"Enough."
Chen Ye grabbed his wrist, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
Not to mention that Hee Qi was currently his most important clue, and the friendship between them was deep. How could he let him end his own life?
Fortunately, Hee Qi was severely injured, making it easy to stop him.
"Rest easy. When you entrusted your daughter to me, how could I let you down? She lives within the Inner Valley of Lisong Valley, and no one knows her identity."
"Really?" Hee Qi’s voice trembled, "My daughter... is she really safe?"
"Not only safe, but she’s also grown quite a bit."
Chen Ye patted Hee Qi’s shoulder, his tone gentle,
"I’ve arranged for the valley’s maidservants to take care of her. She practices cultivation daily and is quite joyful."
She truly has grown quite a bit.
Chen Ye had personally measured Little Shuyao’s height. Although this little girl was very introverted, she was quite close to him.
Hearing this, Hee Qi’s tense body relaxed, and he solemnly bowed to Chen Ye: "Brother Chen, your great kindness, I will never forget!"
"Don’t thank me just yet." Chen Ye’s expression turned serious, "The priority now is to understand the situation inside the Grotto Heaven. What happened between you and the demon cultivator?"
Hee Qi wiped his tears, his expression complex:
"It’s not that I don’t want to tell Brother Chen, but I cannot say."
Chen Ye understood: "You were planted with the Emotion Crossing Seed?"
He had long heard Mao Qingzhu explain to him that the Emotion Crossing Sect used a method called Emotion Crossing Seed to control their cultivators.
For example, the two loose cultivators who had previously tried to assassinate him were planted with Emotion Crossing Seeds.
If it weren’t for that demon cultivator entering the Grotto Heaven, she probably would have come to find me herself...
Hee Qi nodded silently, this restriction runs deep into the divine soul, restricting everything:
"If it weren’t for the restriction of divine sense in Songyang Cave Heaven, she would sense every word I say. Fortunately, now I just can’t speak key information."
"That won’t be a problem..." Chen Ye thought for a moment and began to question indirectly.
Sure enough, with divine sense being restricted inside Songyang Cave Heaven, the so-called Emotion Crossing Seed was not as magical as rumored outside.
It didn’t take long for Chen Ye to deduce most of it.
It was likely that Hee Qi had inadvertently run into this demon cultivator inside the Grotto Heaven and was put under a restriction, being ordered by him.
But because of this, the demon cultivator helped him reach Foundation Establishment for easier control.
As for Bai Susu, she was in the Realm of Unity.
She had deep hatred with the Emotion Crossing Sect, chasing down the demon cultivator deep into the Realm of Unity.
However, she was trapped using a stone stele.
Her current location was within the Ninth Layer Heaven of the Realm of Unity.
"A stone stele? Right... This stone stele was originally to seal Golden Core cultivators, trapping Bai Susu would not be impossible."
Chen Ye mused, looking at the little white fox: "Xiao Bai, do you know what’s special about the Tao Stele of the Ninth Layer Heaven’s Golden Core?"
The little white fox tilted its head, thinking for a moment, and suddenly its eyes lit up, gesturing with its small paws.
"You mean..." Chen Ye frowned, "The Tao Stele of the Ninth Layer Heaven is different from the others?"
The little white fox nodded vigorously, then made a "hug" gesture and pointed to its own head.
"Related to the divine soul?" Chen Ye guessed with dissatisfaction.
That damned little fox, it could clearly speak to me directly...
"Chirp chirp!" The little white fox jumped with excitement, indicating that Chen Ye had guessed correctly.
Hee Qi was stunned watching this: "This fox... is so intelligent?"
"Xiao Bai’s background is extraordinary," Chen Ye simply explained, then fell into deep thought.
The Ninth Layer Heaven records divine soul cultivation techniques?
The Emotion Crossing Sect’s primary cultivation technique happens to be divine soul techniques...
Chen Ye nodded: "There’s no time to lose. But before that..."
He took out the damaged inner armor of Wei Shu from the Storage Ring: "Brother Hee, since you’ve reached Foundation Establishment, this Second Tier defensive magical treasure is for you. Although it’s damaged, it’s better than nothing."
Hee Qi took the inner armor, feeling so moved that he couldn’t speak.
A Second Tier magical treasure is so precious, even if damaged, it is still a treasure for a loose cultivator like him.
"Brother Chen..." Hee Qi’s voice choked, "I..."
