Chu Zhiyuan led them all the way to the cave entrance.
The vegetation in this forest was lush, showing no signs of artificial damage. The plants grew wildly, with the tall branches intertwining and looping in mid - air, as if reluctant to part.
At noon, most of the sunlight couldn't reach the ground beneath the trees. The huge trees arrogantly occupied all the sunlight, leaving no chance for other plants to survive.
The forest was eerily quiet. There wasn't a single bird chirping, only the hasty footsteps of the group as they stepped on the dead branches.
From the outside, it was impossible to tell that there was a cave here. It was extremely well - hidden, indicating that the builder was afraid of it being discovered.
No one knew how Xie Qian had found this place back then.
Or perhaps someone had guided her there. And how she had managed to get out unscathed was a mystery.
This time, Xie Qian had come along. However, Ning Yitao didn't let her go inside. She would surely die if she did. Once inside, she would be drawn in.
Ning Yitao drew a circle on the ground for Xie Qian outside the cave, telling her that as long as she didn't step out of this range, she would be safe.
Chu Zhiyuan, still worried, reminded her several times that no matter what she saw or heard, she must never leave this area.
After settling Xie Qian, he led the other two into the cave.
The cave was pitch - black. Zhaocai (the pet) consciously came to the ground. With a soft "snap", a small flame emerged from its tail, illuminating this small cave.
The cave was only about ten square meters. Ning Yitao, Chu Zhiyuan, and Duan Qinghuai standing inside made it seem a bit crowded.
At this moment, the bag that had contained Yun Lianmeng glowed faintly. Chu Zhiyuan's eyes lit up with joy. He picked up the bag excitedly and held it in front of his eyes.
"Ancestress, look! Yun Lianmeng is really here."
Ning Yitao didn't want to argue with him about the title anymore. She gave up. Let him call her whatever he wanted. She just couldn't change him.
She reached out and took the glowing bag.
She motioned for Chu Zhiyuan to stand behind her with a look in her eyes. As soon as he stood still, Duan Qinghuai quietly squeezed in front of him.
Chu Zhiyuan was so worried about Yun Lianmeng that he didn't notice Duan Qinghuai's little move. He was completely unaware that Duan Qinghuai had silently stood in front of him.
He stared intently at the two figures in front of him, whose shadows seemed to be overlapping, eager to see how Ning Yitao would find Yun Lianmeng.
Unexpectedly, when he looked again clearly, there was a huge cave in front of Ning Yitao.
Rather than calling it a cave, it was more like a full - length mirror.
It emitted a white light, reflecting the figures of the three of them.
Chu Zhiyuan gasped in surprise and exclaimed in a louder voice,
"A cave within a cave! There must be something hidden here. Otherwise, I wouldn't have failed to sense Yun Lianmeng."
Ning Yitao's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"This is what's trapping Yun Lianmeng. She had my talisman with her. She should have passed through the illusion and reached the original place behind the cave - the Soul - Washing Pond."
"This is a place specifically for godmothers to wash the souls of adults. It will attract souls into the pond, where they will fall into an illusion and unknowingly lose all their memories. Their souls will be washed to become pure so that they can be better utilized."
Duan Qinghuai pondered, "Yun Lianmeng is a soul herself. Isn't she more likely to be pulled in? Is this how she was dragged into the illusion?"
She nodded slightly, her tone calm as if it was expected. "Yes."
Her beautiful eyes were as calm as ever in the face of changes.
With a wave of her hand, the "mirror" in front of them turned into an ordinary black hole.
"Let's go." She took the lead and stepped into the black hole.
Duan Qinghuai wasn't afraid either. He lifted his foot and followed closely behind her.
After Duan Qinghuai entered, it was pitch - black, an endless expanse of darkness. Ning Yitao, who had been walking in front, was nowhere to be seen.
He was alone in this darkness. He calmly moved his feet and looked around, trying to figure out his current situation.
He was lost.
He frowned. Suddenly, a light appeared in front of him.
He immediately realized that, just like Yun Lianmeng, he had fallen into an illusion.
Duan Qinghuai slowly closed his eyes and waited for the light to get closer and closer until it engulfed him.
***
After a brief period of darkness, Ning Yitao arrived at a vast underground cave. Most of the cave was filled with pools of water.
There was no light in the cave. She could see clearly because the "pool water" emitted a faint, ethereal glow, looking rather beautiful.
But Ning Yitao knew that this was just the surface. It was a trap to attract prey. Beneath the fluorescent light was blood, and there were mountains of white bones piled up everywhere.
Beneath beautiful things, not everything was beautiful.
Why did so many people want immortality? There were indeed many heretical methods that people pursued, but the things obtained in such ways could never be held for long.
However, how did she manage to obtain so much soul - washing liquid? It wasn't easy to find.
Chu Zhiyuan interrupted Ning Yitao, who was lost in thought looking at the water surface. "Ancestress, have you seen Yun Lianmeng? I've been looking for her for a long time but can't find her here."
Ning Yitao looked around and showed a puzzled expression on her face. She raised her long eyebrows and blinked.
She turned her head and glanced at Chu Zhiyuan. Her dark, deep eyes met his gaze.
Chu Zhiyuan immediately tensed up. Then she frowned and asked, "Duan Qinghuai entered before you, right? Where is he?"
Only then did he realize that Duan Qinghuai, who had been standing beside him, was gone.
Ning Yitao rubbed her temples in frustration and stuffed the bag into Chu Zhiyuan's hands.
Before he could react, Ning Yitao gave him a push.
The panicked Chu Zhiyuan shouted in a flurry, "Ancestress, I can't swim, aaaaah—"
His voice was so loud that it echoed in the cave.
Chu Zhiyuan thought he was going to die here.
Ning Yitao coldly watched him fall and saw him plunge into the pool behind him. She said in a deep voice,
"Follow the instructions from the bag and go help Yun Lianmeng. Bring her back."
Before Chu Zhiyuan could start struggling, he was pulled down by the blood - red water that emerged from the pool.
Ning Yitao said and then jumped in herself.
However, she didn't follow the pool's arrangement. Instead, she swam in the water in the direction of the golden thread that connected her to Duan Qinghuai.
In this pool, the illusion one experienced was actually an insurmountable hurdle hidden deep in one's heart.
Or rather, it was a regretful thing that the person being pulled in could never forget or let go of. It would form an illusion, making you relive it all over again.
If you still didn't change your choice or your actions, and the outcome of the event was the same as before.
Then you would be forever trapped in the past, swallowed by the pool water, and become its nourishment.
If you managed to figure it out, you could break free from the illusion but would become the godmother's nourishment instead.
This was why all those who had come here before had no way to escape death.
Following the golden thread, Ning Yitao finally found the illusion where Duan Qinghuai was. Without hesitation, she dived in and entered the illusion.
A wave of dizziness hit her.