104: The source of evil energy: underwater islands

The four left the island, speeding at full velocity, guided by the System's locked-on source of foul and sinister energy, heading deep into the northeast.

The further northeast they went, the darker the sky became.

Stopping and going, a day later they entered an unfamiliar sea area that had never been marked on previous sea charts.

The originally clear blue seawater gradually became turbid, taking on an unsettling purplish-black hue, as if stained by an immense amount of ink.

The sea surface was littered with large amounts of sticky, flocculent algae they had never seen before, emitting a pungent, fishy odor.

The waves also lost their usual rhythm, becoming wild and chaotic, constantly crashing against jagged rocks with a thunderous roar.

Looking around, it was a desolate and deathly silent scene, with islands gradually appearing in the distance.

Sporadically distributed black reefs and small islands pierced the sea surface abruptly like the fangs of giant beasts, their forms grotesque.

These islands varied in size, completely devoid of vegetation, composed entirely of slippery, pitch-black rock, their surfaces covered with holes and cracks from which turbid seawater constantly seeped, forming viscous, dark green streaks on the rock.

"Stop."

Li Yinglong suddenly halted, standing atop the highest reef, his dark robe fluttering in the salty sea breeze.

His gaze, sharp as lightning, swept across the eerie archipelago, his brows tightly furrowed.

"Clan Chief, this place..."

Song Shuyao spoke softly, her clear, cold eyes surveying the surroundings. Her Yin Spiritual Physique was particularly sensitive to negative energy, and at this moment, her delicate brows were slightly furrowed:

"The aura is foul and mixed, making one uncomfortable."

Song Shuwen's True Fire of the Sun circulated slightly around him, dispelling the cold, damp Qi attempting to approach, and he said in a deep voice:

"The Spiritual Qi is sparse and chaotic, but a powerful, sinister energy is entrenched deep within, originating from the same source as the demonic creatures that attacked our island."

Li Yinglong slowly nodded, taking out a Jade Slip from his Storage Pouch—it was the relatively detailed East Sea chart they had obtained from the Lin family they had annihilated back then.

His Divine Sense sank into it, carefully comparing the scene before him, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

On the sea chart, this coordinate area was originally marked as "Deepwater Zone, strong undercurrents, do not approach," but there was absolutely no sign of the scattered reef islands they saw now!

A startling thought flashed through his mind like lightning—

These islands were newly appeared!

Just like his overseas Immortal Island, they had "grown" out of the deep sea recently, or had been uplifted due to some drastic change, revealing themselves to the world!

Upon this thought, even Li Yinglong, with his resolute will, couldn't help but feel a chill.

The expansion of Immortal Islands and the growth of Spiritual Veins were already unheard of.

Now, new landmasses were emerging from the deep sea?

What astonishing secrets were hidden beneath this East Sea?

Had the signs of great chaos in the world already spread to such a remote sea area?

"Be careful and vigilant."

Li Yinglong suppressed the turmoil in his heart and warned in a solemn voice:

"This place is strange and unusual. Follow me to the island for investigation; stability is paramount, do not act rashly."

"Yes!"

The three replied in unison.

Li Changxing was the first to leap off the reef, landing on the edge of the nearest island.

A slippery, cold sensation came from under his feet. His body swayed slightly, and he subconsciously took a deep breath, the strong smell of the sea and decay filling his nostrils.

In that instant, an extremely peculiar sense of familiarity suddenly seized him!

His heart felt as if it had been clutched by an invisible hand, then suddenly released!

A tremor and... a craving, originating from deep within his Bloodline, surged without warning, as if something deep within this island was softly calling, subtly echoing the restless power within him.

He was startled, suddenly looking up and around, a bloody glint flashing in his eyes.

However, all he saw was the pitch-black, cold rock, the pale foam crashing against it, and the inquiring gazes from the Clan Chief and the Song siblings.

"Changxing?"

Li Yinglong noticed his momentary abnormality.

"No... nothing."

Li Changxing quickly composed himself, suppressing the strange feeling, and forced himself to say calmly:

"Perhaps the Qi here is mixed; I felt a bit dizzy just now."

He quickly caught up, burying that inexplicably appearing and instantly disappearing sensation deep in his heart, not daring to show the slightest bit, fearing it was an illusion and would cause concern among the others.

Li Yinglong gave him a deep look, asked no more questions, and turned to lead the Song siblings further in.

The four stepped onto the island, proceeding cautiously.

The scene on the island further confirmed Li Yinglong's suspicions and weighed even heavier on everyone's hearts.

As far as the eye could see, there was not a trace of the vitality found on ordinary islands.

No soil, no trees, no flowers or grass.

Only cold, hard, uneven black rocks, covered with a thick layer of slimy, wet, dark green and brownish-purple algae and moss, which felt soft, rotten, and sticky underfoot, making a faint "squelch" sound.

