Chapter 992 - 438: Universal Disillusionment (Part 2)

In a massive Celestial Palace, one day the endless cultivation resources, cultivation techniques, and such scattered across the world. What was once incredibly secretive and precious cultivation skills were thrown around like worthless scraps of paper, yet passersby, few cultivators, bothered to pick them up.

"Why endure arduous cultivation any longer, when the end has long been marked? Better to savor the present, seeking merely a moment of drunken bliss!"

"Now I finally understand, on this path of immortality, it's nothing but a gathering of pitiful souls. Hahaha... For the sake of becoming an immortal, for the sake of longevity, they've long turned childhood dreams, youthful passions, and the loves of their lives into mere illusions. How absurd, how absurd!"

"Suddenly hearing of the impending calamity, only then did I believe my past heart's error... On the path to longevity, nothing remains but heartless bones and cold-blooded corpses. When I look back suddenly, everyone is weeping, hahaha..."

This is an era of shattered dreams, an age where the mundane became joy. Immortals seek the earthly world, transcended into the Karmic Fire, obliterating the illusory desires on the path of longevity, ultimately leaving behind only the withered ashes of reality.

Some forces still persist, striving to carve out pure lands, hoping to evade disasters at the sacrifice of the world, allowing their legacies to continue. They search everywhere, some descending to the lower realms, others venturing far to the borders of the vast void beyond the thirty-three layers of heaven.

Confusion, downfall, freedom, exploration.

In the end, many forces truly felt they had found pure lands, secretly sending away many seed-level figures.

...

Yunluo Province.

Amid the mountains and forests, Gu Xuening donned a simple dress. She found a pool in these mountains and caught two crocodiles in the midst of mating.

She was curious too, why Li An always liked eating crocodile meat. The texture was quite coarse and not particularly good food. Li An told her that when he advanced to diamond rank, he was bullied by a crocodile and lost. That experience led to his love for eating crocodile meat in a fit of pique.

When she asked where he got bullied by the crocodile, he said it was a canyon, which made Gu Xuening laugh nonstop. Who could have imagined that a Daluo Golden Immortal could be bullied by a crocodile?

Because of this, she indeed started enjoying crocodile meat with Li An. Every crocodile breeding season, she would specifically hunt crocodiles to roast; she even honed exceptional culinary skills.

Before the cave dwelling, she roasted the crocodile to a golden, crispy perfection, sprinkled with cumin, chili, and various seasonings, causing the fragrance to drift far and wide.

"Smells so good, your cooking has improved again."

Li An's voice sounded; he had come out of seclusion once more.

"How was it, after secluded cultivation for so long, did you make more gains?"

Gu Xuening smiled and asked.

Li An walked over, wrapping his arms around her. Unable to resist lowering her head as her face flushed, she said, "Can we eat the crocodile first? It'll get overcooked in a while."

"If it gets burnt, we'll just catch more."

Li An chuckled, leaving Gu Xuening helpless — it had become a routine now; every time Li An emerged from seclusion, he would first look for her, making her sigh.

After becoming immortal, one could control bodily instincts well, but after Li An's periodic seclusion, it's as if he's famished, making it hard for her to handle.

But she also discovered that after each time, a strange sensation would arise within her. It seemed as though her Life Seed had grown considerably. Although she hardly cultivated anymore, her cultivation was nearing completion.

She was nearing Taiyi Golden Immortal Perfection.

She realized that Li An wasn't just seeking to satisfy desires; he was helping her, and she was deeply moved by this.

"Xue Lang, when do we leave?"

After eating crocodile meat, she lay in Li An's embrace, gazing at the starlit sky, "I want to take you to see the place where I grew up. Back then, my family was poor, but I loved flowers. Every time at the market, I'd follow behind those affluent ladies, looking at the flowers on their heads. Later, my dad planted many rapeseed flowers in our vegetable garden. During spring, when they bloomed, butterflies and bees would gather. So beautiful, even more beautiful when the wind blew..."

"Xue Lang, what about you? Is there a place you particularly want to see?"

