadow Vipers are rare. But if the King of Shadow Vipers on the island were an ancient great demon, it shouldn't have been able to escape so easily the first time we landed on Dragon's Ridge Island."

"Aren't Shadow Vipers afraid of light?"

"Ancient great demons have ways to temporarily avoid sunlight," Granny Zhu stated. "Besides, Dragon's Ridge Island is its lair, with interconnected underground tunnels. Even if it hid from the sun, it should have had a way to intercept us."

Although Granny Zhu was highly experienced in combat, she also understood the principle that even a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake. As monsters nurtured by the same earthly energy, the King of Shadow Vipers shouldn't be much easier to deal with than Ju Ju on Mount Xu.

"Are you saying...?" He Lingchuan pondered.

"Either it's not that strong, or... there's something hidden going on."

"I hadn't thought of that," He Lingchuan's eyes brightened. "But your point, Granny, makes a lot of sense! We drained the Yin Fiend turbidity from the archipelagos twice, putting the entire Shadow Viper population in peril, yet this large creature never intervened personally; it only sent giant vipers ashore to find us."

Why didn't it leave Dragon's Ridge Island?

If the King of Shadow Vipers wasn't on the level of an ancient demon immortal, his subsequent negotiations should be much easier.

"Mmm," Granny Zhu grunted, grabbing a large jar of fine wine, piercing its clay seal, and taking a long sip.

The way she drank reminded He Lingchuan of how he used to drink bubble tea in his original world. He casually asked, "By the way, where is Second Granny now?"

"She's passed Centurion Ridge; she'll be at Blade's Edge Port in another four or five days."

Dong Rui listened, then frowned. "Wait, Second Granny? Second Granny is coming?"

He glared at Granny Zhu. "How long have we been living together, and you never mentioned this?"

"Didn't I?" Granny Zhu raised a forepaw and scratched her mouth.

He Lingchuan cleared his throat. "I forgot to tell you that I also invited Second Granny to settle in the Benevolent Archipelagos."

Second Granny Zhu had arrived in eastern Mou Kingdom two months before him and resided in a canyon.

These two spider demon sisters had a peculiar telepathic connection, allowing for real-time communication. He Lingchuan used Granny Zhu to invite Second Granny Zhu to settle in his new territory, the Benevolent Archipelagos.

"Why?" Dong Rui protested. "I contributed divine bones; what does she have?"

"She has output," He Lingchuan said, counting on his fingers for Dong Rui. "Fluorescent spores, spider silk, aphid honey... What did I miss? You can add it."

"Fungi," Dong Rui muttered resentfully. "Does she also get a separate island?"

"Yes, she has many offspring, and a small island wouldn't be enough for them." Unlike her older sister who preferred to be alone, Second Granny Zhu always brought her entire family wherever she went.

Moving was always a great ordeal for her. So, Second Granny Zhu had thoroughly pondered He Lingchuan's invitation, weighing it carefully for several days before finally agreeing.

He Lingchuan seemed to detect a hint of reluctance.

But it didn't matter; he didn't care.

The Benevolent Archipelagos were far more suitable as a cozy home for Second Granny Zhu than any deep ravine or canyon. If she wished, she could even create her own "Silk Web Cave" there.

With this master cultivator, He Lingchuan's territory would become immensely rich in resources.

In the early stages, these were crucial resources.

Dong Rui grunted, no longer dwelling on the issue. "By the way, didn't you subdue a den of pirates?"

"Yes, and I'm soon meeting the leader of another pirate group for a meal." Min Tianxi, the Second Master, had arranged for him to meet Huang Zhao, the First Master, at the Yellowfish Tavern in Blade's Edge Port.

Both sides had, of course, been informed.

Min Tianxi had a good personal relationship with Huang Zhao and had shared his observations from Dragon's Ridge Island with him.

After careful consideration, Huang Zhao decided to meet He Lingchuan.

Seeing is believing, after all.

He Lingchuan remembered something. "By the way, did you activate the Child-Devouring Ghost Beast I gave you?"

He had traded a Child-Devouring Ghost Beast, produced by the Heavenly Palace, for forty active divine bones from Dong Rui. Frankly, he had certainly gotten the better end of that deal.

"Not yet," Dong Rui said seriously. "It's not ready."

Ready? Did it take so much effort to awaken a ghost beast?

He Lingchuan wasn't familiar with this process, but seeing Dong Rui's earnestness, he humored him. "Be careful not to get swallowed by it."

"Me, swallowed?" Dong Rui shot him a contemptuous look. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

He Lingchuan shrugged. "If you need help, just ask. Don't be shy."

Granny Zhu added, "Same here."

At that moment, Wang Fubao from Rong Mountain arrived to report, "Young Master, the notice for recruiting artisans was posted in Blade's Edge Port four days ago, and so far, two hundred people have signed up. Some even came with their entire teams."

Dong Rui rejoiced, "That fast? I thought no one would dare go to the Benevolent Archipelagos."

Wang Fubao scratched his head. "We're offering higher wages, after all."

"The Benevolent Archipelagos aren't scary; poverty is," He Lingchuan smiled. "A few days ago, Steward Ding already recruited many tenant farmers and laborers to work on the islands, mostly from Qing Kingdom and Bailei."

He praised, "Free Port really is a good place; it attracts many useful people."

The next day, under clear skies, He Lingchuan explored the waters around Dragon's Ridge Island again. This time, he was accompanied not only by Granny Zhu and the Rong Mountain disciples but also by Dong Rui.

However, Dong Rui and Qiu Hu were on a different boat.