460 Chapter 460

The people of Shuizhou are stationed in the desolate swamps; they are everywhere, both above and below ground.

Xing Chun quietly turned back to look for Yu Sui and the other two in the wilderness, but they were nowhere to be found.

Sheng Fei did not stop searching for people because he believed Gu Gan's words: "If Sui Sui wants to kill me, she will definitely go to Nanjing with me, and we will meet again in Nanjing."

Zhongli Que, having foreseen that Yu Sui would be safe and sound, did not continue to obstruct the process.

Yu Sui did not respond to Shancheng; instead, she led A Ling deeper into the wilderness.

Ah Ling would frequently turn back, her gaze falling upon a desolate landscape she had never seen before. Occasionally, she would pass by reed beds and swamps, always both curious and wary, never leaving her sister's side. Yu Sui was fairly tolerant of her; when in a good mood, she would say a few more words, but when she was too lazy to respond, she would let her search for the information herself from the memory points.

Only after Yu Sui was certain that Mei Liangyu wouldn't be able to come out anytime soon did he start focusing his time on A Ling.

She began to study the insect mother that was integrated with the light nucleus.

According to Xuehe, their ultimate research goal is the Dao Gu worm body.

The goal is to fight against the Legalist Heavenly Punishment Bloodline and vie for the right to inherit the throne of Nanjing.

That's a truly outlandish and extravagant idea.

Yu Sui asked A Ling, "Do you want the Legalist Heavenly Punishment, or the Taoist Gu Worm Body?"

Ah Ling asked, bewildered, "Sister, what is the Legalist concept of divine punishment?"

Yu Sui: "See for yourself."

Ah Ling rummaged through the memory points and understood about a tenth of it. Feeling very impressed, she excitedly asked Yu Sui, "So what I possess now is the Dao Gu Insect Body?"

“No,” Yu Sui shook her head.

"Then can I possess the Legalist Heavenly Punishment?"

Yu Sui said, "No."

After thinking about it carefully for a while, Ah Ling nodded and said, "Then whatever you say I can have, I will take."

Yu Sui was fiddling with the bottles and jars on the table when she heard this. She turned around and glanced at the little girl, who was naturally sweet-talking.

She beckoned to Ah Ling, signaling her to come and take all the medicine on the table. Ah Ling did as she was told. "Sister, how long are we going to stay here?" Ah Ling looked up at the thatched hut they had found in the deserted area; it looked like it belonged to an elderly person who had lived for decades.

Are you in a hurry to go somewhere?

"I want to go to the city and have a look!" Ah Ling's eyes lit up.

"Then let's go."

“But I want to go with my sister!” Ah Ling said honestly, “I’m scared to go alone.”

Yu Sui watched her finish the medicine, then gently pinched her chin and looked her over. He took her pulse and asked if she had any symptoms after taking the medicine. A-Ling shook her head. She didn't have any of the poisoning symptoms Yu Sui had described.

“It’s true that you’re immune to all poisons,” Yu Sui said. “But apart from the viper worm, you can’t control other insect-like Gu worms. Can you hear their voices?”

Ah Ling shook her head and said, "I can hear the chirping of insects, but I can't hear most of them."

Yu Sui patted her head and said, "Go play."

Ah Ling then left the thatched hut and went out to "explore." She used her Nine Streams Technique to catch birds and insects in the streams and reed beds.

Yu Sui sent Wan Qi the record of A Ling's reaction to the drug trial.

Wan Qi replied to her: "They have proven that the transformation of a worm into a dragon is just a legend and is impossible to achieve."

"The body of the Dao Gu worm is also a dream."

"The biggest gain from the viper experiments for them was that the toxins excreted by the vipers could be made into orchid poison, but what shocked me the most was that it could evolve into a thirteenth-realm divine soul light core!"

"Where are you? I want to see the Insect Mother with my own eyes. I promise I won't tell Xing Chun."

Yu Sui didn't tell Wan Qi her location. She would have A Ling go find Wan Qi after her senior brother came out.

Although the Insect Mother merged with the Light Core, it did not fully acknowledge A-Ling. In Yu Sui's view, the Insect Mother possessed self-awareness; when it merged with A-Ling, it seemed more like it wanted to devour her, but it did not expect that A-Ling possessed a thirteenth-realm divine soul light core.

Ah Ling must master the five elements of Qi in order to prevent the Insect Mother from gaining the upper hand and overwhelming the power of the Light Core to devour her.

The mother insect was still a failure.

Yu Sui leaned against the table and chair, squinting as she glanced at the girl outside, her expression listless. Her gaze drifted aimlessly across the land before finally settling into the distance.

Such leisurely time was once a luxury for her.

