Once the matter was settled, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun did not linger.
The two rose and cupped their hands toward Zhou Ming and Wu Ming in farewell.
"Daoist friends Zhou Ming and Wu Ming, we shall take our leave first," Zhen Yuanzi said.
Hong Yun followed with a bow. "Thank you both for your assistance today."
Wu Ming nodded slightly. "Take care, fellow Daoists."
Zhou Ming said nothing more and merely watched the two leave Pangu Hall.
Only after their figures had completely disappeared beyond the hall did he withdraw his gaze.
His Divine Thought stirred slightly.
The next moment, twelve powerful auras appeared inside the main hall almost simultaneously.
They were none other than the Twelve Ancestor Witches!
"Big Brother." Dijiang spoke first, his voice steady.
The other Ancestral Witches also bowed in greeting.
Zhou Ming's gaze swept over his twelve younger brothers and sisters, and he nodded.
"I have summoned you all today to discuss an important matter."
"Dijiang, Houtu."
Dijiang and Houtu stepped forward.
"What orders do you have, Big Brother?" Dijiang asked.
"You two will accompany me to the East Sea to search for the two immortal islands, Fangzhang and Yingzhou."
At these words, the other Ancestral Witches did not speak, but a hint of anticipation flashed in their eyes.
They naturally knew the purpose of their big brother's journey: the Pure World White Lotus.
Next, Zhou Ming turned his gaze toward the other Ancestral Witches besides Zhujiuyin.
"As for the rest of you, enter seclusion and cultivate with all your strength from this moment onward!"
"Break through as soon as possible and enter the Primordial Golden Immortal realm!"
"The inheritance left behind by Father God is vast beyond measure. Only after entering the Primordial Golden Immortal realm will you truly be able to begin excavating its potential and wield even greater power."
"Once you have all become Primordial Golden Immortals, our Witch Clan will truly be able to stand at the summit of the Primordial Wilderness, fearing no storm!"
The Ancestral Witches grew solemn at his words and answered in unison, "Yes, Big Brother! We will not fail in the task you have entrusted to us!"
Dijiang pondered briefly before voicing the doubt in his heart. "Big Brother, the East Sea is vast and boundless. The whereabouts of Fangzhang and Yingzhou are elusive, and even Daoist friend Zhen Yuanzi said they were difficult to find with the help of the Earth Book."
"On this journey... can we really find them?"
Zhou Ming looked at Dijiang, his tone calm yet filled with powerful confidence.
"Do not worry. I have already communicated with Father God's will."
"Father God sensed that the time has come."
"This journey will certainly succeed!"
"We understand!" Dijiang no longer had any doubts and immediately agreed.
Zhou Ming nodded, then turned toward Wu Ming.
"Fellow Daoist."
Wu Ming bowed slightly. "What orders do you have, fellow Daoist?"
"While I am away, I will have to entrust the Witch Clan to you," Zhou Ming said solemnly.
Wu Ming nodded, his expression calm. "Rest assured, fellow Daoist. Wu Ming will not fail in the task entrusted to him."
Once everything had been arranged, Zhou Ming did not hesitate any longer.
"Dijiang, Houtu, let's go!"
As his voice fell, the three figures vanished from Pangu Hall in an instant, heading toward the endless ocean to the east.
East Sea.
Misty waves stretched across the horizon, blending sea and sky into one.
Unlike the magnificent mountains and rivers of the inland, the sea possessed its own vast and boundless grandeur.
The three did not stop and proceeded directly into the depths of the East Sea.
They found a barren little island with a decent concentration of Qi but no inhabitants, then descended.
Zhou Ming sat cross-legged atop a massive boulder and spread the Earth Book before him.
Vast Magic Power poured into it.
Buzz—!
The Earth Book trembled slightly. Yellow-brown halos flowed across it, and countless intricate, profound ley-line patterns began to emerge and shift across its pages.
The mountains, rivers, and streams of the Primordial Wilderness were all reflected within.
The territories of the Four Seas, along with their islands and hidden reefs, also appeared.
