Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The cultivation world has never lacked such examples.

A certain Core Formation family obtained the inheritance of ghost cultivators and transformed their elders, whose lifespans were nearing their end, into ghost cultivators, intending to use this as a hidden secret of the family.

Several generations later, the ghost cultivator elder lost control and completely devoured the entire family.

This is not an isolated incident; it happens frequently.

Unless the ghost cultivator can advance to the fourth-order Nascent Soul Ghost King.

A fourth-tier Ghost King can reshape their physical body, making them no different from an ordinary Nascent Soul True Monarch—and even more powerful in some aspects, such as their divine sense.

But that road is exceptionally difficult.

Advancing from the peak of Foundation Establishment to Core Formation involves a Heavenly Tribulation, and normally only one in three cultivators can overcome it.

Advancing from a second-tier ghost cultivator to a third-tier ghost general is a matter of life and death.

The number of third-tier ghost generals advancing to fourth-tier ghost kings is extremely small, with only one in a hundred surviving.

Once you become a ghost cultivator, you can forget about advancing any further.

Therefore, it is generally a transformation within the same level, and this path is only taken when one's lifespan is about to end.

Any Core Formation cultivator who still has a sliver of hope of reaching a higher realm would not choose to become a Ghost Cultivator.

The Core Formation cultivators who transformed into ghost cultivators in the Stone Wave Islands were, frankly speaking, all nearing the end of their lifespans and had no other choice.

Moreover, legend has it that once one becomes a ghost cultivator, one cannot enter the cycle of reincarnation and cannot be reborn.

Of course, nobody knows whether reincarnation truly exists.

But the mere existence of such a claim is enough to deter most cultivators from pursuing it.

To put it bluntly, Lunar Eclipse Island is a ticking time bomb.

If the ghost cultivators on Moon Eclipse Island cannot be suppressed, the area within hundreds of miles of the Stone Wave Islands will be transformed into a ghost domain, and no cultivator in the vicinity will be able to escape.

However, the Ghost Soul Crystals refined and transformed by special means after the Ghost Cultivator's death are third-tier treasures that enhance the soul.

Ordinary cultivators naturally do not have such means.

However, Lin Zhao possesses the Divine Soul Sword Tower—which can suppress ghost cultivators, temper their divine souls, and condense them into Nether Soul Crystals, since divine souls are its specialty.

Tianhao wasn't sure if such a method existed, but the White Bone Yin Flame Pearl, a magical artifact he had previously acquired, could do just that.

The two exchanged another glance, and a tacit understanding was silently reached.

For the safety of the countless mortals in the Stone Wave Islands, they decided to risk their lives to investigate the situation on Eclipse Ghost Island.

Just grab some Ghost Crystals?

With the two of them working together, there might be some Core Formation cultivators they couldn't defeat, but they would have no problem protecting themselves.

Although Pu Hui next to her had his eyes closed, the corner of his mouth still twitched slightly.

He could roughly guess what the two people next to him were plotting.

When the Dinghai fleet arrived at the Shilang Islands, the entire archipelago became lively.

A caravan of tens of thousands of monks might not encounter such a thing even once every few decades.

The docks were packed with cultivators and mortals who came to watch the spectacle. The market was suddenly filled with cultivators, and even the number of cultivators setting up stalls on the streets was several times greater than usual.

Lin Zhao disembarked and strolled around, buying some local specialties.

A unique type of moonstone found here is a by-product of the long-term exposure of moonlight to the spiritual stone veins on the seabed. It is said to enhance the efficiency of drawing upon the power of the stars.

There's an observatory on his Tianxing Peak; you can get more if they're useful.

-----

A month later, the repairs were completed.

The fleet was replenished with fresh water and spiritual materials, and there were many new faces on the second-tier ships. These were cultivators from the Stone Wave Islands who had purchased credentials and were preparing to go to the inner sea.

The Dinghai set sail again, restarting its operation, and the array patterns on its hull lit up layer by layer.

The fleet slowly sailed out of the port of the Stone Wave Islands, and the lights of the market on the shore grew farther and farther away in the direction of the stern.

