’There must be some treasure here. It might even be related to the Spirit Race. Otherwise, why would Demon Beasts be wandering around...’

Yi Tianyun frowned as he walked across the island, meticulously searching every nook and cranny.

The presence of the tombstone suggested that a great battle had once been fought here, and someone had fallen. There might be an actual tomb, or perhaps the stone was simply a memorial.

He circled the area, clinging to a sliver of hope, but found no entrance—only an endless expanse of forest.

’That’s strange. I don’t see anything. Could it not be in this area...?’

Yi Tianyun frowned, a wave of disappointment washing over him. ’Was this all for nothing?’

But he wasn’t one to give up. After another circuit, he finally spotted small characters carved into several trees. It was the language of the Spirit Race!

’The language of the Spirit Race is carved on these trees. Let me try to decipher it...’

After reading them over, he pieced the carved characters together to form a phrase.

"Heaven-Reaching Gate?"

He then uttered the obscure phrase, but nothing happened.

’It didn’t work?’

Yi Tianyun studied the trees. They clearly formed a grand formation, something akin to a Teleportation Array, but he was currently unable to activate it.

After studying it for a moment, he realized it was a formation that could only be activated with the language of the Spirit Race! But he had already tried that, and it hadn’t worked.

’Do I have to use Spiritual Power?’

Yi Tianyun immediately tried again. He recited the phrase once more, but this time, he circulated his Spiritual Power and infused it into the words. As he spoke, the sound was enchanting and worlds apart from his previous attempt. It flowed as if it were his native tongue, imbued with a profound spiritual essence.

As the words left his lips, the surrounding trees lit up, enveloping him in light. The next moment, he vanished. Back on the island, nothing had changed; it was as if he had never been there at all.

Yi Tianyun felt a flash of light, and the next thing he knew, he was standing in a spacious cave. He looked up to see the walls embedded with countless Luminous Pearls, illuminating the dark passage. Such extravagance alone proved this place was anything but simple. Each Luminous Pearl was priceless; selling even one would fetch a fortune in gold and silver.

"I’m finally in!"

Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. ’So that was it! You have to infuse Spiritual Power into your voice to activate the formation. Otherwise, just saying the words is useless. It’s a good thing I know a little of the Spirit Race’s language, or this whole trip would have been for nothing.’

’This is incredible. If my aunt didn’t know the Spirit Race’s language, I never would have gotten in.’ Yi Tianyun shook his head, wondering how Shi Xueyun knew so much about it. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t understand a single word.

It was Shi Xueyun who had taught him how to pronounce the words; otherwise, he would have been completely lost.

’I wonder what’s really here. Could it actually be the tomb...?’ He narrowed his eyes. ’Now this is getting interesting.’ According to the inscription on the tombstone, this place was called the "Tomb of the Illusory Zither."

As for who this Illusory Zither was, he had no idea.

Regardless, he had to proceed with caution. He remembered encountering traps when he entered the Dragon God Hall. It would be a terrible waste to be killed by a trap here.

But as it turned out, his worries were unfounded. The path ahead was completely clear of traps, and he advanced without obstruction.

The deeper he went, the hotter it became. A blast of hot wind, unsettling in its intensity, blew out from the depths. It had no effect on him, however. Now that his cultivation had reached the Spirit Pill Stage, ordinary heat was no problem at all.

When he finally emerged from the passage into the space beyond, his view opened up dramatically. He was met with the sight of a chamber built entirely from Fire Dragon Stone. Wave after wave of heat radiated from the walls, blanketing the entire area. An ordinary person would have been roasted alive upon entry.

’This is Fire Dragon Stone...’

Yi Tianyun squinted, examining the stones. This material was typically found only in the most dangerous locations. They were bright red stones, and the patterns on their surface vaguely resembled dragons coiled along the walls, looking strikingly lifelike. Fire Dragon Stone contained an extremely dense Fire Attribute Spiritual Power, glowed like red-hot iron, and fetched a good price, as it was used by Cultivators specializing in the Fire Attribute.

It was incredible to find so much Fire Dragon Stone in one place.

"Who’s there!" a sharp female voice cried out from ahead.

Yi Tianyun looked toward the sound. In the very center of the chamber stood a sturdy cage forged from Fire Dragon Stone. Inside, a delicate-looking young girl sat, staring at him with eyes full of vigilance and fury.

’A living person?’ Yi Tianyun was stunned. He never expected to find someone alive here. He had assumed this was a tomb, empty save for perhaps a corpse. It seemed he was mistaken.

The girl before him was no more than sixteen or seventeen, with exquisite features and a cascade of silver hair that pooled on the ground around her. Her delicate frame, trapped within the cage, should have made her look pitiable. But her beautiful silver eyes, glaring at him, were filled only with rage. There was nothing pitiable in her gaze—only a stubborn, proud light that seemed at odds with her fragile appearance.

The aura she exuded, in particular, was far from simple. She was clearly an expert! From the aura she leaked, Yi Tianyun judged her cultivation to be at least at the Core Formation Stage. He suspected that being trapped had weakened her, meaning her true strength could be even greater.

He could sense this from the chilling air emanating from her body. A small area around her was frozen solid with thick ice, but it was quickly melted away by the heat of the surrounding Fire Dragon Stone in a constant, waxing-and-waning struggle.

It was clear she was being suppressed. The surrounding Fire Dragon Stone, along with the cage forged from the same material, was restraining her power, confining her to that small space.

’A tombstone outside, but a living person inside!’ He was truly astounded. ’According to the inscription, her name should be "Illusory Zither"... but maybe not.’

Regardless, the fact remained that there was a living person here, and she was no ordinary person. Her appearance was different from that of a normal human; faint, shimmering Divine Runes were visible on her face. He had heard that members of the Spirit Race all had such Divine Runes on their bodies.

The Spirit Race were said to be the favored children of the heavens when it came to inscribing Divine Runes. Their innate, heaven-sent talent gave them unparalleled skill in the art. To think that a young girl of the Spirit Race was trapped here!