Following Ye Wen's advice, the righteous heroes readjusted their planned route, significantly altering the course of their journey.

This adjustment, however, meant the time required for travel would be considerably extended. Although the ship carried ample provisions, the freshwater supply presented a more pressing concern.

"Surely, among all these islands, we can find some fresh water?" Ye Wen's casual remark dispelled everyone's anxieties. Thus, after taking a good rest on the first island, the righteous heroes set sail once more.

As for the unfortunate soul who accidentally consumed the poisonous mushroom soup cooked by Hua Yi, the surging toxins within him caused him to remain in a state of disbelief, even shouting, "Impossible! Ordinary poisons can't affect me like this!"

Alas, this time it resulted not only in violent vomiting and diarrhea but also in brief, vivid hallucinations of colorful, bizarre shapes that made him jump and startle constantly, leaving him no moment of peace. Fortunately, he had several women around him who managed to soothe him down—and also keep Ye Wen quiet for a good hour, as they didn't see the afflicted man again until three or four days after setting off.

However...

"Dongfang... Miss..."

Ye Wen greeted Dongfang Sheng, who stood quietly beside him.

Ever since they resumed their journey, Dongfang Sheng had appeared with a grim expression and moved over to the Shushan Sect's vessel. Ye Wen had asked her what was wrong, but she only replied, "I will travel on the same ship as you!" and said no more.

For the past few days, Dongfang Sheng remained silent, though the killing intent radiating from her grew heavier. Ye Wen kept a silent guard, wondering, "Could this person suddenly lash out at me?" Thankfully, Dongfang Sheng remained polite. Although her demeanor was still cold, she showed no overtly aggressive behavior. As days passed, Ye Wen guessed her mood might have improved slightly and decided to inquire why she looked so troubled.

"Just some private matters, nothing for Sect Leader Ye to worry about!" She managed a slight smile, forcing the corners of her strikingly beautiful, perfectly made-up lips upward, though the strain of the smile was evident.

Seeing she was reluctant to elaborate, Ye Wen dropped the subject, assuming Dongfang Sheng was still agonizing over her altered state. He spoke casually, "There are many things in this world that cause helplessness, and some situations leave no room for choice at all! However, even if many things are destined, a person can choose how to face them! Miss Dongfang, whether you accept it or not, what has happened cannot be undone! Instead of worrying here, you should contemplate what to do next!"

His intention was to gently counsel Dongfang Sheng, hoping she would stop dwelling on the issue of her gender! Since things had turned out this way, perhaps she should simply embrace being a woman. After all, the Phoenix Nirvana Nest technique, when fully mastered, was supposed to transform one into a true woman—though Ye Wen doubted how 'true' that transformation could be.

Furthermore, if Dongfang Sheng truly couldn't accept a female identity, she could simply maintain a masculine mindset internally; Ye Wen had heard of such cases before.

"No matter how you change, as long as you firmly believe you are still you, then nothing is a problem!" With that, he raised his hand as if to pat her shoulder, but turning to face her alluring figure, the hand froze mid-air. He finally redirected the movement, scratching the back of his head: "Haha, Miss Dongfang, why don't you enjoy the sea view? The scenery out here is quite beautiful! And looking at the vast, surging ocean can certainly broaden one's mind!"

"I heard Sect Leader Ye enjoys watching the sunrises and sunsets over the sea?"

"Ah?"

Ye Wen was taken aback by Dongfang Sheng's sudden interjection. After a moment of surprise, he replied, "Yes, I find sunrises and sunsets over the sea exceptionally beautiful! They also contain many profound universal truths."

"Is that so?" Dongfang Sheng glanced up at the completely black night sky. "I haven't discerned any particular truth myself... I wonder if Sect Leader Ye would accompany me here to wait for the sun to rise? Perhaps with you, I might gain some insight!"

"This..." Ye Wen glanced around. It was already completely dark, and the large ships had anchored, waiting for dawn to continue. Most people were resting in their cabins; only a few wandered about. In truth, it wasn't even bedtime yet, and the sunrise was hours away!