"No need to say more." Chen Ye waved his hand to interrupt, "This is a gift, but I have a request. Brother Hee, you’re among the first cultivators to enter the Grotto Heaven and survive. You should have quite a few Second Tier spiritual objects, right? Do you have any Earth type spiritual objects?"
This was his true intention.
On his journey, Chen Ye had obtained no less than three Second Tier spiritual objects, not to mention Hee Qi, who had been fighting in the Grotto Heaven all along?
It wouldn’t be appropriate to directly ask for something without offering anything, so exchanging a damaged old inner armor seemed fitting.
Hee Qi was slightly taken aback: "Brother Chen, you’re straightforward. To be honest, I did acquire some spiritual objects."
He reached into the Storage Bag and after a moment of searching, took out a fist-sized brown Crystal Stone, its surface covered with fine patterns, with a faint earth-yellow Spiritual Light flowing.
"This is Earth Vein Mysterious Crystal, a Middle Grade Second Tier Earth type spiritual object, which I obtained in the depths of the Earth Region."
Hee Qi handed the Crystal Stone to Chen Ye, with a trace of reluctance in his eyes but a very straightforward tone,
"If it weren’t for Brother Chen telling me that my daughter is safe, I might have lost hope long ago. So this item is a gift in thanks to Brother Chen."
Chen Ye took the Earth Vein Mysterious Crystal, feeling a weight in his palm, as if holding a small mountain, exuding a thick and solid aura.
"Such pure Earth Spiritual Power!" He rejoiced inwardly, for this was the last Earth type spiritual object he needed for Foundation Establishment!
"Brother Hee, I cannot thank you enough," Chen Ye bowed solemnly, "Once we’re out of the Grotto Heaven, I will certainly repay you."
Hee Qi waved his hand, looking a bit weary: "Brother Chen, no need to be so courteous. It’s mutually beneficial. The urgent matter now is to head to the Ninth Layer Heaven quickly. That demon cultivator is cunning, and True Inheritor Bai has been trapped for a long time, I’m afraid..."
Before he could finish, a sudden, intense Spiritual Power fluctuation came from afar, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
"Chirp chirp chirp!"
The little white fox’s fur stood on end, its small paw pointing towards the distance.
Chen Ye and Hee Qi exchanged a glance, nodding simultaneously.
"Go!"
The three of them and the fox swiftly headed towards the source of the fluctuation.
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding scenery became increasingly eerie.
The originally broken stone steles gradually became whole, even emitting a faint golden light.
"Be careful, we’re already at the edge of the Eighth Layer Heaven," Hee Qi whispered, "I’ve been here before. Ahead is where many cultivators are said to be located, known as the ancestral land of the White Fox Race. The White Fox Race is inherently lazy, but they love hoarding. There’s much treasure inside! That’s why most of the remaining cultivators are here."
"Chirp chirp!"
The little white fox’s eyes gleamed, but it was displeased to hear Hee Qi call them lazy.
What’s called lazy? The white fox just doesn’t want to fight!
"Hmm? The little white fox’s original home..."
Chen Ye glanced at the little white fox nestled in Zhiwei’s arms.
He had been curious about the little white fox and wanted to know where this little fox used to live.
As they delved deeper, the glow of the stone steles intensified.
In the distance, a golden pillar of light shot skyward, illuminating the entire Eighth Layer Heaven as if it were daylight.
"This is... the power of the Golden Core Tao Stele?" Chen Ye stared in shock at the scene.
"Chirp chirp??" The little white fox was equally shocked, fearfully burrowing into Zhiwei’s arms, "Chirp..."
Chen Ye felt a sinking feeling, the little white fox meant that someone was using the array to seize the power left by the Songyang Sect.
In other words, the cultivation of those who were forcibly refined into the stone steles!
But now, there was no time to dwell on it, they had to keep going.
After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, a ruin bathed in soft white light appeared before them.
Yes, a ruin.
The ancestral land of the White Fox Race, described as a paradise by the little white fox, was actually just a ruin.
Before their eyes were only broken walls, collapsed wooden houses, long covered by moss and vines.
The gate of the Cave Mansion lay shattered, faintly visible was a sword mark bisecting the ancestral land.
"Chirp chirp?"
The little white fox was stunned, emerging from Zhiwei’s arms.
It walked aimlessly through the ruins on its short legs. It sniffed the cold stone steps with its small nose; it clawed at the dirt with its small paws repeatedly.
Confused and puzzled.
Where did its beautiful home go??