I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Zhou Yuan successfully entered Tianxing City.

He knew the way well and arrived at the headquarters of the Six-Hall Market on the first floor of the Sacred Mountain in Tianxing City.

"Master Zhou, you've arrived!"

"Is there anything I can do for you?"

One of the Six Halls stewards recognized Zhou Yuan immediately upon seeing him and went up to greet him.

"I want to see Lord Xueye!"

Zhou Yuan spoke frankly.

"Yes, I'll go and report it right away!"

Following the announcement.

He then led Zhou Yuan to a quiet room to rest.

Soon, a figure rushed over from behind the main hall of the headquarters; it was none other than Palace Master Xueye.

She was dressed in a light blue palace gown, her demeanor becoming increasingly elegant. Upon hearing that Zhou Yuan had arrived, she immediately dropped everything else and rushed over.

Upon entering the quiet room and seeing Zhou Yuan, Xueye's beautiful eyes revealed an undisguised surprise, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Master Zhou...it's been a long time."

The sounds of the snowy night remained gentle.

But upon closer listening, there seemed to be a subtle hint of melancholy.

Over the years, Zhou Yuan has vanished without a trace. She has sent people to inquire about him, but to no avail.

"Lord of Snow Night, your charm remains undiminished."

Zhou Yuan smiled slightly and returned the greeting with a cupped hand.

The two sat down, and a beautiful maidservant served them a cup of spiritual tea before quietly leaving.

After a few pleasantries, Zhou Yuan cut straight to the point: "Palace Master Xueye, how is the gathering of information about Geng Jing progressing?"

Upon hearing this, Xueye paused slightly in her teacup, glancing up at Zhou Yuan with a hint of reproach in her eyes.

It was as if she was blaming Zhou Yuan for only caring about the materials as soon as they met.

But she was ultimately a sensible woman who knew Zhou Yuan's character, so she sighed softly and put down her teacup.

"Master Zhou is still as impatient as ever."

Her tone was a mix of reproach and indignation, but she quickly became serious and said, "I have indeed found out some information about Geng Jing. Several months ago, reliable intelligence came in that the Demonic Path, to be precise, the Qianfeng Master of the Reverse Star Alliance, seems to be possessing a piece of Geng Jing of extremely high quality!"

"It's said that the portion size is quite large."

"Master Qianfeng?"

Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

He had heard of this person; he was a renowned early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator in the demonic path.

He is skilled in wind-attribute magic, ruthless in his methods, and holds a high position in the Reverse Star Alliance.

"good."

Xueye nodded, her tone becoming more serious. "Master Qianfeng is currently stationed on Mingxing Island. I'm sure Master Zhou knows something about it. Mingxing Island was originally one of the twelve outer islands of my Star Palace. It is rich in resources and has an important strategic location."

"Unfortunately, it was captured by the Reverse Star Alliance many years ago. Now it is an important stronghold of theirs in the Inner Sea, and it is guarded by Qianfeng Shangren and two other Nascent Soul stage cultivators."

"We want to get the Geng Essence from him..."

She shook her head and didn't continue, but the meaning was clear—it was as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Zhou Yuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Thoughtful.

Pluto Island, the stronghold of the Reverse Star Alliance.

Three Nascent Soul cultivators guarded the area...

He suddenly smiled, looked at Xue Ye, and said half-jokingly, "Palace Master Xue Ye, you're not trying to fool me, are you? Trying to use me to deal with the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Reverse Star Alliance?"

Xueye felt her cheeks flush slightly under Zhou Yuan's gaze, and rolled her eyes at him in annoyance.

Then, following his words, she said, "Yes, if Master Zhou can kill that old demon Qianfeng, it will naturally remove a great threat to my Star Palace. I am extremely grateful."

That being said, it was mostly said in anger. Even though she knew Zhou Yuan was powerful, she never wanted him to be in danger.

Thank you for letting me know.

Zhou Yuan's smile faded, and he stood up. "I will remember this favor."

"Is Master Zhou leaving already?"

