After Sikong Zhan left, Yuan Ming also started to ponder alone on ways to recruit believers more quickly to accelerate the aggregation of the Vow Power Pill.

At that moment, Hua Zhi and Vajra came from outside.

"Master, your brows are all knotted up. Are you troubled by something?" Hua Zhi, brimming with excitement and eager to report something, saw Yuan Ming's pensive face and immediately tilted her head, curiously asking.

She had already made a breakthrough during the sixty years of Yuan Ming's seclusion and had not been in seclusion since then, but was active in the waters near Spiritual Ape Island.

The breakthrough to Level 5 had significantly improved her abilities. According to her, besides the usual enhancements, her spore ability had evolved again, allowing her to switch between two different forms.

One was the highly toxic form. In this form, the spores were extremely poisonous and could kill a person quickly, turning their body into a corpse covered with beautiful, blooming flowers. Even a Returning Void cultivator would have to spend a lot of energy to suppress the poison or they too would succumb to the poison and die.

The other was the healing form. Hua Zhi could absorb and store the Spiritual Power contained in an enemy's body through her spores, and produce a powder-white flower on her body without any poison. The flower contained pure Spiritual Power, which when consumed, could rapidly restore physical strength and Mana.

With these two abilities complimenting each other, even regular Returning Void cultivators might not be a match for Hua Zhi, hence Yuan Ming felt reassured about letting her operate outside.

"It's just the slow acquisition of Vow Power Pills that's worrying me," Yuan Ming responded to Hua Zhi with a sigh, not really expecting her to be able to help.

Unexpectedly, Hua Zhi's next statement jolted him awake like a revelation in a dream.

"What's so difficult about that, Master? In Dongji Sea, I have also subjugated many demon beasts as my subordinates, many of whom have awakened their spiritual intelligence. I have made them worship the Nether Moon God as well. Why not capture more Level 4 demon beasts to serve as believers for you, Master? This way, wouldn't there be an additional source of Vow Power?" Hua Zhi excitedly proposed.

"Right, how did I not think of that?" Yuan Ming's eyes brightened, and he immediately stood up with a slap on the armrest of his chair.

"Hehe, I'm glad I can relieve Master of some worries. Just wait, Master; I'll handle it right now." Hua Zhi said and, excitedly turning around, she left.

Yuan Ming did not stop her but instead started pacing excitedly in the hall.

"Demon beasts have always been enemies to humans. Forcing them to worship is not an evil act, nor does it violate the rules of Dongji Palace. This could indeed be considered an innovative approach. In dealing with ordinary cultivators, however, such tactics must never be used. But for those cultivators who betrayed me, like Ye San and Ruan Hongxiang, it's a different matter altogether…" Yuan Ming contemplated, his smile growing wider.

Soon, he had an idea. With a big wave of his hand, he took the confused-looking Vajra into the Spiritual Beast Bag, and then left Spiritual Ape Island to head directly to the Dongji Islands.

…

East Pole Deputy Island, Greedy Wolf Palace.

Unlike Liuyun Palace, which was responsible for the distribution of islands, Greedy Wolf Palace was the law enforcement hall established by Dongji Palace.

Any cultivator who violated the rules set by Dongji Palace or engaged in wrongdoing would have their name recorded on the wanted list in Greedy Wolf Palace. Regardless of who it was, as long as someone could capture the offenders and bring them to justice, they could exchange the capture for rewards from Greedy Wolf Palace.

The purpose of Yuan Ming's visit was precisely this place.

The external structure of Greedy Wolf Palace was a circular grand hall, with a towering blood-red Stone Pillar standing at the central position. Countless chains wrapped with red cloth were tightly wound around the pillar's body, covered with little black spots, appearing like traces left by dried blood.

When Yuan Ming walked into the grand hall, he noticed that there were not many people inside. The Dongji Palace cultivators stationed here did not come over to greet him.

Yuan Ming was happy with this arrangement and walked by himself to the front of the central Stone Pillar, pressing his hand against one of the chains.

In an instant, countless names and bounties flooded into Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness. He picked several hundred names of different cultivators quickly.

The crimes these people had committed were so shocking that even Yuan Ming was alarmed. The only reason they had not been captured, it seemed, was that their whereabouts were hard to trace.

But this was not a problem for Yuan Ming.

He memorized the appearances and information of these people and then left Greedy Wolf Palace without delay. He found an inn on the Dongji Islands, rented a room, set up multiple Forbidden arrangements, and then summoned the Stealing Heaven Tripod and twisted a stick of Black Incense.

"Fan Hai, Nascent Soul cultivator, for refining Magical Treasure, slaughtered three islands, offering a blood sacrifice of a million commoners…"

Yuan Ming silently recalled the names and appearances of the people on the wanted list, then lit the Black Incense. His vision shifted, entering the body of Fan Hai.

In a short while, Yuan Ming finished the possession, standing up again with a hint of a smile on his face.

He took out the map of Dongji Sea that he had bought, confirmed the position, marked the location where Fan Hai was, and then left with Vajra at high speed, beginning his plan.

…

One year later, Shuilan Island.

The night had deepened. Ning Qingshui, the Shuilan Island Master, had just returned to her room to meditate and rest when she saw the maid coming in with a tray of sandalwood.

"Island Master, this is the Concentration Incense that was just delivered today," the maid said respectfully.

