Chapter 406 - 374: Kuimu Beach
Chapter 406: Chapter 374: Kuimu Beach
"What a huge Spirit Pearl!"
Zhao Lin’s spirits lifted. He struck like lightning, thrusting the iron ruler in his hand deep into the clam’s shell.
The Eight-cornered Clam sensed the danger and hurriedly clamped its shell shut.
"SCREEECH..."
The shell bit down on the iron ruler, making a sound like a sharpening stone.
"Open up!"
Zhao Lin twisted the iron ruler, trying to pry the shell open, but to his surprise, the Eight-cornered Clam’s strength was astounding. It held the ruler in a death grip, refusing to budge an inch.
Just then, a sudden undercurrent surged, and a powerful force rushed toward him.
’Trying to run, are you!’
Zhao Lin knew this was a sign the Eight-cornered Clam was preparing to escape. Once it burrowed into the sand, catching it again would be difficult.
He drew a silver dagger, swiftly reached into the shell, and with a twist and a flick at the Spirit Pearl’s location, the Spirit Pearl fell into his hand.
Zhao Lin could have killed the Eight-cornered Clam then and there, but that would be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Gan Xingquan had specifically instructed that, unless absolutely necessary, it was best to release the Clam Demon after taking the Spirit Pearl. That way, in a few decades, it might produce another one.
Having lost its Spirit Pearl, the Eight-cornered Clam spat out a breath attack in a rage. Unfortunately, due to its severe injuries, the breath only traveled a little over ten feet.
Zhao Lin had already backed away.
The Eight-cornered Clam wasn’t intelligent; it acted purely on instinct. After spitting its breath, it felt a wave of weakness and only then thought to flee.
Its shell flared open as it used its innate Magic: Sand Escape Skill.
Water currents gathered, lifting the Clam Demon high.
Immediately after, dozens of streams of water shot out from its shell. The immense recoil propelled its body, slamming it violently into the sand.
With a BOOM, the Eight-cornered Clam vanished into the sea sand, disappearing from sight.
Zhao Lin swam back to the reef where he had been hiding, wiped the viscous substance from the Spirit Pearl’s surface, and began to examine it carefully.
The Spirit Pearl was crystal clear, with faint blue Spiritual Qi flowing endlessly within. When he circulated his power to absorb it, he felt a stream of cool, pure Spiritual Qi flow into his palm.
In the time it took for a dozen or so breaths, the Spiritual Power he had consumed was quickly replenished.
’Good stuff. This should be Second Grade!’
Zhao Lin thought to himself. He wasn’t an expert in this area, but based on the mission details, he generally knew how to distinguish the grade of a Spirit Pearl.
To appraise a Spirit Pearl’s grade, one first looked at its size, second its color, and third, one needed to circulate their power to sense the purity of its Spiritual Qi.
This Spirit Pearl met all three requirements for the Second Grade, which was how Zhao Lin had reached his conclusion.
Spirit Pearls could be considered high-quality Spirit Stones, characterized by their small size and abundant Spiritual Qi.
A Fifth-Grade Spirit Pearl the size of a longan fruit contained the Spiritual Qi equivalent of five Spirit Stones, but on the market, its price was double.
This was because Spirit Pearls were easy to carry and had a high concentration of Spiritual Qi, which made assisting cultivation twice as effective for half the effort.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth-Grade Spirit Pearls could be used as substitutes for Spirit Stones, while First and Second-Grade ones were suitable for use as Array cores to maintain an Array’s operation over long periods, naturally making them more expensive.
The Eight-cornered Clam from before had been enormous; it was at least several hundred years old, so it wasn’t surprising that it had produced a Second-Grade Spirit Pearl.
Zhao Lin was naturally pleased with this unexpected windfall, but he knew it was a stroke of luck. If he wanted to gather Spirit Pearls, he still needed to go to a "Pearl Beach."
There were about a dozen places in Yongdeng Ansha that were rich in Spirit Pearls, and these were known as Pearl Beaches.
The Chenghua Sect had twelve, and the Earth Dark Sect had three.