Only after you have possessed what you desire can you truly let go of it.

Yu Sui no longer felt pain because of this, but instead marveled at how happy she could be in this world.

Why did I feel so depressed and resentful in the past?

Those reasons no longer seem so important.

Apart from the occasional flames that occasionally spread from my fingertips.

Yu Sui stared at her palm for a while. Now that she replaced the light core, she would not fall into a near-death state, so the fire spirit orb would not trigger the empathy.

I haven't felt any empathy in the past few years; it seems everyone is doing quite well.

Except for Mingyue Qing, who went mad and is now dead.

This guy... should be dead by now.

Yu Sui had a conjecture. "Bright Moon Azure" was causing the strange fires within the bodies of other World Destroyers to go out of control.

For others, deliberately putting themselves on the verge of death to establish empathy and make contact is too risky. Now, apart from Yu Sui, the other three can communicate with each other through the hidden passage provided by the Wind-Listening Ruler given to them by Yu Sui. Xue Mushi also controls several mountains in various places and has the highest authority with the mountain spirits, so he is not afraid of being investigated by the Communications Institute.

Yu Sui played with the wooden divination stick in his hand, pressing his fingertips against the smooth, cold surface of the stick.

Gongsun Qi is mentally unstable. When he's lucid, he chases after his enemies and attacks them. He might get arrested any day now.

Xue Mushi only wanted to live a quiet life in Taiyuan, avoiding worldly affairs, and would not give himself the opportunity to expose his identity as the destroyer of the world.

Han Ziyang is very busy.

Yu Sui put away the divine wood talisman, thinking that after her senior brother came out, she would check the situation of the stones on the ground before deciding where to go next.

Shui Zhou joined many sorcerers from various schools of divination, who worked day and night, almost sacrificing their lives, to divine the whereabouts of the world-destroying being. Yu Sui didn't think this method was useful, but there are always unexpected events in the world.

"Sister!" Ah Ling called from outside, clutching a silver fish in her hands, her face beaming with excitement. "I caught it! I caught the fish using the Eight Trigrams Life-Catching Technique! We can have grilled silver fish today!"

She can use the Eight Trigrams Technique to grill fish, but she must learn to control the heat, otherwise she will end up with a burnt, black fish.

Yu Sui said slowly, "I don't want to eat fish, so catch a rabbit instead."

"Okay! I'll go right now!" Ah Ling said confidently.

Before long, she began to worry: where would she find rabbits in this wilderness? In the end, only Ah Ling ate the fish, while Yu Sui stood alone on the hillside, gazing at the stars.

Looking at that slender figure, Ah Ling vowed in her heart that she would make sure her sister ate the rabbit she caught someday.

On the seventh day, Ah Ling was fast asleep in the thatched hut when Yu Sui, standing on the hillside, saw a figure approaching on the night breeze. "Senior Brother!" she called out to the figure. The night was hazy, and when Mei Liangyu got closer, Yu Sui noticed that he was covered in mud and gravel, filthy, and his exposed skin looked like it had been burned.

Mei Liangyu opened his arms to hug her, and Yu Sui did not stop him.

Yu Sui reached out and touched his face, brushing aside the dried mud to make sure there were no injuries beneath the charred grime. "It's alright," she said. Mei Liangyu laughed, "Alright what?" "Your face is fine." Yu Sui stood on tiptoe and kissed him. Mei Liangyu let out a soft groan, as if complaining that she only liked his face.

Mei Liangyu washed himself clean in the swamp water, and then told Yu Sui about his discoveries underground.

"This is a volcano that can move."

"A volcano?" Yu Sui sat sideways on the small boat, the new clothes that were going to be given to him draped over his arm. "Isn't it said that the mountain is full of sacred stones?"

“Yes, it is a single, enormous sacred stone, but it has many strange features.” Mei Liangyu nodded, took the clothes and put them on, saying to her, “I haven’t finished exploring it yet, so I came back early because I was afraid you would worry.”

Yu Sui asked curiously, "The people from the Water Boat are all studying the Sacred Stone down there. Senior Brother, didn't you encounter them when you came back?"

“I didn’t encounter them.” Mei Liangyu brought two fingers together and pointed a golden light core from between his eyebrows. It resembled a divine soul light core, with a black ring rotating around it. Yu Sui had seen the Heart of the Mechanism before, but every time he saw it, he couldn’t help but think that it was a miniature version of Saturn.

The core of the mechanism floats on the water's surface, reflecting the underground landscape: a fiery red ley line burning brightly, thick magma flowing like a torrent to every corner of the world. Extremely hot steam, nearly invisible, corrodes the mountain's rock layers, turning it black, like the black ash and debris prophesied to drift in the air.

