The journey was winding, but the three of them eventually reached the ginkgo tree without any major issues.
Aside from the creepies, no other unusual circumstances occurred.
This tall, massive ginkgo tree seemed to exist within its own world. Although there was no hidden space, it actually appeared much safer than the previous bracketed-arch building.
The creepies and other entities all veered away from the ginkgo tree.
Fu Ling watched this situation in astonishment, but Li Yunxian and Su Wenjing did not find anything wrong with it.
While others came to the heaven’s ruins to find markers of their past, Li Yunxian had come to find her own divine soul.
Even if it was only a soul shard, it was still a divine soul of the Tribulation stage — one that carried the aura of merit golden light.
This provided a natural suppression against the creepies within the heaven’s ruins.
The creepies in this place possessed no intelligence; they acted solely on instinct, so they naturally avoided this area.
Seeing that it was safe, Fu Ling had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard Li Yunxian’s voice.
“Principal Fu, I am not sure about the situation inside this thing. If it is convenient, would you like to go in with me?”
Li Yunxian had seen how Fu Ling experienced her own marker.
It was a state where one became unconsciously immersed in the past. Li Yunxian found it difficult to judge whether her own divine soul, which had merged into the heaven’s ruins, would trigger a similar situation.
If it did, her divine soul would surely be much stronger than a typical marker.
If she and Fu Ling went in together, she could protect her. It was a good solution, and she had indeed helped Fu Ling earlier.
Now that it was Li Yunxian’s turn, she naturally wanted Fu Ling to accompany her.
Fu Ling was stunned for a moment, then replied without much thought, “I am only at the Integration stage. Su Wenjing should definitely be the one to go in with you.”
Fu Ling knew that Su Wenjing was also a tribulation stage cultivator who was currently re-cultivating.
“If I go in with you, my divine soul might be crushed instantly.”
After all, there was a gap of two major stages!
Li Yunxian was silenced.
It seemed that was indeed a possibility.
Fu Ling looked at Li Yunxian with suspicion. “Have you not thought about that?”
Fu Ling had spent enough time with Li Yunxian to know how sharp she was. She truly could not imagine that Li Yunxian would discard the possibility of bringing Su Wenjing along.
Fu Ling had originally prepared herself to help Li Yunxian convince Su Wenjing to help. She had not expected Li Yunxian to consider her directly.
It was truly strange.
Li Yunxian had no answer.
She had indeed subconsciously excluded Su Wenjing.
And the reason was actually very simple.
What was presented in the heaven’s ruins was none other than this ginkgo tree.
Fu Ling’s marker had been that flag, and when Li Yunxian followed her into the past, everything had revolved around it.
Li Yunxian judged immediately that if she entered the ginkgo tree, she would see certain people and events.
She did not have amnesia.
It was just that Li Yunxian, perhaps subconsciously, did not want Su Wenjing to know.
Li Yunxian pondered her subtle psychological state and then smiled.
It had been a very, very long time since she had felt this way.
It was not so bad.
She had always been honest with her own heart. Now that she realized Fu Ling’s suggestion was the best one, she stopped hesitating.
Li Yunxian turned her head to look directly at Su Wenjing.
“Then I must trouble you, Professor Su,” Li Yunxian said directly.
Su Wenjing: “…”
This woman, Li Yunxian, had consulted Fu Ling with such courtesy, but when it was his turn, it became a direct command.
Su Wenjing complained in his heart, but a faint smile appeared on his previously cold face.
He knew that this lack of formality was actually a sign of closeness.
Compared to Fu Ling, it was clear that his relationship with Li Yunxian was better!
Su Wenjing controlled his expression and gave a very reserved hum of agreement.
However, they still had to figure out how to enter together.
Fortunately, the sensation Li Yunxian felt when Fu Ling pulled her in was quite deep.
The three of them brainstormed for a moment and quickly came up with a plan.
Li Yunxian’s divine soul was currently incomplete and fragmented. If Su Wenjing disguised his divine soul slightly to appear as a part of Li Yunxian’s life, he could easily fool this mindless environment.
Su Wenjing spent a short time adjusting his divine soul until he could mimic the aura perfectly.
Seeing this, Fu Ling’s eyes widened in shock. “Professor Su, how do you know the state of Student Li’s divine soul so well?!”
Su Wenjing: “…”
Indeed, why did he know it so well?
That was because… he had been struck by Li Yunxian’s divine soul many times!
As the victim — and a repeat victim at that — Su Wenjing was naturally very familiar with the thing that attacked him.
This was a basic survival skill for anyone who managed to reach the tribulation stage.
Su Wenjing looked at Li Yunxian with a resentful gaze.
Li Yunxian, however, looked ahead with a righteous expression, ignoring Su Wenjing as if she had not heard Fu Ling at all. She changed the subject immediately.
She grabbed Su Wenjing and took a step forward. “Why talk about that? Let’s go. Principal Fu, we will leave the guarding to you this time.”
Fu Ling felt that something was off about their reactions, but she could not pin it down, so she did not overthink it.
After all, Fu Ling had only made a casual remark and had not expected anyone to answer.
