25: Chapter 25 Nascent Soul Pursuit

The Nascent Soul pressure was like mountains and peaks, like abysses and oceans.

The three of them, including Lin Wan, felt the air around them instantly solidify. Their Spiritual Qi flowed sluggishly, and their bodies felt as if they were trapped in a bottomless swamp, causing their flying speed to plummet. An icy, bone-chilling Death Qi that seemed capable of freezing the Divine Soul clung to them like maggots on a corpse, tightly wrapping around them to drag them into an endless realm of ghosts.

"Daoist Ghost Hand!" Lin Wan's expression changed drastically. This old devil actually ignored the rules of the grand competition and personally chased them into the Secret Realm! And it was his true self, absolutely not an Incarnation! Was he not afraid of being liquidated by the Five Great Immortal Sects afterward? Was he not afraid that disrupting the balance of the Secret Realm would trigger a backlash?

His thoughts spun rapidly, but there was no time to think. The gap between a Nascent Soul and a Golden Core was like a heavenly chasm. Even if his Five Elements Golden Core was profound and his Sword Intent was newly formed, in front of a true Nascent Soul old monster, he was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree, with absolutely no chance of winning. Escape, he had to escape! And they had to escape separately, otherwise, the three of them would surely die!

"Separate! Crush your life-saving talismans!" Lin Wan roared furiously. At the same time, he did not hesitate to activate the "Void Shuttle" authority he had just obtained and was not yet proficient with. The fused void five elements token erupted with Chaos light, enveloping his body as a strange spatial fluctuation rippled outward.

"Want to run? Too late!" Before Daoist Ghost Hand even arrived, a sky-blotting, pitch-black ghost claw condensed from endless yin souls and ghostly Qi tore through the void and clawed down at them! Wherever the ghost claw passed, space groaned under the strain, leaving behind trails of pitch-black corrosion. This claw contained Daoist Ghost Hand's "Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul Devouring" Great Divine Ability, and it even locked down a sliver of space, making ordinary escape techniques completely useless.

The female Cultivator from Danxia Peak and the male Cultivator from Shenbing Peak turned deathly pale. Under the Nascent Soul pressure, even the action of crushing their life-saving talismans (distributed upon entering the Secret Realm, which could trigger a defensive barrier and teleport them back to the entrance, but required time) became difficult and slow.

"Five Elements Sword Domain, open!" Lin Wan's eyes were blood-red. He frantically burned his core essence, forcibly expanding the newly comprehended and highly unstable prototype of the Five Elements Sword Domain to barely envelop the two beside him, resisting the terrifying Nascent Soul pressure and the lock of the ghost claw. At the same time, he poured all of his remaining core essence, along with the tiny bit he had just recovered, into the void five elements token.

"Void Shuttle!"

The Chaos light surged violently, enveloping Lin Wan and the two beside him. Space twisted violently, forming a tiny vortex.

"Huh? Spatial fluctuations?" Daoist Ghost Hand let out a surprised cry. He applied more force to his ghost claw, slamming it ruthlessly onto the sphere of Chaos light.

"Boom—!!!"

With an earth-shaking roar, the sphere of Chaos light vibrated violently, its light flickering erratically. Lin Wan's muffled groan and the sound of him spitting blood echoed from within. Yet, before the ghost claw could close completely, a flash of light occurred, and the three figures, along with the sphere of Chaos light, instantly vanished from the spot. They left behind only a slowly closing spatial ripple and a giant crater dozens of feet deep blasted by Daoist Ghost Hand's angry strike.

"Junior! You actually have a spatial escape talisman?!" Daoist Ghost Hand's figure materialized. He was an old man in black robes, with a withered face like a skull and pitch-black fingernails over a foot long. His face was currently so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. He had not expected that a mere Golden Core Junior would possess a spatial treasure capable of escaping from a Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator like him. Furthermore, the spatial fluctuation just now did not seem like an ordinary escape Talisman, but rather... some higher-grade spatial teleportation?

