"Izayoi!!!!!!" Xu Chen suddenly went crazy, disregarding whether he had the strength to jump from a high place or not. He took fast steps forward, leaped into the abyss!

Even the demons and monsters lurking around, who were originally eyeing him, were startled by his actions.

"Lingyuan, what are you doing!" The young elemental immediately transformed into human form and grabbed Xu Chen, trying to slow her descent.

"Izayoi!!!!!!" Xu Chen disregarded everything, shaking off Lingyuan's arm before landing. With torn clothes, she quickly got up and ran forward.

However...

At the bottom of the abyss, what appeared before Xu Chen's eyes was a vast wasteland, with nothing...

"What's going on???"

The images of the painful and toilsome scenes from the cliff above – the sea of fire, magma, blood pool, suspension bridge, tortured spirits, and the demons overseeing them, along with the giant copper columns being carved...

At this moment, there was nothing. As Xu Chen looked out into the distance, all she saw was an endless expanse of desolation, coldness, and emptiness, with only chilling objects fluttering by...

"What... what is happening??? Where is Izayoi??? My Izayoi!! What happened?? How did she suddenly disappear!" Xu Chen ran around the wasteland like a madwoman, desperately hoping to catch a glimpse of that pitiful figure, but she saw nothing.

"Lady Lingyuan!!!" Lingyuan caught up with her and exclaimed, "What has gotten into you? Why did you suddenly jump into the abyss???"

"I have to save Izayoi!!! Didn't you see? Izayoi is suffering over there!!! But all of a sudden, she's gone!!!" Xu Chen spoke incoherently, her voice filled with sobs.

"Lady, please calm down and listen to me!!!" Lingyuan rushed to Xu Chen's side and shouted, "What you saw just now was Mengyan Country!!! It is the biggest secret of the Demon Realm! Mengyan Country is not just a single country, it is everywhere and yet nowhere! Any outsider not recognized by Mengyan Country, even if they see it right in front of their eyes, they can never enter!!!"

"What???!!!" Xu Chen was dumbstruck.

"Lady, turn around and look!"

Xu Chen turned around in confusion, seeing a cliff behind her. There were a few demons looking down from the cliff, but their height was only tens of meters, not the deep abyss she saw from above! And the city of Yemo was standing atop the cliff.

"What is happening???"

"I know very little about Mengyan Country too! Mengyan Country is scattered among various nations. Both the toiling spirits and the punished spirits are actually inside Mengyan Country. Any demon recognized by Mengyan Country can freely enter and leave! As you just saw, the demons carry the successful work of the toiling spirits through the suspension bridge to the city of Yemo and bring the captured toiling spirits from the outside to Mengyan Country. These demons can freely come and go! But for other creatures, no matter where they come from, even if they're right in front of your eyes, they can only be seen and not touched, let alone enter!!!" Lingyuan explained.

"What? How... can this be... Then, how can I enter Mengyan Country and save my Izayoi!!!" Xu Chen anxiously asked.

Lingyuan shook her head sorrowfully, "I'm sorry, Lady, I don't know... Mengyan Country is the biggest secret of the Dream Realm. Even as a fire elemental like me, I cannot touch it. I myself cannot enter Mengyan Country."

"What if I pretend to be a toiling spirit? Would they capture me?" Xu Chen asked.

"No! The toiling spirits are captured from the mortal realm. The creatures of the Demon Realm cannot become toiling spirits. Moreover, once you become a toiling spirit, you can no longer resist Mengyan Country! Even if you managed to return to the mortal realm after countless hardships and were coincidentally captured to become a toiling spirit, there would be no possibility of escape!" Lingyuan said sadly.

"Then how can I enter Mengyan Country and save Izayoi!!!" Xu Chen desperately grabbed Lingyuan's shoulder, shaking her.

"Hey! Lady, that hurts!"

Only then did Xu Chen realize her own behavior, exerting such force on a young girl. She took a step back, bowing her head, and said, "I'm sorry... I..."

"Lady! Who is Izayoi to you exactly? Why are you willing to do anything to save her?"Xu Chen looked out over the vast wilderness, but could no longer see Izayoi: "She is one of the most important people in my life... No, even more important than my own life!"

"Sir, although the Mengyan Kingdom is the greatest secret of the demonic realm, it is not completely unknown how to enter. If we could ask those truly great beings in the demonic realm, perhaps we could find a way." Yuan Ying said.

A glimmer of hope flickered in Xu Chen's eyes, "Great beings? Where are they?"

"I don't know... Those truly great demonic realm powers are not easily found, even after searching through dozens of countries. How could someone like me, a small fire spirit, know? But don't be too disappointed, sir. Aren't you going to meet the Star Princess? From what I know, this princess who appeared a thousand years ago is extraordinary and has extensive knowledge. I think she is the most likely person in this Huoshu Kingdom to know where the great beings are!" The little Yuan Ying said.

"Really! The Star Princess... I was actually going to see her this time! Alright! I understand! Let's immediately go find the Star Princess!" Xu Chen grabbed little Yuan Ying's hand and found a steep path, returning to the cliff.

Once on the cliff, Xu Chen couldn't help but gaze down again.

The boundless expanse, the terrifying abyss of the sea of fire, once again revealed itself before him.

On one of the dozens of giant copper pillars, on the wooden frame in the middle section, the girl in the green skirt and white clothes was still there, not raising her head, silently carving patterns.

"Ten... Izayoi, Izayoi!!!" Xu Chen shouted hoarsely, but the girl couldn't hear him at all.

"Sir! It's useless for you to stay here and watch like this, only adding to the sadness! It would be better if we went into the city first, bought some cultivation secret techniques, and then went to see the Star Princess." Yuan Ying said.

Of course, Xu Chen knew that what little Yuan Ying said was correct, but his beloved girl was suffering so close by. Even though he knew he was powerless, how could he bear to leave like this!!!

"Izayoi! Wait for me! Even if I have to turn the demonic realm upside down, I will enter the Mengyan Kingdom and rescue you!"

After gazing at Izayoi with deep affection one last time, Xu Chen forced himself to turn around and head towards the city!

At this moment, in the inexplicable country of Mengyan that was so close yet seemed so far away...

The girl who had been carving this copper pillar for five hundred years suddenly stopped. After enduring five hundred years of torment, she had long grown despondent. But just now, she seemed to feel that scorching gaze again. "Xu Chen?"

She suddenly turned around and looked at the cliff across the sea of fire, as if she felt that there was a very familiar gaze staring at her. However, the place she was looking at was empty.

For some reason, the tears that had long dried up trickled down her delicate face. Her slightly disheveled golden hair was no longer the lively twin tails from years ago, and the hairband was nowhere to be found. Only a small strand of hair remained on the last thread of the hairband, still beautiful golden hair, but it made people feel helpless and tragic...

"Is it just my imagination?" Izayoi turned around in confusion and continued carving.