[Forbidden Land Ranking – Rank 6]
[Thinking Yi Island]
[Danger Level: Four and a Half Stars]
[Description: Anyone below the God Demon Realm Land Immortal has absolutely no chance of survival if they trespass. Even those in the God Demon Realm, if not constantly on guard, have only a 30% chance of escaping. Otherwise, there is no hope of survival. This island is one of the rare deadly places on the land of Nine Provinces. Do not enter recklessly]
[Reward: One Heaven-Grade Low-Tier Formation Disk, capable of setting up a Heaven-Grade Grand Formation that integrates offense, defense, illusions, and confinement!]
"Adoptive Mother, look! The Nine Provinces Forbidden Land Ranking just updated!"
"Thinking Yi Island? What is that place? Why have I never heard of it before?"
"Me neither. Looks like another hidden force!"
"This Forbidden Land is way too terrifying! Even those below God Demon Realm have no chance of survival!"
"Yeah, and even God Demon Realm cultivators only have a 30% chance of escape!"
"Now this is what you call a truly deadly place!"
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva, the Five Poison Boy, and the others exclaimed in astonishment.
Fear flickered in their eyes as they gazed at the ranking.
"Adoptive Mother, look there! It's the island stele!"
"I'll go see what this so-called Immortal Island is really named!"
The sharp-eyed Five Poison Boy spotted a stone stele a hundred meters ahead, standing over a meter tall.
He immediately leapt forward and darted over.
"Thinking!"
"Yi!"
"Island!"
The Five Poison Boy froze slightly.
Thinking Yi Island?!
Why does that sound so familiar?
Suddenly, a bad premonition flashed through his mind.
The color instantly drained from the Five Poison Boy's face.
His whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Thinking Yi Island.
Isn't that the name that just appeared as the Rank 6 on the Forbidden Land Ranking?
How could it be?
Wasn't this an Immortal Island?
How did it become the Rank 6 Forbidden Land?!
A chill ran down the Five Poison Boy's spine.
He didn't even hear the distant shouts of the Joyous Female Bodhisattva.
"A-Adoptive Mother!"
"We..."
"My dear son, what are you dawdling for? Come on! We're about to enter Immortal Island!!"
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva's loud voice echoed over.
"Adoptive Mother, this place is Thinking Yi Island!"
"It's the very Forbidden Land that ranked 6th on the ranking!"
The Five Poison Boy suddenly roared out.
Upon hearing his words, everyone's body trembled.
They all looked at him in disbelief.
Wasn't this supposed to be an Immortal Island?
Why the hell did you bring us to the Rank 6 Forbidden Land?!
Are you trying to get us killed?!
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva didn't care for any further details, her massive body charged toward the stone stele.
When she saw the three large characters "Thinking Yi Island" carved into the stone.
Even she couldn't help but pale in horror.
"Quick! We must leave immediately!"
Sensing danger, the Joyous Female Bodhisattva cried out and turned to flee without looking back.
The Five Poison Boy and the others scrambled to follow.
Immortal Island?
Forget it! They had to get back to the ship and survive first!
They didn't doubt the accuracy of the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking.
Since Thinking Yi Island was ranked as the sixth Forbidden Land, there could be no mistake.
The Golden Ranking even gave a special warning.
Do not enter!
Which showed just how dangerous it was!
Time passed by the second.
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva and her people ran faster than ever in their lives.
But to their horror.
The path they had just walked, barely a hundred meters, was still not ending even after ten minutes of running.
The route had mysteriously changed.
No matter how they ran, they couldn't reach the exit.
"It's bad. We're trapped in an illusion formation!"
"We've already completely entered the range of Thinking Yi Island!"
"Damn it!"
"Wait, what about that woman earlier?"
"She must know the way out!"
"We clearly saw her come out from this island!"
Everyone began thinking about the stunning woman they had met before.
Peacock Princess, Mei Yinxue!
Could she be the owner of this Forbidden Land?
Impossible!
Back in the day, Mei Yinxue was indeed powerful, but not to such a terrifying extent.
"Five Poison Boy, this is all your fault!"
"You got me trapped in this Forbidden Land!"
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva vented all her fury on the Five Poison Boy.
She swung her massive palm.
Boom!
The Five Poison Boy's body was sent flying instantly.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
His blood splashed on the ground.
At that moment.
The scenery around them changed completely.
The lush green grass on the ground suddenly began growing wildly.
In an instant, it grew several meters tall.
The terrifying leaves whipped toward the group.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
Everyone, except the Joyous Female Bodhisattva and the Five Poison Boy, had their throats sliced open.
They died on the spot.
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva and Five Poison Boy's eyes widened in horror.
Escape!
Since they couldn't go back, the only option was to charge deeper into the island.