This wasn’t because the Earth Dark Sect had fewer Pearl Beaches, but because no Chenghua Sect cultivators had mapped those areas.
After all, venturing deep into the other side’s territory was extremely risky, and few cultivators were willing to do it.
’It’s about time. Which Pearl Beach should I go to?’
Zhao Lin put away the Spirit Pearl and began to ponder silently.
He definitely couldn’t go to the Pearl Beaches under the Earth Dark Sect’s control. Not only might he be besieged, but the hidden traps and mechanisms inside were also very dangerous.
After thinking for a moment, he recalled a place called Kuimu Beach.
’Kuimu Beach is located in the southwestern-central part of Yongdeng Ansha. It’s one of the first Pearl Beaches to be discovered and is home to many Five-Turn Clams and White Jade Clams. The Spirit Pearls are mostly Third to Fifth Grade, with the occasional Second-Grade pearl.’
’You must be aware that Red-Mouthed Insects and Nine-gilled Centipedes appear here...’
Zhao Lin recalled the description from the mission details and now had a rough idea.
The Red-Mouthed Insect was pitch-black all over, with only a crimson proboscis. It was a dangerous parasitic demon insect.
Because its body was only the size of a needlepoint, the Red-Mouthed Insect could easily pass through the defenses of the Water Manipulation Skill and attach itself to a person’s skin. Like a cancer clinging to the bone, it would continuously feed on their blood.
Once it had absorbed enough, the Red-Mouthed Insect would lay eggs in the human body, reproducing in a repeating cycle until the host was completely drained.
Dealing with this demon insect wasn’t actually difficult; you could even crush it with a single stomp. The key was that the Red-Mouthed Insect was as small as a needle and very hard to spot.
By the time you noticed it, you might already have a large number of Red-Mouthed Insects inside you. In a mild case, your Qi and Blood would be severely depleted; in a severe case, you would die and your Dao would be extinguished.
The Nine-gilled Centipede was a type of Fish Demon, shaped like a snake, that lurked year-round in the dark places of the seabed.
It had a violent temperament and would proactively attack cultivators if disturbed.
The Nine-gilled Centipede possessed the Thunder Element attribute. Its attacks were fierce and its movements swift, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
He had his martial arts for self-defense and was wearing a Water-manipulation Robe; protecting himself from these insect and fish demons would be no problem.
He chose Kuimu Beach mainly to avoid being on the same Pearl Beach as others and causing any unpleasantness.
’Kuimu Beach has decent resources, but because of those two demon insects, most people are unwilling to go. I, however, am not afraid.’
With a light push, Zhao Lin floated up to the ocean’s surface.
The bright moon was rising, the starlight was dim, and a shimmering glimmer fell upon the water.
The sea wind howled and raged, and one wave after another crested on the surface.
Zhao Lin got his bearings, ate a couple of handfuls of Spirit Rice, and took the opportunity to rest for a while.
The Spirit Pearl collection mission lasted for three days. Staying deep underwater the entire time was very physically demanding.
A moment later, he sank back into the sea, confirmed his direction, and swam toward Kuimu Beach.
His mastery-level Water Manipulation Skill feared no wind or waves, allowing him to travel through the sea with extreme speed. In less than an hour, he arrived at a submarine Pearl Beach.
’This is it!’
Zhao Lin’s Adam’s apple vibrated rapidly, expanding his scanning range. He wanted to see if anyone else was here.
Suddenly, a dark figure swam toward him.
’Someone’s coming?’
Zhao Lin was slightly surprised. Someone had actually had the same idea as him.
Based on the information gathered from his echolocation, he determined that this person was likely a Chenghua Sect cultivator.
The reason was simple: Earth Dark Sect cultivators wore long sabers, but this person didn’t. Instead, they were holding something shaped like an iron ring.
Zhao Lin thought for a moment and remembered seeing a cultivator in the camp named Tao Yan who used a magical treasure, the Vajra Ring, which looked just like this.
’He’s one of us.’
Zhao Lin relaxed. He figured that since they had met, he should let the other person know he was here to avoid any misunderstandings.
Thinking this, Zhao Lin slowly moved over, formed a Celestial Secret Seal with his hands, and sent it toward the person.
