The strange situation on the island near the shore gave Chen Xuanlin a glimmer of hope.
Traditionally, these living areas were core areas, strictly guarded by the islanders, and would never be easily accessible to those from other islands.
Yet, Chen Xuanlin had arrived unhindered, without seeing another person.
According to past experience, the more bizarre the island, the safer it was to stay away. On the contrary, islands where mortals would immediately resist upon reaching the shore were the safest. This
was because mortals fighting between islands were always cautious; their goal was survival, not destruction.
Unless starving and unable to survive, the losing side usually paid for their resources. After all, the population of each island was limited, and they wouldn't deplete their resources just to reach the shore once the fog cleared.
Those who could survive in the Sea of Death were no fools; they knew that the smaller the population, the greater the threat of destruction.
While Chen Xuanlin had never encountered the current situation, he had heard of rumours of uninhabited islands.
An uninhabited island just off the coast—this situation was one of the strangest in Chen Xuanlin's knowledge.
His heart sank. The present situation completely disrupted his original plans.
The thought of retreating kept swirling in his mind.
But then he remembered the situation on Sanyin Island, where every household was struggling to make ends meet.
The island was lush with vegetation, and even dried fish and other grains could be seen drying outside the village, indicating an abundance of food.
If this plunder was carried out, life on Sanyin Island might improve significantly.
Chen Xuanlin thought of the awakened sacrificial spirits in the village and knew that changes were necessary.
His gaze hardened again, and he formed a seal with his fingers, silently reciting the incantation to summon the soul.
In a moment, he sensed the powerful presence of the dead nearby.
Far from frightening Chen Xuanlin, this presence reassured him.
This proved that the skills bestowed by Master Jiling were still effective on this island.
He had often silently practiced the techniques by the sea these past few days. Although he had never actually used them, he had memorized the techniques and hand gestures.
Chen Xuanlin slowly headed back toward the village.
Unlike the barren Sanyin Island, this island boasted dense forests and abundant timber, so the houses in this village were all made of wood.
There were also numerous houses, indicating a large population.
Chen Xuanlin slowly approached the edge of the village. There were obvious signs of a struggle everywhere, with various items scattered across the ground.
Blood was everywhere on the ground and walls, but no bodies were found.
As Chen Xuanlin observed, a creepy chewing sound was heard.
The smell of blood grew stronger, even pungent, making Chen Xuanlin almost vomit.
Chen Xuanlin suppressed his discomfort and lightly took a step forward. Still, there was only bloodstains along the way, no bodies in sight.
In the center of this island village lay an open space. Chen Xuanlin peered through the gaps between the houses into the clearing.
His expression was already tense, but this sight shook even the calm Chen Xuanlin.
He saw the empty space in the center of the village littered with broken limbs and body parts, their surface stained with congealed blood, leaving it sticky.
The cuts on these limbs didn't appear cleanly cut, but rather jagged, as if they'd been torn apart.
The remains were arranged in a strange, fish-like pattern.
Chen Xuanlin felt dizzy after just one glance at the strange fish pattern, and quickly looked away.
In the center of the debris stood a humanoid figure, roughly four feet tall. It was dragging a half-body, placing it at the tail end of the pattern.
The half-body was still dripping with blood, its abdominal entrails spilling onto the ground as it was dragged along, its intestines clearly visible. A pungent stench, combined with the rich smell of blood, filled the air.
The tall, black figure was covered in fish scales and sported a long, serpentine tail.
Even more terrifying, it bore two heads.
The head in front was a large, fish-like head, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, each stained with shredded flesh.
The head, pushed aside by the fish head, lay with the appearance of a young man with a glazed look in his eyes.
Its hands bore long, sharp claws, and between its elbows and calves grew fin-like organs. This monster resembled a forced fusion of fish and human.
The glazed head muttered incoherently,
"Fish God, descend and grant me celestial magic... Fish God, descend and grant me celestial magic."
The body seemed controlled by the fish head, occasionally picking up stumps from the ground and gnawing on them, ignoring the words of the human head to the side.
The first time Chen Xuanlin laid eyes on the monster, a sense of ferocity and bloodlust washed over him. His heart skipped a beat, and his eyes narrowed.
Then, without hesitation, he activated his Soul Summoning.
This monster must have been the product of someone who had failed to resist the allure of the entity within the gray fog and had become a follower of it.
