Chapter 364: Return to the Lower World
On this day, the sky of the Spirit World was exceptionally clear.
The mist that had shrouded the Endless Sea all year round suddenly dissipated.
People stood by the coast, gazing at a scene they had never seen before—greenish-blue seawater, vast and boundless, connecting with the horizon, as if the entire world had been pulled toward a broader distance overnight.
The laws of the Spirit World quietly changed.
The originally incomplete Water Law was completed due to the integration of the East Sea Remnant World. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth became more concentrated, and the cycle more complete.
Cultivators were surprised to find that when cultivating water-attribute techniques, the circulation of spiritual power was as smooth as floating clouds and flowing water, without any stagnation. Alchemists noticed that the medicinal properties of spiritual herbs had become milder, and the rate of successful pill refinement greatly increased. Even ordinary people could feel that with every breath, the air was as fresh as if washed, and their bodies were as light as feathers.
In the depths of the Endless Sea, Xuanwu's true body was like an ancient mountain range, carrying the entire Spirit World continent, steadily suspended above the sea.
Waves surged by his side, yet they could never shake this land.
The anticipated world-destroying flood did not descend because Xuanwu held up the entire continent with his own power. He would bear the Spirit World for many years until a new foundation grew again and could once more support this heaven and earth.
From then on, the Spirit World was no longer an isolated land, but a truly complete heaven and earth.
...
Lin Wan led the old man into the Spirit World. The ground beneath her feet trembled slightly, as if jumping for joy. She could feel the joy of this world; the breeze blew, grass and trees swayed, and even the spiritual energy became jubilant.
"Here is..."
The old man looked around, a trace of shock flashing through his turbid eyes.
"A complete Small Thousand World?"
"Not quite complete yet, but soon."
Lin Wan said with some pride; after all, it was a world she had personally nurtured.
In the next instant, the scenery around the two changed again.
They had already returned to a wooden hut.
Just as the old man was about to speak, he saw Lin Wan's figure before him dissipate like smoke, turning into a wisp of clear breeze and vanishing into the air.
Immediately after, a black-haired youth stood before him at some unknown time.
His figure was upright, his eyebrows and eyes like swords, and in his pupils, it seemed as if the star river was circulating. The aura around his body was fused with this heaven and earth.
The old man's pupils suddenly contracted, and his withered fingers trembled slightly.
He looked at that familiar face, and in a trance, it was as if he had returned to countless years ago—
"Saint... Saint Master..."
His voice was hoarse. His knees heavily smashed onto the ground, and his forehead bowed deeply.
"Finally... I see you again."
The youth's gaze was calm and profound. He did not speak, only quietly watching him.
The wind stopped, and a silence filled the world.
It was as if time had solidified at this moment.
...
Chen Changan ignored him and first calculated with his fingers, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"This trip to the Return to Ruins, a month has actually passed in the Lower World?" he whispered to himself.
The old man stood to the side, his turbid gaze staring tightly at him, his whole body as silent as a cicada in winter.
Afterward, Chen Changan faced him and said directly:
"I am not the Saint Master."
Hearing this, the old man slowly stepped forward, carefully examining his face, and finally shook his head, saying resolutely:
"The appearance is indeed different... but on you, it is full of the Saint Master's aura."
Chen Changan sighed, patted his shoulder, and then waved his sleeve. A delicate paper crane floated in the air, its snow-white wings glowing with a lustrous sheen in the sunlight.
The paper crane lightly pecked at his fingertips twice, then flapped its wings and rose, passing through the half-open window lattice, turning into a white rainbow that cut across the vast sky.
In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, light footsteps came from outside the door.
Lu Xiaoluo, dressed in plain clothes, with a jade pendant at her waist ringing lightly, stood respectfully in front of the door:
"Master summoned your disciple, is there an instruction?"
Chen Changan stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the old man standing to the side:
"Take this old gentleman to see that Heavenly Demon Venerable."
He paused, then transmitted his voice secretly:
"Watch him, be more attentive."
Hearing this, the old man felt a ripple in his turbid eyes after hearing the four words 'Heavenly Demon Venerable'.
"Go ahead."
Chen Changan nodded slightly. The morning light cast dappled light and shadows on his face through the window gauze.
"This is my disciple; she will take you to see an... old acquaintance. Perhaps..."
He glanced at the old man meaningfully.
"It can help you remember something."
Lu Xiaoluo calmly turned sideways to lead the way, the long sword at her waist giving off a cold glint with her movement.
The old man followed behind her with a hunched back, his cloth shoes making a slight rustling sound on the blue stone slabs.
Upon reaching the courtyard gate, he suddenly stopped and looked back, his turbid gaze passing through the courtyard, taking a deep look at Chen Changan, before disappearing outside the window with Lu Xiaoluo's figure.
...
The wooden door gently closed, and silence returned to the room.
Chen Changan stood before the window, his fingertips stroking the jade slip obtained from the old man, his expression thoughtful.
A white figure quietly appeared behind him, the hem of her skirt lightly rising, elegant like a cloud.
...
"Hongli, am I really the Saint Master he spoke of?"
Chen Changan did not turn back, his voice low and calm. For this month, he often switched back to his main body and informed Ji Hongli of his clone's experiences one by one, so he was not surprised by her appearance at this moment.
Ji Hongli stepped forward slowly, her slender jade hands gently resting on his shoulder. Her clear voice sounded behind him:
"You are you. No matter who you once were, right now you are Chen Changan, my husband, and Xing Cai's father."
Chen Changan's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He turned around, meeting his wife's eyes which were as clear as autumn water, filled with determination and tenderness.
"Yes..."
He sighed softly, holding the jade slip in his palm.
"Perhaps I am overthinking."
He was very satisfied with his current identity and did not want to be anyone else.
However, if he really did have such a past life, he would accept it calmly.
But that was all.
Ji Hongli reached out to brush away a strand of broken hair from his brow, the temperature of her fingertips making Chen Changan feel a sense of peace.
He took a deep breath, his gaze becoming determined again, and slowly extended his consciousness into the jade slip.
The answer was about to be revealed.
Outside the window, a flower petal drifted down with the wind, lightly grazing the window lattice, shimmering with a faint light in the sunlight.
...
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