The further down they went, the more intense the demonic aura became, and the more pervasive the resentful atmosphere, threatening to overwhelm those with weak willpower and bury them in the abyss below.

Among the group, Mu Jie had the lowest cultivation and the weakest willpower. Faced with the onslaught of the demonic aura, she couldn't help but feel her mind and spirit shaken. However, she gritted her teeth and endured, stubbornly holding on. Although her body swayed unsteadily, she didn't fall, but her speed inevitably slowed, making her the last one in the group.

Just then, a low roar came from below, hideous and terrifying, as if filled with extreme resentment, wanting to destroy everything in the world.

Zhou Chen couldn't help but frown.

Judging from the demonic aura emanating from below, it was undoubtedly one of his kin, and possibly even an elder with deep seniority. But if their resentment was so great, seeing so many people all at once might not be a welcome sight, and could even be dangerous.

The roaring grew closer and closer, and they could vaguely see a huge figure swaying back and forth in the darkness, occasionally raising its head to look up, its huge eyes glowing with an eerie green light that sent chills down their spines.

"Who are you! How dare you mere humans intrude here, have all of Chengming's people died?!"

It wasn't roaring with all its might, just sneering and questioning, but combined with the echoes from the surrounding cliffs, it sounded deafening and imposing.

Zhou Chen flicked his finger, and a golden light flew out from his hand, shooting straight towards the demon beast.

The golden light flew to the front of the demon beast's eyes, then suddenly turned into countless golden sands, shattering and disappearing.

The demon beast's voice abruptly stopped, and after a long while, it sounded again, filled with confusion: "You, who are you?"

Yun Zong and Mu Jie didn't know Zhou Chen's background, and thought his golden light was meant to attack the demon beast. They didn't expect such a sudden change, and even the demon beast's attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn.

By now, everyone had reached the bottom of the cliff. Zhou Yin threw out a talisman, which steadily stuck to the stone wall, and the surroundings suddenly became bright, allowing them to clearly see the demon beast's true appearance.

It was actually a huge white tiger!

The white tiger was enormous in size, occupying almost half of the cliff bottom. Even when sitting on the ground, it seemed to be looking down on Zhou Yin and the others. The difference in their sizes made it seem like it could crush them all with a single paw.

Its fur was already filthy, but the original white color could still be seen. However, all four of its limbs were tightly locked with iron chains, with the barbs on the locks deeply inserted into its flesh, and the blood flowing out had dried, staining the iron chains an even darker black.

The white tiger could speak human language, clearly having been a high-level demon beast cultivator. But it was unknown how such a powerful demon beast cultivator in the Taichu Continent could be captured and imprisoned here.

The two people following behind Zhou Yin suddenly became agitated, their faces showing extreme anger, but Zhou Chen remained silent throughout, so they didn't dare to act rashly.

Yun Zong, with his keen perception, found it very strange after a few glances, but he was aloof and proud by nature, so he didn't speak up.

The white tiger had been imprisoned for many years, and its eyes had long been half-blind. When the light suddenly appeared, it squinted uncomfortably for a long time before slowly opening them, staring straight at Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen's face showed no joy or anger, and he made no movement, letting it look at him, but his gaze fell on the chains on the white tiger's body.

The others also remained silent, and an eerie stillness suddenly enveloped the surroundings.

"You're not dead?" It let out a low roar, and tears actually flowed from its tiger eyes.

"The one you knew was probably my father." Zhou Chen paused. "My father is already dead."

At his signal, the two people behind him rushed forward, wanting to cut the chains binding the white tiger, but even using all their magic weapons, they couldn't sever them.

"Don't waste your effort. These are forged from cold iron from the Cold Spring Pool in the upper realm," the white tiger said. Although it looked majestic, there was an undisguisable weakness in its voice.

Zhou Chen asked, "You're injured?"

The white tiger said, "I should have died long ago. The reason I've been able to hold on until now is because Chengming wanted to use my spiritual energy to sustain this place, so he kept me alive, not letting me die."

Chengming, Zhou Chen knew, was the name of the Heavenly Emperor of the upper realm.

The upper realm and the demon beast race had always had a deep blood feud. Throughout history, the victor would think of ways to torture the defeated, which was normal.

