Chapter 36: The Voice of Carrion Island
Chen Xuanlin shook his head. "Of course we can't resist. Faced with sheer strength, no matter how we plot, it's useless."
Chen Gan'er licked his lips, calming himself. "Damn it! How did we end up on this island? The fog has been clearing lately, and the scenery has been getting weirder and weirder."
Chen Gan'er looked at Chen Xuanlin again. "What should we do?"
Chen Xuanlin's gaze never left the nearby island. He slowly said,
"Let's go and take a look. I'm also curious about how we ended up on this island. If the Chen family is doomed today, we can't die after the rest of our clansmen."
With that, he strode towards the strange island.
...
Due to the disparity in strength between the islands, Chen Xuanlin made no special arrangements for the Chen clan members during this approach.
When Chen Xuanlin and Chen Gan'er reached the shoreline, many Chen clan members, men, women, and children, spontaneously arrived at the shoreline.
Other members of the Chen clan were also arriving one after another.
Among them were Chen Xuanlin's wife, Wu He, and his son, Chen Xingye.
Some carried polished harpoons and hoes, others merely battered sticks, and some even clutched a few stones.
They all stared at Chen Xuanlin, their expressions somewhat numb, but their eyes held no sign of retreat.
Chen Ganer frowned and said,
"Elder Huaigu, Elder Qiuluo, quickly lead the tribe back. This approach to the shore is extremely dangerous. The entire island has been polluted. How can we let our tribe members take such risks?"
Before the two elders could speak, a dark-faced old man, harpoon in hand, spoke first.
"It's none of your business, Elders. We also saw the warning on the Dead Sea Message Monument that day. We all knew this approach to the shore was unusual and would be extremely dangerous. Though we are weak, we will not hide on the island to survive, while leaving the clan leader and Elder Ganer to risk their lives alone."
Other members of the Chen clan also spoke up.
"We naturally know that this island is a dangerous place. How can we let you fight alone like we did last time when we landed?"
"Little Gan Er, you grew up under your aunt's care. Even if we are old, we can still help. At the very least, we can block a knife for you, right?"
"Yes, yes, Clan Leader Xuanlin, Clan Leader Gan Er, don't underestimate us. Although the Chen clan has declined to this point, no one who is still alive is a coward."
"We are willing to follow the clan leader and fight to the death... We have long been indifferent to life and death."
...
Amid the sound of everyone talking.
Chen Xuanlin slowly turned his head, and everyone quickly quieted down.
Chen Xuanlin's eyes swept over every member of the Chen clan, and his voice was a little hoarse:
"Xuanlin understands the feelings of all the fellow clansmen."
"But for today's landing, there's no need for you, my fellow villagers, to risk your lives. Gan Er and I can handle it. I hope you'll take good care of your homeland. For the Chen family, please don't make any reckless sacrifices."
"When Gan Er and I return, we'll have a drink and a good time together."
The Chen clan members simply stared at Chen Xuanlin silently, but their blazing eyes etched a deep impression on Chen Xuanlin's heart.
Chen Xuanlin smiled faintly, waved his hand, and turned to join Chen Gan Er on the beach of Carrion Island.
Zhou Yi, who had been closely monitoring the landing, couldn't help but sigh: How could the Chen clan, with such unwavering faith, have fallen to such a state?
...
The moment they stepped onto Carrion Island, they were overwhelmed by a stench of overwhelming stench.
The stench was stronger than the usual odor of decay, and within a few breaths, Chen Xuanlin and his companions felt dizzy.
Chen Gan Er pinched his nose and practiced the Heart Fire Fury technique, which finally eased the dizziness.
Chen Gan'er frowned and said,
"This island has been polluted by something. Is this place suitable for human habitation? Who could possibly live here?"
Chen Xuanlin was also somewhat amazed by the island's peculiarities. Even across a shallow shoal from Sanyin Island, he couldn't smell the island's stench. Once
past the shoreline, it felt like entering another world entirely.
Furthermore, the sand beneath his feet wasn't as firm as the beaches on other islands; it felt rather soft.
Chen Gan'er noticed this and said to Chen Xuanlin,
"Brother, this beach doesn't feel like a beach. It feels more like stepping on rotten meat."
Just as Chen Xuanlin was about to respond, a resounding voice emanated from Carrion Island, booming in the ears of both Chen Xuanlin and Chen Gan'er.
"The Chen Clan's Sinner Lord, come and apologize."
This Chen Clan's Sinner Lord, presumably referring to the Clan's leader, Chen Xuanlin, carried no hint of threat or humiliation.
It seemed as if a catastrophe would befall them in the next moment if they disobeyed the voice's owner.
Chen Xuanlin's face instantly changed color.
While on the shore of Sanyin Island, he had faintly sensed an inexplicable pressure emanating from the island across the water, a pressure far beyond the reach of a Qi-linking cultivator.
This voice suggested that the island connecting to the shore seemed hostile.
Chen Gan'er's face also turned red upon hearing this. In the past, when the elders of his clan mentioned the word "sinner" among themselves, it was only a self-deprecating joke.
This was the first time in Chen Gan'er's life that someone had mentioned the word "sinner" to him while approaching the shore.
Zhou Yi, who had been watching closely, naturally heard the voice as well.
However, Zhou Yi also realized that only Chen Xuanlin and Chen Gan'er seemed to hear it. The other Chen clan members standing on the shore hadn't, and continued to gaze at Chen Xuanlin and the other side with worried expressions.
Chen Gan'er, upon hearing this voice, could not help but see his anger well up.
"Sinner, sinner! The Chen ancestors claimed to be sinners. The Chen clan history records that the Chen clan members are sinners, saying that our Chen clan was driven to Sanyin Island by those immortal islands. I wonder what our Chen ancestors did that, even now, Brother Xuanlin would be humiliated like this."
Chen Gan'er had read the Chen clan history. It was a thick, thread-bound book with many pages torn out from the front. On the page behind those torn pages, the word "sinner" was written all over the paper in blood.
When he first became a clan elder, the first Chen clan book Chen Gan'er read was the Chen clan history. The words "sinner" written all over the pages in the history made Chen Gan'er dislike reading and instead loved fishing and fighting.
He had asked his father, also a clan elder, and the young clan leader, Chen Xuanlin, but neither of them had a definitive answer.
They simply said that the Chen ancestors had committed some heinous crime, which had led them to Sanyin Island, a place devoid of spirits.
This also led to the once glorious Chen family falling to the point of near extinction.
However, the specific actions of the Chen ancestors were not recorded in the family history, only legends passed down orally from generation to generation.
To this day, only a few elderly clan elders and Chen Xuanlin knew anything.
Hearing someone on the shore-connected island call him a sinner and humiliate him, Chen Gan'er's blood boiled, his face flushed, and he ran towards the center of the island.
Chen Xuanlin, knowing Chen Gan'er's temper, sighed and hurried to catch up.
Carrion Island was completely desolate, with no trees in sight. The island was dark in color, and the smell of decay grew stronger the deeper one went.
In the past, signs of human life could be seen on the shore-connected island, but on this island, there was no trace of life at