Several individuals decided to venture together, so the next task was to leave a message for those following behind, as none present carried communication artifacts. They were forced to resort to the most primitive method: carving a message in a conspicuous location, ensuring that if Zhang Guifang came to check, she would see their intended path.

While they were carving the wall, an accident occurred: Tian Zhao unexpectedly discovered a relatively small cave, not deep, perhaps only a few square meters in size, yet it was piled high with miscellaneous items.

Ye Wen inspected the contents. Most were artifacts or medicinal materials required for cultivation. He couldn't fathom why the Yamata no Orochi had collected so many of these things. Furthermore, many items were tainted with a dense, turbid energy. Perhaps this was why they were of little use to those from the Heavenly Court, and why Taishang Laojun did not empty the stash when he subdued the Yamata no Orochi?

However, Ye Wen was not picky. Good things left unused were a waste, and it was better to take them back to Shu Mountain; who knew if the Shu Mountain Sect could find a use for them! Moreover, Ye Wen's perspective differed from that of the Heavenly Court immortals; in his eyes, whether pure or turbid energy, it was all usable energy—any energy could be employed, depending only on the method of utilization!

Thus, upon entering, he went on a thorough sweep, directly storing everything in his ring. Only one item was an exception, as Tian Zhao had fixed her gaze on it the moment she entered, so Ye Wen generously gifted it to her.

It was a long saber, slightly shorter than the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (Ten Fist Sword) Tian Zhao currently held. The hilt was snow-white, and when drawn from its sheath, the blade shimmered with a faint, flowing light. Judging purely by its appearance, this blade was no ordinary weapon.

Tian Zhao ran her hand softly over the blade, eyes closed, sensing the surging power circulating within the long saber. After a moment, she exclaimed in astonishment, "The power contained within this sword is even greater than the Ten Fist Sword! Incredible!"

After examining it for a while, her fingers finally rested near the base of the blade. Opening her eyes, she held the saber upright before her, scrutinizing the characters carved upon it: "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?"

Ye Wen, hearing this from the side, exclaimed in surprise, "Oh? Is this the legendary Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?"

But after thinking it over, something felt wrong. The legend of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was well-known even on Earth; it was a divine weapon that made a name for itself at least during the Mythological Era. How could it be...

Before he could figure it out, Tian Zhao cried out, "So this is the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi my younger brother mentioned?"

"..."

Ye Wen shrugged; it seemed the question had been answered.

Emerging from the small cave, they watched Tian Zhao wield the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to carve a very conspicuous message on the stone wall. Then, the group moved toward the hidden cave while chatting. It was then that Ye Wen learned the origin of this Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi in this world.

It turned out this sword was originally a treasure of the Yamata no Orochi. When Susanoo fought the Yamata no Orochi, despite wielding the Ten Fist Sword, he couldn't inflict real damage. A major reason was that every time the great serpent battled Susanoo, it would spew forth a long, shimmering blade to fight him. Susanoo clashed with that long blade several times and was shocked to find his Ten Fist Sword was inferior to that blade. Later, chatting with Tian Zhao, he mentioned this "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi." It was only when Susanoo was injured one time that he accidentally saw the inscription carved on the long blade, thus learning its name.

In other words, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was originally the Yamata no Orochi's personal sword; when manifesting its true form, the long sword was hidden in its mouth, but when assuming human form, it was worn at its waist. However, after being subdued by Laojun, the Yamata no Orochi left this divine sword here to avoid exposing its identity, setting up some formations at the cave entrance—formations Ye Wen and the others initially missed because they were masked. Only after the great serpent died and some time passed did the concealment formation, linked to the serpent's life force, dissipate, allowing the group to discover this treasury.

Thinking about it, if not for those minor accidents, the group might have passed by these treasures entirely. Realizing these key points, Ye Wen sighed, "I guess I'm not entirely without fortune!"

However, even while joking with himself, he remained deeply worried about Li Xiaoyao's safety, and his mood couldn't lift. After talking with Tian Zhao for a while, the group entered the eerie cave in succession.

Stepping into the darkness, Ye Wen felt a sensation akin to leaping from a scorching summer environment into a bone-chilling lake—the cold pierced right through to his marrow, jolting him.

"What a bizarre feeling!"

While he only found it strange, Tian Zhao beside him turned pale. She immediately retrieved a string of magatama from her inner garment and hung it around her neck, muttering a low incantation. A glow emanated from the string, and her complexion immediately improved slightly.

"Is it alright?"

Ye Wen already perceived that Tian Zhao was extremely unsuited for this environment. In truth, she probably shouldn't have entered. He knew this just by observing how apprehensive the Goddess Xuannü of the Nine Heavens was about this place. Ye Wen, due to his cultivation technique advantage and the self-contained universe within his body, was unaffected. The others, like Xue Rengui and Lu Bu, being divine generals, were also fine. Artemis, possessing a natural divine body and power, was similarly immune to this environment. Only Tian Zhao was in an awkward situation here.

