"Oh, so it's Qin Ye from the Three Leaves of the Saint lineage." Le'er had certainly heard of this person. The Great Earth Royalty were the guardians of the earth, but because their cultivation branched, it meant dissenting opinions arose within the clan. While there were no major conflicts, minor issues abounded, and for years the two factions fought their own battles, neither willing to concede to the other.

"Cling-clang..." Qin Ye shook her slender arms. The little red bell hanging from her wrist chimed with a pleasant sound, nimble and dreamlike. Yet, the sound startled the leaves on the surrounding trees, causing them all to fall toward Le'er.

"Spiritual Line Weave Net!" Le'er drew chaotic patterns before her chest, but just before the spray of leaves could reach her, she wove an impenetrable net of lines in front of herself. As a result, all the fluttering leaves were sliced apart by the spiritual lines, scattering to the ground.

Seeing this, Qin Ye made her bell ring again. This time, thousands of red roses were summoned, piercing toward Le'er, thorns and all: "Princess Le, how about I gift you a rose?"

"Spare me the pleasantries!" Le'er knew Qin Ye's attack style. The bell in her hand was called the Yufei Bell, which could control any nearby plant. This meant the Saint lineage’s attacks were mostly executed through flora. She immediately wove her Spiritual Line Net even denser. When the various roses arrived, they were again cut cleanly without leaving a trace. "Sorry, I withered your flowers."

"No matter, there are more coming!" Qin Ye raised her delicate eyebrows, revealing a chilling smile. "Princess Le doesn't think I'm so stingy as to only send a few roses, right?"

"Blast it!" Le'er knew she had fallen into a trap. Qin Ye's rose attack was a feint; vines had already silently spread beneath her feet. These vines then lunged upward toward her like a spider's web. No matter how Le'er tried to dodge, her feet were tightly bound by the creepers. "Earth Spirit, hurry and save me..."

In a flash of lightning and sparks, the Puppet Art of the Sorcery lineage appeared. It turned out Le'er's Shattered Spirit Lines had already been deployed across the ground. With a slight flick of her finger, a humanoid Earth Spirit puppet was pulled forth from beneath the lines. Wielding a heavy broadsword, it cleaved once, freeing Le'er.

Qin Ye, of course, knew the power of puppets. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, she vanished into the trees. At that moment, the trees seemed to come alive, hacking down at Le'er below with their branches.

"Earth Spirit!" Le'er sat atop the massive Earth Spirit’s shoulder. When countless branches struck, she leaped high to evade the assault. The Earth Spirit below intended to swing its heavy sword to chop away the branches, but its immense size made it too slow. It had just managed to sever one branch when its own muddy body was split into several pieces by the tree trunks.

Seeing Le'er airborne and off-balance, Qin Ye flashed out from the nearest thicket of flowers, her hand shaped into a claw, attempting to seize Le'er's neck. The instant she neared Le'er, however, her palm stung with a sharp, dull ache. It turned out Le'er’s vicinity had been lined with Shattered Spirit Lines all along. As Qin Ye slammed into them, several bloody gashes appeared on her body.

The Earth Spirit's shattered body swiftly reformed within seconds. As Le'er fell, she landed perfectly back on its shoulder. Looking down at the wounded Qin Ye, she smirked smugly, "The Three Leaves of the Saint lineage aren't so tough after all. Bring out whatever other tricks you have."

Despite being injured, Qin Ye showed no panic. She took a green leaf from nearby and placed it over her wound. After murmuring a few words in her mouth, the green dissolved into a current of air that circled her body. In moments, the bleeding stopped. She looked at Le'er and said, "I didn't expect Princess Le to have such rich combat experience, even knowing how to set traps."

"Speak! Why are you here?" Le'er, holding the advantage, pressed for answers.

Qin Ye shook her head, showing none of the demeanor of a defeated foe. "Although this forbidden land of the Soul Soldier Talisman was sealed by my Saint lineage, the Soul Soldier Talisman itself is coveted by every clan. The Ancient Divine Beasts are not something just anyone can command."

"You mean even you people haven't mastered the setup of these Big Dipper Seven Star Stone Tablets?" Le'er had initially assumed the seven orbs of light contained obstructive arrays set by the Saint lineage royalty. Hearing Qin Ye's tone, it seemed the Saint lineage didn't actually control the Soul Soldier Talisman?

"These stone tablets were left by the ancestors of the Saint lineage. Exactly how to unlock the secret of the Soul Soldier Talisman is now unknown to anyone. I only know that one crucial step requires someone from the Saint lineage to guard it, which is why I appeared here." Qin Ye gently shook her bell, summoning the surrounding forest to shield her once more. "Since Princess Le and your two companions are so interested, I shall take my leave for now. I'll tell you what’s going on after you manage to decipher these ancient Saint lineage stone tablets. I’ll leave it to you, Princess Le. Heh heh."

"Don't even think about it!" Le'er knew Qin Ye intended to escape using illusionary techniques. She instantly pulled on the surrounding Shattered Spirit Lines, shattering the plants enveloping Qin Ye. But Qin Ye was already gone from within. Dejected, she withdrew her puppet spells. This was an ancient Saint lineage sealing site; its antiquity wasn't just about its age, but the fact that even the Saint lineage clans didn't understand how to break their own ancestors' seals.

The green light extinguished, leaving a pure white glow. Huang Le'er walked out of the orb of light within the steps completely unharmed. She sighed and glanced beside her, where Ye Xiu and Old Liu, that pair of close friends, were asleep on the steps.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?" Le'er launched a kick directly at Old Liu's backside, her tone and actions fiercely demanding, "What time is it, and you still have the mood to sleep!"

"Damn it!" Old Liu jolted awake, clutching his backside and jumping high. When he saw it was Le'er, he grinned sheepishly. "Princess Le, I'm relieved to see you came out safe and sound."

"Stop sucking up. I'm here to ask what you two experienced inside those orbs of light?" Huang Le'er's tone was serious, far from optimistic.

Ye Xiu slowly got up, still half-asleep. "We all saw people and events related to our own clans, and I even saw the Soul Soldier Talisman!"

"So it really isn't just a matter concerning the Saint lineage's Great Earth Royalty branch," Le'er confirmed her suspicion. She pressed further, "Did you see the Ancient Divine Beast summoned by the Soul Soldier Talisman? Who was using it?"

"The Soul Soldier Talisman summoned the ninth son of the Dragon, the Chi Wen, which has the head of a dragon and the body of a fish, and the summoner was Han Xin," Ye Xiu stated plainly, unconcerned whether Le'er believed him.

Le'er nodded decisively. "The Soul Soldier Talisman is indeed a treasure every clan desires. Han Xin in history must have relied on the power of the Soul Soldier Talisman to become the invincible Great General admired by all."

Ye Xiu concealed the fact that Han Xin was a Death God. He pointed to the stone tablet behind him. Indeed, a new indentation appeared on it, emanating a white light. Just like that, the three indentations were tightly connected by the white line of light.