Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 124 The Pearl of the Spirit Eye

"Judging from the marks on these magic array foundations, they seem to be caused by the ghostly light of the Ghost-Eyed Crab." Xue Ning's fingertips glowed with spiritual light as she swept over a bowl-sized erosion hole on a stone pillar.

"All thirty-six magic array foundations along the shore have been destroyed." Song Yu frowned slightly. "Although it was caused by the ghostly light, the Ghost-Eyed Demon Crab's attack was far too precise. Despite being outside the great array, it was able to concentrate most of its attacks on—"

Before he finished speaking, the sea behind him burst open with a splash, and Lin Jingchu leaped out of the water, his figure arcing as he landed beside Song Yu.

He raised his hand and showed a stone: "The same applies to the 108 magic array pillars in the sea. These are the spirit stones I found at the core of the array, a total of twelve spirit stones, all of which have exhausted their spiritual power."

Song Yu took the spirit stone that had become a useless rock, scanned it with his divine sense, and his doubts deepened: "A normal mid-grade spirit stone is enough to support the continuous operation of the Vast Ocean Azure Light Array for several months. Unless, this array has withstood an attack far exceeding its capacity in a very short period of time, it would consume spiritual power so violently."

"But while the Ghost-Eyed Crab's ghostly light attack is fierce, it shouldn't have such an effect. Could it be that the Jiang family has neglected even to regularly check and replace their spirit stones?"

After saying that, a barely perceptible white light shone in her eyes, and her divine sense spread out, instantly covering one-third of the island.

His divine sense, like a fine probe, swept every inch of land within a seven-mile radius.

Lin Jingchu, standing beside him, immediately detected the subtle yet highly discreet probe fluctuation thanks to his superior spiritual sense.

The sparkle in Song Yu's beautiful eyes faded, and her expression turned solemn.

Her expression remained unchanged, but a subtle telepathic message quietly reached Lin Jingchu's ears: "There's a serious problem. Someone on this island is secretly using demonic arts to collect remnant souls and resentment. The traces are extremely well-hidden; if I hadn't just used my supernatural ability, 'Ice Mirror of the Subtle,' it would have been almost impossible to detect."

Lin Jingchu's gaze sharpened. Demonic magic?

He immediately said, "Senior sister, I'll go to the other side of Shuiluo Island to check out the intact Vast Blue Light Array. Perhaps I'll find something else there."

Having said that, he summoned the Azure Wing Boat, which transformed into a streak of azure light, swept across the dilapidated dock, and sped off towards the other side of the island.

Just as they flew over villages and towns that had been reduced to scorched earth and ruins, Lin Jingchu suddenly braked sharply and hovered in mid-air.

Below, amidst the ruins, a dozen or so ragged ordinary people were searching for supplies.

Upon seeing the azure flying boat and figures in mid-air, they were initially terrified, but then some of them excitedly knelt down: "It's an immortal! An immortal has come to save us!"

"He's an immortal!"

"The immortals have come to our rescue!"

Lin Jingchu frowned slightly. Hadn't Enforcement Officer Wang arranged for anyone to settle these survivors?

He pressed the airship, which hovered a few feet off the ground.

These surviving ordinary people were mostly young adults or teenagers. Although they were covered in dust and dirt, they didn't seem to be in bad spirits.

"Are all the survivors on the island here?" Lin Jingchu glanced around.

A young man stepped forward and said cautiously, "Reporting back to the immortal, all the survivors are here. We hid in the mountains in time when the crab demons came ashore. The group of crab demons ravaged the island all night, and then retreated on their own at dawn."

Lin Jingchu pressed further, "Besides the crab demon, were there any other anomalies?" Looking at the bewildered eyes of these survivors, he knew he wouldn't get any answers.

He took out a bottle of pills from his pocket and tossed them into the arms of these mortals. These were Xiao Jing's previous food rations, made from royal jelly from golden-winged bees.

After the Celestial Crystal Ants had feasted several times in the Netherworld, they no longer needed this item, so it was perfect for these mortals.

"Each elixir, when dissolved in a bucket of water, can feed ten people for a day. Please bear with it for a few more days, and the Three Immortals Sect should send someone to settle you down." After saying this, Lin Jingchu once again steered the boat up.

But instead of flying directly to the edge of the island, he descended and landed in front of a pile of ruins.

Lin Jingchu pushed aside a pile of broken stones and charred wood, revealing the body of an old man who had been crushed to death. He scanned the body with his divine sense but found no trace of his soul being extracted.

Then, a white light, just like Song Yu's, lit up in Lin Jingchu's eyes.

The system rewarded me with the supernatural power of "Ice Mirror of the Detail".

With the combined enhancement of the "Moon Gazing Technique" and the "Great Evolution Technique," Lin Jingchu's divine sense spread out, covering an area of ​​nearly ten miles.

