"Li—"
A fire phoenix appeared in mid-air, with a portly old man standing upon it.
Patriarch Chu, Chu Hongchen, upon seeing the old man, immediately knelt down and respectfully said, "Hongchen welcomes the Ancestor's arrival!"
This portly old man was none other than the Ancestor of the Divine Slaying Sect, Chu Changqing.
His appearance was identical to the remnant soul Chen Xiao had encountered in the Nine Peaks Abyss.
"Little friend Chen Xiao, we meet again!"
Chu Changqing said with a chuckle.
Chen Xiao was slightly taken aback, "Senior Chu, you remember me?"
"Naturally, I do."
Chu Changqing smiled, "The remnant soul is also a part of me. What it sees, I see. We just met, how could I not remember?"
Hearing this, Chen Xiao suddenly understood.
However, Chu Hongchen looked bewildered and asked blankly, "Ancestor, who is he..."
"Who he is, you do not need to know."
Chu Changqing said coldly.
His demeanor towards Chu Hongchen was far from the pleasant one he showed Chen Xiao.
Chu Hongchen dared not voice any complaint. Chu Changqing was his grandfather's grandfather's grandfather... In front of the Ancestor, he was but a grandson of grandsons, only capable of obeying orders.
"Little friend Chen Xiao, this is not a place to talk. Let's find somewhere else. Please, follow me!"
After speaking, Chu Changqing stepped onto the fire phoenix and flew towards the island.
Chen Xiao glanced at Chu Changqing, then at Chu Qingluan.
Chu Qingluan immediately said, "Chen Xiao, don't worry about me. Hurry and go with the Ancestor. Oh, and leave Xiao Hongchan to my care."
Xiao Hongchan was still sleeping in Chen Xiao's arms, undisturbed even when Chen Xiao clashed with Chu Hongchen earlier.
"Alright, I'll come find you after I've asked what I need to know."
Chen Xiao handed Xiao Hongchan to Chu Qingluan, then spread his wings and flew up, following the fire phoenix.
The two flew directly above Bliss Island. Bliss Island was vast, dotted with numerous palaces.
The names of various ancient martial sects were inscribed before the palace gates, presumably where the martial artists of each sect resided and cultivated after arriving at Bliss Island.
A towering peak, reaching into the clouds, stood on the island. Chu Changqing, riding the fire phoenix, flew directly to its summit.
At the peak, there was a pavilion. Chu Changqing led Chen Xiao into the pavilion and gestured to a stone bench, saying, "Little friend Chen Xiao, please be seated."
Chen Xiao sat down, and before he could speak, he heard Chu Changqing say, "Little friend Chen Xiao, please excuse my shortcomings."
At first, Chen Xiao didn't quite grasp the meaning. Then, he suddenly realized that Chu Changqing was not as cold-blooded and ruthless as Chu Hongchen.
He had survived on Bliss Island for several hundred years without changing, which suggested that Chu Hongchen's transformation was likely artificial.
If so, the perpetrator was as obvious as a louse on a bald man's head.
With this thought, Chen Xiao couldn't help but shake his head, "Senior Chu, your methods were hardly sophisticated. Failure was to be expected."
"Indeed. We thought that by having our descendants sever their emotions, they could dedicate all their energy and focus to martial cultivation. But the human heart is filled with too many杂念 (zá niàn - distracting thoughts). Besides emotions, there is also greed, jealousy, hatred, and anger... These inherent flaws cannot be completely eradicated."
Chu Changqing said with a look of helplessness.
"It's not that the human heart has too many distracting thoughts, but that you perceive the human heart too simply."
Chen Xiao smiled slightly.
Not wanting to delve deeper into this topic, he changed the subject, "Senior Chu, our last meeting was too brief, and I still have many questions for you. I hope you don't mind my intrusion on the island today."
The issues concerning cultivation on Bliss Island were too complex and involved too much. Chen Xiao did not wish to get entangled in them.
Moreover, his sole purpose for coming here was to obtain answers to a few questions. He wanted to finish asking them quickly and then leave.
"Little friend Chen Xiao, you are too polite. I welcome you, how could I mind? Please, ask any questions you have."
Chu Changqing said with a smile.
"Senior Chu, last time I asked you where the bottom of the Forgetfulness River was, but you left too hastily before telling me the answer."
During their previous encounter, Chen Xiao was on the verge of getting an answer, but Chu Changqing's remnant soul flickered and then vanished.
"The Forgetfulness River is in the Underworld, and the Gate of Yuan in the Underworld is located on Ice Fire Island. However, passing through the Gate of Yuan in the Underworld is not easy. First, you need to find a 'Zou Yin Ren' (走阴人 - one who walks in the shadows)."
Chu Changqing said.
Hearing this, Chen Xiao was stunned and felt a bit confused.
He hadn't expected the Gate of Yuan in the Underworld to be located on Ice Fire Island.
If that were the case, the sacred relic in Ice Fire Island was also a sacred relic of the Underworld.
By this calculation, the whereabouts of one sacred relic remained completely unknown.
Chen Xiao felt a degree of disappointment upon hearing this answer.
However, one must eat rice one mouthful at a time. Now that he knew the location of the Underworld, he still had to obtain this sacred relic first.
As for the "Zou Yin Ren" mentioned by Chu Changqing, they were a type of legendary ghost messenger, part-time ghost messengers.
They were living people who traversed both the mortal and spirit realms, working for the Underworld.
Chen Xiao did not know any "Zou Yin Ren," but since such extraordinary individuals existed, there must be a way to find them.
After getting the answer to his first question, Chen Xiao proceeded to ask a series of questions in one go.
"Senior Chu, what's the deal with the fire phoenix Xiao Wu? Also, why did you leave a wisp of your remnant soul on the parasol tree? How did you know the Yin-Yang Jade was on me? Oh, and you told me to move the fire phoenix into the Yin-Yang Jade, but as soon as she entered, she flew away. Were you trying to trick me?"
"Ahem, so many questions. Let's take them one by one."
Faced with this barrage of questions, especially the last one, Chu Changqing coughed awkwardly. "It wasn't difficult to know the Yin-Yang Jade was on you. I'm not blind. You were burned so thoroughly that you were naked. Anyone with eyes could see the Yin-Yang Jade on you."
"As for moving the fire phoenix into the Yin-Yang Jade, I just mentioned it casually. We have no grudges, why would I trick you? I also didn't expect her to fly away on her own..."
Chen Xiao's brow furrowed slightly, "So you knew the Yin-Yang Jade was a spatial artifact? How did you know?"
"Young man, the answer to this question is also very simple. I know these things because I've seen someone use it before. You are not the first owner of the Yin-Yang Jade!"
Chu Changqing said with a hint of pride.
Chen Xiao thought to himself that he still dared not consider himself the master of the Yin-Yang Jade; most of the time, he felt like he was being led around by it!
However, he naturally wouldn't voice such thoughts and continued to press, "Senior Chu, may I ask who its previous owner was?"
"The answer to this question will answer all your previous questions."
Chu Changqing said calmly, "The owner of the Yin-Yang Jade, and also the owner of Xiao Wu, before Xiao Wu transformed into a Nether Phoenix, she was his battle pet. And the reason I left a wisp of my remnant soul on the parasol tree was also on his orders..."