634: That's not how it works!

Shen Bei was on the verge of tears. Yan Jingchang's face, illuminated by the green light, turned a ghastly green.

"Brother Shen, I'm not his opponent. It's over..."

If even a Great Cultivator of Divine Power Realm isn't his opponent, then I certainly am not...

Shen Bei's lips trembled. An old monster whose memories had dissipated, even risking his life, he was no match for him.

A strong individual who could forcefully cling to his last breath and contend with the heavens was someone they could only look up to, barely even seeing the soles of his feet.

Fighting was out of the question...

With a little thought, Shen Bei deduced that this elder had died here back then, but was also trapped here, unable to leave. He had lost his way back.

After so many years, he was still alive, but it was highly probable that he had forgotten who he was and the way back, remembering only the most essential things.

However, this old fellow still had one breath left; strictly speaking, he wasn't truly dead. There was no way to send him off to the afterlife...

"Brother Shen, it seems we both might die here today. I've been away from the mountain gate for a long time; meeting Brother Shen can be considered a worthwhile journey down the mountain..." Yan Jingchang slightly raised his head, his eyes glistening with tears, almost crying.

"To think that I, Yan Jingchang, the most promising person among the younger generation of Three Realms Mountain, would die today at the hands of a dead man with only one breath left..."

It was too stifling...

"Brother Green Light, as things stand, there's only one last path we can take." Shen Bei furrowed his brows, desperately recalling the ancient texts he had seen at the Night Watcher's.

He was incredibly grateful now for his past self who used to read books whenever he had nothing to do. It was truly a wise decision. Whether he lived or died depended on whether this was true.

"Brother Shen, you don't need to comfort me. I know how terrifying these completely lost powerhouses are. Everyone dies eventually; I just feel a bit unwilling..."

"Brother Green Light, I once read a record that if you encounter such a lost powerhouse, and if he has forgotten his way back, as long as you promise to take him back, he will not harm your life..."

"Is that true? Why have I never heard of it?" Yan Jingchang was stunned...

"This place has been sealed for so long, and this Senior should have been dead for just as long, yet he can still forcefully cling to his breath. His strength in life must have been immense, most likely a powerhouse from the Great Wilderness..."

However, Shen Bei hadn't even finished speaking...

Yan Jingchang had already stepped forward, walking with his head held high and chest puffed out.

"Senior, I am Yan Jingchang of Three Realms Mountain. If Senior is a powerhouse from the Great Wilderness, you must not be an unknown figure. As long as this Junior lives, I will surely take you back!"

"Boom..."

The old man suddenly looked up. The Death Qi within him transformed into gray-black smoke, soaring into the sky. His cloudy eyes suddenly became clear and profound, and his hunched back straightened.

"Thank you." The old man uttered two words in a deep voice, taking a step that seemed to cross space, instantly appearing on Yan Jingchang's back.

The old man lay on Yan Jingchang's back, his shriveled arms wrapped around Yan Jingchang's neck...

In an instant, all the Death Qi that had erupted from the old man's body receded, and his eyes returned to their original cloudy state. He looked like a timid, terminally ill old man.

"Se-Senior..." Yan Jingchang's voice changed pitch, his eyes blank and empty, his body trembling like a sieve, his hands and feet stiff, completely unsure what to do.

"Brother Green Light, you are a true man! My admiration for you is like the surging river, endless!" Shen Bei said with a solemn expression, genuinely praising Yan Jingchang.

This time, it was truly sincere, from the bottom of his heart.

A hero...

The old man's name, unknown...

Whether he was a powerhouse from the Great Wilderness, also unknown...

Where his sect was, or even if it still existed, also unknown...

Even so, he dared to make such a promise.

Truly a brave man.

If such a promise couldn't be fulfilled, people would truly die.

And they would first suffer a fate worse than death, then die a miserable death.

After a long while, the stunned Yan Jingchang slowly recovered, feeling the old man on his back, his raised hairs still not settling down.

"Brother Shen, you didn't say it would be like this..." This time, Yan Jingchang truly cried, scared to tears.

Shen Bei was startled, his mouth twitching.

I admired you in my heart for so long for nothing!

Turns out, you just misunderstood!

You rushed forward without a word.

And now you're blaming me?

But in this situation, Shen Bei couldn't bear to say anything else, only offering gentle comfort.

"Brother Green Light, at least it's still a good outcome for now. After all, you yourself said that with your sect's capabilities, it shouldn't be difficult to find out about a presumably famous powerhouse. As long as you can send this Senior back, there will be many benefits..."

"Brother Shen, next time, can you finish your sentences...?"

"Brother Green Light, there's something I must say: when you listen to people talk, you must always let them finish. It's a good habit."

Yan Jingchang, carrying the old man, was on the verge of tears. His lips trembled for a long time, unable to utter a word.

"Alright, let's continue. This Senior is so thin, at most seventy or eighty pounds. With Brother Green Light's strength, carrying him shouldn't affect anything. Besides, with this Senior here, no ordinary evil dares to harm you..."

Yan Jingchang remained silent, the hairs on his body still standing on end.

Shen Bei let out a dry laugh and also fell silent. Anything he said now would sound like schadenfreude...

The two continued forward, and perhaps because Yan Jingchang was carrying a Bald Old Ancestor, they didn't encounter any more evil creatures.

After another three days of walking.

They finally saw something that moved again...

At the top of a nearly vertical stone mountain, a slender woman stood.

The woman wore a veil, a red and gold embroidered cape, and a pair of red embroidered shoes that looked as if they were soaked in blood.

"Brother Shen, an-another one..." Yan Jingchang's face turned green, and his calves instinctively trembled.

"I... I didn't see anything, Brother Green Light. I think the path ahead is difficult; let's take a detour..." Shen Bei swallowed, his eyes darting around. This one's Aura was even stronger than the Bald Old Ancestor's.

"Brother Shen is right." Yan Jingchang was stunned. He didn't bother to accuse Shen Bei of lying and quickly nodded.

However...

The two had not gone far when Shen Bei felt a chill on his back, like a block of ancient profound ice suddenly pressed against him.

Looking down, a vibrant, blood-red sleeve was draped across his chest, and he could see a pair of hands, pale as paper, with red fingernails, crossed and wrapped around his neck...

Shen Bei's face turned ashen, and he froze in place. He slowly turned his body, looking at Yan Jingchang with a sincere expression.

"Brother Green Light, tell me honestly, did you cast some illusion on me? Tell me the truth, I won't blame you. I swear to heaven, I absolutely will not gloat over you because of this Senior."

"Brother Shen, I swear by the successive Ancestral Masters of Three Realms Mountain, I have never studied illusion arts!" Yan Jingchang took a few steps back, staring blankly at Shen Bei's back...

Instantly, Shen Bei's face was filled with horror...

My goodness, even such a strange Old Ancestor is no longer particular!

What the hell!

I didn't say a single word!

I didn't promise anything, I didn't agree to anything!

And you just forced yourself on me!

Is that how you do things?!