Cultivating immortality in the seas, I created an immortal island of eternal life.

The white light dissipated.

Gao Yao squatted on the ground, supporting himself with one hand on a wet rock, panting heavily.

The feeling of being transported was more uncomfortable than I had imagined; it was like the weightlessness of bungee jumping, making my stomach churn.

After a while, he finally had the strength to stand up and look around.

Before us lies a stone forest.

The stones were pulled up from the ground, some as tall as three or four zhang (approximately 13-14 meters), others as short as a person. Their surfaces were pitted and uneven from water erosion, and their edges were as sharp as blades.

A light gray mist hung over the stone forest, which, combined with the hazy sky overhead, made the whole place seem eerie.

Quiet.

It's too quiet.

There was no sound of waves, no birdsong, not even the wind. The only sounds I could hear were my own breathing and heartbeat.

Gao Yao stood there for a while before realizing that no one was around him.

The people from Yunxiang Sect have been teleported somewhere. There are stones on both sides, and mist slowly flows between the stones, like a gray-white river.

The field of vision was severely compressed; beyond ten zhang, nothing could be seen clearly. Even when divine sense was extended, it was suppressed by the fog, and one could only perceive a range of three to five zhang around.

He remained calm; all of this was within his expectations, and anything could happen in this blessed land.

Just as Gao Yao was about to find a direction to leave, his divine sense suddenly detected a person.

Two figures emerged from behind the stone in front of them. One wore a dark robe from the Yun Kingdom with a sea eagle embroidered on the chest, while the other, though also wearing a dark robe, was clearly distinguishable from the Yun Kingdom cultivators in terms of physique and expression.

Gao Yao's mind raced. These two belonged to different factions, so how did they end up together so quickly?

Unless it was agreed upon before entering the blessed land, or there was some other deal made in secret.

The merchant spoke first, a warm smile typical of businessmen on his face, his voice like he was greeting a regular customer: "This must be a fellow Daoist from the Yunxiang Sect? Is this your first time visiting this blessed land?"

Gao Yao didn't reply, he just nodded.

"There are plenty of good things in this blessed land," the merchant continued, seemingly unconcerned about Gao Yao's silence. "The herb gardens, libraries, and weapon-refining rooms left behind by ancient cultivators—any one of them would be enough to live a carefree life outside for several years."

"However, correspondingly, there are many restrictions and many monsters, so it's easy to get into trouble if you go alone."

"I see you're new here, why don't you come with us? We're not from the same sect, but it's better than fighting alone."

Gao Yao realized he was being recruited, so he probed, "If we're going in two groups, who'll listen to whom? How will we divide the good stuff?"

The businessman smiled, a smile identical to Feng Yi's.

"Whoever puts in the most effort gets the lion's share, and when there are disagreements, the minority submits to the majority. It's perfectly fair."

"Dividing things is simple: everyone takes what they need, and if there are conflicts, they can exchange and compensate each other. If they really can't divide it evenly, they can discuss other ways."

His smile remained unchanged, but Gao Yao knew in his heart that it meant he would take action if the money wasn't divided evenly.

The Yun Kingdom cultivator remained silent throughout, simply gripping his sword and refusing to look directly at Gao Yao.

That disregard wasn't feigned; it was the arrogance of someone who believed they were guaranteed to win.

Gao Yao feigned hesitation, then asked, "How much do you know about this blessed land? I only know it's a cave dwelling left behind by an ancient cultivator."

The merchant, intrigued, probably wanted to use the information to keep Gao Yao in check: "The owner of this blessed land is said to be called Master Xuanyuan, a rogue cultivator of the Golden Core inner path, who was quite a prominent figure in the Ping Sha Hai area back then."

"A perfect Golden Core, just one step away from forming the Nascent Soul stage. The cave dwelling left by such a person, with its restrictions alone, can give Foundation Establishment cultivators a headache for half a day."

"But that's precisely why there are so many good things here. He had no apprentices, and all his possessions were left in this blessed land. Whoever can take them will have to prove their skill."

