Chu Lingwei, accompanied by the phantom cat, continued to descend. After diving dozens of meters, they were blocked by a barrier.
"Weiwei, I have a way to break the barrier," the phantom cat finally encountered a barrier it could dismantle. It quickly cast a spell, creating an opening just large enough for the two of them to pass through.
"This is strange. There's no change here either," upon entering the barrier, everything looked the same as outside. There were no signs of any living beings, only deathly silence.
Chu Lingwei's vigilance heightened. Finding nothing related to her father here made her increasingly worried.
Father must have come here. How did he disappear? Or was it the one who altered his spiritual message who took her father away?
"There's something up ahead."
Suddenly, the phantom cat cried out. It had finally spotted an exit. "There's an exit there. Uncle Chu must have left from there."
Chu Lingwei and the phantom cat reached the exit. It resembled the bottleneck of a bottle, a very small circular opening. Chu Lingwei tried to probe the interior from the outside but found it impossible to do so.
"Weiwei, I'll go in and take a look."
The phantom cat also noticed this. But if Uncle Chu had been here, he would have found this exit. He might have entered.
"I'm going in," Chu Lingwei covered them both and, without a second thought, directly entered the cave opening. She flew in, and a darkness enveloped her. Her spiritual power suddenly felt useless for a brief moment.
This powerlessness lasted only an instant. Soon, light filled her vision.
"Someone's already entered so soon," an excited voice reached Chu Lingwei's ears. Chu Lingwei looked in the direction of the voice and saw a giant fish swimming rapidly towards them.
A seventh-tier spirit beast.
Chu Lingwei dodged its attack with agile movements.
"Your cultivation is not bad."
The speaker was an elder sitting on the giant fish. His eyes were filled with excitement, staring at Chu Lingwei as if she were his next meal.
"Is this your territory?" Chu Lingwei asked without fear.
"Come with me?"
Here, everyone had to obey him. The man looked at Chu Lingwei with interest, gently patted the spirit beast, and the two turned to leave.
A seventh-tier spirit beast.
A supreme Earthly Venerate.
Chu Lingwei sighed at her misfortune. With the phantom cat, she could only follow.
"Weiwei, perhaps we'll see Uncle Chu very soon," the phantom cat sounded very happy. If Uncle Chu had entered here, their experience would surely be the same.
Chu Lingwei glanced at him. His thoughts were too naive. That person just now clearly wasn't good news.
Following the direction of the giant fish, Chu Lingwei quickly pursued. After not advancing for long, she discovered it was a hidden paradise; they had reached the shore.
"Follow me."
As soon as her feet touched the shore, two maids appeared, standing on either side of her.
Rong Tian realm cultivators.
Both maids had higher cultivation than her.
"Thank you."
Chu Lingwei followed the maids into a grand hall. The elder she had just met was seated at the head of the hall. His seventh-tier spirit beast was not behind him.
"Why have you come here?" the elder asked from his high seat, exuding an air of absolute dominion.
"I'm looking for someone."
Chu Lingwei stated truthfully.
"Running to my place to look for someone?" the elder burst into laughter. "Do you know what fate befell those who entered here before?"
Chu Lingwei fell silent.
Such familiar words.
"They all ended up in my spirit beast's belly."
Indeed, no matter where they went, no matter how high the cultivators' cultivation, they all liked to scare people.
"Aren't you afraid?" The elder, seeing Chu Lingwei show no reaction, felt a flicker of surprise. A mere Spirit Wheel realm cultivator, so bold? This displeased him.
"I am afraid," Chu Lingwei answered honestly. "I'm thinking, has the person I'm looking for already ended up in your spirit beast's belly?"
Chu Lingwei's response somewhat improved the elder's mood, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
"Who are you looking for? Anyone who has entered here cannot leave," the elder leaned back in his chair, appearing as if waiting for her to beg.
His demeanor was utterly arrogant.
"I'm looking for Chu Ze. Have you seen this person, senior?" Chu Lingwei looked up, her gaze fixed on the elder's face.
The mention of Chu Ze's name caused the elder's face to freeze. He quickly sat up straight. "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for Chu Ze, the former Sect Master of Xuan Xin Sect, Chu Ze."
"He's not here." Upon hearing the name, a surge of anger from the elder caused the atmosphere to drop.
"He came here."
Finally, there was news of her father. A smile appeared on Chu Lingwei's face.
"Who are you to him?" The elder stared at Chu Lingwei again, a guess forming in his mind. "You are his daughter, Chu Lingwei."
"Yes, I am Chu Ze's daughter."
The joy in Chu Lingwei's eyes overflowed. She stepped forward and bowed to the elder, "I implore you, senior, to tell me my father's whereabouts. This junior will be eternally grateful."
Hearing the identical words from father and daughter, the elder snorted, "Why should I tell you his whereabouts? A mere Spirit Wheel realm cultivator, you're too overconfident."
Hearing the elder's words, Chu Lingwei's heart filled with even more joy. He implied that her father was likely still alive.
"Senior, if you tell me my father's whereabouts, this junior will surely repay your kindness," Chu Lingwei's voice held urgency.
The elder scoffed. Since when did he need a junior cultivator to repay him?
"I haven't seen your father. He's not here," the elder waved his hand. Discovering she was Chu Ze's daughter dashed his hopes. What he had intended as a bit of amusement was now completely ruined.
"Senior, then do you know where my father went? The place he disappeared last was here." If her father wasn't here, Chu Lingwei would lose track of Chu Ze.
The elder chuckled lightly. "Where my father went is none of my business."
"Senior, is my father really not here?" Doubt arose in Chu Lingwei's eyes. Something must have happened to her father here. Kuai Shu Ge
"Chu Ze was not here, but you, you will definitely stay here," a cruel smile appeared in the elder's eyes. "Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, don't blame me."
Chu Lingwei inwardly cried out that this was bad. Just as she was about to make a move, she found her spiritual power was already being controlled.
"Guards, lock her up."
The elder's voice was icy, tinged with a hint of killing intent.
Ugh...
Chu Lingwei had thought she might gather information about her father, but she had fallen into a wolf's den. She felt a sense of helplessness.
"Why are so many cultivators imprisoned here?"
Chu Lingwei was escorted by the two maids to where she would be confined. Walking down a long corridor, dungeon-like prison cells appeared one after another.