Time stood still, and everything in the world condensed into a heavy white light.
When the Divine Consciousness resumed, the scenery before them gradually shifted from blurry to shaking and then to clarity, as everyone slowly opened their eyes. They saw a completely different world.
An endless expanse of Grassland stretched out before them, with Towering Mountains piercing the sky in the distance. However, there were no signs of any man-made structures like celestial palaces on those mountains; instead, they exuded a primordial vitality. Occasionally, a furious Beast Roar echoed, causing large trees to bend and break as an unseen monster roared and disappeared deep into the dense jungle.
Everyone recognized that this was a brand new realm, definitely not the barren False Immortal Realm. But was this all just a dream? The sky here was so blue, the air so fresh, the land so fertile, and countless Fowl and Beasts roamed about. Everyone feared that what lay before them was merely an illusion, and that upon waking, they would find themselves back in emptiness.
At that moment, two dazzling red lights suddenly streaked across the sky. Moments later, two Ethereal Figures appeared above the crowd, standing on fire-colored extraordinary treasures.
Looking at these two individuals, even Fuxi Xuanyuan felt ashamed of himself; they were true immortals. Dressed in immaculate white silk robes and wearing crystal crowns, their feet rested upon fire-colored Extreme Treasures. Their eyes were clear and bright, radiating vitality and grace. However, at that moment, upon seeing the dense crowd that had suddenly appeared on this Grassland, they looked visibly surprised.
Fuxi overheard their conversation.
"Wuwei Shishu, am I seeing things?" asked a tall young man with a simple appearance, looking puzzled.
"I was just wondering if I was imagining it! I patrolled this area yesterday and there wasn't a single person around. How did so many people suddenly appear? There are men and women of all ages! Wait! There are many cultivators among them! And Beast Cultivation too! This is serious—absolutely serious! We need to hurry back and report to the sect leader!" said the middle-aged gentleman referred to as Master Uncle, his expression changing drastically.
Without another word, the two turned to leave. Xuanyuan Fuxi exchanged glances with urgency and took off after them. However, those two moved with remarkable agility; their fire-colored Extreme Treasures were extraordinarily fast and they clearly knew the terrain well. Suddenly, they turned in midair and vanished inexplicably.
Fuxi then noticed that the mountain before him was composed of interconnected Basins forming a continuous mountain range. It looked ominous with smoke rising and Beast Roars echoing throughout; it was clearly not a safe place. The two exchanged glances and decided it was best to return quickly to settle everyone down. Thinking about the two who had fled, Fuxi felt anxious; he knew they must be the masters of this place but wondered if they would accept so many people. After all, he had just scanned the area and realized that everyone from Sunrise City was present—every single one of them—amounting to nearly six hundred thousand people! Would they really accept such a large number?
Another distressing thought struck him: Li Hong Tian Zhu was not among the crowd. It must be that Li Hong had finally found a way to teleport all these people out of the False Immortal Realm while he himself remained behind. The thought caused Fuxi's heart to ache deeply; without realizing it, tears began to well up in his eyes.
Suddenly someone tugged at his sleeve. "Fuxi, why are you crying?"
Hearing a familiar voice, Fuxi looked up and was instantly overjoyed. "Ling Yanzi! Aurora! Are you both alright? That's wonderful! What about Li Hong and Heavenly Torch? Did they make it out too? What did you discover in the end?" Fuxi bombarded them with questions.
Unexpectedly, Ling Yanzi and Aurora shook their heads in confusion. Ling Yanzi said, "I don't know what exactly happened in the end. However, one thing is clear: I am certain we have returned to Middle-Earth! This is the Ancient Celestial Field, the territory of our Nine Li Sect."
Middle-Earth! Ancient Celestial Field! The territory of the Nine Li Sect!
Fuxi was instantly so excited that he couldn't speak; a wish that had been held for many years was finally fulfilled at this moment!
Everyone fell silent at this moment, repeatedly pondering a single thought: they had truly, finally returned home!
Home!
"Ha ha! I, Golden Mother, have gone through life and death and have finally returned!" A loud, resonant female voice shattered the silence as she was the first to shout out.