The Heart of the Mechanism possesses the ability to dismantle all things. Mei Liangyu pointed to the reflection on the water and said, "It is a mountain that flows to all parts of the world. The water boat has not yet touched the earth's veins at the foot of the mountain, and this is the scene I see as I follow its earth veins."

Yu Sui couldn't help but glance at Mei Liangyu, checking again to see if he was intact, or missing an arm or a leg.

"Is this deep inside a volcano? Are we also within its volcanic area?"

Mei Liangyu nodded.

He told Yu Sui to wait there while he went back. Yu Sui watched as Mei Liangyu plunged into the water, peering out of the small boat. The mechanism was still beside her, reflecting the scene below on the rippling water.

Yu Sui saw black rock walls with fiery red patterns in the veins of Mei Liangyu Mountain, and magma flowing like a river underground. He felt terrified just looking at it and walking on it.

She saw Mei Liangyu carving characters and incantations on the black rock with a sharp dagger. She watched as a small stone suddenly fell from the incredibly thick wall and landed in his palm. Yu Sui blinked, then suddenly turned to the side, and a cluster of flames unexpectedly ignited on the cool, clear water.

This flame

Yu Sui immediately thought of Hai Huo, whom she had met in Taiyi.

After Mei Liangyu returned from underground, Yu Sui immediately asked, "Senior brother, is this sea fire?"

Mei Liangyu praised her with his eyes, then tossed the stone in his hand into the flames. The burning sea fire was instantly absorbed into the stone. The seemingly heavy black stone floated on the water like foam. The red veins on the stone appeared even brighter.

Yu Sui suddenly realized: "So that's how Taiyi's sea fire came about? Taiyi's sea also has burning volcanic veins. When they were mining sacred stones from these veins, did they also separate the sea fire from them?"

“The first batch of Fire-Absorbing Ice Stones that my father gave to Shui Zhou had the ability to block the five elements of Qi, and also had a super strong absorption capacity,” Mei Liangyu explained. “He discovered the burning mountain veins under the sea. He also said that there are many things hidden under the continent we live on. When the Fire-Absorbing Ice Stones were underground, they absorbed almost everything in the world, which is why there is land and seawater.”

"The Fire-Absorbing Ice Stone has a strong absorption capacity, capable of supporting the level of heaven and earth, so it is also suitable for strange fire."

“That sounds reasonable.” Yu Sui stared thoughtfully at the rocks floating on the water. “But didn’t Shui Zhou say that the Sea Fire was something they researched from the sea eye, something infinitely close to a different kind of fire?”

“Because my father gave them the Fire-Absorbing Ice Stone, but died without explaining why.” Mei Liangyu looked up in the direction of Taiyi. “Later, the Fire-Absorbing Ice Stone was kept in the hands of the Mechanists. Only the Mechanists of Taiyi had the strength to mine and refine it. The Sea Eye can indeed summon sea fire because it contains stripping runes, and the Sea Eye was originally born on the earth’s veins.”

"Beneath the Taiyi Sea, the water boat only found one mountain with fire-absorbing ice stones, not the entire mountain range. The fire-absorbing ice stones mined from this mountain did not have the same absorption capacity as those from the mountain range."

"Underground mountains?" Yu Sui stared at the branches of magma, which looked like cracks in the earth, stretching out to the edge of the world in dense lines from a distance.

She reached out and scooped up the stones floating on the water: "That sea fire is actually fire from stone, originating from the Sacred Stone Mountain Range underground, but this Sacred Stone Mountain Range is not unique to Taiyi."

Mei Liangyu suddenly asked, "What is the ruler of Taiyi?"

Yu Sui was stunned for a moment: "Twenty-four Sages?"

Mei Liangyu then asked, "What do the Twenty-Four Sages possess?"

"...The power of the Earth's core?" Yu Sui's eyes widened slightly, somewhat incredulous. "Senior brother, do you mean... the power of the Earth's core might exist outside of Taiyi?"

This was something Yu Sui had never considered. Taiyi's core power was famous because of the Twenty-Four Sages. In addition to granting the Twenty-Four Sages unparalleled power and the privilege of immortality, it also created many islands and endowed them with life.

“It’s just a guess, but I think it’s correct.” Mei Liangyu looked thoughtfully at the scene projected by the Heart of the Mechanism. “We need to confirm where the end of this mountain range is. Its energy is very strong. If the Water Boat discovers it, they will overturn their previous guess. And the sacred stone we found in Xiangshan City may indeed be able to stop the strange fire.”

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Yu Sui.

Yu Sui, however, was looking at the stone in his hand.

