At that moment, Song Yan responded bluntly to Feng Ying, her expression calm yet firm."Your Excellency, your offer is very tempting, but as you can see, I am only in the Soul Spirit realm. I have not awakened my Dao companion yet, so inevitably, I cannot progress further."
Feng Ying frowned upon hearing this. She had sensed long ago that Song Yan's realm was mediocre for her age, and it was clear she had not linked her soul with her Dao companion.
She glanced curiously at Ye Kaishan, who was observing from Song Yan's subspace. Ye Kaishan himself looked nervous; he hadn't expected Feng Ying to discover his presence. "Who is she?" he wondered. As an emperor-level figure, Ye Kaishan's space distortion abilities had no effect on her.
Feng Ying fell into thought about how to handle this situation. Suddenly, the Crystal Time Lotus, which had been violently waving, rushed toward Song Yan and entered her subspace.
"What… how? Where?" Song Yan took two steps back, surprised. "What happened to the Crystal Time Lotus? Why did it enter my subspace?" she asked Feng Ying.
Feng Ying was stunned as well. She had found the lotus in the Nether Blood Sea, but this was the first time she had seen it act so violently. Even she had been unable to fully refine the lotus to pry into the Dao of Time, only able to control it to some extent.
But the lotus entering Ye Kaishan's body was something entirely new.
After a moment's thought, Feng Ying said to Song Yan,"Ummm… I don't know why this is happening, but now it can't be helped."
"You entered this cave with no one to rely on. I will give you this seal." She handed Song Yan a space ring. "The lotus was preserving my soul. This ring holds everything I have left."
"If you ever meet my daughter, tell her her mother did not die with regrets."
"Wait!" Song Yan started to speak, but before she could finish, the golden soul vanished into the heaven and earth.
At that moment, a voice echoed inside Ye Kaishan's mind,"Young one, don't disappoint me. Link your souls as quickly as possible. That will be when the Crystal Time Lotus reveals its true effects."
"Umm… yes," Ye Kaishan replied to Feng Ying silently. "The Crystal Time Lotus has attached its roots to the Space-Time skill tree."
The entire cave shook violently, and Song Yan was immediately thrown out of the cave as the soul disappeared.
Song Yan stared at the seal in her hand. She slipped it into the space ring and flew toward Loman Forest.
After half a day's travel, she landed before an ancient door embedded in the trunk of a massive tree. It was well hidden among the bushes and looked like an ordinary tree.
"It's here," Song Yan whispered to herself.
"What is she doing? Is there something important to her?" Ye Kaishan wondered silently. "Is it that Soul Heavenly Treasure that can help her progress in cultivation?"
Song Yan quickly made several hand seals. A silver light appeared with a creaking sound—the sound of the door opening. The silver light radiated intensely, bathing the entire Loman Forest and shooting into the sky. This alarmed the old fossils of different sects, clans, and ancient families—and even the Black Turtle Clan of the divine beings.
Without hesitation, Song Yan entered through the door. This place was a secret realm of ancient gods—a very old civilization filled with great opportunities. She cared only about two things: the Soul Heavenly Treasure and a defensive treasure.
As the silver light spread across the sky, five women appeared above the Loman Forest. They were all in the tribulation period.
"Is that a new secret realm?" the middle-aged woman asked, her eyes sparkling. Her name was Wang Mao.
"Oh, I didn't expect the Root Bone Clan to appear here," said a slightly younger woman named Su Mae.
"It seems you're interested in this secret realm as well, so we Black Turtle Clan will join the fun," said Wu Peen.
The other two women were from ancient families, wearing masks and remaining silent.
"Looks like they don't want to talk. It's fine. Someone has already entered the secret realm. Without further ado, let's charge in."
All five women nodded and entered the secret realm.
Song Yan flew deeper into the secret realm. The scenery was beautiful, but the creatures looked ferocious. She skillfully avoided traps and demon beasts, showing she had studied the realm well. Ye Kaishan watched the lotus within his body while observing the secret realm.
Song Yan stopped at a platform resembling a tomb. She immediately opened the box placed in front of it.
"Finally, I found it. With this, I can advance my cultivation and lay a foundation. But like in my previous life, I'll stop at the Emperor realm… sigh. I must find a way to break the limitations in my later period. First, let's combine this with the treasure."
Song Yan made some hand seals. The Soul Heavenly Treasure radiated golden light and slowly entered her subspace.
But strangely, it was instantly rejected—thrown back out of the subspace. The subspace itself seemed to reject the Soul Heavenly Treasure.
"What's happening? Why is it rejecting the Soul Heavenly Treasure?" Song Yan panicked. This treasure was her last resort to cultivating; if it failed, she had no other option. Without awakening her Dao companion, progress seemed impossible.
She tried again—ten times in total—but failed every time. Panic welled inside her. She didn't know what to do next.
Ye Kaishan observed everything silently.
"Looks like because of my existence, the Soul Heavenly Treasure can't enter the subspace," he murmured to himself.
At that moment, the three women appeared before Song Yan.
"Hey girl, how did you get here safely?" Su Mae said, playfully.
From their appearance, it was clear they had fought demon beasts to arrive here.
"Anyway, what did you find? Hand it over; sister will take good care of it for you," Su Mae added with a mischievous smile.
Song Yan frowned. She didn't recognize these women—they were from nearby small factions.
She tried to escape using a secret technique. Forming hand seals behind her back, she was ready to vanish—but Wu Peen noticed immediately.
"Want to escape? In your dreams." Wu Peen stretched out a slender hand, and soul chains appeared, instantly immobilizing Song Yan.
"Sorry, sister. If you don't cooperate, don't blame me. You have to die," Su Mae said coldly.
Raising her hand, flames gathered and formed a huge fireball aimed at Song Yan.
Helpless in this situation, Song Yan thought, Am I about to die? I have not achieved immortality, nor awakened my Dao companion. I have not reached my goals. I wanted to become an existence that looks down upon the heavens. I wanted to explore the legendary Starry Sky Realm.
Her voice was barely audible, a soft whisper only she could hear.
Just as the fireball neared, a bluish-green light radiated from Song Yan, shooting towards the fireball.
The fireball instantly froze in midair.
"If that's what you want, let me give you a hand," a voice echoed directly inside Song Yan's head.