Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, three months had gone by.

With the help of the Gathering Spirit Tree and the Five Elements Spirit Marrow, as well as a large number of elixirs, Yuan Ming's cultivation of the Nine Elements Technique was exceptionally smooth.

However, three months was too short to achieve significant effects, but there were indeed some noticeable movements from Vajra and Hua Zhi.

Vajra had absorbed the Blood Origin Power refined from Xue Li and had advanced further in strength, but unfortunately, the Body of Wanxiang, a critical threshold of Body Cultivation, was beyond Vajra's reach to break through.

Mixed with shame and anger, Vajra said goodbye to Yuan Ming and simply left Bikong Island to venture out and temper his will.

Hua Zhi, with the help of Demonic Qi, had smoothly broken through to the Level 4 Upper Stage, but it seemed she wanted to surpass Vajra, so she too did not stay on Bikong Island and went out to travel.

Yuan Ming did not stop them, as both Hua Zhi and Vajra were at a bottleneck; venturing out could be beneficial for them.

After all, the path ahead of him might be filled with more unknowns and perilous obstacles. If he had strong reinforcements, it could naturally enhance his own ability to respond.

Yuan Ming slowly opened his eyes and turned his hand to take out a black Jade Scroll, which recorded the experiences of possessing Luo Zhu multiple times over the past three months, as well as the minor gains from those Demon Clan guards.

Through these clues, Yuan Ming had already roughly figured out the location and function of the Land of Nothingness.

The Land of Nothingness was situated in a remote area to the northwest of the Demon World, surrounded by a demonic natural disaster known as the Destructive Demon Wind, making it a death zone impossible to enter or leave on one's own, akin to a natural prison.

In fact, the Land of Nothingness truly was a massive prison, detaining people from many other realms that the Demon World had captured. Luo Zhu and the hundreds of prisoners before them were just an insignificant fraction of those detained in the Land of Nothingness.

The entire Land of Nothingness was ruled by someone known as the "Hell Demon Lord," who also resided within it, though he rarely showed himself—at least, Yuan Ming had never seen him in his several possessions.

The Alien Clan members imprisoned in the Land of Nothingness were mostly like Luo Zhu, being attempted to be transformed into Half-demons and reduced to soldiers of the Demon Clan.

As for Luo Zhu, surprisingly, he had withstood the erosion of the demonic wind and had not fallen.

Yuan Ming tucked away the black Jade Scroll and turned his hand again to take out a Green Spirit Communication Talisman. This was recently sent by Xi Ying, detailing the current situation of both Xi Ying and the Xi Family.

With the help of a black palace left by the Wu Yue God, Xi Ying had successfully completed the ritual to heaven and obtained a title of respect as the Xi Yue God, founding the Xi Yue Sect, which spread in the Northern Desert, taking over all the territories of the Wu Yue Sect.

Many remnants of the Wu Yue Sect were subdued by Xi Ying, only Ni Mu and a few close confidants suddenly disappeared, their whereabouts unknown.

"Xi Ying's actions are quite swift," Yuan Ming murmured to himself, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

As for the departure of Ni Mu and the others, he was not surprised.

Although they had only met a few times, Yuan Ming had a considerable understanding of Ni Mu, who appeared gentle and scholarly but was in fact proud and ambitious, unwilling to submit to Xi Ying. It was normal for him to choose to leave.

"However, since Ni Mu was once under the Wu Yue God, it's uncertain whether he has relations with the Demon World. I'll need to pay attention to this person in the future," Yuan Ming thought to himself.

He then took out a Green Spirit Communication Talisman, whispered a few words into it, and with a pat on his waist, Lei Yu's figure flew out from the Spiritual Beast Bag.

"Here you go," Yuan Ming tossed the Green Spirit Communication Talisman to Lei Yu.

Lei Yu bit it and then fled swiftly, shooting towards the north.

Since the East Sea was too far from the Northern Desert, far beyond the limit of the Green Spirit Communication Talisman, Yuan Ming had Lei Yu act as a messenger between him and Xi Ying.

Fortunately, there were no major matters that needed communication at the moment, and with Lei Yu's fast tunneling speed, such a method of communication wasn't too time-consuming.

Yuan Ming watched as Lei Yu disappeared into the sky, then returned to his place of seclusion to resume his cultivation.

A day later.

Yuan Ming, who was in the midst of a closed-door cultivation, suddenly opened his eyes, a smile forming on his face.

The next instant, his figure flashed, and he appeared outside Bikong Island.

In midair, Wulu stood quietly; upon seeing Yuan Ming appear, he immediately smiled.

"Brother Yuan, I hope my sudden visit hasn't disturbed you," he said with a salute.

"Not at all, I'm more than happy that you could come," Yuan Ming responded, leading Wulu toward the island and introducing him to his parents.

Upon learning that Wulu was Yuan Ming's good friend, they warmly welcomed him, and Yuan Mu even personally cooked to prepare a family feast.

During the meal, Yuan Mu, hearing that the two had been acquainted since the Southern Border, repeatedly inquired about their experiences at that time.

Wulu, being articulate, deliberately downplayed the hardships of those times in conversation, mentioning only some minor, amusing incidents.

For a time, the host and guests were all merry.

After the feast ended, Yuan Ming and Wulu returned to their dwelling alone, continuing to drink and be merry.

"Brother Yuan, I notice your mother has no cultivation, I fear that her lifespan..." However, after two cups had been drunk, Wulu's expression became serious, and he spoke with a hint of worry.

"Alas, I fear she may only have twenty or thirty years left," Yuan Ming sighed deeply and drank a cup of bitter wine.

"Have you ever used anything to prolong lifespan?" Wulu asked.

"Upon my return, Xi Ying gave me some, but my mother lacks a Spirit Root, so the effects were very poor," Yuan Ming shook his head.

