Xue Hui was someone Ye Ziyun felt more indebted to than anyone else in the world. He had saved her mother and brother, helped her grow stronger, and was also the reason she and Xiao Ning'er had become close again.
So much so that she had made a promise to herself that she would do anything for Xue Hui, even if he asked her to climb a mountain of blades for him.
And yet, here she was. The moment the two of them reached the very bottom of the deep chasm after a long, steep descent, once she regained her bearings and got back to her feet, albeit a little unsteadily,
Ye Ziyun's pale expression morphed into an angry one. She raised her clenched fist and abruptly drove her knuckles down onto the top of Xue Hui's head.
The force was so strong that it made Xue Hui crouch in pain, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. As he nursed his bruised scalp, a hiss of pain escaped his lips while his fingers brushed against the obvious bump forming on top of his head.
"Xue Hui, you hateful rascal! What was that!? Jumping off the cliff without telling me first? Are you trying to scare me to death or something?" Her furious voice rang throughout the bottom of the chasm as she stomped her foot in annoyance.
"Sorry, Ziyun. You looked so serious up there that I thought pulling a prank on you would be funny."
She gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. His stupid reply only succeeded in irritating her further.
Huffing irritably, she leaned forward and swiftly grabbed Xue Hui by the ear. With a forceful tug, Xue Hui's eyes widened in panic as pain shot through him.
"No, it's not! That was terrifying! How can you think that's a funny prank, huh!?"
"Ow... ow... Sorry, Ziyun. That was my mistake. I won't do it again, I promise. Please stop, it really hurts," Xue Hui cried as he desperately held onto Ye Ziyun's arm to lessen the pain.
She scoffed at his words, obviously still angry with him.
She couldn't believe what was happening. Among all her friends, the first person to actually force her hand was Xue Hui of all people.
She had always thought that if there was anyone who would make her lose her temper among her friends, it would undoubtedly be Nie Li.
Between the two, Nie Li was the one who often did annoying things that never failed to aggravate her, to the point that she had nearly lost her temper with him on more than one occasion.
Then Xue Hui simply decided he could do better.
Frowning, she straightened up, crossed her arms over her chest, and shot Xue Hui, another disappointed glare.
But the moment her eyes landed on his pitiful appearance, the corners of Ye Ziyun's lips curled upward. Her eyebrows twitched repeatedly as she tried her best not to burst into laughter.
He was crouching on the ground like a scolded puppy, sporting a bump on his head and a swollen ear.
She bit her lip. He already looked sorry enough. Laughing at his appearance would only be mean of her.
Eventually, Ye Ziyun's anger subsided. Feeling sorry for him, she walked over and helped tend to his bruises.
While doing so, her gaze swept around, noting that the area surrounding them resembled a cave.
It was dark. The place had very little visibility, and the walls were made of bark covered with thick layers of moss and snaking vines.
"Xue Hui, is this the bottom of that huge pit from earlier?" she asked.
Looking upward, all they could see was another sky. Unlike before, this one looked dim and dreary.
The sight gave Ye Ziyun an uncomfortable feeling.
"Yes. This place is the very center of the huge tree. Be careful, Ziyun. We don't know what kind of danger is waiting for us here," Xue Hui answered in a serious tone.
"Mhm." Ye Ziyun nodded, taking his warning with the utmost seriousness.
Using the Origin of Fire, Xue Hui illuminated the path ahead.
The two of them navigated through the winding passages, searching for the place where the tree's Soul Core was located.
The sounds of their footsteps echoed through the tunnels as the wooden walls seemed to close in around them. Ye Ziyun instinctively walked closer to Xue Hui as a sense of dread crept over her.
"Xue Hui, are we close to the Soul Core? This area is quite different from before."
She looked around and noticed hundreds of crimson-colored roots snaking across the walls, each with a girth comparable to a bucket, stretching as far as the eye could see. She wasn't certain, but she could feel an enormous amount of spiritual energy surging through them.
"Yes. If my guess is correct, the end of this passage is where the heart of this tree can be found."
She looked taken aback. She hadn't realized they were already so close to the Soul Core.
The place was filled with interconnected passages. Ye Ziyun could easily imagine how anyone could lose their way within the maze.
And yet Xue Hui walked through it as though it were his own backyard.
"Xue Hui, how do you know where to go? You never stop to check where we are or even hesitate about which turn to take. I'm quite curious."
"Oh, that's easy. I just follow the flow of spiritual energy through these roots. Naturally, all that spiritual energy is being sent straight to the Soul Core."
"Oh! So that's how," she exclaimed in astonishment.
His answer reminded her of how Nie Li had found their way through the Underground Ruins.