Her palms were icy cold; lately, many things had been difficult for her to absorb warmth in her hands, but this stone was gradually warming up in her cold palms.

Yu Sui stared at it, feeling as if she were staring at a fragment of a pagoda. An inexplicable attraction made her unable to look away for a short time, her soul immersed in it, as if she could see the fiery red veins of the earth that were flowing and burning deep underground through this stone.

"Sui Sui?" Mei Liangyu reached out and covered her eyes, pulling Yu Sui out of her world of stone.

“Senior brother, it feels a lot like the fragments of the Floating Pagoda to me.” Yu Sui rubbed his eyes. “Or is it that its absorption ability is too powerful for the World Destroyer?”

Mei Liangyu asked, "Does it absorb strange fire?"

Yu Sui paused in rubbing her eyes, and her expression turned strange.

That seems to be a valid interpretation. The anomaly just now wasn't just drawing away her consciousness; even her flesh and blood were stirring restlessly.

“I’ll go down with you and take a look,” Yu Sui said resolutely. “Let’s see where it ends.”

Mei Liangyu, however, was somewhat worried, fearing that the Sacred Stone Mountain Range underground truly possessed an unusual attraction to the strange fire. Yu Sui insisted, and Mei Liangyu, unable to argue with her, led everyone down with her.

The mechanism cut through the mountain, allowing them to walk deep underground in the darkness.

“At this point, the connection with the outside world is severed.” Mei Liangyu led Yu Sui along the road ahead. “We can’t sense the five elements of the outside world. The water boat has no mechanism and cannot reach this depth.”

They continued forward.

Black rocks undulate in the flowing lava, scattered sparks float in the air, and looking up, one sees a sky full of black ash.

Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu walked along the edge of the wall against the black rocks. These rocky mountains seemed to block the high temperature and flames that could destroy the world, with countless burning veins extending outward from the wall.

It's like walking through a scene from the apocalypse.

She joked, "Putting aside the strange fire that fell from the sky in the prophecy, if the underground volcano erupts, it will probably destroy the world before the strange fire does!"

Mei Liangyu suddenly stopped and turned to look at Yu Sui: "If the strange fire and the sea fire are the same, they both originated from fire within stone."

Yu Sui paused for a moment, then quickly followed his train of thought: "Assuming the power of prophecy separates the strange fire from the earth's veins, then we'll find a way to reseal it back into the sacred stone?"

Mei Liangyu raised an eyebrow, and Yu Sui then asked, "But how do we seal it?"

According to Yu Sui's idea, to seal the strange fire back into the "Sacred Stone," all five World Destroyers would have to be buried there. Yu Sui's suggestion was met with opposition from Mei Liangyu.

The two pressed on through the hellish landscape, walking for an unknown amount of time, until they came to a deep abyss. The dense, flowing magma veins looked as if they had been severed by a single stroke, revealing a crack. Yu Sui looked up at the rocky mountain and saw the clean, smooth cut.

She slowly turned her eyes and looked across at the other side.

Separated by a chasm, the same scenery is breathtaking. From the abyss rises scorching steam and crimson crystal flowers covering both sides of the mountain walls. The crimson crystal flowers gleam with an eerie light in the darkness, densely covering the mountain walls and extending towards the end of the abyss, beyond the reach of human sight.

Before seeing the Crimson Flame Crystal Flower, Yu Sui didn't take the speculation that the Sacred Stone could absorb strange fire seriously.

Mei Liangyu threw the dagger in his hand into the abyss, and it turned into black ash in the blink of an eye. He then threw the stone he had been using earlier, and it sank straight to the bottom.

Aside from the sacred stone, this abyss will devour everything and turn it to ashes.

"This seems interesting." Yu Sui murmured softly, raising her hand towards the abyss. "Senior brother, you should go further away."

"You want to use a strange fire?" Mei Liangyu said with a forced smile. "If you're not absolutely sure, I suggest you burn me too."

Yu Sui glanced back at him, then reluctantly withdrew her hand.

Well, she really wasn't sure.

"Those are the crimson flame crystal flowers that grow on Yan Yan's body. Gongsun Qi said that the power of the strange fire that Yan Yan bears is too strong, so the crystal flowers keep growing and withering. The crystal flowers are more like Yan Yan's means of dispelling the high temperature. If it can't bear it, it will be burned by the strange fire."

Yu Sui looked at the crimson crystal flowers growing on the mountain: "There are more and bigger crystal flowers here than on Yan Yan's body."

She fell into deep thought. Could this place really be related to the strange fire?

Mei Liangyu then approached the rocky mountain wall, carefully examining the cut and the crimson crystal flowers. What kind of power would it take to sever these earth veins? As he pondered this, he noticed that under the illumination of the crimson crystal flowers, there seemed to be something else on the mountain wall.

