Mysterious Island

After leaving Flying Fish Island, Li Cha sat cross-legged on Mo Ran's back as he carried him toward Mysterious Island. His Spiritual Sense turned to the spoils of this "counter-kill." When he probed Sha Bo's and the Shark Clan Elder's storage rings to inspect their accompanying spirit treasures, his brows could not help but furrow slightly.

"This East Sea overlord... is he really this poor?" Li Cha muttered under his breath.

Sha Bo, a Mid Da Luo cultivator, possessed little besides the Serrated Great Saber he used to wreak havoc, which was a Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure barely worth looking at. His armor, boots, and other items were merely crudely refined magical treasures, not even close to being Post-Heaven Lower-Grade Spirit Treasures, with negligible defensive power. His storage ring was piled high with mid- and low-grade spirit stones, some deep-sea Spiritual Fruit with mediocre spiritual energy, and mountains of various demon beast flesh. There was nothing else.

By comparison, the Da Luo peak Shark Clan Elder had a somewhat thicker fortune. The dark cyan armor he wore, covered in fine dragon patterns, was a lower-grade Innate Spirit Treasure—the Dragon Scale Armor. Judging from its aura, it seemed to have been refined primarily from reverse scales shed by the Dragon Clan, and its defensive power was quite impressive. The spear he wielded was also a Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure, of even better quality than Sha Bo's saber. Aside from a large quantity of spirit stones, his storage ring contained some Innate mineral ores produced in the deep sea, as well as spirit herbs and medicinal plants of decent age.

Overall, the fortunes of these two Da Luo experts who ruled the East Sea were utterly disproportionate to their strength and status. They were rather impoverished.

"Looks like most of the treasures in the sea are still in the Dragon Clan's hands. The Shark Clan may appear to dominate the East Sea, but in truth, they are merely picking up scraps the Dragon Clan disdains. Their foundation is pitifully shallow." Li Cha quickly grasped the crux of the matter and shook his head. The truly wealthy ones were still those ancient Innate God-Demons and the remnants of the three great clans.

The lower-grade Innate Spirit Treasure Dragon Scale Armor leaned toward the water attribute. Though its defense was excellent, it did not suit Li Cha's own path, and wearing it would be of little use. With a thought, he summoned Shi Qing, who was diligently cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique inside the Chaos Pearl.

Upon seeing Li Cha, Shi Qing immediately bowed respectfully. "Master."

Li Cha handed him the Dragon Scale Armor and said warmly, "Shi Qing, this armor is called the Dragon Scale Armor. It is a lower-grade Innate Spirit Treasure with considerable defensive power. Today, I bestow it upon you for protection."

Shi Qing respectfully accepted the armor. The sapphire-blue battle armor felt icy to the touch, its spiritual light flickering. Eleven layers of Innate Restrictions gathered into a blue dragon that roared angrily at Shi Qing, seemingly dissatisfied with its new master.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this treasure!" Shi Qing held the armor and bowed once more.

"Mm." Li Cha nodded, then asked, "Since you have begun cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, you are walking the path of achieving sainthood through the physical body. You need a weapon that suits your hand. Tell me, what kind of weapon do you want?"

Without hesitation, Shi Qing's eyes lit up as he answered, "Master, this disciple wants an axe!"

An axe? Li Cha froze for a moment, then laughed. As expected of one transformed from Pangu's Fingernail. This taste and preference truly came with his bloodline.

"Very well. Then I will forge an axe for you."

They were still traveling, and there was nothing else to do, so Li Cha had Shi Qing sit atop Mo Ran's broad back as well. Mo Ran was now a Half-Step Da Luo, and his flight was as steady as level ground. Carrying one more person was nothing to him.

High above the clouds, Li Cha took out the Shark Clan Elder's Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure spear, Sha Bo's Serrated Great Saber, and several of the finest Innate metal ores found in their storage rings. Five Elements True Fire emerged in his palm as he began refining the materials.

Under the scorching refinement of the Five Elements True Fire, the spirit treasures and ores quickly melted into blazing liquid. Li Cha used his divine will as a hammer and Dao rhythm as a mold, carefully shaping and tempering them. In his mind, he recalled the appearance of the colossal axe in Pangu's hand, combining it with his own understanding of strength and breaking techniques as he meticulously crafted it.

A year later, a great axe gradually took shape within the Five Elements True Fire. Its design was ancient and simple, its blade broad, its back thick, its entire body dark gold, and every line brimming with a sense of power. Li Cha changed his hand seals and inscribed restriction runes containing the Dao intent of "armor-breaking," "weight," "sharpness," and "sturdiness" into the axe one by one, as though weaving a net of laws.

Limited by the materials, he could ultimately inscribe only thirty-six layers of Postnatal Restrictions, fixing its grade at the level of a Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure. Yet because the axe imitated a trace of the Dao rhythm of splitting open Heaven and Earth, and because its materials had been purified by the Five Elements True Fire, its power was sufficient to rival a Postnatal Supreme Spirit Treasure.

Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure—the Mountain Splitting Axe.

When Li Cha handed the completed Mountain Splitting Axe to Shi Qing, the little fellow's face flushed red with excitement. He accepted the huge axe, which was taller than he was, and lovingly stroked its icy surface, sensing the vast power contained within. An incomparably innocent and satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Master! This disciple loves it!" Shi Qing swung it a few times. Though it was somewhat strenuous, his stance already looked the part.

This time, Mo Ran did not show any envy. As a Qilin, his scales, claws, and horn were naturally powerful weapons and defensive treasures. After cultivation and tempering, their toughness and power were not inferior to Postnatal Supreme Spirit Treasures, so he had little need for magical treasures.