"Hmph, hit by my 'Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul Devouring Claw' and forcibly activating a spatial secret technique, you'll be crippled even if you don't die. Let's see how far you can run!" Ghostly fire flickered in Daoist Ghost Hand's eyes. His Divine Sense spread out like a tide, instantly covering a thousand-mile radius as he carefully searched for traces of spatial teleportation and residual aura. At the same time, he took out a strange Magical Artifact shaped like a compass with a needle carved from white bone and infused a strand of spiritual energy into it. The needle spun rapidly before finally pointing shakily toward the southeast.

"The Soul-Chasing Compass can still lock onto a trace of their aura... over there!" Daoist Ghost Hand gave a sinister laugh. His figure transformed into a streak of black smoke, and he gave chase toward the southeast at a speed far beyond what a Golden Core Cultivator could imagine. A Nascent Soul Cultivator had already initially mastered the power of heaven and earth, making their speed over short distances astonishing.

A thousand miles away, in a desolate, mountainous region littered with jagged black rocks.

Space suddenly warped, and a sphere of Chaos light crashed down like a meteorite, blasting a large crater into the ground and sending dust billowing into the air.

The light dissipated, revealing the battered figures of Lin Wan and the other two. Lin Wan was half-kneeling on the ground, his face pale as golden paper, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. The robes on his chest were torn, revealing a terrifying claw mark that went deep to the bone, with flesh turned inside out and black Qi swirling around it—left behind by Daoist Ghost Hand. At the wound, the cold Death Qi constantly eroded him, trying to drill into his Meridians and Dantian. The core essence in his body was nearly depleted, and his five elements sword core was dimly lit and covered in fine cracks. Obviously, he had suffered severe backlash and internal injuries when he forcibly activated the Void Shuttle and resisted the ghost claw earlier.

The female Cultivator of Danxia Peak and the male Cultivator of Shenbing Peak were in slightly better condition, but their faces were also pale, blood stained the corners of their mouths, and their auras were withered. If Lin Wan had not used his Five Elements Sword Domain and his own body to bear most of the attack and the force of spatial tearing just now, they would probably have been smashed into mincemeat by the ghost claw or torn to shreds by the spatial turbulence.

"Senior Brother Lin!" The two hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to support him.

"Don't worry about me! Quickly crush your life-saving talismans and leave the Secret Realm!" Lin Wan rasped, enduring the intense pain and weakness. Daoist Ghost Hand would absolutely not let them go and could catch up at any moment. In their current state, staying behind was just waiting for death.

"No! We leave together!" the male Cultivator from Shenbing Peak said anxiously.

"I can't leave..." Lin Wan smiled bitterly. He could feel that Daoist Ghost Hand's claw strike had not only heavily damaged his Physical Body and Golden Core, but had also left a bizarre tracking imprint that clung to his Divine Soul and wound like maggots on a bone. Even if he crushed his life-saving talisman to trigger the teleportation, that imprint might be carried to the Secret Realm's entrance, or even allow Daoist Ghost Hand to track him to the Qingyun Sect's courtyard. Furthermore, the Void Shuttle consumed too much; he could barely gather enough spiritual energy to trigger his life-saving talisman right now.

Even more troublesome was that the void five elements token in his breast pocket seemed to have been over-exhausted during the previous shuttle. Its spiritual light was dim, rendering it temporarily unusable. As for the Minor Teleportation Talisman, it could only teleport him a thousand miles, which was but a moment's work for a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

"Daoist Ghost Hand is after me. If you stay, you will only die in vain. Go, quickly! Once you're out, immediately report this to Second Senior Brother and the Sect Elders!" Lin Wan gritted his teeth, taking out two Five Elements Core-Returning Pills and stuffing them into his mouth. He then took out the "Sword Intent Talisman" and "Substitute Puppet" and stuffed them into the hands of the female Cultivator from Danxia Peak. "Take these for self-defense. Go!"

The Medicinal Pills entered his stomach, turning into a warm current that barely suppressed his injuries and the Death Qi, recovering a sliver of weak spiritual energy. He forced himself to stand up, pushed the two away, and looked resolutely in the direction from which Daoist Ghost Hand was pursuing.