"Senior brother, I feel like there's some kind of barrier or restriction in front of us," Yu Sui asked doubtfully. "Those ashes can't fly out of the abyss."

Mei Liangyu made a hand seal with one hand, unleashing a hurricane from the Xun trigram. Gusts of wind blew away the ash covering the mountainside, revealing mysterious characters and incantations etched across its facets. Yu Sui, startled by the sudden hurricane, raised her hand to shield her eyes and turned to look. The ancient characters unexpectedly entered her vision; they flashed by rapidly, each one enormous like a golden statue, filling her entire field of vision, leaving her no way to avoid them.

With each flashing of the incantation, a tremendous sound seemed to awaken in Yu Sui's mind, like the roar of the sea, the collapse of tall buildings, and the breaking of bones, striking her soul.

Yu Sui's face turned deathly pale, and she forced herself to look away. "Sui Sui?" Mei Liangyu instantly returned to her side.

Mei Liangyu did not experience the unusual events that Yu Sui went through.

“Where have I seen those characters before?” Yu Sui came to her senses, grabbed Mei Liangyu’s hand, and was frowning as she tried to recall. Mei Liangyu had already given her the answer, “On the fragments of the Pagoda.”

"Yes! I recognize several of them, but how did they end up here?" Yu Sui struggled to turn around and take another look, but was shocked again. Mei Liangyu covered her eyes, pulled her back to her, and put a white ribbon over her eyes.

Yu Sui touched the ribbon and asked, "Why do you still carry this with you?"

Mei Liangyu: "This is what you left behind when you tied me up last time."

Yu Sui gave an "oh," sniffling somewhat shyly. Mei Liangyu glanced at her sideways; now she knew how to be embarrassed. "Try using your light core," he said. Yu Sui used the light core she released to examine the characters and incantations on the mountain wall, but she could only glimpse the edges; once the light core entered the abyss's range, it would turn to ashes.

“We can see it now.” Yu Sui was led forward by Mei Liangyu’s hand. “Some of the ancient characters on the mountain wall overlap with those on the fragments of the pagoda. Could this be the Heavenly Script that Gao Tianhao is looking for?”

“It’s not certain yet.” Mei Liangyu led her to the foot of the mountain wall and looked up at the opposite bank of the abyss. “But we can confirm that these ley lines were connected before, but were eventually cut apart by some force, leaving behind mysterious restrictions on the mountain wall.”

“This restriction is related to the fragments of the Floating Pagoda, which in turn is related to the oath of non-aggression between the six kingdoms.” Yu Sui looked up and asked, “Senior brother, does this location correspond to the border of the Dan Kingdom?”

Mei Liangyu shook his head and replied, "No, this is still within the territory of Dan Kingdom, but it is not too far from the border."

"Actually, I've always been curious about how Mingyue Qing managed to control the strange fire to precisely burn down the Zhou Kingdom." Yu Sui reached out his hand, wanting to touch the sacred stone wall, but was caught by Mei Liangyu.

"I have also doubted the oath of no war between the six kingdoms. Its existence predates the prophecy of the strange fire by a long time. I wonder if the dividing line of the oath of no war is what binds the strange fire."

Just like how a saint's power is suppressed when he enters a certain area.

Yu Sui carefully examined the ancient and mysterious characters and incantations on the mountain wall, attempting to decipher them using the Nine Schools of Arts, but could only identify them as a type of restriction, unable to decipher their complete meaning.

She took out the characters and incantations from the previous rubbings of the pagoda fragments and compared them; the similarity was very high.

"Could the oath of non-war contract stone also come from here?" Yu Sui gently touched the mountain wall, then immediately withdrew it as if she had been electrocuted.

"What's wrong?" Mei Liangyu asked.

Yu Sui said, "I feel like I'm going to be sucked in." She looked serious. She hadn't been able to completely touch the mountain wall yet, but in that instant, a strong sense of crisis descended, warning her that she would surely die if she touched it.

Upon hearing this, Mei Liangyu led her back, making her stand at a safe distance and forbidding Yu Sui from getting close.

“This place is related to the oath of no war and the prophecy of world destruction. No wonder they haven’t discovered it for so many years. Without the Heart of the Mechanism to open the way, there’s no way to get here.” Yu Sui sighed softly. “Senior brother, you are like a guide or a key. If you leave it out, it will cause a bloodbath.”

Mei Liangyu looked at Yu Sui with amusement, still having the mind to tease him.

"Assuming this is the boundary of the oath of non-aggression, will these severed ley lines reconnect after the oath of non-aggression is lifted?" Yu Sui looked across through the emitted light core and could see the towering mountain wall and the glowing crimson crystal flowers on it.

