99: Chapter 99 Brother will wait for you to come back

Inside the room, silence fell.

Xiao Nannan was completely stunned; she looked at the gentle smile on her brother's face, momentarily speechless.

"No."

She finally spoke, her voice somewhat hurried.

"Brother, you're coming with us into the Immortal Realm."

She subconsciously clenched her fists, a flash of panic in her eyes. Last time, she had used that method to force her brother to live his third life, and this time—

She bit her lower lip, preparing to repeat her old trick.

But before she could speak, Xiao Shitou laughed.

That smile was exactly the same as when they were children—warm, pure, and with a hint of simple honesty. He looked at his sister, his eyes full of doting affection, as if looking at a child who would never grow up.

"Nannan, it's useless."

He said softly, his tone gentle yet firm.

"This time, no matter what you say, I won't go with you."

Nannan's words were stuck in her throat, unable to say a single word.

She looked into her brother's eyes; there was reluctance, doting, and tenderness—but more than that, a firmness she had never seen before. It was the resolve of a man, one who had made a choice and would not look back.

"My path is not in the Immortal Realm."

Xiao Shitou spoke slowly, his voice as calm as if he were recounting something ordinary.

"I have a premonition."

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the window toward the sky outside the Undying Mountain. There, stars twinkled and the Milky Way stretched across, the entire Emperor Burial Star sleeping peacefully in the night.

"This Mortal world needs someone to oversee it."

He withdrew his gaze and looked toward Chu Tianjiao.

Then, he straightened his robes, knelt on both knees, and respectfully performed a grand salute.

It was the etiquette of a Disciple to a teacher—the most solemn, formal, and devout of gestures.

"Teacher."

His voice was low and solemn.

"I don't know when we will see each other again."

Chu Tianjiao looked at him without speaking.

"I entrust Nannan to you, Teacher."

Xiao Shitou looked up, a smile appearing on his face. In that smile, there was reluctance for his sister, gratitude for his teacher, expectation for the future, and a faint sense of relief.

"Nannan's talent is extremely strong; Teacher knows this better than I do. With her Chaos Body at Perfection, having lived three lives, and with half a foot in the Immortal Dao—her future achievements will be boundless."

"I can no longer keep up with Teacher and Nannan."

He spoke very calmly, a calmness that was heart-wrenching.

"So, I will stay behind."

Xiao Shitou stood up, his gaze once again turning toward the window.

"The Supremes are all dead."

"The Ancient Mine of Primordial Beginning, the God Ruins, the Reincarnation Sea, the Immortal Mausoleum, the Firmament—all the Supremes of the forbidden zones were suppressed and killed by Senior Willow Deity in that battle. The remaining ones also mostly died in the previous chaotic fight."

"From today on, this Mortal world will no longer face the threat of Supremes."

He turned around to look at Chu Tianjiao and Xiao Nannan, his eyes shining with light.

"A new page is about to turn for this Mortal world."

"I want to stay and witness it with my own eyes."

His voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable firmness.

"I want to see how those Mortals thrive in a world without the oppression of Supremes; I want to see how those Holy Lands rise and fall in a new era; I want to see how those Prodigies rise and compete in the Golden Age."

"I want to watch all of this, watching it on behalf of Teacher and Nannan."

"When you return from the Immortal Realm, I can tell you what has happened over the years."

After speaking, Xiao Shitou took a deep breath and bowed once more to Chu Tianjiao.

"I ask for Teacher's fulfillment of this wish."

Silence fell upon the room once again.

Chu Tianjiao looked at him, looking at this Disciple who had been by his side since the age of eight, looking at this Sacred Body Great Emperor who had walked all the way from Qingshi Town to this day, looking at this man who had just stood before him to face the Ancestor's hand.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

Wanting to say, "It will be very dangerous for you to stay here," wanting to say, "The Immortal Realm has a better cultivation environment," wanting to say, "Come with us."

But seeing Xiao Shitou's resolute gaze, all the words got stuck in his throat.

He understood.

Xiao Shitou truly wanted to stay.

It wasn't out of spite or willfulness, but a genuine desire to stay.

Just as he said, this Mortal world needed someone to oversee it. The Supremes were all dead and the forbidden zones were destroyed, but the world wouldn't become peaceful just because the threats were gone. New powers would rise, new conflicts would erupt, and new darkness would inadvertently breed.

It needed someone to watch over it.

It needed someone with enough strength, prestige, and patience to watch over all of this.

Xiao Shitou was the most suitable candidate.

But Xiao Shitou was destined not to wait until he and Nannan returned...

Xiao Shitou also understood; he was only putting on a show for Nannan.

Chu Tianjiao was silent for a long time before finally raising his hand slowly.

He walked up to Xiao Shitou and reached out his index finger, lightly tapping it on his forehead.

A faint light shimmered at his fingertip.

"I will preserve everything of yours."

Chu Tianjiao's voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable solemnity.

"Your Dao, your techniques, your memories, your Origin—I will preserve them all for you."

He looked into Xiao Shitou's eyes and said word for word:

"When we meet again, I don't know if the one standing before me will still be you. Time is too long, the years too vast; people always change."

"But I will find a way."

"Find a way for you to appear before Nannan and me once more."

As he finished speaking, the light from his fingertip merged into Xiao Shitou's glabella and vanished.

Xiao Shitou felt a warm current surge deep into his Divine Soul, then slowly settle down like a planted seed.

He didn't know what kind of flower this seed would bloom into in the future, but he knew this was something his Teacher had left for him.

"Thank you, Teacher."

He whispered, his eyes reddening slightly.

Chu Tianjiao withdrew his hand and said no more. He turned and took Xiao Nannan's hand.

The only thing he could do was provide Xiao Shitou with one last safeguard. Even if he died, he could quickly find him during his future Reincarnation. He didn't know if Xiao Shitou would be Ye Fan after reincarnating; he could only provide a safeguard.

"Let go, Nannan."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.

Xiao Nannan trembled all over, staring intently at her brother, her eyes filled with reluctance. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, wanting to use that method again to force her brother to go with her, wanting to act spoiled, throw a tantrum, or get angry—

But seeing the gentle smile on her brother's face, she couldn't say a single word.

She thought back to their childhood.

Back then, she and her brother had wandered to Qingshi Town, emaciated from hunger, huddling outside the private school. It was Teacher who took them in, gave them food, gave them a place to stay, and gave them a home.

Later, Teacher taught her brother to Cultivate. Her brother would meditate and practice punches in the backyard every day, and she would watch from the side, her eyes full of envy. At that time, her greatest wish was to be able to Cultivate like her brother, to fly in the sky, and to protect him.

Later, Teacher married her. Her brother would laugh and call her "Mistress," and she would blush and chase him around. Those days were the happiest times of her life.

Then came that upheaval.

Teacher "died" in her arms, and her brother "died" before her eyes. She had held her brother's gradually cooling body and cried for three days and three nights, crying until her eyes bled.

Fifty thousand years.

She had lived alone for fifty thousand years.

In those fifty thousand years, every time she thought of her brother, her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. She Cultivated desperately, grew stronger desperately, and killed Supremes desperately—all to avenge her brother.

Then she discovered that her brother wasn't dead.

Her brother had lied to her for fifty thousand years.

She was so angry that she chased and hit her brother for five hundred years, but in her heart, she was actually happy. Happy that her brother was still alive, happy that he was still by her side.

But now—

Her brother was going to leave again.