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After that, many demon cultivators attempted to approach Wen Tianren, hoping to travel alongside him.
This behavior irritated Wen Tianren. He shouted loudly, frightening off the group of demon cultivators with ulterior motives.
"Two fellow Daoists, would you like to team up with us to enter the Three Fantasy Seas?"
At that moment, three Jindan-stage cultivators approached. Leading them was a late-stage Jindan cultivator, who resembled a Confucian scholar. He had a righteous expression and a slender frame. Behind him stood a man in white and a woman in yellow, both in the mid-stage of Jindan.
Qi Yuan, with a gentle expression, cupped his hands and replied, "Apologies, fellow Daoists. We do not have such intentions at the moment."
With one late-stage and two mid-stage Jindan cultivators, it seemed unlikely they were merely seeking to bolster strength. There was likely another motive behind their offer.
Other cultivators might have welcomed the invitation, seeing it as a sign of recognition. After all, being recruited by a powerful group was a testament to one's own strength.
The scholar in blue showed a hint of regret. "The Three Fantasy Seas are extremely dangerous. To be honest, with your current strength, you might perish within. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
"Brother, stop it. If they're not interested, they're not interested. Let's move on," the yellow-clad woman interjected sharply.
Qi Yuan remained calm and composed. "We understand the risks, fellow Daoist. Please, do as you wish."
The blue-robed scholar gave a small bow and left with his companions, likely seeking other cultivators to join them.
"My younger brother is in the mid-stage of Jindan, and I am only in the early stage. Their invitation was strange. We should stay cautious," Zhou Yuan said softly, her intuition sensing something off. She agreed with Qi Yuan's decision.
Qi Yuan watched the departing figures and said in a low voice, "As long as there's no conflict of interest after we enter, we can ignore them."
Zhou Yuan nodded gently. Her spiritual sense subtly checked her stored treasures, preparing her defenses.
Two days later, the tricolored aurora surrounding the Three Fantasy Seas vanished mysteriously.
The monsters that had been in the shallow waters retreated into the depths to avoid being killed by cultivators harvesting their cores. As soon as the aurora disappeared, a monk immediately rushed in, clearly experienced and familiar with the terrain.
Once one entered safely, others quickly followed. A stream of cultivators flew into the Three Fantasy Seas.
The three Confucian scholars in blue recruited two early-stage Jindan cultivators and flew in as a group.
Wen Tianren drove his beast cart, entering with a middle-aged man with a curly beard, two sinister-looking youths, and eight maidservants. The other Jindan cultivators instinctively made way for him.
With fewer people around, Qi Yuan and Zhou Yuan also set off, heading toward Sanxian Island as planned.
The Three Fantasy Seas were dotted with countless islands previously hidden beneath the aurora. As they passed the outer islands, Qi Yuan and Zhou Yuan's spiritual senses detected various herbs, rich in spiritual energy.
However, most were still too immature to be worth harvesting.
The Jindan cultivators, experienced and discerning, ignored the low-value herbs and pressed on. Only foundation-establishment cultivators landed to gather them.
Suddenly, a roar came from one of the islands, followed by screams. A cultivator was clearly in danger.
Nearby, flashes of magical light signaled battles erupting—conflicts over resources had already begun.
And this was only the beginning. The Three Fantasy Seas were clearly abundant in spiritual resources.
But so far, the fights involved only low-level cultivators. No Jindan-level individuals had made a move yet.
Sanxian Island lay deep within the Three Fantasy Seas and would take about half a day to reach by flight.
The deeper they went, the more dangerous it became. Not only did Jindan cultivators start to engage in combat, but monsters of level five and above also began launching ambushes.
Often, just as one dealt with a level five beast, a level six would strike next.
Constant battles rapidly drained mana, risking depletion of the Dantian. Many cultivators eventually fell prey to these relentless attacks.
The Three Fantasy Seas teemed with monsters. Few who entered managed to leave alive.
A level six monster appeared—a giant seahorse with four claws under its belly, covered in triangular scales and spanning ten feet in length.
After struggling against two human cultivators, it realized it couldn't win. It whipped its tail and dove into the sea to escape.
A yellow light pierced through the surface, unleashing immense mana that split the sea apart, forming a temporary vacuum.
A sharp, ancient flying blade cleaved through the seahorse's head with a single slash.
With a thud, the severed head fell. Colorful mana swirled up the monster's pill and corpse, and the sea quickly closed again.
"Little brother, that's the third level six monster we've encountered," Zhou Yuan said quietly, her eyes alight with admiration.
Seeing Qi Yuan's strength up close made her heart tremble.
He calmly sorted through the monster remains, keeping useful materials and tossing the rest into the sea to feed the low-level beasts.
"For safety, you must stay close to me," Qi Yuan said. "Otherwise, I might not be able to protect you."
Qi Yuan didn't carry much concern—his main worry was Zhou Yuan's safety.
She didn't object. Since it wasn't an intimate gesture, there was no reason to resist.
"Little brother, how far are we from Sanxian Island now?" Zhou Yuan asked.
Qi Yuan scanned the colorful sea, his early Yuanying-stage spiritual sense stretching out, alert to every movement.
Zhou Yuan pointed into the distance. "Past that white mist is Sanxian Island. But the mist restricts spiritual sense, so once inside, it's hard to detect anything around us."
The milky white mist was dense and seemed to stretch endlessly, even seeping into the seawater to block passage.
To reach Sanxian Island, they would have to cross the mist.
Qi Yuan summoned a black oil-paper umbrella—a defensive magical item. It opened on its own, releasing a soft glow.
"Step inside, sister-in-law. We'll go together."
The umbrella could block spiritual and magical attacks.
Zhou Yuan entered without hesitation. As she appeared under the umbrella beside Qi Yuan, she sighed. "You're full of surprises, little brother. I can hardly keep up."
"It's nothing special. Let's go," Qi Yuan replied with a smile.
Together, they stepped into the white mist, aiming to reach a new part of the sea.
Elsewhere, just after Qi Yuan and Zhou Yuan entered the mist, the group of five Confucian scholars followed.
Wen Tianren's beast cart entered next.
Other Jindan cultivators soon followed, diving into the mist one after another.
Beneath the sea shrouded in mist, countless pairs of red eyes lit up briefly—then vanished.
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