The person who had arrived was indeed Tao Yan. His Divine Sense had also detected Zhao Lin’s presence, but his subsequent reaction left Zhao Lin not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Tao Yan turned and fled, darting more than thirty feet away in an instant!
’What is he running for?’
Stunned for a moment, Zhao Lin sent another Celestial Secret Seal.
’So it’s a fellow Daoist from my own sect.’
Only then did Tao Yan slowly stop. He sent a Celestial Secret Seal back and cautiously approached.
However, he still didn’t lower his guard. He held the Vajra Ring, his entire body on high alert.
"Which fellow Daoist is it?"
Tao Yan was enveloped by his Water Manipulation Skill, so he could speak, but his voice was a bit muffled.
"I am Zhao Lin. Is that Fellow Daoist Tao?"
Zhao Lin replied.
"It is."
Tao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. "What a coincidence. You came here too?"
"I just got here. I didn’t expect us to run into each other."
"Yeah, I didn’t expect it either. It gave me a scare."
Tao Yan scratched his head, embarrassed by his earlier performance. He then asked in a tentative tone, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, this Pearl Beach isn’t small. How about we each take half and gather on our own?"
Although they had both set their sights on this place, Zhao Lin had, after all, arrived first. Tao Yan’s words were a gesture of goodwill.
"Alright, half each it is."
Zhao Lin readily agreed and turned to swim toward one side of the Pearl Beach.
Underwater visibility was low, but there were some glowing stones and aquatic plants, so the general shape of the Pearl Beach was barely discernible.
Zhao Lin looked down from above, mentally noting the locations of the hidden traps and mechanisms. He would have to be careful to avoid them when gathering Spirit Pearls later.
These mechanisms did not distinguish between friend or foe. Once someone stepped into one, it would trigger a Magic attack.
As night fell, various shell demons and Clam Demons began to emerge from the seabed.
Next to a huge rock, three White Jade Clams lay side by side.
Each White Jade Clam was over five feet long. Their shells opened and closed slightly, breathing in the Spiritual Qi from the seawater and revealing pigeon-egg-sized Spirit Pearls.
’Three at once! The Pearl Beach really is something else!’
While delighted, Zhao Lin also felt a headache coming on. Taking one Spirit Pearl was easy, but taking all three at once would be tricky.
’Looks like I’ll have to use the Ice Blade Skill!’
Zhao Lin thought for a moment and came up with a plan. He quietly positioned himself above the three White Jade Clams, then suddenly accelerated with his Water Manipulation Skill, charging toward the leftmost one.
At the same time, he formed a Spell with his hands and shot an ice blade straight at the second White Jade Clam.
"Split!"
Zhao Lin barked the command, and the ice blade suddenly split in two, the new blade shooting toward the third White Jade Clam!
The mastery-level Ice Blade Skill could be split in two, and both blades could be controlled simultaneously with one’s Divine Sense.
The iron ruler and the ice blades stabbed into the three White Jade Clams almost simultaneously. With a quick twist inside, he flicked the Spirit Pearls out.
Without any delay, Zhao Lin extended his five fingers and made three successive grasping motions in the void, pulling all three Spirit Pearls directly into his hand.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The three White Jade Clams simultaneously cast Sand Escape Skill and fled for their lives into the sand.
Zhao Lin smiled faintly. Just as he was about to examine the Spirit Pearls in his hand, he suddenly noticed a long, thin black shadow flash in a nearby reef cave.
’Not good!’
He shot upward immediately, rising several dozen feet.
Looking down, he saw a bolt of lightning shoot toward the spot where he had just been, making a CRACKLE-POP sound.
’The Nine-gilled Centipede!’
Zhao Lin was startled for a moment, but he quickly figured it out. The sound of the White Jade Clams burrowing into the sand must have disturbed the Nine-gilled Centipede, making it think he was the source of the noise and causing it to attack.
This Fish Demon really did have a violent temper. Luckily, he had been keeping his guard up. Otherwise, if he had been hit by that lightning, while it wouldn’t have been fatal, he likely would have been paralyzed for a short time.