At the bottom of the sea, demon beast skeletons, especially those of fish, were indeed plentiful. In the blink of an eye, all sorts of dense, assorted skeletons landed on Fusang Island, transforming the entire beach into a world of white bones as they rushed towards Fusang City.

Along the way, everything, whether trees or cities, was destroyed, leaving not a blade of grass.

The cultivators of the East Sea Alliance and Wu Yue Sect, who were still engaged in battle, were utterly shocked at this sight and hurriedly flew into the air to avoid it.

Yuan Ming, who was closest to the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner, felt the bones in his body vibrating violently, as if they were about to break through his skin and exit his body. His mana also began to vibrate.

He quickly circulated the Nine Elements Technique and the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill to suppress the anomaly in his body.

At that moment, the ground beneath Yuan Ming suddenly cracked open, and a section of the Bone White Long Banner shot out, rapidly wrapping around the Bone Dragon Corpse beneath him.

Ten zhang away, the White Bone Venerable had one end of the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner burrowed underground. Taking advantage of Yuan Ming suppressing the anomaly in his body, she sneaked up unnoticed.

The White Bone Venerable cultivated a unique cultivation technique, storing most of her mana in the Bone Dragon Corpse. If she retrieved it, she could recover most of her mana and turn defeat into victory using the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner.

However, just then, the massive Bone Dragon Corpse flickered and disappeared into thin air, and the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner snapped at nothing.

"Heh, did you think I couldn't see the truth behind this Bone Dragon Corpse, letting you take it back so easily?" Yuan Ming scoffed mockingly.

Although an ordinary cultivator might not detect the mana within the Bone Dragon Corpse, the First Split Soul, empowered by the Stealing Heaven Tripod, spared no detail and had long seen through everything.

Moreover, having possessed the White Bone Venerable earlier, Yuan Ming had gained substantial insight into her mana characteristics, instantly recognizing the importance of the Bone Dragon Corpse and promptly storing it in the space of the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

The White Bone Venerable's expression changed, then twisted into a sinister smile. "In that case, swallowing you will achieve the same result!"

The Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner emerging from the ground grew longer in the wind, coiling around Yuan Ming's body like a viper flicking its tongue.

The vibrations in his bones intensified manifold, and neither the Nine Elements Technique nor the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill could suppress them. His flesh was about to be torn apart and expelled from his body.

Yuan Ming was not panicked at all. He activated the Ju Mang Spirit Technique, and his skin swiftly darkened, his body rapidly grew taller, and he instantaneously transformed into a Tree Man, his flesh and bones turning wooden.

The Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner affected bodies of flesh but was ineffective against trees. The vibrations within him immediately lessened, and he quickly recovered.

He stretched out both hands, transforming them into two thick tree trunks that wrapped around the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner, securely fixing it in place.

Yuan Ming executed this series of casts as swiftly as a hawk snatching a rabbit, completing them in the blink of an eye.

Only then did the White Bone Venerable react, her face drastically changing as she desperately tried to retract the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner. But at that moment, a blood shadow flashed through the nearby void, and an old man with a ruddy nose suddenly appeared—it was Elder San Jue.

With a flick of his sleeve, two cyan Sword Qi shot out, slashing towards the body of the White Bone Venerable.

The White Bone Venerable was startled by the sudden appearance of this old man. After a sweep of her Divine Sense, she immediately realized his immeasurably deep Cultivation.

"A Returning Void presence!"

The White Bone Venerable was terrified and, disregarding the retrieval of the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner, swept to the side in full force, narrowly dodging the lightning-like Sword Qi.

A thick scent of alcohol came from nowhere, causing the White Bone Venerable's body to go limp, her head dizzy as if she were drunk. Her remaining mana also chaotically surged out of her control, and she thudded to the ground.

The two cyan Sword Qi appeared above the White Bone Venerable, sweeping over her leisurely yet urgently.

With a soft "chi" sound, the White Bone Venerable's body was split from head to toe into two halves, and her Nascent Soul wasn't spared either—it was sliced into two parts and fell backwards.

With the White Bone Venerable's defeat, the Ghostly Soul White Bone Banner lost all its power and limply fell to the ground. The countless skeletons that had leaped from the sea also lost control, collapsing uniformly.

