Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 422 An Unexpected Accident

At Elder Qinglin's command, the disciples of Tianxin Island on the deck responded in unison, their voices tinged with resentment.

This wretched place has already caused serious injuries to my fellow disciples before we even entered it. We need to teach them a lesson.

Whale Fall, a name that is not very auspicious for the White Whale.

But whether it's a custom of Tianxin Island or not, this sect has always liked this kind of unlucky naming method.

For example, there is a place called Qizhu Lake on Tianxin Island, which is the only freshwater lake on the island.

The story of "Mermaids Weeping for Pearls" is well-known. To others, it's just a poignant legend, but for Tianxin Island, which is inhabited by mermaids and even has pure-blooded mermaids, the name is extremely unlucky.

In addition, the cultivation technique they practiced was also very strange, called the "Illusory Immortal Longevity Technique".

It's unclear what the founder of Tianxin Island was thinking; it seems that what people consider unlucky has become lucky for them.

However, the unorthodox nature of Tianxin Island is not limited to this. Just their extravagant and sensual enjoyment shows that they are not proper cultivators. What kind of cultivator talks about enjoyment every day?

The combination of these two extremes is the style of Tianxin Island.

Knowing that life is short, we should seize the day and enjoy life to the fullest.

If one wishes to enjoy lasting pleasure, the only way is to strive for immortality.

He constantly reminded his disciples of misfortune and death that their current enjoyment was only temporary, and that without seeking immortality, everything was nothing but a dream.

This is the cultivation method of Tianxin Island.

So, despite the ominous name "Whale Fall," it is an extremely powerful formation on Tianxin Island.

The disciples of Tianxin Island acted swiftly, activating magic arrays throughout the White Whale Ship and channeling spiritual energy into it.

The five Nascent Soul Realm elders also took flight and hovered at five key positions on the White Whale Ship, which were the cores of the "Whale Fall" formation.

As the elders poured their spiritual energy into the array's core beneath their feet without reservation, the entire White Whale Ship seemed to awaken from its slumber.

The ship, which had originally emitted only a soft white light, now began to glow with complex and ancient runes starting from the stern. The light, like a surging tide, spread rapidly along the ship's lines towards the bow.

All the energy and all the light eventually converged into the gaping maw of the White Whale.

The seawater began to boil violently, eventually turning into countless bubbles that obscured the entire Beluga.

Until a beam of light pierced through the foam wall, tore through the seawater blocking its path, and precisely struck the enormous, shimmering white light screen.

The moment the two made contact, a terrifying roar, powerful enough to shatter one's soul, suddenly erupted!
The entire underwater world seemed to have been bombarded with ten thousand suns.

An unimaginable burst of light erupted in an instant, illuminating the ancient, dark deep sea even brighter than the midday sun.

The violent tremors could be felt inside the Beluga Whale, but everyone was prepared and managed to keep the ship steady.

As the blinding light slowly dissipated and the turbidity of the seabed gradually settled, everyone on the White Whale held their breath and looked ahead.

But it seems nothing has changed.

The cultivators of Tianxin Island knew best how terrifying the power of that "whale fall" attack was; even a mountain ten thousand feet high would have been leveled to the ground.

How come the Guixu barrier is completely undamaged?
No, if you look closely, you can still see the damage; it's a long crack, which looks to be tens of feet long.

But compared to the entire Ruins, such a crack is insignificant, like a blemish on a beautiful jade.

Moreover, before they could even rejoice, the newly appeared crack healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and in an instant, the light screen returned to its flawless state.

The deck was deathly silent.

Elder Qinglin's expression turned extremely grim. The barrier of the Ruins of Return was incredibly sturdy. "The power of this restriction is closely connected to the earth's veins throughout the Ruins of Return. At least 90% of the power of our attack just now was neutralized. Unless ten White Whale Ships simultaneously use the 'Whale Fall' formation to bombard the same spot, it's unlikely that we can completely destroy it in an instant before it can repair itself."

