"But husband, how can she go to that forest alone? She's not even strong enough to get close to it,"
Song Qian said, her gaze following Song Yan as she walked toward her abode. A faint chill lingered in the air.
"Don't worry about her," Song Lao replied, glancing at his wife. "She's smart—she can handle it. Too much care can sometimes do more harm than good."
"But still…" A trace of unease flickered in Song Qian's eyes as she lowered her gaze.
"Sigh… If you say so," she murmured softly, her voice barely above the rustle of the winter wind.
From his hidden vantage, Ye Kaishan observed everything. They appeared to be her parents—her mother and her mother's Dao companion.
In this world, Dao companions formed the foundation of cultivation. Together, they could enter and exit the Grotto Heaven created by their bond, balancing yin and yang, female and male, in perfect harmony.
"But why does she want to go to the Loman Forest?" Ye Kaishan wondered silently.
"It must be tied to her past… Still, she's a reborn expert. I doubt she'll face real danger," he mused. After a pause, he added, "For now, I'll just observe her."
He reflected on his own abilities. After studying my powers through the night, I have mastered teleportation.
"My teleportation allows me to traverse a fixed range across this continent. It's not meant for offense—only for fleeing extreme danger. I can only use it three times per day; beyond that, the skill tree enters exhaustion and needs twenty-four hours to recover."
Realm Distribution in the Soul Spirit Continent: Spirit Realm, Soul Spirit (Dao companion awakening, creating Grotto Heaven inside subspace) → Soul Breaking → Soul Forging → Soul Body → Soul Nirvana → Soul Star → Soul Creation → Spirit Tribulation → Soul Saint → Soul Saint King → Soul Great Saint → Spirit Ancient Saint → Soul Emperor…
Song Yan departed the Song Clan on a flying treasure, heading toward Loman Forest. From subspace, Ye Kaishan watched as she glided over villages, passing floating mountains and drifting islands—some anchored, others drifting like forgotten memories of the sky.
After half a day, she landed on a vast island, exhausted.
"I've depleted my spirit energy," Song Yan murmured, lowering herself to the ground. "My body is too weak to travel continuously. Half a day is the limit."
She exhaled softly. "I am the Void Empress. In my previous life, a single step could carry me hundreds of thousands of miles. But now… my spatial powers are gone."
Her lips curved into a bitter smile. "Still… my past experience and knowledge remain. Regaining my former strength won't take long."
Ye Kaishan could have reached Loman Forest in an instant—but if he did, Song Yan would detect him through subspace.
Even with space distortion, he felt a pull toward her soul. Song Yan, unaffected by his presence, remained unaware. His patience was deliberate; he would observe her until the right moment to reveal himself.
Song Yan settled onto a plain stone slab inside a cave. After two hours of meditation, she restored her energy and prepared to fly again. At that moment, she sensed a subtle disturbance beneath a strange, unblemished slab.
Her space perception, though diminished, still picked up faint Dao traces. Ye Kaishan, with his superior space-time senses, had long detected a hidden cave beyond the disturbance.
These shattered islands… remnants of the war between the Blood Demon and White Demon races against the Divine Beast Phoenix Clan. That war happened thousands of years ago, yet its scars linger.
Thinking about this, Song Yan approached the slab. She thought some space-related treasure had fallen here. as She touched the slab, but nothing happened, so she immediately activated her space technique.
Suddenly, she saw the void crack like a broken mirror—a super suction force pulled her in with overwhelming power.
She tried to resist, but it was useless. She was transported into a strange cave. It was dark but not completely dark; dark light spiritual stones were set in the walls, illuminating a path deeper inside.
Ye Kaishan, alarmed by the suction, traveled there quickly. He hadn't been in this world long and did not want to perish in this cave.
Song Yan walked toward the illuminated spot. When she reached it, she was stunned.
There was a pond in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by four rocks placed at the four directions. In the center of the pond was a lotus radiating bluish-green light.
