"My cultivation is nearly at its limit, but a breakthrough is still far away. The Returning to Void Sky Barrier has stumped many Nascent Soul powers; whether I can truly cross it is still a matter of debate," Wulu shook his head, seemingly not too hopeful.

"As long as you don't give up, you will ultimately find an opportunity. If not in Yunhuang, you could also head overseas. Have you forgotten the Jade Talisman we obtained from the Three Immortals Island? Now that Yunhuang is stabilized, after some time, once we've tied up loose ends, I plan to set off. You might as well come with me," Yuan Ming invited.

"I still have some matters to handle in Yunhuang, I'll see when the time comes," Wulu waved his hand and said noncommittally.

"All right, speaking of which, where have you been these past few days? I heard that after the battle both you and the Blood Demon Ancestor had vanished. Had I not needed to stabilize my realm, I would have come looking for you," Yuan Ming asked.

"Hey, I didn't go anywhere. I was just lying on the battlefield slowly recovering my primordial qi, just invisible thanks to a Stone Talisman. Nobody would have thought of that." Wulu detailed the process of his encounter with the Blood Demon Ancestor.

"You devoured the Nascent Soul of the Blood Demon Ancestor? As a Returning Void, his Divine Soul is much stronger than yours; doing this might have some hidden dangers. Do you need me to check it for you?" After hearing this, Yuan Ming frowned slightly and immediately suggested.

"Have a look for me, but it's probably not as serious as you think," Wulu frankly said.

After a thorough examination, Yuan Ming confirmed that there were no issues with Wulu's Divine Soul and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The two of them talked for a while longer and as time approached, Wulu stood up to take his leave.

"Actually, I came here to bid you farewell. From the memory of the Blood Demon Ancestor, I found the location of his secret base and am planning to go there to see if there's a way to unlock the secret of the Blood Puppet Armor," Wulu said.

"I might be going to the East Sea to spend some time with my parents. If you need to find me, just go to places like Thousand Dragon Island and ask those who still worship the Nether Moon God to help transmit messages," Yuan Ming said immediately.

Wulu nodded and then took his leave.

After he left, Yuan Ming was about to continue cultivating but was suddenly disturbed by a transmission.

"Yuan Ming, Tian Jizi has sent someone to ask how we should deal with the remaining Magic Cloud Trees, what do you think we should do?" Xi Ying asked through the Sound Transmission Talisman.

"Remaining? I thought we burned a big area, didn't we completely burn them?" Yuan Ming was surprised.

"Quite a few were left behind. Tian Jizi wants to destroy them directly, but without any method to eradicate them at once, that's why he's consulting us," Xi Ying answered.

"Is Tian Jizi now at Chaotian Peak? Tell him to wait, I'll be right over to handle it," Yuan Ming thought for a moment and decided.

He ended the transmission and immediately got up to emerge from his seclusion, arriving at the Magic Cloud Tree's growing site, Chaotian Peak.

The peak was covered in signs of fire, and although the Great Array was broken, the Demonic Qi lingered, thick black clouds still shrouded the mountaintop, seemingly unchanged from last time.

Outside Chaotian Peak, Tian Jizi was discussing something with several Nascent Soul cultivators from the Chang Chun Temple.

Seeing Yuan Ming arrive, they unanimously ceased their discussion and Tian Jizi quickly stepped forward, approaching Yuan Ming.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, you're finally here. I heard from Fellow Daoist Xi that you have a method to eradicate the Magic Cloud Trees?" he asked.

"I'll give it a try," Yuan Ming didn't make any promises.

"Good, then I'll leave it to Fellow Daoist Yuan, but please try not to act too harshly, to avoid damaging the Spirit Veins of Chaotian Peak," Tian Jizi cautioned him.

Yuan Ming nodded and then flew up into the air, waving his hand to conjure the Red Ancient Scroll, which slowly unfurled in front of him, displaying countless streams of rosy light.

As he pointed his hand, the rosy light instantly sank inward to form a vortex, a powerful suction engulfing the entire Chaotian Peak.

The remaining Magic Cloud Trees, protected by their Demonic Qi, were not easy to destroy, but merely collecting them was not very difficult.

The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Cloud Desolation Alliance were helpless due to the lack of vast spatial storage treasures, and whether the Magic Cloud Trees were useful to them was also unknown, so naturally, they were unwilling to undertake this thankless task. * (*) hosts the original.

Some curious Nascent Soul cultivators had been hesitating about taking some Magic Cloud Trees back for research, but with Yuan Ming collecting them, even those who were dissatisfied dared not express it openly.

While Yuan Ming was collecting the Magic Cloud Trees, down below at the base of Chaotian Peak, Xi Qian and Hua Zhi suddenly emerged, startling at the sight of Tian Jizi and others standing around.

However, seeing Yuan Ming midair, they quickly relaxed, nodded at Tian Jizi and the others, and flew up to join Yuan Ming.

"Did you get it?" Yuan Ming transmitted.

"The area around the Gathering Spirit Blood River was well-guarded, it took some extra effort, and they almost got away with it. Luckily, Hua Zhi was clever, setting up an ambush ahead of time to stop them," Xi Qian praised with a smile.

On the side, Hua Zhi smiled shyly, not saying a word.

