Chapter 1081: Perfect Wooden Spirit Bead

A sigh reached them as a tall, middle-aged Wood Spirit slowly approached, his face etched with deep melancholy and heaviness.

"Uncle Qingmu!" Feiyan and Qingzhu cried out simultaneously.

Qingmu stepped forward and helped Helin to his feet, saying, "Young Clan Master, please don't trouble your benefactor. Your benefactor is absolutely right; you are just a child now, and what you should do most is to rely on us to grow up safely. Once you're grown, then strive to become someone we can rely on and repay your benefactor's life-saving grace. If you insist on following your benefactor, not only will all our clan members worry, but you will also become an enormous burden and bring disaster upon him."

Helin stood frozen for a moment, then finally stood up obediently, wiping away his tears. He apologized to Yun Che, "Brother Yun Che, I'm sorry. I was... too willful, and too selfish. You saved my life, but I... I..."

Yun Che shook his head, sighing deeply internally, and asked, "Helin, what is your sister's name?"

"Ah?" Helin was slightly taken aback.

"In the future, I will likely travel through many parts of the God Realm. If fate permits, I might encounter your sister. If so, I can tell her your whereabouts, or bring her here, so you two siblings can reunite."

"Ah!" Helin's eyes suddenly lit up, then trembled with excitement. "Brother Yun Che, my... my sister's name is Heling... Heling!"

A hint of excitement also appeared on Qingmu's face.

"So... what does she look like? Does she have any distinguishing features different from other Wood Spirits?" Yun Che asked, while firmly committing the name 'Heling' to memory. He was not just asking to comfort Helin; Helin's pleas and tears made it impossible for him to let him down.

"My sister is the most beautiful Wood Spirit, the prettiest sister in the world, more beautiful than all flowers, more beautiful than the stars and moon in the sky!" Helin cried out without any hesitation.

Yun Che nodded, giving Helin a reassuring look.

"Thank you, benefactor. I truly don't know how to express my gratitude," Qingmu said, deeply moved and speaking from the bottom of his heart.

As he spoke, he carefully lifted his hands; in their palms, lay a magnificent spirit pearl the size of a longan, radiating a vibrant emerald light.

A Wood Spirit Pearl!

"This is..." A ripple arose in Yun Che's heart.

"This is the Wood Spirit Pearl my deceased wife left behind. Though many years have passed, its spiritual energy remains perfectly intact."

Carefully placing the Wood Spirit Pearl into Yun Che's hand, Qingmu's gaze momentarily became hollow, as if a part of his soul had been forcibly severed. He then immediately revealed a gentle smile and said, "I hope you will make good use of it."

"Thank you very much." Yun Che put away the Wood Spirit Pearl, which possessed complete spiritual power, and said with emphasis.

After a brief hesitation, Yun Che spoke, "Elder Qingmu, I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."

"Please, benefactor," Qingmu said with a slight smile.

Yun Che glanced around the small world and said, "The plight of your Wood Spirit clan is truly pitiable. However, as I understand it, in the God Realm—at least in the Eastern Divine Region—hunting Wood Spirits is considered an inhumane act and is strictly forbidden. This prohibition was issued jointly by the Eternal Heaven God Realm and the other three King Realms, and anyone found in violation will face severe punishment if discovered by a King Realm. Given this, why haven't you tried to seek protection from a King Realm all these years? Instead, you've dispersed into lower star realms, far from the King Realms and beyond their reach?"

As Yun Che finished speaking, he noticed a violent tremor in Qingmu's eyes. Following this, Qingmu sighed deeply.

"We did try," Qingmu said. "However, human greed and malice are equally terrifying, regardless of their strength or status."

Yun Che abruptly looked up, exclaiming in surprise, "Do you mean..."

"Do you know how our clan master died?" Qingmu closed his eyes, his tightly clenched hands trembling slightly.

Yun Che remained silent, not daring to make a guess.

"Back then, although the King Realms issued the prohibition, the calamities our Wood Spirits endured never ceased. So, many years ago, our clan decided to seek protection from a King Realm, even if it meant becoming their slaves... at least our future generations could live in peace, no longer forever living in fear and constant flight."

"Later, our clan master and his wife endured countless hardships and tribulations, finally drawing closer and closer to one of the King Realms. They thought they were approaching hope, but unexpectedly, a disaster suddenly befell them. In that disaster, the clan master, his wife, and thousands of clan members perished. Their desperate struggle allowed the Young Clan Master and the Princess to escape with their lives. Heaven was not entirely blind; we found the Young Clan Master, and of the clan members who desperately protected him during his escape, only three remained... one of them was my deceased wife."

"As for the Princess and the clan members who protected her, they were scattered during their escape. Now, we don't know where she has ended up, or even if she's alive or dead..."

"Who were those people... back then?" Yun Che asked.

Qingmu took a deep breath. "I... received a soul message from our clan master as he perished. It contained only four words."

"Brahma Heaven God Realm."

"What?!" Yun Che was so shocked his hair instantly stood on end.

The head of the Four King Realms of the Eastern Divine Region, the Brahma Heaven God Realm, rumored to be entirely absorbed in the profound way, with no weaklings, and never interfering in external conflicts!?

