Noticing the Demon Queen's slightly troubled steps, Ye Xiu naturally had his own plans. At this moment, Zhu Ji and the Serpent Beauty had already crawled back underground: "Ant One, have your tunnels reached that cliffside cave yet?"

Ant One didn't know Ye Xiu's intentions, but burrowing was certainly not beyond his capabilities: "Rest assured, Hall Master Ye, my brothers mapped out the situation inside long ago. We can enter and exit freely at any time."

"Good, that's best. You three are not needed here anymore; go back," Ye Xiu didn't fully trust these three. He hesitated, "The Insect Emperor covets the Demon Peak Gate. We cannot confront them directly. I have decided to investigate their dealings with the Demon Fox Palace. You may withdraw."

"But, Hall Master Ye, you alone..." Zhu Ji was unaware of Ye Xiu's true strength. As a subordinate, worrying about the Hall Master was natural. "They have overwhelming numbers. Why should you risk danger for other people's affairs?"

"My being alone makes me a smaller target. You two can wait outside to support me." Ye Xiu had made up his mind. Firstly, his stated reason was true, and secondly, he absolutely would not trust anyone from the Demon Insect Sect.

The Serpent Beauty frowned, clearly wanting to say more, but Ye Xiu glared at her, and she immediately retreated back underground: "Hall Master Ye, be careful. We are ready to support you anytime."

Ye Xiu left the trio. His first action wasn't to charge into the Four Winds Hall with brute force. Instead, he followed the Demon Queen and her retinue under the cover of night. Before long, they arrived at the entrance of an incomparably magnificent palace.

The palace towered high, bearing a striking resemblance to a Turkish royal residence. The peaks of every tall structure were wrapped in luxurious fur, exuding a wild aura. The woman named Abi held a paper parasol above the Demon Queen's head, cautiously surveying their surroundings until a nearby attendant opened the main gate beyond the perimeter wall.

"I am Ye Xiu, paying respects to the Demon Queen." Ye Xiu emerged from the dense woods. There were some matters he needed to clarify with the Demon Queen.

"Who goes there!" Abi was instantly alert. As soon as she spoke, her long whip lashed out toward Ye Xiu. However, Ye Xiu moved with extreme speed, grasping the whip mid-swing. The surrounding branches, however, were not so fortunate and snapped immediately. "Sneaking behind us—who are you?"

"Abi, stand down." The Demon Queen remained perfectly composed, though upon seeing Ye Xiu, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. "You carry the aura of a Demon Fox. Who are you?"

Ye Xiu approached the Demon Queen respectfully, speaking directly without concealment: "I know Ba Fang Jin, and I also know Yao Qi'er."

"Heh." The Demon Queen chuckled softly, ordering her servants to step back slightly. She gestured toward the path ahead, inviting Ye Xiu into the woods. "My friend, please step aside for a private word."

"But, Demon Queen!" Abi was clearly responsible for the Demon Queen's safety. Seeing her speaking so casually and alone with a stranger made her extremely nervous, yet she dared not defy the Queen's command.

Ye Xiu followed beside the Demon Queen, and a faint, feminine fragrance permeated the woods. He spoke sincerely: "I promised Ba Fang Jin that I would bring Qi'er back to you. Qi'er was captured by people from the Demon Peak Gate, for which I also bear responsibility. Tonight, I will ensure Qi'er is rescued unharmed."

The Demon Queen walked deeper into the woods before turning back. Her features were exquisite; despite being a mother, she showed no hint of age. Her ruby lips moved, enhancing her feminine charm: "You know Ba Fang Jin? How is he..."

"Ba Fang Jin is dead, killed during the encirclement by the various clans." Ye Xiu did not reveal his identity as the God of Death. "I was simply saved by him and his daughter during a time of crisis. I only wish to honor Ba Fang Jin's dying wish. Please, Demon Queen, do not doubt me."

The Demon Queen circled Ye Xiu a few times, seemingly detecting an unusual scent on him. "Ba Fang Jin is indeed dead. But why do you possess Demon Fox cultivation, and moreover..."

"Demon Queen, saving Qi'er is paramount. I only wish to confirm one thing: is Qi'er truly your daughter?" This was obvious, but he needed a definite confirmation.

"Ba Fang Jin and I both made the same mistake, but Qi'er should not have to bear the consequences of all this." The Demon Queen found her emotions difficult to control when Ye Xiu mentioned Qi'er. She directed him, "How do you plan to save her? The strength of the Four Winds Hall Master cannot be underestimated. Based on my investigation, Qi'er is locked within the Four Winds Chaotic Tower, which almost no one can easily enter."

"Having these words from the Demon Queen is enough. I will go rescue Qi'er." Ye Xiu's resolve to save the girl only solidified, but he sought precaution: "Are there any intricacies to the Four Winds Chaotic Tower?"

"The Four Winds Chaotic Tower gathers the four chaotic powers of the Four Winds Hall—wind, cloud, sun, and rain. Though called a tower, it is essentially a barrier zone formed by the convergence of four powerful winds. If these four strong winds are not broken, rescuing her is out of the question." The Demon Queen regarded Ye Xiu, feeling that this stern and composed young man had not revealed his full capabilities. "Legend says one must achieve the speed of the Four Winds Hall Master's Gale Shadow Technique to move freely in and out, therefore..."

"There is no 'therefore.' This is merely fulfilling a promise I made to Ba Fang Jin." As Ye Xiu finished speaking, the Soul of a Hundred Insects activated. In that instant, as fallen blossoms scattered, his figure vanished.

The Demon Queen watched the swirling scattering of petals with a sigh. A single tear finally slipped down her cheek: "Ba Fang Jin, do not blame me for being too ruthless. Had I not been burdened by the title of Demon Queen, I would have stayed with you until old age."