“Now that all the fragments have surfaced, perhaps they are already taking action.” Mei Liangyu tapped the wall with his finger, pondered for a moment, and then said, “I think they are the same.”

The pagoda symbolizing the oath of non-war between the six kingdoms was built from the sacred stone before us, but it was imbued with a different kind of power.

Yu Sui said, "I gave those three fragments to Xue Mushi and Li Jinshuang. Li Jinshuang will give them to Nan Jing, as it was an agreement between us. As for Xue Mushi... he might give them to Taiyuan if he needs them."

As she spoke, she suddenly opened her eyes wide: "Senior brother, Xun Zhiya returned to Nanjing alive, will Li Jinshuang be purged?"

Mei Liangyu said, "She is now General Li of Nanjing, with both power and prestige. Even if she is convicted of dereliction of duty, it will not be too lenient or too severe."

After a pause, she added, "But she will definitely be targeted by Gu Gan in the future."

"Isn't Nan Jing under He Xinsi's control? He's the only one who can truly hold Li Jinshuang accountable right now." Yu Sui thought to herself, "When a dictatorial emperor encounters a protagonist like Gu Gan, who's all the rage, will he become his enemy or his ally?"

She said to Mei Liangyu, "Gu Gan is the protagonist in the storybook, and Xun Zhiya is the saintess of Nanjing. Now they have returned to seek revenge, and the script they have is not to be underestimated. He Xinsi is between the two of them. I don't know if she is the villain or the helper."

Mei Liangyu was amused by this statement and asked her, "Then what are you?"

"I'm just a passerby," Yu Sui said, shrugging playfully.

Mei Liangyu pointed at her and asked, "Then what are we?"

“Passerby A and Passerby B.” Yu Sui grabbed his hand and lightly pecked the back of it. “A pair.”

"Don't be so indecent in a place like this," Mei Liangyu said, feigning indifference and rejecting her advances.

Yu Sui shrugged: "Then don't keep bothering me."

"..."

"Senior brother, you're saying one thing and meaning another."

"..."

Mei Liangyu pulled her away, far from the mountainside, to the edge of the path. Beyond them stretched a vast expanse of lava, a truly terrifying sight. He was just about to continue his previous conversation with Yu Sui when his gaze caught a startling scene beneath the lava:

Beneath the flowing, crimson lava, there are black shadows. Those black vines and branches, which look as if they have been charred or withered for a long time, are twisted into strange, incomprehensible shapes, clinging to the edge of the lava like small boats that were loaded with lava but were crushed by it, swaying precariously.

What's amazing is that it exists in temperatures that can melt everything, and it looks charred black, reminiscent of death and ashes. But when Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu look at it, they feel that it has a vigorous and vibrant life force.

Just one glance at it is enough to feel the inspiration of its endless vitality.

"This is..." Yu Sui noticed it too, and leaned forward, "Is it a manifestation of the power of the Earth's core?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the black figure shot forward like a fish and disappeared without a trace.

Yu Sui: "It can understand human speech, so it ran away."

The two searched around for a while but couldn't find the vanished shadow. Mei Liangyu had never personally witnessed Taiyi's core power; she had only heard Chang Gen Saint and Mu Yong'an mention it. In her past memories, her father and mother had never mentioned anything related to it.

Mu Yong'an once used the Nine Schools of Famous Arts to sketch the image of the Earth's core power, which resembled the vines described by the Sage Chang Gen. A similar saying circulated in Taiyi: beneath the island lies a cradle woven from countless vines, thus protecting it from the engulfing sea and ensuring its safety.

Yu Sui then became interested and searched everywhere with Mei Liangyu for the shadowy vines.

The two stayed underground for three to five days.

When Ah Ling woke up, Yu Sui was nowhere to be seen. She waited pitifully outside for a long time, crying and apologizing to the air, thinking that she had done something wrong or was not obedient enough, which was why Yu Sui had abandoned her.

She cried herself to sleep, but when night fell, she felt someone touching her forehead and heard a voice saying, "Why did you fall asleep at the door?" Ah Ling jumped up and called out, "Sister!"

Mei Liangyu, who was already inside the house, turned around and asked, "?"

Yu Sui pushed Ah Ling away by pressing her index finger against Ah Ling's forehead: "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Sister! I'm not going anywhere! I'm going with you!" Ah Ling knelt on the ground and cried loudly.

She cried so hard, saying she had reflected on her mistakes, would definitely correct them, and would never lie to her sister again. Yu Sui was stunned by her words, turned to look at Mei Liangyu, and found that her senior brother was standing with his arms crossed, watching the commotion with amusement.