He was about to offer a casual excuse, but turning, he saw Dongfang Sheng gazing forlornly at the inky surface of the sea. His heart softened, and he agreed, "In that case, I shall wait here with Miss Dongfang for the sunrise!" The night passed without a word. Dongfang Sheng remained silent, and Ye Wen did not speak either. The two of them stood at the bow, staring blankly at the dark water until the faintest hint of dawn began to color the eastern horizon, realizing the entire night had slipped by.

Ye Wen hadn't intended to speak; he simply wanted to watch the red orb slowly emerge from the sea level and ascend into the sky.

But seeing Dongfang Sheng beside him, he inexplicably uttered, "Sunrise in the East, Only I am Unconquered!"

As soon as the words left his lips, he felt Dongfang Sheng's gaze upon him. She looked toward Ye Wen, repeatedly muttering the eight characters he had just spoken.

Noticing her reaction, Ye Wen realized with a jolt, "Not good, have I personally forged an Invincible Dongfang?"

He watched as Dongfang Sheng ceaselessly chanted, "Dongfang..., Unconquered, Dongfang, Unconquered..."

After a long period of repetition, Dongfang Sheng suddenly declared, "The word 'Unconquered' pairs quite smoothly with my surname. It sounds almost like an appellation!"

Ye Wen covered his face!

Dongfang Sheng continued, "Dongfang Bubai (Invincible Dongfang), although it lacks the commanding presence of my name 'Sheng' on paper, this combination of name and title feels more imposing than my full name, Dongfang Sheng!" Saying this, she asked Ye Wen, "Sect Leader Ye, what do you think if I adopt the moniker Dongfang Bubai from now on? Might it be too ostentatious?" Ye Wen merely adopted a look of 'just as expected' and continued covering his face.

"Is it not good?" Dongfang Sheng paused, then looked down at her own appearance. "Speaking of which, I wish to change my name. Does Sect Leader Ye have any suggestions?"

"A name?" Ye Wen hadn't expected Dongfang Sheng's topic to shift so quickly. She was just contemplating adopting 'Dongfang Bubai' as her title, and now she was asking him to name her? "Miss Dongfang wishes to change her name?" Dongfang Sheng gave a desolate smile. "Sect Leader Ye, look at me now. Perhaps my old name is no longer suitable, don't you think? I heard you gave your junior martial sister her name. Do I have the fortune to receive such a gift?" "Uh... what kind of name does Miss Dongfang desire?" In his mind, Ye Wen thought, Which damned person told her about that? Besides, you've already claimed the most imposing, most formidable title for yourself—what more name do you need? You might as well use the name and title as one! Dongfang Sheng, unaware of Ye Wen's thoughts, casually asked, "Which name does Sect Leader Ye think would be appropriate?"

"Appropriate?" Ye Wen looked at Dongfang Sheng. Her beauty was captivating, surpassing that of many genuine women, and her figure was mesmerizing—slender yet not frail. And was it an illusion, but did her chest seem slightly larger than before?

Shaking his head, Ye Wen urged himself, Don't get distracted... Don't get distracted! Without thinking, a few names tumbled out: "Kui, Ruìsuì, Zhǔn!"

"Kui, Ruìsuì, Zhǔn?"

Dongfang Sheng whispered the names softly, then combined them with her surname: "Dongfang Kui, Dongfang Ruìsuì, Dongfang Zhǔn?" She repeated them several times, finding none particularly exceptional, yet wondering if Ye Wen had chosen them for some hidden significance.

Little did she know that Ye Wen had merely spoken the first names that came to mind—words blurted out without conscious thought (perhaps driven by a subconscious, mischievous urge)—with no meaning intended.

Now that Dongfang Sheng was asking, Ye Wen couldn't easily explain. Finally, Dongfang Sheng offered her own interpretation: "Kui, the sunflower faces the sun. Sect Leader Ye likes watching the sunrise and sunset, and you just said, 'Sunrise in the East.' Did you perhaps think of the character Kui because of that?" The more she spoke, the more convinced she became that this was correct, and she grew fond of the character Kui.

