"What will it take for you to let me go?" Yuan Ming suppressed the many doubts in his heart, controlling Yun Luo Fairy, and said these words.

"Oh, finally speaking up? Didn't I make it clear, Junior Sister? As long as you hand over Yuan Ming's hiding place and promise to help me find the other half of the Pill King Secret Manual and the Complete Heaven Exquisite Tripod, I naturally won't make things difficult for you. Junior Sister Yunluo knows that of all the junior sisters in your generation, you're the one I've always liked the most." The woman in the purple skirt noticed Yun Luo Fairy speaking up, showing a joyful expression, and said softly.

"I've already said, I'm not familiar with Yuan Ming at all. We parted ways to act separately after seizing the treasure in Emperor Yan's Mausoleum. How could I know where he is now..." Yuan Ming carefully considered his words to avoid revealing any flaws, speaking slowly.

Before he could finish speaking, a crisp whip sound rang out.

Then, he felt an intense burning pain on his face, as if the flesh on his cheeks was being torn apart, and the feel of a whip's touch was transmitted through his bones.

Having her mana sealed, Yun Luo Fairy's physical body wasn't particularly strong, and under the whipping, it was hard to endure. At this moment, Yuan Ming was temporarily enduring all this pain on behalf of the woman.

"Junior Sister Yunluo, do you think I'm a three-year-old child to believe such absurd words? The inheritance of the Pill King Pavilion is so important; with your way of handling things, would you cooperate with someone you know so little about?" The woman in the purple skirt asked with an unfaltering smile after delivering a whip.

Yuan Ming, realizing that speaking too much would lead to trouble, simply kept his mouth shut and did not speak again.

The consequence of this was taking two more merciless lashes from the woman in the purple skirt, causing him to wince in pain, letting out a muffled groan.

"Senior Sister Zi Mei, Yunluo was known as a hard nut to crack back in the sect. Beating her like this will likely have no effect, just wasting time. Better to use the Soul-splitting Talisman instead." A voice coldly spoke from behind the woman in the purple skirt.

The white-dressed woman speaking was equally beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, though slightly less so compared to the woman in the purple skirt, still a top beauty. However, her pupils were a bit unusual; upon closer look, they were slightly narrower than normal, giving her a more sinister and cold look.

Another white-dressed woman, also a beauty, had a rather gentle temperament, giving a feeling like warm water, lips slightly pursed, and gazed at Yun Luo Fairy with a hint of reluctance.

Zi Mei looked at the cold-eyed woman, waved her hand, and tossed the whip over.

The cold-eyed woman caught the whip, a hint of a cruel smile flashing at the corner of her mouth, took out a black talisman from her bosom, and pasted it on the handle. The fiery red whip immediately radiated a layer of crystalline black light.

She stepped forward two steps, looked at Yun Luo Fairy, and with a single hand swung sharply; the long whip, like a black snake, lashed out again on Yun Luo Fairy's body.

"Snap"

Yuan Ming widened his eyes abruptly; this time, in addition to the physical pain, his divine soul also seemed to have been severely whipped. The pain penetrated directly into the deepest part of his soul, even he found it hard to bear.

Yet, Yuan Ming gritted his teeth without making a sound, quietly channeling his divine sense.

The three saw Yuan Ming still not making a sound and had a look of surprise in their eyes, though their expressions were different.

They knew very well the effect of the Soul-splitting Talisman; the pain hitting the divine soul was not something that could merely be endured through grit.

"Bitch, don't think that just enduring the pain would allow you to get through. Let me tell you, the sect will soon send a soul cultivator here, and when the barrier in your Sea of Consciousness is broken, we'll conduct a Soul Search and still get what we want. By then, it's not just you; none of your family will survive." The cold-eyed woman exchanged a glance with Zi Mei and said coldly.

After speaking, she continued to vent her anger by lashing Yun Luo Fairy's body everywhere madly.

Yuan Ming, while enduring the pain from the whipping, was spreading his divine sense outwards.

These people had sealed Yun Luo Fairy's mana and trapped her divine soul, but Yuan Ming's divine soul was not restricted. His divine thought quickly spread out, probing the surroundings.

However, the dungeon prison's outside was also cast with a formation to obscure things. Yuan Ming, after all, wasn't truly present as his whole divine soul, but had descended in spirit. His divine power was greatly reduced, and with strenuous effort, he only got a rough sense.

He only clearly saw that the location this dungeon prison was in was a desolate island in the sea, with the only distinguishable feature being a lake outlined like a crescent moon.

Being attacked while in a state of possession would shorten the time he could remain possessed.

Before Yuan Ming could get a clearer look, his consciousness returned to his body.

He opened his eyes and first felt an intense pain sweeping through his entire body including his divine soul. He hurriedly activated a spell to nourish his soul. Although the Soul-splitting Talisman had a great impact on the soul, with his current soul recovery capacity, he wasn't too worried.

However, he wasn't sure how long Yun Luo Fairy could hold on under these circumstances.

But since they mentioned waiting for the sect to send a soul cultivator, until then, it would at most be some physical and soul suffering, probably not fatally harming the woman.

