94: Chapter 94 Return

Wednesday, 10:00 PM.

Chen Zhen walked out of the cave on Changbai Mountain and stood on the snow.

The night wind blew by, whipping up fine snow particles that felt cool against his face.

He looked up at the night sky; the Big Dipper hung at the zenith, its starlight much brighter than usual.

Or rather, his perception was much stronger than usual.

Footsteps came from behind. Yun Xi followed him out and stood beside him.

The two remained silent for a long time.

Finally, Yun Xi spoke: "He... has he really disappeared?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Yun Xi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

"Ten thousand years," she said. "Trapped for ten thousand years."

She turned to look at Chen Zhen.

"What did you say to him at the end while you were in there?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment.

"He said his name was Wuming. He said to tell his Original Body that he no longer blames him."

Yun Xi was stunned for a moment.

"Original Body?"

"He was just a sealed Clone," Chen Zhen said. "The true Original Body is on the other side of the Heavenly Road."

Yun Xi was silent for a few seconds.

"Will the Heavenly Road... really open?"

Chen Zhen did not answer.

He activated [Fragment Perception].

Sixteen points of light.

The five red ones were still there, their positions unchanged.

Of the seven yellow ones, two had moved and were coming this way.

The three green ones.

Yun Xi was beside him, the green point on Changbai Mountain was also nearby, and the green point from Wuyi Mountain was approaching.

The black source point of light had disappeared.

In its place was a new point of light.

It was right in front of him.

He looked down at his own hand.

In his Dantian, the purified fragment was glowing, resonating with the two fused fragments.

That made three.

He looked up at the night sky.

Eighteen fragments; now three were in his hands.

There were still thirteen out there.

The Heavenly Road.

It was soon.

Thursday, 8:00 AM, Chen Zhen stood at the entrance of the Secret Base.

Pushing the door open, everything inside was as it had been.

Six pots of spiritual plants were growing quietly, five hundred Talismans on the wall were glowing faintly, and the four Celestial Star Arrays were still running.

He walked in and sat cross-legged in the center of the array.

He activated [Internal Vision].

In his Dantian, the three fragments had already merged into one.

It was not a simple stacking, but rather the formation of a brand-new structure.

Three dark blue points of light were arranged in a triangle, rotating slowly. With every rotation, they released three times the Stellar Energy.

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 4 1088 / 1800]

One trip to Changbai Mountain had increased it by 450 points.

He was only 712 points away from Qi Refining Level 5.

He opened his eyes and took the stack of blank Talisman paper from his Storage Space.

He continued to draw Talismans.

He needed to replenish what had been used.

One after another, purple light rose and fell within the base.

Thursday, 2:00 PM, his phone vibrated.

A message from Zhou Rui: "Master, are you back?"

Chen Zhen replied: "Mm."

Zhou Rui replied instantly: "Can I come over?"

Chen Zhen replied: "Tonight."

7:00 PM, the door to the Secret Base was knocked.

Chen Zhen opened the door to see Zhou Rui standing outside, with another person standing behind him.

Shen Mo.

Chen Zhen looked at Shen Mo.

"Why are you here?"

Shen Mo took the small fragment out of his pocket and handed it to him to see.

"It has been glowing constantly," he said. "Ever since last night, it hasn't stopped. I knew you were nearby."

Chen Zhen took the fragment and glanced at it.

The dark blue light was flickering, its frequency steady, as if it were breathing.

He returned the fragment to Shen Mo and stepped aside.

The two walked into the base.

Zhou Rui froze as soon as he entered, his gaze sweeping over the walls covered in Talismans, the six pots of spiritual plants, the four Celestial Star Arrays, and finally landing on the huge blackboard.

On it was drawn a complete Celestial Star Array.

"Master... did you do all of this?"

Chen Zhen did not answer and walked to the center of the array to sit down.

Shen Mo was much calmer than him; he just looked around, then walked over to the pots of spiritual plants, squatted down, and stared at the soul-calming grass.

"Did you grow these?"

"Mm."

Shen Mo reached out and gently touched the leaves.

The leaves trembled slightly.

He withdrew his hand, stood up, and walked in front of Chen Zhen.

"Did you see my grandfather?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Why do you ask?"

Shen Mo took the small fragment out of his pocket.

"It showed me an image last night," he said. "My grandfather was standing in a cave, with a person opposite him. That person... looked a bit like you."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"That person was not me."

Shen Mo waited for him to continue.

Chen Zhen thought for a moment and said: "That was your grandfather's Original Body."

Shen Mo was stunned for a moment.

"Original Body?"

"Your grandfather is not an ordinary person," Chen Zhen said. "He was the first person to achieve Fusion with a Star Core, and the first to walk the Heavenly Road. The small fragment in your hand is what he left behind."

Shen Mo looked down at the fragment in his hand.

"Then... what about the grandfather I've seen since I was a child?"

"A Clone," Chen Zhen said. "He split himself into two parts; one part remained here to guard, and one part went to the other side of the Heavenly Road."

Shen Mo was silent for a long time.

Then he asked: "Is he... still alive now?"

Chen Zhen thought about what Wuming had said before he dissipated.

"He told me to tell your grandfather—that he no longer blames him."

Shen Mo's eyes turned red, but he did not cry.

He put the fragment back into his pocket and took a deep breath.

"Thank you."

Chen Zhen nodded.

Zhou Rui stood by, looking completely bewildered.

"What are you guys talking about? What grandfather? What Original Body? What Heavenly Road?"

Chen Zhen did not answer.

He stood up and walked over to the pots of spiritual plants.

The six pots of spiritual plants, under the support of the four Celestial Star Arrays, were growing even better than before he left.

The four soul-calming grasses had bloomed with eight more flowers, the Mint leaves were so dense they were about to burst, and the seeds of that wild soul-calming grass had ripened.

He began to harvest.

Eight flowers, ground into powder, yielded twenty grams of pollen.

One hundred Mint leaves were picked, leaving half to continue growing.

A small handful of wild soul-calming grass seeds were collected, enough to plant new ones.

Zhou Rui and Shen Mo watched from the side, neither of them speaking.

After finishing the harvest, Chen Zhen turned to look at them.

"Do you two want to learn?"

Zhou Rui was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

Shen Mo thought for a moment and also nodded.

Chen Zhen took two Talismans out of his Storage Space and handed one to each of them.

They were simplified versions of the Spirit Gathering Talisman.

"Stick these on the walls of your rooms," he said. "Sit in meditation for an hour every morning and evening, and feel the Spiritual Qi."

Zhou Rui took the Talisman and carefully put it away.

Shen Mo also put away the Talisman, then asked: "When will we be able to be like you?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Practice for a month first, and then we'll see."

10:00 PM, the two left.

Chen Zhen sat alone in the center of the array and took out the purified fragment.

That made three.

He stared at it for a long time.

Then he put it away and began to Cultivate.

The three points of light in his Dantian rotated slowly, and Stellar Energy surged into the meridians of his entire body like a tide.

[Cultivation Progress: Qi Refining Level 4 1108 / 1800]

It was soon.

He closed his eyes and continued to Cultivate.

Outside the window, the night was deep.

A new day was about to begin.