There might be a sliver of hope in that direction.
If they could capture Mei Yinxue as a hostage, perhaps the island's master would spare them.
The two of them were quite powerful.
Using their best lightness techniques, they sped away from the murderous grass.
Soon, the terrifying field disappeared.
They arrived at a new area.
A rich herbal aroma wafted over.
Just one whiff made them feel refreshed.
Even their internal energy seemed to recover slightly.
"Adoptive Mother, look over there, it seems to be a herb garden!"
"Oh my god, these are all precious spiritual herbs, 300 years, 500 years, even ones over a thousand years old?!"
"How could this be?"
"Judging by this island's climate and temperature, it shouldn't be suitable for such herbs!"
The Five Poison Boy was stunned.
He couldn't make sense of it at all.
Even the deadly illusions and murderous grasses hadn't shocked him this much.
As a poison cultivator, he was also highly skilled in medicine.
He was very familiar with herbs.
What he was seeing now completely overturned everything he had ever learned.
It was more painful than death.
"No! I have to collect some of these thousand-year-old herbs for research."
"If I succeed, my medical and poison arts will rise to another level."
"In the future, even Heavenly Human Realm, Mythical Realm, or God Demon Realm cultivators won't be able to withstand my poison!"
The Five Poison Boy was consumed by madness.
He ignored even the Joyous Female Bodhisattva.
He stepped into the herb garden and began harvesting.
But.
Things were not so simple.
The moment he stepped into the garden.
Suddenly.
Sharp, terrifying sword energy erupted from thin air.
The Five Poison Boy didn't even realize what had happened.
A streak of sword energy pierced his forehead.
His life force drained away instantly.
His consciousness plunged into darkness.
Even at death, he had no idea how he had died.
"FIVE POISON BOY!"
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva cried out.
How could this be?!
Where did that sword energy come from?
There wasn't a single person nearby!
Was this herb garden protected by a top-tier sword formation?
A true land of death!
Even someone as vicious as the Joyous Female Bodhisattva felt fear in her heart.
Her usual arrogance now seemed like foolishness.
In just a short time.
Everyone she had brought was dead and gone.
"Mei Yinxue, come out!"
"Peacock Princess! Cold-blooded Princess! I know you're nearby, you must've heard me. Come out!"
"If you don't, I'll destroy this place!"
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva roared furiously.
Hoping to draw Mei Yinxue out.
But after a long time.
There was not a single sign of life.
Ignored.
She was completely ignored.
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva's killing intent erupted.
She rushed into the herb garden, intending to destroy everything.
But the moment she entered.
The sword energy returned.
Fierce and terrifying.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword energy struck her layers of fat but didn't penetrate.
She survived the first wave completely unscathed.
"Hahaha! Just some sword energy, can't even scratch me!"
"What Forbidden Land? You think this can stop me?"
The Joyous Female Bodhisattva laughed wildly.
Clearly looking down on the so-called Rank 6 Forbidden Land.
She prepared to keep moving.
She was determined to destroy this herb garden and make the Forbidden Land's master suffer.
But before she could take her second step.
A second wave of sword energy descended.
Squelch!
One streak pierced through her fat, punching a hole in her massive body.
She spat out blood.
Now she was truly frightened.
Even her formidable defense had been breached.
Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!
More than a dozen sword energies rained down.
Her giant body was torn to shreds.
Blood splattered everywhere.
Boom!
The final sword energy pierced through one of her eyes.
Instant kill!
She died instantly.
Despite her monstrous defense, she didn't even survive the second wave of sword energy.
Thus.
Everyone who had trespassed into Thinking Yi Island was completely annihilated!
==========
At the same time.
In the center of Thinking Yi Island.
A place of birdsong and blooming flowers, like a land beyond the mortal realm.
In front of a delicate house.
Mei Yinxue was watering the plants with a watering can.
"Miss, the intruders are all dead."
"They didn't even make it past the outer sword formation, yet they dared to covet the treasures of the island?"
A maid in green walked over and reported to Mei Yinxue.
Her tone is full of disdain for the Joyous Female Bodhisattva and her group.
Mei Yinxue simply nodded, her face calm and indifferent.
As if their arrival hadn't stirred her emotions in the slightest.
She had kindly warned them once.
That was already showing mercy.
They didn't heed the warning, and now they had only themselves to blame.
Looking up at the Golden Ranking in the sky.
She was surprised to see her Thinking Yi Island ranked as a Forbidden Land!
All the formations and designs here had been arranged for her by him in the past.
Even the island itself was his gift.
After all these years, she hadn't expected it to become one of Nine Provinces's forbidden places.
She didn't know whether to feel happy or troubled.
Now that Thinking Yi Island has been exposed.
He must've seen it too, right?
Would he come see her?
Or should she take the initiative?
