Each with Their Own Designs
Just as Yuan Qing was wondering how to answer, Si Xi suddenly appeared.
He came from above the crack, looking somewhat anxious.
"You two, Extreme Yin has disappeared without a trace. I wonder if he left the Rebirth Valley ahead of time."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qing felt a bad premonition.
The whereabouts of 'Extreme Yin' are unknown!
Did they escape with the Ksitigarbha Lotus?
He secretly sensed it with his Divine Sense, and the tracking mark left on the Ksitigarbha Lotus was still there.
But with Zhu Yin present, he couldn't easily reveal the matter of the Ksitigarbha Lotus and the tracking mark, so he could only ask.
When did Extreme Yin leave?
Si Xi replied, "Not long after you two left, seeing that the two Nethersea Ghost Hound were about to collapse under the strain of the Heavenly Net Ghostfire Formation, I was preparing to finish them off in one fell swoop when Extreme Yin suddenly turned and left. At that time, I was focused on controlling the formation and had no time to pay attention to him. By the time I had eliminated the two ghost dogs, Extreme Yin had already disappeared without a trace."
Zhu Yin frowned as she listened to their conversation.
Her first thought was that Song Wen had broken his promise, embezzled the Hidden Soul Jade and the Qi-Concealing Cloak, and run away.
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
Suddenly, Song Wen's voice rang out.
"The three of you, we've finally found you! That's wonderful!"
Song Wen approached with a look of delighted surprise.
Upon hearing Song Wen's voice, Si Xi's expression stiffened.
"My Extreme Yin, where have you been? I've looked everywhere for you, but I can't find you."
Song Wen raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Si Xi, have you been looking for me everywhere?"
Fearing that Song Wen would reveal the truth, Si Xi hurriedly said...
"Yes! After I killed the two ghost dogs, I found you were missing and searched everywhere for you."
Song Wen said, "While you were manipulating the formation, I noticed some unusual activity nearby, so I went to investigate. When I returned, you were nowhere to be found. It seems we missed each other."
Si Xi nodded hurriedly in agreement, "Yes, that should be it."
Seeing that Song Wen hadn't exposed her, Si Xi breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Yin suddenly interjected, "Now that you two have entered the rift, why don't you join us in searching for the Earth Dragon Ganoderma?"
Yuan Qing pointed to the west and said, "That's good. With two more people, we can find the Earth Dragon Ganoderma faster. Si Xi and I will search this way. Zhu Yin and Extreme Yin, you two search on the other side of the crevice. We'll meet here in an hour, okay?"
Zhu Yin nodded in agreement, "Okay!"
The four split into two teams and searched on either side of the seabed crevice.
"Extreme Yin, have you noticed anything unusual about him?"
"Si Xi is acting strangely, and he hasn't been to any unusual places." Song Wen, who knew nothing about Si Xi's whereabouts, made up a story.
Zhu Yin didn't doubt Song Wen's words much.
"It seems that my decision to have you monitor Si Xi was a futile move."
"What makes you say that, fellow Daoist?"
Zhu Yin said, "Yuan Qing's real goal in entering the Rebirth Valley should be related to that Deepsea Demon Vine."
Upon hearing this, Song Wen's heart stirred slightly. The broken stick he had found in the Nethersea Ghost Hound was from the Demon Vine, which was why he had revealed himself.
He suspected that there was Five-Colored Gold distributed near the roots of the magic vine.
To get close to the roots of the Demon Vine, you must cut off its nine tendrils.
It would be difficult for Song Wen to deal with the demonic vine on his own. Therefore, he would have to rely on the power of Yuan Qing and Zhu Yin.
"Is that demonic vine some kind of rare treasure?" Song Wen asked curiously.
Zhu Yin said, "No. The Demonic Vine is at most a material for refining Law Treasure, not worth Yuan Qing's risk. I suspect that someone deliberately planted this Demonic Vine here to guard the entrance to some ruins. These ruins are Yuan Qing's true purpose for this trip."
