The cave was silent, the space devoid of sound.
Qiongqi, who had just calmed down, nearly exploded upon hearing Xu Mu's question. The Samadhi True Fire in its eyes couldn't help but surge, incinerating the faint shadows in the space into ashes.
Yun Miaomiao's neck flushed red. She lowered her head, gazing at the snow-white peaks, her voice as faint as a mosquito's:
"I just finished, and you want me to do it again? But my charm poison has been neutralized."
"Young Master Xu... are you regretting it?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Mu turned to glance at Qiongqi, then at the fidgeting Yun Miaomiao. Realizing they had misunderstood, he quickly raised his hands and exclaimed:
"No, no, no, no, you've misunderstood my meaning."
"I have no regrets, Commander Yun. I just wanted to invite you inside to sit for a while and rest!"
"Oh, really? That's truly disheartening."
Yun Miaomiao looked up, glaring resentfully at Xu Mu.
As the Great Commander of the Northwest Region of the Hunter's Alliance, she had always been held in high regard. She cultivated charm magic and had countless suitors.
But now, having been afflicted by charm poison, she had thrown herself at Xu Mu, only for him to remain unmoved. He had even devised a method to break the poison. How much did he dislike her?
Could it be that this peerless genius of the Demon Extermination Division practiced the legendary Pure Yang Virgin Boy Art and could not break his vows?
"The latter is more likely," Yun Miaomiao consoled herself, slowly regaining her composure from shyness.
She then clearly saw that Xu Mu was currently fiddling with the hem of his clothes.
He was obviously more nervous than she was, which made Yun Miaomiao chuckle and tease:
"Young Master Xu, you saved my life. You can do whatever you wish, and I will agree to it."
Yun Miaomiao's alluring eyes fixed on Xu Mu, making his cheeks burn. He repeatedly shook his head:
"I really don't want to do anything!"
"Commander Yun, let's pretend what happened before never happened. I swear to you, I absolutely will not reveal a single word!"
Yun Miaomiao laughed a few more times, her laughter like silver bells.
Xu Mu stood frozen, uncharacteristically at a loss. He thought that Yun Miaomiao should be the one feeling embarrassed, and he should be the one laughing freely. Thus, he began to laugh, so stiffly that he choked on his own saliva and started to cough:
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."
Qiongqi couldn't stand Xu Mu any longer and couldn't help but turn and roar telepathically at him:
"It's just a woman, what are you nervous about!"
"Good sir, don't forget, we've already wasted three hours, and the demon god hasn't been found. If you delay any further, things will only get more complicated!"
Xu Mu was startled, then quickly asked:
"By the way, Commander Yun, may I ask you some questions?"
Yun Miaomiao nodded, her voice seductive:
"Of course."
"I will tell you whatever you ask."
Xu Mu had already regained his calm. He ignored the teasing and asked with a frown:
"I want to ask, although the great demons around here might not be worthy of your attention, there are usually weaker, lesser demons and異人 (yìrén - unusual people) here. But why haven't I seen a single one in the past few days?"
Yun Miaomiao's expression faltered slightly upon hearing this question, as if recalling something unpleasant. She said with a hint of embarrassment:
"You naturally can't see anyone, because we all went to the First Cave."
"The First Cave?" Xu Mu asked, confused.
"Yes. Someone discovered a place of opportunity nearby, which we later named the Celestial Tree Tomb. This is because the trees there are as tall as the heavens, possess spiritual energy, can speak human words, and are impervious to water, fire, blades, or swords."
"Inside each Celestial Tree lies a mysterious inheritance, left behind by humans from ancient times. We don't know its connection to the demon god. Only those with impeccable virtue, character, and talent can linger beneath the Celestial Trees to comprehend and receive the inheritance."
Yun Miaomiao spoke slowly, and Xu Mu listened with a grave expression.
The inheritance of ancient human powerhouses should have been from the era led by Fuxi, after the Age of Gods and Demons.
Xu Mu:
"In that case, the Celestial Tree Tomb can truly be described as a heaven-reaching opportunity. So, Commander Yun's injuries were sustained while contending for the Celestial Trees, right?"
Yun Miaomiao, however, said with some embarrassment:
"No."
"This poison was actually not related to anyone else. It was contracted during the Celestial Tree inheritance."
Xu Mu was astonished:
"Celestial Tree inheritance can cause charm poison?"
Yun Miaomiao nodded:
"Yes, and no."
"Because that inheritance is so ancient and mysterious, it always mentions the word 'spiritual energy' between the lines. But we don't know what spiritual energy is. We can only guess that it's something similar to abilities."
"The humans of that era cultivated with spiritual energy, while we respect abilities. Although they seem completely different, there are still discrepancies. Therefore, problems can arise during the inheritance process."
Yun Miaomiao's face flushed slightly as she continued:
"The inheritance I chose was named 'Nishang.' Although I eventually obtained the complete cultivation technique, I lacked spiritual energy. I forcefully substituted it with abilities, which resulted in a backlash and contracting charm poison."
"After I was poisoned by charm, I was targeted by many individuals with malicious intent. However, I managed to shake off most of them during the pursuit. Only a vague shadow kept following me."