Ye Ziyun truly envied both Xue Hui and Nie Li for their seemingly endless knowledge.
She wished she could become like them someday, a person filled with wisdom.
"We're here."
They stopped in front of a narrow passage. As they did, they heard a faint thumping sound coming from within.
At the same time, Ye Ziyun noticed the temperature in the area had become extremely cold. It bewildered her, as she cultivated a blizzard-type cultivation technique and her body was highly resistant to cold.
Beside her, Xue Hui took out ten high-grade Meridian Detoxifying Pills and handed five to Ye Ziyun before popping the remaining five into his own mouth.
Ye Ziyun mirrored his actions.
As soon as she swallowed the pills, the medicinal effects spread through her body. The blockage in her meridians disappeared, along with the biting cold she had been feeling.
Unbeknownst to her, her body had been accumulating a massive amount of extreme yin energy ever since they entered the chasm. Now that they were close to the core, the effects of the previous high-grade Meridian Detoxifying Pills they had taken earlier had completely worn off.
"Ziyun, be ready. This tree has a consciousness of its own. Once we enter its core, it will undoubtedly try to eliminate us, so stay alert as we fight it.
This time, I'll act as the vanguard while you stay back and support me. But don't focus only on me. Keep an eye on your surroundings as well, especially behind you. Got it?"
"Mhm, I understand. But please be careful as well, Xue Hui," she answered firmly, taking a long, deep breath to shake off the tension in her body.
The two exchanged knowing glances before nodding and making their way into the tree's core.
As soon as they entered, Ye Ziyun instinctively shielded her eyes as a brilliant crimson light flashed before them.
Once her eyes adjusted, she cautiously swept her gaze around.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she realized they were standing inside a colossal cavern spanning nearly one hundred hectares.
The cavern was filled with vein-like vines and towering crimson roots hanging from the ceiling like enormous aerial roots.
She couldn't even see the ground beneath her feet, as it was completely blanketed by a thick red fog that concealed everything below.
At the very center floated a massive crimson sphere of blood. It pulsed rhythmically like a beating heart, hovering thirty feet above the ground. Countless vein-like roots connected to it, feeding it a constant stream of spiritual energy.
Within the giant crimson sphere was a brilliant red point of light.
The moment Ye Ziyun saw it, she strongly suspected that it was the Soul Core they had come for.
"Ziyun, I'll go ahead and try to seize the Soul Core inside that crimson sphere. Once the fight begins, quickly integrate with your demon spirit and use your strength to cut down all those blood-colored roots. That's the best way to weaken it by cutting off its supply of spiritual energy."
Ye Ziyun's eyes shifted between Xue Hui and the crimson sphere. She looked hesitant at first, unsure whether she was up to the task.
But after thinking it over, the hesitation disappeared, replaced by determination. She clenched her fist and gave Xue Hui a firm nod.
"Mhm. Leave it to me, Xue Hui. I'll take care of those roots while you do your thing."
Her voice was resolute, without the slightest hint of uncertainty.
Xue Hui grinned, reached for her hand, and placed something into it.
"Keep this close to you. If push comes to shove, we'll use it to escape."
Ye Ziyun looked down and saw a small Origin Sphere, just like the ones Xue Hui had given everyone else.
She quickly tucked it into her clothes and thanked him.
"Are you ready?"
"Mhm." She nodded.
Xue Hui gave her one last look before walking toward the crimson sphere.
As he drew closer, the entire cavern shook violently, prompting Ye Ziyun to immediately integrate with her demon spirit.
The surface of the crimson sphere rippled before a sizable glob detached from it and crashed heavily onto the ground with a wet splatter.
The glob of blood writhed before releasing an ear-piercing pulse.
It didn't take long for its movements to become increasingly violent.
It convulsed and thrashed before suddenly becoming still.
An ominous silence filled the cavern as the glob of blood slowly began to take shape.
Xue Hui halted his advance. His brows furrowed, and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He cursed under his breath as he recognized whose form the glob of blood was mimicking.
As for Ye Ziyun, she gasped in shock as the blood mass transformed into the figure of a beautiful young woman. She had shoulder-length wavy hair, a striking figure, and a beautiful face. Both of her arms were equipped with gaudy-looking gauntlets.
Its eyes slowly opened, and a dangerous glint flashed within them.
"Of course it would choose the strongest one in our group," Xue Hui murmured helplessly.
"Julin!"
A blinding light burst forth, forming into a white halberd before shooting into Xue Hui's hand.
Its immense weight caused the ground beneath him to crack as he brandished the weapon toward his enemy.
"Now let's see who's the strongest between the two of us... Linlin."
The crimson copy of Chen Linlin assumed a defensive stance, its expression blank as the two measured each other up.
End of Chapter 91
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