Chapter 932: Again Being Lingchi

Qiu Hu checked the time, noting how quickly it had passed. This was already the fourth day since the last terrestrial gush, meaning the next one would occur three nights later.

This was Dong Rui's first time venturing deep into the archipelago, and he looked around, finding everything new and fascinating.

Aside from the deadly ominous energy, the archipelago's scenery was picturesque, with white sand, green trees, exotic flowers, and towering cliffs. Of course, there were also waves crashing against the beaches and cliffs, curling like snowflakes.

This scenery was truly captivating, never tiring to the eye, and it filled one with a sense of expansive serenity.

With Dragon Spine Island now in sight, the two ships parted ways.

He Lingchuan and Grandma Zhu headed for the main island, while Qiu Hu and the other Rongshan disciples escorted Dong Rui to Clover Island, the island Dong Rui had reserved for himself.

As the divine bone necklace absorbed the ominous energy from Dragon Spine Island, the King of Yinrui's furious roar once again echoed across the sky. Even from deep within Dragon Spine Island, a deep, muffled tremor could be felt.

Even without holding the precious scroll, Qiu Hu could discern the creature's uncontrollable rage.

Yet, He Lingchuan continued to ignore it, which even bewildered Grandma Zhu. "Are you subjecting it to a slow, agonizing torment?" she asked.

Although He Lingchuan was merely extracting the ominous energy, this action was exceptionally ruthless to the Yinrui tribe. A few more times and it could completely uproot their foundation.

"Last time, that creature roared and threatened me, vowing to grind my bones to dust and bury them in a fish's belly once it caught me." Noticing Grandma Zhu's displeasure, He Lingchuan's expression turned serious. "The time isn't right. It's still in a rage, so I'll have to return in a few days."

"What exactly do you intend to do?" Grandma Zhu pressed him. "If the King of Yinrui is a remnant of an ancient species, it can't possibly submit to you!"

"I know," He Lingchuan replied, rubbing his face. Even after he successfully ambushed Second Grandma Zhu in the demon lair, she had resisted to the death, refusing to surrender.

Most of these great ancient demons possessed immense pride. Even if he outsmarted and defeated them, he couldn't force them to submit.

"I need to make it calm down first; then we can have a proper discussion."

The mirror in his hand scoffed internally, *Do you really want to talk properly?*

No sooner had he spoken than a Yinrui suddenly emerged from beneath the cliff ahead.

The cliff blocked the glaring sunlight, and the creature coiled in the shadows, roaring at He Lingchuan's ship.

This Yinrui was forty feet long, stout and thick-waisted. Grandma Zhu subtly shifted her front paws, aware that the creature was standing right by the water's edge, capable of ambushing the ship with a single step into the sea.

However, the Yinrui held its upper body perfectly straight, showing no intention of entering the sea. It merely continued to roar at the ship.

The precious scroll in He Lingchuan's hand glowed faintly. Within twenty-two feet of it, Qiu Hu and Grandma Zhu understood the Yinrui's cries: "My King wishes to speak with you."

As the ship drew closer to the cliff, He Lingchuan addressed the Yinrui: "For true sincerity, let your king come to speak personally."

Thanks to the Heavenly Oath Scroll, their human voices would automatically convert into a tone the Yinrui could understand when speaking to it.

The Yinrui relayed: "Then, please come ashore."

He Lingchuan smiled. "Come ashore? Do you take us for fools?"

"To meet my King, you must come ashore."

"Do you not understand who's currently seeking whom?" He Lingchuan insisted. "If your king doesn't come out, there's nothing to discuss."

The Yinrui fell silent for a moment, then asked, "My King wishes to know exactly what you intend to do, and what it will take for you to stop?"

"The Yangshan Archipelago is now mine, including Dragon Spine Island beneath your feet. If your Yinrui tribe is willing to follow my arrangements, I will grant your people a path to survival."

The Yinrui on shore roared several times, clearly enraged.

"You heard it," He Lingchuan said with a shrug, then waved at the Yinrui, "It called me delusional, dismissing us as mere ant-like humans, and so on. However, I'm not the only one who can absorb ominous energy. My companion is currently on Clover Island, doing the exact same thing. You might want to send your subordinates to verify."

The Yinrui on shore fell silent upon hearing this.

He Lingchuan ordered the ship to continue forward. "I'll return in a few days. Hopefully, by then, you'll have thought things through."

The seaship circled the island, deliberately slowing its speed to absorb all the ominous energy from the island and its surrounding waters.

The entire process took over half an hour.

He Lingchuan also noticed Yinrui surfacing in the sea, but they did not attack the ship, seemingly unwilling to provoke him further.

Witnessing this, he felt even more confident. "It will compromise sooner or later. All right, let's head back."

With the wind at their backs, the seaship sailed towards Blade Port.

Midway, they rendezvoused with Dong Rui's ship and returned together.

Qiu Hu reported, "As you requested, we moored the ship at Clover Island's northwest corner, no more than fifty-five feet from the shore. Indeed, Yinrui swam over from the direction of Dragon Spine Island, but they didn't attack us. Instead, they circled our ship, observed, and then returned."

"At that time, was Dong Rui absorbing the ominous energy?"

Dong Rui leisurely replied, "Of course, controlling the rhythm has always been my strong suit."

"Excellent. Those Yinrui were likely dispatched by their leader to verify if you, too, could absorb the ominous energy," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Once they witness it firsthand, the King of Yinrui won't dare to act against me so carelessly."

Dong Rui took a Dragon Punishment Pillar from his pocket and handed it to He Lingchuan. "This thing is truly amazing; it can even absorb ominous energy."

The Dragon Punishment Pillar's tube was hollow. He Lingchuan took it and looked inside, seemingly finding nothing. Only upon closer inspection did he notice a faint, wispy tendril of black smoke at the bottom of the tube, materializing and dissipating, thinner than a strand of hair.

"After absorbing all the ominous energy from the three nearby islands, it's still just this tiny amount," Dong Rui said with a yawn. "It's quite amusing."

This indicated that this version of the Dragon Punishment Pillar had a large capacity and should meet He Lingchuan's requirements.

Indeed, the Dragon Punishment Pillar in Dong Rui's hand was the new version He Lingchuan had recently commissioned Da Fanghu to create. Its design was simpler, without the ornate carved head, and it was about the length of a middle finger, resembling a test tube from another world.

As materials were abundant this time, the Dragon Punishment Pillars created by Da Fanghu had a large capacity. However, their primary purpose was to collect ominous energy.

Dong Rui had just tested it near Clover Island. As a derivative of Da Fanghu, it also had the effect of a 'whale absorbing water' when it came to ominous energy.

Confirming this, He Lingchuan truly breathed a sigh of relief.

This was the foundation for all his subsequent plans, and thankfully, everything was proceeding as expected.

"The Yinrui tribe is at a critical juncture for survival, so why isn't their leader willing to come out and negotiate?" He Lingchuan asked Grandma Zhu. "Grandma, you might be onto something."

Ancient great demons understood ancient great demons best, even if the latter was a monster born from ominous energy.

Grandma Zhu snorted, "Something is unusual. I don't think it doesn't want to come out; I think it *can't*."

She continued, "The Yinrui that relayed the message had a strange reaction. When you insisted on a face-to-face discussion, it hesitated for a long time. And when you mentioned someone else was absorbing ominous energy on Clover Island, it offered no further comment."

A mere messenger's job is only to relay messages, so what would there be to hesitate about?

"It was thinking about countermeasures. Hmm, in that case, it's more than just a messenger."

The mirror in his hand wondered aloud, "If not a messenger, what else could it be? A vice-leader?"