Ye Qin left Glazed Island and flew to the sea surface about a hundred li to the east of it, only to suddenly show a look of surprise. Several li away, he saw more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators maneuvering various magic tools, hovering over the sea.

These cultivators gazed toward the billowing smoke from Glazed Island in the distance, their expressions etched with worry. The leader, Ye Qin recognized: a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator dressed in the style of the Celestial Dome Origin World. This man was none other than Ah Mu Meng.

"Ah Mu Meng?"

Ye Qin flew toward them, retracting his golden artifact and revealing his form, stopping before the group of cultivators. He asked with astonishment, "Brother Meng, what are you all doing here?"

Ah Mu Meng had not seen Ye Qin for several years. Seeing him suddenly, he was momentarily stunned before realizing, "Brother Ye, it’s you! Did you also flee to escape the calamity?"

Ye Qin inquired what they were doing there.

Ah Mu Meng gave a wry smile and began to recount how they had ended up hiding in this location.

It turned out that after the two Island Masters finished their duel, the Blue Robe and Green Robe cultivators across all of Great and Minor Glazed Island had erupted into intense conflict, sparking utter chaos.

A large group of Foundation Establishment cultivators temporarily residing on the islands, seeing how precarious the situation was, flew away to avoid being caught in the crossfire between the two factions and suffering collateral damage. Most of them were itinerant cultivators who were only staying on Glazed Island temporarily and would leave sooner or later. They were not subordinates to either Island Master and naturally had no wish to become involved in this unexpected feud.

Ah Mu Meng and the group of Foundation Establishment cultivators he usually associated with had come to this patch of sea to evade disaster. Among their group of over ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, Ah Mu Meng possessed the highest cultivation—Peak Stage Nine of Foundation Establishment. Most of the others were mid-stage Foundation Establishment, with only a few being low-stage.

Ah Mu Meng then took the opportunity to introduce Ye Qin’s identity to the assembled cultivators: his sworn brother of many years, and also the Chief Alchemist of both Great and Minor Glazed Island.

"So this is Alchemist Ye, long admired!"

"Greetings, Daoist Friend Ye!"

"I am Kong Hong, a cultivator from Cloud Cliff Realm. Greetings."

Upon hearing Ah Mu Meng’s introduction, the dozen or so Foundation Establishment cultivators were instantly filled with surprise and admiration, and they stepped forward one after another to pay their respects.

They were all well aware of the incident ten years prior when a traveling cultivator had shaken Glazed Island with his alchemy skills and was subsequently hired as the Chief Alchemist by the two Island Masters. They never imagined that this alchemy master would appear before them, and moreover, be so young while already at Peak Stage Nine of Foundation Establishment, almost matching the cultivation of the highest among them, Ah Mu Meng.

The gazes of these Foundation Establishment cultivators naturally held an exceptional degree of reverence and courtesy toward Ye Qin.

"Brother Ye, you just escaped Glazed Island. What is the situation there now? Which of the two Island Masters has the advantage?" Ah Mu Meng asked with concern after introducing everyone.

"Great Island Master Zhao suffered a spear injury, so currently, Young Island Master Wang holds the upper hand. Both sides are fighting fiercely, still slaying each other with their subordinates. I fear they will not stop until one is dead. However, regardless of who wins or loses, none of us can return now. We must leave Glazed Island as quickly as possible," Ye Qin said with a smile.

He was, of course, well aware of the situation on Glazed Island. It seemed Ah Mu Meng and the others still did not know that the small Heavenly Tribulation triggered by his Skeleton Demon at Bā Shàn Reef was what instigated this turmoil. Nor did they know what the two Island Masters were actually fighting over.

"Indeed, I also feel we cannot go back. Previously, when the two Island Masters were evenly matched and restraining each other, they wouldn't easily trouble us itinerant cultivators. But once one side secures victory, with no more reservations, they will certainly demand our allegiance. It will be difficult to continue living peacefully on Glazed Island. Brother Meng, Brother Ye, it is best we head elsewhere," said a sallow-faced elder who stepped out from the group of cultivators. It was Kong Hong. He first gave Ye Qin a slight bow, then spoke in a rasping voice.

Ye Qin glanced curiously at the sallow-faced elder.

He mused internally that this man’s judgment was quite sharp; he had instantly grasped the crucial point and was handling the situation with caution.

Ye Qin turned back to Ah Mu Meng, "Brother Meng, we cannot stay on Glazed Island anymore. What are your plans?"

"Since we can’t stay here, we must go to the East Sea Archipelagos. I have recently reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and can no longer absorb more vital energy; even consuming spiritual elixirs is useless. I must find the Five Spirit Fruit soon to break through the Golden Core bottleneck."

Ah Mu Meng pondered for a moment, gazing toward the direction of Minor Glazed Island, seeing the smoke grow thicker. He said with resignation, "However, the journey to the East Sea Archipelagos is extremely long, and it is easy to lose direction. It would be best if we could travel together in a larger group. Brother Ye, why don't you join us? We can look out for each other. This Cultivator Kong can discern paths on the sea."

"I am proficient in the art of the stars and can prevent us from getting lost at sea. If I lead the way, there is a seventy percent chance we can safely reach the East Sea Archipelagos," the sallow-faced elder immediately stepped forward to say.

"Before I set sail, I heard that a rare spiritual ganoderma grows on a small island in the East Sea. I intend to find it to use in concocting spiritual elixirs. As for navigating the sea, I have my own methods; there is no need to worry," Ye Qin considered for a moment, then shook his head and declined.

