130: Greedy bait and the prelude to ghostly fog

Qiyuan Island, Drunken Immortal Tower.

This is the most well-informed place on the island, and also a gold-consuming den where Loose Cultivators love to gather.

In a corner, a large man with a full beard was slumped on a table, surrounded by empty wine jars. He seemed to have had too much to drink, his face flushed red, and he was bragging to a thin, small Cultivator next to him.

"I'm telling you... *hiccup*! This time, I'm really going to make it big! What 'Six-Link Palace', what 'Monster Hunting Alliance'—none of them are as good as this one map of mine!"

"Shh! Fellow Daoist Wang, you've had too much!" The thin, small Cultivator tried to cover his mouth with a nervous expression.

"What's there to be afraid of! I have... I have..."

The bearded man gesticulated wildly, and suddenly, with a flick of his sleeve, a seemingly broken Jade Slip fell to the ground with a clatter.

The Jade Slip was not protected, and the moment it hit the ground, a projection of a fragmented sea map flashed in mid-air. Although it was only for a brief moment, many sharp-eyed Cultivators nearby clearly saw a location marked on it—[Purple Cloud Reef: Abundant in thousand-year purple light algae, safe and free of Yao Beasts].

"Oh! My treasure!"

The bearded man, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, lunged forward to pick up the Jade Slip. He then looked around warily, his drunkenness instantly "sobering up" by half.

"What are you looking at! Haven't you seen a drunkard before!"

He pushed everyone aside with a string of curses, stumbled out of the tower, and disappeared into an alley in the blink of an eye.

Inside the tower, the place instantly erupted into a commotion.

"Purple Cloud Reef? purple light algae?"

"That's a hot commodity for refining Face-Staying Pills and high-grade water-attribute Magic Treasures! A single catty can sell for five hundred Spirit Stones!"

"That map looked a bit familiar just now... like the style that used to leak from the Blood Shark Squad?"

A few quick-witted Cultivators exchanged glances and quietly got up to follow him.

After circling seven or eight times to ensure he had shaken off his tails, the "bearded man" ducked into a deserted dead-end alley. He wiped his face, and with a series of cracking bone sounds, he instantly transformed back into Li Feiyu's cold and aloof face.

"The play is over."

Li Feiyu whispered to the air, and then his figure flickered and vanished into the shadows... Half an hour later.

Six-Link Palace, Elder's Council Chamber.

Third Elder Gu Yunmo was holding a broken Jade Slip (the same one Li Feiyu had just "dropped," intercepted by a Six-Link Palace secret agent at a high price from the "black market"), his expression shifting.

"Are you sure it's real?"

"Reporting to Elder, after appraisal, the material and recording technique of this Jade Slip are indeed old items from decades ago. Moreover..."

The intelligence deacon lowered his voice, "We sent people to verify the outskirts of those coordinates, and indeed found a large amount of floating purple light algae. That place should be a rich mine that has never been exploited!"

Gu Yunmo's fingers lightly tapped the table.

Since the crushing defeat at the Black Wind Abyss, his status in the Six-Link Palace had been precarious. The Grand Elder was already very dissatisfied with him, and if he couldn't produce some results to fill the deficit, his position as Elder might be replaced.

"purple light algae... If we can monopolize this batch of goods, we can bring in at least three hundred thousand Spirit Stones."

A hint of greed flashed in Gu Yunmo's eyes.

"Has that Loose Cultivator been found?"

"Not found, it's as if he vanished into thin air. However, hearing from the people at Drunken Immortal Tower, that man is a notorious drunkard and gambler; he probably wanted to sell the information for a high price."

"Humph, a piece of mud that can't be plastered onto a wall."

Gu Yunmo snorted coldly and made a decision.

"Pass down the order to mobilize the remaining two 'giant whale boats' and draw fifty Foundation Establishment experts. For this operation, I will personally oversee it!"

"Seal off the news! We must not let other forces get a piece of the pie!"

"Yes!"

...Two days later.

Outer Sea, Purple Cloud Reef.

This was a magnificent sea area. Large patches of purple algae floated on the sea surface, reflecting a dreamlike luster under the sunlight. The sea breeze blew, carrying a faint fragrance.

This place seemed like paradise, but in reality, it was also the edge of Hell.

Because on the north side of Purple Cloud Reef, less than ten miles away, the color of the seawater abruptly turned a ghastly white. There, a thick layer of grayish-white mist hung all year round, which Divine Sense could not penetrate, and even light would be swallowed.

That was one of the three major Forbidden Grounds of the Outer Sea—[Ghost Mist Sea].

At this time, under a huge reef on the south side of Purple Cloud Reef.

Zhou Wannian was hiding in a carefully arranged concealment Formation with Ling Yunxiao and Tie Zhu.

"Old Man Han, they're here."

Ling Yunxiao pointed at the distant horizon.

Two massive giant whale boats came breaking through the waves, the Six-Link Palace emblem on the sails exceptionally eye-catching under the sunlight.

"They came quite fast."

Zhou Wannian held a compass in his hand, calculating the wind direction and ocean currents.

"Old Man Han, are we really going to trigger the ghost mist?" Ling Yunxiao looked at that hair-raising white mist in the distance, feeling some palpitation. "Legend has it that once the ghost mist erupts, even Nascent Soul Cultivators can be swallowed. If it gets out of control, we won't be able to escape either."

