Luoshui River bottom.


    The Turtle Prime Minister didn''t wander far before he saw a carp half a Zhang long.


    "Today, it''s your turn!"


    Whoosh!


    The carp, not knowing how many years it had lived, had developed a rudimentary intelligence and quickly sensed the danger, fleeing at high speed.


    The Turtle Prime Minister, not having emerged for dozens of years and feeling suffocated in his cave dwelling, didn''t use any binding spells but followed the carp like a cat stalking a mouse.


    "Run! Keep running!"


    In a moment, after chasing four or five li under the water, the Turtle Prime Minister was about to cast a spell, when his mung bean eyes bulged—six human silhouettes appeared not far ahead.


    "Demon! Prepare to die!"


    He Dong, shaking the Deep Blue Banner, summoned a solitary horned ck dragon a Zhang long, which came shing with its teeth and ws.


    "Mercy, Daoist lord!"


    The Turtle Prime Minister panicked, covered his head with his hands, and turned to flee. Fortunately, his turtle shell''s defensive capabilities were robust and blocked the ck dragon''s attack.


    Seeing the Turtle Demon flee, He Dong''s face showed delight. He chased after him with his magic artifact, asionally casting spells to bombard him with attacks.


    The Turtle Prime Minister had lived for several hundred years and was no longer of average demon intelligence; he knew the intentions of the pursuing cultivators. On the surface, he appeared to be in a panic and afraid, but inwardly, he was snickering.


    "Wait until we get into the hermit cave. Then you''ll see, immortals!"


    With both human and demon harboring their own schemes, they quickly arrived at the entrance to the spiritualnd.


    A water tornado rose, revealing the cave dwelling. With a sneer, the Turtle Prime Minister dived in.


    ...


    Hermit Cave.


    Zhou Yi was picking Blood Spirit Fruits. Perhaps nourished by the Creation Dew, the Blood Vines that originally only had instincts were quite friendly towards him.


    Not only did they not struggle or interfere, they even exposed the Blood Spirit Fruits willingly, like a child seeking praise.


    The Turtle Prime Minister burst in, shouting, "Immortal master, it''s terrible! A group of cultivators hase outside, shouting and moring to attack!"


    "What level of cultivation do they have?"


    Zhou Yi took out the hermit cave''s Array te, running the Formation and Prohibition to the limit. Feeling it was still not safe, he spat out the Soul Fixing Mirror.


    The Soul Fixing Mirror, after being nurtured for over two hundred years, waspletely silver-white without a trace of bronze rust. At that point, its power wasparable to top-level magic artifacts, and the silver-white divine light it emitted could not only immobilize wronged souls and fierce ghosts but also extract the souls of the living.


    "Qi Refinement? Or Foundation Establishment? I didn''t dare to look."


    The Turtle Prime Minister was pondering how to tattletale when a noise came from above.


    "They''re already here!"


    Zhou Yi''s divine sense swept over and clearly detected six cultivators tunneling through the water veins into the cave dwelling.


    "All in the Qi Refinement Realm? Can''t be too careful; there might be dangerous Spirit Talismans or magic artifacts. Let''s wear them down with the formation first!"


    Meanwhile.


    He Dong and the others sensed the rich Water Spirit Qi, even denser than in their family''s spiritualnd, and joy appeared on their faces.


    "We''ve finally found it, the spiritualnd noted in the ancestor''s journal!"


    "That Turtle Demon''s defenses are strong, quite a nuisance."


    "No matter, with the Talisman Technique left by the ancestor, it''ll acknowledge us as masters if it doesn''t want to die."


    "The Turtle Demon has a long lifespan; upon advancing to a great demon, it could protect our n for hundreds of years!"


    The six people saw the spiritualnd in their eyes, but there were no spiritual fields or stone huts, just an empty cave.


    As theynded on the ground, they suddenly found the ground beneath their feet soft and not like soil or rock. Before they had time to question it, the scenery all around them changed dramatically.


    The ground turned into surging waves, and eight golden pirs rose from the water, with a burning sun condensing above.


    The tumultuous waves rushed in, engulfing He Zheng, the weakest in cultivation, washing him away to an unknown ce.


    "An illusion array? This spiritualnd has a master!"


    He Dong reacted the quickest, scattering several thunder beads with a wave of his hand, bombing the surroundings.


    The thunder beads were powerful and ferocious, though their uracy was low, making them most suitable for breaking through immovable formations.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    A series of roaring sounds echoed, yet the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation didn''t even tremble; instead, from above, a burst of mes surged, the powerparable to a Foundation Establishment Stage spell.


    He Dong and the others hurriedly activated their protective magic artifacts, but the Divine Fire mes could melt gold and iron, destroying low-grade magic artifacts upon contact.


    "Senior, please spare our lives!"


    "We had no intention of intruding and are willing to offer our ancestral teachings!"


    He Dong, spurting several mouthfuls of his essence blood to energize it, drove the Deep Blue Banner to its limit, a one-horned ck dragon circling above their heads and blocking the Great Sun Divine Fire.