The eyes of the female Cultivator from Danxia Peak and the male Cultivator from Shenbing Peak turned blood-red, knowing that what Lin Wan said was true. Staying would not only fail to save Lin Wan but would also drag him down. They stomped their feet hard, no longer hesitating, and crushed the life-saving talismans in their hands at the same time.

Two beams of white light descended from the sky, enveloping them. Their figures instantly vanished from the spot, teleported back to the Secret Realm entrance.

Watching them leave, Lin Wan felt slightly relieved. He took a deep breath and sat cross-legged. Disregarding his injuries, he frantically ran the Great Five Elements True Scripture, attempting to refine the Death Qi that had invaded his body and recover a sliver of spiritual energy. At the same time, he took out the void five elements token and tried to communicate with it using his weak spiritual energy to see if he could reactivate the "Void Shuttle"—even a short-distance teleportation would buy him a lifeline.

However, the token's spiritual light remained dim, with no response whatsoever. It seemed the previous shuttle had exhausted its stored spatial power, and it would need time to recover.

"System, exchange for a treasure that can quickly heal injuries or temporarily shake off a Nascent Soul's tracking," Lin Wan urged in his heart.

[Host's life is detected to be in critical danger, suffering from the erosion of Nascent Soul-grade "Ten Thousand Ghosts Death Qi," and the Divine Soul is marked. Recommended exchanges: Life Creation Pill (Fragmented) residual power activation, can temporarily stabilize injuries and suppress Death Qi, requires 1,000 Fortune Points; Heavenly Secret Shielding Talisman (Tier 4, single-use), can temporarily shield tracking secret techniques of Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Middle Stage for three hours, requires 3,000 Fortune Points; Blood Escape Talisman (Tier 4, single-use), burns essence blood to instantly escape ten thousand miles, but will severely damage Origin Qi, requires 2,000 Fortune Points.]

"Exchange! Exchange them all!"

[6,000 Fortune Points consumed. Exchange successful. Remaining Fortune Points: 7,500 points.]

A phantom of a green Medicinal Pill similar to the one from his Core Formation, a silver Talisman drawn with complex cloud patterns, and an all-red Talisman emitting an ominous aura appeared simultaneously near Lin Wan's nearly depleted Dantian.

Lin Wan immediately sank his consciousness into his Dantian, guiding the residual medicinal power of the Life Creation Pill to activate. A gentle yet majestic burst of vitality erupted instantly, rapidly repairing his damaged Meridians and internal organs, forcibly repelling and suppressing the invading Ten Thousand Ghosts Death Qi. The cracks on his Golden Core were also temporarily sealed by a soft power, preventing them from worsening. His complexion improved slightly, and his aura stabilized somewhat. Although he was still heavily injured, at least his life was temporarily out of danger.

At the same time, he did not hesitate to activate the "Heavenly Secret Shielding Talisman." The silver Talisman turned into specks of silver light, sinking into his body and forming an invisible membrane that cut off heavenly secret sensing, temporarily masking the bizarre tracking imprint on his Divine Soul and wound. He could feel the prickly sensation of being locked onto instantly blur and weaken significantly.

However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, a cold, violent, and murderous terrifying aura rapidly descended from the horizon like an inescapable net! Daoist Ghost Hand had caught up! The Heavenly Secret Shielding Talisman only temporarily blocked tracking secret techniques, but it could not mask the spiritual energy fluctuations and bloody scent he emitted in his heavily injured state. With a Nascent Soul Cultivator's Divine Sense, a brief search within a thousand miles would easily reveal him.

"Junior, this seat would like to see where else you can flee!" Daoist Ghost Hand's raspy, venomous voice swept through this black stone mountain area like a cold wind from the Nine Underworlds.

There was no time! A fierce light flashed in Lin Wan's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the "Blood Escape Talisman" and slapped it onto his chest. At the same time, he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood containing his own Golden Core's Origin ruthlessly onto the Talisman!

"Blood Escape—Ten Thousand Miles Without a Trace!"

"Chih—!"

