Nuwa Stone couldn't help but feel strange, so it said, "Did he really not lie to you about anything? He already knows where the item is, so why can't he take it?"
Yes, this was a question Ye Tiancheng himself really wanted to know.
However, Ye Tiancheng thought about it again and felt that perhaps this was the price. He said to Nuwa Stone, "Actually, thinking about it now, if this wasn't the reason we couldn't take the Fuxi Qin fragment, the current holder of the new Fuxi Qin fragment might not have been so cooperative when we met them."
"But now, the other party is willing to cooperate, yet because of this reason, we can't easily take the fragment."
"This is the balance of all things. If you gain too much benefit here, you'll have a little inconvenience there to make up for it."
Reaching an understanding with Azhi was indeed too easy, and not at all perilous.
And along the way, Ye Tiancheng, protected by the formation, would not encounter any truly insurmountable dangers, nor would he face any mortal peril. Perhaps for this very reason, the process of him obtaining the Fuxi Qin fragment would become extremely difficult.
Nuwa Stone thought about it and felt that it was probably like this, a kind of balance of the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, Nuwa Stone said to Ye Tiancheng, "Then there's nothing we can do. Tell me about it, what problem did you encounter this time? I'll see if I can figure out a solution."
Ye Tiancheng then told Nuwa Stone, "The new Fuxi Qin fragment we need to obtain this time has an owner."
"The owner of this Fuxi Qin fragment was originally a fox demon. To save someone, he transformed into human form and died in that person's place. After becoming a ghost fox, he went to seek revenge on his enemy. After taking revenge, the Fuxi Qin fragment carried by that enemy was swallowed by that ghost fox by chance."
"Then that ghost fox slowly drifted to this place and gradually gained control of the Fuxi Qin fragment. Using this power, he created a space similar to the illusion you've constructed. Actually, only creators like you would know if it's truly similar, but to us, on the surface, it appears to be quite alike."
"In any case, he has absolute control over the space he created, just like you. The difference between him and you is probably that he can have a physical form, likely because he was a ghost fox after dying as a fox demon."
"However, after creating this space, he couldn't get out. Later, after a series of investigations, which Azhi and I have also verified, there's a high probability that he separated from his old skin, meaning his soul and his corpse separated, and they couldn't merge back together, which is why he couldn't get out."
"But the problem isn't that simple; it's not just a matter of merging the soul and the body back together. He died before, didn't he? Then he wanted to cultivate a new body, and he did indeed cultivate one. Then he merged with the new body very well, just like an original shell."
"So now the problem is..." Ye Tiancheng said, and Nuwa Stone couldn't help but interject.
"What problem? Can't find where his old skin is? So he can't get out? Is his old skin damaged? Gone? Rotten? Returned to dust?"
Then, under Ye Tiancheng's speechless expression, Nuwa Stone closed its mouth again and quietly listened to Ye Tiancheng continue, "Brother Ye, you said, continue speaking."
Ye Tiancheng then continued, "His old skin, perhaps because it was the corpse of a fox demon, was also a good thing. Other beings might have wanted to devour his corpse. It's likely that because his old skin was the corpse of a fox demon, it instinctively devoured all those who tried to devour it."
"After devouring some things, it couldn't digest them. The corpse also wanted a soul, so it pieced these things together internally, forming something akin to a soul. This entity also merged very well with the old skin."
"Then, as time passed, the old skin, guided by instinct, found the soul, which was the ghost fox. The ghost fox considered reclaiming the old skin, but at this point, it was no longer possible."
"Because the ghost fox already had a new skin, and it merged very well. The old skin gained a new 'soul' and merged very well with it. They became independent entities and could not merge."
"Originally, it would have been fine if they didn't merge, it was perfect this way. But if they didn't merge, the ghost fox couldn't leave the space. If he couldn't leave the space, he couldn't expel the Fuxi Qin fragment, and if he couldn't expel it, we couldn't get it."
"Trying to forcefully take it is impossible, otherwise, the ghost fox would be annihilated along with the Fuxi Qin fragment."
Ye Tiancheng paused as he spoke, "Moreover, his attitude is so good, he actively seeks cooperation, willing to hand over the Fuxi Qin fragment, and to gain our trust, he even places his life in our hands. With such sincerity, wouldn't it be too unrighteous to kill him?"
Nuwa Stone was utterly speechless, "It is indeed a bit unrighteous, but what is this matter?"
"If he were like me, then he naturally couldn't leave. Unless he had a physical form, then he and the fragment wouldn't merge and he could come out, because he is the controller, independent of the fragment, just like the relationship between you and me in the illusion you constructed."
