"Indeed. Once we slay the Death Island Lord and bring his corpse back to the sect, we'll earn great merit. With that merit, I'll finally qualify to become a true disciple of Taiyi Gate."
The senior disciple, Zhang, smiled coldly as faint strands of spiritual energy rippled from his body. He was a cultivator in the Spirit Domain Realm.
Among the eight Taiyi disciples, Zhang was the only one who had reached this stage. Yet, he didn't rely on his own energy to fly—he used a magical treasure instead. That meant his cultivation wasn't yet refined, and he hadn't formed true qi. Even so, the fact that a Spirit Domain cultivator remained merely an inner disciple spoke volumes about how difficult it was to become a true disciple of Taiyi Gate—and how immense the sect's power truly was.
"It's said the Death Island Lord has reached the third stage of the Spirit Domain, the 'Steel Qi Realm.' His Heaven-Killing Hand can slay with a single strike. Even if we form the Eight Trigram Heaven Array, we might still be wiped out."
One of the disciples sounded uneasy.
"Don't worry," Zhang replied with a smirk. "We won't be the vanguard. The Wan Gui Immortal Island has just issued the most severe bounty order in history—its sect master has decreed that all sea cultivators are to hunt down the Forty Sea Pirates. The last two—ranked 39th and 40th—were slain not long ago. The next target is this Death Island Lord. Most can't locate his lair in the Devil's Gorge… but I can. I've already sent word to the Five-Island Alliance—Nightless Island, Hanging Island, Ao Fish Island, Spirit Pearl Island, and Rainflower Island. Once they arrive, the bloodbath will begin. Half an hour at most."
"The Five-Island Alliance?" another disciple scoffed. "Just a pack of lucky vagabonds. What real strength could they have? Only that Nightless Island Lord has some skill. Even if they've reached the Spirit Domain Realm, they'll never form true qi—they don't have the method."
He wasn't wrong. Rogue cultivators could occasionally stumble into a breakthrough, but without the systematic teachings of a great sect, they would remain stagnant forever, unable to refine their mana into true qi.
Only the ancient lineages—the great immortal sects—possessed such secret manuals.
The Death Island Lord himself had once trained in the demonic Heaven Severing Sect, which was why he could form steel qi at all.
"Still, Nightless Island has been thriving lately," Zhang continued. "He's even befriended disciples from the Feather Transformation Gate, sent his son there, and secured an inner disciple position for him. Few sea cultivators dare provoke him now. I've heard some Feather disciples are currently his guests. Once they hear about the Death Island Lord's location, they'll rush here to kill him. When they clash, we'll strike from the shadows and reap the spoils."
"Brilliant strategy, Senior Brother Zhang," another said approvingly. "We'll also get a closer look at those Feather Gate disciples. That sect's rising power is threatening Taiyi's dominance. Our master told us to observe them carefully during our travels."
"Exactly." Zhang's tone turned solemn. "Our sect's grand mission is to rule the Immortal Dao through merit and order. The world is overrun with reckless cultivators who follow strength alone. The heavens must have law—and Taiyi will bring that law. Those who defy it will face divine retribution. We are the executors of Heaven's will."
"Through this great endeavor," another disciple declared fervently, "Taiyi Gate will become the true ruler of the Immortal Dao—the Celestial Court itself."
The group nodded in unison.
Zhang's eyes gleamed. "For now, we wait. The Five-Island Alliance and the Feather Gate disciples will arrive soon. I have here a Heaven-Escape Talisman, a genuine treasure gifted by my master. Once activated, no cultivator below the fifth Spirit Domain stage will detect our presence."
He took out a talisman inlaid with five metals—gold, platinum, verdant bronze, white gold, and black steel—each inscribed with glowing runes. A pulse of spiritual light flashed, and the eight disciples vanished completely.
Moments later, streaks of light appeared over the horizon—hundreds of cultivators flying together, their combined winds splitting the sea below into a vast trench.
One golden beam shone brightest, blazing like a miniature sun—it was Ruyi Golden Smoke, a treasure once tempered by the divine might of Panwu himself.
Meanwhile, deep within the Devil's Gorge, Fang Han and Long Xuan descended into a world of black mist and roaring surf.
"This place is endless," Long Xuan murmured. "It's like a labyrinth."
"Hmph. The Death Island Lord may be cunning, but he can't hide from me," Yan's voice echoed in Fang Han's mind. "He's woven illusions throughout the cliffs using low-tier demonic arts and hidden them with enchanted relics—enough to fool anyone below the Heaven-Man Realm, but not us."
They descended toward a swirling whirlpool surrounded by jagged reefs. The water churned violently, the mist rising like smoke from a boiling cauldron.
"Here," Yan commanded. "Strike it with your true qi."
"Got it."
Fang Han gathered his energy, summoning a colossal azure tree that materialized in midair and crashed downward.
A deep boom resounded—then ripples spread through the air as the whirlpool dissolved like shattered glass. The sea fell silent.
Before them now stood a small island glimmering with light, crowned by a resplendent palace wreathed in divine radiance.
Three characters blazed across the gate:
Death Island—The Palace of Doom.