The Blood Escape Talisman ignited instantly, turning into a blinding blood-red light that completely enveloped Lin Wan. A heart-wrenching pain washed over him. He felt his essence blood, and even a portion of his Origin, being frantically drained and burned by this blood-red light! But at the same time, an incredibly terrifying propelling force erupted from the blood-red light, wrapping around him and turning him into a blood-red line barely visible to the naked eye. It instantly pierced through the void and vanished from the spot, its speed so fast that it even triggered a piercing sonic boom and spatial ripples.

In the very next instant after Lin Wan vanished, Daoist Ghost Hand's figure appeared like a phantom where Lin Wan had just been sitting. Looking at the residual bloodstains on the ground and the slowly dissipating blood-red specks of light, Daoist Ghost Hand's face turned ashen, and the killing intent in his eyes almost solidified.

"A Blood Escape Talisman?! And a Tier 4 Blood Escape Talisman at that! Just how many life-saving items does this Junior have on him?!" Daoist Ghost Hand was both shocked and enraged. A Blood Escape Talisman was a desperate escape technique that burned one's essence blood and Origin. The price was immense, but the speed was extremely fast; even he could hardly intercept it in a rush. Furthermore, the effect of the Heavenly Secret Shielding Talisman was still active, and his Soul-Chasing Compass had temporarily lost its precise lock on the Junior.

"Hmph, burning essence blood and Origin to forcibly activate a Tier 4 Blood Escape Talisman—even if you don't die, you'll be mostly crippled. Moreover, this Blood Escape Talisman can at most escape ten thousand miles, and the direction is roughly southeast... This seat would like to see how long you can hold out!" Daoist Ghost Hand unleashed his Divine Sense to its full extent, covering a ten-thousand-mile radius. At the same time, he activated the Soul-Chasing Compass again. Although the sensation was blurry, he could still determine the general direction. His body flickered, turning into a streak of black smoke, and he gave chase toward the southeast at a leisurely pace. In his mind, a heavily injured, dying Golden Core Junior who had also used a Blood Escape Talisman was already a turtle in a jar, and it was only a matter of time before he caught up.

Ten thousand miles away, in the sky above a vast, surging blue ocean.

A blood-red line stumbled out of the void. As the light dissipated, Lin Wan's swaying figure was revealed. His current state was terrible to the extreme. His face was as pale as paper, devoid of any color, and his breath was as weak as a candle in the wind. The surface of his body was covered in cracked bloodstains caused by the excessive burning of his essence blood, and more than half of his originally black hair had actually turned gray. Inside his body, the light of his five elements sword core had dimmed to the extreme, densely covered in cracks as if it would collapse at any moment. His Meridians were dried up and shriveled, and his Divine Soul was sending waves of tearing pain.

The price of the Blood Escape Talisman was even greater than he had imagined. It had not only drained the sliver of spiritual energy he had just recovered and most of his essence blood, but had also damaged his Golden Core's Origin and Lifespan. He could feel that his Lifespan had been burned by at least a hundred years! Furthermore, his Foundation was severely damaged. If he was not treated in time, even if he managed to survive, his cultivation would halt here and might even regress.

"Pfft—" He spat out another mouthful of dark red blood containing fragments of his internal organs, and his body fell uncontrollably toward the surging ocean below.

The cold, salty seawater instantly submerged him as bone-chilling cold and immense water pressure assailed him. Lin Wan's consciousness blurred. His survival instinct forced him to muster his last shred of clarity, frantically running the most basic "Embryonic Breathing" and "Water Affinity" techniques recorded in the Great Five Elements True Scripture. He barely managed to stabilize his body and drift with the current, while simultaneously closing the pores of his body to slow down the dissipation of spiritual energy and the loss of vitality.

He did not know where this was, nor did he know if Daoist Ghost Hand would still pursue him. He only knew that he must survive, and that he had to find a place to hide, heal, and recover.

He barely managed to control his weak Divine Sense to probe toward the seabed. This sea area was extremely deep, and the seawater contained a decent amount of Spiritual Qi, making it clear that this was no ordinary sea. Seabed terrain was complex, with continuous mountain ranges, deep canyons, and some seabed plants emitting faint spiritual light, as well as wandering sea beasts.