In fact, the influence on Tian Zhao was relatively minor. Having been born in this place where pure and turbid energies mingled, her immunity was slightly better than those purely sustained by pure energy from the Heavenly Court. But even so, she was primarily pure energy, meaning the turbid energy wasn't entirely absent, making discomfort inevitable. Fortunately, the string of magatama she possessed had a special effect, capable of purifying and stabilizing both pure and turbid energies, which made Tian Zhao feel better. However, from then on, she had to divide her attention to control the magatama, inevitably weakening her combat strength somewhat.

They proceeded cautiously while Ye Wen carefully gathered information. He simply cautioned her, "Since this is the case, Tian Zhao Shen, do not push yourself when facing trouble!"

With that, Ye Wen continued forward. He didn't try to persuade her to turn back, having observed that although Tian Zhao was a woman, her temper was quite stubborn, and any persuasion would likely be useless. Why bother doing something annoying?

He hadn't expected Artemis to observe them coldly for a while before suddenly saying, "So gentle!"

"Ah?"

"What are your thoughts on that woman?" Seeing Ye Wen showing considerable concern for Tian Zhao, Artemis couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. If it were Ning Ruxue or Huayi on the mountain, she wouldn't say anything, but how long had Ye Wen known this woman, Tian Zhao, before showing such care? This inevitably made her suspect Ye Wen might have ulterior motives. More importantly, when Ye Wen first met her, he hadn't shown this level of concern. The Moon Goddess was inherently proud and sometimes seemed indifferent, but she was still a woman, and which woman didn't wish for her beloved to care more about her? She hadn't considered this before, so she hadn't paid attention, but now that they were together, her mindset had naturally changed, leading her to notice things she previously ignored.

Ye Wen let out a wry smile internally, thinking, I wasn't sure if we were friends or foes with the Olympians back then; how could I dare to flirt with you? But he couldn't say this. He could only stammer out a few soothing words to placate Artemis. This interaction, in turn, amused Tian Zhao watching from behind. She blinked a few times, watched for a moment, and unconsciously let out a soft chuckle. Fortunately, the environment in the cave was so strange that her soft laugh was inaudible even to herself, let alone the others.

Xue Rengui, leading the way with his White Tiger Whip, relied on the faint glow from his Water and Fire Robe. After walking for a while without encountering danger, his tension eased slightly. Nevertheless, he remained alert. Lu Bu behind him, though saying nothing, appeared relatively relaxed, but his eyes kept darting around, clearly observing the surroundings cautiously. His hands hung naturally at his sides, swinging slightly, but they constantly hovered near his weapon pouch. Should anything go wrong, the Marquis Lu would immediately draw his weapon for defense. Ye Wen's eyes shifted with seven colors constantly—his Glazed Pupils never deactivated. If anything were to sneak attack, it would likely be incinerated by his Glazed Fire the next instant.

Yet, all their caution proved to be in vain! After walking for about two hours in the cave, just as everyone was growing somewhat irritable from the bizarre, oppressive atmosphere, they suddenly saw the space open up ahead—they had exited the cave.

Stepping out, Ye Wen noticed the others look back and realized the place they emerged from was an inconspicuous small mound. The cave seemed to be underground. The surroundings were open, and not far away lay patches of strange trees. These trees were grayish in color, their leaves mostly shades of blue-purple, blood-red, and similar hues, vastly different from the trees in the outside world. Moreover, Ye Wen sensed a bloody aura emanating from some of these trees, suggesting these plants were not harmless either.

Artemis was also observing the surroundings. After looking for a while, she suddenly said, "This place makes me very uncomfortable; I dislike it here!" Her brow furrowed, betraying no attempt to hide her disgust.

Ye Wen closed his eyes and sensed subtly, finally confirming the difference between this world and the Immortal Realm: "I don't particularly like it here either!" In this world, Ye Wen’s strength might remain unaffected, but the immortals who relied on mobilizing the power of heaven and earth to cast spells would likely find it extremely difficult. In other words, if such immortals entered this world, they would need to expend more immortal power than in the Immortal Realm to unleash less than half their usual spell strength. No wonder the Goddess Xuannü was reluctant to come here personally to settle accounts with that adversary. She had entrusted Xue Rengui instead, as this environment was indeed better suited for the combat style of divine generals who relied entirely on their inherent divine power for close-quarters fighting.

After a brief test, Ye Wen discovered that his Zixiao Sword was unaffected because it was purely formed from his own power, not borrowed from the force of heaven and earth. Furthermore, in this environment, he faced no issue with energy recovery. The problem that worried the immortals was that breathing or recovering immortal power required pure immortal energy, but here... while it wasn't an immediate drain of power, recovery was exceedingly difficult. Ye Wen, however, had no fear, as his self-contained universe allowed him to autonomously replenish any lost power, meaning he didn't have to worry about being unable to regain spent energy here.

"Truly... a dreadful environment!" Ye Wen paused. "For some immortals!"

Tian Zhao let out a long breath. Although protected by the Eight Span Jewels, she disliked the place and hoped to resolve the trouble quickly. Xue Rengui was also eager to leave; even though the environment didn't affect him, the gloomy skies occasionally slashed by strange lightning, and the surrounding bizarrely shaped, unappealing plants made him uneasy.

