Chu Lingwei waved her hand, directly collecting the two of them into the spirit beast bag and severing their connection.
She was busy right now and had no time to mediate.
Chu Lingwei stood alone on the flying artifact, gazing at the undulating mountains and vast rocks below. The smallest stones here were as tall as dozens of stories.
Some of the giant rocks had already formed entire mountains. These colossal stones were stacked haphazardly on top of the original mountains, making this place vastly different from other mountain ranges.
Some of these stones were moving rapidly. These were likely the Hundred Stone Beasts that Lin Dachui had mentioned, capable of transforming into giant rocks, making them difficult to distinguish even for cultivators.
Chu Lingwei took out the map marked by her master. She was still far from the marked location and had to speed up.
The marked spot on the map was where her father had disappeared last.
Chu Lingwei planned to search for clues at this location first, hoping her father might have left something for her.
Along the way, she witnessed many cultivators battling Hundred Stone Beasts. She observed that these beasts were not only hard to detect but also possessed ever-changing forms and moved with incredible speed.
Their cultivation levels were between the fourth and fifth tiers. Many cultivators were severely injured during their battles with them.
Chu Lingwei had no intention of stopping. Her sole objective now was to reach the location her master had marked as quickly as possible.
After ten days of travel, just as she was nearing her destination, she suddenly felt a spatial tremor. Chu Lingwei paused, her divine sense scanning the space. She discovered that the spatial energy had become more concentrated, the space had doubled in size, and even some of her unopened divine artifacts had automatically activated.
Chu Lingwei found a hidden spot, set up a barrier, and entered the space.
Upon entering the space, she immediately sensed an additional presence. Chu Lingwei blinked and found a familiar figure standing within her space.
"Uncle-Master Li Chen." Seeing the person standing with Yu Qinghong, Chu Lingwei instantly understood why the Illusion Cat had made her sever her connection to the space.
"Chu Lingwei."
"Uncle-Master Li Chen, why are you here?" Chu Lingwei looked at Li Chen standing within her space, a surge of anger rising within her. It must have been Feng Ming.
Hearing Chu Lingwei's question, Li Chen's eyes flickered with apology. "I'm sorry, I don't know how I suddenly appeared here. I... I didn't intend to appear in your space."
Yu Qinghong stood by the side, silent.
It had to be Feng Ming.
"Uncle-Master Li Chen, do you know about the loss of the precious treasure from Wuhui Mountain?" Chu Lingwei's thoughts raced. If Li Chen was indeed brought back by Feng Ming, then the time Li Chen was brought into the space coincided with the time the Cultivation Academy lost its treasure.
Chu Lingwei looked at Li Chen, wondering what connection the treasure had to him.
As a disciple of the Cultivation Academy, she had to consider the academy's interests.
"I believe the precious treasure lost by the academy should be me," Li Chen sighed, gently waving his right hand. A section of a thousand-year-old blood ginseng appeared in his hand.
"My original form is a blood ginseng."
Li Chen's eyes held a look of helplessness. After ten thousand years of cultivation, he still couldn't escape the pursuit of cultivators.
"You?!"
Chu Lingwei stepped forward, staring at Li Chen. She couldn't sense any demonic energy from him. Even when she used her artifact, she couldn't detect his true form.
"Yes, my true form is a thousand-year-old blood ginseng, and I was trapped in Wuhui Mountain for five hundred years," Li Chen nodded. He gently waved his right hand, and the section of blood ginseng in his hand landed on the ground.
Chu Lingwei turned to look, only to discover that many parts of her space were now overgrown with blood ginseng. Some had just emerged from the soil, while others appeared to be a hundred years old.
Originally, when Feng Ming first met Li Chen, he had already sensed his identity, otherwise, he wouldn't have wanted to bite him.
"How did Feng Ming bring you here?"
She had lived in Wuhui Mountain for several years. Feng Ming often roamed various parts of the academy, including Li Chen's cave dwelling. She had never brought Li Chen into her space before.
She supposed something must have happened that night.
"They wanted my vital essence. I refused, so..."
Li Chen stayed in Wuhui Mountain because Bei Chenfeng protected him. Bei Chenfeng was the dean of the Cultivation Academy. However, the academy had many Sovereign-level cultivators whose cultivation was higher than Bei Chenfeng's, and they were of a greater seniority. Sometimes, Bei Chenfeng was powerless.
All he could do was preserve his own life.
Chu Lingwei nodded, finally understanding what had happened.
"Chu Lingwei, my appearance in your space was unintentional. You can send me away," Li Chen knew he hadn't sought Chu Lingwei's consent to enter. He stepped forward and bowed to her.
Chu Lingwei looked at Li Chen. The identity of this thousand-year-old blood ginseng was coveted by Sovereign-level powerful beings. It was likely that as soon as he left this place, the Sovereign-level cultivators searching for him would find him immediately.
"Uncle-Master Li Chen, it is very safe here. If you wish, you can stay," Chu Lingwei sighed softly. Since he had already entered, staying put was the best course for both him and herself.
Hearing Chu Lingwei's words, Li Chen's heart settled. "Thank you."
No one wished to leave and become medicine for others.
Chu Lingwei left the space and released Feng Ming and the Illusion Cat.
"Weiwei." Feng Ming and the other emerged from the spirit beast bag, their faces beaming. They were about to step forward when they saw Chu Lingwei's cold expression and froze in place.
"Feng Ming, do you know where you went wrong?" Chu Lingwei looked at Feng Ming. It seemed she had been too lenient with her.
Feng Ming trembled and shrunk back. "Weiwei, I'm sorry. Uncle-Master Li Chen was too pitiful, I..."
"So you could act on your own initiative?" Chu Lingwei's voice rose slightly as she let out a soft scoff.
"Weiwei, Uncle-Master Li Chen was dying at the time. I..." Feng Ming looked pitifully at Chu Lingwei. "I was wrong. I'll never bring anyone into the space again."
"I will sever your connection to the space." Chu Lingwei's heart grew cold. Allowing Feng Ming and the Illusion Cat free access to the space was meant to be a trump card for their survival in times of danger, not for them to use it without her permission.
If her space were discovered, it would bring her endless trouble and disaster to her family and friends.
"Weiwei..."
Feng Ming's eyes reddened, and large tears began to fall one by one.
Chu Lingwei did not soften. If she didn't let Feng Ming understand the seriousness of the matter, she didn't know what dangerous actions she might take in the future. The space was her final trump card and must not be discovered.
Severing Feng Ming's connection to the space, she collected her into the spirit beast bag. "Reflect within for three months."
The Illusion Cat watched Feng Ming being placed in the spirit beast bag, its expression stern. It did not say a word in her defense.