After everyone was reborn, I was strictly disciplined.

Xie Ciwen held Xie Xingran tightly in his arms, his large robes covering the little guy's small body. He lightly touched the fallen leaves in the forest with his toes, his figure moving like a shadow through the lush trees.

As her clothes fluttered, a gentle breeze stirred, swirling up a few withered yellow leaves before they vanished into the depths of the tree shadows. Liu Qingwan followed closely behind.

The wind in the forest gradually turned cold, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them had stepped into the deepest part of the forest.

Here, unlike the sparse and scattered trees of the surrounding area, there are ancient trees that take several people to encircle, towering into the sky. Their vigorous branches twist and intertwine, like the arms of a giant beast, completely blocking out the sky above.

The few rays of sunlight struggled to penetrate the gaps in the branches and leaves, turning into tiny golden spots that fell on the thick layer of decaying leaves, only to be swallowed up by the surrounding darkness in an instant.

The damp, decaying leaves mingled with the fresh scent of grass and trees, along with a faint, almost imperceptible, fishy smell of monsters, slowly permeating the air, exuding a sinister aura.

Liu Qingwan stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowing slightly, her vigilance increasing.

She looked up at the vast forest all around, the ancient trees blocking out the sun, making it difficult to even discern directions. Her doubts grew stronger, and she finally couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Ci, is He Chenyu... really here?"

She was filled with confusion. This was the deepest part of the back mountain of the Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land, one of the forbidden areas of the Holy Land. Countless powerful demonic beasts lurked in the mountains and forests. Even a cultivator like her, who was in the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage, would have to proceed with caution and prudence if she dared to enter.

Moreover, He Chenyu is just a mentally unstable mortal who doesn't even have the ability to protect himself.

Furthermore, according to the guards' report, they clearly abandoned He Chenyu on a mortal street outside the city, a place that is a hundred miles away from the back mountain of the Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land.

There are several dangerous peaks in between, inhabited by demonic beasts. How could a mere mortal with no strength possibly overcome all these obstacles and reach the depths of this forbidden area?

Upon hearing this, Xie Ciwen paused slowly. He lowered his eyes slightly, glanced at the little one in his arms, and then looked around. "Miss Liu, rest assured, I can clearly feel Chen Yu's aura. It's nearby and hasn't dissipated."

After saying that, his gaze fell back on Xie Xingran in his arms. The little guy seemed to know that he had done something terrible, burying his head deeply in the crook of his neck, his soft hair brushing against his skin, and his little hands tightly clutching the corner of his clothes.

A pair of large, wet eyes peeked timidly from behind the fabric of her clothes, glancing shyly at Xie Ciwen's profile every now and then. Her pitiful and aggrieved appearance was like that of a little animal caught doing something wrong.

Xie Ciwen felt helpless. He gently placed his fingertips on the little guy's back, stroking it lightly, a hint of doting and indulgence flashing in his eyes.

Actually, he had been holding back his anger for a long time, wanting to teach this naughty little guy a lesson.

If Xie Xingran hadn't acted so domineeringly and kicked He Chenyu out, none of this trouble would have happened.

But now is clearly not the time to teach him a lesson. They are in a forbidden area, surrounded by dangers. More importantly, he has absorbed He Chenyu's spiritual energy, and it is his responsibility and duty to find He Chenyu.

Moreover, now that his identity has been exposed to He Anyao, Liu Qingwan, and others, only by finding He Chenyu can he completely gain He Anyao's trust and properly clean up the mess left by his troublesome son.

Therefore, he took the initiative to suggest that he go to the back mountain to find He Chenyu himself.

Because he had absorbed He Chenyu's spiritual energy, he could accurately sense He Chenyu's exact location, no matter where he was.

At that time, He Anyao looked at him with vigilance and suspicion. It was Liu Qingwan who took the initiative to speak up and offered to go together to supervise Xie Ciwen.

Xie Xingran, on the other hand, is extremely shrewd.

He knew that his grandmother, He Anyao, was in a bad mood at the moment. If he stayed in the Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land, he would definitely be severely reprimanded and taught a lesson. So he simply clung to Xie Ciwen shamelessly.

Her little hands clung tightly to his arm, crying and fussing, insisting on coming along. No matter how He Anyao tried to dissuade or scold her, she wouldn't let go.

