Yuan Ming observed for a moment, then captured a strand of the desire power that had gathered. He noticed that the color had faded slightly, though it still remained a chaotic mix, indistinguishable in its main qualities.

He tried to separate the desire power, but due to insufficient cultivation of the Love Inquiry Technique, his thoughts were like stones sinking into the sea, receiving no response.

This was expected, so Yuan Ming didn't feel disappointed. He got up and left Shura Palace, heading to his room.

Just then, he suddenly frowned, looked around, but found nothing unusual inside or outside the room.

While puzzled, Yuan Ming's Divine Sense inadvertently sensed a small table placed in front of Nan Shangfeng in the next room.

On the table was a black wooden box, carved with intricate dark red patterns, giving a very mysterious feeling.

Nan Shangfeng was still meditating with his eyes closed, apparently unaware of the wooden box's presence.

Yuan Ming slightly frowned, immediately releasing his Divine Sense to scan the two rooms but found nothing unusual, only a vague feeling that someone was hiding in the room.

With a cold snort in his heart, Yuan Ming formed a spell with his hands, creating a dozen white light rings around him. It was the Circular Light Technique, illuminating everything in both rooms.

Soon, he discovered a faint presence in the southeast corner of Nan Shangfeng's room, nearly merging with the ground, which could have deceived him if not for the perfection of his Circular Light Technique.

Yuan Ming did not act at the scene but instantly appeared in the next room, channeling Soul Power to capture the intruder with a single strike.

"Hey, wait, don't attack, I am—" In the next moment, from the southeast corner, a male cultivator in a deep purple shirt revealed his form.

He seemed to sense Yuan Ming's hostility, but unfortunately, just as he spoke, Yuan Ming made a fierce move, casting the Dream Butterfly Illusion Technique, drawing him directly into an illusion.

"Who are you... Xiang Mingxuan? Fellow Daoist Wan, please hold back, he's one of us." Nan Shangfeng said urgently upon hearing the commotion and opening his eyes, seeing the purple shirted male cultivator.

"One of us?" Yuan Ming questioned, examining the male cultivator's features, and quickly realized he was the one Nan Shangfeng contacted with the Spiritual Communication Incense two days ago.

"Yes, he is my friend, wasn't he supposed to come over to deliver something... Look, it's this wooden box, inside is Innate Bitter Bamboo." Nan Shangfeng said anxiously, his eyes landing on the wooden box on the small table, quickly presenting it to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming accepted the wooden box and slowly opened it.

In an instant, all the distractions in his mind seemed to dissipate, and a sense of unprecedented peace washed over him, his mind becoming clear, and even his thoughts flowed several times faster than usual.

Looking down, he saw a four-inch long, one-inch wide jade green bamboo leaf, as clear and transparent as glass, unstained by dust.

"Since he's your friend, why was he skulking around, sneaking in?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Sigh, that's Xiang Mingxuan's nature; he claims his Escape Skill and Concealment Technique are unmatched, usually considering himself a chivalrous thief, delighting in infiltrating various sects' forbidden areas to steal treasures for fun, getting constantly hunted because of it. This time, he probably just wanted to pull a prank." Nan Shangfeng laughed bitterly.

"Your friend is quite interesting." Hearing this, Yuan Ming laughed, raising his hand to dissolve the illusion.

"Uh... Nan Shangfeng, where did you find such a ruthless person? With formidable Divine Sense, and such decisive actions." Xiang Mingxuan, having recovered, was startled before snapping back to his senses, looking at Yuan Ming with great trepidation.

"Didn't I tell you? This Fellow Daoist Wan is very powerful; otherwise, he couldn't have saved me from Hei Lian." Nan Shangfeng chuckled proudly.

"How much did you tell him about me?" Yuan Ming frowned and transmitted telepathically to Nan Shangfeng.

"Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Wan, I didn't say a word I shouldn't!" Nan Shangfeng shivered slightly, quickly responding with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist, I haven't seen Nan Shangfeng in a long time, and there's much I wish to discuss with him, so..." Xiang Mingxuan hesitated, apparently gleaning something from Nan Shangfeng's attitude.

Yuan Ming nodded in understanding, turning around to leave the room, giving them space to talk privately.

Since the item had been delivered, his dealings with Nan Shangfeng were largely concluded. Were it not for his curiosity about Wu Yu's method of breaking the curse and wanting to witness it, he could have left on his own.

"Fellow Daoist Wan, did you encounter any trouble just now?" Yuan Ming had just stepped out when he saw Xuan Ye approaching quickly.

Thinking for a moment, Yuan Ming quickly realized that his use of Soul Power to cast illusions might have been detected by Wu Yu, prompting Xuan Ye to investigate.

"It's nothing, just a misunderstanding when a friend of my companion arrived, but it's been resolved." He explained with a smile.

"That's good to hear. We're nearly ready, and we can set off early the day after tomorrow." Xuan Ye nodded in acknowledgment.

Yuan Ming agreed, watching Xuan Ye return to the bamboo pavilion to report.

…

Two days later.

At the crack of dawn, Yuan Ming's door was knocked.

"Fellow Daoist Wan, it's time to set off." Xuan Ye's voice came from outside.