"Light it," Ning Qingshui waved her hand, casually instructing.

From some point, it became fashionable on Shuilan Island to light a stick of sandalwood incense during cultivation. Although Ning Qingshui, the Returning Void Island Master, was not particularly interested in this practice, she eventually acquired the habit due to the earnest recommendations and filial piety of her disciples.

"Yes." The maid bowed slightly, respectfully opened the incense burner, and inserted a stick of sandalwood for Ning Qingshui, then lit it and exited the room.

Smoke gracefully rose and soon filled the room, the scent no different from usual.

Like any other day, Ning Qingshui closed her eyes and began her daily meditation.

However, two hours later, Ning Qingshui suddenly felt a wave of dizziness invade her mind. She became somewhat frantic, opened her eyes, and tried to call for someone, but her body suddenly went limp, and she couldn't summon any mana.

"Haha, how do you like the taste of being an Immortal now, Ning Fairy?" Just then, the maid who had left returned, but the voice that spoke was that of a man. Please read this chapter on its original platform—*.

"You, you are…" Ning Qingshui was utterly terrified, but she was so weak that she could not even utter a complete sentence.

The maid swept her right hand across her face, and with a flash of green light, she transformed into a man.

His appearance was exceptionally handsome, his eyebrows like willow leaves, his eyes like the cold moon, and with a head of black hair casually draped down, it didn't seem messy but possessed a unique charm.

Unfortunately, when he smiled, the unintentional release of a lewd aura instantly dissipated any positive impression others might have of him.

"Ning Fairy, your beauty is renowned far and wide, it has truly haunted my dreams for many days. To become your husband for one night today is a great fortune of my life," the man said, walking slowly to the bed, and his fingers gently grazing Ning Qingshui's exposed skin, causing her to shudder in disgust.

Ning Qingshui then recognized the man. His name was Fei Shang, and he was one of the most notorious Returning Void Cultivators of the Dongji Sea.

Compared with other malevolent cultivators, Fei Shang did not have many blood debts. In fact, he rarely killed people and even saved many lives. However, he had a particularly despicable hobby—his love for women.

Logically, in the Cultivation World, this tendency would not be significant as many Returning Void cultivators had multitudes of wives and concubines, but Fei Shang's infamy did not rise from this alone.

Regrettably, his taste was a bit special; it was not merely about liking women, but he relished the feeling of defiling others.

Therefore, he often went out "flower-picking," targeting those who were already devoted to someone or upheld their chastity, thus offending many cultivators of the Dongji Sea, yet he persistently enjoyed his pursuits.

Until one day, during the marriage of a certain elder's daughter in Dongji Palace, he rendered the groom unconscious, defiled the bride, and incited the wrath of Dongji Palace. They placed him on a bounty list, and after being hunted by numerous Returning Void, he was forced to disappear, hidden for over a hundred years.

Who could have imagined that such a debaucher could have been lurking by one's side?

"Tsk tsk, Ning Fairy, why wear such a sorrowful expression? You'll be enjoying yourself soon," said Fei Shang with a laugh, reaching for Ning Qingshui's waist.

"Ah, such good incense, yet you use it for such deeds, truly a waste of heaven's gifts." Just then, a long sigh resounded in the room.

"Who's there? Come out!" Fei Shang's face drastically changed, and he immediately scanned the surroundings with his Divine Sense.

But the next moment, his expression turned terrified as if he had seen something that frightened him.

Yuan Ming, wearing a mask, slowly walked out from the shadows of the room. Before he could command, Hua Zhi emerged from the ground, injecting spores into Fei Shang's body and tightly binding him with vines.

Meanwhile, Fei Shang also regained his senses, but it was too late to struggle.

"Spoken Witch… Level 5 Spiritual Beast… How much did Dongji Palace spend to get you to capture me?" Fei Shang quickly calmed down and asked.

Yuan Ming was not interested in wasting words with him. With a wave of his hand, he let Hua Zhi use the vines to gag him, then turned and left with him, leaving Ning Qingshui limp on the bed until the break of dawn, when she finally recovered.

…

Two years later, Withered Leaf Island.

This island was once a place with high-grade Spirit Veins, but during a clash between Returning Void Cultivators, the veins were damaged by the aftershocks, and since then, the island had been abandoned, no longer attracting anyone's interest.

However, deep under the sea beneath the island, a massive undersea Cave Mansion was situated at the ocean floor, hidden by a secret Great Array, escaping the eyes of many cultivators.

In the Cave Mansion's pharmacy, Core Formation Cultivator Hao Shang was listlessly using a mortar and pestle, occasionally sneakily glancing toward the entrance of the pharmacy as if waiting for something.

"Xu Chunsheng, Yan Hua, come with me. Master wants to see you," suddenly, a Core Formation cultivator in a dark cyan robe with a pale face walked into the pharmacy and called out two names.

The two named individuals immediately turned pale, their eyes filled with fear and resistance.

However, the Core Formation cultivator in the dark cyan robe was somewhat impatient. He casually pulled out a copper bell and shook it, causing the called individuals to cry out in pain and roll on the ground holding their heads.

"Hurry up, I don't want to say it again." The newcomer cursed as he put down the copper bell, grabbed the two, who were now like dead pigs, and walked out of the pharmacy.

Meanwhile, Hao Shang also put down his mortar and pestle.

Because his awaited opportunity had arrived.