After receiving the rewards from the Life Grotto-Heaven, Chen Mu and Elder Ming returned to the entrance of the secret realm.
They were lucky this time; they didn't encounter anyone else.
"Alright! I only have one more grotto-heaven left to visit, the Eighth Grotto-Heaven."
Of the four who came with Chen Mu, all but Eighth Grotto-Heaven of them have completed their cave-heaven missions.
"Wait a minute, Brother Chen Mu."
I can also enter the Eighth Grotto-Heaven. Take me with you!
Just as Chen Mu was about to leave, Zhou Xinle unexpectedly stopped him.
When he heard that Zhou Xinle could also enter the Eighth Grotto-Heaven, he readily agreed. After all, White Turtle's friend was also his friend, and it was only right to help her.
"Alright! You come in with me, let's finish this quickly."
In the blink of an eye, the Kunlun Secret Realm has been open for more than four years, and Chen Mu has no idea what the outside world has become.
They had already incurred enmity by using Talisman-Robed Chen Mu to deceive Divine Lord Xuanji and break into the Kunlun Secret Realm.
Presumably, the Chen Kingdom was already under pressure from the Haotian Empire at this time, but it was unclear to what extent.
However, the time flow in the Kunlun Secret Realm is the same as that in the Tomb of the Gods. Even though the time flow in the Tomb of the Gods is accelerating, the time that has passed in the Pan Emperor Continent should not have exceeded one year so far.
Given the strength of the Chen Kingdom, even with reinforcements from the Heavenly Court, the Haotian Empire should not be able to do anything to the Chen Kingdom in such a short time.
The most important thing now is to complete the trial as soon as possible so that I can return to the Chen Kingdom to take charge of the overall situation.
The Eighth Grotto-Heaven is called the Mind Grotto-Heaven.
Upon entering this grotto, the trial participant's body will revert to a mortal form, the only unique aspect being that this body will not experience hunger or thirst.
The trial involved traversing a vast desert spanning thousands of kilometers.
In this desert, the trial participants will be constantly corrupted by various illusions. Those with weak minds can easily get lost in this desert and wander in the same place, unable to leave.
"So this is what a mortal body looks like, haha, how interesting."
After entering the Mind Grotto-Heaven, Zhou Xinle felt a sense of curiosity about her fragile and ignorant body.
As a descendant of Acquired Gods, she was born a King Level being and had already gone through the stage of a mortal body, so it's normal for her to find it novel.
Chen Mu was used to it and urged Zhou Xinle to set off immediately to cross the desert.
In this trial, Chen Mu remained at ease. After all, he had risen from an ordinary person to where he was today, experiencing countless hardships and temptations along the way. But his heart was as firm as iron and never wavered.
But to his surprise, Zhou Xinle crossed the desert with even greater ease than he had. Those illusions seemed like fleeting clouds to her, having no effect on her whatsoever.
White Turtle said her understanding of the soul had reached a state of returning to simplicity and childlike innocence, and it seems to be true.
Two months later, Chen Mu and Zhou Xinle had traversed more than half of the desert. At this rate, they would be able to pass the trial in another week or so.
"There's someone up ahead, it's a woman."
In this desert, the closer one gets to the end, the more illusions the trial participants encounter, and the harder they are to shake off. Even Chen Mu Muxin, who was as strong as iron, slowed down considerably here.
On the contrary, Zhou Xinle always appeared extremely relaxed, so she would even scout ahead for Chen Mu when she had nothing to do.
"Ignore her. It's best to avoid getting entangled with people here."
Now that everyone is in a mortal body, it's hard to say who will win in a fight. Moreover, after changing bodies, even if someone is killed, there's no way to steal their storage ring, so there's no point in fighting.
They continued onward, and after a while, Chen Mu also saw the woman ahead, only to realize that he had seen this woman before.
"Miss Gu Ningbi, how have you been?"
This woman was Gu Ningbi, the Soul Clan woman Chen Mu had met when the Chen Clan originated there.
Gu Ningbi turned around and was pleasantly surprised to see Chen Mu, who looked travel-worn.
" Chen Mu, you're not dead? How did you escape from those people in Heavenly Court?"
Gu Ningbi's few words revealed a lot of information. Chen Mu immediately understood that Gu Ningbi must have investigated him, otherwise she wouldn't have asked such a question.
"It seems Miss Gu is quite concerned about me, knowing that I've fallen into the hands of the Heavenly Court."
Chen Mu got straight to the point, directly stating his doubts.
"Alright! Now that we've met again, I'm not afraid to tell you frankly."
I know you are a descendant of the Chen Clan Tribe, and the reason I came to the Kunlun Secret Realm this time is to find you.
Gu Ningbi walked up to Chen Mu and looked at Chen Mu.
She hadn't noticed it before, but now she realized that Chen Mu's features were all familiar. She wondered if, after thousands of years, that person still remembered her.
"Oh, may I ask what brings Miss Gu to see me?"
Chen Mu narrowed his eyes slightly, looking wary.
"Of course we've come to rescue you. The Haotian Empire has been frequently mobilizing its troops recently, clearly intending to send troops against your Chen Kingdom."
I learned after making inquiries that you betrayed Divine Lord Xuanji and stole a precious treasure from the Heavenly Court, escaping to the Kunlun Secret Realm. That's why I came here specifically to see if I could save your life."
Upon hearing Gu Ningbi's words, Chen Mu immediately understood that the Heavenly Court must have fabricated some more charges against him, which gave them an excuse to send troops against the Chen Kingdom.
In traditional social structures, the common people had very limited access to information. Powerful people often only needed to send people to spread rumors to win the hearts of the people.
However, when it comes to the war of public opinion, the Chen Kingdom with its Spirit Network will certainly not lose to the Haotian Imperial Family. Therefore, Chen Mu is confident that as long as the Haotian Empire still cares about the hearts of the people, it will be difficult for them to go all out to deal with the Chen Kingdom.
Do you believe what Divine Lord Xuanji said?
Chen Mu sneered.
Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant; what matters is that you've offended them, and they certainly won't let you leave here safely.
Gu Ningbi waved her hand dismissively.
"Alright then, can you tell me who you are and why you're helping me?"
"Because I am the wife of one of your Chen Clan Tribe's ancestors, to be precise, all members of the Chen Clan in your Chen Kingdom should perhaps call me Great-Grandmother."
Chen Mu didn't find Gu Ningbi's explanation too hard to accept, after all, many cultivators in the cultivation world have long lifespans, and it is very common for dozens of generations to live together.