"Could it be a mental technique?"
The world is vast and full of wonders. Even though Chen Mu has a wealth of knowledge, he still feels awe for the unknown.
He suspected that this might be a spell cast by the Heart Demon Race, where the opponent wasn't altering the material form of the real world, but rather changing his own perception of things.
"If that's really the case, I'll have to experience it properly and find a way to crack it."
He reveres the unknown, but also enjoys challenging it. This is his nature as a researcher and the main reason why he can keep making progress.
Seeing that the woman had no power to resist, he simply sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and examined his own heart to see if he had truly been blinded by some force.
"Hey! Which dimension are you from?"
After a while, the woman recovered a little, sat up weakly, looked at Chen Mu, and asked.
However, Chen Mu completely ignored her and focused on adjusting his mindset. The Heart Demon Race was best at manipulating people's hearts, and Chen Mu dared not underestimate them.
The woman was completely bewildered by Chen Mu, but since her life was now in Chen Mu hands, she dared not act rashly. She could only secretly heal her injuries while trying to get closer to Chen Mu.
"Judging from your appearance, you must be Human Clan!"
Although I am not Human Clan, our Demon Race and your Human Clan have always had a good relationship. As long as you don't kill me, I will definitely repay you after I get out..."
As the woman continued to ramble on and on, Chen Mu realized something was amiss, because he discovered that his own heart was completely untouched by any force.
"Tell me, who exactly are you, and why are you pretending to be Abyss Devil Race?"
Chen Mu opened his eyes and stared at the woman.
The woman breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Chen Mu was willing to listen to her explanation. This meant that Chen Mu was at least not a person who killed indiscriminately. She then quickly explained to Chen Mu.
"My name is Zhou Xinle, I come from the Thousand Illusions Demon Realm, and my true form is the Heart Devil Fox."
The reason I disguised myself as Abyss Devil Race is because the environment of the Destruction Grotto-Heaven is extremely suitable for Abyss Devil Race.
I've already encountered Abyss Devil Race twice before, so to avoid being ambushed by Abyss Devil Race while completing my mission, I decided to disguise myself as one of theirs to mislead them."
When Chen Mu heard that her true form was Heart Devil Fox, he immediately believed her to some extent, because only Heart Devil Fox could disguise herself as a member of the Heart Demon Clan so convincingly.
He recalled that he had indeed discovered several Abyss Devil Race entering the Destruction Grotto-Heaven in the image runes outside.
"The abilities of the Heart Devil Fox and the Heart Demon Race are indeed similar, but how did you manage to disguise yourself as Heart Demon Race?"
Even though Chen Mu's talisman skills were unparalleled, he could only disguise himself as someone else. To fake such a similar aura would be very difficult for him.
"This is because I encountered a member of the Heart Demon Race before. He left Demon Seed in me, but that Demon Seed not only couldn't harm me, I actually used it against him."
Zhou Xinle opened her palm, revealing a drop of pitch-black liquid.
The Demon Seed of the Heart Demon Emperor?
Upon seeing the drop of liquid, Chen Mu immediately recognized it as belonging to the Heart Demon Emperor; indeed, he had come to the Destruction Grotto-Heaven.
Where did you encounter the Heart Demon Race?
"In that direction, it's about 180,000 kilometers away."
There was another Abyss Devil Race there at the time. If the two of them hadn't started fighting amongst themselves, I might not have been able to escape from them."
As Zhou Xinle spoke, a look of lingering fear appeared on her face.
Chen Mu nodded, already believing about 80% of Zhou Xinle's words. But no matter what, the Heart Devil Fox was skilled at bewitching people, and keeping her would add another destabilizing element.
"Miss Zhou, you say you're from the Thousand Illusions Demon Realm, have you ever heard of Baxia?"
The White Turtle seemed to be quite familiar with the people of the Thousand Illusions Demon Realm, and he specifically asked this question to avoid harming his allies.
Baxia is the real name of the White Turtle, and it is generally only known to those who are familiar with the White Turtle; it is difficult for others to impersonate him.
"Ah, you mean White Grandpa Turtle?"
Of course I know her! She even visited my home about three years ago!
Zhou Xinle became very excited upon hearing this.
Since Zhou Xinle was able to accurately say that Grandpa Turtle was White Turtle, then the other party's words already had a certain degree of credibility.
Even so, it's fine to keep her back at the entrance of the secret realm. We can ask her to come out with us then, and if she dares to cheat or slack off, we can kill her while we're at it. Maybe we can even get another divine item.
"Haha, that's really a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King's temple; our own people don't even recognize each other anymore."
Miss Zhou, I'm so sorry, I'll heal your wounds right now.
Chen Mu showed a ashamed expression, and then runic light appeared on his hand, enveloping Zhou Xinle.
Soon, Zhou Xinle felt her body rapidly recovering. She was secretly shocked, not expecting Chen Mu to be skilled in medicine.
"It's alright, the misunderstanding has been cleared up."
I know you may still have doubts about me, but I don't care. I will prove to you that I never lied to you.
She looked at Chen Mu, her eyes resolute.
A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Mu's eyes. This Heart Devil Fox seemed different from the rumors; it seemed quite straightforward.
"Miss Zhou, please don't worry. My name is Chen Mu, and I come from the Chen Kingdom of the Pan Emperor Continent."
If you have the opportunity, Miss Zhou, you are welcome to visit my Chen Kingdom. I will certainly give you a warm welcome.
As for now, Miss Zhou's injury is entirely my responsibility. I ask that Miss Zhou stay with me for a few days until her injuries are fully healed before leaving."
Chen Mu introduced himself, appearing very sincere.
"Okay, that's the only way for now."
Zhou Xinle stared at Chen Mu, her big eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.
And so, Chen Mu searched for materials around him and made a simple array plate.
This array plate can be carried on his back, so he can fly with Zhou Xinle and his substitute puppet without affecting Zhou Xinle's healing and rest.
He continued on his itinerary, traveling day and night, searching everywhere for Mingye.
Five more days passed, and while Chen Mu was still resting in the cave, he sensed Mingye's presence.
"Behind them? Looks like they've run into the mark I left."
Chen Mu had left marks covering an area of tens of thousands of miles during this period. If Mingye still couldn't find him under such circumstances, then it would truly be a ghost story.
The message from Mingye was very calm, which meant she was probably not in any danger, so Chen Mu didn't leave and simply waited for her to come and join him.