Seeing that she had already rationalized the conclusion for him, Ye Wen felt a wave of relief. However, Dongfang Sheng immediately asked, "Then what is the meaning of the other two names?"

Ye Wen quickly replied, "The other two mean nothing; I misspoke them casually. Miss Dongfang need not concern herself with them!"

"Is that so?" Dongfang Sheng considered this, then murmured the first name again: "Dongfang Kui, Dongfang Kui... Then I shall call myself Dongfang Kui from now on! Dongfang Sheng... dies today!"

At that very moment, the red sun fully ascended into the sky, radiating heat and a glare too intense to look at directly. Bathed in this blinding sunlight, Dongfang Kui straightened her back. The gloom vanished from her face as she gazed toward the leading ship, murmuring something softly to herself.

Ye Wen was momentarily distracted and didn't hear it. He only felt that in that precise instant, he vaguely perceived the image of a phoenix undergoing fiery rebirth before him.

"It's over! I'm hallucinating! Am I too exhausted, or did Hua Yi lace my tea with something?" Unbeknownst to him, at this moment, Dongfang Kui truly severed ties with her past. Furthermore, she had reached a firm decision regarding certain matters in her heart. Gazing toward the first ship carrying the Azure Dragon Society members, she finally made up her mind about what she needed to do next.

"Let's settle this!"

Turning back, she informed Ye Wen, and Dongfang Kui immediately retreated to her cabin to rest. For the following several days, Ye Wen never saw the Azure Dragon Society's 'Second Young Master' again. Even when they disembarked onto small islands for rest stops, she was nowhere to be seen. Indeed, even when the righteous heroes' fleet finally reached the vicinity of the Demon Cult's main island, Dongfang Kui (whom he would use this name for henceforth) remained absent.

During his free moments, Ye Wen occasionally wondered, but eventually found a plausible explanation: "Strange? Did she move to another ship?"

He quickly decided it was none of his business. Dongfang Kui wasn't part of the Shushan Sect; he couldn't control where she went. Moreover, the person always exerted an invisible pressure on him, so his life was easier without her nearby.

He had half-hoped that if Xuanyuan Wudi had encountered Dongfang Kui during those few days she was visible, something amusing might have transpired. However, during those days, Xuanyuan Wudi was confined to his cabin, vomiting and suffering, with his 'little brother' occasionally rebelling despite the constant attendance of his many wives and concubines—and during their intimate moments, he was plagued by various hallucinations...

In short, after that period of affliction, when Xuanyuan Wudi finally recovered his vigor, twenty-odd days had passed, and the heroes were extremely close to the Demon Cult's headquarters. The several large ships were now anchored together, connected by temporary gangplanks to facilitate movement and discussion about which island to choose as the final resting place.

By now, everyone knew that Sect Leader Ye Wen of the Shushan Sect was widely learned and even possessed some knowledge of military strategy. Although the righteous gathering wasn't strictly a military campaign, managing so many people against the Demon Cult required careful planning and deployment, so they all looked expectantly toward Ye Wen.

"Which location does Sect Leader Ye deem suitable?"

Ye Wen looked around, pointing first to an island closest to the Demon Cult's main headquarters. "How long would it take to sail from here to the main island?"

Dongfang Yi first leaned over the map, studying it closely, then used his hand to measure the distance. After much nodding and shaking of his head, he finally looked toward an old sailor standing nearby.

"Damn it—if you don't know, why pretend?" Ye Wen was certain he wasn't the only one internally cursing Dongfang Yi; the expressions of those nearby were also distinctly hostile.

Fortunately, the old sailor answered quickly, diverting the attention and saving Dongfang Yi from undue embarrassment.

"From here to this island takes less than half an hour!" Ye Wen stroked his chin, observing the visible delight on everyone's faces. Li Zhen of the Tianshan Sect even chimed in, "Less than half an hour is perfect! This way, we can rest and reorganize thoroughly here without wasting energy aboard the ships!"

The assembled heroes nodded in unison, as if the decision were finalized. Unexpectedly, Ye Wen immediately vetoed it: "No—it's too close!"

