"My name is Ji Mengyao, from Jiuhua Sacred Land."
The white-robed woman said to Ye Yunfei.
"So it's Jiuhua Sacred Land," Ye Yunfei thought to himself.
The Northern Wastes had two major sacred lands: Heavenly Spire Sacred Land and Jiuhua Sacred Land. Both were among the most powerful forces in the region.
"Sister Ji is a Sacred Maiden of Jiuhua Sacred Land. You'd better answer her questions properly. If Sister Ji is in a good mood, she might even introduce you to a beauty from Jiuhua Sacred Land," Jiang Yanran said with a laugh.
"Little Sister Jiang, don't interrupt!" Ji Mengyao shot a glare at Jiang Yanran.
"I am a friend of Tang Yang. I'd like to know about what happened to Tang Yang on the Tianxuan Continent. Can you tell me?" Ji Mengyao asked Ye Yunfei.
"Elder Tang Wu, what is the relationship between Ji Mengyao of Jiuhua Sacred Land and your Young Master Tang Yang?" Ye Yunfei immediately sent a telepathic message to Elder Tang Wu inside the Phantom Tower.
"Young Master Ye, how do you know Ji Mengyao?" Elder Tang Wu was taken aback.
"Ji Mengyao is one of the three Sacred Maidens of Jiuhua Sacred Land. Back then, she and our Young Master Tang Yang were a couple. Our Young Master Tang Yang was the eldest son of the Tang Clan and an Elite Student of the Heavenly Dao Academy, while Ji Mengyao was a Sacred Maiden of Jiuhua Sacred Land. Their families were of well-matched social status. What's more rare was that they also had mutual affection. Our Clan Head had already prepared to visit Jiuhua Sacred Land to propose the marriage. It's just that, not long after, our Tang Clan met with disaster." Elder Tang Wu sighed.
"So that's how it is," Ye Yunfei came to a realization.
"I can tell you," Ye Yunfei said to Ji Mengyao.
Thus, Ye Yunfei recounted all of Tang Yang's deeds and experiences on the Tianxuan Continent to Ji Mengyao.
After listening, Ji Mengyao was lost in thought for a while.
"After entering the Tianxuan Continent, Tang Yang only had the strength at the tenth level of the Grotto-Heaven Realm?" Ji Mengyao asked.
"That's right. The World Laws of Tianxuan Continent can only accommodate martial artists at the Grotto-Heaven Realm. Without special shielding methods, people with greater strength cannot enter the Tianxuan Continent," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"After the Tang Clan met with disaster, he was constantly being hunted, severely injured, and his cultivation level plummeted, which allowed him to enter the Tianxuan Continent," Ji Mengyao nodded.
"Do you think Tang Yang is still alive?" Ji Mengyao then asked Ye Yunfei.
"I don't know. I want to know the answer to this question as well," Ye Yunfei replied with a bitter smile.
Since coming to the Heavenly Dao Academy, Ye Yunfei had been asked this question several times. Xue'er had asked, Vice Principal Meng had asked, Elder Tang Wu had asked, and now Ji Mengyao was asking.
In fact, initially, the reason Ye Yunfei had come to the Heavenly Dao Academy, aside from wanting to secure a qualification to enter the Godfall Land, was also to investigate matters related to Guardian Sage and see if he could determine his life or death and whereabouts.
Now, however, Ye Yunfei felt that he likely couldn't find anything of value in the Heavenly Dao Academy anymore.
"Sister Ji, I really don't understand what's so great about that guy Tang. It's been so many years, and you still remember him. With your qualities, all you need to do is shout out, and there would be countless young geniuses throughout the Northern Wastes waiting for you to choose," Jiang Yanran said, pursing her lips.
"Some people aren't something you can forget just because you want to forget. Alright, Little Sister Jiang, don't speak nonsense," Ji Mengyao said with a sigh.
"That's right. Xue'er was rescued by you, isn't that so? How is she now?" Ji Mengyao asked Ye Yunfei.
"Xue'er is doing fine now," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Over these years, I tried many times to rescue her and take her away from Heavenly Dao City, but she always refused. I never imagined she would be willing to leave Heavenly Dao City with you. That's a good thing. I'm very happy for her that she was able to escape that bitter sea of Heavenly Dao City. It might be because you brought news of her brother Tang Yang that she agreed to leave with you," Ji Mengyao said.
"Just where did that Tang Yang guy run off to? Poor Sister Ji has been waiting for him all these years, yet he hasn't sent even a single word back. He's really a scoundrel!" Jiang Yanran said, pursing her lips again.
"Actually, I've always suspected that Tang Yang is still alive," Ji Mengyao suddenly said softly.
"Oh?" Ye Yunfei was surprised and looked at Ji Mengyao.
"Back then, he once gave me a jade pendant, containing a wisp of his soul imprint. This pendant is a bit like a soul tablet; as long as the soul tablet isn't shattered, it means he is still alive," Ji Mengyao said.
As she spoke, a jade pendant appeared in her hand.
Ye Yunfei's gaze immediately fell upon it, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became.
Ye Yunfei had keen insight. At a glance, he could tell that this pendant indeed contained a sealed wisp of Guardian Sage's soul imprint. Moreover, that wisp of soul imprint still had spiritual vitality!
This meant that the owner of this soul imprint was still alive!
"Tang Yang is indeed still alive," Ye Yunfei examined the pendant for a while and then nodded.
"Are you sure?" Jiang Yanran couldn't help but ask.
Ji Mengyao also looked at Ye Yunfei with hopeful eyes.
"I'm sure," Ye Yunfei nodded.
One could say that this pendant was Ye Yunfei's greatest harvest since coming to the Heavenly Dao Academy.
Guardian Sage was still alive!
"Take good care of this pendant. Perhaps in the future, you might be able to find Tang Yang through it," Ye Yunfei said to Ji Mengyao.
"I can find Tang Yang through it?!" Ji Mengyao's body trembled, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.
"That's correct," Ye Yunfei nodded.
In Ye Yunfei's memory, there was a special Soul Power secret technique that allowed long-distance tracing of a living being's location based on their soul imprint, roughly tracking down where the being itself was.
However, the cultivation level and Soul Power intensity required to perform this soul secret technique were extremely high. Given his current strength, Ye Yunfei was still far from meeting the requirements.
"Good! I will definitely protect it well!" Ji Mengyao carefully put the jade pendant away.
"Alright. Sister Ji's business with you is finished. Now it's my turn. I have something to ask you too," Jiang Yanran said to Ye Yunfei.
"You also have something to ask me?" Ye Yunfei was surprised.
"Yes. I heard you are skilled in a strange stealth movement technique that is likely related to spatial energy. Could you tell me, do you truly specialize in spatial energy?" Jiang Yanran looked at Ye Yunfei with her beautiful eyes, holding a hint of anticipation.
"I suppose you could say that," Ye Yunfei gazed at Jiang Yanran, thought for a moment, and nodded in reply.
Ye Yunfei could tell that this Jiang Yanran bore him no ill will.
"That's wonderful! Could you, could you accompany me to the Shattered Valley! I need to retrieve a treasure there!" Jiang Yanran seemed a little excited.
"Shattered Valley? What kind of place is that?" Ye Yunfei asked, perplexed.
"Shattered Valley is a dangerous place in our Northern Wastes. It's filled with a large number of spatial cracks. Legend says that the location where Shattered Valley is now was likely once a Small World. For some reason, that Small World was broken and became the present-day Shattered Valley," Jiang Yanran explained.