"There are indeed traces of demonic magic, and the direction this aura is flowing in is—" Lin Jingchu looked up towards the west. However, the next moment, his heart skipped a beat, and his gaze turned to another direction—there was a hidden gathering point of spiritual energy.

Lin Jingchu barely hesitated before turning around and urging the Azure Wing Boat to fly close to the ground, quietly heading towards the place with unusual spiritual energy.

As for matters of demonic magic, the Three Immortal Sects will hold up the sky if it falls; naturally, one's own destiny is more important.

There were also traces of the demon crab's activity here, but it seemed that it only caused some minor damage before retreating.

A corner of the sea cliff collapsed, and a large number of rubble rolled into the sea, filling a small area of ​​rugged, rocky beach.

Lin Jingchu scanned the surrounding area with his divine sense, and after confirming that no one was around, he summoned the Dragon Scale Sword. He was about to form a hand seal to unleash the "Tai Bai Sword Technique" when he thought for a moment, then dispersed the sword light and sheathed the Dragon Scale Sword.

The Ghost Eye Crab's attack on Water Luo Island is shrouded in mystery. If this place was indeed left by the mastermind, breaking it open with magic would likely leave traces.

He simply put away his magical artifacts and landed on the pile of rubble to become a laborer, throwing rocks one by one with brute force.

Soon, the wide, concealed waterway was revealed. Lin Jingchu gripped the Dragon Scale Sword and cautiously slipped inside.

At the end of the waterway, he burst out of the water and came to a natural cave.

A heavy stone door came into view.

As a master of array formations, Lin Jingchu sensed it and discovered that the gate had three layers of array patterns, two of which had been destroyed, and should have been originally set up by the Jiang family.

The only remaining effective restriction was added temporarily. It was precisely because of the spiritual energy fluctuations leaked from this temporary restriction that Lin Jingchu was able to detect the anomaly through his Ice Mirror.

"This must be what the mastermind behind the destruction of Water Luo Island left behind. Let me see what you've found."

A thought flashed through Lin Jingchu's mind. He made hand seals and, after some effort, finally managed to break the restriction without any damage.

"Fortunately, these people don't know the art of formations, and the restrictions they set up are just the most basic sealing methods in the Chaotic Star Sea."

Lin Jingchu pushed open the door and entered.

A milky-white bead, about the size of a broad bean, floated in the center of the stone chamber, emitting a soft halo and pure spiritual energy fluctuations.

"The Pearl of the Spirit Eye!" Lin Jingchu felt a surge of excitement, but then his emotions subsided.

He circled the spirit pearl, examining it intently, his mind racing with thoughts.

Should this be reported to the Three Immortals Sect?

Although this bead is small, it is still a treasure for a Core Formation cultivator.

How much can the Three Immortals Sect reward? Is it worth it?

Since the mastermind behind this didn't take the pearl, it means that there's a high probability that none of them are Core Formation cultivators.

We can see which force will occupy this place in the future.

Moreover, this treasure originally belonged to the Jiang family, and there are still cultivators in the Jiang family who survived. If we use it as bait, we might be able to lure out the mastermind behind it all.

The only question is where the surviving members of the Jiang family are now.

"If I had my own power, this matter would be much easier," Lin Jingchu thought to himself. He then turned and left the stone chamber, closing the stone door and relocking the restriction.

Back at the sea cliff, he reburied the waterway with rubble, restoring it to its original state.

After doing all this, Lin Jingchu summoned the Azure Wing Boat and flew close to the ground again, heading towards the other side of the island's coastline.

Some time after he left, a blue raptor with a wingspan of nearly ten feet quietly landed.

Immediately afterwards, a figure descended on a flying sword; it was the cultivator surnamed Kong.

He glanced coldly in the direction Lin Jingchu had left, muttering to himself, "That Lin fellow was acting suspiciously; looks like he's discovered something good."

After saying that, the cultivator surnamed Kong summoned a cyan spirit umbrella.

The magic umbrella spun, creating a whirlwind that instantly reopened the waterway that Lin Jingchu had just buried.

The monk surnamed Kong plunged into the water and arrived at the stone entrance of the cave.

He stared intently at the inscription on the barrier's hand. A moment later, he decisively activated the green umbrella, crashing it into the stone gate with a deafening roar.

The stone door shattered, revealing the milky-white spirit pearl in the center of the stone chamber.

The cultivator surnamed Kong's eyes widened, filled with excitement: "Good lad! You almost managed to fool me!"

He licked his lips. "Fortunately, my Sea-Gazing Azure is skilled at exploration; its eyesight can see through hundreds of feet of seawater, allowing me to join the team in searching for the Ghost-Eyed Demon Crab. Otherwise, wouldn't I have missed this opportunity!"

However, the ecstasy on his face quickly faded—he couldn't retrieve the spirit pearl himself.

The cultivator surnamed Kong's eyes flickered, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty. Should he immediately report to the sect and seek rewards and merit? Or should he kill and eliminate...