"Ah?" Li Zhen was momentarily stunned, but seeing it was Ye Wen, he quickly argued, "Why not? If being close is bad, should we be far away? By the time we arrive, the righteous heroes will have weak legs from the boat ride, how can we fight the Demon Cult?" Ye Wen gave the man a disdainful look, conveying: I despise you, I look down on you, and I am too dignified to explain myself to a mere mortal like you! This enraged Li Zhen to the point of nearly flipping the table.

Just as he was about to erupt, Ye Wen casually remarked, "Has anyone here ever seen or heard of two armies setting up their encampments so close that they can see each other's flags by just lifting their heads, like neighbors?"

Upon hearing this, the heroes exchanged looks suggesting, Isn't that exactly how it should be? Ye Wen knew his general point had been lost.

Finally, he had to explain in detail: "The Demon Cult won't be ignorant that this island is so near their headquarters! Moreover, this island lies to the west of their main base, directly facing the mainland. If the Demon Cult establishes a watchpost here, it can perfectly monitor any ships coming from the west! This is a natural lookout point; the Demon Cult must station guards here!" "Furthermore, everyone knows that occupying this location allows one to threaten the Demon Cult headquarters from afar. As the Demon Cult intends rebellion, there must be many within their ranks who understand military deployment. Such a crucial location would never be overlooked?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent!

When it came to military campaigns and deployments, they knew absolutely nothing! They took every word Ye Wen spoke as gospel and could formulate no counterarguments.

Ye Wen examined the nautical chart again, then pointed to several nearby islands: "Not just that one island, but these few points collectively surround the Demon Cult headquarters, allowing for subtle surveillance in all directions. They can all serve as early warning posts! Humph, I must admit the Demon Cult chose an excellent location for their headquarters. These islands form a natural fortress pass!" The heroes looked, and following Ye Wen's previous explanation, they realized it was true: if the Demon Cult stationed forces on these smaller islands, they could detect anyone approaching from any direction.

"Then what should we do?" Master Huixin hadn't discerned anything from the map, but he understood Ye Wen's implication: the prospects for the righteous heroes besieging the Demon Cult were far from good!

Ye Wen pondered, studied the map again, and measured the distances between several islands with his hand. He also muttered privately with the old sailor for quite some time about things the others couldn't comprehend. All they caught were snippets like: "line of sight... distance... and what the weather might be like at this time," which only made their heads spin.

Li Xuan, usually arrogant, felt his eyes blurring and his mind turning to mush upon hearing Ye Wen's analysis. However, one thought remained crystal clear: This Ye Wen is incredibly knowledgeable? He even understands military affairs?

After their private consultation lasted nearly half an hour, some of the others were growing impatient. Only then did Ye Wen return, saying, "It seems Heaven is not entirely against us!"

At these words, the heroes' eyes immediately lit up.

While they were ignorant about marching, deployment, or reading nautical almanacs, they were all experts at discerning the underlying intent in others' words. Ye Wen's statement made it clear that this situation was not entirely hopeless.

Ye Wen pointed to two of the islands: "Although these two islands can also monitor approaching vessels from those directions, the distance between them is somewhat great, creating blind spots that are unavoidable. This area can serve as our point of breakthrough!"

The heroes looked and indeed saw that the gap between the two islands Ye Wen indicated was slightly larger than the intervals between the others. However, this difference was barely noticeable on the chart unless examined closely; Ye Wen had to measure it by hand to discover it.

He then carefully inquired about the map's scale to estimate the precise magnitude of the difference.

"Since we have determined the direction of attack, we can now decide where we should land!" Ye Wen then pointed to an island situated relatively farther away. This island was not close to the Demon Cult headquarters; a full-speed voyage would take at least three or four hours. However, Ye Wen didn't consider this time a major issue.

More importantly, this was the only island in the immediate vicinity. If it were garrisoned, the defenders could be eliminated instantly. Landing within an archipelago presented too many opportunities for unexpected complications.

Upon hearing Ye Wen's explanation, the heroes immediately agreed: "We shall proceed as Sect Leader Ye advises!"