After cursing for a while, Kong Xi suddenly smiled, showing a hint of satisfaction.

After eight hours of traveling, Ye Chen finally arrived at the Northern Forbidden Land.

A thick layer of fog still hung in the air.

"Ye Chen, it seems like there's someone!"

The Pill Master spoke.

Ye Chen looked over and saw a group of people heading towards the fog.

"Aren't they afraid of getting lost?" the Pill Master frowned and said.

Ye Chen, however, smiled and said, "After so much time, they should have figured out the path. The fog doesn't change constantly; all they need to do is use the most primitive method: each person with a rope."

Seeing everyone holding a rope, Ye Chen realized how they got inside.

"Let's go in too!"

Entering the fog, it was still Genggeng leading the way. Under Genggeng's guidance, Ye Chen and the others quickly walked out of the Fog District and arrived at the Thousand Stars Forest.

The Thousand Stars Forest hadn't changed; it looked the same as when Ye Chen last visited.

"Let's go!"

Still glancing around, Genggeng and the others moved deeper into the Thousand Stars Forest under Ye Chen's urging.

Traversing the familiar Dark Forest, they arrived at the inner part of the Thousand Stars Forest.

People now have excellent memories. Ye Chen easily found his way to Yu Mu's residence.

"Hmm?" Arriving at Yu Mu's residence, Ye Chen frowned slightly.

It was particularly quiet here, and desolate.

It felt like an old, uninhabited house, silent and strangely still.

Caw caw!

A large black bird descended from above.

It was one of Yu Mu's subordinates, the three-legged bird.

The three-legged bird landed in front of Ye Chen and bowed respectfully.

Ye Chen frowned and asked, "Three-legged bird, where are Senior Yu Mu and Jia Mu?"

"Mr. Ye Chen, I didn't expect you to really come. I thought you wouldn't,"

the three-legged bird said, looking sad.

Detecting something wrong, a bad feeling welled up in Ye Chen's heart.

"What happened?" Ye Chen asked urgently.

The three-legged bird spoke: "Lord Yu Mu and Princess Jia Mu were taken away by Wei Jia!"

"Wei Jia, that Wood Attribute Demon King?" Ye Chen frowned and said.

The three-legged bird nodded, somewhat surprised, and said, "Mr. Ye Chen, how do you know Wei Jia?"

"Don't ask so much for now. When were they taken? What exactly happened?" Ye Chen asked anxiously.

"Wei Jia is an extremely greedy and lustful person who desires any woman with some beauty. That's how Lord Yu Mu and Princess Jia Mu were taken, three days ago,"

the three-legged bird replied quickly.

Ye Chen frowned deeply, feeling a growing sense of foreboding.

"Lead the way ahead."

Ye Chen urged.

The three-legged bird stood still, showing hesitation.

"What's wrong? Why are you standing still? Lead the way!"

Seeing the three-legged bird not moving, Ye Chen impatiently scolded.

A moment later, the three-legged bird took out an envelope and said, "Mr. Ye Chen, this is a letter from Princess Jia Mu for me to give to you. She asked that you read it before deciding."

With that, the three-legged bird handed the envelope to Ye Chen. Ye Chen took the envelope and began to read.

"Brother Ye Chen, it's me, Jia Mu, hehe. If you can read this letter, I am very, very happy because I know you came. But I am also very sad because I haven't seen you. Actually, even though I call you Brother Ye Chen, I don't really see you as a brother because instead of being your sister, I want to be by your side.

My mom told me to find a partner who is responsible and good to me, like my dad, who I never met, who is but a blurry figure in my mind. But my mom's words are always on my mind. When I turned eighteen, my mom told me I could look for a partner, and I've been looking ever since.

But in the end, I never found one until I met you. Then, I felt that you were the one I was looking for. I like you a lot but dare not say so, fearing my mom's disapproval. So, I've kept this secret in my heart, Brother Ye Chen. If you're here, please go back. Wei Jia is very powerful; I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Meeting you has been enough for me in this life. If there's another life, I will bravely tell you that I like you..."

In the bottom right corner of the letter was a lipstick mark.

Ye Chen put away the letter, his eyes filled with anger.

"Three-legged bird, tell me, what is Wei Jia's strength?"

He spoke through gritted teeth.

"Wei Jia's level is about the same as Lord Yu Mu, seems to be LV88, one level higher than Lord Yu Mu, but Lord Yu Mu is Monarch Tier, and Wei Jia is Demon King Tier. Wei Jia is also a Tier One race, and Lord Yu Mu is not suited for battle, so he's not a match for Wei Jia!"

"LV88! Only so much! Three-legged bird, lead the way!"

Facing the LV88 Wei Jia, Ye Chen had no confidence in defeating him, but he was determined to rescue Jia Mu no matter what, even if it meant mutual destruction!

The three-legged bird, seeing Ye Chen's firm resolve, ceased speaking further and flew ahead to lead the way.

Towards the depths of the Thousand Stars Forest.

"Three-legged bird, have you heard of the Fire Maiden?" Ye Chen asked.

To be more sure, Ye Chen wanted to gather more information about Wei Jia.

The three-legged bird was slightly taken aback, then nodded, "Fire Maiden, the Saintess of the Divine Fire Race, I have heard of her."

"Recently, I heard Wei Jia's name mentioned when I was with the Fire Maiden. I wanted to ask, why is the Fire Maiden LV95 and also a Demon King of a Forbidden Land, yet Wei Jia is only LV88?"

Both are Demon Kings, each ruling a Forbidden Land, yet their levels differ quite a bit.

"Oh, that's because, Mr. Ye Chen, the Fire Maiden is a true child of heaven, the direct descendant of the Divine Fire Race. In your words, she is the main line, while Wei Jia is merely a side branch and rather average in Talent, so naturally, they can't compare."

Ye Chen nodded, "In that case, would Wei Jia show face to the Fire Maiden?"

The three-legged bird thought for a moment, then shook its head, "I doubt it; I'm not sure, but from what I know of Wei Jia's personality, it's unlikely!"

Ye Chen understood and asked no further.

The Pill Master beside him said, "Ye Chen, don't worry, with me here, we fire attributes naturally have a strong restraint against wood attributes. I'm not afraid; I have five different flames in me now, providing significant restraint."

Ye Chen nodded. Against a wood attribute enemy, fire attribute is indeed the best choice. Though the Pill Master was significantly weaker, with Dark Princess and Blood Asura's assistance, they could still put up a fight.