"Then it's up to you." Yu Sui smiled at A Ling. "Go pack your things, we need to leave here."

"Where to?" Ah Ling wiped away her tears and stood up.

Yu Sui said, "Let's go to the other side."

The underground Sacred Stone Mountain Range had been cut open, preventing Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu from crossing the abyss to the other side; they could only proceed on the surface. Upon reaching their estimated location, they found themselves in a desolate wilderness, very close to the border of the Dan Kingdom. However, despite using the Mechanism to infiltrate underground, they could find no trace of the Sacred Stone Mountain Range.

So they moved further away, to a border town, and even beyond the border, but still couldn't find the Holy Stone Mountains.

They could see the sheer mountain range across the abyss from underground, but searching from the surface, they couldn't find the right spot. After searching for almost half a month, Yu Sui lost interest in the matter.

“I don’t live off the Holy Stone, and it can’t suddenly pop out from underground and kill me instantly. I’m too lazy to look for it,” Yu Sui pulled the blanket over her head, “and went to sleep.”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Mei Liangyu looked at her with amusement: "Really not going to look anymore?"

"Even if they break their oath of non-aggression and cause the ley lines to explode, letting the lava erupt and burn the whole world, it's none of my business." Yu Sui's muffled voice came from under the covers, his tone lazy and a little mischievous. "Anyway, everyone will die eventually, no one can escape. They don't care, so why should we bother?"

Mei Liangyu thought for a moment and nodded, "Indeed."

Yu Sui poked her head out and looked at him seriously: "Senior brother, let others worry and be anxious about things, let them take the initiative to solve the problems themselves."

He used to lecture Yu Sui with grand principles, but now the tables have turned.

Mei Liangyu said jokingly, "Teacher Xiao Yu is right, I will listen to Teacher Xiao Yu."

Yu Sui blinked at the man's face as he suppressed a laugh. The marks that time had left on him were that the flamboyant and arrogant face he had first met had become calm and reserved, yet even more addictive.

“Senior brother,” she sat up, reached out and hooked her arm around Mei Liangyu’s neck, making him look at her, “Since you’re going to listen to Teacher Xiao Yu, then take off your clothes and come up to sleep.”

Mei Liangyu was taken aback by her bold statement, and subsequently obeyed her.

After abandoning their search for the Sacred Stone, Yu Sui left the desolate border town and went to the bustling capital. After showing A Ling around the capital, the two of them let her roam freely, only needing to return to their lodgings at designated times.

Yu Sui and Mei Liangyu went on a romantic getaway.

During this time, Yu Sui received a message from Wan Qi, asking her, "Have you picked up Zhao Xiang yet?"

"Did she run away on her own?" Yu Sui asked Mei Liangyu, playing with the wind-listening ruler. "The young girl has a strong personality and is a bit stubborn. Even after she has taken her revenge, she will still feel resentful."

The fire of hatred would forever burn in her heart.

Wan Qi said that Xing Chun had gone back to the village to look for Zhao Xiang, but he couldn't find her. After Shui Zhou took over the underground city, Wan Qi and Kong Yiyi went to Xuan Kui to keep their appointment to rescue people, leaving Xing Chun to mind the shop.

Mei Liangyu, with his back to her, examined the weapon box in front of him and asked, "Should we go back to find her?"

“We’ve already avenged her.” Yu Sui threw away the Wind-Listening Ruler, which had broken in two.

Forest road on the border of Denmark.

Zhao Xiang's five elements were sealed, and she was tied up and hung from a tree. She was covered in dust and looked dusty. At this moment, she was staring at the woman in the turquoise robe below the tree with her eyes wide open and her face full of resentment.

"What kind of people are you, three adults bullying a child like me!" Zhao Xiang shouted angrily.

Before Zhao Tingzhu could speak, Ji Jingcheng, who was roasting a rabbit over the fire, raised his hand and shouted, "Hey kid, don't falsely accuse me. I wasn't involved."

“I kindly came to help you with the procession, and you, instead of helping, bit me when I wasn’t looking.” Zhao Tingzhu held up her hand, revealing a faint bite mark on the back of her hand. “That’s called being ungrateful.”

Zhao Xiang spat at her: "Pah!"

Zhao Tingzhu was so angry at her attitude that she took a deep breath, turned around and lashed out at Jiang Fengyu, who was standing some distance away: "I'm going to kill that brat!"

Jiang Fengyu turned to look at Zhao Tingzhu, his gaze calm and unwavering: "If you fail to successfully guide the Zhao family's descendants, then that is your dereliction of duty."

