[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-962":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After the Immortals Disappeared",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2284846,4468,"Chapter 962: Water and Land Reconnaissance","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-962",962,"\u003Cp>\"Sigh, isn't it just that I don't want to watch people go to their deaths again?\" Again? The leader sitting at the bow of the boat raised an eyebrow upon hearing the voice from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This stretch of water was prone to trouble; it was indeed an ideal habitat for spider demons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further ahead, there were no more ships, and even the wind grew heavy. The water surface was empty and vast, with only birds appearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leader felt a premonition and suddenly gripped the blade in his hand: \"Something is coming!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two breaths later, the hull shook violently, as if it had struck an underwater reef.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A subordinate reached out with an oar to strike twice, but instead of hitting a reef, a massive force suddenly surged from the oar, trying to drag him into the sea! Seeing him lunge forward involuntarily and about to fall into the water, the leader reacted quickly, reaching out to grab his shoulder and pull him back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small boat rocked violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let go!\" They had no leverage sitting in the boat, and the monster beneath the water was too strong; if they kept at it, the boat would capsize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subordinate let go, and the oar was snatched away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, there were two spare oars in the boat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rocking of the hull gradually ceased, and two dark, murky things surfaced on the water three zhang away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They resembled snakes, their bodies as thick as water barrels, yet they incongruously possessed four arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They appeared simultaneously on both sides of the small boat, and their dead-fish eyes staring over were hair-raising. One of the Yin Serpents was still clutching the oar it had just snatched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So these are Yin Serpents?\" Their appearance matched the boat boss's description, but they were more oppressive to look at. \"They also seem to be social monsters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Yin Serpents did not move forward to attack; they just stared at the three people on the boat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is a warning; they won't be polite if we go any further.\" The leader stroked his chin. \"These things are surprisingly polite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subordinate asked for instructions: \"Lord Yu, shall we proceed or turn back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only their first reconnaissance mission today; there was no need to clash head-on with these monsters in the middle of the sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Turn back.\" The leader, Lord Yu, waved his hand at the Yin Serpent holding the oar. \"Give me back the oar, and we'll leave right now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He repeated this several times, but the Yin Serpent only tilted its head to look at him, showing no reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu muttered: \"Limited intelligence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subordinate grabbed a wooden oar and rowed carefully. Because he was rowing in the opposite direction, the Yin Serpents did not attack, though they remained menacing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu handed the compass to the white bird on his shoulder: \"Go, rendezvous at Blade Harbor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white bird flapped its wings, flew high into the sky, circled twice, and then turned toward the island to the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yin Serpents only looked up at it once at the beginning, flicked their tongues, and then ignored it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They only cared about what swam in the water; the sky was not their domain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu did not look back, leading his two subordinates back along the original route, with the two Yin Serpents following behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not until they left the waters of Dragon Spine Island and returned to the main shipping lane did the Yin Serpents dive into the water and disappear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't let the door hit you on the way out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu mused: \"The boatman said earlier that only specific people can go to Dragon Spine Island?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But these monsters have low intelligence; how does he control them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Social monsters usually have a more powerful leader.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu hummed, had the boat change direction, and attempted to approach Dragon Spine Island from the other side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, they were intercepted by two other Yin Serpents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two were larger and looked even more irritable, flicking their tongues frequently and showing ill intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The probe failed, and the boat returned to Blade Harbor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu's white bird clutched the Tracking Bee Compass, stopping on trees every so often to check the direction of the bee needle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It flew over Dragon Spine Island and Alfalfa Island, finally circling twice over Pan Silk Island to fix its position before landing on a tree branch at the edge of the reef.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was never a shortage of birds at sea, and gulls and wild cranes wandered the shores of Pan Silk Island, so a single white bird flying here was not conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The compass could simultaneously display the direction and distance of the target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current direction was due north, and the distance was less than twelve zhang! The white bird looked down to see a vast rift valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viewed from above, the rock walls were grim, riddled with thousands of gullies and holes. The sea breeze blew through the holes in the stone walls, making a wailing sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other than that, the mountain forest was silent; it did not see a single living creature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white bird was not in a hurry, changing branches after a while to continue keeping watch, so as not to be discovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been tracking the Earth Cave Spider Queen with Lord Yu for a long time and knew that Earth Cave Spiders liked to hide in caves and did not necessarily move about in groups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After half an hour, the rift valley remained as usual, but there was movement outside: two spiders crawled back into the valley, carrying a wriggling white cocoon on their backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most spiders did not have the ability to drag prey like ants, but Earth Cave Spiders could, and they liked to carry captured prey on their uneven backs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the shape and size of the cocoon, one piece of prey might be a guinea pig, and the other might be a bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as it was a living creature, Earth Cave Spiders could basically eat it; they were not picky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the white bird felt a warning and suddenly took flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two strands of spider silk shot out silently from behind, almost grazing its tail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not dodged in time, the white bird would have almost become the third captured piece of prey!