Ziyou, unaware of Ye Ling’s inner turmoil, sat at the dining table and offered him a piece of bread from her plate. "Little brother, are you hungry?"
"No..."
Ye Ling was about to refuse the bread when he sensed the immense spiritual energy contained within it, an energy far greater than that of any supreme expert. He swallowed his words, took the bread from Ziyou, and smiled. "Thank you..."
Eating this piece of bread was equivalent to devouring a supreme being through his Devouring Domain. Ye Ling couldn't fathom what this little girl used in her daily life.
"Hehe! The bread is delicious! If you're not full, I have more!"
Seeing Ye Ling accept the bread, Ziyou giggled and sat on her chair, swinging her little feet. As she ate noodles imbued with supreme spiritual energy, she said to Ye Ling, "Little brother, I don't like it here. Can you take me away?"
Ye Ling took a bite of the bread, absorbing its spiritual energy, and asked Ziyou, "You don't like it here?"
"I don't like it..." Ziyou shook her head. "I always feel like they're imprisoning me. Even though they grant my every wish and never punish me for mistakes, I've never managed to escape. I don't know what the outside world is like..."
Ye Ling: "..."
Hearing Ziyou's words, Ye Ling fell silent, his thoughts drifting.
To be honest, after experiencing this series of shocking events, Ye Ling had gradually calmed down and was beginning to piece things together, vaguely guessing who this little girl might be.
If he connected the fragmented divine consciousness of the Creation God that had guided him earlier, the residual malevolent energy outside the palace, and the story Xuan Yu had told him, then this seemingly innocent little girl was likely the vanished Creation God herself!
This place was probably a secret forbidden zone of the Residual Evil Clan. The Creation God's fragmented consciousness might have led him here to rescue this little girl!
But...
Having witnessed the maid's strength, Ye Ling had a profound understanding of the dangers within this palace. Rescuing Ziyou from this place would be a near-death experience!
However, Ziyou seemed unaware of all this. She saw Ye Ling as her hope and yearned, "I really want to see Earth... That place must be beautiful!"
Looking at the hope in Ziyou's eyes, Ye Ling couldn't help but sigh. "Fine... Since I've accepted so many of your inheritances, this matter, though perilous, is also an opportunity to change the world. I'll risk it..."
Having made up his mind, Ye Ling asked Ziyou, "Ziyou, do you know the maid's and the butler's activity times and ranges?"
When Ye Ling asked, Ziyou didn't hide anything. "After the maid brings me my meal, she goes to the central courtyard to wash clothes. An hour later, she collects the dishes, then cleans the palace for three hours, and makes dinner. She leaves after dinner."
"The butler is active on the first floor during the day and leaves the palace at night. If you really want to take me away, it's best to act at night. However, there will be a large number of evil soldiers patrolling outside the palace at night. Although those guys are not as terrifying as the maid and the butler, they are still quite formidable."
Hearing Ziyou's words, Ye Ling shook his head. "No, we have to act immediately. We must escape within this hour. We can't wait until night."
"Why?" Ziyou asked curiously.
Ye Ling replied, "The maid mentioned that her master will be arriving tonight. With that person's strength, my concealment methods might not be able to fool him. Therefore, we must act before dinner."
"Currently, the maid is in the central courtyard and not active within the palace. There is only the butler in the palace now, which is the most opportune moment for us to escape."
"Is that so... But I'm not mentally prepared yet..." Ziyou murmured, glancing at the dolls filling the room. A hint of reluctance flashed in her eyes, but she quickly made up her mind. She grabbed a doll from the bedside and said to Ye Ling, "Big brother, I've packed my things. Let's go!"
"Okay!"
Ye Ling nodded and said to Ziyou, "Ziyou, open the secret passage. Let's escape the palace first."
There were peculiar restrictions in this palace, and Ye Ling couldn't sense the beacon he had left in his Domain Universe. His immediate goal was to escape the palace with Ziyou and then transmit back to his Domain Universe via his beacon.
Ye Ling had formulated the escape plan, but Ziyou was now looking at him innocently, making no move.
Seeing Ziyou frozen, Ye Ling urged, "Girl, what are you waiting for? Open the secret passage!"
Ziyou chuckled sheepishly. "To avoid the palace's restrictions, this secret passage can only be opened twice a day, otherwise, we'll be discovered."
"I used it once when I went out, and again when I brought you back."
Ye Ling: "..."
Seeing Ziyou's innocent smile, Ye Ling suddenly felt like he had been tricked.
Ziyou scratched her head. "I didn't know their master would be coming today. Otherwise, we could definitely escape tonight."
Ye Ling sighed heavily. "Fine... Besides this secret passage, do we have any other escape routes?"
Ziyou quickly nodded. "Yes! Although the palace gate is locked, there's a temporary resting room for the butler nearby, and it has the key to unlock the palace gate. If we steal the key, we can escape."
"So... I have to steal the key right under the nose of the Great Dao Immortal Master and then escape with you?" Ye Ling sighed, finding the thought of it dangerous.
It was simply insane!
Ziyou said apologetically, "I'm sorry... I also didn't expect things to turn out this way. I was just too excited to see a stranger appear, so I wanted to bring you in to play."
Ye Ling sighed. "Well, it's happened, and there's no point complaining. You should have some free time, right?"
Ziyou nodded. "Yes! After meals, I can move around freely in the palace. There are many fun things in the palace, and I can take you to play!"
Ye Ling said, "No need to play. I'll possess you later. You go steal the key, and then we'll open the door and escape. I'll take you back to Earth, as quickly as possible."
"Okay, okay!"
Hearing Ye Ling's plan, Ziyou's face lit up with excitement, feeling like a secret agent about to carry out a mission.
Ye Ling continued to instruct, "By the way... the maid and the butler are not to be underestimated, and my concealment methods might be discovered by them. Don't stay with them for too long, or I might be exposed."
"Understood!"
Seeing the light flashing in Ziyou's eyes, Ye Ling smiled and shook his head. He used white runes to conceal his aura, turning his entire being into a wisp of smoke, attaching himself to Ziyou, and transmitting to her, "Let's go, Ziyou."
"Yes!"