114: Chapter 114: Upon returning, it was already the post-ancient era.

The gate of the Immortal Domain closed slowly behind them.

Chu Tianjiao held Xiao Nannan's hand, standing in the familiar yet strange starry sky.

Eighty thousand years had passed; he had finally returned to this world.

But as soon as he stepped out of the Immortal Domain, his brows furrowed.

Not right.

Something was not right.

He turned to look at Xiao Nannan and found that her expression had changed.

"Brother..."

Xiao Nannan murmured, her voice trembling slightly.

Her Divine Thought had already spread out, sweeping across the Big Dipper Astral Region, sweeping across Undying Mountain, sweeping across every corner she was familiar with.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

That aura she was familiar with, the one carved deep into her Soul—

It was gone.

"Nannan."

Chu Tianjiao spoke, wanting to say something.

But Xiao Nannan had already moved.

She let go of Chu Tianjiao's hand, her entire being turning into a stream of light, speeding toward the direction of the Big Dipper Astral Region.

The speed was extreme, tearing through the Void Realm, vanishing from Chu Tianjiao's sight in an instant.

Chu Tianjiao watched the disappearing stream of light, silent for a moment, then looked at Willow Deity.

Willow Deity did not speak, only nodded gently.

Both of them moved simultaneously.

Undying Mountain.

The moment Xiao Nannan landed, the entire forbidden zone trembled slightly.

Eighty thousand years had passed, and this forbidden zone, shrouded in Chaos Qi, remained as it was.

The formation patterns of the human emperor banner were still there, the sharpness of the Tyrant Blade was still there, the undying peach and the ancient tea tree of enlightenment were still there.

But that figure she most wanted to see—

Was not there.

Xiao Nannan stood in the courtyard, her gaze sweeping across every corner.

The two pieces of immortal source were still there; those were the children of the Ancient Kirin Emperor, still in deep slumber.

The old locust tree was still there, its branches and leaves swaying gently in the night wind.

But the person who would smile and call her "Nannan," the person who would rub her head and say "Brother is here"—

Was no longer there.

Her body swayed slightly.

"Nannan."

Chu Tianjiao's voice rang out behind her.

He had arrived behind her at some point and reached out to support her shoulders.

Xiao Nannan did not look back.

She just stood there, looking at the empty courtyard, looking at the two immortal sources that still stood tall, looking at the old locust tree.

"Teacher..."

Her voice was very soft, almost inaudible.

"Brother, he..."

She did not continue.

Chu Tianjiao was silent, gently pulling her into his embrace.

Just at this moment—

"Bang!"

A piece of immortal source shattered.

The Ancient Kirin Emperor stumbled out from the source liquid, staggering a few steps before steadying himself.

He opened his eyes, and the moment he saw Chu Tianjiao and Xiao Nannan, he was stunned.

"You... have returned?"

His voice was hoarse, carrying a trace of disbelief.

Chu Tianjiao looked at him and nodded.

"Returned."

The Ancient Kirin Emperor opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he could not utter a single word.

His gaze fell upon Xiao Nannan, looking at that pale face, looking at those hollow eyes, and an indescribable complexity surged in his heart.

She knew.

She knew everything.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two more soft sounds.

The two immortal sources sealing the children of the Ancient Kirin Emperor shattered simultaneously.

Two small figures fell from the source liquid and were hurriedly caught by the Ancient Kirin Emperor.

They were a young boy and girl, their faces tender, their auras weak, still in deep slumber.

The Ancient Kirin Emperor looked at the two children in his arms, silent for a moment, then raised his head to look at Chu Tianjiao.

"Thank you," he said softly, "You fulfilled the promise you made to me back then."

Chu Tianjiao nodded without speaking.

Just then—

A silver light sped over from the direction of the Southern Domain, tearing through the Void Realm, and instantly fell into Undying Mountain.

It was a primitive mirror, palm-sized, with tiny blue gemstones embedded in its edges, the mirror surface smooth, vaguely reflecting the deep Void Realm.

void mirror.

It hovered in mid-air, trembling slightly, faint light rippling on the mirror surface as if in excitement, as if welcoming them.