Near the Fusang Giant Tree, Hua Zhi and the Qiong Hai Island Master were engaged in a fierce battle with a dazzling female cultivator.

Hua Zhi faced two opponents. However, she had reached Level 4 Middle Stage, her Poisonous Divine Power was exquisite, her Spore Technique was extremely secretive, and her regenerative ability was astonishingly strong, firmly giving her the upper hand.

However, the Qiong Hai Island Master and the dazzling female cultivator were no pushovers. Although at a disadvantage, they maintained a tight defense without revealing much vulnerability.

Of course, the reason the three couldn't decide the outcome was more importantly because they were partially distracted by the battles involving Yuan Ming and the White Bone Venerable, as well as Xi Ying and Ni Mu.

Seeing the White Bone Venerable's downfall, the expressions of the Qiong Hai Island Master and the dazzling female cultivator drastically changed.

At that moment, not far away, the black mist enveloping the Tongchen Puppet abruptly burst, and Ni Mu's figure shot out.

His complexion was pale, indicating he was not lightly wounded, yet it wasn't to his core. His movement technique was still swift, reaching above the Qiong Hai Island Master and the dazzling female cultivator in an instant.

A Sword Qi-like Golden Light fell, aimed at Hua Zhi. It unfurled expansively, sweeping across all directions.

Hua Zhi was startled and swiftly dodged backward.

The direction of the Golden Light shifted, wrapping around the Qiong Hai Island Master and the dazzling female cultivator, shooting far away, reaching hundreds of zhang distant in the blink of an eye, then disappearing into the distant sky.

Just as Hua Zhi was about to give chase, Xi Ying flew out from the Black Mist, indifferently saying, "Let it be, Ni Mu's Divine Skills are formidable. Just the two of us can't hold him back, let him go."

Knowing Xi Ying's place in Yuan Ming's heart, Hua Zhi stopped in her tracks. The M|V|LE&MPYR team worked hard on this chapter.

...

Yuan Ming glanced in Ni Mu's direction, quickly withdrew his gaze, and looked toward the ground.

The Nascent Soul of the White Bone Venerable was severely damaged, the blue runes on it rapidly dissipating, seeming as if the restriction of possession were thoroughly broken.

The consciousness of the White Bone Venerable swiftly faded, on the verge of complete demise.

Yuan Ming flew over, raising his hand to emit a mixture of blue light and dark mist that enveloped the body and Nascent Soul of the White Bone Venerable; the dispersing consciousness immediately halted, but did not recover.

"The White Bone Venerable is dead, the Heavenly Puppet Venerable has fled! Followers of the Wu Yue Sect, surrender now!" Yuan Ming lifted the corpse of the White Bone Venerable into the air, and his booming voice echoed across the skies of Fusang Island.

As the news of the death and escape of the two Venerables spread, the fighting spirit of the Wu Yue Sect cultivators on Fusang Island swiftly declined. Even those who resisted were quickly overwhelmed and annihilated. The tide of the battle irrevocably tilted toward the side of the East Sea Alliance.

And when the last banner of the Wu Yue Sect fell and the flags of the East Sea Alliance blanketed every corner of Fusang Island, the cultivators of the East Sea Alliance simultaneously realized that the turmoil that had ravaged the entire East Sea had finally come to an end.

They cheered and congratulated each other, jointly savoring the fruits of victory, smiles almost overflowing on each person's face.

However, many noticed amidst the celebration, the buildings collapsed due to the war around them, like stark scars that would take a long time to heal.

The surviving Fusang Island cultivators felt both joy and sorrow at this moment.

Their once-familiar hometown, the streets, every grass and tree now lay devastated; companions who had once cultivated together now lay souls buried in the sea.

The war had ended, but the lingering pain still needed time to heal.

However, precisely because this victory was hard-earned, the cultivators of the East Sea Alliance were even more aware of who had changed the course of the battle, who had led them to victory, and who most deserved their gratitude—

Divine Envoy Yuan Ming, and the powerful deity behind him.

Up to this point, nearly every cultivator of the East Sea Alliance had become a "believer" of the Nether Moon God.

