"This path..."
Upon seeing the path that manifested before her, Jiu Ling's eyes flickered with a hint of joy. Just as she was about to pursue it, Ye Ling, who had suddenly appeared behind her, placed a hand on her shoulder.
Jiu Ling turned her head, her gaze meeting Ye Ling's, and she was startled, "Emperor..."
Before Jiu Ling could finish speaking, Ye Ling made a shushing gesture. Jiu Ling quickly covered her mouth.
"Watch this..."
Ye Ling signaled Jiu Ling to remain silent, then used his demonic energy to condense a clone, transforming it into a semblance of Jiu Ling and sending it towards the manifested path.
Before Ye Ling's clone could take more than a few steps, it was shredded into pieces by an engulfing spatial storm!
Witnessing this, Jiu Ling's pupils contracted sharply, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and confusion.
What was that?
Ye Ling transmitted his voice, "There is a Saint hidden within this void. Shielded by the spatial storm, I cannot locate him for the moment."
"That fellow's objective seems to be preventing anyone from finding the hidden space of the ancient ruins, and he has discovered you."
"What should we do now?" Jiu Ling quickly asked via transmission.
Ye Ling replied, "Proceed as planned. I will assist you from the shadows to find the true path leading to the hidden space. If you see another manifested path, wait for ten seconds. If the path does not disappear, it is the correct one, and you can advance a hundred meters. Repeat this process, understand?"
Jiu Ling nodded.
Seeing this, Ye Ling said no more and once again concealed himself within the void.
However, Jiu Ling did not notice the fleeting hint of amusement and icy killing intent in Ye Ling's eyes as he vanished into the void.
Jiu Ling continued her search amidst the spatial turbulence. Soon, the bracelet on her wrist reacted again, and another path manifested before her.
Following Ye Ling's instructions, Jiu Ling patiently waited for ten seconds. She then watched as the path that appeared before her collapsed with a roar, seemingly destroyed by external forces.
"This is indeed another trap. The Emperor should help me verify the authenticity of the paths..."
Seeing this, Jiu Ling did not harbor much doubt and continued her search for the hidden space within the spatial turbulence.
On several subsequent occasions, Jiu Ling encountered manifested paths, but they all collapsed within ten seconds of appearing, just like before.
All of them were fake!
As this repeated, Jiu Ling became even more convinced that Ye Ling was by her side, safeguarding her, and her mood grew more relaxed. Soaring through the spatial turbulence felt akin to a leisurely tour.
Before long, a new path manifested before Jiu Ling. She had expected it to collapse within ten seconds, as had the previous ones.
However, this time, Jiu Ling waited for ten seconds, and the path remained manifested, showing no signs of collapse.
"This is actually real!" Jiu Ling rejoiced inwardly. "The Emperor said that if the path doesn't collapse, I should advance a hundred meters, and repeat this... I should find the hidden space soon!"
Without overthinking, Jiu Ling stepped onto the path. After advancing a hundred meters, she stopped, awaiting the next change.
Jiu Ling's bracelet lit up again. This time, three diverging paths manifested before her. After another ten seconds, two paths collapsed, leaving only one leading into the distance.
"This is too easy."
Seeing this, Jiu Ling unhesitatingly stepped onto the remaining path. After advancing a hundred meters, she stopped and continued to wait.
Thus, after traversing dozens of forks in the path, Jiu Ling finally saw no manifested path ahead. Instead, a spatial rift appeared, seemingly leading to a stable space.
"Found it!"
After waiting for ten seconds and seeing that the spatial entrance had not disappeared, Jiu Ling, without any hesitation, flew directly towards the stable spatial entrance.
All the way here, Jiu Ling hadn't needed to think; she just had to follow the designated direction. Now, she had completely let down her guard and entered the spatial rift.
"I'm going to achieve something great!"
The moment Jiu Ling entered the spatial rift, it slowly closed.
"Ye Ling" appeared before the closing spatial rift, his eyes filled with deepening amusement.
"Truly a foolish fox, easily tricked with a little deception... Hehehe..."
"Ye Ling" chuckled, four pairs of black wings sprouting from his back. His entire appearance changed, and an aura of malevolence enveloped him.
"Foolish fox, welcome your death in my hell!"
The stranger let out a sinister laugh and transformed into a black streak of light, diving into the place where Jiu Ling had vanished.
Within the void, Ye Ling, whose form was completely concealed, watched everything with an utterly tranquil gaze.
"As I expected, someone is guarding that hidden space and doesn't want anyone to enter."
"That strange bird, despite only having the cultivation of True Martial Peak, can move freely in this spatial turbulence. It's truly abnormal."
"Behind him, there must be a powerful expert who has comprehended the laws of space, otherwise, that strange bird wouldn't be able to survive in the spatial turbulence."
As he spoke, Ye Ling's eyes deepened, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
"An expert who has comprehended the laws of space... Are there such Emperor Realm figures on this Earth... This is becoming increasingly interesting."
Ye Ling's voice was swallowed by the engulfing spatial storm as he completely vanished into the void.
Jiu Ling entered an unfamiliar space. The surroundings were barren, filled with blades everywhere. The entire space was exceedingly grim and oppressive.
"This, this is... the hidden space?"
Upon seeing the mountains of blades, a hint of confusion flickered in Jiu Ling's eyes. She felt as if she had come to the wrong place.
Even with her memories partially lost, upon arriving at the hidden space, she should have recognized it immediately.
But now, Jiu Ling found herself having no recollection of this world filled with blade-covered mountains!
"Did I take the wrong path?"
"But this was guided by the Emperor... How could I have gone wrong?"
Jiu Ling shook her head, dismissing it as overthinking. She ascended into the air, hoping to find a normal area within this space.
However, as Jiu Ling rose into the air, she discovered that within this space, there were only endless mountains of blades, and nothing else could be seen!
Seeing the densely packed blades, Jiu Ling felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
"Hahaha... Foolish fox, welcome to my domain, the Blade Hell!"
At this moment, the stranger with eight wings appeared in the air, staring at Jiu Ling with a smile.
Jiu Ling was greatly startled by this, her entire being on high alert. She sternly asked, "Who are you?"
The stranger's lips curved slightly, and he transformed back into Ye Ling's appearance, smiling as he said, "Shadow Hall, Twelve Pillars, Illusion Face True Monarch, Luo Fengxi."
Jiu Ling's expression changed drastically!