Hearing Li Yunxian’s words, Fu Ling simply nodded and promised seriously, “Alright, leave it to me!”
The scene changed rapidly. Li Yunxian felt as though she had merely blinked before arriving at a place that was both familiar and strange.
The Yin mansion.
There were pavilions, terraces, and carved beams, looking like a celestial palace suspended in the air.
Li Yunxian looked up and could faintly feel stars scattered among the buildings, while the morning light and moonlight seemed to flow softly between them.
This was a great clan of the cultivation world.
Even if the Yin family was not at the top of the cultivation clans, this scene was already luxurious enough.
Li Yunxian still remembered the sense of shock that had risen in her heart when she first stepped into the Yin Mansion as a cultivator who had climbed up from the lowest ranks of commoners.
And now, seeing the scene before her, Li Yunxian was still shocked.
However, at this moment, she was shocked by something else.
‘Why do I not feel like I am losing my memory or merging into this past at all?’
She scratched her head.
‘Is something going wrong again?’
Li Yunxian had that thought, then immediately dismissed it.
Whether something went wrong or not… she was used to it anyway.
It was not important.
Li Yunxian looked left and right, but she could not see Su Wenjing anywhere.
‘Did that guy not come in with me?’
Just as she was thinking this, she suddenly saw something white out of the corner of her eye.
Turning her head to look over, Li Yunxian soon saw exactly what it was.
It was a little fox.
A fluffy little fox that looked like a soft cloud, shimmering slightly under the sunlight.
Li Yunxian: “…?”
“Su Wenjing?”
Li Yunxian looked at the little fox in surprise.
Then, she clearly saw a look of annoyance appear on the little fox’s face. In the next second, the fox appeared beside Li Yunxian.
Spatial teleportation!
Before Li Yunxian could react — or rather, because she never expected Su Wenjing to attack her — the little fox lunged forward and bit her arm fiercely.
Li Yunxian: “…”
She raised her arm and looked at Su Wenjing, who might or might not have suddenly gone crazy, with a strange expression. She gently shook the little fox hanging from her arm.
“Why are you kissing me?” Li Yunxian asked in wonder.
Su Wenjing: “…”
Su Wenjing: “???”
The fox, only the length of an adult’s forearm, showed eyes filled with total shock.
No words were needed; anyone could see the thought Su Wenjing wanted to convey.
“You call biting a kiss?!”
The expression on Li Yunxian’s face did not change.
Su Wenjing’s “bite” did not even break her skin, let alone her clothes.
Could that even be called a bite?
It was clearly acting spoiled!!
Without hesitation, Li Yunxian reached out and scooped the tempting fox into her arms, rubbing his fur vigorously.
Su Wenjing: “!!!”
He quickly flashed out of Li Yunxian’s arms.
‘Change me back!!’ Su Wenjing shouted to her via voice transmission, his fur bristling in anger.
Li Yunxian looked at him helplessly. “What does this have to do with me?”
Su Wenjing said angrily, ‘Who else but you would want me to look like this!’
Li Yunxian: “…”
“If I wanted to change you, I would definitely make you a giant fox as big as a mountain!” Li Yunxian felt she was being slandered.
She liked big foxes!!
The two of them stared at each other for a while.
The look in Su Wenjing’s eyes gradually became hesitant.
He sensed that Li Yunxian’s reaction and attitude seemed genuine.
He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
Meanwhile, Li Yunxian…
During this exchange of looks, she vaguely sensed…
It seemed she really could change Su Wenjing back…
*Cough!*
This world was a past shaped by Li Yunxian’s divine soul. Since Su Wenjing appeared here, he was naturally under her control.
*Cough, cough, cough!*
Su Wenjing’s judgment as a fox was actually quite accurate…
Was this a fox’s intuition?
Li Yunxian was considering how to explain when her divine thought suddenly stirred. She said softly to Su Wenjing, “Someone is coming.”
Su Wenjing felt it too. He pursed his lips and remained silent, casting his attention toward the newcomer.
A man wearing a luxurious brocade robe approached Li Yunxian with quick steps.
The man had a clear and handsome face. He wore a dark beaded spirit sword at his waist, looking like a perfectly refined noble young master, though there was a hint of exhaustion between his brows.
However, after seeing Li Yunxian, his eyes visibly brightened.
“Yun Xian, I kept you waiting.”
The man’s voice was full of joy.
“It was not long.”
Li Yunxian looked at him deeply and replied with a smile.
The man froze for a moment, then suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. “Why are you looking at me with that kind of gaze?”
“I suppose it is because it has been a long time since I saw you,” Li Yunxian answered honestly.
The man’s face turned red instantly, and he seemed at a loss.
In his mind, he had only been gone for a few hours. The way Li Yunxian spoke made it sound as if she missed him dearly.
The exhaustion he felt from arguing with his family vanished in an instant.
He simply stood there, staring at Li Yunxian and grinning like a fool.
After smiling for a while, he finally sensed something was wrong.
It felt as though something was glaring at him.
Following that feeling, he looked toward Li Yunxian’s side.
“Where did this little fox come from?” he asked in surprise.
His words made Li Yunxian freeze.
Yin Ke could actually see Su Wenjing!