Enduring the intense pain and dizziness, Lin Wan dove toward a seabed canyon that, according to his Divine Sense, had relatively sparse Spiritual Qi and the most complex terrain, making it the easiest place to hide. He did not dare to use even a shred of spiritual energy, relying solely on his physical strength and weak buoyancy to dive down bit by bit.

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

He had descended a full several thousand zhang, and the surroundings were already pitch black, with only some glowing jellyfish and fish emitting faint light. The water pressure was astonishingly high; had it not been for his Five Elements Spirit Body reaching Minor Achievement and his sturdy Physical Body, he would have long since been crushed into a meat patty.

Finally, he sank to the bottom of the canyon. Here was a patch of soft sea mud, where strange, faintly glowing corals and seaweeds grew. On both sides of the canyon were steep cliff walls, and upon these walls were countless holes of various sizes.

Lin Wan forced himself to hold on, choosing a cave with a hidden entrance that seemed quite deep inside and devoid of the aura of any powerful Yao Beasts, and struggled to crawl inside.

The interior of the cave was more spacious than he had imagined, with several side paths, and deep inside there was a faint circulation of air, suggesting it was not completely sealed. Lin Wan did not venture deep; instead, near the entrance, he found a relatively dry depression in the rock and barely managed to set up the simplest concealment and warning Restriction (which exhausted almost his last bit of spiritual power). Then, he could no longer hold on, his vision went dark, and he completely lost consciousness, collapsing onto the cold rock.

He did not know how much time had passed; perhaps it was a day, perhaps several days.

Amidst excruciating pain and bone-chilling cold, Lin Wan slowly regained a weak sense of consciousness. He felt as if he were placed in an ice cellar, and also as if he were being sliced by countless small knives. The condition inside his body was abysmal; the Death Qi, having lost its suppression, began to erode his Meridians and Golden Core once again. The weakness brought on by the depletion of his essence blood threatened to swallow him whole. Even more troublesome, he discovered that he seemed to... have a fever? With his Golden Core Stage cultivation and Five Elements Spirit Body, the fact that he could actually run a fever like a Mortal showed just how severe his injuries were; they had already damaged his Foundation.

He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, his vision blurred. Forcing himself to look inward, within his Dantian, the five elements sword core remained dim, and the cracks seemed to have a tendency to widen. In his Meridians, the Death Qi of ten thousand ghosts was like a maggot on a tarsal bone, slowly spreading. His Divine Soul, moreover, sent waves of needle-like stinging pain.

"I cannot sleep... if I sleep... I will never wake up again..." Lin Wan gritted his teeth, and with immense willpower, forced himself to sit up, his back against the rock wall. His hands trembled as he wanted to take out a Medicinal Pill for healing from his Storage Pouch, but he found that he could not even muster the weak spiritual power required to open the Storage Pouch.

Could it be that he was truly going to die here? To die in this unknown underwater cave?

He was unwilling! He still had Ruyan, he had Qing Yao, he had Jingyun, he had an unborn child, he had Mo Xuan's entrustment, he had the secret of the Five Elements Returning to Ruins, and he had his unfinished path of the Dao...

A strong desire to survive supported him. He tried to communicate with the System, but found that he could not even concentrate his mind.

Just as his consciousness blurred again and he was about to fall into a coma, the void five elements token in his bosom suddenly vibrated slightly, emitting an extremely faint yet warm and gentle Chaos luster. This luster seemed to have a spiritual nature as it slowly seeped into his body, soothing his severely damaged Divine Soul, and stirred a trace of an imperceptible, strange power deep within his Dantian, at the very core of that five elements sword core, which originated from the "Five Elements Origin Qi" and "Five Elements Origin".

This power was extremely weak, yet it was like a spark, igniting the remaining vitality within his body. Stimulated by this power, the five elements sword core actually began to rotate on its own, slowly and with great difficulty, at a speed indiscernible to the naked eye. Although slow, it began to spontaneously absorb the thin water-attribute Spiritual Qi from the surrounding seawater, and following the route of the Great Five Elements True Scripture, it slowly circulated, nourishing his dried-up Meridians, and began to attempt to expel and refine the invading Death Qi of ten thousand ghosts.

Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water... The rotation of the Five Elements, no matter how weak, brought a glimmer of hope for survival.

"That is it... the Five Elements generate each other, and vitality is endless... as long as there is a breath left, one cannot give up..." Lin Wan held tightly to the last shred of clarity in his spiritual altar, fully cooperating with the weak automatic rotation of the sword core, guiding those wisps of water-attribute Spiritual Qi to nourish his nearly withered Meridians and Physical Body.

This was an extremely slow and excruciatingly painful process. Each circulation of Spiritual Qi was like being cut by knives. Each attempt to refine the Death Qi was like suffering in a cauldron of boiling oil. But he gritted his teeth, not uttering a sound, and relying on astonishing willpower, bit by bit, he struggled against death and pain.

Time, in this dark and silent underwater cave, lost its meaning.

He did not know how much time had passed; perhaps it was a month, perhaps several months.

The five elements sword core within Lin Wan's body finally regained a trace of faint luster, and its rotation speed increased slightly. A negligible wisp of the invading Death Qi of ten thousand ghosts had been refined. In his Meridians, there was now a faint flow of spiritual power. His complexion, although still pale, was no longer deathly gray. His hair remained gray-white, but it stopped falling out. The stinging pain in his Divine Soul had also eased significantly.

He finally had the weak strength to open his Storage Pouch. He immediately took out several Medicinal Pills for healing and replenishing Qi to consume, and then took out several Mid-Grade Spirit Stones to hold in his hands, slowly absorbing them. The addition of the Medicinal Pills and Spirit Stones caused his recovery speed to increase slightly.

But he knew this was just a drop in the bucket. He had been injured too heavily this time; his Foundation was damaged, his Lifespan was impaired, and it could not be recovered by ordinary Medicinal Pills and meditation. It required Heaven And Earth Treasure, it required a long period of time, and even more, it required... Opportunity.

"I must leave here and find a safer place with more abundant Spiritual Qi to go into seclusion." Lin Wan pondered. Although this underwater cave was hidden, the Spiritual Qi was thin, and the environment was harsh, which was not conducive to long-term recovery. Moreover, he needed to figure out where he was and whether the Ghost Hand Daoist was still searching for him.

He cautiously extended his Divine Sense out of the cave, stretching it toward the sea surface. The seawater remained cold and deep, with some low-level sea beasts swimming around, but there was nothing unusual. His Divine Sense slowly floated upward, and finally, it broke through the surface of the sea.

Before his eyes was an endless expanse of azure ocean; the sky was as blue as if washed, and seabirds were soaring. In the distance, the sea and sky met, and he could not see the shadow of any land.

"This is... the Endless Sea?" Lin Wan's heart sank. Beyond the Tiannan Continent lay the vast and boundless Endless Sea. It was rumored that the Endless Sea was vast and boundless, extremely dangerous, with countless Yao Beasts in the sea, and even more perilous places like spatial rifts and Spiritual Qi storms. He had actually been teleported into the Endless Sea by the Blood Escape Talisman? This was troublesome.

He tried hard to identify the direction, but on this vast ocean, without reference points, it was extremely difficult to judge. The map within the void five elements token, although it marked the general orientation, could not precisely locate him because the Endless Sea was too vast and the map was incomplete.

"First, leave this sea area, find an island to settle down, gather information, and then plan for recovery." Lin Wan made a decision. In his current state, he could not fly for long, let alone deal with powerful Yao Beasts in the sea. He had to find land as soon as possible.

He forced his weak body, left the underwater cave, and headed in a general direction, using the most spiritual-power-saving method to slowly float to the sea surface, and then flew at a low altitude, skimming the surface of the sea.

After flying for about half a day, his spiritual power was exhausted again. He had to stop, find a reef exposed above the sea surface, and meditate to recover. Repeating this process, moving and stopping, was like a Mortal traveling.