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It flapped its wings and looked back, only to find that an Earth Cave Spider, the size of a coconut, had appeared on the branch it had just been perched on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This type of spider could change color and blend into the surrounding environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the prey escape, the Earth Cave Spider raised its front pincers in frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white bird dared not fly low again; it discovered that there were spiders looming on the surrounding trees. Clearly, after months of fighting between the two sides, Zhu Xiuer had strengthened the security around the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the white bird had already collected enough information; it circled twice in the sky and flew toward Blade Harbor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This island was the new nest of the Earth Cave Spiders! This was the most important intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the evening, Lord Yu and his subordinates met at the Yellow Fish Tavern on the Blade Harbor pier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group that went to gather information also returned, bringing back preliminary intelligence:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long ago, the Yangshan Archipelago was sold by the Bailie family to the foreign Island Master He; Island Master He had successively subdued pirates and Yin Serpents; some pirates boasted of Island Master He's abilities, saying they had seen with their own eyes that the Yin Serpents were respectful to the Island Master, and had seen the great monster beside the Island Master catch Yin Serpents as easily and skillfully as catching fish;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beijia people were very concerned about the appearance of the great monster that \"caught Yin Serpents like fish,\" but those who had drunk too much yellow wine could not explain it clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, it was not a true \"first-hand sighting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, the Yangshan Archipelago was recruiting a large number of people to cope with the current palm oil harvest season.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the discussion, the white bird flew in through the window and jumped back onto Lord Yu's shoulder: \"Found it, found it, on an island south of Dragon Spine Island. The island is a few hundred qing in area, but the land is uneven, full of karst caves and cliffs. No one lives on the island and there are no roads; the Earth Cave Spider colony resides in the great rift valley in the southeast corner of the island.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I was discovered before I could scout for three quarters of an hour; the spider colony is quite alert.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu asked it: \"Did you see the Spider Queen?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That stretch of water is blocked by Yin Serpents, so we can't get to the island by water.\" Lord Yu mused. \"How did the Earth Cave Spider colony get up there? Did they get permission from the owner of the Yangshan Archipelago?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they had scouted around Blade Harbor, and no one had heard of any monsters living on the islands, except for the Yin Serpents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the existence of Zhu Xiuer was quite secretive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps only that \"Island Master He\" knew the reason for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the background of this Island Master?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only that he came by boat from the west; at first, he didn't have many people with him, and he just set up his own business here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Earth Cave Spider Queen really knows how to pick a place; this island is easy to defend and hard to attack.\" Right in the middle of the ocean, it was extremely inconvenient for his group to scout or harass. Not to mention that there were Yin Serpents in the water blocking the sea route, not allowing outsiders to approach the area south of Dragon Spine Island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This position was truly perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You continue to investigate the background of Island Master He.\" Blade Harbor and the Yangshan Archipelago were separated by a strait, so the news reaching here was second-hand. Lord Yu pointed to two subordinates. \"Isn't the archipelago recruiting people? You go and take the wages.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By sending people to infiltrate, they could figure out the archipelago's flight schedules, and perhaps even find a way to get to Dragon Spine Island or the islands to the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Yu pondered for a moment: \"It will be very difficult to use force this time; I'm afraid the key lies with Island Master He.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Earth Cave Spider Queen moved onto the island with permission, why would Island Master He do that? \"Came by boat from the west?\" he muttered to himself. \"No one knows his background? What about the Bailie Lu family who sold him the island? Don't they know either?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>￥￥￥￥￥\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each autumn rain brings more chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three days of four or five bouts of rain, the people on the island all added outer garments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan walked on Centipede Island, also feeling a bit sentimental. In October in Black Water City, goose-feather snow could fall, and the capital of the Yuan Kingdom was so cold it made people stomp their feet; but here, the summer heat had just faded, ushering in the coolest season of the year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan threw himself into the intense construction, inspecting one or two islands every day to check the processes and progress on the islands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Business is like this; having a boss watching versus not having a boss in charge results in two completely different levels of efficiency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other islands could only be inspected by the Rongshan disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever this happened, He Lingchuan felt he had too few trusted aides, and he was stretched thin when doing things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was no longer the time when he fought alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked along the newly opened forest path and, having just passed several rows of neat bamboo houses, saw several huge workshops. The Yangshan Archipelago hired a large number of people to work on the islands, so of course, they had to provide food and housing. In the early stages, just preparing the houses, work sheds, furniture, and various items needed for daily life was enough to keep all the craftsmen and pirates busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After more than a month of effort, the entire system had been successfully launched and was running more and more smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now there were people everywhere; after a short period of adjustment, there was a clear division of labor and cooperation for harvesting, transporting, cleaning, steaming, pressing fruit, filtering, and bottling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were four such living areas and workshop areas on Centipede Island, and eighty-six in total across the fourteen Yangshan islands. The number of people varied, but the amount of palm oil produced daily was very considerable, and there were also dedicated personnel responsible for quality inspection, conducting random sampling tests from time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day, the number of laborers and craftsmen joining the Yangshan Archipelago was endless, ranging from forty or fifty to over two hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was very glad that he had brought Ding Zuodong with him across the ocean; otherwise, he wouldn't know who to entrust these endless troubles to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2224,"2026-06-20T02:23:34.395Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","e7040ccc999ac0e67691fc3ddc6cdda34450443265cbf098eedca21600ffc537","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-963","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-961",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]