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The others watched quietly, all with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

In the end, Wen Tutu grew annoyed and reached out to grab Wen Gun'gun, tossing it onto her head to perch while casually feeding it a few spirit fruit. Wen Gun'gun finally stopped its tears and quietly nibbled on the fruit.

This was a very easy-to-please panda cub.

Recalling the earlier scene, Wen Qiao sensed something must have happened and asked Wen Tutu, "Big sis, what happened just now?"

Wen Tutu answered absentmindedly, "Sister, just now, flecks of green light suddenly appeared in the canyon. They were like stars, as if pulling us into the void—it was so beautiful. But later..."

At this point, she hesitated, as if unsure how to continue.

"Ah, there's nothing you can't say," Shi Wuming's voice chimed in. "This canyon hides an eerie power that makes people see what they fear most in their hearts. But it's just seeing—it doesn’t mean it will actually happen."

Instantly, everyone turned to look at him.

Wu Xiongan, Ning Jichen, and the others' faces briefly tightened with shock before turning thoughtful again.

Wen Tutu shot Shi Wuming a glare for his big mouth, then looked at Wen Qiao worriedly. "Sister, are you okay?"

Wen Qiao gazed distractedly at them before slowly shaking her head under the concerned gazes of Wen Tutu and Ning Jichen.

Yet, her heart was filled with confusion. Those green lights made people see what they feared most? But what she saw was something inexplicable—she didn’t even know who that figure standing in the void, eventually falling into darkness, was.

Rather than showing one’s deepest fears, it felt more like catching a glimpse of the unknown. Could that white-haired figure in black have any connection to her?

Ning Yuzhou sat beside her, observing every subtle shift in her expression.

After a long pause, he reached out and gently tousled her hair, smiling as he said, "Don’t overthink it. Maybe it was just some kind of illusion."

Shi Wuming couldn’t help but glance over, but when he met those calm yet restrained eyes, he quickly averted his gaze.

He thought with a mental eye-roll. Whatever. If he wants to dismiss it as an illusion, so be it—though it was less self-deception and more outright deception.

He hadn’t expected Moonview Isle to contain something like this. No wonder Ning Yuzhou’s expression had darkened before entering, even seeming reluctant. As for why he ultimately didn’t avoid it, Shi Wuming couldn’t guess—nor did he want to.

This man’s thoughts had always been inscrutable. Why waste effort trying to decipher them?

Wen Qiao seemed adrift in thought. Hearing his words, she looked up at him and suddenly asked softly, "Husband, have we ever met a white-haired figure in black somewhere before?"

Ning Yuzhou: "...Not at all."

"Really? Could it truly have been an illusion?"

Shi Wuming couldn’t resist glancing over again, but under Ning Yuzhou’s gaze, he quickly pretended nothing was amiss.

Ning Yuzhou said lightly, "Plenty of people have white hair. Some cultivate certain techniques that cause it—nothing strange about that."

The young qilin happily bounded over and asked curiously, "Sister Wen, did you see a white-haired figure in black just now?"

"Yes," Wen Qiao replied, recalling the scene within the green light. The memory nagged at her—she couldn’t shake the feeling that the situation had been dire—as if that person had done something wrong and was being judged and punished by the world, yet also as though he were blameless, stilling all condemnation with a single sentence.

"Sister Wen, you must be mistaken! There are no white-haired people in the human realm—though the demon realm has them."

"The demon realm?"

Everyone perked up with interest, deeply intrigued by the young qilin’s mention of the demon realm.

Their experiences had been eventful—they had already encountered the human realm and the Underworld, but they had no idea what the demon realm was like. From the way the qilin spoke, had it been to the demon realm before?

"I don't know either. I've never been to the Demon Realm," said the little qilin with a carefree expression. "But I heard from my elders before that the Demon King of the Demon Realm has white hair. It's said to be the mark of a Fallen God."

Everyone was startled, their eyes widening. Had the Demon King once been a god?

Gods rank above immortals—how powerful must that be?

Unfortunately, the little qilin was too young and knew too little. No matter how much they questioned, it couldn't provide more information.

Wen Qiao pondered for a moment before finally dismissing it. "Then it must have been an illusion! I’ve never been to the Demon Realm, nor do I know the Demon King there."

The others also chuckled dismissively, and the gloomy atmosphere brought by the green light earlier was swept away.

In truth, none of them truly wanted to believe what they had seen in that green light. Even if they weren’t as confused as Wen Qiao, they clearly realized that it was indeed what they feared most—things they hoped would never happen.

The boat continued to glide slowly along the Silent River, but the people on board were no longer as wary as before.

Shi Wuming picked up Wen Guangun, who was nibbling on a spirit fruit. "Little Guangun, what did you see earlier that scared you?"

Wen Guangun glanced at him and murmured softly.

What it feared most was the scene of its mother’s death years ago. Earlier, in the green light, it saw its mother’s death and the reluctance when its sister took it away.

Shi Wuming patted its furry head and produced a Spirit Restoring Pill to feed it.

No one knew how long the boat had been sailing until a glimmer of brightness appeared ahead.

Everyone looked over and realized they seemed to have emerged from the canyon.

Chapter 428

Beyond the canyon lay a vast plain.

The same dull gray hue stretched endlessly, and the gray mist on the horizon was thinner than elsewhere on the island, as if diluted by something.

It somewhat resembled the aftermath of Miss An’s *Song of the Sated Ghost* cleansing, or as if something had absorbed it.

Before leaving, Wen Qiao couldn’t help but glance back at the canyon.

Apart from being mysteriously pulled into illusions by the green light, the canyon didn’t seem particularly dangerous. Yet, upon reflection, the latent danger revealed itself.

Had they been unable to wake from those illusions—or worse, yielded to sorrow and hopelessness—their consciousness would have faded, leading to their demise.