Three days later, just when he was almost in despair, a dark cyan shadow finally appeared at the end of the horizon.

It was an island! And it was not small!

Lin Wan's spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace, flying toward the island.

Upon getting closer, he realized that this island was crescent-shaped, about a hundred miles long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The island was covered in dense vegetation, and in the center, there seemed to be a not-very-tall mountain peak. Around the island, the concentration of Spiritual Qi was significantly higher than on the sea, clearly indicating the existence of a Spiritual Vein. What surprised Lin Wan even more was that at the edge of the island, he saw a simple pier, and... several moored wooden sailboats that clearly bore the traces of immortal cultivation civilization! There were also auras of Cultivators active on the ships, the strongest being no more than the Foundation Establishment Stage.

There were people! And looking at the style of the ships and the clothing of the Cultivators, it did not seem to be the style of the Central Plains or the Southern Region, but rather somewhat like... the Eastern Wasteland?

Could it be that he had been teleported by the Blood Escape Talisman all the way from near Tianque City, at the border of the Southern Region and the Central Plains, to the Outer Sea of the Eastern Wasteland?

Without time to think carefully, Lin Wan concealed his aura (maintaining the appearance of the Foundation Establishment Early Stage) and landed on a secluded beach on the island. He needed to gather information, and even more, he needed a safe place to settle down.

He walked along the beach in the direction of the pier and ships. He had not gone far when a series of fighting sounds and shouts came from the woods ahead.

Lin Wan frowned slightly; he originally did not want to meddle in other people's business, but his Divine Sense swept over, and he discovered that the two sides fighting were, on one side, three Cultivators wearing uniform blue tight-fitting outfits with wave patterns embroidered on the cuffs, all of whom were in the Qi Refining Late Stage, currently forming a simple Three Talents Array to resist desperately. The other side consisted of five men dressed in disarray, with fierce expressions, who looked like Loose Cultivators or pirates, with cultivation levels ranging from the Qi Refining Middle Stage to the Late Stage. They were surrounding and attacking the three blue-clad Cultivators, their strikes ruthless; clearly, they intended to kill and steal treasures.

The three blue-clad Cultivators were already in critical danger, and the woman among them had an injured arm and a deathly pale complexion.

Lin Wan was not a meddlesome person, but he was a newcomer and needed to understand the situation here. These blue-clad Cultivators wore uniform clothing, appearing to be Disciples of some local minor force, so they might be a Breakthrough point.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he casually picked up a pebble from the ground and flicked his finger.

"Xiu—!"

The sound of breaking through the air was sharp, and the pebble turned into a stream of light, precisely passing through the battle group and instantly piercing the glabella of the Qi Refining Late Stage pirate who had the highest cultivation and was grinning while swinging his blade to hack at the blue-clad woman.

The pirate did not even let out a grunt; he fell backward and died, his breath ceasing.

The remaining four pirates were shocked and panicked, hurriedly retreating and looking in horror in the direction from which the pebble had been shot.

They saw a young man wearing a tattered blue shirt, with a pale face and gray-white hair, but with deep and calm eyes, slowly walking out of the forest.

"Sen... Senior, spare our lives!" The four pirates were so terrified that their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering; to be able to kill a Qi Refining Late Stage Cultivator instantly with a pebble from a distance, he had to be at least a Foundation Establishment Cultivator! How could they dare to resist? They plopped down on their knees and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Scram." Lin Wan spat out a single word indifferently.

The four pirates felt as if they had been granted amnesty; they did not even care about their companion's corpse and scrambled to escape into the forest, disappearing from sight.

The three blue-clad Cultivators had escaped death but were still shaken. The leader, a male Cultivator in his twenties with an honest face, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply to Lin Wan: "Junior Chen Hai of the Chen Family on Dongliu Island, many thanks to Senior for saving our lives! May I ask for Senior's honorable name, and what business brings you to New Moon Island? This Junior can introduce you to the Island Master."

The Chen Family of Dongliu Island? New Moon Island? He had indeed arrived in an unfamiliar sea area.