Looking at his stubborn appearance and the indulgence in Xie Ciwen's eyes, He Anyao had no choice but to give in and let the little rascal follow her into the dangerous depths of the back mountain.

As his thoughts wandered, Xie Ciwen withdrew his gaze, nodded slightly to Liu Qingwan, and said in a calm tone, "Let's continue forward."

In order not to attract the attention of the monsters in the forest, the three of them concealed their spiritual energy and walked very lightly. Their feet treaded on the thick layer of decaying leaves, making only a faint "rustling" sound, which was almost drowned out by the sound of the wind and insects in the forest.

After walking for about half an incense stick's time, Xie Ciwen's aura suddenly tightened slightly, a glint of light flashed in his deep eyes, and he turned to Liu Qingwan and whispered, "Found him, Chen Yu is not far ahead."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand, a faint trace of spiritual energy gathering at his fingertips, and gently pushed aside the thorns and weeds growing in front of him.

Touched by the spiritual energy, the barbed thorns bent to both sides, revealing a narrow path.

Xie Ciwen, carrying Xie Xingran, walked over first.

As soon as they stepped out of the path, the scene before them suddenly opened up, and a blinding white light suddenly struck. The light was too intense, unlike the gentle sunlight, and instead carried a somewhat violent aura. The group subconsciously squinted and raised their hands to shield their eyes.

After a short while, their eyes gradually adjusted to the blinding light, and they slowly lowered their hands. When they saw the scene before them clearly, Liu Qingwan froze on the spot, her face filled with shock and disbelief.

Before them lay an incredibly steep cliff.

The cliff face was towering thousands of feet high, the rocks were dark black, and the surface was covered with cracks of varying depths, as if it had been bombarded by some powerful force. There were also faint traces of lightning burns on the cliff face, exuding an ancient and violent aura.

Below the cliff, a thick, swirling fog rose and fell, so dark and layered that the bottom was completely obscured. All that could be heard were howling sounds emanating from the fog, like gales passing by or the roars of demonic beasts.

Liu Qingwan stared blankly at the precipice before her, her lips trembling slightly. After a long while, she finally found her voice, her tone filled with shock and muttering to herself:

"I never imagined... that cliff my mother spoke of was actually here... Could He Chenyu be below that cliff?"

She had heard her mother, Liu Xuan, tell her since she was a child that there was a mysterious cliff deep in the back mountains of the Fire Marrow Pill Holy Land. It was formed when the first Holy Lord of the Holy Land ascended to heaven and thunder rolled down, splitting the mountains.

Between those cliffs lies an extremely intense and violent force of lightning. This force is incredibly domineering, far exceeding what ordinary cultivators can withstand. On ordinary days, it is also filled with howling gales, making it an extremely dangerous place. It is the most dangerous forbidden area in the holy land, and for thousands of years, no one has ever dared to approach it even half a step.

Liu Qingwan ran quickly to the edge of the cliff, cautiously poked her head out, and looked down.

Within the thick, dark fog, flashes of purplish-black lightning occasionally streaked across the scene, moving like dragons through the mist, accompanied by ear-piercing crackling sounds.

A violent aura rushed towards her. Just by feeling that aura, Liu Qingwan felt her whole body stiffen, her mind tremble, and a strong sense of fear spread from the bottom of her heart, even her fingertips began to feel slightly cold.

She instinctively took a half step back, her eyes filled with fear.

Such violent lightning and gale-force winds would surely obliterate even a cultivator of her level, let alone an ordinary person, if they fell into them.

Xie Ciwen carried Xie Xingran as they slowly walked over. With a wave of his hand, a jade pendant, smooth and lustrous with a pale blue sheen, flew out from his arms and hovered above their heads. It then emitted a soft blue halo, forming a solid jade shield that firmly enveloped him and Xie Xingran.

As soon as the protective barrier was formed, it isolated the violent lightning and biting wind at the edge of the cliff, and Xie Xingran's tense body gradually relaxed.

"I can clearly sense that Chen Yu is right below this cliff."

Xie Ciwen's voice rang out slowly, his tone serious, and a hint of solemnity flashed in his eyes, "Although his aura is weak, it is very stable, and his life is not in danger."