Mysterious Island

After leaving Flying Fish Island, Li Cha sat cross-legged on Mo Ran's back as the latter carried him toward the Mysterious Island. His Spiritual Sense probed the spoils of this "counter-kill." When he delved into the storage rings of Sha Bo and the Shark Clan Elder to inspect their personal spirit treasures, his brow furrowed slightly.

"This overlord of the East Sea... is a bit too shabby." Li Cha couldn't help muttering under his breath.

Sha Bo, a Mid Da Luo expert, had only the Serrated Great Saber he used for violence—a Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure that barely passed muster. The rest, his battle armor and boots, were crudely refined magical artifacts, not even touching the threshold of a Post-Heaven Lower-Grade Spirit Treasure, offering negligible defense. Inside his storage ring were piles of mid- and low-grade spirit stones, some mediocre deep-sea Spiritual Fruits, and mountains of various demon beast flesh and blood. Nothing else.

In contrast, the Shark Clan Elder, a Da Luo peak expert, had slightly more wealth. His dark cyan battle armor, covered in fine dragon patterns, was a lower-grade Innate Spirit Treasure—Dragon Scale Armor. Its aura suggested it was forged mainly from shed Dragon Clan reverse scales, boasting considerable defense. The spear he used was also a Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure, superior in quality to Sha Bo's saber. His storage ring contained, besides a large number of spirit stones, some innate-grade ores from the deep sea and spirit herbs of decent age.

Overall, these two Da Luo powerhouses who ruled the East Sea had wealth completely mismatched with their strength and status, appearing rather impoverished.

"It seems most of the sea's treasures are still in the Dragon Clan's hands. The Shark Clan might dominate the East Sea on the surface, but they're just picking over the scraps the Dragon Clan disdains—shallow foundations." Li Cha quickly grasped the key point and shook his head. The truly wealthy were still those ancient Innate God-Demons and the legacies of the Three Clans.

The lower-grade Innate Spirit Treasure Dragon Scale Armor was water-attributed. Though its defense was good, it didn't align with Li Cha's own Dao path, and wearing it would be useless. With a thought, he summoned Shi Qing, who was diligently cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique inside the Chaos Pearl.

Shi Qing saw Li Cha and immediately bowed respectfully: "Master."

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

Shi Qing accepted the armor respectfully. The azure-blue armor was cold to the touch, its spirit light flickering. Eleven Innate Restrictions coalesced into a blue dragon that roared at Shi Qing, seemingly dissatisfied with its new master.

"Thank you, Master, for the treasure!" Shi Qing held the armor and bowed again.

"Mm," Li Cha nodded, then asked, "Since you've begun cultivating the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique and are walking the path of physical sanctification, you need a suitable weapon. Tell me, what kind of weapon do you want?"

Shi Qing answered without hesitation, eyes shining: "Master, I want an axe!"

An axe? Li Cha was momentarily stunned, then chuckled. Indeed, as expected of one transformed from Pangu's Fingernail—this aesthetic and preference were truly in his blood.

"Alright, then I'll forge an axe for you."

Since they were still traveling and had nothing else to do, Li Cha had Shi Qing also sit on Mo Ran's broad back. Mo Ran, now a Half-Step Da Luo, flew as steadily as flat ground, not minding carrying one more person.

Right there above the clouds, Li Cha took out the Shark Clan Elder's Postnatal High-Grade spear, Sha Bo's Serrated Great Saber, and a few pieces of the highest-quality innate metal ores from their storage rings. Five Elements True Fire appeared in his palm, and he began melting these materials.

Under the Five Elements True Fire's smelting, the spirit treasures and ores quickly turned into hot liquid. Using his divine sense as a hammer and Dao rhythm as a mold, Li Cha carefully shaped and tempered them. Recalling the image of the giant axe in Pangu's hand, combined with his own understanding of power and breaking laws, he meticulously crafted it.

A year passed. A great axe took shape in the Five Elements True Fire—ancient in design, with a broad blade, a thick back, a dark gold hue, and lines full of power. Li Cha changed his hand seals, inscribing restriction runes imbued with the Dao meanings of "armor-breaking," "heaviness," "sharpness," and "sturdiness" into the axe body one by one, like weaving a net of laws.

Due to material limitations, only thirty-six Postnatal Restrictions could be inscribed, fixing its grade at the Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure level. But because the axe imitated a trace of the Opening Heaven Dao rhythm and its materials were purified by Five Elements True Fire, its power rivaled a Postnatal Supreme Spirit Treasure.

Postnatal High-Grade Spirit Treasure—Mountain Splitting Axe.

When Li Cha handed the completed Mountain Splitting Axe to Shi Qing, the little one's face flushed with excitement. He took the axe, which was taller than himself, and caressed the cold blade with fondness, feeling the immense power within, revealing a pure and satisfied smile.

"Thank you, Master! I love it!" Shi Qing swung it a few times, though a bit strained, his stance already taking shape.

Mo Ran, watching, showed no envy this time. As a Qilin, his own scales, claws, and horn were naturally powerful weapons and defensive treasures. After cultivation and refinement, their toughness and power were no less than a Postnatal Supreme Spirit Treasure, so he had little need for artifacts.

