Chapter 937: Once More, Death by a Thousand Cuts

This was Dong Rui’s first time venturing deep into the archipelago, and he looked left and right, filled with wonder.

Setting aside the deadly yin-evil, the scenery of the archipelago was picturesque: white sands, green trees, exotic flowers, sheer cliffs, and, of course, the waves crashing against the beach and cliffs, curling up like snowflakes.

This scenery was truly inexhaustible, leaving one feeling expansive and at ease.

Dragon Spine Island was already in sight, and the two ships parted ways.

He Lingchuan and Zhu Xiuer headed to the main island, while Qiu Hu and the other Rongshan disciples escorted Dong Rui to Alfalfa Island—the island Dong Rui had earmarked for himself.

When the divine bone necklace absorbed the yin-evil on Dragon Spine Island, the roar of the King of Yin-Hui once again resounded through the sky, and deep, muffled tremors even emanated from the depths of Dragon Spine Island.

Even without holding the precious scroll, Qiu Hu could hear its uncontrollable rage.

Yet He Lingchuan ignored it, to the point that even Zhu Xiuer was baffled:

"Are you trying to slice it to death?"

Do not underestimate He Lingchuan; merely extracting the yin-evil energy was a ruthless move for the Yin-Hui clan. A few more times, and he could dig up their very roots.

"Last time, that fellow was still roaring and threatening me, saying that once it caught me, it would grind my bones to dust and scatter them, then bury my remains in a fish's belly." Sensing Zhu Xiuer’s displeasure, He Lingchuan said with a solemn expression, "The time isn't right; it’s still in a fit of rage. I must come back in a few days."

"What are you trying to do?" Zhu Xiuer asked him. "If the King of Yin-Hui is a remnant species from ancient times, it cannot possibly submit to you!"

"I know." He Lingchuan rubbed his face. When he successfully ambushed Zhu Erniang in the Demon Nest, she also refused to surrender even in death.

These great monsters from the ancient era mostly possessed a spine of pride. Even if he won by trickery, he could not force them to bow their heads in submission.

"I need to let it calm down so we can talk properly."

The mirror was disdainful: Do you really want to talk properly? No sooner had the words fallen than a Yin-Hui suddenly emerged from beneath the cliff ahead.

The cliff blocked the glaring sunlight, and it curled up in the shadows, shouting at He Lingchuan’s ship.

This Yin-Hui was four zhang long, with a thick waist and sturdy body. Zhu Xiuer twitched her front claws, because this fellow was standing right by the water; one step forward into the sea, and it could ambush the ship.

But the Yin-Hui held its upper body straight, showing no intention of entering the water, only continuing to call out at the ship.

The precious scroll in He Lingchuan’s hand glowed faintly, and Qiu Hu and Zhu Xiuer, within two zhang of it, understood the Yin-Hui’s cry: "My King wishes to have a word with you."

As the ship approached the cliff, He Lingchuan said to the Yin-Hui: "Let it come to talk itself; that would show sincerity."

With the Heavenly Compliance Scroll, a precious treasure, their human voices would automatically be converted into a tone the Yin-Hui could understand when they reached its ears.

The Yin-Hui relayed the message: "Then, please come ashore."

He Lingchuan smiled: "Come ashore? Do we look like fools to you?"

"If you wish to see my King, you must come ashore."

"Do you still not understand who is begging whom right now?" He Lingchuan insisted. "If it doesn't come out, there is nothing to talk about."

The Yin-Hui was silent for a long while, then asked again: "My King wants to know, what exactly are you trying to do, and what will it take for you to stop?"

"The Yangshan Archipelago already belongs to me, including Dragon Spine Island beneath your feet. If your Yin-Hui clan is willing to submit to my command, I will spare your clan a path to survival."

The Yin-Hui on the shore roared a few times, exceptionally furious.

"You heard it too; it said I was delusional, that just by relying on us ant-like humans, blah blah." He Lingchuan shrugged and waved at the Yin-Hui again. "I am not the only one who can absorb yin-evil. My companion is currently on Alfalfa Island, doing exactly what I am doing. You might as well send your subordinates over to verify."

The Yin-Hui on the shore fell silent upon hearing this.

He Lingchuan ordered the ship to continue forward: "I will come back in a few days. I hope you have thought it through by then."

The ship circled the island, deliberately slowing its speed to drain all the evil energy from the island and the surrounding waters.

It took over half an hour in total.

He Lingchuan also saw Yin-Hui surfacing in the sea, but they did not attack his ship, as if they did not want to provoke He Lingchuan further.

Seeing this, he became even more confident: "It will compromise sooner or later. Alright, let’s head back."

The ship sailed with the wind toward Blade Harbor.

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

Qiu Hu reported: "As you requested, we parked the ship at the northwest corner of Alfalfa Island, no more than five zhang from the shore. Indeed, Yin-Hui swam over from the direction of Dragon Spine Island, but they didn't attack us; they just circled the ship to observe, then returned."

"At that time, was Dong Rui absorbing yin-evil?"

Dong Rui said leisurely: "Of course. Mastering the rhythm has always been my strong suit."

"Excellent. Those Yin-Hui were mostly sent out by their leader to check if you could also absorb evil energy." He Lingchuan laughed. "Once seeing is believing, the King of Yin-Hui won't dare to deal with me recklessly."

Dong Rui took a Dragon-Punishing Pillar from his bosom and handed it to He Lingchuan: "This thing is truly powerful; it can even suck away yin-evil."

The Dragon-Punishing Pillar was hollow, and when He Lingchuan took it to look, it seemed empty. Only upon close inspection did he notice a wisp of black smoke, thinner than a hair, flickering and dissipating at the bottom of the tube.

"Absorbing all the yin-evil energy from the three nearby islands only yielded this much." Dong Rui yawned. "It’s quite fun, actually."

This proved that this version of the Dragon-Punishing Pillar had a large capacity and should be able to meet He Lingchuan’s requirements.

Yes, the Dragon-Punishing Pillar in Dong Rui’s hand was the new version He Lingchuan had just commissioned the Great Square Pot to craft. The style was simpler, the relief head was removed, and it was the same length as a middle finger, looking a bit like a test tube from another world.

Because the materials were sufficient this time, the Dragon-Punishing Pillar created by the Great Square Pot had a large capacity. But their primary purpose was to collect yin-evil energy.

Dong Rui had just taken it to test near Alfalfa Island; as a derivative of the Great Square Pot, it also had the effect of a whale drinking water when it came to evil energy.

Confirming this, He Lingchuan let out a long sigh of relief.

This was the foundation of all his subsequent plans; fortunately, everything was as expected.

"The Yin-Hui clan has reached a life-or-death juncture; why won't their boss come out to negotiate?" He Lingchuan asked Zhu Xiuer. "Auntie, you might have really hit the nail on the head."

Ancient great monsters understood ancient great monsters best, even if that was a monster grown in yin-evil.

Zhu Xiuer snorted: "Something is abnormal. I don't think it doesn't want to come out; it can't come out."

She continued: "The Yin-Hui that relayed the message had a strange reaction. You insisted on meeting to negotiate, yet it hesitated for a long time; you said there were others on Alfalfa Island absorbing yin-evil, and it had nothing more to say."

A mouthpiece is only responsible for delivering messages; what was there to hesitate about? "It was thinking of a countermeasure. Hmm, then it wasn't just a mouthpiece."

The mirror in his bosom wondered: If it wasn't a mouthpiece, what could it be? A deputy leader?

(End of chapter)