The ball of light made a soft, crisp sound. Within the shimmering glow, something emerged faintly—when the luminous aura subsided, its true form revealed. It was a colossal pine tree of deep, bird-black hue standing there. The tree was unusually massive, yet its form was most peculiar. As if divided by an invisible boundary running through its center, one half bore lush, dense foliage, while the other half was dry, shriveled, and leafless—like dead wood. This was the spirit-essence of the pine tree itself. The young woman gazed at it, her expression complex, and with her ten fingers rapidly tapping in succession, launched one after another series of spells. Each spell flashed forth and swiftly vanished into the black trunk. At once, the tree trembled and dipped slightly downward, plunging half of its body into the ground, settling firmly and remaining motionless. Yet the woman did not cease. She opened her mouth again and expelled a cluster of emerald-tinged, refined blood. With a gentle surge of energy, this blood darted forward and vanished into a slightly swollen section of the tree trunk, where it disappeared entirely. Mu Qing chanted softly. Raising both hands simultaneously, two beams of green light shot forth and vanished into the black wood. Yet at that very moment, where the vital essence had entered, a surge of bright green light erupted suddenly, dazzling and brilliant. The tree trunk began to warp and distort, revealing a lifelike wooden face. This face quivered and expressed pain, as though truly alive. Upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably the face of the Celestial Ape, Jin Ling. "Don't you dare delay—wake up!" Mu Qing raised her eyebrows, issuing a sharp command from the air, and cast another spell. "Crack!" A small portion of the black giant tree's main trunk split open inch by inch from the center, and at once, a golden-furred ape leaped out of the trunk. "I am here, Master! You have awakened me—could it be..." As soon as the golden ape appeared, it immediately knelt down. "Jin Ling, rise. Fortunately, when we first set out, you had sent a portion of your essence to reside within my body." Now that Master Jin's immortal essence has perished, you have become Jin Ling. Wood Qing sighed gently. "Indeed, it has truly vanished. I didn't understand why I could no longer sense the presence of the body. Then, from this point forward, Jin Ling shall continue to serve the master faithfully! Yet, the master has spared no vital essence to summon me forth—there must be something that requires Jin Ling's assistance." The Celestial Monkey's expression brightened, yet he responded with respectful composure. "Yes, the imprint I left within Han Xiao's body has been destroyed, and I have lost track of him. I intend to deploy the 'Domain of Wood' to locate their whereabouts. However, this will necessitate drawing upon my own essential strength. Therefore, I need you to safeguard my original spiritual wood essence. I have already set up the Qingmu Zhou Tian Array nearby—even a being as powerful as the Six-Footed One could be temporarily contained within it. This should be sufficient to allow you to carry my essence safely and escape." Wood Qing spoke with solemnity. "The Domain of Wood! This technique is extremely taxing upon the master's fundamental vitality." And once activated, it would be impossible to use it again for a thousand years. Does the master truly intend to proceed this way?" The Golden Monkey was startled. "It seems we must. The pearl I saw in the realm of the Magician's Tomb possesses a power that is exactly identical to my fundamental essence—yet in terms of purity and quantity, it exceeds my own body's by over ten times. As long as I obtain this treasure and take time to fully absorb its power, not only can I immediately transcend my current stage, but I may also advance to a higher level. In terms of benefit, this item is far more crucial to me than the so-called Yinhe Divine Milk." Wood Qing said seriously. "Then, with the master's words, the Golden Monkey will certainly take great care of the master's body." After listening carefully, the Golden Monkey, knowing that Wood Qing had made up his mind, ceased further persuasion, but with a serious expression added. "Yes, that's all that's needed." Your physical form was already destroyed originally. Now, though your body has been transformed into a wooden ape through the power of my essence, your cultivation level remains only at the initial stage of a Spiritual Commander—slightly weaker than before. Then, I shall leave this to you." After a brief pause, Mu Qing suddenly opened his mouth and exhaled a mirror of pale green hue. Only palm-sized, the back of the mirror bore delicate green wood patterns. As it swayed slightly in the air, a myriad of radiant beams of light burst forth, filling the sky with auspicious radiance. Clearly, this was no ordinary treasure. "Is this not the Heavenly Wood Mirror belonging to the Master? This artifact has been cultivated and refined by the Master since attaining enlightenment—how could I possibly claim it? The Master is indeed heading to the Demon's Grave, where this very mirror will be essential for defense and protection." Upon seeing the mirror, Jin Ling immediately shook her hands in agitation. "If my essence is no longer preserved, how could I even exist in the world? Moreover, Master Jin himself knows well—I have recently acquired another spiritual treasure, whose power surpasses that of this mirror, and which is even more effective in countering demonic energies." "Mu Qing said this. Hearing Mu Qing's words, Jin Ling hesitated for a while before finally agreeing. He raised his hand, pointing at the mirror, and instantly the mirror transformed into a streak of green light, which then merged into his body. "Besides the Heavenly Wood Mirror, these two long-lived green wood spirit swords are far superior to the original two. Take them too," Mu Qing thought for a moment, then extended his hand and reached into the void