The group continued onward. Mysterious Island lay at the boundary of the East Sea, near the South Sea. Its location was extremely remote, and an Innate Formation concealed its aura. If not for the precise location provided by the Shark Clan Elder, ordinary cultivators would never have been able to find it. Even with Mo Ran's speed, they flew for a full two years before reaching the target waters.

According to the directions, the destination was right ahead. Yet when Li Cha spread his Mid Da Luo Spiritual Sense like a fishing net and carefully scanned the area, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Within his Spiritual Sense, there was nothing ahead but the vast sea and the occasional school of fish. There was no sign whatsoever of an island!

Yet when he focused and looked with his naked eyes, he could clearly see an island standing peacefully upon that "empty" stretch of sea, covered in lush vegetation with faint mountain ridges visible within.

"What an ingenious concealment formation!" Li Cha's heart turned solemn. It can even deceive the probing of Da Luo Spiritual Sense. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, it would be almost indistinguishable from empty space. The mysteries of this formation likely exceed all imagination.

After directing Mo Ran to stop in the distance, Li Cha quietly flew closer to the island's outskirts and carefully observed the invisible, intangible formation barrier that perfectly concealed the entire island. His attainments in formations had always been exceedingly high, and he had personally "experienced" the Heavenly Dao Sealing Grand Array, granting him an understanding of formations far beyond that of ordinary people.

His fingertip lightly touched the invisible formation barrier. As he sensed the profound aura and law patterns flowing within, Li Cha's expression gradually shifted from solemnity to realization. In the end, he could not help but chuckle.

"So that's how it is... so this is the territory of those little ones. No wonder, no wonder..."

After observing for a long while, he recognized the formation's origin. This was no ordinary Innate Formation, but the embryonic form—or rather, the natural formation foundation—of the later-famous Nine Bends Yellow River Great Formation! And the faint yet sharp Dao rhythm coming from the island's core, capable of cutting away the Three Flowers atop one's head and sealing the Five Qi within one's chest, further confirmed that the treasure guarding this island was the infamous Top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure—the Primordial Golden Dou!

"So this is the future transformation grounds of the Three Maidens of Sanxiao of Three Immortals Island and their elder brother, Zhao Gongming!" Li Cha understood. With this incomplete Nine Bends Yellow River Great Formation protecting the island, and with a lethal treasure such as the Primordial Golden Dou suppressing it, let alone those few Da Luo of the Shark Clan, even one or two Quasi-Saints ignorant of formations would likely have their cultivation stripped away by the Primordial Golden Dou if they rashly entered the formation, dying in bitter regret on the spot. It was entirely normal that the Shark Clan had failed to break the formation after attacking for a hundred thousand years. In fact, they were fortunate they had not triggered the Primordial Golden Dou's true power, or their clan would have been wiped out long ago.

Carefully passing his Spiritual Sense through part of the formation's obstruction, Li Cha "saw" the scene on the island. Four clusters of Innate clear spiritual qi were slowly gestating and circling above the core of the island's spiritual vein. One carried a relatively fierce and sharp aura, with faint images of dragons and tigers appearing within. It should be Zhao Gongming. The other three clusters were more ethereal and profound, dependent upon one another. They were Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao, the three sisters. Their intelligence had only just been born, like that of infants. Their spiritual bodies were still gathering and stabilizing, and they would likely need another hundred thousand years or more of nurturing before taking form and entering the world.

Li Cha had always held a favorable impression of these juniors from the Investiture of the Gods, who were loyal and righteous yet met tragic ends. Thinking of how they had only just been born in ignorance, and how the Shark Clan might continue coveting this place because of him, a desire to help arose in his heart.

He did not attempt to force his way into the formation, as that would disturb them and forge ill karma. Instead, he took out a cup of brewed Innate Enlightenment Tea and used supreme magical power to transform its pure Dao rhythm and vitality into a hazy shower of azure spiritual rain, gently scattering it toward the island's interior. The spiritual rain passed through the formation, silently nourishing those four newly born spiritual consciousnesses, helping them stabilize their spiritual bodies more quickly and awaken their wisdom.

Afterward, he took out a seed of the Cloud Mist Spirit Tea Tree formed from his own origin. With a flick of his finger, he sent it into a corner of the island rich in spiritual qi. The seed took root the moment it landed and swiftly began to grow. It was both a favorable bond Li Cha had left behind and a marker that would allow him to sense the situation here in the future through the Spirit Vine Boundless technique.

As for the several accompanying spirit treasures on the island destined for Zhao Gongming and the Three Maidens of Sanxiao—the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors, Nine Bends Yellow River Formation Diagram, Primordial Golden Dou, and Mountain-Driving Whip—Li Cha merely inspected them with his Spiritual Sense before losing all interest. These treasures were intimately connected to their origins. Forcibly taking them would not only forge an irreconcilable karmic enmity with them, but also ruin the foundation of their Great Dao. Li Cha, who upheld the Tea Dao and pursued harmonious coexistence, would never do such a harmful and profitless thing.

"Today, I form a favorable bond. We will meet again someday." Li Cha smiled faintly and did not linger any longer.

He turned and returned to Mo Ran's back, patting his armored back.

"Our business here is finished. Let us go. It is time to search for the Three Lights Divine Water."

Mo Ran let out a low roar and changed direction, carrying Li Cha and his newly acquired disciple Shi Qing as he transformed into a streak of black light that vanished between sea and sky, continuing their Primordial Wilderness journey filled with the unknown. Meanwhile, that hidden immortal island remained quietly sheltered by the formation, nurturing the future elites of the Interception Sect. Only the newly grown Spiritual Tea Tree swayed softly in the breeze, witnessing the beginning of a bond.