Immediately after, the Void Realm was torn open again.

A golden flag flew out from the crack, the chaos heaven-opening diagram on the flag surface gently swirling, scattering specks of golden light rain.

human emperor banner.

Following closely behind was a primitive long saber.

The blade shimmered with nine colors, faint dragon patterns appearing, trembling slightly and emitting a low hum.

Tyrant Blade.

One blade and one banner landed before Chu Tianjiao, trembling gently as if recounting something.

Chu Tianjiao looked at them, silent for a moment, then reached out to gently stroke the surface of the human emperor banner.

"Where is Xiao Shitou?"

His voice was very calm, but within that calmness, there was a tremor he himself had not noticed.

The human emperor banner trembled slightly.

A moment later, a hoarse voice rang out:

"Master..."

That was the deity of the human emperor banner.

Its voice was low, carrying endless exhaustion and sorrow.

"Little Master, he..."

It paused, as if organizing its words.

"Fifty thousand years after Master left, Little Master broke out of the Seal from the immortal source."

Chu Tianjiao listened quietly.

Xiao Nannan leaned in his embrace, eyes tightly shut, her shoulders trembling slightly.

"The Hunyuan Heavenly Scripture Master left behind created the second batch of Supremes. After Little Master woke up, he saw that the forbidden zone was full of Supremes again, and saw those so-called Great Emperors who Cultivated the Hunyuan Heavenly Scripture to become emperors, only to self-sever in their old age."

"He said this was the Karma Master left behind, and as a Disciple, he had the responsibility to handle it for Master."

Chu Tianjiao's eye sockets reddened slightly.

"And then?"

The human emperor banner was silent for a moment.

"Then he walked out of Undying Mountain. He restored himself to his Peak state, took me and the Tyrant Blade, and walked into the Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning alone."

"In that battle, thirty-seven Supremes. Little Master forced twenty of them into Ultimate Sublimation and killed them with his own hands."

"After the battle, he transformed into the Dao."

Xiao Nannan's body trembled violently.

Chu Tianjiao hugged her tighter without speaking.

The human emperor banner continued:

"Before Little Master left, he let me and the Tyrant Blade stay behind to guard this human world. He said, when Master returns, tell Master for him—he did his best."

"Afterward, I and the Tyrant Blade found the contemporary Void Emperor. His name was Ji Xukong, the descendant of those two Disciples of Little Master back then. The void mirror acknowledged him as master, and Little Master met him after coming out of seclusion, personally entrusting him with the aftermath."

"After Ji Xukong became an emperor, he lived out a second life. During the years he was alive, I and the Tyrant Blade assisted him and killed seven more Supremes. The number of Supremes in the forbidden zones dropped from seventeen to ten."

"After Ji Xukong died, without a Great Emperor to suppress them, the Supremes launched the Dark Turmoil. I and the Tyrant Blade took action and repelled them."

"In the following years, more Great Emperors were born. Some guarded the common people, while others self-severed in their old age and fled into the forbidden zones, becoming new scourges."

"Thirty thousand years ago, the Nine Great Holy Bodies appeared one after another, suppressing the forbidden zones with their lives. Later, Emperor Wushi was born, deterring the forbidden zones with his own strength for tens of thousands of years."

"Ten thousand years ago, the Green Emperor attained the Dao. During his reign, the forbidden zones were silent. But after he disappeared, the Dao marks suppressed the heavens and the earth. Now in this world, the strongest can only Cultivate to the Second-Order Immortal Great Power. Third-Order Immortal Dao Severing has not been born for thousands of years."

The human emperor banner finished speaking and fell silent.

Chu Tianjiao listened without speaking for a long time.

Second-Order Immortal Great Power?

Third-Order Immortal Dao Severing has not been born for thousands of years?

He looked at Xiao Nannan and found she was also stunned.

This is...

The time period when the original work *Shrouding the Heavens* begins.

The Green Emperor has been missing for ten thousand years, the Great Dao is suppressed, no one can sever the Dao, and no one can become an emperor.

Ye Fan has not yet arrived.

Everything has yet to begin.