of the massive black tree. As two branches trembled and fell, they shimmered with a green glow and instantly transformed into two sharp, gleaming green swords, which descended gracefully. Jin Ling was delighted, and this time showed no hesitation—leaping forward with a single motion, he caught the two swords in his hands and swiftly carried them to his back. After completing these arrangements, Mu Qing relaxed his posture, gave Jin Ling a few final instructions, and then touched the half of his body that had turned wooden, restoring his form to its original state. Shortly thereafter, a streak of green light broke through the air from the valley, swiftly gliding and then departing the valley. And shortly after Mu Qing had departed, Jin Ling activated the spell array Mu Qing had set. The space around the valley twisted and blurred, seemingly refracting like ripples on water, transforming into a scene of empty openness—so seamless that from a distance, no flaw was visible at all. Mu Qing hurriedly flew about, noticing an unusual scene beyond her immediate surroundings. Now, within ten zhang, countless green glimmers shimmered, with ethereal images of flowers, grasses, and trees drifting and dancing, radiating an exceptionally pure and refined wood qi. Mu Qing herself glowed with a bright green light, and behind her, a towering, jade-green tree phantom appeared and faded in and out, making her appear like a woodland immortal. As if a miniature realm had formed within the green glow. In just a short while, Mu Qing returned to the hillock where she had first spotted Han Li’s trail, then settled at the summit, halting her flight. Raising both hands, the green light instantly expanded outward in a grand sweep, and within just a few breaths, completely enveloped the entire hillock. Those spectral images of trees and flowers suddenly solidified, each taking root and swaying in the wind, transforming the surrounding hills into a lush world of vegetation. At the same time, several roots at the base of the great tree behind Mu Qing burst forth, turning into countless strands of green hair. Some vanished into the dense foliage, while others swiftly plunged into the ground. Mu Qing closed her eyes at this moment, her delicate features furrowed with concentration, as though searching for something. After a full cup of tea's worth of time, she suddenly opened her eyes and murmured, "It was indeed the combined strength of the two female disciples of the Ghost Spirit Sect that erased the marks. I suppose even the Ghost Nun herself is unaware that her disciples possess this secret. Nevertheless, once we know the direction they took, we will surely find them." With that, she suddenly pressed a series of gestures, and the green light screens that had spread out once again contracted and returned toward the hills. Where the screens withdrew, the trees and flowers that had materialized gradually dissolved and vanished. When everything around the hills had returned to its original state, this woman soared forward, truly following the direction in which Han Li had initially departed. ... Han Li naturally didn't know that Mu Qing, Lu, and the others had simultaneously set their sights on him. To be safe, however, after leaving the hills, he constantly changed their course during the journey, with the two women traveling alongside him. In his mind, even if any traces or inconsistencies remained, they would not pose a serious threat. Clearly, he had somewhat underestimated the powers of the immortal kings. Now, Han Li was flying the two women above a vast expanse of yellow sand, speaking with Yuan Yao and the others as they moved: "Wait—Han brother still plans to seek out spatial nodes to return to the Spiritual Realm!" A gasp of surprise escaped from Yan Li's lips. "Indeed. Through my studies of spatial principles in both the Human and Spiritual Realms, I've long realized that regardless of the size of a space, there will always be certain nodes present throughout it. Moreover, in smaller spaces, these spatial nodes are more easily detected. Those so-called spatial fissures are merely variations of spatial nodes. As long as we locate the spatial nodes of Minghe's Realm, and take a few additional risks, we should have a very good chance of returning to Lingjie's Realm." Han Li's calm voice drifted slowly from the air. "But Brother Han, although there aren't many spatial nodes, we and my sister have heard of their dangers. Spatial storms frequently occur, and the exits of the nodes are often uncontrollable. Isn't the risk rather too great?" Yuan Yao expressed her hesitation. "There are certainly risks involved. However, with me guiding the way, we should have at least a seven- or eight-out-of-ten chance of safely navigating through them. After all, Minghe's Realm is merely a larger spatial realm attached to Lingjie's Realm—not a true, independent realm. Unless the two of you are unwilling to leave and truly intend to settle here in Minghe's Realm for the long term. Han Li furrowed his brow and said, "Actually, why don't we hide for a while first, until those people leave? Then, we could temporarily practice here. The ambient阴 qi and spiritual energy here are exceptionally abundant and highly beneficial to our cultivation." The beautiful woman blinked her lovely eyes with a graceful smile. "That won't work at all! Hasn't Miss Yan forgotten about the followers of the Fu Yue clan? Who knows when the reinforcements—those puppets—will arrive and break through the boundary to reach this place? Even figures like Mu Qing Gui Po hold deep apprehension toward this clan, which speaks volumes about their formidable strength. Moreover, since this land is the sacred site of the Fu Yue clan, they must know it far better than we do. No matter how concealed our hiding place is, we can't be certain of safety. There's also another matter—I wonder if the two of you don't intend to return to the human realm and seek a way to restore your human forms?" Han Li narrowed his eyes, slowly analyzing.