Returning to the mugwort in the system space evokes a subtle, almost otherworldly feeling.

But when she looked down, she saw a bead of blood wrapped in a tuft of fox fur in her hand, and all the subtle emotions she had felt earlier vanished.

She pinched the fox's fur. Qingyun's fox fur was very soft and fluffy, and even though it was now crumpled up, it still felt very comfortable to touch.

The system let out a feeble groan: "Is this some kind of place where I can just come and go as I please...? Why did you bring things in again...?"

Artemisia looked up at the huge spindle-shaped body that was slowly emitting light.

The "tentacles" extending from the top and bottom of the spindle were longer and denser than the last time she had seen them. Most of the upper tentacles intertwined and formed a thick canopy that emitted a shimmering white light.

She guessed that the tentacles buried beneath the spindle-shaped structure and into the ground would also resemble tree roots.

The mugwort lay down beside the spindle and said, "You should get used to it by now."

"Do you think I can just get used to it because you say so!" the system retorted angrily. "I've watched you bring strange things here—and you've done it openly several times!"

Light flashed rapidly across the enormous spindle-shaped body.

Ai Cao replied in a calm tone: "Didn't the central platform say that these are all minor issues that won't affect operation?"

The system continued angrily: "Even if it doesn't affect operation—a problem is a problem!"

Artemisia smiled.

She reminded me, "The rewards you gave me before included a backpack slot. Is it possible that these items came in through that?"

The system said angrily, "How many backpack slots are there? How many items are you carrying? Don't think I can't do math! My underlying algorithm is updated in real time!"

The mugwort laughs silently.

A brief silence fell over the system space.

Looking at the starry sky, half of which was obscured by the tree canopy, Ai Cao said, "Qingyun has successfully ascended, hasn't he?"

The system said, "Yes."

Where did she ascend to?

The system was silent for a moment. Then, the sound of mechanical pages turning came from the spindle, followed by the system's voice: "Ascend to the upper realm."

"Where is the Upper Realm?" Ai Cao asked.

"The Upper Realm is the Upper Realm," the system said. "According to the original world's description of the Upper Realm, it is a place full of immortals, where everyone lives happily."

"If all the immortals in the upper realm ascended to heaven, then why do cultivators suddenly become happy when they move to a different place?" Ai Cao asked.

The system fell silent.

Ai Cao thought for a moment, then asked again, "If you still have the original memories, what's the difference between that and moving?"

The bright white spindle body flickered between light and shadow.

Artemisia said, "System, do you know the answer?"

"I don't know," the system said. "This entry isn't in the records provided to me by the original world. I just checked the records of other cultivation systems, but none of them could calculate a suitable answer."

"I can only say I don't know."

The sound from the system tablet carried a hint of annoyance.

Artemisia reached out and touched the roots of the spindle-shaped tree. The spindle seemed to draw energy from her action, and the light it emitted slowly brightened.

She gazed silently at the starry sky.

The pendant around her neck emitted a warm glow—after this small reminder, the shimmering white spindle-shaped pendant dimmed. The starry sky, previously obscured by half of the tree canopy, appeared even brighter and deeper.

She asked, "Who is it?"

The spindle suddenly lit up.

This time, the light it emitted was no longer white, but a vivid, blood-red. The red spread outwards from the center of its spindle-shaped trunk, like blood flowing from the heart to the limbs. Its lush canopy rustled, closing up like an umbrella.

Artemisia gazed calmly at the starry sky. A brighter star appeared in this sky, and they all joyfully revolved around the central star.

The remaining dim stars moved slowly across this boundless canvas, drawing different curves.

Ai Cao thought for a moment and said, "My mental strength is only D, so I can't understand what you're trying to say."

The stars in the sky stopped. Then they began to move at an even faster speed—as if each star had its own predetermined destination.

They quickly formed a line of words in the sky.

"It's been a long time."

The mugwort watched it silently.

The stars moved again.

"Proceed with caution."

"Wait a little longer."

"Soon."

Artemisia asked, "Who are you?"

The stars, which were shifting positions, stopped again. Ai Cao tried to understand what these stars were trying to tell her by carefully observing the starry sky—but her D-level mental strength firmly blocked her from exploring outwards.

No matter how hard the stars try, the mugwort only sees their outward appearance.

The stars simply gave up trying.

One by one, they jumped down from that starry sky, vying to be the first.

It rushed towards the mugwort.

Artemisia blinked, bewildered and confused. She watched as the starry sky, led by the bright main star, pressed down upon her—

But all the stars disappeared before the first star touched her body.

The spindle-shaped structure next to the mugwort also regained its luminous white glow.

The system asked, "Were you just asleep?"

Ai Cao smiled and said, "Right?"

"That's strange, you can still fall asleep here..." the system muttered, then asked, "But you've been traveling through several worlds already, do you want to rest here a little longer?"

Ai Cao yawned lazily: "It's impossible to really rest here."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!