Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The cave entrance was deep and initially extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person to pass through.

The path beneath my feet wasn't paved with mud, but rather with some kind of warm, smooth jade. Stepping on it made no sound, but instead, a warm sensation rose up from the soles of my feet.

Gu Xiang walked at the front, one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other tightly holding Su Qing's hand.

Su Qing's hands were cold. Even with the blessing of the Soul-Gathering Flower, a soul is still a soul, and it seemed rather frail in this dark passageway.

Gu Xiang then transferred some of his righteous energy to her palm, warming it.

Tu Ling followed behind, its head hunched over, its two claws gripping Gu Xiang's clothes tightly. Its beady green eyes darted around in the darkness, as if afraid that a man-eating monster might jump out from some corner.

Li Qingge and the Faceless Man walked at the back, their footsteps so light they were almost inaudible.

"How much longer?" Su Qing asked, her voice echoing in the corridor with a hint of coldness.

"Almost there." Li Qingge's voice came from behind, light and cheerful. "Sister Su, don't worry, although the road is a bit long, the scenery at the end is definitely worth it."

Su Qing gave a soft snort and said nothing more.

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The previously pitch-black vision was instantly filled with a soft light.

Gu Xiang subconsciously squinted and raised his hand to shield Su Qing's eyes. Only after his eyes adjusted to the light did he slowly lower his hand.

The sight before them stunned everyone present.

This is no underground abyss; it is clearly a fairyland left behind on earth.

Instead of a rock wall overhead, there was a hazy gray dome inlaid with countless luminous pearls, arranged according to the positions of the stars, casting a clear, watery glow.

Beneath their feet lay a vast medicinal field, its spiritual energy so dense it was almost tangible, coalescing into white mist that flowed slowly between the ridges.

Those rare medicinal herbs, seldom seen in the outside world, grow here as freely as weeds.

The crimson fire lingzhi mushrooms, as big as washbasins, exuded a scorching heat; the purple dragon whisker grass swayed in the wind, its leaves adorned with glistening dewdrops; and even the legendary nine-leaf resurrection grass, which had long been extinct, was blooming in patches with pale blue flowers.

The air was filled with a refreshing medicinal fragrance. Just one breath made one feel completely comfortable, and even the mind became clearer.

"My goodness!"

With a strange cry, Tu Ling loosened Gu Xiang's clothes and dashed off into the medicinal herb field.

Its two beady green eyes were wide open, and saliva was gushing down from the corners of its mouth, unstoppable.

"I'm rich! I'm rich! This is a Fire Spirit Mushroom! This is Dragon Beard Grass! This is... what is this? Never mind, it must be something good!"

The earth spirit pounced on a fire spirit mushroom and opened its mouth to take a bite.

"Smack."

A pebble flew through the air and struck Tu Ling squarely on the forehead.

Tu Ling cried out in pain, covered her head, rolled around, and looked back with a pitiful expression.

Li Qingge stood on the edge of the field, tossing a few pebbles in her hand, watching it with a smile.

"Little radish, you can't eat these things indiscriminately," Li Qingge said. "The medicinal herbs here have been cultivated for thousands of years, and their medicinal properties are extremely potent. If you take a bite, you'll probably explode and die before you even taste it, becoming fertilizer for this field."

The earth spirit shuddered in fright and quickly withdrew its outstretched claw.

It looked at the tempting Ganoderma lucidum, swallowed hard, and then glanced at Li Qingge's ambiguous smile. In the end, it didn't dare to take a bite. It could only lie on the ground, sniffing the medicinal fragrance with a look of intoxication.

Gu Xiang ignored Tu Ling's antics. His gaze swept across the medicinal field and finally landed on the palace hidden in the clouds in the distance.

The palace was made entirely of white jade, without much decoration, yet it exuded an ancient and desolate grandeur.

To carve out such a world deep underground is something no human could have done.

"Where is this place?" Gu Xiang asked.

"It's a prison, but also a paradise." Li Qingge walked to Gu Xiang's side, looking at the palace, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. "It all depends on what the people living here think."

Su Qing looked at her sharply: "Your father lives in there?"

Li Qingge nodded: "Exactly."

"Who exactly is he?" Su Qing pressed. "To be able to open up a grotto in this Ghost Cry Valley, to know the secrets of Falling Phoenix Slope, and even to manipulate the dragon energy of the Great Zhou royal family at will, such a person could not possibly be an unknown individual."

Li Qingge turned her head to look at Su Qing, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

"Sister Su, you're still so impatient," Li Qingge said. "I already told you, you'll see when we get there. Some names don't hold true once you hear them; you have to see them for yourself."

After saying that, without waiting for Su Qing to ask any more questions, she put her hands behind her back and skipped towards the palace.

The faceless man followed silently behind her, like a shadow.

Su Qing watched her retreating figure, her brows furrowing slightly.

"What's this girl up to?" Su Qing said in a low voice.

Gu Xiang squeezed her hand: "No matter what kind of medicine they're selling, just go and see for yourself. With me here, nothing will go wrong."

