Speaking of which, it's already challenging for Vajra to bring these mortals and Cultivators into the Shura Palace. Expecting him, a creature cultivating a transformation, to manage them is impossible.

At this moment, seeing Yuan Ming appear, everyone immediately became excited.

The Cultivators hurriedly approached Yuan Ming and cupped their fists, saying, "Lord Nether Moon God, what exactly happened that we must hastily leave Spiritual Ape Island?"

The ordinary folks also stood up one by one, looking over towards Yuan Ming.

Noises surged across the square, making the scene increasingly chaotic.

Yuan Ming swept his gaze over everyone, raised his hand, and pressed down. A wave of Divine Soul Power spread out, enveloping everyone in the square like a gentle spring breeze and drizzle.

Everyone saw a vast, endless grassland, an infinite stretch of green reaching the horizon. A warm, fresh breeze, mixed with the scent of grass, came blowing towards them, instantly soothing their restless emotions.

Soon, the noise in the square quieted down.

"Dear folks, our Moon Sect has encountered a crisis, and we had no choice but to bring everyone away..." Yuan Ming did not hold back, revealing the situation of being hunted by the Four Great Forces, including Dongji Palace.

Of course, he omitted the reason for being pursued, just stating that the Four Great Forces coveted an artifact on him.

Upon hearing that the Moon Sect was jointly wanted by the Four Great Forces, including Dongji Palace, everyone in the square turned ashen-faced.

Dongji Palace has dominated the Dongji Sea for long, its authority deeply ingrained. To them, natives of the Dongji Sea, Dongji Palace is akin to heaven.

Being wanted by Dongji Palace, can they still survive?

"Do not worry, the crisis is temporarily under control. This place is a secret realm space I created. As long as you stay here, neither Dongji Palace, Azure Dragon Pond, Luo Jia Mountain, nor Black Evil Sect can harm you." Yuan Ming's calm voice spread, reassuring everyone.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the square breathed a sigh of relief, kneeling to express their gratitude for Lord Nether Moon God's protection.

"The crisis cannot be resolved in a short time, and you cannot return to Spiritual Ape Island immediately. Stay here for a while." Yuan Ming continued.

"Lord Nether Moon God, staying here is manageable, but we cannot remain idle daily. If we do, trouble will surely arise in the long run." A Cultivator in gray clothes flew out, worriedly saying this was Sikong Lin.

"There's no need to worry. This secret realm space is far larger than you imagine, enough for all of you to reside peacefully. Essential living supplies have also been prepared. I came here to settle everyone." Yuan Ming said loudly.

The people in the square, especially the mortals, felt relieved upon hearing this.

They do not have high demands as long as they have enough to eat and wear and their families are safe. It does not matter if they live on Spiritual Ape Island or here; there is no significant difference.

"However, there are still some formations and traps within this secret realm, so you cannot wander around recklessly, or it might endanger your lives." Yuan Ming continued.

"Understood, we will surely comply with Lord Nether Moon God's instructions." The ordinary people in the square quickly agreed.

"As for you, follow me." Yuan Ming said to the twenty or so Cultivators present, including Sikong Lin.

Those people immediately responded and followed Yuan Ming to a large hall outside the square.

Yuan Ming waved his hand to take out more than twenty bottles of elixirs that assist in cultivation, distributing them to everyone, saying, "During this period, you have worked hard to calm those mortals and stabilize the situation. You've performed well, and consider these as your reward."

The twenty-odd people received the medicine bottles, opened them, and a strong medicinal fragrance welcomed them. The quality was far superior to the usual elixirs they used, and they were delighted.

Sikong Lin's Cultivation had already reached the Peak of Late-stage Core Formation, and he was also rewarded with an elixir greatly beneficial for advancing to the Nascent Soul stage.

"Thank you, Lord Nether Moon God, for bestowing the elixirs." Sikong Lin and the others cupped their hands in gratitude.

"Lord Nether Moon God, will these mortals live here in the future? Sorry to be frank, but the environment here isn't very good. It's okay for short-term residence, but long-term stay may lead to illnesses." Sikong Lin said.

This square is near Yin Capital City, close to the Yin Qi Canyon, where heavy Yin Qi fills the void, making it indeed unsuitable for long-term mortal stay.

"Rest assured, this secret realm space is very large. I will now take all of you to a more habitable area." Yuan Ming brought out the Shura Stone Tablet, activating its Forbidden.

Everyone's vision blurred for a moment, and they found themselves in a place under clear skies and beside green mountains and waters, precisely where the Black Tower is located.

This space is much larger than that where Yin Capital City resides. It could easily accommodate not just tens of thousands but millions.

These mortals who have spent their entire lives living on islands were amazed by the scenery so different from Spiritual Ape Island, gradually dispelling their prior gloomy mood.

Sikong Lin and the others also showed a look of joy. The Spiritual Energy here is abundant enough for their cultivation.

"This is another area within the secret realm. Although it seems harmonious here, there are still many formations. Even for you, carelessly venturing into them may lead to death. I will allocate a relatively safe area for you. Afterwards, follow the route map I drew and take those mortals there. Upon arrival, use the materials within to build houses and residences, and settle them." Yuan Ming took out ten or so large Storage Bags filled with various ordinary materials he had collected.

He then took out a pre-drawn map and handed it to Sikong Lin.

