Chapter 852: Hometown

"In the end, there is no one left at all."

Once everyone had left, only one person remained in that Fragment of the plane left behind by the Sovereign.

He was clearly right there, standing in a conspicuous place from beginning to end, yet no one paid him any mind; everyone had left without a single person greeting him, and many even walked right past him without sparing him an extra glance.

Of course, he himself had not followed any of the teams, just standing there, his expression so calm it was almost inhuman.

Only after everyone had departed and the surroundings turned deathly silent did he reveal a hint of emotion—some melancholy, some regret, some relief, and just a touch of loneliness hidden behind all those emotions, impossible to detect.

"As expected, I still remember myself," he muttered to himself. "Why must I remember myself? Is it because a Sword Guest is immune to their own Sword Technique? How troublesome. Sometimes, there is no need for this."

He stamped on the solid ground beneath his feet, which felt just like the soil of the Human World: "My apologies, Dayantian; even you, the Sovereign's homeland, are destined to be forgotten by others and drift in the Void forever. But it does not matter; although you have been forgotten, the Sovereign's name will be remembered forever. As long as the Human World remains, the Sovereign's deeds will be passed down eternally..."

"Ah, why am I saying these things? What does it matter if the Sovereign is remembered by the Human World? I have no connection to the Human World anymore." He turned his head; from this perspective, he could clearly see the vast Void.

So expansive, so empty, so clean. There was only endless gray-white, enough to make one's heart turn gray-white as well.

At this moment, he felt an impulse to just jump—to jump into the Void.

This impulse was like how many people standing on a cliff edge feel the urge to jump; it seemed to be a mark from the deepest part of his Soul.

In fact, he had indeed planned to do so. To jump down and end it all, to wander endlessly in the Void, in a vast world completely devoid of people—that seemed like a destination more suited to him.

Why not?

When he made his decision, it was impossible for anyone to stop him; no one would be around him, chattering away like a well-meaning person trying to talk someone out of suicide. This was very peaceful, very conducive to him making up his mind.

"Let's wait a moment," he decided.

This was not out of fear, but a voice from the bottom of his heart had indeed stopped him. He went to search for that voice, wanting to find the reason his heart refused such an end, but he could not find it. He could not figure out why he would resist leaving just like that. It was clearly what he longed for; why could one longing overcome another?

Since that was the case, then take a step back and stay here forever.

This Dayantian was not small, the environment was quite beautiful, with pavilions and furniture, and the endless Void outside as scenery; it was a place extremely suitable for living in seclusion, and it suited his tastes perfectly. Back when he was wandering in the Human World, his greatest dream was to go to a quiet place far from people, preferably with a small house, free from worries about food and clothing. Just staying here was equivalent to realizing his wish a hundred times over, having a Tianwaitian just like a Sword Immortal.

What else was there to be dissatisfied with?

He felt he had made up his mind, so he walked into the hall where he had rested before, intending to take a nap first.

Even if no one remembered him, he still needed food, clothing, and shelter. He was truly tired today; a month of accumulation and three months of diligent cultivation had all been released in one go today—shouldn't he rest to his heart's content?

However...

He lay on the bed, his eyes wide open, as if reluctant to close them.

Suddenly, he sat up.

"No, I must return to the Human World!"

He had made this decision suddenly, and even he himself was startled. Because he had made the decision before he had figured out the reasons why.

Why return to the Human World?

Was there anything left in the Human World worth lingering over? He asked himself this question. In his impression, the Human World was a very meaningless place; there was not a single place there worth remembering, nor even a single person worth missing. Even regarding his younger brother and sister, he only felt a sense of responsibility; if they could stand on their own, he truly wanted to let go.

He could wait a while, stay by himself, and go visit them when he missed them one day. Other friends and classmates were the same; if he thought of them one day, he would just go back and take a look from afar. In any case, they would not remember him.

Since that was the case, why go back?

He asked himself over and over, never getting an answer, yet he was already prepared to return to the Human World.

Returning to the Human World was easy; there was a special teleportation array within Dayantian, originally meant for the Human World to transport supplies to him. Occasionally, friends like the Six Dragon Swords would also take the teleportation array to see him. So, he just needed to take the teleportation array back in reverse.

However, when taking the teleportation array, he had to push a portion of supplies into the array first before it could be activated, otherwise, the teleportation array would forget him.

He returned.

"Whoosh—"

"Supplies arrived!" A young man guarding the teleportation array was very surprised. "Where did these supplies come from? Why do they look like leftovers? Ordinary food and clothing... who wants this stuff?"

The person next to him shook his head: "Don't know. Is such a small amount of supplies worth using the teleportation array for? Could someone have sent them to the wrong place?"

While they were still chattering away in discussion, the youth had already stood up and walked out of the teleportation array openly.

