Chapter 935: 茏灏

Huang Zhao and Min Tianxi both vehemently denied spreading the news. He Lingchuan, provisionally believing them, suspected the source was Yue Pinghe, the Third Dao Lord.

Apart from the Bailie people, Yue Pinghe was likely the last person who wanted He Lingchuan to be deified, as it would make negotiations with him much harder.

The pirates before him braved storms and lived a life of constant danger. He Lingchuan knew well that to inspire awe in such men, he needed to demonstrate a "miracle." This miracle had to be accomplished solely through his own power.

"Yinhui!" shouted the lookout, pointing at the water.

The grey mist had dispersed, revealing one colossal, python-like figure after another emerging from the sea, their bodies mottled grey and black. The pirates knew well these were the Yinhui, former rulers of the deeper parts of the archipelago.

They had fought these creatures before and knew their terrifying power. Now, dozens of them appeared together, each at least twice the size of a regular Yinhui, their dark, ominous eyes fixed on the pirates.

The oppressive presence made everyone's scalp tingle, and they instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons.

What were their chances in a naval battle against such massive beasts?

They had also heard about Island Master He's feat of killing dozens of enormous Yinhui, but that day had been sunny, whereas today was heavily overcast.

Today, the sea was the Yinhui's domain.

While the crew felt anxious, the Yinhui did not attack. Instead, they swam alongside the ships, seemingly guiding them all the way to Dragon's Ridge Island.

Human vessels and Yinhui traveled in the same direction, mere yards apart, yet no conflict arose. The pirates, who had roamed the Yangshan Archipelago for many years, had never witnessed such a bizarre sight.

They turned to look at the main ship and saw Island Master He standing calmly at the bow, his robes fluttering in the wind, his hands clasped behind his back.

The mirror in his arms also asked, "Why aren't these Yinhui attacking?"

"The Earth Fiend Yin Veins will erupt tonight. If they dare offend me, I'll return tomorrow morning to collect the Yin fiend energy. How many 'six-day' cycles do you think the Yinhui clan can last then?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Besides, the King of Yinhui has been waiting for me. I specifically chose an overcast day to come, which shows my sincerity."

Accompanied by the colossal Yinhui, the ships slowly approached Dragon's Ridge Island.

The Yinhui carcasses on the beach had mostly vanished; it was unclear how the King of Yinhui had disposed of them.

Several enormous Yinhui leaped onto the beach, hissing and roaring at the ship.

He Lingchuan translated, "The King of Yinhui cordially invites me ashore for a discussion."

Min Tianxi worried, "This isn't advisable; it's too dangerous." The sinkhole on Dragon's Ridge Island was synonymous with a perilous trap.

"If their attitude is right, what harm is there in talking?" He Lingchuan said to Min and Huang. "I'll be back soon; wait here for me."

The two Dao Lords could only nod in agreement.

He Lingchuan then chose Granny Zhu to accompany him, leaving Qiu Hu and the Rongshan disciples behind.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, one person and one spider jumped from the ship onto the sandy shore, walking step by step towards the land.

On board, the pirates exchanged glances, all feeling that the scene unfolding before them was something they had never seen in their lives.

Since when could Yinhui communicate with humans?

Since when did Yinhui welcome humans onto their island?

Huang Zhao also watched their retreating figures, quietly asking Min Tianxi, "Old Min, what do you think?"

Even from his perspective, He Lingchuan's action seemed like a reckless suicide mission.

Going alone—or rather, with just one powerful demon, which was practically alone—into the King of Yinhui's lair, was he truly tired of living? Was he not afraid of being disliked and swallowed whole?

"Just wait," Min Tianxi said, his gaze fixed. "Young Master He always thinks his astonishing moves through carefully. I believe he's already planned this."

The last meeting at Fishbone Reef was due to his own carelessness; Young Master He had already designed the entire plan.

After more than ten days of interaction, he felt even more convinced of He Lingchuan's profound strategic mind. How could such a person casually walk to his death?

Huang Zhao' lowered his voice even further: "Then what about us...?"

Even if their dozens of people remained on the ship, this was still the Yinhui's den. If He Lingchuan couldn't handle the Yinhui leader, they would all suffer the consequences.

Qiu Hu, who was clearly on another ship, now looked up at the two of them. Huang Zhao had a persistent feeling that the young man's eyes were burning, wondering if he had overheard something.

"Just wait." Min Tianxi had already considered this question. "Young Master He should return safely. If you try to run then... No superior would tolerate a two-faced subordinate."

Huang Zhao mumbled, "Where do you get such confidence?"

"If you had seen them slaughter Yinhui as easily as butchering chickens, like I have, you'd naturally have confidence too," Min Tianxi said earnestly. "As I said before, Young Master He isn't crazy; he knows exactly what he's doing."

Huang Zhao nodded. Seeing his subordinates peeking around with flickering eyes, he couldn't help but frown. "What are you looking at?"

"Dao Lord Huang, should we...?" A pirate gestured towards the sea with his chin. Should they slip away?

Huang Zhao slapped the ship's rail and burst into a string of reprimands, "What do you mean, 'should we'! Everyone stay put honestly! Young Master He will be back soon!"

Qiu Hu heard this, crossed his arms, and grunted.

When He Lingchuan and his companions again set foot on Dragon's Ridge Island, the vegetation was still lush, but the mountain forest was eerily silent.

Everywhere, colossal bamboo stalks, some green-skinned, some yellow-skinned, stood twelve or thirteen zhang tall, their diameters exceeding a chi—truly "barrel-waisted."

