Yuan Ming couldn't help but feel a ripple in his heart: "What exactly happened outside while I was vying for the World Tree in the Silver Tower Space? Could the Demon Emperor really have descended upon the Chuyun Realm?"

He suddenly let out a light sound of surprise, raised his hand, and waved it toward the nearby ruins, causing a fragmented corpse to fly out.

This corpse had lost its head and lower half; the upper body was barely preserved thanks to a golden inner armor.

Even though only half of the body remained, Yuan Ming immediately recognized the identity of the corpse—it was Jin Mu, the City Lord of White Emperor City.

"Jin Chen was turned into a Sky Cicada Puppet by Su Wu inside the Three Realms Immortal Boat, and Jin Mu also fell here. The once splendid White Emperor City Lord Mansion has vanished into thin air…" Yuan Ming looked at the ruins before him, sighing at the unpredictability of worldly affairs.

He was about to bury Jin Mu's body when his gaze suddenly shifted, raising his hand to wave at the golden inner armor.

The inner armor was filled with scratches and breakage, but a faint ripple emanated from a certain spot on its inside.

Yuan Ming focused his Divine Sense, carefully sensing it, and shot a golden light within.

When the golden light returned, he held a green orb and a white jade box.

The golden inner armor had opened a small, secret storage space, very concealed. If not for its severe damage, it wouldn't have been detected.

Many cultivators create such secret storage spaces on themselves to store life-saving items, used for self-rescue or a desperate counterattack when in dire situations.

The golden inner armor had been destroyed, and this storage space was severely damaged, leaving only the green orb and the white jade box.

Yuan Ming paid no attention to the white jade box, focusing instead on the green orb with a puzzled expression.

The orb emitted a mana fluctuation that was his own, vaguely showing a half spirit bean inside.

Although the spirit bean clone was a manifestation of his mana and soul power, it did not share a mental connection with him and acted according to orders.

The spirit bean clone would act autonomously if too far from the main body, which is why he didn't know why the spirit bean clone was here.

Yuan Ming picked up the half spirit bean, and a large segment of light and shadow information transmitted into his sea of consciousness, showing everything the spirit bean clone saw after separating from him.

He had already understood the first part of the information from Wei Ling and Senior Kong, but the latter part, starting from the appearance of Ancestor Bing Lan, was unknown to him.

He wasn't very concerned with the confrontation between Ancestor Bing Lan and Su Wu; what intrigued him the most was the scene where the Three Realms Immortal Boat was taken away, seen by the spirit bean clone.

A silver fish head, as large as a mountain, emerged from the void, biting the Three Realms Immortal Boat, and dragged it into the void, disappearing completely.

"What is this silver strange fish? Like the World Tree, it possesses the ability to traverse the void…" Yuan Ming pondered.

As for the other half of the spirit bean clone, it was hidden inside the Three Realms Immortal Boat, transformed into a mana imprint for Yuan Ming to track.

Unfortunately, the silver strange fish dragged the Three Realms Immortal Boat into the void, making further pursuit impossible.

Yuan Ming shook his head and looked at the white jade box.

Even through the box, he could sense the strong and pure spiritual power inside.

Yuan Ming's Divine Sense penetrated it, with his eyes instantly lighting up.

Inside the white jade box were over a dozen Spirit Stones, colorful and each the size of a bowl, with unique shapes, yet perfect to the eye.

The spiritual power within these Spirit Stones was as pure as water, with dragon-like light slowly roaming over them, looking extraordinarily lively.

"These are top-grade Spirit Stones!" Yuan Ming exclaimed joyfully.

Top-grade Spirit Stones differ vastly from High-grade Spirit Stones even though they are merely a level apart; the difference in spiritual power quantity and purity is incomparable.

Yuan Ming had obtained a few so-called top-grade Spirit Stones on the Yunhuang Continent, but upon arriving in the Overseas World, he realized they weren't true top-grade Spirit Stones, only formed by refining High-grade Spirit Stones with secret techniques.