Xueye also got up, a hint of reluctance and worry flashing in her eyes.

"Geng Jing is very important to me."

Zhou Yuan said succinctly, "Don't worry, I value my life and won't risk it for a piece of Geng Essence. If anything happens in the future, you can send me a message."

He received the communication talisman on a snowy night.

He held it in his hand and nodded:

"Master Zhou... please be careful in everything you do. That Venerable Qianfeng is no easy opponent. Besides, there are two other Nascent Soul cultivators on the island..."

"I know."

Zhou Yuan said no more, nodded to Xue Ye, and his figure transformed into a faint green shadow, disappearing from the living room.

Xueye gazed in the direction where he had disappeared, clutching the still-warm communication talisman tightly in her hand. After a long while, she finally let out a soft sigh.

"Zhou Lang, how wonderful it would be if you could join the Star Palace!"

There was something that Xueye was keeping from Zhou Yuan.

Ling Yuling had previously found a piece of Geng Essence in the Star Palace's inventory, but it was discovered when she was about to take it out.

The other elders of the Star Palace stated frankly that they would never send out Geng Jing unless Zhou Yuan joined the Star Palace.

Xueye did not tell him about this because she was worried that Zhou Yuan would misunderstand Xinggong if he heard the news.

……

After leaving Tianxing City, Zhou Yuan determined his direction and headed towards the location of Mingxing Island.

Pluto Island, once one of the twelve main islands of the Star Palace, now has a new owner.

This island is vast.

The island spans over a thousand li in circumference, with rolling hills in the central part.

The surrounding area is characterized by plains, hills, and excellent harbors.

During the era when the Star Palace ruled, this place was one of the most prosperous of the twelve outer islands, with good spiritual veins and thriving markets.

However, the entire island is now shrouded in a faint gray-black mist, and various colored spiritual lights of restriction appear in various places on the island, like a spider web protecting the core area of ​​the island.

High in the sky, several teams of cultivators, their auras chilling, patrolled back and forth in flying magical artifacts, vigilantly scanning the surrounding sea.

Clearly, after the Reverse Star Alliance occupied the island, they invested a great deal of resources to transform it into a heavily guarded military fortress.

The island's defensive formations are layered and interconnected, combining offense and defense, and are also linked to the earth's veins.

If we launch a direct attack, even if we deploy the Nascent Soul cultivators from the multiple islands, it will be difficult to break through in a short time, and we will inevitably pay a heavy price.

Zhou Yuan stopped his escape light dozens of miles away from the island and hovered above the sea.

With a slight thought, he activated the "Transformation Technique" obtained from the "Mysterious Yin Scripture." His facial bones emitted a soft "crackling" sound, and his muscles and skin twitched slightly. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into an unfamiliar old man with a sallow complexion, fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, who looked to be about fifty or sixty years old and whose aura was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

He changed his black robe into an inconspicuous gray-brown long gown, which suppressed most of his spiritual pressure, revealing only the fluctuations of the early Nascent Soul stage.

After disguising himself properly, he slowly flew towards the Dark Star Island.

Just as he approached the island's perimeter, about ten miles away, two streaks of light rose rapidly from the sea below, blocking his path from the left and right.

The newcomers were two cultivators at the mid-stage of Core Formation. One was dressed in a black robe with a sinister face, and was a demonic cultivator; the other was dressed in a green robe as a Taoist, but was a righteous cultivator.

Although the two belonged to the righteous and demonic factions respectively, they were clearly both members of the Reverse Star Alliance at this moment, and their cooperation was quite tacit.

"Please, senior!"

The black-robed demonic cultivator cupped his hands, his tone relatively polite, but his eyes held a scrutinizing gaze. "May I ask where you come from, senior, and what brings you to my Dark Star Island? These are extraordinary times, so please forgive me and inform us according to the rules."

"I am an overseas wandering cultivator, my Daoist name is 'Huangshi'. I have long heard of the reputation of the Reverse Star Alliance, and I have come here to pay my respects." The voice of "Huangshi Zhenren" in the form of Zhou Yuan was hoarse as he responded indifferently.