In the rock crevices, there were piles of pale shell fragments and various twisted, grotesque coral skeletons, most of which had been corroded into a thousand holes, with clear bite marks remaining on their surfaces.

The entire island, rather than an island, resembled a vast undersea reef exposed to the air, freshly salvaged from the deep sea, exuding an eerie, deathly, and sinister aura everywhere.

"Clan Chief,"

Li Changxing suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of suppressed gravity:

"These... these kelp, barnacles, and these gnawed shells... I've seen almost identical ones on undersea reefs when I fought those large sea beasts in the deep sea before!"

He pointed to the algae on the rock walls, shaped like giant black belts, swaying with the surging seawater, and the shell creatures in the rock crevices, grotesquely open and filled with tiny teeth.

"But... they should be dozens, even hundreds of feet down in the dark depths of the sea!"

Upon hearing this, a sharp glint burst forth from Li Yinglong's eyes!

Indeed!

His conjecture was confirmed!

This archipelago had most likely been submerged deep beneath the sea for a long time, and recently, due to unknown reasons, it had risen and revealed itself above the surface!

And that unknown reason was very likely the same root cause that nourished the Immortal Island and instigated the abnormalities!

"It seems we've found the right place."

Li Yinglong's voice was low:

"This place may have become the new lair of those foul sea demons. Everyone, stay alert; their... 'master' might be nearby."

No sooner had he spoken—

"Hisss-gaa—!"

A series of sharp, piercing, inhuman, and un-fish-like roars suddenly erupted from a huge rock fissure ahead!

Like a battle horn sounding the attack!

In an instant, the entire "island" seemed to come alive!

"Rustle rustle," "crunch crunch"!

Terrifying scraping and crawling sounds surged from all directions!

From the dark rock caves, crevices, and puddles, countless twisted and grotesque figures swarmed out like a tide!

The humanoid demonic creatures with bone armor and sharp claws, the bone-spined monstrous fish shaped like giant pythons, and the fleshy tumors waving tentacles that they had encountered before were all present!

But even more were terrifying forms they had never seen:

There were monsters covered in thick carapaces, with humanoid torsos but giant, grotesque shrimp heads, and arms transformed into massive pincers;

There were bizarre beings with the lower half of thick tentacles and the upper half roughly humanoid, their skin covered in mucus and suckers, spitting dark green venom from their mouths;

There were deformed creatures that seemed to be a crudesplicing of giant crabs and human skeletons, scuttling on multiple legs, their carapaces covered with painful human-face bas-reliefs;

Even more, there were rampant sea scorpions, swordfish, and wolfish fish, enlarged several times, their carapaces mutated with spikes and bone blades, and their compound eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red light!

Most of them still retained obvious marine creature characteristics, but their limb structures had undergone terrifying mutations, becoming more upright or better suited for combat, and even showing signs of tool use—some monsters wielded crude bone clubs, knives and axes ground from reef rock, or simple shields made from some biological carapace!

Dense and varied in form, yet uniformly emitting that nauseating, sinister aura mixed with insane bloodlust!

In a flash, the four were completely surrounded by this terrifying demonic tide!

Impassable!

The monsters' crimson compound eyes and hollow black pupils were all fixed on the four, filled with the most primal and greedy desire to devour!

"Form a formation!"

Li Yinglong roared, like a clap of thunder, instantly rousing the three Disciples from their momentary shock!

Without needing further words, the four immediately formed a small circular formation, back to back.

Li Yinglong's dark robe fluttered without wind, and a vast, ancient Dragon's Might slowly permeated the air. Although not fully unleashed, it caused the movements of the closest demonic creatures to suddenly freeze, instinctively feeling fear.

The Dragon is the master of water; for these sea beasts and sea demons, this was an innate hierarchical suppression rooted in their Bloodline.

Song Shuyao and Song Shuwen exchanged glances, a tacit understanding forming between them.

The elder sister, Song Shuyao, formed hand seals, and a clear Yin glow around her poured out like mercury, instantly erecting a continuously circulating barrier of moonlight around the four. Where the cold light shone, the attacks attempting to spray venom and acid were quietly neutralized by more than half their power, and the barrier's surface rippled slightly but remained as stable as a mountain.

The younger brother, Song Shuwen, let out a low growl, and the True Fire of the Sun erupted with a roar. Scorching golden-red flames wrapped around his arms, transforming into two incredibly condensed Flame Battle Blades. He did not rush to attack from afar but focused on vigilance, ready to instantly incinerate any stragglers that broke through his sister's defense!

Li Changxing let out a low, almost beast-like roar, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes replaced by fervent Battle Intent.

Facing this familiar deep-sea horror, he felt no fear; instead, the power within him surged with excitement!

The cyan-green glow beneath his skin suddenly brightened, his fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking like popping beans, as he bravely charged towards a shrimp monster wielding giant pincers that lunged at him from the front!

The battle erupted in an instant!