"Returning to Void Stage Great Cultivators are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns wherever they may be in the Chuyun Realm. Elder, you may not realize this, but despite the vast oceans and numerous spirit islands governed by Dongji Palace, there are only a little over a hundred islands that can sustain Returning to Void Cultivators. This, in itself, limits the number of cultivators at this stage," Sikong Zhan said with a smile.

Only a little over a hundred?

Yuan Ming pondered for a moment before asking again, "If one wishes to occupy a spirit island, does one need to purchase it from Dongji Palace?"

"Does the elder wish to settle in Dongji Sea?" Sikong Zhan raised his eyebrows and asked.

"That's the plan," Yuan Ming nodded.

"Given your cultivation realm, they would certainly not refuse if you wanted to join Dongji Palace. Once you successfully join, they will allocate you a spirit island that matches your cultivation level. Thereafter, you only need to obey Dongji Palace's orders and complete the tasks they assign on time," Sikong Zhan thought for a moment and replied.

"Do I have to join Dongji Palace?" Yuan Ming frowned slightly.

"If the elder does not wish to join Dongji Palace and be constrained by others, there is still one way," Sikong Zhan promptly said upon seeing this.

"What way?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Submit one million spirit stones to Dongji Palace and obtain a Challenge Order. With it, you can challenge the master of any spirit island within the Dongji Sea. As long as you can defeat them, you can replace them and become the new owner of that island," Sikong Zhan explained.

"So, can one avoid being under Dongji Palace's jurisdiction with this method?" Yuan Ming pursued further.

"A successful island challenger will still nominally be under the jurisdiction of Dongji Palace. Mostly, one does not have to follow their commands, but correspondingly, if an enemy invades, Dongji Palace will not intervene, leaving one to handle it alone. Besides that, you must also pay a certain number of spirit stones to Dongji Palace annually as a fee for owning the island," Sikong Zhan explained.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming nodded thoughtfully. Both methods had their pros and cons, and there was no need to rush the decision.

Sikong Zhan was responsive all along the way, helping Yuan Ming to grasp the general situation of Dongji Sea.

As evening approached, the Sea Crossing Flying Boat finally landed, arriving at Huayun Island.

Seen from high above, Huayun Island resembled a plum blossom; its upper areas perennially shrouded in mist. The island was humid with abundant vegetation and richer in spiritual energy than Chang Chun Temple.

As the flying boat descended slowly, lights were already lit everywhere on the island, with smoke from cooking rising, linking with the mist to create a unique panoramic view.

Yuan Ming casually glanced around and noticed many ports built along the island's edge, with rows of fishing boats neatly aligned. Adults bustled about handling their catches, while children played merrily among them, creating a lively scene.

"This island is quite lively, and there are so many mortals?" Yuan Ming asked with a smile.

"Haha, not just on Huayun Island, but almost every island has a large population of mortals and low-level cultivators. Becoming a master of an island also involves the responsibility of protecting these mortals and low-level cultivators," Sikong Zhan chuckled and explained.

At Yuan Ming's request, everyone disembarked at the seaside dock and walked along the road leading into the island.

Sikong Zhan walked in front with Yuan Ming, while Sikong Zhuo, who had recovered a little after some rest along the journey, was supported by Sikong Lin as they followed behind.

Interested in Yuan Ming, Ye Xinyao left the Sikong brothers and moved closer to Sikong Zhan, listening to their conversation and occasionally chiming in.

Sikong Zhan, seeing that Yuan Ming did not object, tacitly permitted her.

As they continued toward the center of the island, they occasionally received greetings from mortals, which were not overly familiar but more akin to tenants respectfully acknowledging their landlord, without much fear.

It seemed that they had already grown accustomed to the presence of cultivators.

As they ventured further toward the center of the island, the structures became denser, distinct from those on the Yunhuang Continent. Most were built with bamboo and wood, evidently to prevent moisture and pests.

Near the Island Master Mansion, there were bustling commercial streets filled with various shops and taverns, where mortals and cultivators mingled without clear distinction.

Upon arriving at the Island Master Mansion with the group, Yuan Ming initially intended to pay his respects, but Sikong Zhan informed him that the island master was in seclusion, and he was temporarily handling affairs on the island. Therefore, he directly arranged a separate residence for Yuan Ming to temporarily stay.

At night, Yuan Ming stood by the window of his room, looking out at the lush greenery and the scattered lights on the island. He took out two pieces of Green Spirit Communication Talisman, whispered a few words to each, and then crushed them.

Then, he closed the window, set up an array in the room, and immediately sat down cross-legged to begin meditating and practicing Breathing Control.

After an hour, he slowly opened his eyes, realizing he had not received a response from the Green Spirit Communication Talisman. It seemed like both Xi Ying and Wulu were miles away from him.

After some deliberation, Yuan Ming took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod and inserted a piece of Black Incense into it.

He rubbed the incense head to light it and, after hesitating for a moment, chose to visualize Xi Ying's face in his mind.

Before long, his consciousness became blurred, his eyes clouded, and he soon plunged into darkness, losing all awareness.

