"Master, I haven't completely refined this stone stele yet. Please stand guard for me while I finish refining it," Hu Miao said to Ye Yunfei after once again perceiving their surroundings.
"Very well, I'll immediately create a small formation space for you," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Ye Yunfei promptly set up a small formation space within the valley, allowing Hu Miao to enter it before she vanished into the Shadows Tower to focus on the refinement.
Not long after, an extremely potent energy aura swept over from afar, instantly enveloping this vast expanse of primeval forest.
"It's one of the two experts from before. Be careful, this one is powerful. Given our current strength, we might not be able to handle him," Hun Lao warned Ye Yunfei via sound transmission.
"Master, don't worry. He won't be able to discover us," Hu Miao said to Ye Yunfei.
Then, with a low hum, the stone stele floating before Hu Miao erupted with a circle of pinkish light. This circle of light rapidly expanded, rushing out beyond the confines of the Shadows Tower, then through the small space Ye Yunfei had created, finally enveloping the surrounding area.
"This is an exceedingly profound law of the Illusion Dao, possessing the function of isolation," Hun Lao immediately informed Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, I sense it too. Hu Miao must be relying on that stone stele to unleash such an advanced Illusion Dao law. It's likely a secret technique of the Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan. It seems that stele really might be a sacred artifact of her race. If it is, then Hu Miao's power will definitely soar tremendously after obtaining it. In the distant past, the Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan was a prestigious and powerful race renowned throughout the world. Although they gradually declined over the ages, even now no one dares to look down on them," Hun Lao remarked.
That powerful energy continuously swept across the primeval forest, performing thorough combing searches.
Standing at the edge of the forest was a figure, its true appearance obscured by a layer of hazy light, making it impossible to clearly discern its features.
"Strange, where could they have gone? I clearly followed their lingering aura all the way here, but upon arriving I find no trace of them whatsoever," the figure murmured softly.
At that moment, from another direction, a second figure approached with astonishing speed, instantly appearing at the edge of the dense primeval forest.
This figure also unleashed a powerful perceptive ability, sweeping across the entirety of the ancient woods in an instant.
Within this world, normally the spiritual senses of living beings were greatly restricted; even Ye Yunfei could only perceive a limited range here. However, for these two figures, their perceptive abilities seemed unaffected by any restrictions.
Yet, in the end, neither of the two powerful beings managed to discover any trace within the vast primeval forest. They glanced at each other across the distance, then simultaneously soared into the sky and vanished in a flash.
"Those two guys have finally left," Hun Lao, who had been constantly monitoring the situation from a certain location within the forest, said to Ye Yunfei after confirming that the two formidable auras had departed.
"Hu Miao's method is simply brilliant. Even I might not have had a surefire way to evade the detection of those two experts earlier, yet Hu Miao used that stone stele to make them unable to discover anything," Ye Yunfei exclaimed with pleasant surprise.
"It seems the first one among us to gain a fortuitous encounter after entering Tianmu Shenjun's cave is Hu Miao, and the opportunity she's obtained is a rather excellent one. It might allow her strength to skyrocket," Hun Lao said with a smile.
"Yes, this stele is a sacred artifact of the Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan. For Hu Miao to obtain it truly is a great stroke of fortune," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Master, I've finally succeeded in refining this stone stele!" Hu Miao declared joyfully at that moment.
"Really? That's wonderful! Is this stele truly a sacred artifact of your race?" Ye Yunfei, also pleased, immediately asked.
"Yes, Master. This stele is called the Primordial True Fox Stele. In the ancient era, it was one of the sacred artifacts of our clan. However, for unknown reasons, it was lost in the outside world and vanished without a trace. Who would have thought it would appear within Tianmu Shenjun's cave," Hu Miao replied.
"Could it be that an ancestor of your Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan from ages past offended Tianmu Shenjun, so he took your clan's sacred artifact as punishment?" Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm chimed in.
"Who knows what happened in ancient times," Hu Miao rolled her eyes at the silkworm.
"Hu Miao, having refined a sacred artifact of your race, you must have gained quite some benefits, right?" Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"Master, this Primordial True Fox Stele contains the complete heritage cultivation method of our Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan! Moreover, the stele itself is the supreme treasure of our race. It stores a vast ocean of pure, high-level Illusion Dao energy—the most pristine energy of the Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan from the distant past! Of course, this stele has many other benefits as well. In short, with this Primordial True Fox Stele, my combat power can increase at least a hundredfold! In ancient times, our Ancient Heavenly Fox Clan was a mighty race that shook the world. How could a sacred artifact of our clan be anything ordinary? I've only just refined it now and haven't truly explored all its functions and true power yet, Master. But you'll learn just how formidable this Primordial True Fox Stele is later on!" Hu Miao spoke excitedly.
"I see. Merely containing the complete heritage cultivation method of your clan makes this stele a priceless treasure in itself. Hu Miao, since you've obtained your clan's complete ancient heritage, you must work hard on cultivating next. We'll be facing increasingly powerful foes from here on. When your strength increases, you'll be able to help me," Ye Yunfei said.
"Rest assured, Master. Now that I've obtained a sacred artifact of my race, my strength will surely advance by leaps and bounds from now on. Anyone who dares to mess with us, I'll help you beat them up!" Hu Miao answered with a laugh.
"Master, after refining the Primordial True Fox Stele, I've learned that there's a place in this world that should hold an unusual encounter for us. Let's head there right away to check it out," Hu Miao then said to Ye Yunfei.
"Oh? Good, let's go take a look immediately then," Ye Yunfei was immediately interested upon hearing Hu Miao's words and nodded in agreement.
"Master, please follow me," Hu Miao said. With a flash of her body, she soared into the air, transforming into a stream of pink light as she sped into the distance, leaving the dense primeval forest behind in an instant.
"Have you noticed? After refining that stele, Hu Miao's overall aura has changed significantly. Not only has her energy aura risen immensely, but her body is also shrouded by an extremely profound law of the Illusion Dao. Even I'm finding it somewhat difficult to clearly sense her presence now," Hun Lao transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
"Yes, I noticed too. Refining that stele caused Hu Miao's strength to increase sharply right away," Ye Yunfei nodded.
Just after Ye Yunfei and Hu Miao had rushed out of the vast primeval forest and departed...
Boom!
An extremely formidable surge of perceptive energy swept over from afar, instantly enveloping the primeval forest as it began searching for something.