Upon hearing this, Wulu fell into thought for a moment, then suddenly touched his Storage Ring and took out a jade figurine in human form.

The surface of the Jade Mummy was covered with milky white jade pieces, seemingly bonded with a special technique. Though there were indentations, it had not broken apart; it was almost seamlessly whole, without any gaps.

"Take this Jade Mummy for now, Brother Yuan. According to the memories of the Blood Demon Ancestor, this mummy can put the wearer into deep sleep, freezing their lifespan. With your cultivation, as long as you spend some more time, you should always be able to find a way to extend your mother's lifespan. Before then, why not use this method to maintain it for a while?" Wulu said.

"I have heard of this method with the Jade Mummy from Xi Ying as well, but the Bone Jade required for its refinement is hard to find, and the Jade Mummy has almost disappeared in the East Sea. This one from Brother Wulu...could it be that you got it from the Blood Demon Ancestor's stronghold?" Yuan Ming quickly guessed the origin of the Jade Mummy.

"Exactly, I've been to several of his strongholds in the East Sea. There wasn't much left inside; most of it must have been used up by him. Such a pity," Wulu sighed regretfully, took out a Storage Ring, and handed it to Yuan Ming.

"Brother Wulu, what do you mean by this?" Yuan Ming asked in confusion.

"Ever since I met you again on Fusang Island, I have always been under your care. These things from the Blood Demon Ancestor's stronghold, I cannot keep them all for myself. Half of these, consider it as my thanks to Brother Yuan," Wulu pushed the Storage Ring toward Yuan Ming again.

"Brother Wulu, with the friendship between you and me, there's no need for this. Moreover, you have helped me before, and the slaying of the Blood Demon Ancestor was solely your achievement. How could I have the face to share in the spoils?" Yuan Ming resolutely shook his head, refusing to accept the Storage Ring.

The full series lives on * (*).

"Enough, enough, let's not play these games between us. In this life, I only owe one person a favor, and these things are just a bonus. Don't force me to use a Stone Talisman to turn invisible and hide them on the island," Wulu made a face, loosely forming a spell with his right hand, as if he would turn invisible and hide the items if Yuan Ming did not agree.

Unable to persuade him, Yuan Ming could only nod helplessly, took the ring and gave it a quick look, planning to pick just one or two items to shut Wulu up.

"There's nothing much good anyway, just some Spirit Stones and spiritual materials. The only things worth noting, besides the Jade Mummy I just took out, are an unclaimed Blood Puppet Armor and a piece of Mixed Hole Primordial Stone," Wulu said as he began to drink again.

But just then, Yuan Ming's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What did you say? Mixed Hole Primordial Stone?" he raised his head in surprise.

"Yes, that greyish stone in the corner. That's what the Blood Demon Ancestor's memories called it; seemed pretty precious, but exactly what it does, I didn't get that part of the memory. Why, is it important to you?" Wulu, holding a cup of wine, was somewhat puzzled.

"Very important, I have a secret technique that requires it for assistance. You have truly helped me out a lot," Yuan Ming contained his excitement and said.

He quickly took out the stone mentioned by Wulu from the ring and began to identify it.

An important characteristic of the Mixed Hole Primordial Stone is its ability to hold an immense amount of Spiritual Energy. When placed against a Spirit Stone, it can absorb the stone along with the contained Spiritual Energy into itself without increasing in size at all.

Yuan Ming tried all the identification methods mentioned in the Mixed Hole Secret Technique and soon confirmed that the stone in his hand was indeed a Mixed Hole Primordial Stone.

The Mixed Hole Secret Technique only recorded the effects and identification methods of the stone and not its appearance. Now that he saw how unremarkable it looked, if Wulu hadn't happened to mention it, Yuan Ming would have likely overlooked it as an ordinary spiritual material and would not have tested it.

"Since Brother Yuan likes it, then take it. Anyway, it's of no use to me," Wulu immediately said upon seeing Yuan Ming's joyous expression.

"Then I will accept it without protest. However, the Mixed Hole Primordial Stone and Jade Mummy are enough for me. As for the rest, I am not in need; Brother Wulu, you should take them back," Yuan Ming, suppressing his joy, nodded and pushed the ring back.

Wulu was somewhat reluctant but considering that Yuan Ming was now the leader of a power and indeed did not lack Spirit Stones and spiritual materials, he let it be and continued to drink and talk with Yuan Ming.

As the wine flowed freely, both men grew a little drunk when Wulu suddenly brought up his past.

"Whew, Brother Yuan should still remember. Initially, I was just a Dark Child working for the Cao Family, tasked with stealing various clans' Cultivation Techniques," Wulu put down his cup and took a breath.

"I remember. What, does the Cao Family dare to trouble you now?" Yuan Ming was surprised.

"The Cao Family no longer exists," Wulu laughed heartily, took a long swig from his cup, and shouted with satisfaction.

"Oh, who did it?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Naturally, it was Chang Chun Temple. The revenge for the battle where they attacked their stronghold, Tian Jizi always kept in his heart. After the defeat, Cao Xiangqing took his family's disciples and hid in the mountains of the Southern Border, but ultimately they couldn't escape the chase. I heard that in that battle, Tian Jizi personally took action, used a Secret Technique to find all those who bore the blood of the Cao Family, and other than young children, he executed all the rest without mercy," Wulu said, staring intently at his wine cup, an uncertain mix of joy and sorrow in his eyes.

"Tian Jizi wielded such a heavy hand, probably to make an example," Yuan Ming couldn't help but sigh.

"Maybe, but if I were Tian Jizi, I would have killed even more ruthlessly. The Cao Family, deserved what they got!" Wulu drained the last of his drink and then crushed the wine cup in his hand.