"I've been searching for three years, and my subordinates are spread across all the planets. Guess what the result is?" Yun Xinghe frowned and took a sip of his tea.
Li Xiaonan didn't even blink as he replied, "You didn't find anything."
He couldn't help but mutter to himself: Isn't that obvious? If you had found something, would I still be here chatting with you, a bachelor? I'd have gone to be with my wife by now!
Yun Xinghe nodded and continued, "Xiao Nan, you're a smart person. You should have guessed what's going on by now, right?"
Li Xiaonan lowered his head, his brows furrowed tightly. He said coldly, "It's man-made, not an accident. And whoever could hide them so well must not be an ordinary immortal. The only ones who could explain this are those Immortal Emperors!"
"General Hook! Correct!"
Li Xiaonan couldn't help but clench his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. "Big brother, who do you think it is?"
"Does it really matter who I think it is?" Yun Xinghe sipped his tea, shaking his leg in a very relaxed manner.
"Big brother! Are you messing with me?"
"Alright, alright! I haven't seen you in a long time; I missed you!"
Li Xiaonan realized that Yun Xinghe was just playing with him; otherwise, he wouldn't be so carefree.
He felt a vein throb on his forehead and said, "Big brother, if you don't tell me soon, I'll cry in front of you!"
"What kind of threat is that? No matter what, you should say something like 'if you don't tell me, I'll bite you' or something!"
"Big brother!" Li Xiaonan exclaimed in frustration.
"Okay, okay, no more messing around. I have a way to get you to your wife! But you need to think carefully; it might just be the lair of some Old Friends. Right now, your relationship with them seems fine on the surface, but once you find your wife, it's going to be time to tear off the mask!"
"Big brother, stop rambling! Although I may not have much ability, I'm still a man! Just tell me what I should do!"
Yun Xinghe smiled and nodded, saying, "First, we need a medium, like a token of affection!"
Li Xiaonan was taken aback for a moment before quickly removing the ring from his finger. "Brother, will this work?"
"Perfect!"
"Great! Then let's not delay any longer, hurry up and cast the spell!"
Yun Xinghe sighed and reassured him, "Hold on a second, kid. Your other wives are all waiting for you, all dressed up and ready. Even if you're heading to the execution ground, you should at least have a good meal first, right?"
Li Xiaonan's face turned slightly red as he scratched his head. "Thank you for your concern, brother!"
"Sigh... Why can't you just grow up?" Yun Xinghe ruffled Li Xiaonan's hair.
That affectionate gesture carried a hint of indulgence, making Li Xiaonan feel warm inside.
"Ah!"
Li Xiaonan's sudden scream startled Yun Xinghe. "What happened?"
"Brother, can you lend me some money?"
"Huh? What?"
Li Xiaonan scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed as he recounted everything that had happened in the Underworld.
Yun Xinghe shook his head repeatedly. "What am I going to do with you? The path of cultivation ultimately simplifies everything. Yet here you are, rushing through so many techniques. Even if you wanted to simplify things now, it would probably overwhelm you! Aren't you just asking for trouble?"
"Brother, I didn't want this either! I was forced into it... If Heavenly Fate gives me another chance, I swear I'll focus on mastering one technique properly!"
Yun Xinghe shot him an annoyed glare. "You think there are that many chances? What Heavenly Fate? Once you step onto the path of cultivation, it's all about relying on yourself—no gods or Buddhas to help! Take this bracelet; I won't need it anymore since I'm leaving soon."
Li Xiaonan accepted the Azure Jade Bracelet that Yun Xinghe had slipped off his wrist.
The deep blue color resembled the sea, calm yet majestic, with streaks of lighter hues adorning the bracelet, exuding a sense of shattered beauty.
Li Xiaonan's consciousness swept over it, and he was instantly overwhelmed with a feeling of sheer terror.
The space was vast! The treasures were abundant!
"Stop pretending to be a goldfish; this is my lifetime savings, and I'm giving it to you!" Yun Xinghe said, crossing his arms and smiling lightly.
"B-Brother... thank you, Brother..." Li Xiaonan stammered, already too excited to speak coherently.
Yun Xinghe placed an arm around his shoulder and said with a grin, "No need to thank me! By the way, where were you in '08? Give me your contact information. When I return to Earth, we can continue our brotherly bond!"
Li Xiaonan thought for a moment but shook his head. "No need, Brother. When you see me back on Earth, I won't be the same person anymore."
"I know that! But even in another timeline, isn't it a good thing to live a better life? Come on, quickly tell me your contact details..."
Under Yun Xinghe's persistent questioning, Li Xiaonan recalled his life in '08 and shared the address of his impoverished hometown.
"Brother, it seems like you're not just unfortunate; can that address even be called an address?" Yun Xinghe couldn't help but tease.
"Heh, Brother, I told you before that I'm very poor..."
The two brothers exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Yun Xinghe pulled out two cigarettes and said, "Don't worry! When I go back, I'll take good care of the '08 version of you!"
In truth, there was one more thing Yun Xinghe didn't say: he wondered if it would affect the present version of Li Xiaonan.
"Thank you so much, Brother!" Li Xiaonan replied with a smile, not particularly concerned about it.
Wealth and fortune are destined; there's no need to force anything. Everything is merely an obsession.
The two brothers smoked and drank together while Li Xiaonan eagerly returned to his room to find his three lovely wives.
The night deepened, and the Cloud Sky Pavilion was filled with floating silver lights, dazzling and enchanting like stars.
Li Xiaonan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his eyes narrowed slightly, yet they sparkled more beautifully than the lights around him.
He sighed, "It's easy to fall in love, but hard to stay together. Let's cherish each other, my Wives! I'm here."
He chuckled to himself a couple of times and jogged lightly to his door. Through the thin glass window, illuminated by the dim yellow light inside, he could vaguely see several graceful figures.
