# Chapter 1: The Riddle (21)
The crackling sound of firewood burning was especially noticeable in the quiet cave.
Ling Xiaozu’s storytelling had come to a pause. Though not long, to the male character and Luo Ying, it felt like an entire century had passed.
Since Luo Ying entered the Heavenly Sword Sect and rose to become the Head Disciple, she had never felt as sentimental as she did today.
Even when Fu Yetian betrayed the sect and fled, Luo Ying, who harbored a crush on him, had simply drowned her sorrows in the winery at the foot of the mountain, getting drunk without shedding a single tear.
But today, her tears flowed like a bursting dam, unstoppable.
At that moment, their master could have easily taken out the assassins or ignored them to buy some time, there was no need to put himself at risk.
Yet, after recognizing their identities, he chose to sacrifice himself to save them.
Such immense gratitude couldn’t simply be repaid with a couple of thank yous.
And the fact that Ling Xiaozu could predict what would happen in such a short time after being attacked was truly astonishing.
This explained the origins of the self-destructing monsters besieging the Small Thousand World.
“They are monsters from the underground cave world. I never expected them to invade the Small Thousand World. No wonder the Heavenly Sword Sect was pushed to a dead end; it was because these guys are too troublesome.
However, there are ways to stop them. From what I understand, if we can find someone skilled in extreme freezing spells, we can freeze the lava river in a short time and then blow up its source. Only then can we completely deal with those self-destructing nuisances.”
“Master, I still don’t quite understand. That Monster King—no, we should call it the consciousness of the Small Thousand World—why is it secretly opposing the Divine Clan?”
After a moment of calm, the male character asked.
Ling Xiaozu replied, “If I had to guess, there must have been a significant disagreement between them. But the Small Thousand World doesn’t dare to openly sever ties, so it uses me as a pawn to delay the Divine Clan’s cleansing schedule for the continent.
Of course, the specific reasons will have to wait until you return to the Small Thousand World to uncover the truth.”
Luo Ying shook her head vigorously. “No, Master! I’m not going anywhere, I’ll stay here with you.”
Ling Xiaozu replied sternly, “This place is not safe; you must leave immediately. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not recognizing you as my disciples anymore!”
Luo Ying bowed her head as tears streamed down her face.
The male character gently pressed her hand, “The Master sacrificed so much to save us; if we don’t leave, won’t we be betraying his intentions?”
“Can we come back to visit you, Master?” Luo Ying asked, her eyes full of hope despite the tears.
Ling Xiaozu sighed, “Of course. I hope when you go out, you can save countless beings from disaster. Time is tight; if the Three Races do not unite, they will ultimately face a dead end. Unfortunately, I’ve spent most of my energy in the Animal World, thinking I could avoid everything, but I never expected it would come to this. The Divine Clan seems to have lost patience and is no longer focused on the Animal World’s experimental status. This is my oversight; you two must make up for this regret.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
At this moment, the night was gradually retreating from the continent, and the rising sun once again illuminated the land.
Ling Xiaozu keenly sensed the changes in the skies and said to the two, “Follow me; if we miss today, returning to the Small Thousand World will be difficult.”
They didn’t ask further, just followed Ling Xiaozu closely.
After leaving the cave, the shadows that had surrounded the mountain had long vanished.
In the forest, there were now many harmless little animals hiding behind tree trunks, peeking at the three passing by.
“Every world has its secret pathways leading to the central Small Thousand World. If the Monster King hadn’t pointed some things out to me back then, I probably would have never found my way back.
So, I seriously suspect that the monsters from the underground cave world got to the Small Thousand World because something went wrong with its consciousness.
In any case, you must be careful.”
As they spoke, Ling Xiaozu led them into a narrow, rugged cave. In the narrowest parts, they could barely crawl through; anyone slightly chubby could easily get stuck.
Even just crawling through the cave took the three nearly two hours.
When they finally crawled out, every part of their bodies was sore, covered in scratches.
What alarmed the duo was that only five steps ahead of the cave’s exit was a bottomless abyss.
Peering down, a mist swirled in the depths, creating a feeling of being lost in the clouds, as if one could only wonder what mysteries lay below the mountains.
The male character threw down a large rock and couldn’t even hear it hit the ground.
Ling Xiaozu said, “This is the spot.”
The male character couldn’t help but feel a chill. “Master, can we slowly fly down?”
Ling Xiaozu shook his head. “We must jump straight down. Although I don’t understand the principles, if you don’t move fast enough, you might not escape this world. If you fail the first time, you lose your chance to leave this entire world. This was a warning from the Monster King.
So, you only have one shot.
Whether you believe it or not is up to you.
If you want to stay with me, I won’t stop you, but I will have to k*ll you both before you turn into little animals.
Don’t worry! I will set up camp beside your graves and keep you company until the end of my days. Although, at this moment, I’m not even sure if I’m truly alive.”
In the midst of their conversation, Luo Ying had already stood at the very edge of the cliff, one foot dangling in the air, her body swaying dangerously.
“Master, I take my leave first! If I can completely destroy the Divine Clan’s schemes, I will definitely come back to see you!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Luo Ying leaped off the cliff like a diver, plunging downwards with rapid speed.
Seeing this, the male character steeled his resolve, cupping his hands toward Ling Xiaozu. “Master, we will not let you down.”
“Child, I leave Luo Ying to you. Although she is my disciple, she is more like my daughter. Please take good care of her and don’t let her get hurt.”
This was the first time Ling Xiaozu openly expressed his affection for Luo Ying in front of the male character.
The male character bowed deeply, “Rest assured, Master! With me here, Luo Ying won’t suffer any grievances.”
With that, the male character also executed a graceful leap from the cliff, chasing after Luo Ying’s figure.
Ling Xiaozu watched as their figures disappeared into the mist, tears streaming down his face.