"So it's Senior Huang Shi!"

The two exchanged a glance, and their attitude became even more respectful.

Nascent Soul stage rogue cultivators are always a force to be won over, no matter where they are. "Senior, please follow us to the island. Please allow us to inform the elders."

"Thank you for your trouble." Zhou Yuan nodded.

Guided by the two, Zhou Yuan passed through several layers of warning barriers and landed on a stone platform with a small teleportation array at the edge of the island.

With a flash of light, the three were teleported to the interior of the island, in front of a magnificent black palace built halfway up a mountain and shrouded in black mist.

"Please wait here for a moment, senior. I will go and inform Elder Li immediately."

The black-robed demonic cultivator spoke as he strode into the main hall.

Before long, a powerful aura of a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator surged out from the depths of the main hall. An old man with a dark red robe, white hair, a withered face, but sharp eyes like an eagle strode out, accompanied by a Core Formation cultivator.

"Haha, honored guest! I have failed to greet you properly! I am Li Kui, one of the elders on duty on this island. Are you, fellow Daoist, Master Huangshi?"

The red-robed old man, Li Laoguai, swept his gaze over Zhou Yuan with lightning speed. He had a hearty smile, but deep in his eyes was a hint of probing and wariness that was hard to detect.

"It is indeed I, Huang. I apologize for my unauthorized visit, Fellow Daoist Li."

Zhou Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands, his expression calm.

"Not at all, it's an honor for my Mingxing Island that Fellow Daoist Huangshi has come. This is not the place to talk, please come inside!" Old Monster Li stepped aside and led Zhou Yuan into the main hall.

The main hall was quite spacious, yet its decorations exuded a sinister and luxurious feel, dominated by black and red tones. After the guests and hosts were seated, beautiful maids served them spiritual tea and fruits.

"Fellow Daoist Huangshi looks unfamiliar. May I ask which immortal mountain you were cultivating on before? Is your visit to the Inner Sea for sightseeing, or...?"

Old Li took a sip of tea and asked casually, but in reality, he was trying to find out more about Zhou Yuan.

The Reverse Star Alliance and the Star Palace are locked in a standoff, and any unfamiliar high-level cultivator must be treated with caution.

"I, Huang, am a recluse living on a remote island, where I spend most of my time in seclusion, cultivating my skills diligently, and thus my fame remains unknown. My purpose in emerging from seclusion this time is twofold: first, to travel and broaden my horizons; and second, because I have heard of the many treasures in the inner sea..."

Zhou Yuan handled the situation with ease and composure, perfectly portraying the image of a reclusive overseas cultivator who had long been out of the public eye and was curious about the current situation.

"I see."

Old Master Li nodded. There are many independent cultivators overseas, and quite a few reclusive old monsters, so this explanation makes sense.

But he didn't fully believe it.

"Since you have cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm, you must possess extraordinary abilities. What are your thoughts on my Reverse Star Alliance?"

"The Reverse Star Alliance has gathered heroes from both the righteous and demonic realms to jointly resist the Star Palace, displaying extraordinary courage. The Star Palace has dominated the Chaotic Star Sea for many years, monopolizing resources, and a new force is indeed needed to break the deadlock. In my opinion, it has great potential." Zhou Yuan said a few polite words.

"Fellow Daoist, your insight is truly remarkable!"

Old Man Li's smile widened further. "In that case, Fellow Daoist Huang Shi, would you be interested in joining my Reverse Star Alliance? With your Nascent Soul cultivation, if you were to join, you would certainly be appointed as a senior elder, receiving resources and support that would be no less than those of the same rank in the Star Palace!"

"Joining your alliance is a matter of great importance; please allow me some time to consider it."

Zhou Yuan did not refuse directly, but changed the subject and asked, "I have heard that there is a Venerable Qianfeng on your island, who is extremely powerful. I have long admired him. May I ask if you could introduce me to him?"