"Since you also want to obtain the items from the ruins, why not join hands with Yuan Qing to slay the demonic vine?" Song Wen asked.
Zhu Yin shook her head and didn't continue, as if this matter involved some big secret that she was unwilling to reveal easily.
Song Wen felt a slight disappointment. He needed to persuade Zhu Yin to agree to join forces with Yuan Qing to eliminate Mo Teng.
"Fellow Daoist, you came here precisely because of Yuan Qing's secret, didn't you? Now that you know the secret, why are you hesitating?"
Zhu Yin said coldly, "Yuan Qing has never revealed the existence of the ruins before, which means he never intended to share the treasures within with me. Once we enter the ruins, I will be of no use to him, and that will probably be the time for him to make his move against me."
Song Wen gave Zhu Yin a deep look.
This woman's guess was almost certainly correct.
Zhu Yin added, "However, I dared to follow him into the Rebirth Valley, so I wasn't completely unprepared. But after all, his cultivation is a minor realm higher than mine, and I'm not entirely confident of victory. I hope you can lend me a hand then."
Song Wen looked terrified.
"I am merely a cultivator in the Golden Core Early Stage; how could I possibly participate in your battle?"
Zhu Yin said, "You don't need to deal with Yuan Qing. Just help me hold off Si Xi."
Song Wen shook his head repeatedly, saying, "Si Xi's cultivation is also higher than mine; I am no match for him."
Zhu Yin said, "The concealment cloak of the mid-grade Law Treasure I gave you has a certain defensive capability. As long as you don't fall into Si Xi's formation, you can protect yourself. After the matter is done, the concealment cloak will be given to you as a reward."
Seemingly moved by the treasure, Song Wen pondered for a moment before replying.
"Alright. I promise you, fellow Daoist."
On the other side.
Yuan Qing asked Si Xi, "Has the Formation Plate of the <Three-Origin Demon-Sealing Formation> been given to Extreme Yin?"
Si Xi tried her best to remain calm and not let Yuan Qing see her guilty conscience.
"It hasn't been given to Extreme Yin yet."
Yuan Qing's expression was somewhat displeased. "We must find an opportunity to hand over the Formation Plate to Extreme Yin later."
Suddenly, something occurred to him, and he continued, "Since the Formation Plate didn't give him the Extreme Yin, then the Jade Dew Detoxification Pill probably wasn't given to him either. How can he resist the miasma in this crack?"
Fearing that saying too much would lead to mistakes, Si Xi did not want to get entangled in the matter further and took the initiative to exonerate Song Wen.
"As a third-tier Alchemist, he is well-versed in the properties of many spirit medicine herbs. Perhaps he has other ways to resist the miasma?"
Yuan Qing said, "That's the only possibility."
One hour later.
The two parties met again at the agreed location.
"Junior Sister Zhu Yin, did you find anything?" Yuan Qing asked.
Zhu Yin shook her head. "Extreme Yin and I didn't find the Earth Dragon Ganoderma. What about you, Senior Brother?"
She wasn't telling the truth; just fifteen minutes earlier, she had found a plant called "Earth Dragon Ganoderma."
Yuan Qing sighed, "Si Xi and I have also found nothing. Now, the only place where the demonic vines reside is still unsearched. It would be best if we joined forces to eradicate it. Perhaps we can find one or two more Earth Dragon Ganoderma."
Zhu Yin hesitated for a moment, "Although the Yin-Baleful Corpse Flame can suppress the Demon Vine, completely burning it to death will consume a lot of Law Power. I'm worried that if we encounter danger again, I won't be able to cope."
"Don't worry, junior sister. With your senior brother here, I will definitely protect you."
Seeing that Zhu Yin was still hesitant, Yuan Qing added.
"Junior Sister, you must make a decision quickly. The miasma here is extremely potent. Every fifteen minutes, I have to take a Jade Dew Detoxification Pill. I've already used up more than half of the Jade Dew Detoxification Pill I have. I can't stay in this crevice for much longer."