The group continued their journey. The Mysterious Island was located at the East Sea border, near the South Sea, in an extremely remote position. An Innate Formation sealed its aura, making it nearly impossible for ordinary cultivators to find without the precise coordinates provided by the Shark Clan Elder. Even with Mo Ran's speed, it took a full two years of flight to reach the target sea area.

According to the coordinates, their destination was ahead. However, when Li Cha spread his Mid Da Luo Spiritual Sense like a net and carefully scanned the area, his face showed surprise.

In his Spiritual Sense perception, there was nothing ahead but vast seawater and occasional fish schools—no sign of any island!

But when he focused his eyes and looked, he could clearly see, on that seemingly empty sea surface, an island with lush vegetation and faint mountain ranges standing there!

"What a brilliant concealment formation!" Li Cha's heart tightened. "It can even deceive Da Luo Spiritual Sense detection. If not for seeing it with my own eyes, it would be almost indistinguishable from void. The formation's profundity likely far exceeds imagination."

Directing Mo Ran to stop at a distance, Li Cha quietly flew to the island's periphery and carefully observed the invisible, formless formation barrier that perfectly hid the entire island. His formation Dao cultivation was already extremely high, and having personally "experienced" the Heavenly Dao Sealing Grand Array, he had an extraordinary understanding of formations.

His fingertip lightly touched the invisible formation wall, feeling the mysterious aura and law patterns flowing within. Li Cha's expression shifted from solemn to realization, and finally, he couldn't help but chuckle softly:

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

After observing for a long time, he recognized the formation's origin. This was no ordinary Innate Formation, but the prototype—or natural foundation—of the later-famous Nine Bends Yellow River Great Formation! And at the island's core, a faint, sharp Dao rhythm that could cut off one's Three Flowers at the top and seal one's Five Qi in the chest confirmed that the guardian of this island was none other than the infamous Top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure—the Primordial Golden Dou!

"This place is the future transformation Dao field of the Three Maidens of Sanxiao and their elder brother Zhao Gongming!" Li Cha understood. With this unformed Nine Bends Yellow River Formation guarding it, and the Primordial Golden Dou as a lethal treasure suppressing it, even if a few Da Luo from the Shark Clan came, or even one or two Quasi-Saints who didn't understand formations, they would likely have their cultivation shaved off by the Primordial Golden Dou and die on the spot if they recklessly entered. It was perfectly normal that the Shark Clan's entire tribe attacked for a hundred thousand years without breaking the formation—in fact, they were lucky not to have triggered the Primordial Golden Dou's true power, or they would have been wiped out long ago.

Carefully penetrating part of the formation barrier with his Spiritual Sense, Li Cha "saw" the scene on the island. Four clusters of innate pure spiritual energy were slowly gestating and circling at the island's spiritual vein core. One cluster was more fierce and sharp, faintly showing signs of dragon and tiger—this should be Zhao Gongming. The other three clusters were more ethereal and mysterious, interdependent—these were the three sisters Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Bi Xiao. Their spiritual wisdom had just been born, like infants, and their spirit bodies were still condensing and stabilizing. It would likely take over a hundred thousand years of nurturing before they could transform and emerge.

Li Cha had a favorable impression of these juniors from the Investiture of the Gods, who valued love and righteousness but met tragic ends. Thinking of their current nascent state and that, because of him, the Shark Clan might still covet this place, he felt a desire to help.

He didn't try to force his way into the formation—that would disturb them and create bad karma. Instead, he took out a cup of brewed Innate Enlightenment Tea and, using his supreme Dharma power, transformed its pure Dao rhythm and life force into a misty green spiritual rain, gently sprinkling it toward the island's interior. This spiritual rain penetrated the formation, silently nourishing the four nascent spiritual consciousnesses, helping them stabilize their spirit bodies and open their wisdom faster.

Then, he took out a Cloud Mist Spirit Tea Tree seed, born from his own origin, and flicked it into a corner of the island with abundant spiritual energy. The seed took root and grew rapidly. It was both a good affinity seed Li Cha left behind and a coordinate, allowing him to sense the situation here in the future through the Spirit Vine Boundless divine ability.

As for the companion spirit treasures destined for Zhao Gongming and the Three Maidens—the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors, the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation Diagram, the Primordial Golden Dou, and the Mountain-Whip—Li Cha only inspected them with his Spiritual Sense and lost interest. These treasures were deeply connected to their origins. Forcibly taking them would not only create an irreconcilable karmic debt but also ruin their Dao foundations. Such a harmful, profitless act was something Li Cha, who upheld the Tea Dao and pursued harmony and coexistence, would never do.

"Today, I've planted a good affinity. We'll meet again someday." Li Cha smiled faintly and didn't linger.

He turned back to Mo Ran's back and patted his shell.

"This matter is settled. Let's go. It's time to seek the Three Lights Divine Water."

Mo Ran let out a low roar, turned around, and carrying Li Cha and his new disciple Shi Qing, transformed into an inky streak of light, vanishing between sky and sea, continuing their journey through the boundless Primordial World. And that hidden immortal island, still under the formation's protection, quietly nurtured the future elites of the Jie Sect. Only the newly grown spirit tea tree swayed gently in the breeze, witnessing the beginning of a karmic bond.