In the Sea of Exile, within the cliff face, an empty world manifested amidst the salty sea breeze. This was a cave, save for the lackeys guarding the entrances facing various directions, the most conspicuous feature was a wall of roaring wind. A corner, swirling with dust and sand, stood like a firmly guarded door.

"Increase vigilance! The Hall Master commanded that no one sleeps tonight!" A crow-like figure swaggered over, whipping the surrounding lackeys. He muttered in complaint, "How many people in this world can even enter my Four Winds Chaotic Tower? Such tight security is unnecessary."

"Let me out! Who are you people, and what is this place?" Qi'er, thrown alone into the Four Winds Chaotic Tower, saw only yellow hurricanes before her eyes. Though these hurricanes caused her no harm, they trapped her movements, making it impossible to move an inch in the wind.

"Hahahaha, it's been a long time since a woman was locked in the Four Winds Chaotic Tower. A pity she's still a fresh-faced child." At this moment, a wanton voice echoed from the surroundings, stirring up an even more intense chill. A gust of mournful wind formed, and a lewd face materialized within the dust and sand.

"Who! Who's there! Have the guts to come out and talk!" Qi'er strained to raise her arm, attempting to launch a Heaven Needle attack toward the swirling mass of wind, but there was no discernible person within the vortex. The Heaven Needle, once launched, only returned to its source.

"Little girl, don't struggle pointlessly. This is the Four Winds Chaotic Tower, and I am not anyone—I am merely the wind, hahahaha." The voice grew agitated, controlling the wind direction to lash directly against Qi'er's cheek. The pain was unbearable.

"Ah ya!" Qi'er flinched slightly from the blow but refused to concede easily. "What in the world are you? Hiding your head and tail like a coward! Come out and fight me one-on-one!"

"Ah ha ha ha, little girl, I told you I am just a gust of wind, a wind within this Four Winds Chaotic Tower." The voice became increasingly sharp, and at that location, a mass of dark, churning whirlwind clearly lingered.

Bound by endless sand and wind around her limbs, Qi'er couldn't escape no matter how she moved. "What do you jackals want? What must happen for you to let me go? What will it take?"

The hurricane rapidly shrank into a tight ball that swept past Qi'er. The voice, however, carried a trace of mocking laughter. "Let you go? Hahahaha, no one has ever escaped the Four Winds Chaotic Tower! Rest assured, you will be trapped here until you starve to death, and I will keep you company."

"You just wait! Someone will definitely come to save me!" Qi'er continued to struggle, showing no sign of giving up. She firmly believed Ye Xiu would appear, even if he was the first stranger she had ever met.

The sea breeze drifted into the hollow mountain cave, sending a chill over the surrounding lackey guards. They sipped air and chatted amongst themselves, completely unaware that anything unusual would happen that night.

With the Soul of a Hundred Insects, Ye Xiu could move through the earth and the mountain's interior across the entire scene. He had already bypassed numerous figures and reached the edge of the hurricane wall. The sound of swirling sand reached his ears. This hurricane was undoubtedly the Four Winds Chaotic Tower the Demon Queen had described. But how could he penetrate it?

"Sleep, sleep, sleep! You only know how to sleep all day!" The overseer struck a lackey standing near the wind wall with his palm. The lackey woke up, his face smeared with blood. "If I catch you sleeping again, I'll toss you onto the wind wall to be blown to death!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Your humble servant dares not again."

Ye Xiu sucked in a sharp breath upon hearing the wind wall's power. At this moment, he poked his head out from within the mountain body and casually picked up a stone, tossing it toward the wind wall. The stone, originally hard, instantly pulverized into dust upon touching the wall, flying down toward the base. "Can an ordinary person cross this thing?"

"Hmm, what was that?" A lackey below touched the stone dust on his head and looked up, nearly catching sight of Ye Xiu. "Why are pebbles falling from up there for no reason?"

Ye Xiu realized that trying to pass through the wind wall head-on was absurd. He tapped the mountain wall. The work done by the ant soldiers was clearly not thorough; they had failed to drill through the most crucial connection points. He would need to give them a serious talking-to upon his return.

He looked around, unable to think of a good method. Just then, he suddenly remembered the Soul of a Hundred Insects within him. Since this power could grant his body partial strength of a hundred insects, carving a hole in the mountain wall should not be an issue.

At this instant, he concentrated all his internal cultivation into his hands. He felt a latent power surging from his core to his fingertips. Convinced, he struck down, and to his surprise, his hands actually sank into the solid mountain wall. "So I really can do this. The Soul of a Hundred Insects has many wonderful uses."

"Is someone up there?" A shower of dust fell onto the lackey below, irritating him. "It must be that bat messing around up there, damn it!"

Ye Xiu had carved nearly halfway through the mountain wall with his hands. At that moment, he spotted the figure below summoning his wings, preparing to fly up for a look. He quickly retracted his body and waited patiently.

The lackey placed one foot on the mountain wall, holding a trident, and focused his attention on the opening. A massive cavity drew his notice. "What is this thing inside the mountain wall? What bored fool caused all this trouble?"

"Hey, what are you doing up there!" At that moment, someone below threw a small pebble at him. "Hurry down and guard your post! Don't you want the boss to beat you to death!"

Ye Xiu, hiding behind the rock face, had already seen the lackey's weapon. He raised his arm, ready for a fight at any moment. At the critical juncture, the lackey was hit by the pebble, his body suddenly slipped, and he fell downward.

"Aiya, what the hell!" The lackey fell headfirst to the ground in shame and anger, ready to confront his companion to fight it out.

"Hoo..." Ye Xiu let out a long breath, climbed out, and continued digging. With every strike, he could now clearly feel the sand and wind emanating from the hole.