Alongside rocky streams, such giant bamboos often rose from the ground, forming magnificent forests.

This was also the most common sight in the Yangshan Archipelago.

The walls of leaves woven by bamboo branches were so dense they were almost airtight.

A Yinhui was waiting in the bamboo grove. Seeing He Lingchuan approach, it turned and led the way, walking at a steady, unhurried pace.

The route was southwest.

He Lingchuan followed it, strolling leisurely.

He had earned himself a protective charm; otherwise, how would he dare venture deep into the Yinhui's lair?

The last time, Dong Rui had successfully tested the Dragon Punishment Pillar on Muxu Island, which also confirmed He Lingchuan's warning to the King of Yinhui:

Besides him, others could also absorb the fiendish energy from the Earth Fiend Yin Veins.

If the King of Yinhui dared to harm him, it should expect He Lingchuan's companions to come for revenge!

At that point, it would be the end for the Yinhui clan.

This was He Lingchuan's true confidence in venturing alone into the Yinhui's lair.

After half an hour of traversing mountains, crossing pits, and passing through caves, the person and the spider slowly approached the sinkhole.

The Yinhui had guided them along a shortcut; otherwise, their previous journey would have taken much longer.

Standing on the edge of the sinkhole, one truly appreciated the grandeur of this geological wonder. He Lingchuan had visited Granny Zhu's demon lair and had also attended classes at the Ask-the-Immortals Hall in Panlong City—the hall itself was a huge sinkhole, but compared to the "White Abyss" sinkhole before him, neither its size nor its depth could be mentioned in the same breath.

More than a hundred zhang away, on the other side of the sinkhole, a waterfall cascaded down a thousand feet, its roar like thunder, filling the air with mist. Seeing this hanging white silk, He Lingchuan knew the origin of the name "White Abyss."

The leading Yinhui reached this point and then began to descend, climbing down the thick vines on the cliff edge.

Granny Zhu immediately said, "Get on my back."

He Lingchuan climbed onto the spider's back, a familiar maneuver by now.

Then the giant spider moved its eight legs, swiftly adhering to the rock face and descending vertically.

It didn't need to climb vines to descend the cliff; it could simply walk straight down the rock face at a ninety-degree angle.

The deeper they went into the sinkhole, the more profound the darkness became. The bottom of the deep pit, unreachable by sunlight, was covered in strange grasses.

The leading Yinhui continued downwards, but Granny Zhu stopped on a massive stone platform.

"Something is coming up from below," she said.

This solid rock protruded outwards, roughly parallel to the bottom of the pit, and also blocked the sunlight from reaching the deep pool.

Just as Granny Zhu finished speaking, he distinguished another sound, one that had been obscured by the roar of the waterfall:

A clanking and scraping sound, as if something heavy and hard was being dragged across the stones.

A dozen breaths later, a massive figure emerged from below onto the platform:

A Yinhui.

The one that had guided He Lingchuan earlier, four zhang long, was already a rare sight on land; but compared to the Yinhui before them now, it was like a kitten next to a tiger.

Only half of its body was visible, already measuring eight zhang, with a portion of its tail hidden in the darkness, its full length unknown.

This Yinhui's form was no different from its kin, but its snout was elongated, its nose protruded, and even fine whiskers grew along its jaws.

Even stranger, it had two bulging lumps on its head.

At first glance, He Lingchuan surprisingly felt it resembled a blurry version of... a flood dragon?

Granny Zhu's voice sounded in his ear: "It's truly blessed by nature. Perhaps in another hundred years, it might cultivate into a Yin Flood Dragon."

There was a hint of envy in her voice.

While the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was weakening, some spiritual creatures, relying on unique living environments, continued to fare better than other demons.

The great Fire Spirit Jujiu in Xu Mountain was one such example, and now this monster from the depths of the sinkhole was another.

However, this Yinhui's scales were not as glossy as its offspring's; instead, they looked worn from abrasion and scars, with a faint whitish sheen around the plates, like pebbles on a riverbed polished by years of flowing water.

This was an old one.

And no one could ignore the several long chains on its back!

Two chains pierced through the King of Yinhui's shoulder bones, and another two were likely nailed to its ribs, emitting dull clanking sounds with its movements.

This was the strange noise He Lingchuan and Granny Zhu had heard earlier.

He was also particularly surprised that there was an artifact capable of withstanding the corrosive effects of Yin fiend energy and keeping this King of Yinhui permanently bound.

But upon closer inspection, the chains were neither metal nor iron; they glowed with a bone-like milky white, and even the parts closest to the King of Yinhui's shoulder bones were slightly yellowish—it had four limbs, thus possessing an extra set of shoulder bones compared to a snake demon.

These were... bone chains?

What creature's bones could withstand the ravages of Yin fiend energy and the struggles of this King of Yinhui?

The enormous creature before them spoke first: "We have long resided here, why did you harm my offspring?"

It didn't roar as before, but both who held the Golden Covenant Scroll could discern its suppressed rage.

He Lingchuan countered, "How should I address you?"

"Longhao," the monster rumbled. "From the Yin Dragon lineage of the Upside-down Sea in Qingling Mountain."

"My surname is He; you may call me Island Master He," He Lingchuan said, cupping one hand in the other as a salute. "I have taken over the Yangshan Archipelago from Bailie."

"Island Master He?" The King of Yinhui, Longhao, laughed instead of getting angry. "You and I had no past grievances, so why did you seize the foundation of my clan?"

He Lingchuan looked up at it: "If I had paid a peaceful visit, would I have been able to meet you?"