Those Spirit Stones had increased spiritual power, but the purity hadn't been substantially enhanced.

True top-grade Spirit Stones possess the purest spiritual power in existence; even some Seventh-level Spiritual Materials can't match the purity of top-grade Spirit Stones.

There are even rumors that the spiritual power of top-grade Spirit Stones is comparable to the mana of Mahayana cultivators.

For Dharma Phase Cultivators, top-grade Spirit Stones are extremely beneficial, especially during breakthroughs, when absorbing their spiritual power can even slightly increase breakthrough chances.

Yuan Ming had long desired to obtain a few top-grade Spirit Stones, but such items that are priceless but not available; now, by a twist of fate, he had acquired so many.

"Too bad everything else was ruined." Yuan Ming felt deeply regretful.

He put away the white jade box, not leaving the damaged golden inner armor either.

This item can withstand the impact of the Three Realms Immortal Boat, surely not an ordinary object; he could let Xi Hezi look at it later.

Yuan Ming then solemnly buried Jin Mu's remains in the earth as a sign of respect.

At that moment, Senior Kong's voice rang out: "The Stone Pillar Hongjun has been destroyed, the Heavenly Crane Array has been broken, and now the cities of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range are all under attack. Yuan, only you can carry the responsibility of saving the eighteen cities of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range."

"What do you mean by this, Senior? I am not able to repair the Hongjun Pillar." Yuan Ming was taken aback by these words.

"The Hongjun Pillar was crafted jointly by the artifact refining masters from the Taixuan Sect, Bright Moon Palace, and Heavenly Saint Academy. Even a Mahayana cultivator can't repair it in a day. What I'm suggesting isn't for you to repair the Hongjun Pillar, but to temporarily replace its function using the power of the World Tree," Kong explained.

"Temporarily replace the Hongjun Stone Pillar? The World Tree possesses such a capability?" Yuan Ming's expression revealed his surprise.

"The Heavenly Crane Array relies on the underground spirit veins for operation, and the World Tree has a miraculous ability to communicate with spirit veins. By transforming into the World Tree, coupled with my assistance, you might temporarily replace the Hongjun Stone Pillar, enabling the Heavenly Crane Array to function again," Kong said.

"You knew about the situation in White Emperor City; did you bring me here just to replace this Hongjun Pillar?" Yuan Ming said with a slightly grim expression.

"This is merely something done in passing. By temporarily replacing the Hongjun Stone Pillar to operate the array, I can then use the astonishing Desire Power accumulated over millennia in the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range to help restore the Stealing Heaven Tripod. Our cooperation is mutually beneficial," Kong admitted.

"You know my situation best; doing such things will inevitably attract countless people's attention. The Ten Thousand Demon Country, Three Realms Sect, and even the Demon World might target me. This is too risky!" Yuan Ming immediately refused.

He was well aware that the existence of the Stealing Heaven Tripod had already been exposed, and his only desire now was to stay away from trouble, not to risk further danger.

"The folks from the Demon World shouldn't concern you; this is the core of the Chuyun Realm, where they dare not linger. As for the Ten Thousand Demon Country and the Three Realms Sect in the Chuyun Realm..." Kong responded indifferently.

At this point, he suddenly paused and turned his gaze toward a pile of rocks not far away.

"At this point, you should come out, shouldn't you?" Kong said slowly.

"Someone's here!" Yuan Ming was startled, spreading his divine sense, yet couldn't detect anything unusual.

While Yuan Ming was puzzled, life surged from beneath that pile of rocks: seeds sprouted, quickly breaking through the soil, and grew into a tall, green banyan tree.

With a flash of blue light, a silhouette emerged from the trunk of the tree.

This person wore a lotus crown, was dressed in a blue robe embroidered with Dao patterns, had a slender physique, angular features, and a face with long, five-strand beard. His eyes shone with restrained divine light, faintly glowing with a blue hue, bearing the demeanor of a reclusive sage with an otherworldly demeanor.

