The next day, before dawn broke, Chu Mo set out and met Lin Feng and Yue Mian on time.
"You look rather well today, Junior Brother Chu. Did you happen to pick up some treasure?" Seeing his relaxed expression, Lin Feng could not help teasing him.
"You jest, Senior Brother Lin. I merely gained a little insight last night." Chu Mo brushed it aside with a smile, then unfolded the sea chart in his hand and asked:
"You know the Thousand Currents District well, Senior Brother Lin. Where do you think we should begin our patrol?"
Seeing him change the subject, Lin Feng tactfully stopped asking. His gaze fell on the sea chart, and after a moment's thought, he pointed to a marked spot.
"Let's start here. This is one of the areas where Coldwater Clam yields have fallen most severely over the past month. The fishermen have also reported the most empty shells and dead clams here. If there are clues to be found, this is our best chance."
Chu Mo looked at the spot he indicated. It was not too far away. He nodded slightly. "As you suggest, Senior Brother."
Beside them, Yue Mian had not spoken from beginning to end. Only when Chu Mo nodded did she dip her chin as well, expressing her agreement.
With their plan settled, the three wasted no more time. Lin Feng took the lead aboard a small Spirit Boat, skimming low over the sea, with Chu Mo and Yue Mian close behind.
In just four hours, they arrived near their destination.
The sea stretched flat and calm, sunlight spilling across it in rippling flecks of gold.
Several crude wooden boats lay anchored nearby. The mortals aboard had lean, powerful muscles and vigorous blood and qi, clearly having trained in martial arts.
Each wore a Water-Avoidance Pearl tied against their chest. They were of the same design as the one Xu Yuan had bestowed, but much smaller, only the size of a soybean.
These people did not notice the three figures in the air. After warming up briefly, they drew deep breaths and leaped nimbly into the sea.
"What is this...?" Puzzled by the scene before him, Chu Mo turned to Lin Feng.
"Oh, are you wondering about these mortal Pearl Divers, Junior Brother?" Lin Feng smiled. "Although Coldwater Clams are spiritual creatures, they possess little intelligence and have no means of attack. They merely hide among deepwater reefs.
"Strong-bodied mortals can also dive down and gather them with the help of water-avoidance methods..."
Immortals and mortals lived side by side in the Turbid Abyss Sea, and mortals had their uses to cultivators. Pearl gathering, for instance, was far cheaper when mortals were hired instead of cultivators.
Yet the currents and pressure beneath the deep sea, and even certain Low Tier demonic beasts, all posed mortal dangers to them. Every dive was a gamble with their lives.
For these mortals, however, gathering Spirit Pearls and exchanging them for the right to live peacefully on an island was already a rare opportunity.
If they were fortunate enough to encounter the Duo'e Sect recruiting disciples, that would be an opportunity as vast as the heavens.
This was no idle fantasy. Compared with other immortal sects, the chances of entering the Duo'e Sect were actually much "higher."
After all, practically every day could be called a "disciple recruitment ceremony" for the Duo'e Sect. They cared neither for talent nor background. Whenever they wanted disciples, they simply took a group away.
The country Chu Mo had previously lived in, for instance, lay a hundred and eight thousand li from the Duo'e Sect. Back then, relying on the "inheritance" left by his brothers in the mountain stronghold and his own efforts, he had just begun enjoying a peaceful, comfortable life.
But he happened to encounter Jiang Yunya returning to the sect from an outing. Jiang Yunya casually swept him up, packed him off together with the people nearby, and delivered them all to the Duo'e Sect.
A flicker of reminiscence passed through Chu Mo's eyes before vanishing. He merely turned his gaze to the waters below and said, "I see. Thank you for explaining, Senior Brother."
Lin Feng smiled faintly. "Still, mortals have limited abilities. They cannot help us investigate. We had better go down and take a look ourselves." With that, he plunged into the water first.
