There were beautiful black and white patterns at the top, and if one stared at them too long, they would become dizzy.

This was a giant sea conch. The upper half of its tail protruded above the water, growing trees and forming beaches over years and months, thus creating a small island. But its lower half was still embedded in the shallow seabed.

The portion visible above water was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Madam Xu grabbed Feng Miaojun’s arm: “Didn’t you say earlier that this was a demon?”

“It’s a Spiral Crab,” Feng Miaojun gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her. “Don’t worry, it died long ago.”

Spiral Crabs resembled hermit crabs, carrying thick shells on their backs, but with eight legs for movement and two front pincers like crab claws. This demonic Spiral Crab had grown into a behemoth that could probably easily tear apart anything it wanted.

When alive, it was undoubtedly the tyrant of the sea. Fortunately, it had long since died, though the cause remained unknown.

The most credible account was recorded in a book at Smoke Sea Tower, though it was merely unofficial history: it died during a cosmic anomaly over a thousand years ago.

That cataclysm even led to the disappearance of deities, so what was strange about the death of a powerful demon?

Nevertheless, the shell remained, becoming a marvel on the route across the Forbidden Sea. Feng Miaojun sighed in admiration: “To think such magnificent creatures once existed between heaven and earth.”

In an era abundant with spiritual energy, deities dwelled among humans, and extremely powerful demons lived on land and in the deep sea—this shell was evidence of that.

Perhaps even more enormous and ferocious demons had appeared?

Just imagining such an era was enough to make her heart surge with excitement.

Alas, she couldn’t personally witness it; alas, she hadn’t transmigrated to such a time.

As the fleet slowly approached the shore, Feng Miaojun realized that this port was quite busy, with vessels of all sizes occupying nearly all available space, leaving few vacant spots.

For an island isolated in the vast sea, it had quite several visitors.

Behind the dock was a bustling market. Madam Xu watched a thin young boy with his head lowered, carrying cargo twice his size toward the wharf. Just as she was about to sigh in sympathy, the boy jumped into the sea with a splash—

Transformed into a large sea turtle—quite a beautiful hawksbill—before dragging the cargo into the deep sea, disappearing within two breaths.

Madam Xu murmured: “Demons truly cannot be judged by appearances.”

Feng Miaojun smiled as she helped her disembark.

After staying on a ship for so long, one always particularly missed the feeling of solid ground. Moreover, Spiral Float Island was indeed a place worth exploring. Its prosperity was at least one-third contributed by demons, especially sea demons.

After the ship docked, the few eel demons that had escorted the fleet also jumped ashore, transforming into burly men. They first wandered through the market, bought some items, and then, like the sea turtle boy, jumped back into the water and dove deep.

The island residents were accustomed to such sights, but first-time visitors found it extraordinary. Feng Miaojun encountered a grandfather and grandson, with the old man telling his grandson: “See that? The demons all live underwater. The lower half of this giant shell submerged beneath the water is their home.”

Madam Xu knew his explanation wasn’t complete. The portion of Spiral Float Island below the water surface was even larger, serving as a stronghold for sea races. Therefore, this island was divided into upper and lower cities. The Upper City of Spiral Float was home to land-dwelling races and merchants; the Lower City, the underwater city, housed numerous sea races.

It was a unique city where humans and demons lived together in peace.

Feng Miaojun smiled: “I’ve heard the Lower City is also open to sea travelers. Let’s first rent an inn to stay, then I’ll accompany the mother to see the underwater scenery. After all, this supply stop will take five days.”

It was a full nineteen-day sea journey to the next supply station. The captain would choose to make thorough preparations at Spiral Float Island before setting sail again.

Originally, the Lower City had no air, making it uninhabitable for land creatures. But in recent years, many new facilities had been built underwater, and thus the Lower City gradually opened specialized areas for sea travelers, where air was available.

Madam Xu was intrigued. Having spent half her life in human cities, she never imagined she could live underwater.

Feng’s group immediately found a guide on the island, who first led them to find accommodation and then showed them the island’s scenery. Under the same conditions, lodging here was three times more expensive than on land, but with no third option, it was either stay here or sleep on the ship.

While guiding Feng Miaojun, Madam Xu, and others around, the guide smiled and said: “Fortune favors the timely; the distinguished ‘Spiral Float Fish Market’ will be held in three days. Most visitors never have the opportunity to witness it.”

Fish Market? Madam Xu and Peng Bai looked puzzled, but Feng Miaojun raised her eyebrows in interest.

Lu Chuanying thought for a moment, then suddenly realized: “That’s right, the Spiral Float Fish Market is held once every three years, always during the Start of Autumn. By my calculation, it’s indeed three days from now.” Turning to Madam Xu, he explained, “What’s called a ‘Fish Market’ would be termed an ‘auction’ on land. However, the Spiral Float Fish Market is hosted by sea races and is one of the largest fish markets across the seven seas.”

Feng Miaojun had also heard of the renowned Spiral Float Fish Market, knowing that this isolated sea island’s gathering was famous far and wide for its collection of rare treasures from across the world. She couldn’t help but show great interest: “How can one participate?”

The Spiral Float Fish Market was famous not only for its scale and comprehensive categories but also for its important feature: the abundance of sea treasures. It was held around the Start of Autumn because, during this season, the currents of the Forbidden Sea changed direction, allowing numerous sea races to migrate here with less effort, facilitating the gathering of precious items.

No matter how large land auctions might be, they could never match this aspect.

The ocean was so vast, with rare treasures far exceeding those on land. Feng Miaojun particularly wanted to know: were there any treasures that could dispel curses?

“The threshold is not low,” said the guide. “Each person must pay twenty spirit stones for entry. If you don’t have spirit stones, you can use banknotes instead, but they only accept Heng Yuan Treasury notes, Hong Jin Money House, or Bao Feng Long vouchers.”

Madam Xu drew in a sharp breath: “Highway robbery!”

Not low? It was extortionate! Twenty spirit stones equaled six thousand taels of silver! Just for the entrance ticket to the Fish Market, before buying anything, each person had to pay six thousand taels of silver.

What concept was this? In the best district of Jin’s capital, a five-courtyard mansion could be purchased for just four thousand taels of silver, complete with a garden.

The guide made a “yo” sound: “There’s only one Fish Market on the Forbidden Sea, opening once every three years. Countless nobles and cultivators come from far and wide. The spaces inside are scarce—how could just any cat or dog enter?”

The group of “cats and dogs” were bewildered.

Feng Miaojun smiled: “I understand.” In her heart, she had already decided to go and see. Setting such a high threshold only made people more interested—the mastermind behind the Fish Market truly knew how to do business with the wealthy.