He didn't know how much time had passed before his consciousness gradually returned, the bright light ahead of him restoring his vision to clarity.

He had possessed Xi Ying's body.

Now, both being Spoken Witches with little difference in their Divine Soul Power, Yuan Ming still opted to use the Black Incense he had developed on his own, which only allowed him to inhabit Xi Ying's body, not control her actions.

Using Xi Ying's line of sight, he looked around and found that Xi Ying was standing on the deck of an immensely large Sea Crossing Flying Boat.

The giant boat was enveloped in a rhombus-shaped crystalline light screen, reflecting colorful, flowing light, steadily sailing through the void.

At that moment, a tall and stately blue-haired young man approached Xi Ying and introduced himself very politely, wanting to make her acquaintance.

However, Xi Ying seemed to be in a bad mood and ignored him, turning around and heading back to the cabin.

Seeing that she was unharmed, Yuan Ming felt relieved.

After his Divine Soul returned, he tried to contact Wulu using the Void Communication Array, but there was no response.

Having no other choice, he then took out the Sky-reaching Demon Pillar and activated it with difficulty, finally opening the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space and entering it.

In the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, Hua Zhi and Vajra had reverted to their original forms, lying on the ground, one on each side, with multiple injuries on their bodies, severely wounded and unconscious, their Divine Souls showing extreme weakness.

Seeing this, a hint of guilt appeared in Yuan Ming's eyes, and he began to recall the experiences from the recent past. Always read at the source—*.

They had traveled through the Transmission Array of the True Sea Hall to reach a deserted island in the First Sea Zone, and after exiting the dilapidated hall on the island, they began to navigate across the First Sea Zone using a Sea Crossing Flying Boat.

Just two days into their voyage, they inevitably encountered a Whale Calamity—hundreds of giant whales, each as large as a mountain, swam in groups, each flick of their tails capable of lifting waves a hundred feet high.

Each breath from the whales' blowholes could send up water columns several hundred feet high, the powerful forces contained within capable of directly destroying Magical Treasure Level Sea Crossing Flying Boats.

The situation was even more terrifying when they were feeding.

Their gaping maws could suck in tens of thousands of cubic meters of seawater, creating powerful vortices that could easily draw in even Nascent Soul cultivators if they were caught off guard.

This was only the case when encountering a solitary feeding whale; if they encountered a pod that saw them as intruders or prey, even Returning to Void Stage Cultivators would struggle to escape.

Yuan Ming and his companions managed to get through safely, all thanks to Qiong Yun's Azure Sea's Blue Whale King bloodline.

Using the bloodline's special traits, they avoided the pod's attacks and, with Qiong Yun performing a secret technique, they actually hid inside the belly of a giant whale, which carried them safely across the First Sea Zone without incident.

At the boundary between the First Sea Zone and the Second Sea Zone, the Silver-clothed Girl, transformed from Hou Yi's Sun-shooting Bow and the Great Wilderness Star River Pearl, together with Yuan Ming, dove into the seabed in a concealed trench, retrieved some Three Light Divine Water, and then returned with Qiong Yun.

Yuan Ming and the other two continued towards the Second Sea Zone using the Sea Crossing Flying Boat given by Hou Yi's Sun-shooting Bow.

Upon entering the Second Sea Zone, things were calm at first, allowing them to relax slightly and make adjustments.

But five days later, a storm suddenly erupted on the sea surface, with a thick swath of dark leaden clouds obscuring the sky and numerous robust tornadoes churning below, connecting heaven and earth like twisting dragons.

To be cautious, Yuan Ming opened the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, taking Wulu, Xi Ying, Hua Zhi, and Vajra inside. He planned to confront the Wind Sea alone, relying on his Body of Wanxiang and Returning to Void Stage Cultivation.

But before this, Xi Ying first used an Illusion Technique to cause the other three to fall asleep, helping Yuan Ming to hide the secret of the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

Afterward, Yuan Ming alone, activating the Wind Stabilizing Pearl, plunged into the Wind Sea.

The storms in the Wind Sea were far more terrifying than he had imagined; the strong winds nearly had the force to tear space apart, and even with the protection of the Wind Stabilizing Pearl, Yuan Ming felt his skin being almost shredded by the hurricane.

He believed that if he were not already a Body of Wanxiang, even with the Wind Stabilizing Pearl, his physical body would have easily been torn to shreds by the storm.

Yuan Ming moved forward with difficulty, using the Wind Stabilizing Pearl, and when he couldn't endure any longer, he would open the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, retreat inside for recovery, and continue his journey against the wind once his strength was restored.

Stopping and moving like this, he struggled through the Wind Sea, with several careless moments of exhaustion where he was swept away by fierce winds, losing his direction, and by the time he finally stepped out of the Wind Sea, ten years had passed.

Those ten years of arduous trials were even tougher than any of Yuan Ming's previous cultivation practices; by the final part of the journey, even the Wind Stabilizing Pearl could not withstand further use, and it was completely destroyed.

Yuan Ming managed to emerge from the Wind Sea solely relying on the more formidable physique he had honed over the ten years, immense perseverance, and a bit of luck.