Ning Yao clearly sensed that the secret realm was now divided into three levels.

The three types of spiritual energy are independent of each other, yet they are inexhaustible.

The most significant change was in the spirit of the Netherworld Divine Tree.

The tree spirit exuded a powerful vitality, and even the little divine tree was much more lively than before.

The Thousand Illusions Secret Realm returned to peace, and Ning Yao was about to leave when she heard Ning Que Linyu's voice.

"Haha, young friend, it's been a long time."

Ning Yao suddenly raised her head and looked towards the source of the sound.

Not far away in mid-air, a human figure seemed to materialize out of thin air.

The opponent came flying through the air, each step feeling as if they were walking on solid ground.

As they got closer, the other person's features became clearer.

If Ning Yao had visited the main hall of Thousand Illusion Mountain, she would have noticed that the portrait of the ancestor hanging in the hall bore a striking resemblance to this person.

The only difference is that the portrait depicts an elderly person, while the human figure in front of us appears to be younger.

Ning Que Linyu strode over, his long gray hair standing up high, his face white and beardless, and his light blue robe outlined with gold trim.

The gold border looked very familiar; upon closer inspection, it turned out to be formed by the convergence of spiritual energy.

He looked like a celestial being descending from heaven, so imposing that no one dared to look him in the eye.

Ning Yao nodded slightly: "Senior, we meet again."

"You've managed to solidify your form this time, are you alright?"

Ning Que Linyu looked at the increasingly outstanding young girl in front of him and felt very satisfied.

"I have to thank you. My soul has been fully repaired. Although I have no physical body, I will be able to manifest in the world as my soul in the future, which is not much different."

Ning Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Is it because of these few more streams of spiritual energy?"

Ning Que Linyu also noticed the anomaly in the Thousand Illusions Secret Realm, and upon closer inspection, he was pleasantly surprised.

"It's not because of them, but because of the spirit of this Netherworld Divine Tree."

"The Netherworld Divine Tree is born from heaven and earth, and its tree spirit has gathered the essence of heaven and earth for hundreds of thousands of years. Even a little bit of it is an excellent thing for repairing the soul."

"Now that you are nurturing this tree spirit in the Thousand Illusions Secret Realm, you are not only providing it with a warm home, but also benefiting me."

"However, I have some doubts. Why has this sacred tree become so small? It doesn't seem to match the tree spirit at all!"

Ning Yao explained the fate of the Netherworld Divine Tree, and Ning Que Linyu finally understood.

His face was also filled with anger: "Harmful to the sacred tree is no different from courting death. Even if this person is my descendant, he deserves to die!"

"I'd like to ask how the current patriarch educated his descendants, raising such a scoundrel!"

Ning Yao touched her nose and said awkwardly, "It seems there is no family head. My maternal grandfather is only temporarily serving as the family head, which is not a formal position."

“He asked me to inherit the business before, but I didn’t agree.”

Ning Que Linyu thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. Only those recognized by the Thousand Illusions Secret Realm are proper family heads. But why do you disagree?"

Ning Yao replied, "Although my grandfather is only temporarily acting as the head of the family, he has been in that position for many years. He is more familiar with some things and can handle them more skillfully."

"I'd be willing to assist from the sidelines, but to be honest, I'm not willing to be the head of the family."

Ning Que Linyu laughed heartily, not angry at all: "You little girl, you're just like me when I was young, we're both people who hate trouble!"

“But you are much luckier than me. If I had family to share the burden back then, I wouldn’t be in this situation.”

"It's been a long time since I've seen my old friend," a deep, resonant voice rang out.

It is the Netherworld Divine Tree.

Ning Yao was overjoyed: "You're conscious? How do you feel?"

Ning Que Linyu also exclaimed in surprise, "You said you'd take a hundred years to recover, but it hasn't been that long, has it?"

Shenmu chuckled, clearly in a good mood: "Thanks to young friend Ning, this old man has finally had a chance to catch his breath."

"Seeing this ancient treasure again now is a wish fulfilled, hehe."

Ning Yao asked, "How are you feeling now?"

Shenmu replied, "It feels like I haven't rested in a long time. Now that I've had a good sleep, I'm almost fully recovered."

Ning Yao nodded: "That's good. But since the tree trunk was burned, you'll probably have to live in this little sacred tree from now on."

"No need. I can sense the presence of the tree trunk. It has been damaged, but it's not a big problem."

"Only the tree trunks of the Kunlun Mountains can bear the tree spirits, and only the tree trunks of the Kunlun Mountains can perfectly match the tree spirits."

"This branch has its own destiny and is not suitable for the tree spirit to reside in."

Ning Yao asked, "So you're still going back to Kunlun Ridge?"

"Yes, I'll have to trouble you to see me off, young friend!"

Ning Yao nodded: "That's no problem. After dealing with the Jiang family's matter, I will send you back."

"The Jiang family?" Ning Que Linyu asked in confusion, "Is it the Jiang family that raises Gu poison?"

Ning Yao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

It should be known that Ning Que Linyu died a thousand years ago and his soul was trapped in the Thousand Illusions Secret Realm, so he should not know about what happened a hundred years ago.

"The Jiang family's practice of raising Gu poison only started a hundred years ago. The Gu poison they used led to a shortage of offspring within the clan, and at one point, the clan was on the verge of extinction."

Ning Yao raised her hand, and a circle of platinum-gold spiritual energy swirled around her fingers.

Ning Que Linyu said in a deep voice: "If I remember correctly, besides Jiang Yu, there is no other person who would dare to use this method to raise Gu."

Ning Yao heard the newly appeared surname, which Ning Que Linyu knew, and guessed that it was from ancient times or a thousand years ago.

It seems the Jiang family has quite a few secrets.

"Jiang Yu and I were both ancient immortals, but Jiang Yu was ambitious and treacherous, and tried to refine a spirit gu to control people's hearts. In the end, she was not tolerated by the immortals and was demoted to a fallen immortal."

"When they left, they took with them the method for raising spirit gu. We thought that although they had the method, they couldn't raise them without spiritual energy. Unexpectedly, the primordial spirit stones that were left behind in the myriad worlds after the ancient war actually helped them refine them by chance."

"Although it's not a spirit gu, it's even more dangerous!"

"Girl, what you said about the Jiang family only gaining fame a hundred years ago because of raising Gu poison is probably about right. The Jiang family is greedy and lazy. If there is any way to earn gold and silver, they will definitely hold on to it."

"I just didn't expect that their clan would still have descendants to this day."

"But now that you're here, and with this secret realm, these things aren't so difficult."

"Now that they've invited you, just do it. They value their lives very much!"

Ning Yao nodded, while the voice of the Jiang clan leader could be faintly heard from outside.

She greeted the two seniors and then slipped away from the secret realm.

Ning Que Linyu looked at Ning Yao as she disappeared, his eyes filled with satisfaction and relief.

Although the Netherworld Divine Tree has no physical form, one can still sense its joy.

"I've never seen you so satisfied with any junior, but this child is indeed quite good—meticulous, bold, and clear about his likes and dislikes."

Ning Que Linyu replied, "You Shan, you also think she's quite good, right? Do you think that now that she possesses the Thousand Illusions Secret Realm, is there any possibility that she might reappear among the Immortal Clan in the future?"

You Shan remained silent for a long time before finally saying slowly, "That might not be a good thing."