A reef by the island's edge served as the guard post for Gu Xiechen, Peng Hua, and Daoist Zhang.

Daoist Zhang gracefully held an umbrella, but as the torrential storm approached, a gentle force pushed it aside.

A layer of cold air coiled around Gu Xiechen, freezing the downpour into ice shards several feet away, which then crashed down with a loud rattle.

Peng Hua was enveloped in swirling, murky black energy; only two blood-red eyes faintly glowed within the miasma.

The raging storm plunged into the black smoke and vanished without a trace, as if devoured by a bottomless void.

After a while, Daoist Zhang suddenly chanted in a melodious voice: "Fellow Daoists, stay vigilant tonight and prepare all necessary provisions.

Tomorrow at noon is an auspicious day.

We shall divide into thirty teams and depart separately to quickly search the various wind-gathering nooks and famous mountains of Paradise Star for the hidden dwellings left by our ancestors.

The destiny of our Asian Dao Alliance for the next century hinges on this endeavor.

I implore all of you to work together and achieve this great feat." Daoist Zhang expelled a stream of pure Daoist true energy, his clear voice carrying through the storm to every corner of the small island.

Clear whistles answered from various parts of the island, echoing Daoist Zhang's call. "Hoo!" A plume of earth-yellow terrestrial energy shot up from the beach behind the three.

Xin Jia’s massive frame emerged from the ground.

He took several heavy strides forward and bellowed in a deep voice, "Exalted One, your subordinate has found this object!" With a flip of his hand, Xin Jia presented a green jade slip to Gu Xiechen.

Just as Gu Xiechen reached for the slip, Peng Hua snatched it away, laughing, "What is this? Let me see!" Xin Jia clenched his left fist and slammed it heavily into Peng Hua’s rapidly approaching claws.

Xin Jia's physical strength was several times greater than Peng Hua's, and the explosive force sent Peng Hua flying far back.

The power of the single punch even shattered the raindrops flying in the air, sending countless droplets shooting back toward the cloud-covered sky with sharp whistles.

Peng Hua roared in anger, while Gu Xiechen secured the jade slip.

Turning the slip over and over, Gu Xiechen examined it for a moment before asking in surprise, "Xin Jia, what is this?" Daoist Zhang stared intently at the jade slip and said, "It appears to be a Yanshi Jian (Enlightenment Scroll), a treasure used by ancient cultivators to record messages.

This is a rare find; the method for crafting Yanshi Jian has been lost for nearly a thousand years." Gu Xiechen generously handed the slip to Daoist Zhang, "Since you recognize it, examine the message inside.

Xin Jia, where did you get this?" Xin Jia stated gravely, "The Siren discarded it carelessly when her mind was agitated and spirit disturbed.

Your subordinate simply picked it up." Gu Xiechen uttered an "Oh," watching Daoist Zhang closely gripping the slip, pouring all his concentration into it.

Suddenly, Daoist Zhang shrieked as if bitten by a vicious dog, tossing his umbrella dozens of meters away.

Daoist Zhang gasped, "Fellow Daoists, assemble quickly, we depart immediately! Heavens, we've struck it rich, we've struck it rich!" Accompanied by Daoist Zhang's sharp cries and urgent demands, figures swiftly darted from all over the island toward their location.

Shaking his hand, which was still numb and swollen from Xin Jia's blow, Peng Hua rushed back and asked in shock, "Depart now? The auspicious time isn't until tomorrow noon?" Daoist Zhang spat curses, "Auspicious time, my foot! We have the maps to the ancestors' dwellings, what more do we need an auspicious time for? The sooner we act, the sooner we reap the rewards! Heavens, three hundred and sixty blessed paradises—if even half of those dwellings contain treasures left by the seniors, we'll be set! Time is short; who has time for formalities?" Gu Xiechen’s eyes brightened, Peng Hua’s eyes lit up, and the eyes of the Dao Alliance disciples gathering around them shone with frightening intensity.

Daoist Zhang swung his fist toward the sky with powerful momentum, shouting, "Fellow Daoists, divide into ten groups! The disciples of the Weiji Sect and Miluo Sect will lead nine groups to various locations to break the restrictions on the dwellings and retrieve the hidden treasures.

All treasures are to be concentrated in my hands and distributed by the elders back on Earth.

The code name for this operation is 'Great Harvest'!" "Oh yeah!" the Dao Alliance disciples cheered, leaping in the air.

Looking at the jade slip in Daoist Zhang’s hand, they understood what had happened: Daoist Zhang had somehow obtained the distribution map of the ancient ancestors' dwellings on Paradise Star! Immediately, Buddhist chants and Daoist invocations soared into the sky.

Some were so excited they repeatedly tumbled on the ground, each venting their elation through their own methods.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Gu Xiechen smiled faintly.

He understood Daoist Zhang's intention behind dividing the forces—it was purely to dilute Gu Xiechen’s potential share. "But you little ox-nose, do you really think the ancient Qi Refiners on Paradise Star were as generous as I, Daoist Chen, leaving their treasures behind just to ascend? Jin Fairy’s Six Harmony Qimen Formation—if it weren't for me, you'd all be crying and begging me to get rid of it, just like Montetidi.