Qingmu offered a bitter smile. "As a human, I know it's impossible for you to believe this. Only three people in our entire clan know this truth: the Young Clan Master does not know, and the Princess, whose whereabouts are unknown, certainly does not know either—we can only pray she never again tries to seek protection from a King Realm, or any star realm."

"Then why... why tell me?" Yun Che's heart was in turmoil. He knew why this truth couldn't be told to the other Wood Spirits: it would only plunge them into endless sorrow and despair.

Qingmu looked deeply at him. "Although I am not human, I understand that for your age, to be able to rescue the Young Clan Master from a place like Blackya City, your profound strength must be top-tier among humans your age. Since you can reach such a height, you must have an extraordinary devotion to the profound way. And for those absorbed in the profound way, the King Realms, as the pinnacle of the profound way, must be as sacred as heavenly palaces. Given your achievements, in the future, you might even be qualified to come into contact with a King Realm."

Yun Che remained silent.

Qingmu continued, "I don't expect you to believe my words, but I hope they can at least leave a warning in your heart... even if it's just a tiny bit of caution. I don't want to see a kind human like you look up to and trust a group of filthy souls."

Yun Che remained silent for a long time. Although he had never imagined he would one day come into contact with the supreme existences of the Eastern Divine Region, Qingmu's words... he believed them, yet found them truly difficult to accept.

However, as he then thought of the Four Sacred Grounds of the Profound Sky Continent, revered by generations of people, the turmoil in his heart subsided significantly.

"Would that plane of theirs also need Wood Spirit Pearls?" Yun Che muttered to himself.

"No, what they wanted was the Royal Wood Spirit Pearl from our clan master," Qingmu said. "But before he perished, our clan master used his last strength to completely shatter the Wood Spirit Pearl, preventing those villains from succeeding."

Qingmu glanced sideways at Helin, who was not far away. "Fortunately, they don't know about the existence of the Young Clan Master and the Princess, otherwise..."

Yun Che's heart instantly sank.

Helin was a Royal Wood Spirit, a fact that had already been revealed at the Black Feather Merchant Guild, witnessed by everyone present.

However, anyone would know that the news of a Royal Wood Spirit still existing would be enough to shock the entire God Realm and bring immense trouble and disaster. That's why the Black Feather Merchant Guild was eager to act in secret, and those present wouldn't be foolish enough to leak it and invite trouble upon themselves.

Wait... the upper star realm that Ji Ruyan mentioned...

Phew! He could only hope that this matter wouldn't be known to any more people, especially the Brahma Heaven God Realm.

He had been in this small world, exclusive to the Wood Spirits, for nearly an hour and a half. Now that he had the Wood Spirit Pearl, it was time for him to leave.

He returned to the place where he had entered, and the dark green vines at the exit automatically parted, revealing a narrow passage.

Behind him, the Wood Spirits saw him off, especially Helin, whose eyes were already red.

"Young man, one Wood Spirit Pearl is far from enough to repay your great kindness. If you don't mind, please take this; it might save your life in a crisis."

Grandma Qingye handed Yun Che three small jade bottles.

"What are these?"

"These are the unique Wood Spirit Divine Dew drops of our clan, from the Spring of Origin in the ancestral land of the Wood Spirit Race. They contain miraculous natural power; simply by drinking them, you can heal wounds and restore strength in a very short time. These are the last three drops we possess. We hope they will be of some help in your future life."

Though he didn't know the exact restorative effects, anything from the Spring of Origin could hardly be ordinary. Yun Che did not refuse; he accepted them gratefully, nodded emphatically to the assembled Wood Spirits, and turned to leave.

"Brother Yun Che!"

The girl's voice came from a distance, anxious yet still ethereal, like wind brushing calm water.

Yun Che stopped, and to his, and all the Wood Spirits', surprised gazes, the Wood Spirit girl Qinghe, in her lightly dancing colorful clothes, came before Yun Che. Her face was flushed, her eyes glistening, and her slightly rising chest gracefully rose and fell with her rapid breaths.

"Qinghe, I'm leaving," Yun Che said with a gentle smile.

"Brother Yun Che..." Qinghe raised her hands. In her luminous white palms lay a bracelet made of various exotic flower seeds, with a small, emerald-green gem tied at the end. "This is... this is a charm I made myself. It... it can protect Brother Yun Che..."

A clear stream seemed to flow through the depths of Yun Che's heart. Yun Che stepped forward and took the bracelet with both hands. He smelled the scent of flowers and herbs; clearly, these were freshly picked seeds, and the bracelet had just been made. The small crystal was luminous green, yet it carried a hint of the girl's fragrance... a captivating scent that could only come from having rested against the girl's skin for a long time.

"Thank you, Qinghe. I will cherish it greatly," Yun Che said sincerely, looking into the girl's eyes.

Yun Che's words made the Wood Spirit girl lower her head. She bit her lip lightly, then bravely looked up and softly asked, "Brother Yun Che, will you... will you visit us often in the future?"

"Yes, I will," Yun Che nodded emphatically... Her gaze, her soft words, and her beautiful, innocent heart—even the most hard-hearted person in the world would not bear to refuse or disappoint her.