Sister Xu is a woman who understands boundaries; she doesn't want others to interfere with her life, nor will she interfere with others'.

So Ye Fan need not carry a sense of guilt.

When Ye Fan went downstairs with Sister Xu and drove back with Qing Xu, Qing Xu kept pouting the whole way, clearly discontent with being ignored by Ye Fan.

Back at the villa, Wu Ding came over to sniff and said, "Junior brother, did you bring back a woman's scent from somewhere else again?"

Ye Fan asked, "Is senior sister a dog?"

"That might not necessarily be, but I wonder if junior brother is a cat because cats go after fishy smells. But junior brother... sigh! I won't say more." Wu Ding stopped because Li Zhaojun came out with Min Shang, and she didn't want to slander Ye Fan in front of Li Zhaojun, after all, they were a couple and she was an outsider.

Li Zhaojun held a map in her hand and said, "This is an underground exploration map of Hua Hai City, drawn by Senior Wu Ding. Ye Fan, take a look."

Ye Fan glanced at Wu Ding and said, "Senior sister went back to Hua Hai City?"

"Is it okay for you to go out and not me?" Wu Ding replied triumphantly, "I explored it. About a hundred miles beneath Hua Hai City, there is an underground palace. That should be the place the Song family and Taiyuan Star people are looking for, but how to get down there is still a problem. Do we really need to crack open the Earth's crust or drill our way in?"

Ye Fan calculated that one hundred miles is fifty kilometers, about five times deeper than the world's deepest trench. At such depth, even with their cultivation, digging from the surface would be challenging, and even if successful, it might trigger an earthquake.

"Is Senior Brother Qing Wu coming back?" Ye Fan asked.

"That I don't know. There's no news so far. If I guess correctly, Senior Brother may have been bought off by my master, your master, and his master. We have to rely on our own strength," Wu Ding said irritably.

Ye Fan was confused by the mention of my master and your master, but the truth was, the matter of the Tianxuan Sect was a plot hatched by Hua Wu, Hui Ning, and Jing Ya. He wasn't aware of what actions the mysterious woman was currently taking. If the mysterious woman succeeded, the crisis of the Tianxuan Sect would be resolved; otherwise, he would have to return personally.

"Senior sister, we can't do anything now; we're too weak," Ye Fan said, "But maybe if we reach the underground palace, we might find a way to resolve this."

Wu Ding replied irritably, "Junior brother, this is Earth. You're not a chosen one. What's the connection with the Pan Gu Secret Realm even if we reach the underground?"

Ye Fan couldn't talk about the agreement between him and the mysterious woman. That woman might be backed by an ancient power, and since ancient powers could create the Pan Gu Secret Realm, they wielded immense strength, capable of resolving the Tianxuan Sect's crisis. But the current problem was how he could find Lan Jing's mother.

"I have something to discuss with Miss Lan Jing in the room; Zhao Jun, you and Senior Sister stay outside, and don't interrupt us," Ye Fan suddenly said.

"Me?" Lan Jing was at a loss.

Wu Ding said irritably, "Junior brother, are you using Miss Lan Jing's innocence to deceive her body?"

Lan Jing immediately looked at Ye Fan cautiously. Although she didn't quite understand human emotions, she had enough self-protection awareness.

Ye Fan replied, "Would I be that tasteless? Just wait for me outside..."

...

...

Ye Fan spent just over ten minutes with Lan Jing in the room. When he came out, Wu Ding teased, "Don't tell me you're a quick shooter, finishing so soon?"

"Don't joke around; Miss Lan Jing's innocence is ruined by Senior Sister's mouth," Ye Fan glared at Wu Ding.

Wu Ding shrugged, "If you can't win her heart, then admit it; don't talk about innocence. You try taking Senior Sister's innocence..."

Ye Fan ignored Wu Ding and announced, "I think I have a way to reach the underground palace in Hua Hai City. Miss Lan Jing can find the entrance, but she says it's a forbidden land her mother mentioned, so she can't go herself. Once inside, we'll be on our own."

"Forbidden land? In what sense?" Wu Ding asked.

Ye Fan shook his head and said, "I think there might be a world of cultivators inside, and perhaps Lan Jing's mother escaped from that world to lead an ordinary life with her."

Ye Fan wouldn't mention Lan Jing's mother being a great power. Lan Jing always believed her mother's soul resided in a small blue crystal. Since she'd never been to the underground kingdom, she didn't know its layout. She only knew of a secret passage, but she wasn't even sure if it led to the underground kingdom.

"What are we waiting for, let's go," Wu Ding said.

Ye Fan called Li Zhaojun aside to discuss briefly, then said, "Let Brother Li Bei stay to guard over the Song family uncle-nephew while we go. If Elder Wu returns to Hua Hai City and leaves any signal, let Senior Li inform us."

Wu Ding nodded, "I really don't know the point of going underground. Is it sightseeing?"

Ye Fan didn't explain. Although he wasn't sure if Lan Jing's mother was in the underground world, he knew one thing: the underground world might hold the key to his missing third copper mirror protector bell. Last time, when he was in the East Sea's ocean floor, the copper mirror reacted strongly, but he was more focused on dealing with the formidable young Lan Jing at that time.

Now, to find Lan Jing's mother, he needed to locate the third protector bell because only with the complete set of three protector bells could the copper mirror pierce through all illusions. Currently, the copper mirror was only partially effective, not complete.

Taking advantage of the night, Ye Fan, Li Zhaojun, Min Shang, Wu Ding, Lan Jing, and Qing Xu set off towards the East Sea. Having been there once before, the route was relatively familiar, and Lan Jing, who lived in the ocean, led the way.

Ninghai City was close to the coast, though the entrance to the East Sea's ocean floor was about three to four hundred kilometers away.

When they reached the East Sea at night, under the moonlight, the ocean seemed like a giant vortex with a tremendous pull, looking as if plunging in would lead to no return.

"Miss Lan Jing, once you open the entrance, you can stay at the bottom. I can't leave the small blue crystal with you now. If you're worried, you can also come down with us," Ye Fan said.

Lan Jing looked a bit aggrieved; her mother forbade her from going underground, and the small blue crystal that housed her mother's soul was her best friend. Yet, the small blue crystal only liked Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun, refusing to follow her.

"I'll... wait for you. You must come back," Lan Jing said, trusting Ye Fan a bit more.

Ye Fan nodded, "Then wait for us at the ocean's bottom. Once we're done, we'll come back for you. That's our promise."

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