This thought flashed briefly through Yuan Ming's mind. He calmed himself and began pondering the earlier events, feeling that there was probably more to Yun Luo Fairy's plight than met the eye.

Yuan Ming considered himself only a casual acquaintance of the woman, and with her deep thoughts which he couldn't fully grasp, if not for the Dharma Manifestation Pill recipe, he would naturally leave her to her fate rather than get involved.

Yet, the Dharma Manifestation Pill recipe was still with Yun Luo Fairy, along with the last wishes of Emperor Yan's Residual Soul...

Yuan Ming quickly dismissed all distracting thoughts; he had to save Yun Luo Fairy.

However, to rescue someone, he had to first locate the place, but the previously seen desolate island and Crescent Lake were too vague. Relying solely on that to find the location was akin to fishing for a needle in the sea.

Just as Yuan Ming was pondering, a massive shadow swept across above his head—it was Lei Yu. * (*) hosts the original.

Hua Zhi jumped down from Lei Yu's back, landing nearby.

"Master, we've been here for several days already, and it's really dull. Can't you let me go out and have some fun? There's nothing interesting inside this Shura Palace," Hua Zhi complained, somewhat depressed, as she came before Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming was about to scold her when a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he said immediately, "Since you're bored, I'll find you something to do."

"What is it?" Hua Zhi perked up at once.

"Can't you command demon beasts? Help me find a place," Yuan Ming said.

"What kind of place?" Hua Zhi asked.

"A round deserted island with a crescent-shaped lake on it. The lake isn't large, covering about one-fifth of the island," Yuan Ming carefully described the island where Yun Luo Fairy was imprisoned.

"In which direction?" Hua Zhi asked.

"I don't know," Yuan Ming shook his head.

"Besides what you just said, are there any other characteristics?" Hua Zhi continued to ask.

"No," Yuan Ming replied.

"The Dongji Sea is vast and boundless, with countless islands. With so little information, where am I supposed to start looking..." Hua Zhi frowned, appearing somewhat troubled.

"Precisely because it's hard to find that I'm giving this task to you. If you can't do it, I'll let Vajra give it a try," Yuan Ming shifted his tone, looking at the Spiritual Beast Bag hanging at his waist containing Vajra.

"Wait, I can definitely find it! Count on me for this small task, but I'm not fast on foot, and will need Lei Yu's help this time," Hua Zhi responded immediately.

"Alright," Yuan Ming nodded.

Upon hearing this, Hua Zhi raised her hand to her mouth and gave a loud whistle.

Lei Yu, soaring in the sky, immediately swooped down with its wings fully spread. As it approached, Hua Zhi leapt lightly into the air, landing gracefully on Lei Yu's back.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming merely smiled slightly, and with a wave of his hand, sent Hua Zhi and Lei Yu out of the Shura Palace.

"And you, if you're feeling restless, you can also go out for a while?" He then patted the Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist, asking Vajra.

"Master, I have no problem fighting, but I'm not good at searching for people," Vajra replied briskly.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming simply smiled without comment, and with a flash, he appeared outside as well.

He stored away the Shura Palace, taking the reef turtle with it, and his figure transformed into a streak of azure light, flying off into the distance.

...

A few months later, in the northwest of the Dongji Sea, on Wuya Island.

Wuya Island is one of the largest among the many affiliated islands of the Dongji Sea. Its Island Master, Ye Wuya, had long reached the Returning to Void Peak in his cultivation, and was assisted by several Deputy Island Masters at the Returning to Void Stage. Although nominally subordinate to Dongji Palace, in reality, they operated independently and mostly ignored Dongji Palace's orders.

While Dongji Palace was displeased, it also feared the strength of Wuya Island. As long as they did not openly raise a flag of rebellion, threatening the rule of Dongji Palace, they were left alone, and Dongji Palace was reluctant to provoke them.

Thanks to this, the prosperity of Wuya Island far exceeded that of the other islands in the Dongji Sea. Various factions ran businesses here, even many shops that couldn't conveniently establish themselves on East Extreme Island.

Qingjin Building was one of them.

This building had significant backing, reportedly having some indescribable connections with Dongji Palace, Azure Dragon Pond, and Luo Jia Mountain. Specializing in the intelligence business, its power was astonishing. Rumor had it that as long as one was willing to spend Spirit Stones, any information could be obtained.

Yet, because Qingjin Building was too adept at maneuvering, it was disliked by Dongji Palace Master Ouyang Qiang, and thus had never set up a branch on East Extreme Island.

The Qingjin Building on Wuya Island was located at the far end of the workshop, a five-story tall building with white jade qilin statues on either side of the entrance. Its roof was in the style of overhanging gables, carved with dragons and phoenixes, exuding classical charm. The scent of incense and the sounds of silk and bamboo orchestra floated out, giving it the appearance of a mundane world brothel.

Today, there were few guests inside the building, and a slender Foundation Establishment Stage youth standing outside the door was feeling somewhat bored. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Is this the Qingjin Building?"

The youth quickly turned around to see a man dressed in blue, who had appeared some distance away, surveying the tall building behind the youth.