"But husband, how can she go to that forest by herself? She's not strong enough to even go near it."
"Don't worry about her, madam. She's smart; she can do it. Too much care is harmful for children."
"If you say so," Song Qian said with some worry.
At that moment, Ye Kaishan was watching everything. It looked like they were her parents—her mother and her mother's Dao companion. In this world, Dao companions are like husbands and the foundation for cultivation. Dao companions can enter and exit the Grotto Heaven created by both of them. During cultivation, the female supports the yin aspect, and the male supports the yang part.
"But why does she want to go to Loman Forest? It must be related to her. I'm not worried because she is a reborn person."
"Let's continue observing. After studying my abilities throughout the night, I have mastered teleportation."
"I can teleport anywhere on this continent. It's not offensive, but useful for fleeing in extreme conditions. For now, I can only use it three times a day because after that, the skill tree goes into exhaustion and takes 24 hours to recharge."
Realm distribution in Soul Spirit Continent:
Spirit Realm, Soul Spirit (Dao companion awakening creating Grotto Heaven inside subspace), Soul Breaking, Soul Forging, Soul Body, Soul Nirvana, Soul Star, Soul Creation, Spirit Tribulation, Soul Saint, Soul Saint King, Soul Great Saint, Spirit Ancient Saint, Soul Emperor…
Song Yan left the Song clan on a flying treasure toward Loman Forest.
Ye Kaishan watched from subspace as Song Yan flew over villages. There were flying islands and mountains floating in the sky—some still anchored, others drifting aimlessly.
After half a day of travel, Song Yan landed on a huge island. She couldn't travel continuously.
"Aah! I've exhausted my spirit energy. Right now, my body is too weak—I can't even travel for half a day."
Sigh "I am the Void Empress. If this was my previous self, I could travel hundreds of thousands of miles with just a step. Now, after rebirth, my space ability is gone. But I have experience and knowledge in this life—I have to surpass my previous self."
If Ye Kaishan wanted, he could travel to Loman Forest in a second. But if he did, Song Yan could detect his presence in her subspace.
He knew his condition well. If he removed the space distortion, his soul and Song Yan's soul would link. Even with space distortion, he clearly felt his soul being drawn to hers.
Song Yan's soul was unaffected by his because the space distortion outside was stronger. That's why she didn't feel his presence. Since Song Yan is a reborn person, Ye Kaishan wanted to observe her for some time before revealing himself.
Song Yan sat on a plain slab inside a certain cave. After two hours of meditation, she regained her energy and was ready to fly again. At that moment, she sensed a space disturbance from a strange slab beneath a tree.
The slab was very peculiar—plain, without a single scratch or mark. Her space abilities were gone, but she was attentive to the space Dao and clearly felt traces of Dao on the slab.
Naturally, Ye Kaishan had long discovered this because his space-time skill tree surpassed normal senses. He could clearly detect a cave behind that space disturbance.
"I've heard these broken flying islands are the result of a war between the Blood Demon and White Demon races against the Divine Beast Phoenix clan. That war happened thousands of years ago. Although both races retreated, its impact was so severe it could still be seen after millennia."
Thinking about this, Song Yan approached the slab. She thought some space-related treasure had fallen here. She touched the slab, but nothing happened, so she immediately activated her space technique.
Suddenly, she saw the void crack like a broken mirror—a super suction force pulled her in with overwhelming power.
She tried to resist, but it was useless. She was transported into a strange cave. It was dark but not completely dark; dark light spiritual stones were set in the walls, illuminating a path deeper inside.
Ye Kaishan, alarmed by the suction, traveled there quickly. He hadn't been in this world long and did not want to perish in this cave.
Song Yan walked toward the illuminated spot. When she reached it, she was stunned.
There was a pond in the middle of the chamber, surrounded by four rocks placed at the four directions. In the center of the pond was a lotus radiating bluish-green light.
That wasn't all—the water in the pond was Dao liquid, a saint material for cultivation.