Belief is both costly and cheap. These naturally unruly cultivators perhaps never truly worshipped the Nether Moon God as a deity. "Belief" in the Nether Moon God sometimes stemmed from obedience to the East Sea Alliance's high command and policies, and partly from personal desires for blessings.

This type of belief was very superficial. Although, due to the large base, the quantity of Desire Power produced was quite significant, it still fell short compared to heartfelt, sincere belief.

But gratitude was different. Though it might fade with time, at the moment it arose, it was always fervent and genuine.

At this moment, Yuan Ming was basking in a sea of gratitude as vast as the ocean and in the immense Desire Power that it brought.

He hurriedly summoned all his Soul Power, operated the Heart Cleansing Technique, and refined the immense Desire Power. Both the first and second split souls, even the third that had merged into the Nascent Soul, were called upon.

Having continuously refined Desire Power for many years, his understanding of the Heart Cleansing Technique had become profoundly deep, and the speed of refining Desire Power was much faster than before.

The refined Desire Power flowed into his Sea of Consciousness like a cascading waterfall; Yuan Ming's Soul Power increased at an unbelievable rate and soon reached the pinnacle of the Mid-stage Sleep Witch.

The continuous influx of massive Desire Power kept pushing his Soul Power to progress.

In almost an instant, he broke through the barrier of the Mid-stage Sleep Witch and entered the Late Stage of Sleep Witch.

"It was only recently that I broke through the Mid-stage Sleep Witch, and now I have advanced to the Late Stage! Indeed, starting a sect and collecting Desire Power is the fastest cultivation method for a Soul Cultivator," Yuan Ming rejoiced upon seeing this.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he could attempt to reach the Word Witch Realm.

But at this moment, Yuan Ming suddenly felt a bout of dizziness, experiencing a surreal sensation of floating on clouds.

He hastily peered into his Sea of Consciousness, only to see his Divine Soul swollen like an overfed glutton, several times larger than before, paler in color, less solid than previously, and vaguely in disarray.

Yuan Ming was greatly alarmed and forcibly compelled his Divine Soul to stop absorbing Desire Power.

"What's going on? Didn't Xi Ying say that absorbing Desire Power would not affect the routine cultivation of a Soul Cultivator?" he said tensely, pondering over the issue of unstable Soul Power.

Meanwhile, Wan Tianren also flew over.

"Haha, Divine Envoy Yuan, this battle owes much to you; otherwise, not only Fusang Island but even..." Wan Tianren spoke unendingly, his face filled with irrepressible excitement and gratitude.

Thanks to this, Yuan Ming could clearly feel the immense and dense Desire Power from the other side flowing into him.

Normally, he might have felt excitement and desire, but for someone who had just overeaten, the last thing they wanted to see was more food. Yuan Ming felt just like that now.

"Alliance Leader Wan, let's hold off for now. I've suddenly gained some insight and need to go into seclusion for a while. I'll leave the rest to you," Yuan Ming interrupted Wan Tianren, and without waiting for a response, he flew toward the former seclusion site of the White Bone Venerable.

Seeing this, Xi Ying also immediately followed him, leaving Wan Tianren alone in mid-air, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Fellow Daoist Wan, why are you standing there alone? Oh, where is Divine Envoy Yuan?" It wasn't long before Gu Xuanyang flew over, asking curiously.

"Oh, he's gone into seclusion. I was just thinking, you know, last time on Three Immortals Island when Divine Envoy Yuan and the Nether Moon God saved us, we at least had some treasures to show our gratitude. This time, liberating the East Sea and restoring Fusang Island, with such a great favor, how should we repay them?" Wan Tianren sighed, inquiring.

"That's indeed a problem. Now that the East Sea has much to recover, we really don't have any valuable treasures to offer... How about this? I noticed that Divine Envoy Yuan is enthusiastic about preaching. Why don't we hold a few days of celebration in his name? It would not only reward our soldiers but also announce to the entire East Sea the complete retreat of the Wu Yue Sect, uplifting people's spirits. At the same time, we could take the opportunity to promote the Nether Moon God and help Divine Envoy Yuan in his preaching, benefiting us in three ways," Gu Xuanyang suggested after some thought.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, your suggestion is excellent. You and a few other Daoists go and arrange it," Wan Tianren's eyes lit up, nodding in agreement.