This was the first time he had encountered a mission that could change the status quo. Even if he hadn’t come across it, the status quo could have been changed anyway. It just wouldn’t have had much to do with him; after all, the life and death of the Spirit Race had nothing to do with him.

But now that he was involved, the impact would be huge. If Illusory Zither died, it wouldn’t make much difference. But if she survived and even managed to stabilize the Spirit Race, then Yi Tianyun’s relationship with them would be completely different. He would be able to count on their support in the future.

However, it was all far too unpredictable; no one could say for sure what would happen.

"I understand the gist of it. I believe you," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile. "Alright, I’ll help you break out of this cage now."

"Wait!" Illusory Zither hurriedly stopped him. "You need to break the seal outside. Just undo the formation that’s trapping me, and I can break out of the cage myself."

"The seal outside? What kind of seal is it?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"It’s the stone monument you saw. If you can topple it, the seal’s power will be greatly diminished!" Illusory Zither said. "It’s already loosened a bit, so you shouldn’t have any trouble breaking it."

"Speaking of which, all those Demon Beasts climbing up the mountain... was that your doing?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"Lots of Demon Beasts?" Illusory Zither shook her head. "That wasn’t my doing. I’m locked in here; I have no way to influence the outside world. I think you must have run into a Beast Gathering. This Demon Cloud Island is very strange. Periodically, swarms of Demon Beasts gather here, only to be struck dead by lightning from the sky. It’s almost like they’re a sacrifice. It’s because of this that Thundercloud imprisoned me here. With these Demon Beasts for cover, they probably thought no one would ever make it up here."

"That happens here?" Yi Tianyun was startled. "This Demon Cloud Island really is strange. They gather here periodically... Does that mean I can come back and clear out a batch every now and then?"

’Leveling up three times in a row... I really reaped some sweet rewards here. If I’d used a twenty-times experience multiplier, the results would have been absolutely staggering.’

"I’m not sure about that. Demon Cloud Island is very bizarre. It also naturally produces a large amount of Fire Dragon Stone, which just so happens to suppress my power, which is why I’m trapped here." Illusory Zither gave a self-deprecating laugh. "To think I was the one who discovered this place, only for it to become my prison."

It was quite ironic, thinking back on it.

"Let’s not dwell on sad things. The important thing is that I’m getting you out. I’m going to break the seal now. Just wait for me," Yi Tianyun said with a smile as he walked out.

"Wait!" Illusory Zither suddenly called out.

"What’s wrong?" Yi Tianyun turned back and looked at her with a grin. "Worried I’ll run off and never return? Don’t want me to go?"

"Hmph! If you run, you run. There’s nothing I can do about it!" Illusory Zither took out a small vial of pills and tossed it to Yi Tianyun. "These are some Recovery Elixirs. If you use up too much energy, take them. This also has the Spirit Race incantation for breaking the seal on the stone monument. Recite it while using your own strength, and you should be able to lift it."

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll just take these Elixir Pills and run?" Yi Tianyun chuckled.

"I can tell you’re not that kind of person," Illusory Zither replied with a faint smile.

"Interesting." Yi Tianyun put the items away, turned, and vanished into the passage.

When he re-emerged, he quickly found himself back in front of the monument. There was no one around; Yu Shiqian was long gone. Very few Cultivators ever came to the Demon Sea Perilous Realm, so he could act without fear of being discovered.

’So this stone monument is also the seal. How clever.’

Yi Tianyun walked up to the monument, grabbed it, and heaved upward with all his might. He unleashed more than half of his full power, but he couldn’t lift it even an inch. It didn’t budge at all!

’Just as I thought, I can’t move it on my own. It seems I need to use the Spirit Race incantation to break this seal...’

He had already unleashed most of his strength—enough to obliterate a first-level Spirit Pill Stage Cultivator with a single punch—yet here he was, unable to move a stone monument. He then took out the scroll Illusory Zither had given him. After a quick glance, he nodded. The incantation’s meaning was, roughly, "Destruction Divine Seal."

’Alright, let’s begin...’

The next moment, he channeled his power, began to lift the monument with frenzied effort, and shouted, "Destruction Divine Seal!"

As he chanted, he heaved the monument upward with all his strength. With a loud RUMBLE, the massive stone slowly began to rise, but the seal immediately started to restore itself. It was terrifyingly resilient!

"Destruction Divine Seal!"

Yi Tianyun chanted it again. The seal loosened slightly, and he continued to heave with all his might. He was so close!

"I refuse to fail! Get UP!"

Yi Tianyun roared, veins bulging on his arms as his Dragon God Bloodline erupted, unleashing a sudden, massive burst of power!

RUMMMBLE!

With a final, mighty heave, he toppled the stone monument, sending it crashing to the side. The immense weight of the stone caused the earth to sink where it landed, but the seal was undoubtedly broken. A flash of light burst from within the mountain before quickly vanishing.

’This thing was tough to crack. To think that even at the Spirit Pill Stage, lifting a stone monument was this difficult... The heritage of the Spirit Race is truly terrifying!’ Yi Tianyun’s expression grew serious. He had now witnessed the power of this Divine Rune firsthand. Without the specific method to disable it, he wouldn’t have been able to break this seal at his current cultivation level.

’If a seal like this were placed on an ancient ruin, it would be virtually indestructible, capable of repelling any intruder. It’s just like the Celestial Sinking Ruins; if I could restore its original grand formation, the effects would be incredible. It’s just that my skill level is still too low.’

’Looks like I need to find time to seriously train my Divine Rune Mastery. Once I level it up, I’ll be able to repair the Celestial Sinking Ruins.’ Yi Tianyun made up his mind. After all this was over, he would dedicate himself to training his Divine Rune Mastery.

In this world, Divine Rune Masters held an extremely high status and were far more versatile.

’Alright, time to head back.’

Yi Tianyun turned and headed back into the mountain, taking a winding path back into the chamber within.

When Illusory Zither saw Yi Tianyun return, her eyes filled with gratitude. She said softly, "Thank you..."

"Don’t mention it. The best way to thank me is to get out of there quickly, so I know my effort wasn’t wasted." Yi Tianyun hadn’t used up too much energy; all in all, he was fine.

"Alright. I will succeed. I will leave this damned place!" Illusory Zither’s gaze turned ice-cold as she began preparing to break out of her prison.