Seeing this, Chu Mo exchanged a glance with Yue Mian and immediately followed.
The moment he entered the water, the Water-Avoidance Pearl hanging at his waist emitted a hazy glow, forming a soft bubble around his body that kept the seawater out.
At first, daylight shone through the surface, leaving visibility underwater fairly good. Schools of fish could be seen darting about.
But as they descended farther, the light grew increasingly dim, and the water pressure gradually increased. Such pressure had little effect on cultivators; circulating their true qi was enough to counteract it.
For the mortals working in the sea, however, it was a severe trial. Their movements slowed, and their strength rapidly drained away. The slightest carelessness could leave them sleeping forever on the seabed.
The three did not stop, continuing their descent.
Only after descending another several dozen zhang did they finally notice something unusual. This should have been a habitat for Coldwater Clams, yet scarcely any clams were in sight. Instead, broken shells lay scattered about.
At the same time, the water temperature plunged, and the water faintly carried a sinister, baleful presence-or rather...
It's Deathly Qi, Chu Mo thought. The sensation was much like the aura given off by yin spirits.
"Something is wrong," Lin Feng transmitted through his divine sense. "The water qi here is far too cold and sinister. This is certainly not the sort of environment Coldwater Clams favor."
Though Coldwater Clams liked the cold, they preferred pure spiritual qi even more. Under the influence of Deathly Qi, this place had become somewhat foul.
Chu Mo surveyed their surroundings. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he pointed somewhere. "Senior Brother Lin, look over there."
Lin Feng followed his finger and saw several dozen Coldwater Clams piled beneath a massive reef. Their spiritual glow was dim; most were already dead, leaving only empty shells.
Yue Mian was about to approach for a closer inspection when a shadow suddenly shot out from beneath the reef, opening its bloody maw and lunging straight at her.
[Level 3 · Frostfang Fish (red name)]
"Watch out!" Even as Lin Feng transmitted his warning, he opened his mouth and spat out a radiant, multicolored mass of qi.
Though released later, the colorful qi arrived first, striking the Frostfang Fish in an instant and smashing it into a bloody pulp. Scarlet blood immediately spread through the water.
"So it was only a Frostfang Fish." Lin Feng sounded slightly disappointed. Forming a hand seal, he dispersed the blood around them and transmitted:
"Though this creature likes eating Coldwater Clams, its appetite is small. It also lives alone and never gathers in schools. A single fish could never cause such a large-scale decline in Coldwater Clam yields."
As he spoke, he took out a Jade Box, used his true qi to gather up the pulped flesh below, and stored it inside.
Chu Mo watched him with a trace of puzzlement in his eyes. The fish's remains were mangled beyond recognition, not even fit to serve as materials. Why was he collecting them?
Noticing his gaze, Lin Feng coughed lightly and explained through a voice transmission, "You must find this amusing, Junior Brother. My primary cultivation method is the Myriad Forms Treasure Body Art. From the fourth level of Qi Refining onward, I must nurture a strand of myriad forms treasure qi.
"To strengthen this qi's power, I must consume and refine the essences of all manner of spiritual substances. Spiritual plants, flesh and blood, or even the essences of metal and stone can all nourish the treasure qi. So... ahem."
Hearing this, Chu Mo understood at once. Like the Profound Cavern Roselight he cultivated, this was likely a wondrous property found only in a complete spiritual art.
"The Frostfang Fish is not the cause of the reduced yields. Let's search more carefully." Putting away the Jade Box, Lin Feng took the lead and swam toward the reef where the Frostfang Fish had hidden.
Chu Mo gave Yue Mian a slight gesture, chose a direction strewn with shell fragments, and swam slowly toward it with heightened vigilance.
He cautiously extended his divine sense, sweeping over the broken clams scattered across the seabed, and discovered that they seemed to have been violently smashed by some force.
Moreover, around the broken clams, that exceedingly faint wisp of Deathly Qi was particularly distinct.