Lin Wan's expression remained unchanged, and he said: "My surname is Lin. I was shipwrecked and ended up here, and I am not familiar with this place. Do you know what sea area this is? And how far is it from the Eastern Wasteland continent?"

Hearing this, Chen Hai understood. So this Senior was a passing Cultivator who had encountered a shipwreck; no wonder he was in tattered clothes and his aura was floating (Lin Wan had deliberately disguised it). He dared not be negligent and respectfully replied: "Replying to Senior Lin, this is New Moon Island on the periphery of the Xingluo Archipelago, which belongs under the jurisdiction of the 'Thousand Islands Alliance' of the Eastern Wasteland Outer Sea. The Eastern Wasteland continent... is extremely far from here; even taking the fastest cross-sea cloud ship, it would take several years, and the journey is treacherous; it is difficult to cross without a Golden Core Senior."

Xingluo Archipelago? Thousand Islands Alliance? Eastern Wasteland Outer Sea? Lin Wan sighed inwardly; he had indeed been teleported to the Eastern Wasteland. It was unknown how many tens of thousands of miles away it was from the Central Plains and the Southern Region. Now, wanting to go back would be difficult.

"Senior's injuries seem quite severe; if you do not mind, you can follow this Junior back to the Chen Family to rest for a while. Although the Chen Family is small, we do have some Medicinal Pills for healing that can be provided for Senior's use. My father is the Island Master of New Moon Island and has a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation; perhaps he can be of help to Senior." Chen Hai said cautiously, with expectation in his eyes. If they could be on good terms with a suspected Foundation Establishment Stage Senior, it would be of great benefit to the Chen Family's status on New Moon Island.

Lin Wan glanced at Chen Hai, seeing that his eyes were sincere and not feigned. He did indeed need a place to settle down and recover from his injuries. This Chen Family appeared to be a local power, so it might be a good choice.

"Very well, then I shall trouble you." Lin Wan nodded.

Chen Hai was overjoyed and hurriedly led the way. The other two blue-clad Cultivators also followed respectfully.

The group left the beach and headed toward the not-very-tall mountain peak in the center of the island.

Along the way, Chen Hai enthusiastically introduced the situation of New Moon Island and the Xingluo Archipelago. New Moon Island was an inconspicuous small island among the thousands of islands on the periphery of the Xingluo Archipelago, and there was a small first-order Spiritual Vein on the island, which was occupied by the Chen Family. The Chen Family Old Ancestor was at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and was the only medium-sized immortal cultivation Family on the island, in charge of island affairs. The Xingluo Archipelago was governed by the "Thousand Islands Alliance," a loose Alliance, and the Alliance Leader was a Golden Core Late Stage Loose Cultivator. This place was far from the continent, resources were relatively scarce, and the fighting was even more naked.

Lin Wan listened silently, keeping this information in his mind. He was still severely injured, his Lifespan was greatly damaged, and his Foundation was shaken; he needed time to recover slowly. This Xingluo Archipelago was located in a remote area, far from the turmoil of the Central Plains and the Southern Region, so the Ghost Hand Daoist would not be able to find him here for a while; perhaps it was a good place to lie low.

"First, recover from my injuries here and gather information. Once my cultivation is restored, I will find a way to return to the Southern Region to participate in the exploration of the Five Elements Cave Heaven fragments." Lin Wan set his plan in his heart. Although he had been hunted by the Ghost Hand Daoist and had been severely injured and stranded here, his Dao Heart had not been lost. This catastrophe might also be a tempering. Once his injuries were fully recovered, the five elements sword core and the Five Elements Spirit Body, having undergone this life-and-death tempering, might be able to reach an even higher level.

Moreover, he still had the void five elements token in his hands, and clues to the Five Elements Returning to Ruins. As long as he did not die, there would be infinite possibilities.

Ahead, a manor built against the mountain, covering dozens of acres, with pavilions and towers arranged in a well-ordered manner, had come into view. At the entrance of the manor, a plaque with the words "Chen Mansion" was hung.

A new starting point, right here in this unfamiliar Eastern Wasteland Outer Sea, on this small New Moon Island, quietly began.