Based on the tombstone outside, this place was supposed to be a tomb. But what stood before him was not a grave, but a living person. A living person—a member of the Spirit Race, no less—was trapped here. The situation was quite intriguing.

"You’re not a member of the Spirit Race!?" the young woman exclaimed in shock after sizing him up. To enter this place, one had to be extremely familiar with the language of the Spirit Race; otherwise, it was simply impossible.

The most distinguishing feature of the Spirit Race was their Divine Runes. Their faces bore faint traces of them. On the forehead of the young woman before him were two faint Divine Runes that connected to form a circle, giving her a magical appearance.

They were the darlings of the Divine Rune Realm, exceptionally talented at drawing Divine Runes.

If there were an Overall Strength ranking for Divine Rune Masters, the Spirit Race would undoubtedly occupy six or seven of the top ten spots. That was a testament to their incredible talent.

"Of course I’m not a member of the Spirit Race. I’m just passing through," Yi Tianyun said, sizing her up. ’Are you the young woman named Huan Qin?’ ’Being imprisoned here is definitely no simple matter. Who could have imagined that a young woman would be held captive on the perilous Demon Cloud Island?’

"How do you know my name!?" The young woman grew wary, her reaction confirming that the name was indeed hers.

"I saw it on the tombstone outside. It was inscribed with ’Tomb of Huan Qin,’ left by someone named Thundercloud. I thought I’d find a dead person in here, not you, imprisoned," Yi Tianyun said, shaking his head.

"Thundercloud! So, since I won’t reveal the secret, he’s decided to make this my tomb!" Huan Qin’s gaze turned icy in an instant. A killing intent flashed in her eyes that was completely out of place for a girl of sixteen or seventeen.

Yi Tianyun hadn’t planned on treating her like a simple young woman anyway. ’She’s probably some ancient monster, just temporarily sealed in this place.’

Then, Huan Qin’s gaze hardened as she turned to Yi Tianyun and said coldly, "How did you get in? It’s impossible without knowing the language of the Spirit Race! Is someone else hiding nearby? Or did Thundercloud bring you here!?"

"This Thundercloud you’re talking about? I don’t know him at all. I just happen to know a bit of the Spirit Race’s language and stumbled in here by accident." Yi Tianyun shrugged, glancing at the cage and shaking his head. "Besides, why would I come in here? To pry some information out of you? Do you take me for an idiot, or are you one yourself? You think a complete stranger could just waltz in, cozy up to you, and trick you into revealing your secrets? I came in thinking there might be some Treasure here. It seems I was mistaken."

Huan Qin was taken aback. On second thought, what he said made sense.

"I guess I was overthinking things... In that case, can you help me get out of here?" Huan Qin cried out urgently. "I believe you weren’t sent by him. If you rescue me, I’ll give you a generous reward! Not only will I give you an Earth Level Martial Arts manual, but also many Pill Formulas. They’ll definitely be enough to make you a powerful expert!"

Huan Qin had offered a tempting reward. For anyone else, it would have been an excellent offer.

"It’s a good reward, but little girl, what makes you think I can open this cage?" Yi Tianyun said calmly. "And even if I could, I don’t even know why you’re locked up in here. What if you’re some great Demon? If I rescue you and end up in a world of trouble, that wouldn’t be good at all. What’s the point of having Earth Level Martial Arts if I’m not alive to learn it?"

His string of remarks left Huan Qin speechless. She had already offered her most valuable reward; what else was there to say?

"If I’m a great Demon... then there are no good people left in this world." The light in Huan Qin’s beautiful eyes dimmed, her expression filled more with a sorrowful irony than anything else.

Yi Tianyun was silent for a moment. He then looked up at her and said, "I have a certain connection to the Spirit Race, so saving you isn’t out of the question. But first, you have to tell me why you were imprisoned here!"

’I don’t consider myself a good person,’ Yi Tianyun thought, ’but I’m definitely not wicked beyond redemption. So, the thought of helping others does cross my mind now and then. I don’t know why this young woman, Huan Qin, was imprisoned, so I need to understand the situation first. If she’s some irredeemably evil Demon, I’m certainly not going to be the one to free her.’

The young woman, Huan Qin, looked at him and fell silent for a moment, not knowing where to begin.

After a moment of thought, Huan Qin finally spoke. "Very well. Even if you were sent by that Thundercloud, it doesn’t matter if I tell you; this is hardly a secret. The reason I’m imprisoned here is simple: to force the secrets of the Spirit Race from my lips! Now that he can’t get them from me, he won’t let me go either. That’s because I am the next Saintess of the Spirit Race. By imprisoning me, he prevents me from successfully ascending to my rightful position! After someone else replaces me, they will have another chance to obtain the secrets of the Spirit Race. So now... I’m just a disposable pawn."

Her eyes filled with anger and sorrow. To spend the rest of her life trapped in this cage... how could she not be grief-stricken?

Yi Tianyun looked into her eyes. From her expression, he could tell that Huan Qin was not lying.

’Spirit Race Saintess?’

This reminded him of Jiu Lingyun and her Saintess training program. ’Could she also be from the Spirit Race? But I’ve never seen any trace of the Spirit Race on her.’

"A struggle for power... Even the Spirit Race can’t avoid it," Yi Tianyun murmured, narrowing his eyes. ’The Spirit Race’s population is already small. Fighting over power like this... are they trying to drive themselves to extinction?’

"Hmph! You think we Spirit Race members would stir up this kind of trouble? We have always lived in harmony! This is all Thundercloud’s doing—that lapdog of the Netherworld Empire! He does it for his own selfish desires, yet he claims it’s for the good of the Spirit Race. In reality, isn’t it all to seize the position of Clan Leader? He’s been completely blinded by power!" The fury in Huan Qin’s beautiful eyes blazed even hotter, as if she wished she could kill her kinsman, Thundercloud, on the spot.

"A lapdog of the Netherworld Empire?" Yi Tianyun’s expression darkened. This involved a 4th-Grade Imperial Influence. A faction of that level possessed numerous Core Formation Realm experts, and even many at the Void Spirit Realm! The territory an Empire controlled was terrifyingly vast.

"The Netherworld Empire will fully support his bid to become the Spirit Race’s Clan Leader, but on one condition: once he’s in power, the Spirit Race must become a vassal of the Netherworld Empire!" Huan Qin said angrily. "Our Spirit Race has never been subservient to any other power! We have always been independent and never get involved with any Imperial Influence! The Netherworld Empire is only doing this to solidify their own position!"

"No wonder..."

Yi Tianyun’s eyes narrowed. Now he finally understood the whole story.

"Ding! Hidden Questline ’Save the Spirit Race Saintess’ triggered. Your decision will affect the course of the world. Please choose carefully. Do you accept this hidden questline?"

"’Affect the course of the world?’" Yi Tianyun was taken aback for a second, then grinned. "’Interesting. What’s the point of living if you don’t change the world a little? I accept!’"

"Ding! Successfully accepted the ’Save the Spirit Race Saintess’ quest. Completion Reward: 200,000 Experience Points, 10,000 Madness Value, Huan Qin’s favorability increased by 100!"