Chapter 584: Grand world meets old friends

On the road.

"Tian Li, you take them back first."

Chen Xun suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed in a certain direction. "Bull and I will follow shortly, at most in a day."

Tian Li's eyes were filled with concern as he bowed his head. "Sir, your injuries..."

"Yes, I'll just stay here for a while, no dueling, don't worry."

Chen Xun turned to Tian Li with a smile, knowing his background well. "I just happened to see an old acquaintance, going to catch up, don't overthink it."

Tian Li glanced around slightly; many cultivators still had their eyes on them. He nodded, "Understood."

With a deep look in his eyes, Chen Xun nodded to everyone and left with Black Bull.

Tian Li watched them go, speaking coldly, "Let's leave first, don't cause trouble. Many cultivators are already probing us, Ji Yan will handle things there."

The tens of thousands of Immortal Prison beings nodded quietly. Their gazes were somewhat unfriendly, but no cultivator forcibly followed them, as everyone knew some basic rules.

They then headed towards the teleportation hall. There were still many things to do, and Ji Yan had already made plans. They knew what they should be doing, rather than engaging in meaningless personal rivalries.

Their figures disappeared within the range of the Tower of Babel, with a long journey still ahead.

Although their spiritual estate was bought in Xuanwei Heaven, it was actually a hundred and eighty thousand miles away from here...

Even the vast Mengmu Sea Region couldn't compare to one percent of the grandeur of Xuanwei Heaven, the disparity was quite significant, and even the Xuanwei Celestial Palace couldn't dominate this heavenly capital.

Outside the Tower of Babel, in the wilderness, stood an ancient pavilion.

A middle-aged male cultivator stood guard here, sporting a thick beard, lush and textured, like dense branches in a forest.

His face was resolute and firm, with fine wrinkles left by the passage of time, yet one could still see his youthful appearance.

His gaze was extremely sharp, his cultivation had reached the Transformation stage, but it was somewhat lacking compared to the major forces around the Tower of Babel. However, in these ordinary pavilions, he was considered a strong presence.

Chen Xun and Black Bull slowly approached him, their eyes fixed on his face, somewhat presumptuously.

The middle-aged cultivator frowned, meeting their gaze with some confusion, then bowed, "Greetings, senior, are you here for the Cangyun Pavilion..."

"Dai Xinqing?"

"Moo!"

Chen Xun and Black Bull interrupted him before he could finish, asking uncertainly, as this person's face was too reminiscent of someone.

In the Elemental Infant Realm, one could have a photographic memory, especially for things with some impression. With a slight recollection, memories could gradually become clear.

The middle-aged cultivator trembled all over, his expression somewhat shocked. How did this senior recognize him? He bowed his head respectfully, with a cautious demeanor, "Yes, senior."

"Could we find another place to talk? There are too many eyes here."

"Senior, alright, but it must be within an hour, and we can't go too far."

"Hehe, of course."

Chen Xun smiled slightly, his gaze still on the weathered face. He remembered that Dai Xinqing used to be quite talkative and had a rather cheerful personality.

They moved to a secluded spot outside the pavilion, Dai Xinqing's face visibly tense, unsure of what this senior wanted from him, but he dared not defy the senior's wishes.

A soundproof barrier slowly unfolded.

Chen Xun's gaze sharpened, and he uttered, "Tian Duan chasm, thousand-year Overturned Sky Pass..."

Dai Xinqing's pupils contracted as if struck by heavenly thunder, his gaze gradually meeting Chen Xun's, past memories flooding his soul like a torrent.

He looked at Black Bull, then spoke with a trembling voice, "You... you... you are that senior..."

Dai Xinqing's soul was still in turmoil, his eyes filled with emptiness, full of disbelief, unable to fathom that this senior had lived to this day!

"It's me." Chen Xun's gaze carried a touch of the past, nodding gently. "Did you escape, or did you come out when the boundary path opened?"

"Ah?" Dai Xinqing suddenly snapped back, his eyes filled with confusion. What did he mean by escape? "Senior, we came directly to the grand world when we saw the boundary path open."

"What about your friend Huang Shao? Hehe, I have some impression of him." Chen Xun, for some reason, felt a sense of relief that these juniors hadn't witnessed the destruction of the boundary.

His sense of guilt inexplicably dissipated slightly, knowing that many cultivators had left early over the past century.

Black Bull looked up at Chen Xun, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable meaning, then gradually lowered his head without making a sound.

But unexpectedly, upon hearing Huang Shao's name, Dai Xinqing fell silent, his aura deepening significantly.

After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, "Reporting to senior, Huang Shao has fallen."

Chen Xun's gaze sharpened upon hearing this, the atmosphere becoming somewhat tense. How could Huang Shao have died after reaching the grand world, when even the Boundary Battlefield hadn't claimed the brothers' lives?

He spoke calmly, "Did something happen?"

"Senior, Huang Shao fell seven hundred years ago, hunted down by a Unity realm expert from the Celestial Palace... killed."

Dai Xinqing's eyes dimmed, his mood turning exceptionally low. "New to this world, he didn't understand the rules, and was crushed on the path of immortality by a single word. Huang Shao was several times stronger than me, yet he couldn't withstand these grand world experts."

He finished with a self-deprecating smile, the terrifying sense of powerlessness still haunting him even after seven hundred years, making survival a constant struggle.

Chen Xun fell silent, frowning slightly as he looked at the still-bowing Dai Xinqing. "I didn't mean to bring it up, I hope you don't mind."

A deep hatred flashed in Dai Xinqing's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. Huang Shao was not only his brother in life and death but also his only family in the world.

They had once been ambitious, entering the grand world together, hoping to make a name for themselves, walking hand in hand on the endless path of immortality.

But the result was this situation. Huang Shao's life was decided by a single word, and he became a guard of a small pavilion, living just to survive, no longer daring to hope for anything.

He faced Chen Xun with respect in his eyes, as if he had completely let go, not caring about the matter at all.

"These are some high-grade Qi-Enhancing Pills, beneficial for your cultivation and comprehension."

Chen Xun looked at Dai Xinqing without speaking, then took out the pills he had refined from his storage ring. "We all came from the small boundary, take them."

But Dai Xinqing merely smiled slightly, even stepping back and bowing, "Senior, there's no need. I hold no hatred in my heart. If I can break through to the Void Refinement Realm, that's great. If not, it doesn't matter. I'll let nature take its course, not forcing anything anymore."

His words were sincere, yet carried an indescribable sense of defeat. The wonders of the grand world had completely lost their luster in his heart, leaving no spirit for exploring the path of immortality.