But to capture an enemy and not let it die a quick death, instead keeping it barely alive, making it unable to live or die, was too vicious, no matter how deep the hatred.

Zhou Chen knew that its days were numbered. Being able to hold on until seeing its kin was already a great blessing. Not to mention that he hadn't reached the peak of the Vermilion Bird's power yet, even if he had, he still wouldn't be able to save it.

No matter how lazy he was, preferring to sleep for tens of thousands of years to avoid conflicts until being awakened by Zhou Yin, when he saw his kin suffering in front of him, the blood originally belonging to the demon beast race in his body couldn't help but boil.

Suppressing his anger, Zhou Chen asked, "What exactly is going on with all this?"

The white tiger sighed, and the sighing sound echoed between the stone walls, leaving only bleakness.

The White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, Qilin, and Vermilion Bird were known as the five ancient divine beasts, but because the Vermilion Bird had the strongest power, it was revered as the Demon Beast Emperor.

The first four divine beasts were not like the Vermilion Bird, with only one existing in the world and a new one born only after the previous one died. They had thriving races and generations of inheritance. By the later period of the demon beast race's rule over the upper realm, the four races had become very prosperous.

But the immortal-demon beast war 60,000 years ago shattered all of this.

In the war with the immortal race and the demon beast race, the demon beast race was not only driven out of the upper realm but also suffered heavy casualties. The entire demon beast race was nearly wiped out, and even Zhou Chen's father, the previous generation's Vermilion Bird, died in battle.

And the White Tiger was captured and brought here, using its remaining spiritual energy to infuse this Lianyin Immortal Residence with spiritual energy, sustaining the vibrant life here.

Mu Jie was shocked upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "So, the spiritual herbs and immortal flowers we saw in Cloud Dream City before were all irrigated with your spiritual energy?!"

The White Tiger sneered, "Did you really think this place was some immortal's residence? Actually, that's not wrong either, but from beginning to end, this has been a plot by the upper realm!"

Yun Zong asked, "What plot?"

The White Tiger said, "This place was originally my prison, but a thousand years ago, Chengming went crazy for some reason and had people turn it into an immortal realm. He then spread rumors that this place was called Lianyin Immortal Residence and possessed countless rare treasures. As long as one passed the trials, they could obtain these things, attracting countless human cultivators to come here one after another."

It chuckled coldly, "Little do they know, this is just a trap. Those who come here can't resist eating the food, but once they do, they can never leave. In the past thousand years, countless cultivators have perished here. Although I'm imprisoned, my spiritual energy is tied to this place, so everything here is like my body, and I'm acutely aware of every movement."

Everyone fell silent at these words.

Among the gods in the Upper Realm, besides those born as immortals, a considerable portion were once human cultivators who ascended. Thus, the Upper Realm and the human race have always had a close relationship. Humans worship the gods, while the gods sometimes descend to the mortal world to offer guidance.

If what the White Tiger said is true, then the Upper Realm is undoubtedly placing humans in an adversarial position. What benefit would they gain from doing so?

Regardless of whether others believed it or not, Zhou Yin, based on his previous deductions, was convinced the White Tiger spoke the truth. As for the Upper Realm's intentions, he wouldn't dwell on it for now. With his current cultivation, he couldn't find the answer. Only by reaching the grandmaster level like in his previous life could he glimpse the workings of fate.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Chen asked, "What must I do to rescue you?"

The White Tiger shook its head. "Don't waste your efforts. Unless you have an ancient divine weapon or reach your father's level of cultivation, you're powerless."

Suddenly, Zhou Yin said, "Will this work?" With a flick of his wrist, the Heaven Washing Brush appeared in his palm.

The White Tiger was stunned for a while. "The Heaven Washing Brush is in your possession."

It then glanced at Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen said, "Ah Yin obtained this item by chance. He and I are one and the same." When speaking to the White Tiger, his tone was solemn but fearless. Even if the White Tiger demanded the return of this demon beast race's treasure, he wouldn't comply.

But the White Tiger's eyes flickered with light. After a long while, it said, "It's your decision. I won't interfere in this matter."

Out of consideration for Mu Jie and the others, it didn't reveal Zhou Chen's identity, but the respect in its words was evident.