Would he still remember her?!!
Mei Yinxue hesitated slightly.
==========
At the moment the Rank 6 Forbidden Land was announced.
All over Nine Provinces, discussions erupted.
"Thinking Yi Island? What's that place? Never heard of it before!"
"Must be some island in the sea!"
"There are so many islands in Nine Provinces, we don't even have intel on which dynasty it belongs to!"
"Yeah, how do we even find it?"
"Find it? Are you trying to die? Didn't you see the ranking says even God Demon Realm cultivators only have a 30% survival rate? That place is obviously hell!"
"Right! Just ignore it. It has nothing to do with us anyway!"
"Ugh, why does the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking keep ranking stuff that doesn't concern us?"
"Yeah, only the first ranking, the Hidden Dragon Ranking, was interesting!"
"These ranking for martial sects and Forbidden Lands are way out of our league."
"Hopefully the next ranking will be more relatable!"
"Still, this Forbidden Land Ranking isn't useless, it really broadened our horizons."
"No kidding. If not for the Golden Ranking, we'd never know so many Forbidden Lands existed. Or even groups like the Heaven Palace and Earth Mansion Palace!"
"If we accidentally offended one of them one day, we'd die without even knowing why."
"Let's keep watching!"
==========
Ming Imperial Palace.
When Zhu Houzhao saw "Thinking Yi Island" on the ranking, his expression changed.
This place got exposed too?
That shouldn't have happened.
When he arranged everything back then, it wasn't even that dangerous.
He hadn't invested nearly as much effort as he had in Hundred Yue City.
She must have fully matured now.
Her strength must have grown enough to impress even him.
At the very least, he could confidently say, she was far stronger than Hundred Yue Queen Yan Lingji.
As for whether she'd reached the God Demon Realm, he couldn't be sure.
Thinking Yi Island.
Just hearing the name made Zhu Houzhao chuckle bitterly.
It seemed he had let down another woman who had true feelings for him.
Even he had to admit his scumbag tendencies were getting a bit embarrassing.
Fortunately, he had thick skin and quickly recovered.
So what if I'm a scumbag?
He would find other ways to make it up to her in the future.
Given his current position, being devoted to just one woman was clearly impossible.
==========
Empress Chambers.
"Miss, do you think this Thinking Yi Island has something to do with His Majesty again?"
Palace Maid Qing'er pouted and asked.
"Qing'er, why do you say that?"
"I heard that the Consorts about to enter the palace were once His Majesty's confidantes."
"I suspect there are many more like them out there."
"His Majesty has an avatar, Su Yi, the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal."
"Thinking Yi Island... Thinking Yi... it clearly means Thinking of Su Yi!"
"Miss, don't you think my deduction makes sense?"
"The master of this Thinking Yi Island must be one of His Majesty's lovers!"
"And judging by her strength, she's not someone to take lightly!"
"Ugh, Miss, you've got yet another love rival, and this one is especially terrifying!"
Qing'er muttered, clearly frustrated with the Emperor.
Hearing her words, Empress Wu Zhao was also slightly surprised.
Though it sounded like nonsense, it might actually make sense.
Thinking Yi Island.
It really did match what Qing'er said.
Could it be... the Island Master of Thinking Yi Island really had a connection with His Majesty?
Even God Demon Realm cultivators only had a 30% chance of survival there.
No matter what, this woman could not be underestimated.
She must be monitored closely in the future.
==========
Chosen Consorts Palace.
When Xue Yuan, Wan Wan, Shi Feixuan, and Huang Rong saw Thinking Yi Island's name, they all frowned slightly.
They were particularly sensitive to the word "Yi"."
More precisely, Su Yi.
There was a high chance this was a reference to him.
"Sister Xue Yuan, do you think this means Thinking of Su Yi?"
"I was thinking the same."
"Huh! Funny. Just now, I was also suspecting that the Island Master of Thinking Yi Island has an unusual connection to that big scumbag."
"Enough guessing! Even if that's true, her situation is probably just like ours."
"Hmph! All this is that damn scumbag's fault."
"How many women has he hurt, making them miss him so deeply every day?!"
==========
And not just them, elsewhere, Murong Qiudi, Lin Shiyin, You Ruo, and Song Yuhua had similar suspicions.
However, compared to the other four, their attitude was more composed.
In their minds, the future was what mattered most.
As long as they kept cultivating hard and increasing their strength.
Heavenly Human Realm, Mythical Realm, God Demon Realm!
They could continue to walk beside that scumbag.
Their sights were already set on the distant future.
Sure, he had many women now.
But a hundred years later, how many would still remain?
Two hundred? Three hundred years?
Once someone reached the Land Heavenly Human Realm, each minor stage granted hundreds of additional years of life.
The gap... was beyond imagination.