Suiyu was still the same. It was just that the atmosphere had eased up compared to those previous months; before, everyone seemed like a Donkey turning a millstone, never stopping, but now one could see people slacking off.

As he walked out of the Workshop where the teleportation array was located, he heard people discussing the recently issued ceasefire order: the Human World and the Tianmo Jie would temporarily cease fighting for three years. Most people were beaming when talking about it, and a small number said it was a good thing—after three years of recuperation, they could plan a counterattack.

Besides such major events, people's topics of conversation were trivial matters like cultivation, entertainment, and romance. The young people spoke very lightly, with constant laughter. The youth had rarely experienced these things, but it did not prevent him from revealing a smile: this was the meaning of his sacrifice this time.

Now, where to go?

He thought of a place almost immediately: Yunzhou.

That was his hometown; he should go back. However, his hometown had never meant much to him, and the memories it brought him were mostly painful. He could not think of why he should go back to his hometown either.

But he still had to go back; this thought was so deeply rooted, and like the many thoughts that sprouted naturally today, it controlled his actions.

What was wrong with him?

He noticed his own abnormality. He was an analytical type and a rational person; he thought thrice before acting, had to consider things clearly before taking action, and always made the worst-case plans. It was precisely his caution that had allowed him to survive in countless harsh environments until now. But today, he seemed to be led by his own thoughts.

Could it be that this was a sequela of the Sword Technique? They lost their memories, and I lost my reason?

He analyzed as he traveled, and finally reached a conclusion: perhaps it was not because of the direct effect of the Sword Technique, but because his state of mind had changed.

His instinct realized before his consciousness did that he no longer needed to consider anyone, and no one could hurt him anymore. Since there was no need to think things through thoroughly, why think so much?

To follow one's heart—isn't that satisfying?

Since I want to go back, then go back.

He convinced himself just like that, and returned to Yunzhou as a matter of course.

Upon returning to Yunzhou, he found the atmosphere very solemn. The entrances to towns and villages were draped in mourning cloth, everyone wore a white band around their waists, and their expressions held no laughter; besides sadness, there was an inescapable worry.

What happened?

In his current state, he could not ask others, but as long as he found a place to listen for a while, he would understand the reason.

The Gaoyuan Marquis had passed away!

The Governor of Yunzhou, the Gaoyuan Marquis, who had ruled Yunzhou for several years and saved it from chaos, had passed away!

He felt a jolt upon hearing this news, and a thought emerged, but it dissipated before he could grasp it. He did not know what he had just thought of.

He calmed down and finally understood the worry of the people of Yunzhou: had the good days of Yunzhou come to an end?

He had absolutely no personal connection with the Gaoyuan Marquis; one could say they had never even met. Therefore, even though the Land Inspection Division was touted as the personal troops of the Gaoyuan Marquis, he did not feel the same sense of closeness toward the Marquis as those seniors and superiors did. However, this did not prevent him from understanding that Yunzhou had been stabilized by the Gaoyuan Marquis, and that the Gaoyuan Marquis was the stabilizing force of Yunzhou. That he could later have a place to work and receive a stable salary was no small feat in these chaotic times. In that sense, the Gaoyuan Marquis also bestowed upon him the grace of protection.

Now that the stabilizing force had arrived, could this sea still remain as calm as it had been in the past?

"Then, who is the successor?"

This question was troublesome because he could not ask it; ordinary commoners simply did not know, and those who did were not necessarily willing to discuss it. Yet, he inexplicably wanted to know the answer, so he went to the local Land Inspection Division to lie in wait.

After waiting for two days, he finally got the answer:

It was the former Deputy Commander of the Land Inspection Division, Fu Xianchan!

Why was it her?

This was not a very familiar name to Changle either. If they had any intersection, it was when Fu Xianchan participated as an Inspection Envoy during the time the Demon Cave descended when he was small; they had even met twice. Later, he heard that this Inspection Envoy had a smooth official career, and by the time he graduated from the Training Camp, she had already been promoted to Deputy Commander.

Logically speaking, all these big shots had nothing to do with him. He had met this Commander Fu once, so he should not have been opposed to her promotion, yet he still felt somewhat unconvinced.

Why was it her?

He did not even know who he was feeling unconvinced on behalf of; it certainly could not be for himself, could it? It would not be his turn in eight lifetimes. If it were someone he knew, like Xing Ji, it was even more impossible; even a fool knew Xing Ji lacked that kind of prestige. What Yunzhou needed was stability, and if no one had sufficient prestige and strength, then having good connections was the most important thing.

However... he was just somewhat unconvinced. He always felt there should have been a better candidate.

"The Marquis's Spirit Hall is set up in Zhongtian Prefecture? Five days from now is the day of the third-seven funeral rites?" The youth received the news and once again had an instinctive thought, "At any rate, I have been under her protection and received a salary for several years; I will also go to pay my respects to express my feelings, and consider it as me settling a piece of worldly karma."