Su Qing turned her head to look at him and saw that he looked calm, but there was a hint of vigilance hidden in his eyes, which made her feel much more at ease.

"Let's go," Su Qing said. "I also want to see which kind of deity is putting on this act."

The two walked along the path between the fields toward the white jade palace.

Seeing this, Tu Ling didn't even bother to smell the aroma anymore. He quickly got up and followed after them.

This place is nice, but it's too eerie. It's safer to stay with these two ominous stars.

The closer one gets to the palace, the denser the surrounding spiritual energy becomes, even giving one a sense of oppression.

That wasn't ordinary spiritual energy; it was mixed with an indescribable aura of decline, like an old man on his deathbed letting out his final sigh.

The palace gates were open, and although no lights were on inside, it was not dark.

The walls are inlaid with glowing fluorite, illuminating the entire hall.

The main hall was empty, with no tables, chairs, or decorations, only a pool of water in the center.

The pool wasn't filled with clear water, but rather with a milky white liquid that exuded a rich sense of life.

In the middle of the pool sat a person.

Or rather, that can no longer be called human.

It was a emaciated monster.

His entire body was almost completely shriveled up, with only a thin layer of skin covering his bones, giving it an eerie, morbid appearance.

His hair had long since fallen out, and his scalp was covered with brown spots and wrinkles.

Its limbs were frighteningly thin, like four withered tree branches dangling casually by the pool.

What's most alarming is that there's a huge hole in his chest.

That place, where the heart should be, is now empty; you can even see the spine through the hole.

Countless thin tubes, as fine as hair, extended from the bottom of the pool and were inserted into various parts of his body, continuously supplying him with the milky white liquid, maintaining his faint life force that was almost extinguished at any moment.

Gu Xiang and Su Qing stood at the entrance of the main hall, watching this scene, their pupils suddenly contracting.

The earth spirit was so frightened that it sat down on the ground with its paws covering its mouth, not daring to even breathe.

This is not a human being; it is clearly a living, dried-up corpse.

Li Qingge walked to the edge of the pool, squatted down, and reached into the milky white liquid to stir it.

"Father, the guests have arrived," Li Qingge said softly, her tone showing no disdain but rather affection.

The withered figure moved slightly.

He slowly raised his head. His face had no nose, no ears, only two sunken eye sockets and a withered mouth.

There were no eyeballs in the eye sockets, only two eerie green will-o'-the-wisps flickering inside.

He "looked" at Gu Xiang and Su Qing at the door, and a hissing sound like a broken bellows came from his throat.

"Heh...heh..."

The voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing against each other.

Li Qingge stood up, turned to look at Gu Xiang and Su Qing, her smile fading and becoming somewhat solemn.

Let me reintroduce myself.

Li Qingge pointed to the person in the pool and spoke slowly.

"This is my father."

"He was also the first emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Moreover, three hundred years ago, I personally set up this chessboard of heaven and earth, scheming against the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, and also against you... sinners."

Su Qing's body jolted violently.

The first emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty?

He's still alive?

And now it's turned into this horrible sight, hiding in this dark, sunless depths of the earth?

As Gu Xiang looked at the empty hole in the man's chest, a sudden inspiration flashed through his mind.

That location...

That size...

"A mind with seven orifices of exquisite intelligence," Gu Xiang blurted out.

Upon hearing these five words, the ghostly flames in the eyes of the figure in the pool flickered violently.

He struggled to raise his withered arm, pointed at Gu Xiang, and then at his own chest.

"Heh... my heart..."

He managed to squeeze out a single word, his voice weak yet filled with an indescribable longing and sorrow.

Li Qingge sighed, walked over, took his withered hand, and gently placed it back into the water.

"Father, don't worry," Li Qingge said softly, "My heart is here, I brought it all."

She turned her head and looked at Gu Xiang, her gaze landing on his chest.

"Lord Gu, Sister Su."

"This is just one piece of the truth."

"Three hundred years ago, my father also possessed a mind that was exquisitely intelligent."

"But later, it was poached."

"The one who wants to rip out his heart is called Xuan Yin."

Su Qing suddenly gripped Gu Xiang's sleeve tightly.

Xuan Yin.

The Supreme Forgetfulness Sect Patriarch who forced her to dig out her heart to exchange for her life a few years ago, and was finally killed by her with a single sword.

The main hall was deathly silent.

Only the sound of the liquid flowing in the pool and the heavy breathing of the withered figure echoed in the air.

Looking at the old man who had once been a powerful figure but now seemed to be living a life of unbearable suffering, Gu Xiang felt a chill run down his spine.

Is this what immortality is?

Is this the end of spiritual practice?

"Bu Suanzi: What I Saw and Heard in the Underground Palace"

A secluded tunnel leads into a deep abyss, where suddenly the road to Peach Blossom Spring appears.

Rare herbs and exotic flowers grow everywhere, and there are even magnificent palaces where people live.

Withered bones lie in the Jade Pool, their dying breaths ignored by all.

An empty chest recalls the past, tears fall as a mistake for eternal life.