Having waited for some time, Yuan Ming opened the door to find Wu Yu and Xuan Ye standing outside, looking prepared.

Their clothes were also changed to styles more suitable for outdoor activities. Wu Yu, who had previously worn a long gown, now donned brocade garments and long pants, with her waterfall-like long hair tied up high, exhibiting an entirely different and capable aura.

"Isn't Fellow Daoist's new friend coming with us?" Xuan Ye asked as he saw only Yuan Ming and Nan Shangfeng stepping out.

"He has personal matters to handle and won't be traveling with us. He only came to deliver something," Nan Shangfeng explained.

Xuan Ye nodded slightly and glanced at Wu Yu.

"Since that's the case, let us depart immediately," Wu Yu remarked softly, seemingly well aware of the situation.

The group then exited the residence's back door and headed out of the city.

To avoid being surrounded by those who came for her reputation, Wu Yu continually used an illusion technique to conceal herself once outside, preventing anyone from seeing her.

Yuan Ming noticed this and realized that fame sometimes might not always be beneficial.

"This trip isn't far, but the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range is filled with demon beasts. I need to reserve energy to help Fellow Daoist Nan remove the curse. If attacked along the way, I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Wan and Xuan Ye to resolve it," once out of the city, Wu Yu felt somewhat at ease and spoke.

"Of course," Yuan Ming agreed immediately.

"But please know in advance, since you will be traveling with me, spare all lives unless absolutely necessary. If attacked by demon beasts, simply subdue them," Wu Yu paused and advised again.

"Why is that?" Yuan Ming asked, a bit puzzled.

"Heaven naturally favors life, and all things in the world are ultimately equal. Be it humans or demons, even beings of the Demon Clan are merely creatures existing between heaven and earth without much difference. They should coexist peacefully, cease fighting and killing. This is the path of balance," Wu Yu spoke gently, her gaze as clear and sincere as water.

"Since Fellow Daoist Wu says so, I shall comply. If faced with enemies, I'll use illusion techniques to subdue them," Yuan Ming thought Wu Yu's views were too idealistic, yet as he needed her assistance, he refrained from arguing and agreed.

Wu Yu nodded slightly, a subtle smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Then the group mounted tunneling light and sped toward the depths of the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range.

...

During the first day or two, aside from encountering some occasional second and third-level demon beasts, there were no other anomalies, and the group advanced quickly.

However, after the third day, the mountains ahead suddenly became sparse, replaced by a tall and dense forest where each tree stood hundreds of meters high, and nature's spiritual energy became abundant.

"Be cautious, up ahead lies the territory of the Wood Xiao Tribe from the Ten Thousand Demon Country," Xuan Ye said.

"Isn't the Ten Thousand Demon Country supposed to be deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range?" Yuan Ming asked, somewhat confused.

During this time, he had crammed information about the Ten Thousand Demon Country.

The Ten Thousand Demon Country's influence spanned the entirety of the deep mountain range, boasting immense power.

Unlike the demon clans in the Extreme East, the demon clans within the mountain range were highly cohesive, distributed in tribes deep within the range. The leader of the Ten Thousand Demon Country was the Ten Thousand Demon Empress, whose strength was said to have reached the Peak of Dharma, close to the Mahayana Realm.

Beneath the Ten Thousand Demon Empress were five Great Demon Kings, each possessing extraordinary power. Further down were thirty-six tribes, countless demon soldiers, and generals.

Human Clan's cultivators used White Emperor City and other nineteen cities as defensive lines just to barely fend off the Ten Thousand Demon Country, preventing it from invading other cities on the Central Continent. The Wood Xiao Tribe was one of the thirty-six tribes.

"Yes, this is merely a peripheral force of the Wood Xiao Tribe, likely won't encounter the Wood Demon Clan directly. However, it's better to be cautious just to be sure," Xuan Ye said while chanting a spell.

His skin emitted faint green lines, resembling plant veins, as his aura quickly converged and completely gathered.

Simultaneously, Wu Yu also activated a secret technique to conceal her aura, resulting in the sudden disappearance of her aura.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming operated the Void Transformation Technique, rendering himself transparent.

With the curse afflicting Nan Shangfeng, he couldn't hold up shortly after entering the mountain range, and Yuan Ming had already absorbed him into the Dream Butterfly Illusion Technique, bringing him into the Shura Palace.

The three continued onward, no longer flying escape but weaving through the forest.

Traveling deep within the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, unless possessing overwhelming power, no one dared fly escape as that would make them easy targets for the demon clan lurking in the forest.

Yuan Ming maintained his virtualization state, advancing straight through the forest, penetrating trees as he went without avoiding them, making not a sound.

In contrast to Yuan Ming's ease, Wu Yu and Xuan Ye appeared somewhat more rushed, inevitably causing leaves to rustle while passing through dense foliage.

Due to this, they attracted some demon beast attacks, but both managed to handle them.

As the three penetrated deeper into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, the demon beasts they encountered grew increasingly formidable, even facing some patrol soldiers from the Wood Xiao Tribe.

Luckily, the three were vigilant, promptly hiding and avoiding any confrontation with the Wood Xiao Tribe.

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