The Rich Cultivator-Chapter 369 - 368. Gaze Island

Two days later...

The White Pearl glided gently through the skies, its sails catching the wind as it approached a mysterious floating island. From above, the island looked like an uneven oval, its curves resembling a sleeping beast. But it was the massive hollow in the center that caught everyone’s attention—perfectly round, deep, and dark.

From a distance, the entire formation resembled an enormous eye.

And when one aligned their gaze just right—looking at the sun or moon through that central hollow—it truly felt as if a giant, unseen eye was staring back.

Because of this strange optical illusion, the island had long been called Gaze Island.

The White Pearl was immediately intercepted by a scanning beam the moment it approached the vicinity of the floating island. The beam enveloped the ship in shimmering light and lifted it effortlessly toward a designated docking platform hovering near the island’s edge. This was the work of the Island Master, who used advanced formations and mana arrays to operate the docking process.

Of course, such service wasn’t free.

"Another Ten Thousand Lydia gone," Darla muttered, pouting as she watched the payment transfer automatically through the ship’s embedded formation. "This island better be worth it."

But despite their usual excitement over exploring new places, shopping, and sightseeing, the girls didn’t rush off the ship as they normally would. Today, they waited.

They were waiting for their captain.

A tense silence settled over the ship, only broken by the occasional breeze and the sound of distant waves below.

Suddenly, a soft beep rang out.

Lily’s watch flickered.

She blinked, immediately pressing two fingers to her wrist as she channeled a sliver of divine sense into the artifact. A projection shimmered into view—hazy at first, but quickly sharpening into the unmistakable image of Tyler White, floating in water and looking half-drenched and half-dead.

"Captain!" Lily gasped, eyes widening. "You’re alive!"

Her tone was a mix of ’shock’ and suppressed relief. She had kept her composure for the past two days, but deep down, she’d been worried sick.

"Tyler..." Mana happily shouted.

"Boss!" Darla shouted joyfully, popping into view beside the projection.

Tyler raised an eyebrow, his image flickering as he floated in what looked like open sea.

"What? You girls were already eager to become widows?" he said dryly, cracking a grin despite his tired appearance.

All three of them blushed at once.

"B-Bah! Who’s your wife, huh?" Mana huffed, crossing her arms. "You don’t even have the courage to marry us!"

"Hah... What a beautiful sky," Tyler said quickly, glancing upward with exaggerated admiration. It was a clear attempt to dodge the topic.

Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled faintly. "Enough joking. What happened? Where are you right now?"

Tyler exhaled slowly, as if recounting the memory drained him more than the event itself.

"That Feng guy..." he muttered. "He’s terrifying. I’m serious—if he sneezed in my direction, I’d be paste on the ocean floor."

He paused before continuing, a shadow flickering across his face. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"My plot armour is something else." Tyler said, a hint of lingering fear in his voice. He knew he was incredibly lucky—Feng Feiyan hadn’t tried to kill him during their first encounter, and even more fortunate that he had been unable to attack during the Abyss Breakout.

"I was lucky. When he attacked, I used a Perception Distort Charm at the very last second. It only worked for a moment, but that was all I needed. I swapped myself with a clone I made using my copper pot. Then I activated my Phantom Mask and used every concealment charm I had—some worked for only a second or two against an Immortal, but I stacked them and kept swimming further into the sea."

Tyler’s eyes darkened.

"I dodged the attack... but the aftermath still hit me. My clone was destroyed instantly, and even though I escaped the brunt, the shockwaves nearly tore off my limbs. I’ve been floating in this cursed sea ever since, alone and using my divine sense every few seconds to activate more concealment charms. Sea beasts... energy storms... and that Feng guy’s lingering presence. It’s been hell."

He paused again, letting his words sink in.

"But I think Feng Feiyan left once he confirmed I was ’dead’. He probably didn’t want to linger with his cultivation injured."

Lily’s brows furrowed. "What about your injuries? Are you okay?"

Tyler gave a weak smile. "The Kun Peng Art saved me. One of its abilities allows me to heal using water. Since I’ve been soaking in the sea for two days straight, my wounds are mostly healed. But I’m still too weak to move properly."

There was a moment of silence on the call.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" Lily asked, already preparing her Waypoint Terminal.

"No. Don’t," Tyler said quickly, shaking his head. "I’m not entirely sure Feng Feiyan is gone. He’s tricky. Let’s play it safe. Give me a few more days, maybe a month at most. I’ll make my way back to you."

The projection flickered, his expression softening slightly.