He casually took out a jade slip, crushed it, and a gleam of light flashed. Then, spots of light drifted out from the shattered piece, eventually coalescing into the shape of a person. This figure was clad in a black ceremonial robe, with an imposing stature and a stern, square face that clearly marked him as no ordinary person. Ye Wen observed and praised, "With this bearing, he wouldn't even need makeup to play an emperor; just standing there exudes that aura!"

The others, while interpreting Ye Wen's comment differently, largely agreed (Xue Rengui probably thought Ye Wen was referring to opera). This appearance, features, and undeniable temperament were indeed remarkable.

"This person doesn't look like the kind of petty villain who would do such things. Could there have been a mistake?" Xue Rengui looked on, unable to believe someone of this stature would commit such acts, scratching his head in confusion.

Ye Wen replied, "How many people in the world are rotten on the inside while appearing golden on the outside? If one could judge a person's character by their looks alone, this world would be far simpler!" Xue Rengui considered this and found merit in the argument, dropping the matter. The group looked at the spiritual image again, engraving the person's features firmly in their minds, before watching the form made of spiritual power fade and vanish.

"Alright, what should we do now?"

Ye Wen thought for a moment, then took out Li Xiaoyao's spatula. "Let me first try if I can locate my apprentice using this thing!"

The others felt they had no leads and were resigned to wandering aimlessly for a while. Ye Wen suddenly recalled that his Glazed Pupils possessed Buddhist divine abilities, which could reveal causality or destiny. This spatula was Li Xiaoyao's constant companion, so it surely retained a connection to its owner. Perhaps Ye Wen could use his Glazed Pupils to see something?

Holding the spatula, his eyes shone brilliantly, a mesmerizing display of seven colors. After taking only a few steps, Ye Wen gripped the spatula and fell silent, closing his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. The others dared not disturb him, wondering if he had seen something and was now processing the clues in his mind.

In reality, Ye Wen had seen a great deal, but what frustrated him was that most of the visions were happy scenes of Li Xiaoyao cheerfully waving the spatula while sweating profusely over a stove. Li Xiaoyao genuinely loved eating and cooking, so the joy emanating from his heart during cooking had imprinted itself upon the spatula, and now Ye Wen was receiving it all.

"This brat, couldn't he leave something useful?" Fortunately, he hadn't gained nothing; the final few sequences clearly related to Li Xiaoyao's whereabouts. But these frames were fragmented and intermittent. Ye Wen pondered for a long time, sifting these few relevant images out from the piles of Li Xiaoyao's blissful scenes.

One image showed Li Xiaoyao suspended in the air, looking around; the boundless sea and fragmented land below could only be the islands of Dongying. This seemed to be the scene when Li Xiaoyao first arrived in Dongying. Following this was a chaotic mess of images, but Ye Wen managed to find a familiar sight among the scenery: the strange marsh outside the Yamata no Orochi's lair.

The last image concerned Ye Wen the most. Li Xiaoyao was fighting someone—Ye Wen even saw him using the Ten Thousand Sword Art—followed by shaking and a fractured scroll; the scenes were entirely unconnected. The only certainty was that Li Xiaoyao had indeed been taken to the Yamata no Orochi's lair and brought into this world. The spatula must have slipped from his grasp during the struggle and fallen unnoticed when he entered the cave, compounded by the bizarre environment, no one noticed its dropping.

These final few frames were quite perplexing; Ye Wen couldn't determine whether Li Xiaoyao had been knocked unconscious, carried in, or walked in willingly with the person. This gave him a headache. Furthermore, since the spatula had fallen outside, there was no clue where Li Xiaoyao went after entering the cave. He could only vaguely sense, based on the slender connection between the spatula and Li Xiaoyao, that a certain direction was probably the correct path forward.

He pointed his hand, making a decision: "It should be that direction!"

Seeing that Ye Wen had a lead, the others felt their hearts settle. None of them feared encountering danger ahead, but standing there without knowing which way to go was far more unsettling. Fortunately, Ye Wen had finally made a decision, and the group didn't need to repack; they prepared to move in that direction.

But before they could step forward, they heard footsteps approaching from the woods, accompanied by voices: "That burst of rosy light just now came from here. Hurry up, lest some real treasure is snatched away by others!"

Then, a voice from another direction called out, sounding as if speaking to the first, "Oh? You're here too. Truly, nothing escapes your fox's nose. But since I have arrived, you and your blind brother should give up any thought of it; whatever treasure there is will be mine!"

"A fox and a blind man?" Ye Wen's body stiffened. "Why does this give me such a strong sense of déjà vu?"

Just then, a person with blood-red hair and two horns protruding from his head burst out from another direction. Seeing so many people here, the newcomer immediately halted and stood guard a short distance away, warily watching Ye Wen's party. Almost simultaneously, the two groups speaking earlier emerged from the woods. To their surprise, they found so many people present, and everyone froze, warily sizing each other up.