    ...


    Outside the formation.


    He Zheng awoke in a daze and opened his eyes to see a pair of mung bean eyes, spinning around.


    The Turtle Demonmanded in a stern voice, "The Immortal asks you, where do youe from, what''s your surname, your name?"


    He Zheng noticed the old Taoist behind the Turtle Demon, with white hair and beard, holding a silver mirror, and sensing a terrifying aura of mana, so he hastily responded.


    "The junior''s name is He Zheng, originally cultivating on Qingfeng Mountain in Jing Kingdom."


    "The He family of Qingfeng Mountain?"


    Zhou Yi thought for a moment and then asked, "Did your ancestors have a master named He Sheng?"


    "Indeed, Elder Ancestor He is my great-grandfather," replied He Zheng, his face showing delight as he promptly exined, "Now Qingfeng Mountain has been destroyed by the Heavenly Demon Sect; we were lucky to escape with our lives and are only seeking shelter in a spiritualnd to avoid the great disaster. We had no intention of disturbing the senior!"


    "Heavenly Demon Sect! Great disaster!"


    Zhou Yi''s brows slightly furrowed, a bad premonition forming as his eyes flickered with spiritual light, "I have been in seclusion for many years, tell me, what changes have urred in the outside world in recent years?"


    The Soul Bewitching Art!


    An entry-level Divine Soul spell, Zhou Yi''s Divine Sense enveloped a fifty-yard radius, already on par with the midpoint of Foundation Establishment.


    Without so much as a struggle, He Zheng fell into confusion and began to reveal everything he knew: "Around twenty years ago, disciples of the Heavenly Demon Sect moved southward inrge numbers, causing chaos in Cloud Continent, supporting various Loose Cultivators to resist the Dan Ding Sect..."


    The Dan Ding Sect''s restrictions on the Loose Cultivators of Cloud Continent could be described as oppressive and severe.


    Previously, without the strength to resist, they could only abide by the rules set by Dan Ding Sect, struggling to survive.


    Seeing an opportunity, the Heavenly Demon Sect enticed them with cultivation techniques and spiritual medicines, especially several demonic secret techniques that forced Foundation Establishment, quickly gathering many Loose Cultivators whose lifespans were reaching their limits.


    There''s never been a shortage of ambitious individuals in the world, let alone cultivators facing the end of their lifespans. Nowadays, the spiritualnds and marketces in various ces on Cloud Continent are shrouded in darkness and poison.


    The He family of Qingfeng Mountain was a victim, having Foundation Establishment level masters to guard it, they thought themselves strong and recruited some Loose Cultivators to manage their spiritualnd.


    In the end, one Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, who had worked thends of Qingfeng Mountain for over a hundred years and was no longer regarded with any suspicion by the He family, secretly joined the Heavenly Demon Sect, turned to demonic cultivation, and performed a Blood Sacrifice on all living beings in the spiritualnd, forcibly breaking into Foundation Establishment Stage to extend his lifespan.


    Qingfeng Mountain was transformed into the Yin Sha Forbidden Land, the He family suffered heavy casualties, with only five individuals escaping.


    The five survivors took refuge in the mortal branch of the He family, and during that time, they discovered that He Zheng possessed a Spirit Root, passed on the cultivation technique to him, and led him onto the path of cultivation.


    "With the Heavenly Demon Sect''s invasion limited to the Foundation Establishment Stage, we must acquire the ''Minor Heavenly Technique'' before war esctes!"


    Zhou Yi pondered for a moment, manipted the Array te to stop the Great Sun Divine Fire Formation, and said, "When I was in the Qi Refinement Realm, I had received guidance from Master He, so there is some gratitude. Since you are a descendant of the He family, it is proper for me to care for you..."


    He Zheng, hearing these words as if blessed with great fortune, knelt down immediately and repeatedly kowtowed with thuds.


    "I ask the senior to take me in; I am willing to worship morning and night, offer daily service, and be at your disposal!"


    "Good," said Zhou Yi as he opened a portal in the formation, "Go tell those few, if they do not wish to stay in the spiritualnd, I will not force them."


    He Zheng, sensing the undisguised killing intent, knew that the real Immortal before him was no simple character and hurriedly went to persuade his n members.


    Meanwhile, Zhou Yi took the opportunity toy severalyers of formations around the stone cottage,pletely separating the entire spiritualnd cave from the outside.


    All the century-old spiritual medicines were transnted into the formation; from now on, the He family members could only cultivate outside and without permission, anyone daring to step into Zhou Yi''s secluded cultivation spot could only be fertilizer for the spiritual medicines.


    The situation was stronger than the people, and He Zheng and the others were very reasonable, willing to join Zhou Yi''s ranks.


    As the Cultivation World''s unrest began to show, having a spiritualnd for secluded cultivation and the protection of a real Immortal, in exchange for a trivial offering of loyalty, seemed like a good deal in any view.