The mist dispersed.
Like a curtain lifted by an unseen hand, the thick mist that had shrouded West Mountain Island for half a month dissipated at a visible pace. Moonlight spilled down again, illuminating the legendary island.
Then everyone went mad.
"Charge!"
"Hurry!"
No one knew who shouted first, but the dozens of boats anchored on the lake all began moving at once.
The Maoshan Sect's Daoist vessels, the Lanling Xiao Clan's pleasure barges, and the fishing boats belonging to the smaller sects surged toward West Mountain Island like sharks scenting blood.
Because they had seen it-
Treasures covered the island!
Once-ordinary pines now bore fist-sized cones all over their crowns, each glowing faintly gold; once-common weeds now held crystalline dewdrops on their leaves, droplets that remained solid as jade instead of dispersing; and there were the vines, the wildflowers, the mushrooms...
Everything had changed.
"That's a reishi mushroom!"
Someone cried out in astonishment.
"No, that's a thousand-year-old fleeceflower root!"
"What's that? A radish that can run?!"
Behind a rock on the shore, a radish-shaped plant trembled. It had two slender white rootlets and was desperately trying to burrow into the soil, but could not get in no matter how hard it tried.
Farther inland, a beast's roar rang out. A wild boar burst from the woods, its bristles shimmering faintly gold, blood still clinging to its tusks-it had just killed a similarly mutated wolf.
Treasures lay everywhere, but so did danger.
Yet those surging madly toward the island had eyes only for treasure, not danger.
"Charge!"
"Hurry! There'll be nothing left if we're too slow!"
Aboard the Lu family's tower ship, a group of young disciples stamped their feet in agitation.
"Grandfather! Let's go too!"
"If we don't go now, they'll snatch everything!"
Lu Yuanfang stood at the bow