"The darkness that is about to descend, is it my inner demon?"
Hearing Wang Die's words, Ye Ling's pupils contracted sharply, his heart filled with shock.
He had considered many potential crises that Earth might face, even anticipating the possibility of stronger individuals appearing...
But Ye Ling never imagined that the so-called darkness would be an inner demon he had never conceived!
Moreover, Ye Ling himself didn't know when he would develop an inner demon, so how did Wang Die know?
"Are you serious?" Ye Ling confirmed with Wang Die, not entirely believing her words.
He didn't even have an inner demon, so how could he become a crisis for Earth?
Wang Die said earnestly, "I know it's hard for the Emperor to believe this, but this is the truth as I know it. The crisis that will befall Earth in the future is indeed the Emperor's inner demon."
"I have placed more detailed information in the secret archive room of the Cloud Palace. If the Emperor has been to the Xichuan branch and entered the archive room, you should know where I hid that information."
"The memories related to that information have all been erased. If the Emperor wishes to know, he can only retrieve it himself."
Hearing Wang Die's words, although Ye Ling found it absurd, he couldn't help but pay attention to the matter.
After all, his inner demon had not yet manifested, or perhaps it had, and he was unaware.
The crisis of an inner demon could indeed appear at any time.
If Earth's crisis was indeed his own inner demon, then it would be a rather troublesome predicament.
Ye Ling gave Wang Die a deep look, not dwelling on the veracity of the matter, and asked again, "I recall you saying you came to help me overcome the crisis, but so far you've only given me information whose truthfulness cannot be guaranteed. If this is your so-called help, then I am quite disappointed."
Wang Die bowed deeply to Ye Ling and said, "This is naturally not my help, but it is not yet the time. My strength is weak, and I am indeed unable to provide effective assistance to the Emperor at present."
"Before I can lend the Emperor a hand, I have a small request, and I hope the Emperor will grant it."
Ye Ling asked with a solemn tone, "What request?"
Wang Die smiled slightly and said, "After tomorrow, the Celestial Dog will devour the sun in Shanghai. At that time, the ancient gate will be wide open. I wish to visit the ancient ruins to experience their scenery and search for something."
Ye Ling asked, "With your eighth-grade cultivation, if you wish to go, you can go by yourself. Why do you need to follow me?"
Wang Die shook her head and said to Ye Ling, "When this ancient gate opens, many rare treasures will appear in the world. Not only will hidden experts emerge, but even celestial beings from the immortal realm will descend."
"With my eighth-grade cultivation, I am considered a master in the outside world. However, if I were to enter those ancient ruins, I would most likely be cannon fodder sent to my death."
"Of course, if the Emperor is willing to let me cling to his coattails, the situation would be different. Moreover, the item I am looking for could also be of help to the Emperor."
"What are you looking for?"
"Please allow me to keep it a surprise."
Ye Ling looked into Wang Die's eyes, unable to discern how much truth or falsehood was in her words.
However, given Wang Die's mysterious identity and extraordinary background, it was unlikely that her visit to the ancient ruins was merely for sightseeing; she must have some ulterior motive.
Bringing her along would be a simple matter for Ye Ling, with no loss incurred.
As for Wang Die's true intentions, Ye Ling would need to interact with her for a while longer to better judge her game.
Currently, Ye Ling had been back on Earth for too short a time and possessed too little information. In this situation of unknown allies and enemies, he found himself at a significant disadvantage.
Now that Ye Ling could no longer extricate himself from this grand scheme, the only thing he could do was to accumulate his resources as much as possible and await the opportune moment to counterattack.
With this thought, Ye Ling did not refuse Wang Die and said, "It's not impossible to take you to those ancient ruins, but you must first give me Li Xiaomei's bracelet."
"No problem with that!"
Wang Die readily agreed to Ye Ling's request and took out a silver bracelet from her pocket.
Ye Ling took the bracelet from Wang Die and examined it carefully, simultaneously infusing his divine sense into it to inspect its internal structure.
Ye Ling discovered that although the bracelet appeared ordinary, it was composed of hundreds of millions of extremely tiny components, with an exceptionally complex structure, unlike anything achievable with modern technology.
Furthermore, these components were all different and interconnected by a special pattern, forming a unique spiritual energy magnetic field within the bracelet.
It was precisely this special spiritual energy magnetic field that could affect a person's soul and memories, preventing soul searching.
In a short period, Ye Ling could not ascertain the principle behind Li Xiaomei's bracelet. He could only place it in his portable cave dwelling and have Yang Qi personally appraise whether the bracelet was genuine.
After receiving Yang Qi's affirmative reply, Ye Ling said to Wang Die, "I have one last question."
Wang Die smiled slightly and respectfully said, "Please ask, Emperor. I will tell you everything I know."
"Was the massacre of Li Xiaomei's entire clan related to the Cloud Palace?"
Wang Die nodded and said, "It was done in conjunction with the Red Dust Pavilion by the Cloud Palace."
"It was commanded by the European headquarters of the Cloud Palace, with the North China branch of the Cloud Palace and Guang Ping, one of the Twelve Sovereigns of the Red Dust Pavilion, acting together."
"The vast majority of Li Xiaomei's relatives were ordinary people. The Cloud Palace and the Red Dust Pavilion had countless ways to deal with them, and no one could stop them."
"I understand."
Upon hearing Wang Die's answer, Ye Ling simply nodded faintly, then left with Xu Changsheng.
Wang Die watched Ye Ling and Xu Changsheng's retreating figures and bowed to them, saying loudly, "Farewell, Emperor!"
Ye Ling waved his hand without looking back and called out, "Wait for me in Shanghai. When the time comes, I will naturally take you."
Wang Die smiled slightly, "Thank you, Emperor!"
As Ye Ling and Xu Changsheng departed from Yun Chuan's Yixiantian, Wang Die finally stood up, a hint of worry reappearing in her beautiful eyes.
Without a word, she leaped off the cliff and disappeared.
...
Xu Changsheng followed Ye Ling with a heavy heart, looking at Ye Ling's back several times as if wanting to speak, but the words would not come out.
Everything that had just happened had completely surpassed Xu Changsheng's comprehension.
He even felt as if he were dreaming until now!
Before this, he had always believed that the end of the world was just talk, that no matter what happened, the Earth would continue to turn, and the heavenly laws would maintain order.
However, after hearing Ye Ling and Wang Die's conversation, Xu Changsheng's worldview had completely changed.
The Earth truly faced a world-ending crisis.
And Ye Ling had returned from another world!
All of this was constantly impacting Xu Changsheng's mind.
After hesitating for a long time, Xu Changsheng nervously asked Ye Ling, "Senior, where... are we going next?"
"Cloud Palace, North China branch."