Hmph, just you wait!" Gu Xiechen remained silent, while Peng Hua and Daoist Zhang exchanged a knowing glance, both smiling secretly.

The Dao Alliance disciples were elite, and the group moved with incredible speed.

Not long after, ten small transport ships roared up from the island, dispersing toward different directions.

Gu Xiechen, naturally, joined Peng Hua and Daoist Zhang in one team.

Their first destination marked on the map was the blessed land named "Dragon Submerged in Rolling Waves Pool." The transport ship sped for over an hour before spotting a silvery pool spanning over three hundred li in the vast mountains.

Hazy mist drifted above the water, unshaken by the violent storm.

Raindrops continuously struck the surface, creating countless minute ripples.

These ripples, propelled by some unknown force, gradually converged into waves about a foot high, appearing gentle as they continuously surged from the pool's center toward the shore.

The plasma thrusters beneath the transport ship spat out blue flames several meters long, suspending the vessel about ten meters above the pool’s surface.

A side hatch opened, and Gu Xiechen and the others stood at the edge, quietly looking down at the surreal, dreamlike, silver surface below.

After a short while, Gu Xiechen discerned the pool's secret: the water wasn't inherently silver; rather, countless extremely fine silver rays seemed to flow rapidly back and forth within it, giving the water the appearance of molten silver.

Staring at the water for a long time, Gu Xiechen gradually grasped a certain rhythm within it: the fine silver lights were broadly divided into nine major circulatory systems, flowing through the water along an extremely mysterious trajectory.

The silver light agitated the water, causing the dense, ceaseless waves of about a foot high.

Even without the ripples caused by the raindrops from the sky, the pool seemed destined to have continuous waves year-round.

Peng Hua grabbed a metal chair from the cabin and threw it into the pool.

With a sharp "Sizzzle," as the alloy chair neared the water, a small vortex about a meter in diameter suddenly churned up.

Countless silver rays within the vortex twisted and shredded the chair, which instantly dissolved into iron dust that scattered away.

A few wisps of smoke rose—the pool possessed the corrosive power of concentrated sulfuric acid, completely dissolving the resulting iron particles.

Gu Xiechen sucked in a sharp breath. "Incredible!" Daoist Zhang's eye twitched.

He looked toward a disciple from the Banji Sect accompanying them.

The disciple, clad in a light cyan robe adorned with a Taiji Seven Stars Diagram on his chest, awkwardly shook his head at Daoist Zhang.

Not only could he not figure out how to break the restriction in the pool, he hadn't even discerned what the restriction actually was.

Peng Hua stuck out his tongue, shaking his head repeatedly. "Impressive, impressive.

Forget those of you who don't cultivate the physical body; even if I fell in, the result would be total disintegration!" Daoist Zhang sighed in resignation and gave Gu Xiechen a wry smile. "Brother Gu Xiechen, it seems we must rely on you." The shift from "Mister Gu Xiechen" to "Brother Gu" indicated that Gu Xiechen’s standing in Daoist Zhang's mind had risen another level.

Gu Xiechen nodded and focused his spirit.

A purple light flashed deep within his eyes, and a violet radiance suddenly emanated from beside him.

Zhao Yi strode out from the glow.

Gu Xiechen pointed at the silver water of the Submerged Dragon Pool and asked, "Zhao Yi, can you break this restriction?" Zhao Yi merely glanced at the pool and laughed heartily, "Exalted One, have no fear.

This is merely a minor Post-Heaven Aqueous Restriction, transforming Aqueous energy into Geng Metal, using Yin Aqueous Qi to form the Post-Heaven Grand Metal Essence in a 'Nine Dragon Sky-Locking Formation.' Although it appears complex and mysterious, its foundation is just the most common Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array.

The array caster merely deliberately scrambled the positions of the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams to confuse observers." Gu Xiechen nodded and remained silent.

He conveyed his thoughts to Zhao Yi via mental link, and Zhao Yi raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly.

The disciple from the Banji Sect suddenly cheered with delight, "It truly is a transformed Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array! Haha, I can discern the flow of this formation!" Daoist Zhang's face flushed slightly, while Peng Hua lit a cigar and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

He squinted sideways at the Banji Sect disciple and sneered, "You see it clearly? Can you break it?" The Banji Sect disciple’s face turned deep red, and he forced a dry laugh, "It's true I see the flow of the formation, but I haven't yet grasped the life-and-death cycles within it, so..." Peng Hua shook his head and sneered, "So you can't break it, can you? Ai, Brother Gu, let’s not waste time.

According to our previous agreement, you can pick one-tenth of all the treasures from any restriction you break.

We can save some time, as we still have so many dwellings to investigate." Gu Xiechen smiled, saying nothing.

Zhao Yi, however, strode to the edge of the aircraft cabin and leaped out.

While still falling, Zhao Yi formed a hand seal and shot a stream of spiritual light toward the pool.

As the earth-yellow light met the water, a huge noise erupted, like a ladle of cold water splashed into boiling oil, "Sizzzzzz!" Nine massive whirlpools suddenly churned up on the pool's surface.

Countless silver rays, thinner than a strand of hair by a factor of ten, shot out from the whirlpools, forming nine immense silver tornadoes in the air.

Zhao Yi plunged directly into one of the silver tornadoes and vanished.