Lin Changâsheng realized something.
This was a beach, shrouded in fog on all sides.
The surface of the sea was also a misty expanse, visibility poor, and he felt there was something odd about this placeânot only was there no spiritual energy, but it seemed he couldnât cultivate here at all.
The magical power in his dantian dwindled with every use.
And even his divine sense was suppressed to the point of being unusable; his storage bag wouldnât open, either!
"Ying ying ying!"
The little white fox shuddered, shaking off the water droplets, scattering mist everywhere.
"Ying-ning~~"
Lin Changâsheng heard a soft exclamationâhe saw Yu Lingfei had already woken up.
At this moment, Yu Lingfei was soaked through, her white robe clinging to her body, making her figure stand out unmistakably.
"Where... am I...?"
Yu Lingfei circulated her magical power to evaporate the moisture from her body, then began surveying the scene around her.
Her delicate brows knitted together as she thought backâshe remembered that she, Junior Sister Fu Qingyu, Zhang Aoxue from Yin Yang Dao Sect, Zhuo Yijian from Celestial Sword Immortal Sect, and two other Foundation Establishment cultivators, had attacked a hidden teleportation array togetherâthe array collapsed, turning into a terrifying vortex!
She and her junior sister had both been sucked into the vortex.
It looked like sheâd survived being pulled into that deadly maelstrom.
"This fellow cultivator, how should I address you?"
After glancing around, Yu Lingfeiâs eyes settled on Lin Changâsheng, and she cupped her fists in greeting.
She rememberedâthe young cultivator before her had shown up at the edge of the valley as they attacked the array; she hadnât expected heâd gotten dragged into the vortex too.
"I..."
Lin Changâsheng hesitated for a moment, then said: "My name is Long Pingâan! Just a loose cultivator. May I ask your name, Miss?"
Lin Changâsheng wasnât disguising himself as Yu Xiaochang this time. Yu Xiaochang was an outer sect disciple from Liuyun Immortal Sect, only Qi Refining Fourth Layer Perfection, while he was a Foundation Establishment Third Layer nowâhe worried about being exposed, so he simply swapped to a new identity.
"So youâre Daoist Long. My name is Yu Lingfei, from Yanyue Immortal Sect. Daoist Long, do you know what this place is?"
Yu Lingfei cupped her fists to Lin Changâsheng and spoke politely.
"No idea either. Right now, all we can do is explore and see what we find."
Lin Changâsheng replied helplessly.
"Mm."
Yu Lingfei nodded.
Lin Changâsheng picked up the little white fox and walked ahead. Since he couldnât use divine sense, he had no choice but to rely on his eyes.
Even past a dozen or so yards, everything was still shrouded in mist.
Beyond the beach seemed to be a desolate plain.
Yu Lingfei followed just behind Lin Changâsheng as they walked away from the sea.
"Hm? There are people ahead!"
Suddenly, Lin Changâsheng halted, staring at the distanceâabout a dozen yards away, more than a dozen sturdy men in animal skins, wielding fish-spears and blades, were approaching rapidly.
"Looks like a group of fishermen?!"
Yu Lingfei spotted them too, delight appearing in her eyes.
If there were people here, they could ask what this place was.
Before longâ
The group of muscular men with spears and blades, dressed in animal skins, noticed Lin Changâsheng and Yu Lingfei, and marched up warily.
Lin Changâsheng noted the middle-aged man leading them actually had Martial Arts Cultivation on par with an early-stage Martial Arts Grandmaster.
The burly men behind him mostly ranked as second-class, or even first-class in strength.
"You two were... accidentally sucked in too?"
The lead man, around forty, tall and imposing, emanated a strong aura as he looked at Lin Changâsheng and Yu Lingfei and asked.
"Also? Big brother, you mean others were pulled in before us?"
Lin Changâshengâs gaze flickered and he asked.
He knewâ
Among those drawn in were Yu Lingfeiâs seven companions.
"Of course. This Spirit-Seizing Land pulls people in every few years or sometimes decades. Just now we saved seven, and with you two, that makes nine!"
The middle-aged man answered with a small smile.
"Big brother, how should we address you? And, why is this place called Spirit-Seizing Land?"
Lin Changâsheng gazed at the man and asked.
"Little brother, the nameâs Tu Mu, but you can call me Old Tu. Here in Spirit-Seizing Land, thereâs absolutely no spiritual energy. Even an Immortal Master canât cultivate. Once your magical powerâs burnt up, youâre no different from ordinary folks!"
The man spoke, smiling kindly.
"You canât cultivate? Brother Tu, is there a way out?"
Lin Changâshengâs eyes flickered and he asked.
"A way out?"
Tu Mu exchanged a glance with the other burly men, looked at Lin Changâsheng and Yu Lingfei, then shook his head: "Once youâre in, forget about leaving. Many Immortal Masters like yourselves come in here and can never get out. In the end, they die here, just like us."
"This..."
Lin Changâsheng frowned deeply at his words.
If they were trapped here, wasnât that the end?
Hearing Tu Mu, Yu Lingfeiâs pretty face paled as well.
"How do you two wish to be addressed? If you have nowhere to go, youâre welcome to our tribe to settle down. Itâs not safe hereâthere are powerful Sea Demon Beasts in the sea."
Tu Mu looked at Lin Changâsheng and Yu Lingfei, his voice serious.
"I am Long Pingâan! Since Brother Tu has invited us, weâll gladly accept your hospitality."
Lin Changâsheng replied in a deep voice.
For now, stranded here, the only choice was to stay awhile and figure things out.
"Yu Lingfei, weâll trouble you, Brother Tu!"
Yu Lingfei also cupped her fists from the side.
"Alright, come with me!"
Tu Mu nodded and brought seven or eight burly men with him as he led the way.
The group walked about half an hour inland, finally coming to a hilly area dotted with many stone and wooden houses.
As they chatted along the way, they learnedâ
This tribe was called the Cloud Map Tribe, with around a thousand houses and a population of a bit over two thousand.
This middle-aged man was one of three chiefs.
The other two were named Zhang Nian and Shao Yicheng, both Martial Arts Grandmasters too.
In the tribe, men outnumbered women. Men were responsible for hunting and killing Sea Demon Beasts for resources; women handled laundry, cooking, and having children to grow the tribe.
"Senior Sister Yu!"
"Junior Sister Yu!"
When Lin Changâsheng and Yu Lingfei arrived, Zhuo Yijian, Fu Qingyu, Zhang Aoxue, and the other seven all came up to them in the main hall of the tribe.
"Senior Brother Zhuo, Junior Sister Zhang, Junior Sister Fu, youâre all safeâthatâs wonderful!"
When Yu Lingfei saw the people whoâd attacked the hidden array with her, her pretty face lit up with joy.
"You all should rest firstâMo Yu will arrange accommodations. The rest of us have to patrol the coast."
Tu Mu gave Lin Changâsheng, Yu Lingfei, and the others a few instructions, then left.
Mo Yu was a dark-skinned girl of seventeen or eighteen, her complexion rough and dotted with sun spots, no doubt from living on the beach year after year.
"Patrol the coast?"
Lin Changâsheng, Zhuo Yijian, Yu Lingfei, and the rest all looked confused.
"Patrolling the coast means our tribeâs strongest members search the shore for Sea Demon Beasts to kill. Thatâs where most of our resources come from!"
"Resources are so scarce, our tribe canât afford to support idlers. Everyone has to go out and hunt Sea Beasts!"
Seeing their confusion, Mo Yu explained.
"So thatâs how it is!"
Lin Changâsheng nodded; Zhuo Yijian and the others looked enlightened as well.