"The ghost mist is 'alive'; it is extremely sensitive to spiritual power fluctuations."

Zhou Wannian's tone was calm as he pointed to several black dots on the seabed at the boundary between Purple Cloud Reef and the Ghost Mist Sea.

"I buried thirty-six 'Magnetic Essence Rods' there. These things are worthless and have no spiritual power fluctuations, but they can change the local magnetic field."

"Once the people from Six-Link Palace begin large-scale mining of the purple light algae, the spiritual light and vibrations of their Magical Artifacts will be amplified ten times under the effect of the magnetic field, like a giant loudspeaker, transmitting directly into the Ghost Mist Sea."

"For the things inside the ghost mist..."

The corner of Zhou Wannian's mouth curled into a cruel arc.

"That's the dinner bell."

...On the giant whale boat.

Gu Yunmo stood at the bow, looking at the boundless purple sea of algae below, his beard trembling with excitement.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"There's always a way out! This place is indeed a treasure land!"

After his Divine Sense swept through and confirmed there were no high-grade Yao Beast auras around, he waved his hand.

"Everyone, hear my command! Activate the mining Formation! Mine with all your might!"

"Move fast! Strive to empty this place within three days!"

"Yes!"

Fifty Foundation Establishment Cultivators flew out of the flying ships one after another, sacrificing various Magical Artifacts, and began frantically harvesting the purple light algae on the sea surface.

For a time, spiritual light flickered, and the sound of booming filled the sky.

Greed made them ignore that the seemingly calm white mist in the distance was quietly undergoing a change.

Seabed.

The thirty-six Magnetic Essence Rods buried by Zhou Wannian began to resonate under the intense spiritual power vibrations above.

Buzz—

An invisible wave of magnetic field, following the ocean current, silently struck the edge of the Ghost Mist Sea.

The originally dead-still white mist suddenly roiled violently, like a startled beast.

Immediately following.

Wisps of grayish-white mist, defying the wind direction and following the pull of the magnetic field, spread toward the direction of Purple Cloud Reef like greedy tongues.

"Old Man Han, the mist is moving."

Ling Yunxiao's scalp tingled as he watched that eerie scene.

"Withdraw."

Zhou Wannian didn't linger at all, decisively putting away the Formation Plate.

"The good show has started, but the audience is prone to accidental injury if they are too close."

"We'll retreat to the safety zone fifty miles away to watch."

Just as the three from the Green Robe Tower were quietly retreating.

On Purple Cloud Reef, a Six-Link Palace Cultivator who was frantically harvesting suddenly felt the surrounding light dim.

"Is it getting foggy?"

He raised his head in confusion.

He saw that at some point, a layer of faint grayish-white mist had already drifted to his feet.

This mist didn't have any smell, nor was it toxic.

But he discovered in horror that the spiritual power in his body, upon coming into contact with the mist, actually... disappeared?

It wasn't suppressed, but directly vanished into thin air!

Even the Flying Sword beneath his feet instantly lost its spirituality and turned into a piece of scrap iron.

"Ah—! My spiritual power!"

This Cultivator screamed and fell directly from mid-air, dropping into the sea.

But this scream did not travel far.

Because that grayish-white mist had the characteristic of swallowing sound.

Gu Yunmo stood on the high flying ship, immersed in the joy of the harvest.

Suddenly, he noticed that a corner of the harvesting team below had become quiet at some point. The originally flickering spiritual light, like a painting being erased by an eraser, abruptly darkened in a large patch.

"What's going on?"

Gu Yunmo frowned, and his Divine Sense swept out.

The next moment, his expression changed drastically.

As soon as his Divine Sense touched that gray mist, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, the connection instantly severed.

The sharp pain made him stumble on the bow.

"ghost mist?!!"

Gu Yunmo let out a scream that changed in pitch.

"Retreat quickly!!! The Ghost Mist Sea has crossed the boundary!!!"

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The ghost mist pulled by the magnetic field moved with startling speed. It was like an open giant mouth, silently swallowing all the Spiritual Qi in the world.

"Run!"

"Help! My Magic Treasure has failed!"

The Cultivators below were in a mess. Countless people tried to fly with their tools, only to find their Magical Artifacts had turned into scrap iron, falling into the sea one by one like dumplings.

The two massive giant whale boats also lost their power the moment they touched the ghost mist.

The originally indestructible defensive light barrier burst like a soap bubble.

"No—!!!"

Gu Yunmo looked at the white mist surging like a tide, his eyes full of despair.

In the face of the ghost mist, there was no difference between the Golden Core Stage and a Mortal.

In the distance.

On the sea surface fifty miles away.

Zhou Wannian held a Thousand-Mile Mirror, watching those two giant ships swallowed by the white mist, and those figures struggling in despair.

"This is the Outer Sea."

He put down the Thousand-Mile Mirror, his tone indifferent.

"When one lacks strength, even greed is a capital offense."

"Let's go."

"When this wind passes and the ghost mist recedes."

"There, it will be a new 'abandoned mining area' again."

"At that time, we'll go and... collect the corpses for the Six-Link Palace."