However, the special ley-line patterns representing Fangzhang and Yingzhou still failed to appear.
Dijiang and Houtu stood to Zhou Ming's left and right, their expressions focused as they silently protected him while he cultivated.
Time slowly passed amid this monotonous waiting.
One day, two days...
One year, two years...
Ten years, twenty years...
In the blink of an eye, a hundred years passed.
To mighty figures like them, a hundred years was no more than a snap of the fingers.
Yet throughout those hundred years, the ley-line patterns on the Earth Book never showed the slightest anomaly.
The legendary Fangzhang and Yingzhou remained nowhere to be seen.
Even Dijiang and Houtu, with their steady temperaments, could not help growing anxious.
Only Zhou Ming remained as calm as still water. He continuously poured Magic Power into the Earth Book, carefully observing every minute change in its patterns.
Finally.
At a certain moment in the hundredth year—
Buzz!
Without warning, two extraordinarily special ley-line patterns appeared from thin air on the Earth Book. They had never appeared before.
These two ley-line patterns had strange structures, with Dao Rhythm flowing through them. They were utterly different from every ley line on the Primordial Wilderness continent.
They appeared almost simultaneously!
Yet the distance between them was extremely vast, and they were located in different regions of the East Sea.
"They've appeared!"
Zhou Ming's eyes snapped open.
He quickly memorized the spatial coordinates represented by the two ley-line patterns.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Ming immediately made his decision.
"Dijiang, Houtu!"
"You two go to the one in the west!"
"I'll go to the one in the east!"
"Remember, once you find the Pure World White Lotus, take it immediately. Do not delay for any reason. Then return here and regroup."
"Yes, Big Brother!" Dijiang and Houtu answered without hesitation.
"Go!"
Before Zhou Ming's voice had even faded, the three had transformed into three streaks of light and shot off in different directions at tremendous speed!
They moved far faster than ordinary Quasi-Saints!
Zhou Ming headed east, his figure flashing and leaping continuously through the void.
In only a moment, a sea region shrouded in dense Innate Spiritual Qi mist appeared before him.
Within the mist, the outline of a gigantic island could be vaguely seen. Immortal Light shimmered, and auspicious Qi billowed.
A powerful array fluctuation isolated the inside from the outside.
"An Innate Grand Array..." Zhou Ming halted.
This array was so powerful that anyone below the Quasi-Saint realm would find it difficult to force their way in.
Zhou Ming did not break through the array by force. Instead, he carefully sensed its nodes. With a flicker of his body, he silently passed through the array and entered the island.
The instant he entered the island, dense Innate Spiritual Qi that was almost tangible surged toward him. Exotic flowers and precious herbs covered the ground, while immortal birds and spirit beasts could be seen everywhere—a scene worthy of the Primordial Wilderness's finest paradise.
At the center of the island stood a towering immortal mountain. Three ancient characters were inscribed upon it: Mount Fangzhang Island!
Sure enough, this was the place!
Zhou Ming's heart settled, and he did not dare waste the slightest bit of time.
His Divine Thought instantly spread out, covering the entire Mount Fangzhang Island as he carefully searched for the possible location of the Pure World White Lotus.
At the same time, elsewhere.
At the same time.
In another distant sea region of the East Sea.
Dijiang and Houtu had also arrived at their destination.
It was likewise an immortal island shrouded in a powerful Innate Grand Array, and the concentration of Qi was no less dense than that of Mount Fangzhang Island.
Dijiang's Space Law surged, while Houtu used Earth Law to protect her body. The two instantly pierced through the array as well and stepped into the territory of Mount Yingzhou Island.
There was also an immortal mountain at the island's center. The three characters "Mount Yingzhou Island" were written above its entrance.
"Search separately!" Dijiang said in a deep voice.
"All right!" Houtu nodded.
The two did not dare delay. They immediately split up, fully extending their Divine Thoughts and beginning a meticulous search across the enormous Mount Yingzhou Island.
They had only one goal—the Pure World White Lotus.
It was likewise a gigantic immortal island shrouded in an Innate Grand Array.