"We're back!"
"We have returned!"
"We are finally back!"
Cheers erupted on the Grassland, each voice rising above the last. From initial confusion to the settling of dust, every heart felt an immense sense of security. Even the mortals grinned widely, knowing they had returned to their true homeland, no longer needing to suffer hunger or slavery, no longer required to carry out the Fifty Absolute Kill Order to conserve resources. The elderly could enjoy their twilight years peacefully, and reading and writing would no longer be exclusive to the lord's mansion; they could truly live as free citizens.
"We are free!" Hundreds of thousands of mortals cheered, their voices like waves crashing upon the shore, each wave higher than the last.
Amidst the cheers, countless small dots flew in from afar like arrows.
Ling Yanzi laughed heartily, "My disciples are coming!"
He leaped forward and shouted at the approaching figure, "Haha, I, the Yandao Demon Lord, have returned from the celestial realm! And I've brought along five hundred thousand troops. Are you all afraid?" Ling Yanzi was in high spirits and made a grand joke.
This statement hit like a direct blow, causing the wall of people to halt mid-air. Suddenly, a tall man, as sturdy as an iron tower, stepped out from the crowd, dressed in the fiery robes of the Nine Li Sect's leader. He flew forward, and suddenly a black line shot out from above his head, growing larger until a massive clawing azure dragon appeared, swiftly carrying the iron-tower-like man toward them.
Both recognized each other with surprise and joy.
"Master Uncle? Is that you?! Why have you come down to the mortal realm?"
"Chuxiong? You little bear cub, you've become the sect leader now? Look at how you've worn the leader's robes!"
The two exclaimed this simultaneously, fell silent for a moment, and then burst into laughter.
"It is said that one day in heaven equals one year on earth. I want to know how many years have actually passed in the mortal realm?" Ling Yanzi was the first to ask this question.
Chuxiong sighed, "You’ve only been gone for six years. In these six years, there have been significant changes in our Human Realm! I’ve also been elected as the leader of the Nine Li Sect. By the way, since you're back, where are my elder brother and Heavenly Torch?"
Upon mentioning this, Ling Yanzi's expression darkened and he fell silent.
A sense of foreboding rose from Chuxiong's heart, but he quickly thought to himself: Who is my elder brother? From childhood to adulthood, they had faced life-and-death situations countless times; each time was perilous yet they always survived and often gained unexpected rewards. His elder brother's resilience was comparable to that of a cockroach! Therefore, he absolutely would not be dead; not only would he not die, but he would also surely bring everyone a great surprise!
With this thought in mind, Chuxiong felt reassured. He looked at Fuxi Xuanyuan and others who were clearly eager to engage in conversation behind Ling Yanzi and pondered aloud, "Could they all be from the celestial realm? It seems something major has happened up there! It must be my elder brother's doing!"
Ling Yanzi noticed that Chuxiong seemed unconcerned about Li Hong's fate. Initially angry, he soon realized that Chuxiong’s bright eyes were thoughtfully gazing upward with immense confidence.
So that's it! He wasn't indifferent; rather, he had unwavering faith in Li Hong. Ling Yanzi suddenly understood and felt less attached to concerns about Li Hong and Heavenly Torch’s survival for the first time. He laughed heartily and pulled Fuxi over toward Chuxiong, saying, "If you knew who he is, you'd be so shocked you'd bow down!"
At this point, the beings from the Celestial Realm and the Mortal Realm finally gathered together.
********
In a narrow and strange passage enveloped in white light, two figures suddenly appeared: Li Hong and Heavenly Torch. The two were in a disheveled state, their clothes torn and tattered, covered in wounds and blood. They hurriedly flew through the passage, one after the other. The passage was unstable; it swayed ahead, while behind them was even stranger, with massive cracks appearing in the path they flew through, quickly collapsing into nothingness.
That was true nothingness, a black hole that devoured all objects, time, and space.
"Can we go back?"
"Of course we can! We must hold on, brother! As long as we don't stop, we will definitely make it home!"
The end of this volume.
********
Taking a two-day leave to write the outline for the next volume.
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