"But since he swallowed the fragment as a soul, then he is similar to me. To be able to have a physical form is already extraordinary, and that's taking advantage of the fact that he was originally an independent fox demon."
"But essentially, he has been assimilated by the fragment, like the spirit of the fragment. So he naturally cannot leave the space. In fact, if he leaves the space, the space can no longer be maintained, just like if you, Brother Ye, were to take me out of this illusion, this illusion would immediately collapse."
"Then it is necessary to make him re-merge with his old skin, otherwise, there is no way. His new skin is useless because this cultivated form is only a semblance of a physical body, not truly possessing a body in the real sense. It's useless, it's just condensed by power, and there's an essential difference from a real body."
"If this were outside, it would be fine. But in that space, it's no different from him being a soul originally."
Ye Tiancheng was speechless. It turned out that this was the reason Azhi couldn't leave that space.
So Azhi's original intention was to construct a space to recuperate, but instead, he created a prison for himself? And ended up being trapped for thousands of years, which was incredibly unlucky.
Ye Tiancheng then said, "So the problem now is how to make him re-merge with his old skin?"
"Little Stone, since we're both at a loss, you're better at things related to life. Do you have any good methods?"
Nuwa Stone fell silent, "Ah, this, I need to think about it. I don't seem to have encountered such a case before. However, there is a problem now: I need to see him before I can analyze it. Otherwise, without precedent and without seeing his true condition, I can't draw any conclusions."
"But I can't see him either. This current illusion, and even the formation outside, are all controlled by me. If I leave, there will be big problems."
Ye Tiancheng realized that this was indeed a very serious problem, another contradiction. It was like to get the fragment Azhi swallowed, Azhi had to leave that space, but because Azhi swallowed the fragment, he couldn't come out for Nuwa Stone to see.
If Azhi could really come out for Nuwa Stone to see, then there would be no need for Nuwa Stone to see him.
Nuwa Stone could only say to Ye Tiancheng in the end, "Let me think. Perhaps there are other ways. Regarding him and his old skin, what else do you know about their situation?"
The little fox beside him spoke, "What Brother said is basically everything. If there's anything to add, it's just one point."
"We tried an experiment before, letting him and his old skin pass through the entrance together to see what would happen. When we watched, it felt similar to his state when we left, but from his own perspective, there seemed to be some difference."
Nuwa Stone thought for a moment and then asked the little fox, "Feeling? What feeling? Did any abnormalities occur?"
The little fox nodded and said, "It's considered an abnormality. When passing through the entrance, he felt a suction from his old skin, as if it was trying to pull him in, but it failed, and he was repelled back. When we tried, his old skin could go out, but he couldn't."
Nuwa Stone said, "That's very normal. His skin can naturally go out because that old skin is not considered part of the fragment."
The little fox thought for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and asked, "If Brother were to take you away from the illusion, the illusion would collapse. You can leave the illusion. So, if he made the space he constructed disappear, wouldn't the cage disappear on its own?"
Nuwa Stone was silent for a long time. After a while, it only gave a two-word answer, "Ghost's idea."
Ye Tiancheng hadn't thought in this direction and felt that it might work, so he asked Nuwa Stone, "It sounds like there's some logic to it. So, is it possible?"
Nuwa Stone said, "Do you know the difference between theory and reality?"
The implication was that both Ye Tiancheng and the little fox understood immediately.
Nuwa Stone sighed and then explained, "It's not that I'm trying to discourage you. Your idea is good, but it's not applicable to him."
"Just like if I were to leave this illusion, after I constructed this illusion, my本体 (main body) is within it and needs to be taken out by Brother Ye. There needs to be a carrier, and this carrier must be my current holder."
"But in the case of that ghost fox, the situation is a bit different. That ghost fox is both the fragment itself and the carrier, the holder. If he doesn't return to his skin, he can't come out normally. Even if you take him out, it won't work. Otherwise, couldn't anyone just take him out?"
Thus, the little fox's new line of thought was shattered, another impractical and contradictory idea.
Ye Tiancheng felt dejected for a while, but finally encouraged himself, saying, "Let's keep thinking of ways. Let's search for information everywhere and see if there's any useful information. I don't believe this is an unsolvable problem; it probably just needs time."
"Perhaps someday, it will be like last time, where we search high and low without finding it, and then it appears effortlessly."
The little fox blinked its eyes and said, "It sounds very philosophical. The more you want something, the harder it is to get it. Instead, you're more likely to gain something unintentionally. 'Trying to plant flowers yields no bloom, but planting willows unintentionally creates shade.'"