Ten White Whales?
Those present exchanged bewildered glances. The White Whale Ship was a strategic asset of Tianxin Island; the entire sect possessed only one, so where were they supposed to find ten more?

This means that a direct attack is not feasible; we must find another way.

After a moment's thought, Elder Qinglin said to everyone, "Since we can't break through, let's surround Guixu first. Pass on my order to set up the 'Heavenly Net Water Curtain' formation to completely seal off this area. Even if we can't get in, we should at least know if anything is coming out of it."

The disciples of Tianxin Island immediately sprang into action. The White Whale Ship slowly retreated, forming a massive encirclement along with several other smaller accompanying magic boats.

Streaks of azure light rose from each of the magical boats, connecting with each other to create an even wider, invisible water curtain barrier outside the entrance to the Ruins of Return. This barrier was non-aggressive; its sole purpose was perception. Nothing attempting to emerge from the Ruins of Return could escape its surveillance.

After all this was done, everyone gathered on the deck again.

"We can't force our way in; we have no choice but to try to contact the people inside." Elder Qinglin ordered, "The formation left by Sect Master Chen should be able to help us use the Water Mirror Technique. Let's check the situation inside first."

As he spoke, Elder Qinglin took out an array diagram, which floated in mid-air. He made hand seals and chanted incantations.

On the array diagram, spiritual patterns were lit up, and the surrounding water vapor was drawn to the center of the array diagram, gradually forming a smooth, mirror-like circular water surface.

The image in the mirror was initially blurry, filled with chaotic colors and light and shadow.

Elder Qinglin increased the input of spiritual energy, and the image in the water mirror gradually stabilized and became clear.

Soon, the scene within the Ruins appeared on the mirror.

It was a dark, vast space, illuminated only by a few faintly glowing algae.

Giant clam shells stood in various places, and illusory shadows constantly appeared all around.

These are all illusions, created from the mirage energy exhaled by the mirage demon.

The location was correct, but Elder Qinglin felt something was off.

According to Chen Ye, the mirages here should all be unintelligent creatures, just larger in size and some special wild animals.

But those illusory figures that appeared were clearly human figures. If you looked closely, they seemed to be communicating with each other, chasing and playing around, clearly showing obvious human nature.

An ignorant mirage could not possibly conjure such a spiritual illusion; it must have already developed sentience.

It's understandable for a single spirit to suddenly develop sentience, but this vast array of illusionary spirits, including men, women, and children, though their forms are illusory, already resemble ordinary people in their expressions.

It's likely that several hundred mirage demons have developed sentience.

Chen Ye had only been in Guixu for a little over half a year, how could he have developed full intelligence so quickly?
The appearance of the water mirror attracted the attention of the mirage demons. Many phantom spirits disappeared in fright, while many others stared in the direction of the water mirror with wary expressions.

"I am Elder Qinglin of Tianxin Island." Elder Qinglin suppressed his shock and tried to communicate with the other party through the water mirror. "We have been entrusted by Sect Master Chen of Huangquan Sect to investigate the situation of Guixu. We have no ill intentions towards you."

He mentioned Chen Ye's name, hoping to gain the other party's trust.

However, on the other side of the water mirror, all the phantom spirits just looked at him warily, without any intention of communicating.

Before Qinglin could inquire about the situation at Guixu, a loud crack was heard, and the water mirror made of seawater shattered completely, turning into specks of spiritual light that dissipated into the air.

Elder Qinglin's hand was still suspended in mid-air, and he was completely frozen.

The Water Mirror Technique has been broken.

Elder Qinglin sighed and said to everyone, "The current situation has completely exceeded our expectations. Something earth-shattering must have happened within this Ruins of Return that we cannot even imagine. Leave two swordfish flying boats to monitor the Ruins of Return from afar, and the rest of you will return with me to Tianxin Island to report on this matter."

(End of this chapter)