PDLP Chapter 163 Star Moon Island
Chapter 163 Star Moon Island
Half a month has passed since Feiye Magic Treasure left Gui Island, and an archipelago consisting of dozens of islands of varying sizes has come into view.
The main island is shaped like a crescent moon, guarding a relatively calm bay in the center.
The island is dotted with small islets and reefs, hence the name Star and Moon Island.
Even before getting close, a smell mixed with the stench of fish and a faint stench of blood wafted over.
All sorts of boats are moored along the island's coast, and the docks are bustling with people and noise.
Chen Xu maneuvered the flying leaf to land on a relatively secluded mudflat at the edge of the island.
The island's buildings are haphazard, mostly simple stone houses and wooden sheds, and the streets are narrow and muddy.
Most of the cultivators coming and going looked travel-worn, with fierce or cunning expressions, and their cultivation levels were mostly at the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages.
This Star Moon Island is an island in the inner sea where independent cultivators gather.
Chen Xu said calmly, "There is a Sea Treasure Pavilion on the island, which may have what I need."
Feel free to look around, or find a place to rest.
Nan Longyue nodded silently and followed a few steps behind Chen Xu.
Wandering through the bustling streets, flanked by stalls selling all sorts of exotic seafood...
Unidentified fish scales shimmering with a ghostly light, huge animal bones with barbs, and even some seaweed exuding a fishy smell.
Chen Xu had a clear goal and quickly found a shop with a slightly larger storefront: Haizhen Pavilion.
The shopkeeper was a lean old man with a shrewd, mercenary glint in his eyes.
Chen Xu listed several rare ingredients, preparing to have Xiao Jin make some "Guiyuan Eight Treasures Stew".
This spiritual food can harmonize the five elements in the body, strengthening the foundation and nourishing the vital energy.
Long-term use can solidify the foundation and slightly increase the speed of cultivation, which is exactly what Chen Xu needs at present.
The shopkeeper stroked his goatee and chuckled, "These are the kinds of things you're looking for, fellow Daoist. They're really hard to find in ordinary places."
However… if you are willing to wait three to five days, you might encounter a great opportunity.”
"Oh? What's the reason?" Chen Xu asked calmly.
The shopkeeper gestured towards the southeast sea: "Star Moon Vortex, ever heard of it?"
It's about 300 miles from here. That place is eerie; there's a huge natural whirlpool on the seabed, its depths unfathomable.
Normally, getting too close poses a risk of being sucked in; it's said that even third-tier sea beasts can't escape it.
But the strange thing is that every now and then, especially around the night of the full moon, the vortex will spew out a large amount of strange things from its depths, like a hiccup!
Some have even salvaged fragments of magical artifacts and jade slips left behind by ancient cultivators!
"Spit?" Chen Xu raised an eyebrow slightly; this was indeed novel.
No wonder everyone says that Star Moon Island is full of wonders; it turns out it's because of the Star Moon Vortex.
"That's right! Spray it out!" The shopkeeper's eyes lit up.
"The scene was amazing! The seawater surged back, creating a dazzling spectacle, and countless seafood items were thrown into the air before falling down like rain!"
Second-tier sea beasts from the nearby waters will be attracted to compete for the opportunity.
Therefore, each whirlpool eruption is also an opportunity for independent cultivators to risk their lives to scavenge for what they can.
If you're lucky, you might find one or two high-level materials, enough to last you for half a year.
If you're unlucky, you might be torn apart by a sea monster, or get too close and be swept into a whirlpool by the turbulence of the eruption, and you'll be reduced to ashes.
He paused, looking at Chen Xu: "The sea beast resources that you requested, fellow Daoist, will surely attract a lot of them when the Star Moon Vortex erupts."
Chen Xu understood and nodded, asking, "Approximately when will the next eruption occur?"
The shopkeeper replied, "It will be tonight when the moon is full. Many people on the island are already making preparations."
If you're interested, you might want to check out the docks. Many teams are recruiting, and it's safer to have more people around.
Of course, you can also work alone, it just depends on your skills.
However... you need proof to find a bargain...” He rubbed his fingers suggestively.
Chen Xu paid the spirit stones, bought two permits to enter the sea, and left Haizhen Pavilion with the silent Nan Longyue.
Sure enough, there were quite a few groups shouting their wares at the dock:
"We're recruiting! We're recruiting! Foundation Establishment stage cultivators preferred, let's team up to go treasure hunting in the Star Moon Vortex! Profits will be distributed according to effort!"
"The sea monster hunting team is missing a formation master!"
……
Chen Xu had no interest in this kind of temporary team formation.
After all, with Nanlongyue's sea spirit body present, they have a natural advantage in searching for treasures in the sea.
He led Nan Longyue to a relatively secluded rocky spot at the end of the pier, gazing southeast at the horizon where the sea meets the sky.
The seawater there seems to be a deeper color.
Tonight the moon is full, and a grand feast will be held here.
The underwater whirlpool spews out rare treasures, attracting sea beasts to fight for food and cultivators to risk their lives.
The cycle of nature, the survival of the fittest—that's just how it is...
Nan Longyue, who had been silent all along, unconsciously looked towards that sea area.
A strange glint seemed to flash in her empty eyes.
Just then, a heart-wrenching cry rang out.
Not far away, a female sculptor, soaking wet and with deep, bone-revealing claw marks on her arms, sat slumped in the mud, weeping over a corpse covered by a makeshift straw mat.
Two untrained monks nearby attempted to strip the deceased of his still-intact robes and storage bag.
"Get out of here! You beasts!" The female cultivator screamed and waved her arms, but she couldn't stop the greed.
"Hmph, the people are all dead, why keep their stuff to feed the fish? We might as well exchange it for some pills for our brothers!" A bald cultivator grinned maliciously.
The surrounding crowd watched indifferently, with no one stepping forward.
Chen Xu did not interfere in the conflict there. The law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is the law of Star Moon Island, and also the law of the entire cultivation world.
The storage bag and robe on the corpse were eventually stolen. The bald cultivator cursed and kicked the corpse before leaving with his companion.
Only the female cultivator remained, embracing the cold corpse, whimpering in despair in the mud.
Nan Longyue, who was standing to the side, closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
After a long while, she slowly released her grip, raised her head, and looked once again at that mysterious and dangerous sea in the southeast direction.
……
Night fell over Star Moon Island, the noise subsided, but a suppressed sense of excitement was surging in the shadows.
With Nan Longyue in tow, Chen Xu flew towards the treacherous sea area in the southeast, known as the Star Moon Vortex.
Moonlight spilled onto the sea, creating shimmering waves that reflected the surging undercurrents beneath the surface.
Even dozens of miles away from the vortex's eruption point, the air suddenly tightened.
The sea ahead was in complete chaos, with the water churning violently and countless strange-looking sea creatures being thrown out of the water by an invisible force, only to crash back down.
Various magical lights intertwined as several teams of cultivators fought a bloody battle with the sea beasts vying for the creatures' spitting matter.
Chen Xu carefully maneuvered the flying blade to hover behind a relatively safe reef.
He scanned the chaotic battlefield with his divine sense and calmly addressed the silent Nan Longyue behind him:
"The second-tier split-toothed shark to the left front."
"Take its demon core, blood essence, and dorsal fin cartilage."
Upon hearing this, Nan Longyue looked at the small shark beast that was ferociously attacking and biting in the waves.
Without the slightest hesitation, she leaped lightly off the reef, disappearing into the sea like a shadow, silently diving toward her target.