Li Xiaonan grinned and pushed the door open, a wave of fragrant air rushing towards him.
He paused for a moment, wondering to himself: Did these Girls really wash up and wait for me?
With his hands behind his back, he gently closed the door and said with a mischievous smile, "Wives, I'm here!"
As he spoke, he lunged onto the bed, only to be pinned down by three soft figures.
Li Xiaonan exclaimed, "Ouch! Wives, spare me! What are you doing?"
"Hmph! How dare you ask! Where have you been all this time? Why did you stay in the mortal realm for so long?" Yun Moyu said angrily.
Li Xiaonan laughed and pleaded for mercy, "Please spare me, Auntie! I was just looking for Sun Wukong to help the baby change clothes!"
"Hmph! Who are you trying to fool? Changing clothes takes three years! Besides, the baby already told us that you went missing shortly after arriving in the Cultivation realm."
"Sigh... I went to the Underworld, but Lu Ni Chang has gone missing..."
"What do you mean?" Yuan Xian'er asked nervously. "What do you mean by missing?"
Li Xiaonan nodded towards Yun Moyu while looking at Yuan Xian'er.
Yuan Xian'er said, "Sister Mo Yu, let him go!"
With that, Li Xiaonan relaxed his body and sat up with a sigh. "This is a long story that starts from my arrival in the Underworld..."
After listening to Li Xiaonan's description, the atmosphere in the room had already cooled to an extreme, and everyone fell silent.
Li Xiaonan secretly glanced at a few girls dressed only in their undergarments, swallowed hard, and said, "Aren't you cold? Come here and let me warm you up!"
With that, he pulled the three girls into the blankets.
After some playful antics, Yuan Xian'er gasped for breath and said, "Xiao Nan, don't worry. Lu Ni Chang, Sister Ling, and Sister Yanrong will be fine!"
"Yeah! I know. I'm planning to set off tomorrow to find Ling Kui and Yanrong!"
"That soon?" Yun Moyu was taken aback, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.
Li Xiaonan gently pinched her nose and laughed, "Silly girl, I can't bear to leave you. Come on, give me a kiss!"
With that, a tender kiss was firmly pressed against Yun Moyu's icy nose.
"You're so naughty!"
"Yes! I'm naughty, but only towards you all!"
Li Xiaonan quickly stripped off his clothes with a speed that could set a Guinness World Record.
He wrapped his arms around the three soft girls, savoring each moment before beginning his cultivation of the Harmony Technique.
The universe and all its phenomena, the balance of yin and yang, the unity of the infinite—Supreme ascension!
Sixteen golden characters suddenly appeared in Li Xiaonan's Spirit Platform, lingering for a long time without fading.
Just as Li Xiaonan was astonished, a series of symbols resembling chaotic scribbles began to appear one by one, varying in size and disorderly.
Finally, they transformed into a string of golden runes that flew steadily to the Spirit Tree, leaving behind an indelible deep red mark.
A surge of understanding of the grand principles of heaven and earth swept through Li Xiaonan's Spirit Platform.
In Li Xiaonan's eyes, there was no longer a soft girl, but an endless expanse of pitch black.
Suddenly, a spark of starlight exploded from the darkness, and more and more points of light began to collide chaotically, either destroying or merging with one another.
One by one, planets of varying sizes slowly formed, orbiting along specific trajectories, until the darkness transformed into a vast universe.
The perspective shifted once again, landing on a planet that was barren except for gravel.
A figure suddenly appeared on the planet. Li Xiaonan couldn't see the person's face clearly, but could discern their expression; the person was smiling.
They slowly raised their hand, and a dazzling and warm light fell to the ground, where green grass and wildflowers sprouted wherever it touched.
With a light flick of their fingers, mountains rose from the earth, and streams intertwined before finally merging into the sea.
The mysterious creator seemed to smile even more joyfully. With a clap of their hands, two small figures appeared on the ground.
The little figures were naked and bounced around excitedly.
Li Xiaonan could easily tell the difference between them; one was a boy and the other a girl.
The enigmatic creator's lips moved as if speaking something, but unfortunately, Li Xiaonan could not hear.
On the ground, the two little figures lay in the grass, engaging in innocent play.
The glowing orbs in the air rose and fell, and now there was an additional pair of boy and girl figures on the ground.
The four of them held hands and all smiled foolishly in Li Xiaonan's direction.
Heaven and earth manifested; yin and yang converged; the infinite united—Supreme became divine!
Those sixteen characters suddenly burst forth with dazzling light, purifying and urging the Spirit Tree to grow once more.
Li Xiaonan felt as if his head might explode; this was even more terrifying than memorizing all the classical Chinese texts from high school in one night.
He couldn't help but moan and wail, losing consciousness in an instant.
As dawn broke, Li Xiaonan stirred his fingers and slowly opened his eyes.
The strange phenomenon he experienced while practicing the Harmony Technique last night immediately came to mind, and his first thought was whether the girls beside him were okay.
After a quick check, he found that they were simply sleeping peacefully, and Li Xiaonan let out a sigh of relief.
He then directed his consciousness inward and nearly scared himself to death.
The Spirit Tree in the Spirit Platform had grown thicker than his waist, its branches lush and layered with cherry-sized crimson fruits.
Of course, none of this was the main point; the key was that the Harmony Technique had broken through!
He had jumped directly from the Three Immortal Stage to the third Divine Phase, and the Russian Nesting Doll in his Dantian had fused together, becoming one.
While Li Xiaonan was still in shock over his transformation, others were equally excited.
The Azure Emperor danced around, humming to himself, "I’ve broken through! I’ve broken through!"
After a while, he cleared his throat, straightened up, and walked towards Fisher's Song's room.
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