Chu Lingwei's pupils contracted at the word "mother."
"Your father never gave up searching for your mother," the man in black added, seeing Chu Lingwei's expression.
"My mother is still alive?" Chu Lingwei, who had only ever lived in others' words about her, had her only impression of her mother from a withered branch in her space.
"She is alive," the man in black replied with certainty.
"Where is she now?"
"Unknown."
Seeing Chu Lingwei's expression slowly calm down, the man in black found it impossible to fathom her thoughts.
"It is said that your mother appeared in the Ten Thousand Beast Valley five years ago and has not been seen since. Your father will surely not let this opportunity to find your mother pass."
Chu Lingwei remained silent, not believing the man in black.
She hadn't even confirmed if Liu Yao was her father, and now this story emerged. No matter how good his reasons were, she couldn't easily believe him.
"The Ten Thousand Beast Valley is fraught with danger. Chu Lingwei, are you truly not worried about your parents?"
"They are my birth parents, of course I am worried," Chu Lingwei said with a smile. "But..."
"Why should I believe you?"
Even if he were the patriarch of the Phoenix Clan, she couldn't believe every word he said. Until she met her mother, she would remain suspicious of both him and Fang Jingchi.
"You don't believe me?" the man in black was silent for a moment.
"You've been having me followed. What is your purpose?" Chu Lingwei's expression turned cold, her Ice Jade Frost Sword pointing directly at the man in black.
Seeing Chu Lingwei make a move, Shui Yi quickly stepped forward, pointing her magical artifact at the man in black.
The man in black was silent for a breath, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Chu Lingwei, it seems you don't care much about your parents?"
"It's up to me to decide if I care about my parents. You are an outsider, don't block our way here." Chu Lingwei crossed her arms, looking at the man in black. His disguise was about to be revealed.
"Shui Yi, let's go."
Chu Lingwei turned, about to leave with Shui Yi.
The man in black stared at Chu Lingwei's retreating back for a long time, until she disappeared from view.
"Has he left?" Chu Lingwei transmitted her voice to Shui Yi.
"No, he's still following us. Master, shall I drive him away?" Shui Yi asked.
Chu Lingwei crossed her arms. She was heading to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, which was extremely dangerous. The man in black following her was likely worried about her encountering danger.
"No need. Let him follow." Even if she drove him away now, he would still follow her.
"If he comes with us and then gets killed by that ghost cultivator?" Feng Ming tilted his head and said slowly.
Huan Mao: "..."
Chu Lingwei: "..."
"He's supposed to be the patriarch of the Phoenix Clan, how could his cultivation be so poor?" Huan Mao meowed at Feng Ming twice.
*Crack*
Feng Ming hit Huan Mao's head forcefully. "You are a dog now, you must bark like a dog."
Huan Mao immediately pursed her lips tightly. She absolutely refused to learn to bark like a dog. Absolutely not.
Since the person behind her intended to follow, Chu Lingwei couldn't stop him and could only increase her speed.
Two days later, Chu Lingwei arrived at the market of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect.
It was as prosperous as ever, with cultivators coming and going everywhere, creating a lively scene.
Standing at the main entrance of the market, one could already hear the hubbub from within the city.
"Weiwei, are the cultivators inside impersonated by ghost cultivators, or are they real cultivators?" Huan Mao jumped up, looking towards the market. "Weiwei, should we go in?"
"We won't go in. We'll find a place to sneak in at night."
The prosperity inside was like a reflection in water, not real.
Chu Lingwei used her spatial abilities to set up a barrier for herself not far from the market.
Night soon fell, and the sounds within the entire city gradually quieted down, finally becoming utterly silent.
"As expected, everything inside is fake." Feng Ming snorted, looking at Weiwei. "Weiwei, why don't we sneak in now?"
"Haven't you all noticed that there are no cultivators from other sects?" Chu Lingwei remained still. Her master and the others had arrived five days earlier. Many things could have happened in those five days.
"We haven't seen any cultivators from the major sects on our way here." Feng Ming almost shrieked, "Could they have all been captured by people from the Ghost Realm?"
"Don't jinx it," Huan Mao bit Feng Ming lightly. She knew Weiwei was worried about her master and the others, yet she was spouting nonsense.
Feng Ming looked at Chu Lingwei with concern. She had just said it casually, otherwise, why hadn't they seen anything on their journey?
"Weiwei, what do we do now?" Huan Mao hopped in front of Chu Lingwei. "Why don't I go in and take a look? My illusionary arts and formations are very powerful now, they definitely won't discover me."
"None of you go anywhere." Chu Lingwei stood within the barrier, yet she could feel the chilling winds from all around. This place was truly too strange. "Let's retreat first, and then we'll figure something out."
With no sect cultivators present, Chu Lingwei worried that they had already fallen into a trap set by the ghost cultivators.
Chu Lingwei activated her flying artifact and instantly appeared a hundred miles away.
"Master, there was a different spiritual energy in the air just now. We should have already been discovered." It was only as they were retreating that Shui Yi sensed that spiritual energy, which was very different from their own.
"It's likely a trap."
Fortunately, they didn't choose to enter the city; otherwise, they would be like fish in a barrel by now.
"What kind of formation is this?"
Ghost cultivators were completely different from spiritual cultivators. They were unfamiliar with ghost cultivation techniques, and they would likely be at a disadvantage in battle.
Feng Ming lifted Huan Mao's head. "Huan Mao, don't you have inheritances? Do you know nothing about this formation?"
"How could I possibly know?" Huan Mao pouted. He cultivated spirit energy, not ghost energy.
"I am also ignorant," Shui Yi said with a bow. She was also completely unaware of such techniques.
"It seems we must go to the market of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect," Chu Lingwei stared in the direction of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, her eyes darkening. To enter the market of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, they could only rely on magical artifacts.
"Weiwei, Eldest Senior Brother will definitely have a solution." Huan Mao's eyes lit up. Eldest Senior Brother could lead them into the Ghost King's domain, so he could certainly figure out what formation was blocking them.
When Chu Lingwei heard Huan Mao's words, she immediately refused. She had gone to great lengths to ask Eldest Senior Brother to let her come to the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. She couldn't fail at the very first hurdle.
Otherwise, what credibility would her promises have in the future?