Zhao Tingzhu inwardly cried out, "Why?" but outwardly she composed herself and faced Zhao Xiang again: "Consider yourself lucky! You were chosen from among many people to be a member of the Zhao clan of the Three Clans. The reason for this is to enable your body to absorb more and stronger Five Elements Qi and Divine Techniques than other sorcerers."

Zhao Xiang had been unconscious for several days and only just woke up. After hearing Zhao Tingzhu's words, she rolled her eyes and cursed, "What's the difference between you and those scoundrels in the village who cheat people out of money to learn low-class skills!"

"They charge you money and promise to teach you everything you need to know. You can't even do that, yet you're trying to scam people out of money!"

"You actually called me a swindler who cheats people out of money!" Zhao Tingzhu felt extremely humiliated. She clenched her fists and was about to explode in anger, but when she saw Jiang Fengyu walking over, she calmed herself down. "Get down here! I'm going to break your meridian reshaping!"

Zhao Xiang spat at her again: "Fine, then put me down! Who's afraid of you!"

Zhao Tingzhu swung her hand and cut the rope, intending to make Zhao Xiang fall and get bruised and battered. However, Zhao Xiang laughed and disappeared the moment she landed.

Jiang Fengyu stopped in his tracks, and Ji Jingcheng, who was roasting a rabbit nearby, also exclaimed in surprise, "Where is everyone?"

Zhao Tingzhu's expression changed instantly: "Shenji has no soil, how could this brat know Shenji Technique?" She stomped her foot, the ground shook and dust rose, and the five elements of energy extended outward.

Zhao Xiang, who was hiding underground, was spewed out by the mud, rolled around on the ground, and looked up in surprise.

"Trying to run away?" Zhao Tingzhu walked towards her.

In desperation, Zhao Xiang once again used the Divine Mechanism of No Earth to hide underground, but was quickly brought out by Zhao Tingzhu. She rolled on the ground and was then grabbed by the neck and lifted up by Zhao Tingzhu from a distance.

Zhao Xiang wanted to continue using the Divine Strategist Technique, but for some reason it didn't work.

"Let me go!" Zhao Xiang was still defiant, struggling and shouting, "Untie the rope and let's have a fair fight!"

Zhao Tingzhu was even angrier than her: "Who gave you the divine calculation technique!"

A person can only possess one Divine Mechanism Technique. Now that Zhao Xiang has lost the Earthly Branch, she cannot inherit any other Divine Mechanism Techniques. Therefore, her mission to guide others is considered a failure.

Zhao Tingzhu was furious. She spread her fingers slightly, her nails digging into Zhao Xiang's flesh: "Speak!"

Zhao Xiang frowned in pain and struggled with all her might, but in Zhao Tingzhu's hands, she was like a dying fish, powerless to resist. Even though she couldn't breathe and was caught between life and death, her eyes remained stubbornly defiant, without the slightest hint of compromise, but instead hiding a fierce hatred, as if silently saying: You'd better kill me, or I will definitely kill you.

Without uttering a sound, Zhao Tingzhu used her Nine-Style Technique, golden runes igniting deep within her pupils to probe into Zhao Xiang's memories.

The mountain village scenery from Zhao Xiang's memory appeared vividly in Zhao Tingzhu's mind, followed by her parents, villagers, and school. Just as she was about to uncover the truth, a mark deep within Zhao Xiang's soul suddenly exploded.

Zhao Tingzhu screamed and shook off Zhao Xiang, covered her eyes with her hands, and staggered backwards before Jiang Fengyu reached out to support her.

"What's wrong? What's wrong!" Ji Jingcheng jumped up in fright.

As Jiang Fengyu supported Zhao Tingzhu, he held a purple talisman between two fingers of his other hand. Two lines of imprisonment were drawn on the ground, trapping Zhao Xiang within them, and also trapping the golden sparrow spirit that flew out from her body.

The golden sparrow spirit was supposed to peck out Zhao Tingzhu's eyes, but Jiang Fengyu stopped it first. After trapping it in the circled prison, the spirit quickly shattered itself without leaving a trace.

Yu Sui, far away in the capital of Dan Kingdom, was walking in a dark alley when she suddenly looked up at the sky. She opened her hand, and a golden sparrow character appeared in her palm.

Mei Liangyu went ahead to open the courtyard gate and heard her say, "The anti-peeping spirit I placed in Zhao Xiang's body has been triggered. It seems the little girl has run into trouble."

As soon as she finished speaking, Mei Liangyu raised her eyebrows at the two people sitting in the pavilion in the courtyard and said, "The other one is in trouble too."

Yu Sui stepped out from behind him and met the gaze of the person who had gotten up in the pavilion.

"Oh, it's you two," the other person said in surprise. "The little lovebirds on the run, being hunted by Elder Chang."