It had been contaminated by a certain entity within the gray fog!
Chen Xuanlin knew he couldn't allow this creature to reach Sanyin Island! If it did, the Chen family would be doomed!
The moment he laid eyes on the monster, Chen Xuanlin made up his mind.
Even at the cost of his life, he would smother this creature on this island!
The moment he activated his Soul Summoning, he felt an unspeakable pain.
Chen Xuanlin felt as if someone had torn his soul apart.
Of all the tortures in the world, nothing could compare to the soul-splitting pain inflicted by the Soul Summoning.
The pain caused Chen Xuanlin to groan and fall to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Xuanlin's hair suddenly turned white, and his face suddenly aged ten years.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he seemed to hear a faint cry in his ears. A
black whirlwind blew around him, and spots of light appeared in the wind.
In a moment, a vortex formed from black wind and light.
A confused ghost was summoned from the underground into the vortex and quickly solidified.
This ghost was the image of an old man with a sage-like appearance, but now he looked a little sinister.
His eyes were as white as a dead fish, and his face was expressionless.
The gray robe he wore was not like that of modern people. He must have been an ancient who died on this island many years ago.
A powerful aura emanated from this ghost.
Though merely a ghost, its might was no less than that of the two-headed monster.
It took a while to describe it, but it all happened in a flash.
The fish-scaled figure in the village also noticed the commotion. Seeing Chen Xuanlin lying on the ground, its fish eyes on the front of its head gleamed with bloodthirst.
The head on the side also cried out,
"There's someone else, there's someone else! Catch them quickly, catch them quickly, and offer them as a sacrifice to the Fish God. He'll grant me some more strength."
The monster dropped its half-bitten arm and lunged at Chen Xuanlin.
Chen Xuanlin's voice was strained, "Kill it."
Upon hearing this, the old undead man took a step and collided with the fish-scaled humanoid.
With a loud bang, the two collided, sending the fish-scaled monster flying and collapsing a wooden house behind it.
The monster quickly rose from the ground, its fish eyes glaring fiercely at the floating undead old man.
It opened its maw, baring its fangs, and roared at the undead skyward.
The human head on the monster's side also cried out,
"A cultivator! A cultivator! The Fish God is even more pleased."
The deceased old man, long unconscious, faced the ferocious monster with unfazed fear.
With a flick of his finger, a ball of gray-white flame appeared in his hand. With another snap, the flame landed in front of the monster.
The creature bared its teeth and roared. Its eyes flashed, and it bit down on the flame.
The gray-white flame exploded in its mouth, sending sparks flying everywhere.
The sparks landed on the surrounding wooden buildings, igniting wherever they touched, and flames erupted in a flash.
Although the gray-white flame was powerful and extremely hot,
the corners of the fish head's mouth only darkened slightly, showing no serious damage. This action only fueled its ferocity.
Chen Xuanlin had recovered from the agony of his soul being torn apart and sat on the ground, watching the fish-scaled monster battle with the undead spirit.
He knew only that the undead spirit had been a cultivator in his lifetime, unleashing various spells with a single wave of his hand. However, whether he could defeat the strange fish-scaled monster remained uncertain.
Furthermore, the undead elder could only summon it for three quarters of an hour. If he still couldn't defeat the monster after that, all hope was lost.
The monster, its ferocity aroused, opened its mouth again and roared.
The arc of its mouth was exaggerated, half the size of its head, and a ferocious, bestial aura filled him.
A wave of Yin Qi swirled around the undead elder, and a sword energy emanating from it materialized. With another thrust of his finger, the Yin Qi sword shot out. The
Yin Qi sword was so powerful that the two-headed monster had no time to dodge before it was pierced through the abdomen.
Drops of green blood dripped onto the ground. The two-headed monster's movements remained unimpeded by the wound; instead, it became even more ferocious and its speed increased even faster.
Its figure flashed, and it pounced frantically at the undead in the air. Its
sharp claws flashed, grabbing the old undead, but the undead didn't dodge or evade, and a ball of fire appeared in its hand again, hitting the two-headed monster back.
The monster's claws pierced through the undead, failing to actually injure it. Instead, the fire blasted it back several feet.
The fish-scaled monster turned, abandoning the old undead, and pounced on Chen Xuanlin, who sat unable to move.