That wasn't all—the water in the pond was Dao liquid, a saint material for cultivation.
But what surprised her the most was the lotus. She had never seen it before, only read about it in ancient texts.
It was described as the Crystal Time Lotus, blooming in the Long River of Time.
It looked like a lotus made of crystal, covered by runes related to time. Only one existed in the Long River of Time, which was a taboo and one of the five great rivers.
It was special and rare—its true use unknown because the Time River was hard to find. Many emperors sought this treasure.
Song Yan was very excited. One of the taboo-level treasures stood before her. Unconsciously, she stepped on a mechanism that trembled the whole cave. The four rocks surrounding the pond cracked.
From the rocks emerged four female generals made of stone. Judging by their spirit pressure, Song Yan guessed they were in the Saint Realm.
"Sure thing, how can one eat melon for free? You have to pay the price.
But this price is too high. I can handle cultivators up to Soul Breaking by experience and knowledge, but the gap here is huge. I would be killed instantly by these generals."
Song Yan assumed a fighting stance. She wore a long cyan dress, pulled out her sword, and faced the four generals.
In the blink of an eye, a sword appeared at her neck, and the generals surrounded her. Cold sweat dripped down Song Yan's forehead.
Is this the end?
A cold dread tightened in Ye Kaishan's chest. Wait — is this for real? His thoughts churned wildly. In just a matter of moments they moved this fast… No. I have to help. If she dies, I don't know what will happen to me.
At that moment, Ye Kaishan activated his time skill. A bluish-green light radiated from Song Yan's body, and strange runes appeared on her, emanating from Ye Kaishan.
Feeling this light, the lotus reacted violently. The four generals halted and began to retreat.
The bluish-green light lasted only a moment, but it saved her life.
Song Yan was stunned and confused—where had that light come from? She probed herself but found no trace.
"Oh… this lotus seems to understand the power of time. When I used my skill earlier to immobilize the statues, it bought me the time I needed to escape. I didn't expect, though, that they would retreat," Ye Kaishan thought, observing carefully.
Suddenly, a golden soul emerged from the lotus. Its appearance radiated intense heat, as if burning. It was just a soul fragment but strong enough to make a saint nervous.
A woman with silky golden hair appeared—like the epitome of a goddess. She looked like a fallen fairy stepping out of a painting, with long legs, a jade-like face, and a phoenix crown.
The woman opened her eyes slowly and looked at Song Yan calmly—no malice, no killing intent.
Song Yan felt slightly relieved.
At the same time, Ye Kaishan felt something strange. He sensed the soul woman was staring at him, but how was that possible? He was in subspace; how could she notice him?
The woman nodded gently at Song Yan and Ye Kaishan.
"My name is Feng Ying. I am the Phoenix Emperor of the Fire Phoenix Clan. What is your name, young one?"
Feng Ying asked in a gentle tone.
"My name is Song Yan," she replied calmly.
Feng Ying was slightly surprised by her calmness. Even a saint would feel pressured talking to her. It takes great mental strength to stand before her.
Song Yan had seen many empresses, so this soul fragment didn't impact her much.
"Song Yan, you were able to enter this place, which means you have some understanding of the Space Dao."
"Yes, I understand Space Dao," Song Yan answered bluntly.
"Very good. I was waiting for someone to enter. You must have heard about the war between the demons and the Phoenix Clan."
"Yes, I have." she replied calmly
Feng Ying's golden gaze drifted toward Song Yan as she spoke, her voice carrying the weight of ages. "In that war, I was gravely wounded by the Bone Devouring Emperor. In my final moments, I found this place
"I won't speak in circles. To be direct, I want to pass this Phoenix Seal to my daughter Feng Xian'er. Of course, I won't let you take it for free."
"If you agree, I will give you my lifetime techniques, resources, and an internal elixir from an Emperor Beast."
"What do you think?" Feng Ying's golden eyes swept over Song Yan, calm yet piercing, as though she could peer straight into her soul.