The terrain is vast, and the environment is complicated. When Yuan Ming first acquired the Shura Palace, he hadn't thoroughly explored all areas. Only after settling Qu Jiuhuang, Fei Shang, and Ye San did he completely explore the Black Tower space, drawing this map based on his memory and naming some locations.

He chose an area called Flower Garden Wilderness as the settlement place for these ordinary people — it has ample area, no mechanisms or formations, and is one of the few absolutely safe places. Furthermore, there is considerable land available for use, and it can even be reclaimed into medicine fields for continued farming.

The only drawback is that it is desolate and uninhabited, with no ready-made buildings like in Yin Capital City, requiring a lot of effort to construct.

"Help me do these things well, and you won't lack benefits." Yuan Ming finally said.

"Thank you, Lord Nether Moon God!" Sikong Lin accepted the order joyfully, then led those mortals to the Flower Garden Wilderness.

After settling everything, Yuan Ming activated the Shura Stone Tablet and came to another place in the Yin Capital City space, where tens of thousands of followers and cultivators who had come from Spiritual Ape Island and nearby islands had also gathered.

Among this group of people, Sikong Zhan saw Yuan Ming appear and hurriedly came over to salute.

The Vajra had previously sent these people into the Shura Palace space in batches; there are four such temporary settlements.

Sikong Zhan, Sikong Zhuo, Sikong Lin, and Ye Xinyao, the four people Yuan Ming trusts the most, each lead one area.

"Lord Nether Moon God, earlier Lord Vajra sent us here, I wonder..." Sikong Zhan asked.

"You don't need to think much about this; just manage these people well." Yuan Ming did not explain.

"Yes." Seeing this, Sikong Zhan did not inquire further.

"Your cultivation is nearing the Nascent Soul middle stage; spend more time on your practice and strive to break through as soon as possible. If you need any auxiliary elixirs, let me know in advance." Yuan Ming said after glancing at Sikong Zhan.

"Thank you, Lord Nether Moon God." Sikong Zhan gratefully bowed in thanks.

Yuan Ming came before the people below, comforted them a bit, and also sent these people into the Black Tower Space.

The remaining two places were the same; after calming them, they were all placed into the Black Tower Space.

Sikong Zhan's cultivation was profound, and he was also adept at handling affairs, so Yuan Ming let him continue to manage everyone.

After finishing everything, he went to the places where Qu Jiuhuang, Fei Shang, Ye San, and others were; these people stayed obediently in their detention area, completely unaware of the changes happening in the Black Tower Space.

Yuan Ming nodded silently, came to the peak of a mountain in the Black Tower Space, and sat down cross-legged.

The mortals and cultivators were temporarily settled, but he did not intend to let them out again, at least not for the next hundred years.

Yuan Ming is currently wanted by Dongji Palace, the Black Evil Sect, and others. Unless those sects can be wiped out, the Dongji Sea is uninhabitable. If these followers are released, their fate will not be good.

For the safety of these followers and for him to collect Desire Power, he can't leave them unattended.

However, letting those people live peacefully within the Shura Palace is not a simple task. Although the area of the Shura Palace is vast and the environment decent, staying here for a long time is still akin to imprisonment, and he doesn't really know how to manage so many people.

"The person best at management would be Xi Ying. I should ask for her opinion." Yuan Ming murmured to himself, took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod, lit a stick of Black Incense, and inserted it.

...

Central Continent, Xuejing Country, Fengxue City.

In a quiet building in the west of Fengxue City, snowflakes swirled down from the sky, covering the courtyard in a thick blanket of snow that reflected the bright light under the moonlight.

A cat with silver-white fur was jumping around, leaving plum blossom footprints in the snow, playing happily.

Just as it made a big leap from one end of the courtyard to the other, its body suddenly stiffened mid-air, then fell to the ground. Its bright eyes revealed a moment of daze, but soon returned to normal. Theoriginalsourceis*.

However, the silver cat no longer continued its previous game and quickly changed direction, running towards the back courtyard.

The silver cat passed through the corridor and a dangling flower arch gate, arriving at the back courtyard.

There stood a solitary house behind a few blooming plum trees. Inside, a lamp was lit, and through the window, the silhouette of a woman could be seen, seemingly sitting at the window reading by candlelight.

The silver cat trotted over, nimbly jumped onto the windowsill, and before it could make a sound, the window creaked open a crack.

The silver cat hesitated slightly, shook off the snow on its paws, and quickly slipped through the crack.

"Guoguo, why are you back so soon today..." The woman in the room was none other than Xi Ying. Before she could finish, her gaze fell on the silver cat's pupils, and her words abruptly stopped.

"Xi Ying..." the silver cat opened its mouth and spoke in human language.

"Yuan Ming, why are you possessing Guoguo now?" Xi Ying put down the book she was holding.

"Something happened over here..." Yuan Ming didn't delay and immediately recounted his earlier experiences to Xi Ying.

"I didn't expect that in this period, you went through so many things. I've already heard of the name of that 'Pill King Secret Manual'. Many sects on the Central Continent have been searching for it over the years, and the Sky Eagle Chamber of Commerce has also been heavily rewarding its discovery. However, most found are fake and counterfeit; I didn't expect the genuine one had already spread to the Dongji Sea." Xi Ying said slowly after listening.

"I remember that the Sky Eagle Chamber of Commerce also deals in the elixir business; this half of the 'Pill King Secret Manual' should be of significant use to you. Once I settled down, I immediately contacted you. Unfortunately, I only managed to grab the first half; the other half is in someone else's hands."