But what surprised her the most was the lotus. She had never seen it before, only read about it in ancient texts.
It was described as the Crystal Time Lotus, blooming in the Long River of Time. It looked like a lotus made of crystal, covered by runes related to time. Only one existed in the Long River of Time, which was a taboo and one of the five great rivers.
It was special and rare—its true use unknown because the Time River was hard to find. Many emperors sought this treasure.
Song Yan was very excited. One of the taboo-level treasures stood before her. Unconsciously, she stepped on a mechanism that trembled the whole cave. The four rocks surrounding the pond cracked.
From the rocks emerged four female generals made of stone. Judging by their spirit pressure, Song Yan guessed they were in the Saint Realm.
"Sure thing, how can one eat melon for free? You have to pay the price. But this price is too high. I can handle cultivators up to Soul Breaking by experience and knowledge, but the gap here is huge. I would be killed instantly by these generals."
Song Yan assumed a fighting stance. She wore a long cyan dress, pulled out her sword, and faced the four generals.
In the blink of an eye, a sword appeared at her neck, and the generals surrounded her. Cold sweat dripped down Song Yan's forehead.
Is this the end?
At that moment, Ye Kaishan activated his time skill. A bluish-green light radiated from Song Yan's body, and strange runes appeared on her, emanating from Ye Kaishan.
Feeling this light, the lotus reacted violently. The four generals halted and began to retreat.
The bluish-green light lasted only a moment, but it saved her life.
Song Yan was stunned and confused—where had that light come from? She probed herself but found no trace.
"Oh, this lotus seems to know the power of time. When I used my skill earlier to immobilize the statues, it gained time to help me escape. But I didn't expect them to retreat."
Suddenly, a golden soul emerged from the lotus. Its appearance radiated intense heat, as if burning. It was just a soul fragment but strong enough to make a saint nervous.
A woman with silky golden hair appeared—like the epitome of a goddess. She looked like a fallen fairy stepping out of a painting, with long legs, a jade-like face, and a phoenix crown.
The woman opened her eyes slowly and looked at Song Yan calmly—no malice, no killing intent.
Song Yan felt relieved.
At the same time, Ye Kaishan felt something strange. He sensed the soul woman was staring at him, but how was that possible? He was in subspace; how could she notice him?
The woman nodded gently at Song Yan and Ye Kaishan.
"My name is Feng Ying. I am the Phoenix Emperor of the Fire Phoenix Clan. What is your name, young one?"
Feng Ying asked in a gentle tone.
"My name is Song Yan," she replied calmly.
Feng Ying was slightly surprised by her calmness. Even a saint would feel pressured talking to her. It takes great mental strength to stand before her.
Song Yan had seen many empresses, so this soul fragment didn't impact her much.
"Song Yan, you were able to enter this place, which means you have some understanding of the Space Dao."
"Yes, I understand Space Dao," Song Yan answered bluntly.
"Very good. I was waiting for someone to enter. You must have heard about the war between the demons and the Phoenix Clan."
"Yes, I have."
"In that war, I was injured by the Bone Devouring Emperor. I found this place in my last moments and died here from severe injuries."
"I won't speak in circles. To be direct, I want to pass this Phoenix Seal to my daughter Feng Xian'er. Of course, I won't let you take it for free."
"If you agree, I will give you my lifetime techniques, resources, and an internal elixir from an Emperor Beast."
"What do you think?"
After hearing this, Song Yan was not very excited. She was the Void Empress in her previous life and least cared about techniques. But the elixir of the Emperor Beast was tempting.
Still, before that, she had to go to Loman Forest to retrieve something or she wouldn't progress in cultivation. Going to the Fire Phoenix Clan meant going to the outside world, where real emperors dwelled and wars raged between humans, ghosts, families, and clans.
Going there alone without cultivation at the Saint Realm was suicide.
Feng Ying noticed her expression and frowned. If anyone else were here, they would have agreed readily, but Song Yan remained as calm as ever.