"You girls should enjoy Gaze Island while you’re there. I’ve heard there are some historical ruins and ancient relics as sightseeing."

Lily gave him a look, but nodded. "Alright. Just don’t go dying for real next time."

Tyler chuckled. "I’ll try my best."

After a bit more light conversation—and a few more sarcastic remarks about becoming widows—the projection faded.

Lily stared at her now-dim watch for a moment, exhaling slowly.

"He’s alive..." she murmured, finally letting the tension go.

Darla leaned against the railing, stretching her arms. "So... now what?"

"Where’s that pervert?" Lily asked suddenly, glancing around.

"Huh? You mean Mathilda?" Mana blinked. "She’s playing with a girl in the pocket dimension. She muttering something like If Tyler met with accident. Then these Girls are all mine."

"Again?" Lily narrowed her eyes. "Let’s go drag her out."

"Let’s," Darla agreed with a grin.

And with that, the girls left the deck, their steps lightened with renewed energy. Their captain was alive. That was all that mattered—for now.

┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉

Meanwhile, Tyler was still floating alone in the vast, open sea. Thanks to the high-grade concealment charms layered around him, he remained undetected by sea beasts, pirates, or passing cultivators. The ocean waves cradled him like a tired traveler, and for once, silence wasn’t a burden—it was a blessing.

It took another two days for Tyler to fully recover. The Kun Peng Art’s passive healing ability allowed him to draw vitality from the surrounding water, accelerating his recovery, but not without a price. His body still ached, and his movement was sluggish, like someone who’d just escaped death. Well, he technically had.

During these two days, he received a couple of unexpected calls through his divine communicator crystal.

The first one came from Kyla. Or rather, both Kylas.

There were two Kylas in Tyler’s complicated life—Human Kyla and Rabbit Kyla. Somehow, both had called at the same time, which resulted in a somewhat chaotic conversation.

Human Kyla was visibly upset that Tyler had left without a word. She scolded him like a nagging wife who found her husband sneaking off to a brothel in the middle of the night. Her words were sharp, but beneath them, Tyler could hear the concern.

On the other side, Rabbit Kyla was as unpredictable as ever. Though she had already married Brolin, she still talked to Tyler like they were lifelong lovers separated by cruel fate.

In the end, he promised both a passionate reunion. Whether that would be simultaneous or separate, he didn’t dare clarify.

After ending the call and breathing a sigh of relief, another message pinged into his communicator. This one carried a far heavier weight.

It was Ellen—the third-ranking powerhouse of Starfire Academy, after the Principal and Vice Principal. More importantly, she was the mother of Elowen, the witch in the south who helped Tyler once.

Ellen’s expression was calm, but her tone carried subtle displeasure.

"You didn’t even tell me after what we shared," she replied. "After you made me pregnant, you disappeared."

Tyler’s heart skipped a beat, and despite his ability to breathe underwater, he choked on a gulp of ocean water. He coughed violently, nearly losing control of his concealment charms.

"W-What!?"

Ellen chuckled softly. "Relax. I’m joking..."

Ellen laughed and clarified that she was only teasing, though a hint of disappointment lingered in her voice. To celebrate his graduation, she had "gifted" herself to him for a night. With her eccentric sense of humor, she even took a picture afterward and sent it to her daughter, Elowen.

What made it even weirder was Elowen’s casual reply—she said she was busy at the moment but suggested that the three of them should meet in a few years and have threesome together.

Tyler was mildly tempted, but his current schedule left no room for such distractions.

After a bit more casual talk, the call ended.

"Hmm.. That’s Two Threesome booked.... " Tyler Muttered.

Days continued to pass.

Tyler had underestimated his injuries. Though most of the surface wounds had healed, the deeper damage to his bones and meridians lingered. He could barely lift his limbs without strain, and attempting to activate complex techniques was like trying to breathe through a straw.

Still, the sea didn’t abandon him. The waves gently carried him along their current until he eventually drifted onto the shore of a small, unnamed island.

The golden sands were warm under his weakened body. He lay there, half-buried in sand, gazing at the sky. Clouds drifted above lazily, unaware of the chaos in the world below. For a moment, he let himself relax.

But that peace didn’t last long.

He sensed someone approaching—light footsteps, not too fast, but confident. Feminine.

Rather than panic, he closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious. Maybe, just maybe, whoever it was would mistake him for dead and leave him alone.

"Wow... I found a husband!" a cheerful, slightly flirtatious voice exclaimed.

Tyler internally groaned. Why do I always attract the weird ones?