Lin Qian sat once more on Xuan Tian's floating carriage. This time, they were heading to the Human Realm. Her heart pulsed with quiet excitement—Xuan Tian had agreed to help. With him by her side, she believed they'd find Zhao Zhi and Xu Yun in no time.
Xuan Tian boarded the carriage and sat next to her.
"Ready, doctor?"
Lin Qian nodded, smiling.
The carriage started to glide forward, entering the bustling village once again. Lin Qian took this time to really look around. She would love to come back here and enjoy the village experience to the fullest.
The carriage glided slowly, navigating between other floating carriages and Celestials on the road, edging slowly toward the village entrance. From Xuan Tian's residence to the village entrance, Lin Qian noticed the environment seemed to darken bit by bit, just like sunset.
But that's impossible. This is the Celestial Realm, where night doesn't exist.
Seeing Lin Qian's confusion, Xuan Tian explained, "This village imitates night-time with the vegetation. As you can see, doctor, the vegetation is slowly moving, making some sort of dome, blocking the eternal sun."
Lin Qian glanced upward. She saw it now—branches, vines, and foliage weaving themselves slowly into a massive dome above the village, gradually blocking out the eternal sunlight.
She turned to look at Xuan Tian, waiting for him to elaborate more.
Xuan Tian shrugged. "It's always been like this. I don't know when it started."
Xuan Tian leaned back. He closed his eyes, concentrating. He hadn't had the chance to reflect on what exactly happened. What was that light? That energy? It was purer than any spirit energy he had encountered. But somehow, it felt familiar to him.
It didn't make any sense. The spirit energy felt raw, ancient, primal.
Since when have I had that in my core?
Then he remembered—five years ago, in the Human Realm, something similar entered his body, saving him from dying after he broke the Seal.
That's why it felt familiar!
He dove into his spirit mind, entering his core. He found that his core was no longer pulsating only with purple spirit energy; now it gleamed with golden hues. And at the center of his core, a primal spirit energy, in pearly white, pulsated.
Its radiant pearl color was perfect, flawless, untainted.
When Xuan Tian touched that little pearl, images flashed in his mind.
Ling Yu.
He gasped and let go of the pearl.
It really is Ling Yu! But how?!
The carriage exited the village, now gliding into the valley.
Jing Xue was trotting beside the carriage. He looked at Xuan Tian, whose eyes remained closed. He didn't want to disturb him, but they needed to move fast.
Jing Xue made a decision.
"General," he called, still looking at Xuan Tian, waiting for a response.
When none came, he continued, "General, we're out of the village. We can speed up."
Xuan Tian opened his eyes and nodded.
"Doctor, hold on. We're speeding up."
Lin Qian nodded.
The carriage accelerated—too fast for normal eyes to see.
"Wait! General!" Jing Xue yelled, dumbfounded as the carriage disappeared ahead of him. He couldn't catch up.
Jing Xue wasn't the only one. One was standing beside him, equally stunned. He had been staying hidden in the shadows; only Xuan Tian and Jing Xue were aware of his presence.
One muttered, "The General has gotten much stronger after the attack. It's not possible."
Jing Xue nodded dumbly, still staring in the direction where the carriage vanished.
WHOOSH!
The carriage returned, stopping abruptly in front of them. Its canopy was ripped and gone.
Lin Qian found herself staring at Jing Xue, who was standing there with his mouth hanging open in disbelief. She couldn't blame him. Her stomach was still somewhere in the clouds, chasing the shredded canopy.
Xuan Tian looked at Jing Xue and One—who had turned invisible again—sheepishly. If One didn't know any better, he'd say Xuan Tian was embarrassed—which was impossible. General doesn't get embarrassed. Period.
Xuan Tian cleared his throat. "Sorry, I didn't realise…" His voice trailed off.
He cleared his throat again. "Get on."
The carriage slowly expanded, big enough for Jing Xue to sat on. One was sitting on the stern.
Learned from his mistake, he raised a barrier big enough to cover them all.
And the carriage sped forward.
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With the current speed—Jing Xue called it 'crazy speed'—the carriage arrived at Tianmen City pretty quickly.
All of them got off outside the city and entered on foot.
Xuan Tian put the carriage—Jing Xue had nicknamed it 'Light'—inside his space pouch and entered the city with the rest of them.
Since Jing Xue's true form would serve as a giant sign that the Great General of the Celestial Realm was among the travellers, Xuan Tian ordered him to shapeshift into a regular wolf-dog. An order that offended Jing Xue so much, he refused to walk beside Xuan Tian the entire way.
Xuan Tian simply rolled his eyes and moved on.
The three of them—actually four, with One still cloaked in invisibility—were walking toward the Barrier. Jing Xue was the only one among them who had not crossed the Barrier as often. This was only his third crossing, and he was excited.
The sealing process for him was different. As an Ancient Spirit Beast, the Barrier didn't have much effect on him. It only sealed fifty percent of his power, making him about as strong as Xuan Tian when sealed.
After five years, Xuan Tian was going to cross the Barrier again. Unlike previously, this time he knew precisely the weight of his mission. Many innocent lives were depending on the successful completion of this mission.
Nothing could go wrong. He would uproot Lingxu, as per Tianjun's order. He would shine a bright light on the Celestial Mastermind, capturing him, punishing him. Finding the doctors was another priority on his list.
Lastly, he would make sure Ling Yu had a safe realm to live in.
These were not pipe dreams for Xuan Tian. He was very capable and confident in his skills. He had never failed—not a single mission. Every assignment he had ever undertaken had been a success. He had no doubt that this time, he would succeed too.