At the heart of the back mountain lies a turquoise lake, filled entirely with spiritual water. Countless precious spiritual herbs grow within its depths, as readily as ornamental flowers. The lake is surrounded by picturesque scenery, with towering ancient trees stretching upwards as if piercing the sky. Countless spiritual herbs grow on the grassy slopes, and a rich spiritual energy permeates the air. An ancient and weathered aura firmly separates this place from the rest of the world.

No one has ever been able to reach the core area of ​​the back mountain. Even the most revered immortals would get lost in the turbulent flow of time and space and find it difficult to find their way back.

Apart from its master, no spirit beast or wild beast is qualified to enter this place. The only master here is so insignificant that it is easily overlooked. Sometimes it is a dewdrop on a blade of grass, sometimes it is a lotus petal, sometimes it is a gentle breeze, sometimes it is a pebble at the bottom of a lake, sometimes it is a butterfly, sometimes it is a kitten. More often than not, its consciousness is asleep, and its body has turned into nothingness, wandering alone in this space.

The moment Ye Xiruo and Xiu Qiyu entered the back mountain, dewdrops rolled down from a hundred-petaled lotus, but instead of disappearing directly onto the soft grass, they rolled several times on the ground as if they were alive, and then began to hop and skip like ping-pong balls, showing their happy mood.

That pleasant scent has finally reappeared; it wants to find it, it wants her to be its possession.

Ye Xiruo was unaware of all this. After she and Xiu Qiyu entered the back mountain, Xiu Qiyu immediately activated a protective shield, firmly protecting Ye Xiruo within it. Ye Xiruo then released her mental power and perception, constantly sensing the surrounding environment.

Many more attacking beasts crashed into the barrier set up by Xiu Qiyu and were killed by him.

Ye Xiruo discovered many spiritual herbs, but those of grade seven and above were guarded by spirit beasts. Ye Xiruo would first try to communicate with them, offering mature Transformation Grass in exchange for the herbs. Most of the intelligent spirit beasts would eagerly grab the Transformation Grass and disappear without a trace. Of course, there were also some stubborn spirit beasts that refused to leave. Ye Xiruo would simply instruct Xiu Qiyu to kill them.

Her gains along the way were quite substantial. It was extremely dangerous; Brother Xiu Qi's sword was constantly on guard against all sorts of dangers and unexpected attacks.

"Brother Xiu Qi, let's go to the space to rest!"

"That's not appropriate. We can't guarantee we're all around us. You can't take the risk. We should head back after we've walked a bit further." The taboos of the back mountain are hard to break; they should abide by the rules here.

Ye Xiruo took out the greenery, magnified it many times, turned it upside down, sprinkled poison and insect repellent powder around it, and had Xiu Qiyu set up several layers of formations before the two of them went inside.

Ye Xiruo took out a few luminous pearls, and the inside immediately became bright.

"Greenery is simply an essential item for any home."

Xiu Qiyu nodded: "The Palace Master will be angry if you do this."

"No, the alchemy cauldron wasn't originally designed for alchemy. It's just that most people use it for alchemy, and that's how it came to be called an alchemy cauldron. In fact, it has many uses. We need to discover them gradually."

Xiu Qiyu's expression, which seemed to say "you're right," left Ye Xiru speechless. Why did that look and expression show such disdain?

Xiu Qiyu held a high-grade spirit stone in her hand and began to rapidly restore her true essence. Ye Xiruo also swallowed several pills to restore her mental strength. In this strange and mysterious place in the back mountain, one must always maintain peak condition to deal with the endless dangers.

After recovering slightly and eating something, the two continued their journey to see if they could find anything. What surprised them most along the way was that they hadn't seen a single person. This was unusual; although the back mountain was dangerous, its patterns had been figured out over the years. During the day, the back mountain was similar to a regular monster forest, attracting many mercenaries, explorers, adventurers, and trial participants. Yet, Xiu Qiyu hadn't encountered a single person along the way—this was extremely strange.

"Little Leaf, something strange is going on in this place."

“I’ve noticed that too. Not only are there fewer people, but it also seems like there are far fewer wild beasts and spirit beasts. Look, the protective shield is still intact after all this time.”

"Be careful, there might be a powerful monster nearby."

"Why don't we leave?"

Xiu Qiyu nodded, prioritizing Xiao Yezi's safety above all else. Even if a shocking secret was hidden in the back mountain, it was beyond their capabilities to handle.

Ye Xiruo and Xiu Qiyu cautiously walked back. At this moment, Ye Xiruo seemed to sense a call from the underworld. She turned around and looked back. Suddenly, a snow-white little fur ball flew into Ye Xiruo's arms. The speed was so fast that Xiu Qiyu did not even have time to react.

Ye Xiruo gently pulled the little furball from her arms, her eyes meeting a pair of golden eyes with beautiful emerald pupils. Ye Xiruo's eyes lit up instantly; wasn't this the adorable little creature she had been longing for? Part of the reason she had entered the back mountain was to see the little furball again, and she hadn't expected to actually see it—it was truly fate.

Ye Xiruo looked at the little fluffy ball with delight: "Little guy, it's great to see you again." Then she gave the little fluffy ball a big pat; the feel of it was simply amazing.

The little fluffy ball flicked its fluffy tail, contentedly letting Ye Xiruo stroke its fur.

"Little one, I'm leaving now. You must grow up quickly."

Upon hearing this, the little fluffy ball immediately clung to Ye Xiruo's clothes, its golden pupils looking at Ye Xiruo pitifully, with an expression that seemed to be begging to be taken away.

Ye Xiruo looked at Xiu Qiyu. She liked this adorable little creature very much and was reluctant to part with it, but she felt she couldn't even protect herself, so how could she protect this little fluffy ball? If she put it in her space, she didn't know if the space could store living things for a long time. She should consult the system!

As a result, Ye Xiruo called several times, but the system seemed to freeze and didn't respond at all. Ye Xiruo looked helpless.

This little fluffy ball looks like a cub. I wonder if it has parents. If it does, its parents will go crazy if she takes it away like this.

Ye Xiruo took out a roasted beggar's chicken: "This is a gift for you. I will come again tomorrow, and we will meet again."