In Li An's mind, many images flashed — mostly of this lifetime: rebirth, entering Profound Yang Sect, struggling for survival at Spirit Plant Mountain, painstaking management in Qingyang's market, reclusion in Moon Tempering Valley, cultivation in White Tiger City...

Then to Celestial Killer Mountains, Dao Sect's Spirit Realm, and beyond to the thirty-third heavens...

It was only now he realized his most memorable moments of this life, and the clearest ones, were actually from the time he was weakest. Ever since he entered the thirty-third heavens, it had all been a struggle, calculation, and being too far removed from the mundane world made those memories somewhat distorted.

Perhaps he should go back and take a look.

At this thought, he felt moved. A slight hesitation later, he said, "Actually, before entering Qingyuan Mountain, I had another identity."

Gu Xuening remained calm, smiling, "I know."

"I also know you want to leave me now, right?"

Her clear eyes looked at Li An, full of gentle affection yet without a trace of blame, "The Immortal path has ended. Everyone is figuring out how to live this life well, to make up for regrets without asking about the next life. Although I don't know why you kept persisting in your cultivation, I think you must have unforgettable pasts and unredeemable regrets in your heart."

"Go ahead, Xue Lang. I will wait for you."

"When you're done with your tasks, come back to me, alright? I'll be at home waiting, in that place filled with rapeseed flowers, waiting for you to accompany me to see the flowers."

She reached out, gently caressing Li An's face.

Li An felt a slight stir in his heart. Truthfully, his initial approach to Gu Xuening was purely for exploitation. He even helped her seize the Longevity White Mist and later staged a rescue in a bizarre war, all to achieve his goals.

But now, unknowingly, he indeed felt a sense of guilt and attachment.

"Is this the Heart Demon?"

He couldn't help but self-deprecate. Back then, Gu Hong treated him so well, yet in his heart, possibly due to fear or weakness, he never reciprocated that affection for Gu Hong.

Only after Gu Hong's death did everything hidden finally dare to transform into hatred.

"If you encounter any danger, don't be stubborn about it, survive — just survive."

He spoke softly, then kissed her forehead.

"I will come to find you."

Li An got up and left.

With the world in chaos, hearts fluctuate; before Yunluo Immortal Venerable's sacrificial ceremony, he indeed wanted to go to Dao Sect to see his acquaintances from times past.

Gu Xuening watched him leave, whispering only when his figure finally disappeared, "I'll wait for you, forever."

...

After leaving Yunluo Province, Li An did not rush but observed the changes in world cultivators along the way, feeling deeply.

Men and women indulged in temporary pleasures, ordinary people only seeking the present moment, geniuses who abandoned the cultivation path, strong ones who secluded themselves in markets... He saw far too much.

He even couldn't tell whether it's a chaotic world or a prosperous one now, whether the reality before him was real or an illusion.

For the common people, perhaps the cultivation and past pursuits of longevity were merely a dream, and now was the real return to normal?

Li An didn't know.

He silently traversed the mortal realm.

...

Not long after.

Li An passed through the Tenth and Ninth Celestial Realms, entering the Seventh Celestial Realm.

The situation within the Celestial Realm was much like in the Deceit Realm. Having lost hope, choices were the same: to live the present well.

But unlike the Deceit Realm, which was filled with doomsday carousal, the Celestial Court still maintained a basic order, so acts that defied the norm and principle hadn't happened on a large scale.

With some inquiries, Li An learned that Li Nianxue was guarding a certain Immortal City in the Seventh Celestial Realm.

As he entered the Immortal City and passed through the bustling crowds, he stopped before the magnificent and solemn City Lord's Mansion. Approaching, two guards halted him, saying, "Who are you, and what is your business? The City Lord is in seclusion, do not disturb unless it is essential."

Li An smiled slightly and said, "Please report that an old acquaintance from the East Mountain is here to visit."

Previously, he and Li Nianxue exchanged letters on the East Mountain in a certain Immortal City of the Tenth Celestial Realm. By saying this, Li Nianxue would certainly understand.

The guards did not refuse, immediately heading inside. Not long after, a woman hurriedly emerged, and upon seeing the dusty traveler Li An standing outside the mansion, grew overwhelmingly emotional!

...