On the little hill.
Yun Jin looked at the elders, a bit lost, and asked cautiously, "Is… something wrong?"
The Grand Elder gritted her teeth and forced out through clenched teeth, "Nothing's wrong! Wan Dao is fine, yes, Wan Dao is… really something."
Yun Jin: "…"
The more she listened, the more she felt like grinding her teeth.
A few nearby elders coughed awkwardly.
Yun Jin was still confused when a voice rang in her head, the Second Elder speaking.
"Actually, it's nothing too serious. The Grand Elder has always been a peerless genius in the Law of Space. Like Wan Dao, she has a spatial constitution. After meeting Wan Dao, they became friends and agreed to adventure together. About a thousand years ago, they arranged a duel against two other strong cultivators. But when the day came, Wan Dao didn't show. The Grand Elder fought both enemies alone. She won in the end, but was seriously injured.
The Grand Elder waited at the duel site for three months, but Wan Dao never came.
After that, she joined the Space Society without hesitation, dedicating herself to researching the Law of Space and never venturing out again.
Her cultivation has since skyrocketed. You could call her the number one in the Void Mirage World. But… judging by her reaction, she still remembers that incident."
Hearing the Second Elder's explanation, Yun Jin finally understood.
She looked at the Grand Elder and sighed.
The Grand Elder's expression was indifferent. "Since you're his disciple, where is he? Afraid to come? Maybe he's too ashamed to face anyone."
Yun Jin cupped her hands in respect and said, "Back then, Master did miss the appointment. But… if there was even the slightest chance, Master would've come."
The Grand Elder frowned. "What do you mean? A thousand years ago, Wan Dao's power was already late Heavenly Immortal! Is there anything in your small world that even he can't handle?"
Yun Jin said softly, "What if the crisis comes from beyond the heavens?"
The Grand Elder's pupils constricted sharply.
Yun Jin continued calmly, "A thousand years ago, in the Vast Azure World, a black hole appeared. On the other side was the Polar Night Demon World, a first-level small world. To protect the lives there, Master dragged the entire Wushuang Sect into another-dimensional space. Master and all the Wushuang cultivators… perished together."
Perished?
The Grand Elder's body trembled slightly. Her old friend had been a bit stronger than her. So she had never imagined that Wan Dao Saint would face any danger in a third-level small world. And that's why she had resented him all these years.
But now.
This woman was saying that Wan Dao… had really died!
"Impossible." The Grand Elder's lips trembled. Suddenly, she seemed to grasp a loophole, staring at Yun Jin intently. "No, no. You bear traces of time, meaning you've experienced multiple time flows, but even with those, your real age isn't over a hundred! You say Wan Dao fell a thousand years ago, so how could he still take you as a disciple?"
A flicker of anger flashed in the Grand Elder's eyes. "I hate being deceived! If you're his disciple, how could you trick me with life and death matters!"
As she spoke, terrifying energy surged around her.
She was truly angry.
Yun Jin sighed and spoke softly, "What I say isn't false. Master had already perished, but before falling, he left a secret realm containing his legacy."
Spiritual energy gathered at Yun Jin's brow, forming a sword imprint. "Senior should recognize this. It's Master's Tian Po Sword. Back then, Master couldn't bear the idea of it being destroyed with him, so he forcibly severed the bond with it and placed it in the Sword Tomb. A thousand years later, I happened to awaken the Tian Po Sword, gaining Master's legacy.
Over the years, I've rebuilt the Wushuang Sect. The Tian Po Sword remains in the sect, never leaving with me. If you don't believe me, next time I can bring it along."
Yun Jin explained.
The moment the Grand Elder saw the sword imprint, she was already dazed, speechless.
That imprint… really was the Tian Po Sword. It was Wan Dao's life-bound treasure. But now, its aura had already weakened beyond recognition.
A cultivator and their life-bound treasure losing connection… what did that mean? Wan Dao… had truly perished.
The Grand Elder staggered. A few nearby elders rushed to support her until she could stand. She stared at the sword imprint, her voice suddenly dry and hoarse. "He… has really fallen."
He knew the crisis waiting for him, so why didn't he seek her help? Why face it alone? Did he even know… how much she had cursed him during those lonely three months?
Afterwards, she entered the Tower of Truth and never left.
She told herself.
Even if Wan Dao returned to this world, she wouldn't care.
Their friendship ended there.
But…
A thousand years passed, and he never showed up. She thought he was too timid to come. But he… had really perished. She would've preferred he be a cowardly, deceitful man than face this truth.
"Senior." Yun Jin looked on, feeling a bit uneasy herself.
The Grand Elder calmed herself and looked at Yun Jin with gentler eyes. "Wan Dao wasn't nearly as strong as you at your age. Even though he… even though he's perished, you haven't tarnished his reputation. You've even rebuilt the Wushuang Sect?"
Yun Jin nodded. "I never met Master, but his will still flows in the Wushuang Sect."
The Grand Elder was silent for a moment, then said, "Your world has even produced a black hole connecting two small worlds. That proves the Polar Night Demon World isn't far from you."
Otherwise, such a passage wouldn't exist.
In the Vast Azure World, this is still a secret.
But in the Void Mirage World, where the Law of Space is studied in depth, it's obvious. If the worlds weren't this close, and the spatial fluctuations didn't begin to unify, such a passage couldn't form.
"And precisely because the Vast Azure World blocks it, the Void Mirage World hasn't yet seen the shadow of the Polar Night Demon World," the Grand Elder said softly. "But once the Vast Azure World falls, the Void Mirage World will quickly become the next target."
A first-level world.
And a top-tier first-level world.
For a second-level world like theirs, it would be overwhelmingly powerful.
These were Yun Jin's words to say…
But the Grand Elder spoke them first.
"Are you here seeking cooperation?" the Grand Elder asked calmly.
Yun Jin scratched her head. Her lines had basically all been stolen.