"I couldn't discern who that person was. He followed me for five consecutive days. It wasn't until a few days ago, when I forcibly used a great demon at the half-step Human King realm to interfere, that I finally managed to shake him off completely."
After listening to Yun Miaomiao's account, Xu Mu finally understood the origin and entire situation of the Celestial Tree Tomb.
Then, he heard Charles sigh:
"This is humanity. Possessing infinite potential, able to rule the world in different eras and in different ways."
"Thinking about it this way, it's no wonder the soul within Yan Yu betrayed him."
Xu Mu listened to Charles's感慨 (gǎnkǎi - sigh of emotion) and said with a half-joking tone:
"Why are you suddenly mentioning the Ganjiang Sword? You don't want to betray me and plan to become human, do you?"
Charles let out a disdainful laugh:
"I don't see anything good about humans; they are a species of extreme wickedness and treachery."
"I only hope you hurry up and learn science so you can reconstruct my body!"
"Oh."
Xu Mu pouted, not wanting to argue with Charles any further, as he felt something was amiss with Yun Miaomiao's words.
He pondered for a moment and then asked:
"Commander Yun, please tell me, who discovered the Celestial Tree Tomb?"
"And why would they spread the news? Wouldn't it be better to keep the opportunity to themselves?"
Yun Miaomiao shook her head upon hearing this:
"We don't know who spread the news. It just suddenly became known inexplicably."
"Then everyone, with the mindset of 'better to believe it than not, and not fall behind others,' rushed over. After discovering that the opportunity was real, even though they knew something was strange, no one pursued it further."
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he exchanged a look with Qiongqi.
The unease in his heart grew stronger.
Logically speaking, even if no one could monopolize this opportunity, they should at least try to prevent others from knowing about it.
But that mysterious person publicized it widely, causing a stir and making it known to everyone. This clearly defied common sense, as if they were indifferent to gaining or losing the opportunity.
"There must be a conspiracy. Perhaps it was done by the demon god."
Xu Mu communicated telepathically with Qiongqi, making this judgment.
Indeed, only a demon god who was indifferent to everything would do something like this.
But what was his purpose?
"Alright, Commander Yun, one last question." After Xu Mu and Qiongqi exchanged glances and understood each other's intentions, he cupped his fists and asked, "Could you please lead us to find that Celestial Tree Tomb?"
Yun Miaomiao's beautiful eyes showed a hint of worry:
"I guessed you would go, but it's too dangerous there."
"And I've already received my inheritance. There's really no need to go back."
Yun Miaomiao said with an apologetic expression, clearly unwilling to return to the Celestial Tree Tomb.
Xu Mu scratched his head with a troubled look.
What Yun Miaomiao said was indeed true. She had already obtained her inheritance and had no reason to risk going back.
Xu Mu scratched his head, knowing that he couldn't force this matter, as Yun Miaomiao was, after all, a Domain Lord.
"Alright, Commander Yun. Could you tell us the specific location of the Celestial Tree Tomb? We'll go ourselves."
Yun Miaomiao was stunned:
"Are you sure?"
"It's extremely far from the Celestial Tree Tomb. It will take at least fifteen days to travel. Moreover, there are many great demons. Even with your exceptional talent and your mount's powerful bloodline, it's very dangerous."
"We're sure," Qiongqi replied. "And I'm not his mount; we are friends."
Xu Mu quickly nodded:
"Yes, he is my friend."
"Commander Yun, we have a compelling reason to go. We can bear any consequences. Please tell us the location of the Celestial Tree Tomb."
Seeing Xu Mu's persistence, Yun Miaomiao didn't say much more and directly said:
"I'll draw you a map. Follow the route on it, and you'll arrive."
As Yun Miaomiao spoke, she waved her sleeve, and a rugged, realistic route map appeared in mid-air, lifelike.
Xu Mu took three seconds to engrave it into his mind. He then cupped his fists and said to Yun Miaomiao:
"Then, Commander Yun, the road ahead is long. We shall part ways here!"
With that, Xu Mu flipped over and mounted Qiongqi. The two immediately soared into the air.
As Xu Mu prepared to leave, Yun Miaomiao, after a moment of inner struggle, quickly called out:
"Wait!"
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow:
"Commander Yun, are you perhaps willing to go with us?"
"No, I wanted to say, take this. With this, people from my alliance can help you. It can be considered my repayment for saving my life."
Saying this, Yun Miaomiao took out a handkerchief from her embrace.
Xu Mu caught it in mid-air and found that it was embroidered with the character "Yun."
Then, as if possessed, he brought it to his nose and sniffed.
The fragrance emanating from it made his heart flutter.
Xu Mu's face flushed, and he said with a loud laugh:
"Then thank you, Commander Yun."
"We'll meet again!"
After speaking, Xu Mu, without looking back, rode Qiongqi and flew out of the cave, slowly disappearing from view.
Yun Miaomiao watched their retreating figures, then let out a chuckle, her cheeks turning red:
"You said you weren't a mount, but aren't you riding him right now?"
...