Immortal Travel of Longevity

Chen Changsheng left with Zhao Yuqing.

They returned to Yunfu Mountain.

Coming back here stirred a strange feeling in Zhao Yuqing.

Yunfu Mountain was quiet and undisturbed, yet that same quiet represented a long, endless loneliness.

Chen Changsheng handed over a jug of wine.

Zhao Yuqing reached out to take it. Tilting his head back, he poured the wine down his throat and murmured, "I don't think I was wrong."

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment and said, "This Chen didn't say you were wrong."

Zhao Yuqing nodded slightly. With a soft sigh, he said, "That child was the most extraordinarily talented person I have ever seen. It is just a pity he had a fate fraught with hardship, left with no choice but to walk such a path."

He exhaled slowly and added, "Actually, I had my own selfish motives."

Zhao Yuqing shook his head and added, "In truth, a lot of the time, I find it hard to understand myself. I can't even clearly explain my own reasoning."

Chen Changsheng said, "This Chen understands you. In fact, the moment you decided to bring him into this world, I knew what was in your heart. It all began out of selfishness, but later, the nature of it changed. You truly treated him as your disciple. Otherwise, given your temperament, you never would have stayed your hand, let alone done so much for him."

"You, Zhao Yuqing, are also a man of emotion. Like This Chen, you haven't been able to live with total clarity."

"Yes..."

Zhao Yuqing murmured, his gaze drifting into the distance.

Chen Changsheng said, "This world is about to change. Let us wait and see what follows."

"Now that the Mysterious Gate is gone, the rest will happen even faster. Initially, you and I predicted it would take at least several hundred years, perhaps even a millennium. We never expected the march of time to be so swift."

"How many years has it really been..."

Zhao Yuqing shared the sentiment. "Put that way," he said, "I might still have a chance to see a different world."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng paused, but then shook his head. "Perhaps..."

"You still won't be able to see it."

"Have you forgotten what I told you about the meaning of Taotie's existence?"

Zhao Yuqing turned to look at Chen Changsheng. "Do you favor the Heavenly Dao more?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "Not quite. I am merely telling you that, win or lose, the Spiritual Energy of this world will ultimately dissipate. There is no doubt about that."

"It's just that later on, an extra realm will emerge—a realm where one can only enter but never leave. If cultivators want to survive, they will have no choice but to go there, entirely isolating this place."

Chen Changsheng continued, "It will be just like Heaven Beyond Heaven, dividing into two separate worlds."

Zhao Yuqing exhaled slowly upon hearing this and murmured, "What a pity..."

"It is."

Chen Changsheng lowered his head, falling silent.

Zhao Yuqing looked at Chen Changsheng, puzzled by the complex expression on his face.

"So what are you worried about?"

A smile appeared on Chen Changsheng's face, though it seemed self-deprecating. "To be honest, even now, I haven't made a choice."

"What?"

"Yes."

Chen Changsheng said, "I don't know which side to stand on—whether to seek a quick end, or to continue enduring this suffering and wait for another chance."

"But there is nothing left in this world for me to hold onto."

Zhao Yuqing shook his head slightly. "I cannot understand your thoughts. We are not pursuing the same things. In my eyes, you are an anomaly. You are more like a traveler passing through time. No matter the era, you exist—and precisely because of that, you suffer the most."

Chen Changsheng turned to look at him, smiling. "I was just thinking how wonderful it would be if time could flow backward—to return to the beginning, to the past."

Zhao Yuqing frowned slightly, sensing something off.

Even as he spoke, Chen Changsheng lowered his head again and muttered, "But that isn't right either..."

"It feels like returning to the past wouldn't change anything anyway. Those meant to leave will still leave. It would only be more torture for them, and even more so for me."

Zhao Yuqing took a sip of wine. "You've grown increasingly pessimistic."

"You're right about that."

Chen Changsheng did not deny these changes in himself.

He used to be different. Back then, he was tranquil. Even if there were things he couldn't fully figure out, they wouldn't hinder his steps, nor would they stop him from going elsewhere.

But now, every step felt arduous, even when no one was blocking his path.

They stayed on Yunfu Mountain for nearly half a month.

Meanwhile, rumors slowly began to spread through the Cultivation World. News regarding the great winds in the Northern Territory finally emerged. It was said that the gales had dispersed several days prior. Cultivators who went to investigate discovered that nearly a hundred li of land had been reduced to a cratered wasteland; mountains, rivers, grass, and trees—nothing remained.

As for the instigator behind all of this—that Taotie—no one knew where it had gone.

But at the very least, things were safe for now.

It was also half a month later that an unexpected guest arrived at Yunfu Mountain.

It was Xiao Dongxu.

He was always able to gather information, and by following a few subtle clues, he had managed to track them down.

He had not come to Yunfu Mountain for Zhao Yuqing, but for Chen Changsheng.

And he had indeed come to the right place.

There was nothing on Yunfu Mountain to offer him as a guest, so the two simply sat down to talk.

"Has Mister been well lately?"

"Well enough."

Xiao Dongxu did not beat around the bush any longer and said bluntly, "I keep feeling that Mister has left many things unsaid to me."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng asked, "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know, what is Mister constantly pressing forward for?"

At this question, Chen Changsheng seemed somewhat at a loss.

It was as if even he couldn't answer it.

Seeing this, Xiao Dongxu brushed the question aside.

"Then I will ask something else."

Xiao Dongxu said, "Does the existence of Taotie hold some other meaning? Is there a trap set by someone else hidden within all of this?"

"Of course there is."

Chen Changsheng said, "Since ancient times, cultivators in this world have been pursuing the Path of True Immortality. However, beneath this heaven and earth, cultivators have a limit. If they cannot break free from this world, they will never be able to ascend to become a True Immortal."

"This also means that upon this path, one is destined to struggle against the Heavenly Dao."

"But cultivators are bound by the rules of the Great Dao. No matter what, it is impossible for one to fight the heavens with their own strength. Thus, a method came to be."

"Fortune Cleaves the Heavens."

Chen Changsheng continued, "Qi destiny has existed since ancient times. It transcends the Heavenly Dao, even superseding it. Do you remember the day Taotie opened its mouth and devoured everything? On that day, it didn't just swallow those cultivators of the Mysterious Gate; it also swallowed the qi destiny of the Mysterious Gate."

"Without a doubt, this is an opportunity."

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