For some reason, the moment he heard that voice, Lin Yun's heart skipped a beat.
He knew that because time had stopped here, his life panel could no longer update. He had lost his greatest advantage. That was why he didn't want to get involved in any unnecessary trouble. In a situation like this, Lin Yun naturally had no intention of paying any mind to this strange voice. He knew full well that wasting even a tiny bit of time here could lead to immense trouble. What's more, this voice was coming from the very core of the palace.
The smartest choice right now was not to respond.
Lin Yun glanced at Qin Xiyan. "Junior Sister Qin, did you hear any sound just now?"
Qin Xiyan looked at him with some curiosity, then shook her head earnestly.
It was clear that only Lin Yun could hear the voice. Even the Chongqing Bird was unaware of it. This made Lin Yun even more worried. Could it be that the voice was targeting him specifically?
On a normal day, it wouldn't be a big deal. But in the current situation, Lin Yun was genuinely concerned.
"I heard a voice just now," he told the bird. "It seems to want me to stay."
The Chongqing Bird snorted. "Don't even think about it. Anything that can survive in this place for so long is bound to be some old monster. Let someone else deal with this kind of trouble. There are countless powerful figures in the cultivation world, anyway. Why should a little guy like you get mixed up in this?"
The Chongqing Bird thought the same as Lin Yun; the voice was definitely targeting him.
But just as Lin Yun had taken two steps, he heard the voice again, this time with a pleading tone. "Young man, I mean you no harm. The reason I called out to you was to ask for a small favor. Once it is done, I will surely reward you handsomely."
Lin Yun just snorted. "You and I are neither kin nor old friends, yet you demand my help. I'd like to know what your identity is, Your Excellency." As he spoke, his feet did not stop moving.
"You don't have to believe me. But… are you not curious about your own origins? Others may not be able to see it, but I can sense that your soul does not belong to this world."
Lin Yun had originally wanted to ignore the voice completely. But when it said this, his heart grew incredibly heavy. He had never told a single soul about his origins. He had always treated it as his own private secret. He never thought it would be exposed so easily.
Even if this entity showed no hostility now, Lin Yun began to worry. If one person knew, it meant that more people could find out. The secret of his identity was an absolute taboo for him.
"What do you want me to do?" he finally asked.
The mysterious voice replied, "I know you must be wondering whether I am a friend or a foe. But you can rest assured; everything here is related to me. Just as you suspected, to ensure that certain creatures here would not reawaken, we set up a powerful seal long ago, causing time within this place to stop. But when you opened the Nether River Dragon Palace, the original seal began to recover. What I need you to do is very simple: seal this place up again."
Lin Yun naturally couldn't be sure if the voice was telling the truth. But it seemed to understand his every thought.
"If you have doubts, you can spend a little time to properly understand the situation here. There were some records in the great hall from before that can help you better understand what happened."
The mysterious voice sounded fearless, as if certain that once Lin Yun knew the truth, he would definitely choose to help.
In fact, Lin Yun was indeed having that thought right now.
Seeing Lin Yun stop, the Chongqing Bird urged him on relentlessly. "You brat, no matter how this thing tries to confuse you, don't even think about helping it! It has you figured out, that's why it's talking to you like this!" It knew Lin Yun was now communicating with the voice and was trying every means possible to stop him. Every second spent in this Nether River Dragon Palace meant immense trouble.
Lin Yun knew this full well, but now he had no choice but to do as the mysterious voice suggested. According to the voice, although the seal was gradually recovering, it wasn't an instantaneous process. He had at least twelve shichen—a full day—to make his choice. So, Lin Yun had enough time to find out what was going on inside the Nether River Dragon Palace.
"Senior," he said to the others, "the situation is special. There are some things I must figure out. So even though I know this might bring me trouble, I have no other choice right now."
His voice was calm. He then turned his gaze to Qin Xiyan beside him. "Junior Sister Qin, this place is dangerous, and your injuries have only just begun to heal. It is not suitable for you to remain here. Take this Water-Repelling Jiaozhu and go to the Beast Taming Sect first."
But Qin Xiyan refused without hesitation. "Senior Brother Lin, what kind of person do you take me for? If it weren't for the sake of healing me, why would you have come to such a dangerous place? I do not know what you plan to do next, but whether it is climbing a mountain of knives or descending into a sea of fire, I will not frown even once."
She was a reincarnated empress, after all. If she retreated at the first sign of trouble, wouldn't she be a laughingstock? Moreover, while this might be trouble for others, for the current Qin Xiyan, it was more like an opportunity. There were very few records of the Nether River Dragon Palace in the entire cultivation world, and the Baleful Blood Dragon Clan had once held a significant influence over everything. If they could analyze the truth of what happened here, it would only be beneficial for them.
Although Lin Yun hoped Qin Xiyan would leave so that he could act without restraint, he also understood her stubborn personality. If he forced her to leave, he would be letting down her good intentions. And while he didn't know the origin of the mysterious voice or its true purpose, with the fate of a reincarnated empress, she was unlikely to perish here.
"Alright. Since that is your wish, Junior Sister, I will not say more. From now on, you will act with me."
Having made up his mind, Lin Yun led Qin Xiyan towards the very center of the palace. Along the way, they could both be certain of one thing: at least part of what the mysterious voice had said was believable. The flow of time in the Nether River Dragon Palace was indeed abnormal, and it would not recover in a short time.