"Bei Chen, don't rush, Haitang might not be in danger," Liu Yilin quickly went to comfort her.
Haitang was merely absorbed into the great tomb, which might not necessarily be a bad thing, while Ning Bei Chen was simply letting his concern cloud his judgment.
Ning Bei Chen gradually calmed down. It was then that he noticed a nearly transparent protective barrier surrounding the great tomb, explaining why his attacks had been unable to break it.
"Haitang, are you alright?" Ning Bei Chen shouted Haitang's name towards the tomb.
However, there was no response. Since Haitang had already entered the tomb, she naturally couldn't hear his shouts.
At this moment, Liu Yilin came over, taking his hand to comfort him.
"Don't worry, Haitang will be fine."
"I know, but I'm still very worried. It's because of me that you all came here. Not just Haitang, but you too. I don't want anything to happen to you," Ning Bei Chen said.
As he spoke, Ning Bei Chen's grip tightened, feeling her stance through her hand.
It wasn't just Ning Bei Chen who feared losing them; Liu Yilin equally feared losing Ning Bei Chen. When Ning Bei Chen went missing before, it felt like the sky was falling for Liu Yilin. She followed, disregarding her own safety, venturing into the place where Ning Bei Chen disappeared multiple times to search for him, even at the risk of her life. Later, she wholeheartedly entered his world, all for Ning Bei Chen. Therefore, the sentiment was mutual.
Following this, although Ning Bei Chen no longer attacked the tomb, he did not give up on finding a way to enter it. However, he dared not act rashly because Haitang was still inside. If the tomb were to collapse, Haitang would surely perish.
Days passed in the blink of an eye, and Haitang still hadn't emerged, which made Ning Bei Chen utterly anxious. The golden rescue period was no more than 72 hours. If anything happened to Haitang inside, or if she encountered any fatal danger, Ning Bei Chen would never forgive himself.
"What should I do?"
"Should I keep smashing the tomb?"
Ning Bei Chen looked at the insurmountable tomb. With a determined heart, he drew out his bronze ancient sword, preparing to break through the tomb's protective shield.
However, just as he was about to act, he saw the tomb suddenly tremble. In a short while, Haitang walked out of the tomb.
As Ning Bei Chen was about to joyfully approach her, he suddenly sensed that Haitang seemed different. This difference wasn't in her appearance but in her aura, which felt somewhat unlike the Haitang he knew before.
"Bei Chen."
Haitang walked towards him happily. Ning Bei Chen, however, held his bronze ancient sword and said, "Wait a moment, where was the first time we did that sort of thing?"
Seeing his serious demeanor, Haitang found it both amusing and exasperating, but she still answered, "In a valley on Chang Ming Mountain."
Upon hearing Haitang's answer, Ning Bei Chen breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed his bronze ancient sword, and said to Haitang with some embarrassment, "Haitang, your aura is very different from before. I thought you might have been possessed by something. Since you can tell me where we had our first intimate moment, I suppose you haven't been possessed."
"Of course not. Do you want me to check you for an impostor?" Haitang teased him.
"No need. I believe you haven't been possessed. By the way, Haitang, what happened to you inside the great tomb? You were in there for three whole days, and I was almost ready to force my way in," Ning Bei Chen's eyelids twitched slightly. This bewitching woman was truly trying his patience. If Liu Yilin hadn't been there, Ning Bei Chen might have very well subjected her to a thorough examination on the spot.
But jokes aside, Haitang recounted what had happened in the great tomb. After being sucked in, she discovered it was the resting place of an ancient great shaman. Haitang heard the call and was able to enter the tomb because she possessed shamanic energy, which was sensed by the tomb of the ancient great shaman, thus summoning her. Haitang's three days in the tomb were not due to any mishap but because she was receiving the inheritance of the ancient great shaman.
Hearing this, Ning Bei Chen and Liu Yilin realized that Haitang had gained good fortune in the tomb, and it was not a bad thing. They both congratulated her. In the Ancestral Court, since Haitang was not a cultivator, most things there had little use for her. Ning Bei Chen had initially felt a sense of regret, but now her destiny had unfolded here.
"Right, Ning Bei Chen, we must leave here immediately. The Shaman Slave told me that this place is about to undergo great changes," Haitang suddenly remembered something and quickly said to Ning Bei Chen.
"What kind of changes?" Ning Bei Chen immediately asked.
"I'm not entirely sure myself. Something about a demon king emerging or something like that," Haitang told Ning Bei Chen.
"Let's go at once." Upon hearing "demon king," Ning Bei Chen decided to leave immediately. Ordinary demons were already difficult to deal with; if a demon king were to emerge, it would be catastrophic.
Not long after, Ning Bei Chen and the other two left the Misty Sea. Upon reaching the outside, Ning Bei Chen remembered something from before he entered and led Liu Yilin and Haitang to a certain location.
"That's strange. Didn't Yang Qianrou and the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family say they would wait for me here?" Ning Bei Chen looked around but saw no sign of Yang Qianrou or the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family.
"Did they leave already? Or did something happen to them?" Ning Bei Chen mused to himself, but he quickly dismissed the first possibility. He knew Yang Qianrou's character well; even if the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family left, she wouldn't. She would only leave if she were taken by force. However, Ning Bei Chen couldn't be absolutely certain, as several months had passed, and anything could have happened.
Since he couldn't find any trace of Yang Qianrou or the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family here, Ning Bei Chen didn't waste any more time. As long as the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family was still alive, he could inquire at the Zhou family after returning, and that should provide an answer. Therefore, Ning Bei Chen did not linger any longer. He led Liu Yilin and Haitang away from the mountain range. Approximately ten days later, Ning Bei Chen and his companions returned to a city in the Central Continent.
"This is bad, Ning Bei Chen has returned again." The people of the Zhou family were thrown into a panic as soon as they saw Ning Bei Chen appear. Over three months ago, this man, with his own strength, had challenged the entire Zhou family, completely humiliating them. So, seeing him return now, how could they not be flustered?
"Announce this, I wish to see your Zhou family's Old Ancestor," Ning Bei Chen said to them without any courtesy. The people of the Zhou family hurried to report to their family head. Upon hearing that Ning Bei Chen had returned, the Zhou family head shivered, and he quickly ordered someone to inform the Old Ancestor of the Zhou family.