On the night the fleet left the Shilang Islands, Lin Zhao and Tian Hao quietly left the Dinghai.

The two met on a small reef at the northernmost point of the Stone Wave Islands, both having changed into dark robes and concealed their spiritual light.

In the distance, the outline of Eclipse Island was clearly visible in the moonlight. The island, stretching for hundreds of miles, was entirely dark and almost devoid of vegetation.

There were only bare rocky mountains and a grayish-white mist that lingered year-round, the mist gleaming eerily in the moonlight, creating a somewhat strange atmosphere.

Before the two could fly towards Lunar Eclipse Island, they sensed two Core Formation auras approaching from not far behind them.

Not long after, the two Core Formation cultivators arrived.

The four people looked at each other.

Although they were all wearing black robes to conceal their identities.

But there are only a handful of powerful Core Formation cultivators nearby, so who can be fooled?

It was none other than the monk Puhui and the immortal Dingling.

Dingling Zhenren coughed.

His reason for coming was simple: Lin Zhao and Tian Hao had specifically inquired about Moon Eclipse Island from the caravan beforehand, and based on his understanding of the two men over this period of time, he knew they wouldn't miss it.

He also wanted a piece of the pie.

Soul Crystals, a divine treasure of this caliber, cannot be bought even with spirit stones in the outer sea.

The monk Puhui's reasoning was more direct: ghost cultivators were excellent materials for refining guardian deities.

He possesses a secret Buddhist technique that can transform ghost cultivators into guardian deities, which is more valuable than directly killing them and refining ghost crystals.

This is awkward.

The four of them stood in a circle on the rocks, their black robes fluttering in the sea breeze.

Lin Zhao glanced at Tian Hao, Tian Hao glanced at Pu Hui, Pu Hui lowered his head and started to purify himself, while Ding Ling Zhenren could only look up at the moon.

Finally, it was Master Dingling who broke the silence first: "Since we're all here, why don't we join forces?"

From what I understand, Moon Eclipse Island has survived for a thousand years, so it must be quite powerful.

Let's be realistic. We don't expect to take it all; let's just get some Ghost Crystals and leave.

The other three remained silent for a moment, then nodded one after another.

The four of them squatted on the rocks and discussed for a long time.

The monk Puhui possesses a secret Buddhist technique that can attract ghost cultivators.

The Spirit-Stabilizing Master was in charge of imprisoning them. His Spirit-Stabilizing Seal and Purple Blood Fiend Net both had the effect of suppressing and sealing, trapping the ghost cultivators that had been lured out and preventing them from running back to report.

Lin Zhao and Tian Hao were responsible for killing the powerful ghost cultivators.

The distribution of the spoils was quickly finalized: Monk Puhui and Master Dingling each received 20%, while Lin Zhao and Tianhao each received 30%.

Because Pu Hui was responsible for attracting ghost cultivators, he took on some risks. He also had an additional task: capturing several ghost generals to refine into divine generals.

None of the four objected.

The four of them agreed on the distribution principles and stopped arguing.

The monk Puhui took the lead in walking on the water, each step creating a ripple of golden Sanskrit characters.

It must be said that this Buddhist practice looks really good.

Lin Zhao, Tian Hao, and Ding Ling Zhenren stood separately, landing dozens of miles away, and concealed their spiritual energy fluctuations.

Watching Pu Hui slowly make his way towards Lunar Eclipse Island.

The grayish-white mist at the edge of Lunar Eclipse Island sensed the presence of living beings and began to surge.

From the depths of the fog came a very low sob.

Pu Hui stood still at the edge of the fog.

The prayer beads on his wrist lit up one by one, and golden light seeped from the beads, condensing into a guardian Vajra statue about ten feet tall in front of him.

As soon as the light shone, the fog around the entire edge of Lunar Eclipse Island began to surge violently.

The whimper turned into a roar, and the ghost cultivator's gray-black figure emerged from the mist.

Some still retain a human shape, while others are just a distorted outline, like crumpled paper.