At a glance, Yuan Ming found the old Daoist to be amiable, filled with vibrant vitality, but he couldn't see through the depth of the old Daoist's cultivation.

"Hehe, you must be young friend Yuan Ming? A pleasure to meet you." The old Daoist looked at Yuan Ming with appreciation in his eyes.

"Yuan Ming greets the senior." Yuan Ming's eyes moved, and instead of giving a false name, he cupped his fists in salute.

"Not bad, not bad..." The old Daoist acknowledged with a slight bow, then turned his gaze to Kong.

"Old friend, how long has it been since we last met?" The old Daoist chuckled.

"Almost a few thousand years, since Xia Jie left the Central Continent, we haven't met," Kong smiled, as if reminiscing with an old friend.

Yuan Ming stood silently on the side, watching this unfold quietly, not interrupting.

"Young Yuan, let me introduce you. This venerable elder calls himself 'Daoist Mu' and is the Island Master of Evergreen Island," Kong said to Yuan Ming.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming's face showed a slight change, and he again saluted Daoist Mu, "So it's Senior Mu, a pleasure to meet you!"

He had, of course, heard of the name Daoist Mu.

Among the five Mahayana-level existences in the Chuyun Realm, Daoist Mu is acknowledged as the foremost strong one.

Though he hasn't founded a sect like the Taixuan Sect or Bright Moon Palace, the lineage of Evergreen Island holds an exceptionally high status.

In his heart, Yuan Ming couldn't help but speculate whether the battle traces on the ground might be from Daoist Mu fighting someone.

"No need for such formalities, what you see now is just one of his clones. Though this old fellow may not be extraordinarily capable, his lifespan is impressively long; he's perhaps the longest-living being in the Chuyun Realm. As for how old he truly is, except for himself, who can say?" Kong's words carried a hint of teasing and jest.

Daoist Mu frowned slightly at these words, expressing dissatisfaction, "Kong, we've known each other for so many years, how can you speak about me like this in front of juniors? You're becoming more childish with age."

Standing to the side, Yuan Ming gave a polite smile without speaking, though he felt curious about the relationship between these two seniors.

"Alright, back to the point. Why did you suddenly appear here?" Kong collected his expression and asked seriously.

"With such major changes occurring in White Emperor City, naturally I had to come and check. I hadn't expected the Three Realms Immortal Ship to still exist in the world, let alone that it would fall into the hands of the Demon World. This is no small matter." Daoist Mu frowned and spoke in a deep voice.

"You know the importance of the Three Realms Immortal Ship; if that's the case, why allow it to remain hidden under the Flame Desert's depths? Your reputation as the foremost Mahayana might not be well deserved," Kong's words carried a trace of ridicule.

Daoist Mu shook his head helplessly and explained, "How could I not understand the importance of the Three Realms Immortal Ship? But how was I to anticipate it being hidden within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range? Although my Ten Thousand Wood Rhinoceros can monitor the area, the underground magma region happens to evade its detection."

"Senior Kong, what kind of divine skill is this Ten Thousand Wood Rhinoceros?" Yuan Ming was intrigued, sending a mental transmission to Kong.

"The Ten Thousand Wood Rhinoceros is Daoist Mu's investigative divine skill. His true form is a giant tree, and with this divine skill, he can monitor everywhere using trees. In the Chuyun Realm, wherever there are trees, it falls within his investigative range," Kong transmitted back.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming understood, gaining more respect and awe for Daoist Mu's capability.

"Judging by the battle traces above, was it Bing Lan who intervened? Who was the opponent?" Kong continued to ask.

"It was a clone of the Reincarnation Demon Lord and a young fellow named Su Wu. This person has recently risen to fame as the new Sect Hierarch of the Three Realms Sect," Daoist Mu said gravely.

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