# Chapter 1077: Perfect Wood Spirit Pearl
"Alas!" A sigh came, and a tall, middle-aged Wood Spirit slowly walked over, his face filled with deep melancholy and heaviness.
"Uncle Qingmu!" Feiyan and Qingzhu called out at the same time.
Qingmu stepped forward and helped He Lin up, saying, "Young chief, please don't trouble our benefactor. The benefactor is absolutely right. Right now, you are still a child. What you should do most is rely on us to grow up safely. Once you've grown up, then you can strive to become someone we can rely on, and repay the benefactor's great lifesaving grace. If you insist on following the benefactor, not only will all our clansmen worry, but you will also become a great burden and bring disaster to the benefactor."
He Lin was stunned for a good while, then finally obeyed and stood up. He wiped away his tears and said to Yun Che apologetically, "Brother Yun Che, I'm sorry... I was too willful, too selfish. You saved my life, yet I... I..."
Yun Che shook his head, sighing heavily inside, and said, "He Lin, what is your sister's name?"
"Ah?" He Lin was slightly stunned.
"In the future, I will likely travel to many places in the God Realm. If fate favors me, I might have the chance to encounter your sister. Then I can tell her where you are, or bring her here, so you siblings can reunite."
"Ah!" He Lin's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he trembled with excitement: "Brother Yun Che, my... my sister's name is He Ling... He Ling!"
A hint of excitement also appeared on Qingmu's face.
"Then... what does she look like? Does she have any characteristics that distinguish her from other Wood Spirits?" Yun Che asked, while firmly committing the name "He Ling" to memory... He was not asking casually just to comfort He Lin. The boy's pleas and tears made it impossible for him to let him down.
"My sister is the most beautiful Wood Spirit, the most beautiful sister in the world, more beautiful than all the flowers, more beautiful than the stars and moon in the sky!" He Lin shouted without any hesitation.
"..." Yun Che nodded and gave He Lin a look of promise.
"Thank you, benefactor. I truly don't know how to express my gratitude." Qingmu was deeply moved and said with heartfelt thanks.
As he spoke, he carefully cupped his hands. In his palm was a brilliant spiritual pearl the size of a dragon's eye, radiating an emerald green light.
A Wood Spirit Pearl!!
"This is..." Yun Che's heart stirred violently.
"This is the Wood Spirit Pearl left by my late wife. Though many years have passed, fortunately, its spiritual energy is still intact."
Carefully placing the Wood Spirit Pearl into Yun Che's hand, Qingmu's gaze went momentarily blank, as if a piece of his soul had been forcibly cut away. Then he quickly showed a gentle smile: "I hope you will make good use of it."
"Thank you deeply." Yun Che put away the Wood Spirit Pearl, which possessed complete spiritual power, and said solemnly.
After a brief hesitation, Yun Che spoke: "Senior Qingmu, junior has a doubt. I am not sure if I should ask."
"Please speak, benefactor." Qingmu smiled.
Yun Che looked around this small world and said, "The plight of your Wood Spirit clan evokes sympathy in everyone. However, as far as junior knows, in the God Realm... at least in the Eastern Divine Region, hunting Wood Spirits is an act against humanity and is strictly prohibited. This ban was jointly issued by the Zhou Tian God Realm and the other three King Realms. Once discovered by a King Realm, the perpetrator will face extremely severe punishment. If that is the case, why haven't you sought the protection of the King Realms all these years? Instead, you have scattered to lower-star realms far from the King Realms, where they cannot easily reach?"
As Yun Che finished speaking, he noticed that Qingmu's eyes showed violent turmoil. Then, with a deep sigh, Qingmu said, "We tried." Qingmu said, "But human greed and malice are equally terrifying, regardless of their strength or status."
Yun Che jerked his head up, exclaiming in shock, "Do you mean...?"
"Do you know how our chief died?" Qingmu closed his eyes, his tightly clenched hands trembling slightly.
"..." Yun Che did not rashly guess.
"Back then, although the King Realms had issued the ban, the calamities suffered by our Wood Spirit clan never ceased. So, many years ago, our clan began to think of seeking refuge with the King Realms, even if it meant becoming their slaves... At least it would allow future generations to live in peace, without having to live forever in fear and flight."
"Later, after enduring countless hardships and tribulations, the chief and the chief's wife finally drew closer to one of the King Realms. They thought they were nearing hope, but never expected a disaster to suddenly befall them... In that disaster, the chief, the chief's wife, and several thousand clansmen perished. Their desperate resistance allowed the young chief and the princess to escape with their lives... At least heaven hasn't completely shut its eyes. We found the young chief, but the clansmen who fought desperately to protect him in his escape dwindled to only three... one of them was my late wife."
"As for the princess, she and the clansmen protecting her became separated during their escape. Now she has drifted to who knows where, and even whether she lives or dies is..."
"Who were those people back then?" Yun Che asked.
"..." Qingmu took a deep breath: "I... received the soul voice the chief sent at the moment of his death. Only four words."
"Van... Di... God... Realm."
"What?!" Yun Che was so shocked that his hair stood on end.
The foremost of the four King Realms in the Eastern Divine Region, the Van Di God Realm—rumored to be a realm where all are obsessed with the path of profound arts, where there are no weaklings, and which never interferes in external conflicts?!?!
Qingmu smiled bitterly: "As a human, I know you can't believe it. Only three people in our entire clan know this truth. The young chief doesn't know, and the princess, who has drifted to unknown places, knows even less—we can only pray that she never tries to seek refuge with any King Realm, or any star realm at all."
"Then why... are you telling me?" Yun Che's mind was churning unceasingly. He understood why this truth couldn't be told to the other Wood Spirits—it would only plunge them into endless sorrow and despair.
Qingmu looked at him deeply: "Although I am not human, I understand that at your age, being able to rescue the young chief from a place like Heiya City means your profound arts cultivation must be outstanding among humans your age."
"..."
Yun Che's words made the Wood Spirit girl lower her head. She bit her lip, then bravely looked up again and said softly, "Brother Yun Che, will you... come visit us often in the future?"
"Yes, I will." Yun Che nodded heavily... Her eyes, her soft words, and the pure, flawless heart of a young maiden—even the most hard-hearted person in the world could not bear to refuse or disappoint.
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Leaving the Wood Spirit secret grounds, the passage behind him disappeared as the green-black vines covered it. Turning back, there was no trace at all.
Clearly, it wasn't just the concealment of the vines. There was also a special natural illusion array here, capable of interfering with the vision and spiritual senses of living beings.
If one just passed by, it would be basically impossible to detect. But with Yun Che's full concentration, he could still perceive a slight abnormality.
If one's realm was high enough, they might not even need to focus their mind to detect it... This should probably be why the Wood Spirit clan mostly hid in lower-star realms.
"This is no place for long-term habitation after all." Yun Che muttered to himself. "I just hope this place will remain undiscovered forever."
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