when another message appeared in the group chat.
[Zhu Chen]: Mm. I'm already at the Void Heaven Cauldron. After entering from the Lava Path, you can go to the Treasure Pavilion to collect magic artifacts first, or you can come straight to the inner hall. I've already cleared the way to the inner hall for you…
"What the hell?! Brother Zhu is already in the inner hall?!"
Xiao Yan was completely dumbfounded.
Who was it that said Zhu Chen was still picking spirit herbs behind them?
Lin Dong scratched his head awkwardly.
"Looks like Brother Zhu is just… insanely fast."
As they were speaking, another message from Zhu Chen appeared.
[Zhu Chen]: By the way, Xiao Yan—the Azure Ice Flame near the Void Heaven Cauldron has already formed a fire seed.
It can upgrade the Burning Technique. You can try absorbing it, but it's quite difficult. You'd better ask Yao Lao for help.
Xiao Yan was overjoyed when he saw Zhu Chen's message.
There was actually a fire seed in the Void Heaven Palace that could upgrade the Burning Technique?
Damn it—this dungeon was clearly designed just for him.
[Xiao Yan]: Thanks for the heads-up, Brother Zhu. I'm coming right away…
After replying in the group chat, Xiao Yan immediately rushed toward the inner hall.
Lin Dong followed closely behind him.
Han Li still needed time to cultivate his Gold-Eating Insects and couldn't leave immediately. However, he quickened his pace, urging the insect swarm to devour the Iron Fire Ants even more efficiently.
…
Meanwhile.
Inside the inner hall of the Void Heaven Palace.
After absorbing the Azure Ice Flame, Zhu Chen had returned to the stone platform.
He also brought out the Void Heaven Cauldron.
However, he did not take anything else from inside it. He only extracted a Heaven-Mending Pill and handed it to Zi Ling.
This pill could improve a cultivator's spiritual roots, but Zhu Chen's cultivation path had no need for such a thing. To him, it was useless.
As for the remaining items within the Void Heaven Cauldron, he didn't even bother looking at them.
The Void Heaven Cauldron appeared to be a heaven-reaching spiritual treasure, but in reality, it was merely a key.
Even Shi Hao, in his later years, wielded supreme divine weapons to dominate entire eras—there was no way Zhu Chen would lower himself to use something like this.
That would be far beneath him.
"I'm about to leave now. What are your plans?"
With everything settled, it was finally time for Zhu Chen to part ways with Zi Ling.
To be honest, he felt a faint sense of reluctance.
Zi Ling was obedient and thoughtful. Though she rarely spoke during their journey, she had quietly supported him from behind the entire time, and Zhu Chen had noticed everything.
Unfortunately, reality was cruel.
He did not belong to this world and could not stay for long.
Every world had its own Heavenly Dao laws.
He had crossed over using the chat group, which could temporarily evade Heavenly Dao detection—but if he remained too long, there was a real risk of being discovered.
"I… I'm going back to the Myriad Sounds Sect…"
Zi Ling hesitated briefly before answering.
She assumed Zhu Chen was returning to the Spirit Realm, so she didn't try to stop him.
In her eyes, she and Zhu Chen came from entirely different worlds.
Being protected by him in the Void Heaven Palace and receiving a Heaven-Mending Pill from the inner hall was already an unbelievable stroke of fortune.
She didn't dare ask for anything more.
"Alright. Before you leave, let me give you one last thing."
Zhu Chen led Zi Ling to an abandoned teleportation array. He raised his hand and injected spiritual power into it.
Instantly—
the array beneath their feet activated.
Radiant light filled the space as spiritual energy surged violently.
In the next moment—
Zhu Chen and Zi Ling were teleported into a stone chamber overflowing with spiritual energy.
The chamber was not large, but its design was exquisitely refined.
Ten uniquely shaped jade pillars supported the space, and phoenix and dragon patterns were carved into the walls, intricate and lifelike.
However, Zhu Chen's attention was not on the decorations.
Instead, it was drawn to the spiritual pool at the center of the chamber.
A woman with snow-white skin and long flowing hair was bathing within the pool.
Yuan Yao.
Zhu Chen recognized her instantly.
But confusion followed immediately.
How had she gotten in here as well?
There were several Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the outside. Zi Ling slipping through was one thing—but Yuan Yao too?
Were all those Nascent Soul cultivators completely useless?
A whole group guarding the entrance, yet multiple Core Formation cultivators had slipped in?
"Ah—!"
When Zhu Chen and Zi Ling appeared, Yuan Yao immediately noticed the disturbance at the teleportation array and screamed instinctively.
But the moment she recognized Zhu Chen's face, her already pale complexion turned deathly white.
The image of Zhu Chen smashing a Nascent Soul cultivator to death with a single punch outside the hall was still etched deeply in her mind.
"Oh no…
This is a human-shaped demon, comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator!
Why did I run into him here?!"
Yuan Yao's body stiffened, her thoughts going completely blank.
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