Shen Yan was taken away by Wuyingzi and is now missing. Wuyingzi is currently looking for her lover Xi He. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman still holds too many secrets that Ye Fan cannot easily shake.

Ye Fan realized that there is actually very little he can do at the moment. It is quite difficult to find the Chosen One now; however, there is one place he should go to, a guidance given to him by the old priest of the underground race before he died, directing him to go deeper underground to find a certain Divine Artifact, which Wuyingzi has also been searching for.

When Ye Fan shared his thoughts with Li Zhaojun, she was supportive of his decision. As the Chosen One cannot be found, and with some time left before the wedding, this is the best time to go underground.

"I'm just afraid the Mysterious Woman might cause us trouble," Ye Fan said. "I suspect this Divine Artifact is connected to her in a big way. She might have hidden it herself, and if we reveal our true intentions to her, she will definitely cause us trouble."

Ye Fan's concerns are justified. Both Jiuyou Su Girl and Wuyingzi are searching for this Divine Artifact. The location where the artifact is hidden is not far from the underground ocean where the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman secluded herself to give birth to a daughter. Jiuyou Su Girl even once pressured the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman for the whereabouts of the artifact. All indications suggest that even if the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman is not the owner of this artifact, she knows where it is hidden.

Li Zhaojun asked, "Should we tell her?"

"It's better to tell her," Ye Fan replied. "If it really is her possession, then we would essentially be eyeing her collection, which would be a form of theft. Let's see what she says. If she disagrees, I won't attempt to take the artifact, but I at least want to know what it is."

"Mm." Li Zhaojun nodded, accompanying Ye Fan as he stepped out.

As Ye Fan walked out of Li Zhaojun's room, Lan Jing was standing by the living room window, reaching out to catch the small blue and purple crystals. However, the two tiny crystals were mischievous, teasing her and not letting her catch them. The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman was sitting on the sofa, watching her daughter with a distant smile. The two companions who had just returned with Ye Fan, Sang Yuan and Ling Ze, stood at the staircase. Among them, Wu Ding was the most awkward. Now neither master nor servant, Ye Fan hadn't said how he would handle her. She had been sitting on a chair, but upon seeing Ye Fan exit, she stood up quickly.

"Senior, we are going underground to find something. Could we speak in private?" Ye Fan addressed the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman.

Ye Fan was seeking the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman's opinion, to see if she preferred speaking there or in a room, which involved whether she wanted Lan Jing to know about the underground Divine Artifact. Her expression remained unruffled as she looked up at Ye Fan and said, "If you wish to go, I'll accompany you."

Lan Jing turned her head towards Ye Fan and asked, "To where?"

"Lan Jing, we are going underground again. I suspect there's a Divine Artifact hidden below, which might unlock many secrets. Would you like to join us?" Ye Fan asked.

"Mm." Lan Jing nodded.

To Lan Jing, her world was simple. She had no special feelings towards Ye Fan; she merely felt safe exploring the world with him and his companions. If troubles arose, Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun would take the lead. She could discern the goodness or malice in people's hearts, sensing the pure intentions of Ye Fan and Li Zhaojun. Therefore, she felt secure following Ye Fan on his journey.

Ye Fan scrutinized the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman and asked, "Senior, you truly don't mind if we find this item?"

The Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman seemed to see through Ye Fan's mind, saying, "Some things should not be interpreted using your own thoughts to guess my intentions. What you think I should know, I may not necessarily know. Each of us has something to guard, but we might not even know what it is we truly guard."

Her words were obscure, yet Ye Fan roughly understood the meaning.

It seemed the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman was indicating that each ancient power was guarding a certain Divine Artifact. Wuyingzi and Jiuyou Su Girl seemed to want to find her artifact, but the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman suggested she might not know what the artifact specifically was.

To Ye Fan, this felt somewhat absurd. How could you not know what you are guarding, so why stand firm against Jiuyou Su Girl?

"Alright then, let's set off," said Ye Fan, looking at Ling Dao, "You'll stay. As for the others, come with me!"

Sang Yuan glanced at Ling, puzzled as to why Ye Fan would leave Ling behind. In a competitive spirit, she also wanted to suggest staying, but considering Ye Fan needed someone with her high cultivation level beside him, she dared not to easily question his decision.

Wu Ding approached and asked, "Should I go too?"

Ye Fan gave Wu Ding a smile that was faint and unconcerned. He had two or three previous opportunities to devour Wu Ding, but he hadn't done so. Considering that Wu Ding had been used by the Tianxuan Sect, she didn't need to come to him for redemption. Ye Fan replied, "It's up to you, Senior, to join us or stay behind."

"Then… I won't go," Wu Ding made her decision after some thought.

Wu Ding actually wanted to go but feared being controlled by Hua Wu and the others. If they were to be followed underground or if secrets about the artifact were revealed and then extracted by Hua Wu through spiritual control, she would let down Ye Fan tremendously. Therefore, she'd rather not explore and knew that ignorance is safer from betrayal.

Ye Fan understood her concerns, leaned forward, and under the watchful eyes of others, whispered faintly in her ear, "Senior, you shouldn't stay here either. I'll arrange for someone to take you elsewhere. Adjust your mindset, and when I return from underground, we'll enjoy the understanding and tenderness a woman of your kind offers!"

Wu Ding's face turned awkward. She'd heard these words before, yet Ye Fan had spared her each time when the moment came.

But this time, an unusual feeling was much stronger than before. She somehow sensed Ye Fan was serious about possessing her, though the reason for her certainty eluded her. However, she knew her two-century chastity was about to be undone by a man much younger than her.

Even though among those present, only Sang Yuan could hear Ye Fan's words, Wu Ding's guilty conscience made her face turn strange. She didn't dare meet Li Zhaojun's eyes.

Returning to his usual demeanor, Ye Fan asked publicly, "Does Senior disagree?"

Lan Jing, Min Shang, and others were curious, wondering what had been said that made Wu Ding reject.

Wu Ding finally shook her head slightly, saying, "I won't defy your wish, I will… wait for you to return!"

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