He possessed the Star Fixing Disk; no matter how vast the East Sea, he would not lose his way. Moreover, he was currently looking for a place to undergo tribulation—having more people around would only be inconvenient. He wasn't in a rush to reach the East Sea Archipelagos. Furthermore, he could only refine ordinary elixirs for Ah Mu Meng to boost his Foundation Establishment cultivation. As for Ah Mu Meng’s desire to break through the Golden Core bottleneck, Ye Qin could offer no help. He only had Water Spirit Fruits, which were only useful to Foundation Establishment cultivators with water-attribute spiritual roots. Ah Mu Meng had no water-attribute spiritual roots.

After speaking, Ye Qin parted ways with the cultivators and flew off alone on his sword.

Ah Mu Meng could not persuade him and could only shake his head.

He felt a degree of frustration nonetheless.

He had spent ten arduous years climbing from the eighth layer of Foundation Establishment to the very peak of the ninth. Yet, in this short span of ten years, Ye Qin had advanced from the sixth layer to the ninth. Although he knew Ye Qin was skilled in alchemy, this result was still demoralizing.

Never mind. They had better leave quickly before the Island Masters settled their score and they found themselves unable to depart.

This small contingent of Foundation Establishment cultivators each urged their artifacts forward at speed, transforming into more than ten streaks of light that streaked toward the vast East Sea, embarking on a new path in their pursuit of the immortal way.

The large sailing ships departing from East Fisher Town on the Central Continent would only sail for several hundred thousand li to reach Glazed Island and would proceed no further into the depths of the East Sea.

Near Glazed Island, they would only encounter low-level sea beasts, perhaps Tier One to Tier Three, which Foundation Establishment cultivators could handle; the danger level was not high. But beyond Glazed Island, the encountered sea beasts grew stronger, often Tier Four or Tier Five beasts, entirely beyond what large sailing ships could withstand.

After leaving Glazed Island, the sea journey stretched for millions of li, taking one to two years to reach the East Sea Archipelagos. Along the way, there were a small number of minor islands where one could temporarily stop, but these were equally fraught with peril.

Ye Qin guided his Dark Cloud Screen, flying rapidly alone over the azure sea surface. He was not traveling swiftly. In his hand, he held a scroll of the Map of the East Sea Waters, meticulously examining every island within his immediate visual range.

He felt a degree of helplessness and confusion in his heart.

Because a problem suddenly occurred to him.

If all these islands on the map had already been discovered by cultivators from the Central Continent, then there should be Central Continent cultivators stationed on these islands, and thus, Island Masters. This meant that no matter which island he chose to undergo his tribulation on, he was likely to encounter other Foundation Establishment cultivators.

This issue was troublesome. If he couldn't find an island in the East Sea devoid of people, his tribulation could be interrupted at any moment, preventing him from calmly breaking through the bottleneck to the Golden Core stage.

Ye Qin pondered, then steeled himself, looking over the map scroll again, more carefully this time.

He noticed that the small islands scattered across the East Sea each displayed a slightly different color. More than half were gray, while only a minority possessed color. He hadn't paid much attention to this before, but now, every anomaly demanded his notice.

Ye Qin quickly referred to the extensive annotations at the bottom of the map scroll. This scroll was extremely detailed, describing the topography of almost every island. However, it did not specify whether cultivators were stationed there.

In a small annotation near the bottom of the scroll, it was clearly written: "Colored islands are islands with spiritual veins. Gray islands are islands without spiritual veins."

Ye Qin pondered this carefully, his eyes gradually brightening.

This point was crucial. The presence or absence of cultivators on an island was surely linked to its spiritual veins.

Like Glazed Island, the large island possessed spiritual veins, so it was colored on the map. Meanwhile, Bu Island was devoid of spiritual energy and colorless.

The reason the Great and Minor Glazed Islands housed a large number of resident cultivators was twofold: first, their proximity to the Central Continent; second, the suitability for cultivation on Great Glazed Island. Otherwise, an island like Minor Glazed Island, which lacked spiritual veins, would not attract any cultivator to reside there long-term, even if discovered by Central Continent cultivators.

Finding an island at sea without spiritual veins to undergo his tribulation seemed like a good option. The East Sea was vast; there surely must be desolate islands uninhabited by cultivators.

Ye Qin flew across the sea for nearly a month, and finally, within his sight, a vast, desolate island spanning several hundred li appeared. This desolate island was off the main flight path for crossing the sea, meaning very few cultivators would venture here.

Ye Qin gazed with surprise at the island before him.

The island was unusually large, complete with peaks, forests, and streams. Although the island was lush with trees and bubbling streams, they were all ordinary trees and flowers. Most importantly, the spiritual energy on this island was extremely thin. Even if there was a spiritual vein, it must be an incredibly minor one.

Foundation Establishment cultivators would look down on such an island. The possibility of a Foundation Establishment cultivator lingering here was minuscule, let alone a Golden Core cultivator or higher.

Such a desolate island perfectly matched his requirements.

A look of joy spread across Ye Qin's face. After pausing briefly in the sky, he immediately urged the Dark Cloud Screen forward, intending to circle the island once to survey its terrain and external appearance, thus selecting a suitable location to establish a cave dwelling.

But just as he flew above the island, his gaze sharpened.

Within the island's dense forest, there were scattered thatched huts, seemingly forming a large village, and smoke was rising from within the settlement, indicating habitation.