"Well done, Hua Zhi. Do you want a reward?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Being able to serve you is my honor, and I don't need any reward," Hua Zhi immediately cast away her smile, assuming a devoted and loyal demeanor.

"Perhaps you think there's nothing in my possession that you desire? Never mind, we'll remember this for now, and you can tell me later when there's something you want," Yuan Ming shook his head.

During their conversation, the Red Ancient Scroll had already swept clear the Magic Cloud Tree on Chaotian Peak, along with the thick Demonic Qi surrounding it. With the Demonic Qi gone, sunlight once again fell on the mountaintop, a pity though that the once pristine Immortal Mountain had lost its former glory.

Fortunately, the Spirit Vein of Chaotian Peak was still intact, and Chang Chun Temple would surely work towards its repair. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before the peak returned to its former splendor.

After putting away the Red Ancient Scroll, Yuan Ming greeted Tian Jizi and others, then immediately left Chaotian Peak with Xi Qian and Hua Zhi to find Xi Ying.

"Sister, you're finally back. I was so worried about you," Xi Ying rushed forward as soon as she saw Xi Qian return.

Xi Qian responded with a smile and after sitting down, she relayed to Yuan Ming and another the process of how she and Hua Zhi captured the Gathering Spirit Blood River.

"What do you plan to do with the Gathering Spirit Blood River?" asked Yuan Ming after hearing the story.

"I plan to take it back to my family's residence. The Spirit Vein we previously occupied wasn't very good. With this, we can certainly rise to the next level. However, Yuan Ming, if you need it, you can use it first," Xi Qian said.

"That's not necessary; for now, I am focusing on Body Cultivation and Soul Cultivation. 'Nine Elements Technique' has reached its peak at Nascent Soul, and without a new Cultivation Technique, I don't need such an advanced Spirit Vein," Yuan Ming kindly rejected her offer.

"Then when you need it, just send a message to me or Xi Ying," Xi Qian nodded.

Speaking of which, Yuan Ming, I also need to visit my clan. After the great battle, my father and our people left without saying goodbye. I'm worried about his condition and need to have a serious talk with him. Rituals related to honoring the heavens also need to be conducted back home. Staying here doesn't mean much anymore," Xi Ying explained.

"That's true. In fact, I'm also planning to return to East Sea to visit my parents. Staying here makes me uncomfortable, and Tian Jizi and the others are not pleased either. It's better to leave sooner and return to our own territory," Yuan Ming added.

"That sounds good. Once I've sorted everything out, I'll come find you in East Sea. Oh, almost forgot, take care of these items." Suddenly remembering something, Xi Ying took out a Storage Bag and handed it to Yuan Ming.

Curious, Yuan Ming accepted it and discovered that it mostly contained life-prolonging items.

"These are for your uncle and aunt. They aren't of high grade, but they should be useful to them," Xi Ying explained.

"...Thank you," Yuan Ming paused momentarily, then suddenly embraced Xi Ying, sincerely thanking her from the bottom of his heart.

"Hey, don't be like this, let go, your sister is watching!" Xi Ying was stunned for a moment, her face flushed red, struggling to break free, yet mysteriously unable to muster the strength.

Watching this scene, Xi Qian indulged in a doting smile, while Hua Zhi yelped, covering her eyes with her hands, yet her fingers spread wide open, seeing everything.

Fortunately, at that moment, there was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Fellow Daoist Xi Ying, is Lord Yuan Ming with you? We just went to his Cave Mansion and didn't find him," the voice of Yan Siyun came from outside.

On hearing her voice, Xi Ying somehow regained her strength, pushed Yuan Ming away, and sat huffily to one side, stubbornly looking away from him.

"Cough, I'm here, come in," Yuan Ming said, scratching his cheek awkwardly and coughing.

With permission, Yan Siyun and her sisters along with Xu Che entered in single file, approaching Yuan Ming and his group.

"What brings you here to see me?" Yuan Ming was somewhat surprised, not expecting them to come looking for him simultaneously.

"Lord, we've received a message from the Cloud Desolation Alliance preparing to organize forces to purge the major and minor sects that once followed the Wu Yue Sect, and they have also issued a call to action to the Moon Sect. However, as for whether to participate, we didn't dare make a decision without consulting you," Yan Siyun said, respectfully bowing.

"You don't need to participate in that. Continue to focus on developing the Moon Sect and recruiting believers. As long as they are not utterly irredeemable, try to absorb them into our sect. I will give you some talismans later, and if there's anything important, just send me a message," Yuan Ming quickly made his decision.

"Yes,"

Yan Siyun nodded and stepped back, letting Xu Che step forward.

"Master, here is the incense ashes you asked me to collect," he bowed and presented a Storage Bag.

Yuan Ming received it, looked inside to see it was fully packed, enough to last him a long time, and he couldn't help but smile.

"You've done well," he praised.

"Being able to serve you is my honor," Xu Che respectfully said.

At that moment, Yuan Ming glanced at Hua Zhi, realizing where those words had come from.

Later, he dismissed Yan Siyun and the others, and after talking with Xi Ying and her group for a good while, he returned to his residence, swiftly packed up, and prepared to leave for East Sea the next morning.