Gao Yao understood the meaning behind the other party's words: the blessed land offers great opportunities, but the risks are even greater, so I advise you not to go it alone.

He didn't continue the conversation, but instead feigned a look of being both excited and conflicted: "Let me think about it some more."

The merchant was clearly dissatisfied with the answer and glanced at the silent Yun Kingdom cultivator beside him.

The Yun Kingdom cultivator finally spoke up: "Why waste words with him? Since you don't want to come with us, we'll send you away now. Leave your things behind."

The merchant looked regretful and shook his head: "Fellow Daoist, you made this choice yourself, so don't hold it against me."

After saying this, he took half a step back to the side, and a flash of light appeared on his sleeve, revealing the edges of several talismans.

The blue light on the Yun Kingdom cultivator's short sword grew even brighter, the blade trailing a blue tail in the mist, and the buzzing sound was like the flapping of some kind of insect's wings.

Gao Yao stood still, not because he wasn't flustered, but because the thought in his mind had finally come to fruition: since random teleportation had disrupted the team's plans, he would find another way to conquer this blessed land.

A storage bag for two people is always thicker than one for one person.

He reached out and patted the tortoise shell fragment at his waist.

The fog suddenly solidified.

The gray mist in the stone forest seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and the spiritual energy in the air also stopped flowing.

The stone beneath our feet made a dull thud, and the entire stone forest trembled.

A huge tortoise shadow rose up from behind Gao Yao.

It is Wu Ling.

The pressure from the Foundation Establishment stage spread silently, and even for those whose Enlightenment stage had not fully recovered, it was still a mountain to them.

But the oppressive feeling froze both the Yun Kingdom cultivators and merchants in place.

Gao Yao didn't give them time to react. He waved his hand and threw out several Earth Flow Wall Talismans. The talismans ignited in mid-air and turned into several beams of yellow light that disappeared into the ground.

In an instant, the stone forest seemed to come alive. The sharp stone pillars rolled out from under his feet, the ground cracked, the stone pillars tilted, and each one precisely closed in on the two of them.

Before the merchant could even release the talisman from his hand, a stone pillar slammed into his wrist from the side. With a muffled thud, the talisman flew out of his hand and burned into a wisp of green smoke in mid-air.

He was so shaken that he staggered two steps, and the stone pillar behind him was already pressing down on him.

The Yun Kingdom cultivator was faster. He forcefully broke free from the oppressive aura, swung his sword and severed two oncoming stone pillars. A flash of blue light followed, and rubble flew everywhere.

He used the momentum to leap up, attempting to break through the encirclement from above on his sword.

The phantom of Wuling raised its front paw and gently pressed down.

The rubble on the ground, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, surged upwards and instantly coalesced into two enormous stone hands.

With one hand, he grabbed the Yun Kingdom cultivator's calf and pulled him down from mid-air, while the other hand slapped the merchant on the back.

After two short, muffled thuds, the stone forest fell silent again.

Gao Yao walked over, squatted down, and began to feel the storage bag.

The Yun Kingdom cultivator's storage bag wasn't large; it contained a few low-grade spirit stones, two low-level talismans, and a bottle of basic healing pills.

The merchants from Hongyun Trading Company were slightly better off, carrying a few more low-level magical artifacts, several bottles of pills, and a stack of talismans.

Gao Yao held the spirit stones in his hand and couldn't help but curse.

The two of them together had less than twenty spirit stones, and their pills and talismans were even less valuable.

I thought people from other factions would be richer, but it turns out they're all the same.

He picked out the usable talismans and pills, and changed into the clothes of the Yun Kingdom cultivators.

Gao Yao found a puddle, casually scooped up some muddy water and smeared it on his face, then looked at himself in the murky water.

It's good; it can still recognize itself, but you need to get very close to spot the flaws. In the dimly lit, anxious environment of this blessed land, it's sufficient.

He straightened up, dusted off his robe, and turned to walk deeper into the stone forest.

With Wu Ling present, this blessed land becomes Gao Yao's hunting ground.

......