Lingxiao shook his head, "I do not know where the Vermillion Bird is. All I know is that she was not on this mainland."

Not on this mainland?

Tianqiong frowned before finally relaxing after a long pause, "No matter where she is, we must find her! By then, you must go forth with us to the other mainland! Lingxiao, if you still consider me as your leader, then you must listen to me! You have to hold on, we will not give up on you, and you must not give up on yourself. Otherwise, you're not fit to be our companion."

Lingxiao's body trembled, he raised his head to gaze upon Tianqiong's handsome, emperor-like face and dominating aura, he smiled bitterly, "Leader, if I am able to hang on, I will persevere."

For their sake, I will work hard, he thought.

But after the passing of so many years, his lifespan was at its end.

Originally, the lifespan of a Divine Beast can last for a very long time, especially since he is the Black Tortoise. But in this rune, he was only an average Martial Honor. His life was at an end, and his powers would not return.

"Yunyao."

Gu Ruoyun took out a porcelain bottle from her lapel, carefully poured out a pill and gave it to Yunyao, "This Longevity Pill was refined for human consumption. The body structure of a spiritual beast and a human may not be the same, but this rune has already rendered the Black Tortoise's physical condition into that of a human's. This coincidence has provided the opportunity to utilize this pill. Give this to him, and he will be able to live on for another ten more years."

To her, ten years would be enough time.

"Very well."

Yunyao's heart felt great joy, she suppressed her excitement and placed the pill in front of Lingxiao, "Wait for us, Lingxiao. We'll come back and save you."

Lingxiao stared at the pill in amazement, then turned towards Gu Ruoyun and spoke hoarsely, "Thank you, it is indeed a great fortune for my Leader and Yunyao to have met you. If I am able to finally leave this rune, I will willingly follow you as well."

The prerequisite for this was if he could leave this place and reclaim his freedom...

"Tianqiong, Yunyao. It's been a long time since you've all been together. You must have a lot to catch up on. I'll wait for you outside."

Gu Ruoyun looked at them then turned and left the stone room with her heart feeling as heavy as a large stone.

At the height of their strength, the Four Divine Beasts were unstoppable. Yet someone had been able to inflict serious damage on all four of them until even the Black Tortoise was unable to escape and is living in fear of attracting their attention.

So... Just how powerful is this person?

"Little girl."

In that moment, Zixie's demonic voice rang out from within her soul, "These are matters beyond your imagination. The world is huge, so huge that even a few years would not be enough for you to travel around it. There are far too many cultivators in this world, too many to even be counted. The ones you've met in your past life were equivalent to one hair from nine oxen. Wait until you're strong enough. Then your knowledge will grow. But when that happens, the enemies you meet will only grow more powerful. You.. Can you prepare yourself for the answers?"

Gu Ruoyun was silent. After a short pause, she smiled gently, and a sense of resolve shone in her clear eyes.

"If the only way to protect my loved ones is to stand at the pinnacle of power, then I do not mind to cut my way through the thistles and thorns along the way. So what if the path is ridden with bloodshed? Zixie, no matter how difficult and dangerous the road ahead may be, I must continue my path. Because there are people who need my protection."

Since the beginning, she had been well aware that the path she has chosen would not be an easy one. But so what? She thought. Even if I have to crawl, I will crawl my way up to the seat of supremacy.

So none shall dare to lay a finger on my loved ones!