After teleporting out, they quickly ducked into hiding.

"We need to leave here at once. It’ll be a huge problem if Thundercloud notices anything," Yi Tianyun said grimly.

Illusory Zither nodded and glanced around. "There are no boats here. It looks like we’ll have to build one ourselves."

"Don’t worry about that. I think a Giant Eagle should be waiting for us."

He led Illusory Zither to the shore, where they saw a Feather Vehicle. It was the very same one that had belonged to Qing Liuyun’s group, now parked by the water. Since they were dead and Yu Shiqian certainly wouldn’t have taken it, the vehicle had been left behind.

"I can’t believe there’s a Feather Vehicle here. Can we take it?" Illusory Zither asked in surprise.

"We can. They belonged to some people who had a problem with me, and I took care of them," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile.

"I don’t know who they were, but provoking you is just asking to die." Illusory Zither now had a general idea of how powerful Yi Tianyun’s cultivation was. He was an expert at the Spirit Pill Stage. Reaching such a level at his age was a clear testament to his immense talent. "Let’s leave this godforsaken place together. I can’t stand it for another moment."

"Yes, but this is where we part ways. I don’t think our paths align from here. I need to return to the nearby Celestial Heart City," Yi Tianyun said.

"But you don’t have a Feather Vehicle. You’ll have to take a boat back..."

The next moment, he summoned a Black Dragon, which gave her a huge shock.

"Do you think I still need a Feather Vehicle?" Yi Tianyun chuckled.

"I’m very curious about your background. To think you have a Divine Beast as a mount." As expected of the well-traveled Saintess, Illusory Zither was only startled for a moment before quickly composing herself.

This wasn’t particularly shocking to her. Her people had contact with fourth-grade factions, and the Spirit Race even had Divine Beasts of their own.

"No, I’m just an elder from a minor faction. I just have good luck." Yi Tianyun didn’t hide the truth. The Black Dragon wasn’t a total secret, just a trump card. He knew people would find out about it eventually.

Besides, they weren’t enemies, so it wasn’t an issue.

"A minor faction, you say..." A smile bloomed on Illusory Zither’s face. "It seems your luck is more than just good. You must have received some great inheritance."

"You could say that." Yi Tianyun thought for a moment. ’That’s not wrong. The system counts as an inheritance.’

"You saved me, and I still haven’t given you your reward..." Just as Illusory Zither was about to say more, Yi Tianyun cut her off with a shake of his head.

"This is more than enough. You transferred the Divine Rune to me. That’s the greatest reward I could ask for. Nothing else could be more valuable," Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile, placing a hand over his chest.

"No, it’s more like I’m asking you to safeguard it for me." Illusory Zither smiled serenely. She extended a finger, which began to glow with a faint golden light. She then touched Yi Tianyun’s chest, and a stream of memories flowed into the Divine Rune there. "This is my gift to you. Use it well, but there are some things you must never reveal lightly. To do so would invite a fatal disaster."

Yi Tianyun immediately perceived the contents of the memory, and his heart jolted in shock. What Illusory Zither had given him wasn’t some Martial Arts Technique, but methods for engraving Divine Runes. It contained a vast collection of high-level runes, some of which were even the forbidden lore of the Spirit Race!

While he had Divine Rune Mastery, that didn’t mean he knew every single Divine Rune; he only knew the common ones. Only by obtaining more designs could he engrave a wider variety. Divine Rune Mastery was just a foundation; the higher its level, the more complex the runes he could create.

It wasn’t just Divine Rune Mastery; it was the same for other skills. The Spiritual Artifacts he could create were all rather generic. For artifacts of the same grade, different Forging recipes could produce vastly different effects.

What he lacked were those very recipes, but what he could make was still serviceable.

The key thing was that Illusory Zither had passed this on to him. If the Spirit Race found out, she would surely be exiled. How could she not be exiled for passing the Spirit Race’s forbidden lore to an outsider?

"Why would you teach me all this?" Yi Tianyun’s gaze was complicated, but more than anything, he was deeply moved. He had saved Illusory Zither, true, but she had not only given him the Divine Rune but had also imparted the forbidden Divine Runes of the Spirit Race to him.

"Didn’t I just say? You’re safeguarding it for me. This is for my own sake, and for the sake of the Spirit Race." Illusory Zither smiled. "I don’t know if I’ll live or die when I return this time. If we can’t resist Thundercloud’s forces, the Spirit Race may fall under the control of the Netherworld Empire. If that’s the case, I’d rather give this forbidden lore to you. If the Spirit Race is ultimately wiped out, at least our legacy will be preserved."

Yi Tianyun’s heart trembled. ’She says that, but she could have just given it to another member of the Spirit Race and had them go into hiding. Why give it to an outsider like me?’

"This must be what Thundercloud is after, isn’t it? You trust me that much?" Yi Tianyun’s gaze was complicated. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

In truth, this forbidden lore could only be obtained by the next Saintess; not even the elders were privy to it. Yet now, it had been passed to him—an outsider! If that traitor Thundercloud ever found out, he would go absolutely insane.

"I don’t know why, either. Perhaps it was the determined look in your eyes when you came to save me that made me trust you completely..." A smile bloomed on Illusory Zither’s face, her silver eyes swirling with complex emotions. "Or maybe... it’s because you’re the first person who has ever treated me like this..."

From her eyes, Yi Tianyun seemed to glimpse the stories of her past. He wanted to offer some words of comfort, but they caught in his throat; he didn’t know what he could possibly say.

"Actually, I can go help you..." Yi Tianyun couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out. It was all he could think to say. He knew the crisis Illusory Zither faced upon her return would be immense, requiring a direct confrontation with the traitors in her clan.

"I appreciate the kind thought, but I can tell you have your own urgent matters to attend to. Especially since you kept calling for your ’auntie’ or someone while you were unconscious... Besides, to be honest, your cultivation is a bit low." Illusory Zither suddenly smiled, reaching out to gently poke his forehead. "Just stay here. If you truly want to help me, then make good use of the memories I gave you. Cultivate to a higher realm. When you’re strong enough, if you can find me then, we can talk about you helping me."

"My cultivation is low?" Yi Tianyun was taken aback.

"Yes. The Spirit Pill Stage is decent, but I have to face experts at the Core Transformation Stage, or even the Void Spirit Stage. Compared to that, the Spirit Pill Stage is nothing. My own cultivation was once at the late Core Transformation Stage, but now that I’m sealed, it has dropped to the Core Formation Stage. With that in mind, how much help do you think you could be?" Illusory Zither said with a faint smile. "But you are very young. Given time, you will grow stronger. Sooner or later, you will surpass most people and stand at the very peak!"

Her words were enough to make one’s blood boil with excitement. Deep in Yi Tianyun’s heart, he did indeed harbor that desire: to one day stand at the summit and look down upon all the scenery this world had to offer!