Chapter 219: Mysterious Fire Titan

"Would you mind if I took your pulse?"

The Empress's eyes widened in surprise, and a blush instinctively spread across her beautiful face.

It was well known that even the imperial physicians in the palace were all women. The Empress had never allowed a man to touch her in her entire life; Xu Yang was the sole exception.

Streams of qi flowed from the Empress's pulse point into her meridians. After a short while, Xu Yang sighed softly.

"Only five of your eight meridians are open. This should be the root cause of your Frigid Moon Art's backlash, where the cold energy is unable to dissipate and remains trapped within your body. It appears that the extremely cold inner core of the Ice Heart Dragon alone isn't potent enough. If we find an opportunity during this sea expedition to acquire an inner core with pure Yang attributes, your condition should be curable."

Xu Yang's words astonished the Empress once more. The torment of the invading cold energy had significantly affected her state of mind, preventing her from truly cultivating with peace, which greatly restricted the speed of her realm advancement. If, as Xu Yang suggested, such an opportunity arose, it would undoubtedly be a profound act of grace for the Empress.

"If you can truly cure this stubborn illness of mine, I can promise you one thing. As long as it's within my ability, I will grant your wish."

Xu Yang chuckled, "It's a deal then."

At the end of the Seven-Section Sea Demon Pillar, as the dazzling golden radiance faded, the East Sea before them seemed to have transformed completely.

No more wild, surging tides appeared. The air had also become much clearer, and under the sunlight, the word "fairyland" came into everyone's view.

"Heavens, *this* is the true East Sea!"

Faintly, auspicious spirit beasts could be seen soaring across the clouds and sky. From time to time, immortal mountains and islands were scattered in all directions across the sea. Little did they know, this was the true East Sea that people longed to find!

"As expected, the outer region of the East Sea is a completely different concept from here. The Taotie must be hidden somewhere among the mountains and islands here."

As Xu Yang spoke, he suddenly recalled the map he had brought from the Thousand Cloud Sect. However, it didn't contain overly detailed records of these islands, only markings for five of the most important core strongholds in the East Sea.

"The Eight Gates belong to Qian, the ultimate Yang position! It seems the island ahead must be a place with concentrated Yang energy. Let's go there and see; we should find something."

Xu Yang proactively spoke to Tuoba Hong. In fact, everyone in his team also wanted to explore, hoping for some fortuitous encounters.

After all, exploring the sea was inherently a process of seeking opportunities. Although their ultimate goal was the Taotie, such an ancient spiritual creature was certainly not something that could be found overnight. Exploring around beforehand, if they gained anything, would make the trip worthwhile.

Only the Empress clearly understood that Xu Yang's arrangement to go to that island was likely for her sake.

After the boat docked, Xu Yang and his group of ten disembarked onto the island one after another. This solitary island in the sea was vast, densely covered with jungles and abundant in spiritual energy. However, the occasional roars of fierce beasts naturally proved the existence of hidden dangers.

The more spiritually vibrant a place was, the more likely powerful life forms existed there.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Suddenly, a rustling sound emerged. Xu Yang and the others gazed into the distance, only to see seven or eight monkeys darting out from the jungle.

"Those are... Ghost-Eyed Spirit Apes! Heavens, legend has it that wherever these monkeys live, there must be heaven-and-earth divine materials and spiritual treasures being nurtured. It seems we're bound to have extraordinary gains in this jungle!"

The shortest among the group of seven spoke excitedly. But then, as if realizing something, they glanced unusually at Xu Yang, then at their leader Tuoba Hong, and finally said, "Everyone, this jungle is quite vast, and our time is limited. How about we split up here? Three days from now, regardless of whether we've gained anything, we'll all return to this starting point and regroup. What do you all think?"

Before Xu Yang and the Empress could speak, the others eagerly responded. The reason was simple: if they followed Xu Yang and the Empress, any treasures found would undoubtedly be prioritized by those two. With their own strength, the others couldn't contend for anything. By splitting up, Xu Yang and the Empress's advantage would be infinitely diminished.

"I have no objection, Senior Tuoba?"

"Very well! Once we obtain things we don't need, we can also exchange them among ourselves. So, three days from now, let's regroup here and then disband on the spot!"

Tuoba Hong seized the opportunity, using the excuse Xu Yang provided to immediately disband the team. Following suit, the seven separate groups quickly vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

In the blink of an eye, only Xu Yang and the Empress remained in that place.

"Hiss... Hiss..."

Just then, the little dragon python once again slithered out of Xu Yang's sleeve.

"Boss, those people aren't brainless, are they? If they followed you, they'd get whatever they wanted, but they insist on guarding against you to search on their own. Not to mention whether they can even defeat the big creatures on this island, it's really a headache."

Xu Yang chuckled, "I know you can do it. Come on, lead us to the target. Your sense of smell has finally come in handy."

The Empress was greatly surprised, only then realizing that Xu Yang had already planned ahead. With the dragon python there, the aura of any powerful creature on the island would definitely not escape Xu Yang's control.

Following the little snake's direction, they advanced quickly. Within two hours, Xu Yang and the Empress precisely located the central area of the island's dense forest. The moment they stepped into this central zone, a powerful aura of pressure surged towards them.

"Heavens, that's..."

The Empress's eyes revealed her shock. Before them stood a colossal, fire-red ape, fully five meters tall. It was the island's strongest inhabitant – the Profound Fire Titan!

"This massive creature is the king among fire-elemental spirit beasts that are a hundred thousand years old. If we can successfully acquire its inner core, the poison from your mere Frigid Moon Art will surely be completely purged."

"But..."

A hint of hesitation appeared on the Empress's face. She knew that the giant ape's strength was far beyond her ability to resist. To conquer it, she would undoubtedly have to rely on Xu Yang's intervention again. Having asked for his help multiple times, she felt she owed him far too much.

Xu Yang, however, didn't consider these things. He immediately shot forward, heading towards the giant ape's position, but he didn't attack right away.

"Ape Brother, may I borrow your inner core for a moment?"

Xu Yang's words were brief, but the large ape in front of him took them as a joke.

"Where did this idiot come from, asking a hundred-thousand-year-old natural spirit king for its inner core? Or do you really think I'll give it to you?"

Xu Yang shrugged indifferently, "To give or not to give, that's your decision. I can't decide your choice, but I do have the power to change a choice that doesn't satisfy me."

"Oh? You've got some nerve!"