As soon as these words were spoken,

beside him, Han Xiaofei’s pupils suddenly contracted. His gaze quickly shifted between the Divine Monarch and the Nascent Soul old woman from "Li Sea," as if capturing some earth-shattering secret.

——Is this the reason why the Divine Monarch has been searching for "Li Sea" and "Shuiyun Sect" for over a millennium?

Han Xiaofei’s expression changed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head, shrinking his presence as much as possible.

After Li Yanzhi finished speaking, he fell into silence. He could see that Murong Qin wouldn’t live much longer.

Their eyes met, lips parted slightly yet remained silent, the mountains filled with an overwhelming silence.

In Li Yanzhi’s mind, Murong Qin’s appearance had become blurred and indistinct. He couldn’t recall why he set out to find her initially; perhaps, it was just because of that gentle phrase, "You must wait for me."

At that time, he had not awakened his Innate Wisdom, he was just a mere mortal, powerless to resist cultivators; whether he agreed or not, that person would take Murong Qin away.

Therefore, he did not resent Murong Qin. He served his parents in the Mortal World, waiting for a hundred years, but never saw his old friend return.

Was it the fickle nature of humans, or was she struck by misfortune? He wanted an answer.

He then searched the Cultivation Realm for another thousand years, and as he searched, he became the Divine Monarch of his era, yet he still couldn’t find any trace of Murong Qin. He felt it was enough, and as he was about to let go, she appeared suddenly.

He found the answer.

At this moment, Murong Qin’s beauty had faded. As she looked at the young man before her, an indescribable sense of inferiority surged in her heart involuntarily. Her gaze slightly dropped to Li Yanzhi’s slender fingers.

If those who knew Murong Qin from "Li Sea" found out, they’d likely be dumbfounded. The "Piano Demon," who had roamed the cultivation realm for a millennium, killing indiscriminately, would be so...

After a while, Murong Qin suddenly broke the silence: "Divine Monarch, you’ve been searching for Qin’Er for so long, have you ever resented me?"

"Never," Li Yanzhi replied indifferently.

Murong Qin intently stared at Li Yanzhi, with a mix of crying and laughing on her face: "Could you accompany Qin’Er home once?"

"Can water flow backward?" Li Yanzhi asked, his gaze moving toward the clear spring flowing down the mountain.

"It can."

Murong Qin’s gaze focused as she pinched a seal and chanted a spell.

With a sudden clatter.

Instantly, the magical power surged skyward, miraculously causing the stream to flow backward.

Li Yanzhi shook his head, "You’re nearing death, and I am not an Immortal; I can’t make ’water’ flow backward."

"In over a thousand years, the Mortal World has dramatically changed. Your original home has become a mountain in an earthquake; nothing you were familiar with exists anymore."

"You returned late."

Murong Qin wasn’t a mortal; his intervention would only allow her to face the arrival of her lifespan without illness or disasters.

He couldn’t reverse the river of time.

"I returned late..." Upon hearing this, Murong Qin’s expression darkened as she slowly closed her eyes. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Han Xiaofei kept his head down, seemingly pondering.

He is the Sect Leader of "Yunwu Mountain," who luckily broke through to Nascent Soul with vast resources. However, time is cruel; even someone as Immortal-like as he couldn’t escape the fate of growing old and running out of lifespan.

People all claim cultivation leads to longevity, yet how many can truly see the gate to eternal life? Those so-called Divinity Transformation powerhouses merely struggle in the torrent of time for a few thousand years before finally becoming dust.

He suddenly lifted his head to see the young Daoist.

Everyone ages slowly.

Only the Divine Monarch remains unchanged in grace.

[In October, Li Yanzhi and Murong Qin held a grand wedding.]

[Not long after, Murong Qin passed away peacefully.]

[The following year, Han Xiaofei died peacefully.]

[Li Yanzhi sent off the last familiar person and turned around to find the world empty and desolate.]

[Li Yanzhi closed his eyes and meditated, as if separated from this world, his consciousness drifting as though back to the beginning.]

[On the wedding day, Murong Qin wasn’t taken away by the cultivator, and he didn’t awaken his Innate Wisdom from a previous life.]

[They were married, started a family, living peacefully and harmoniously for the first half of their lives, later enduring trials and tribulations.]

[In search of survival, Li Yanzhi advanced carefully, gradually gaining prominence in the political arena through intrigue and deception, eventually reaching the high position of Prime Minister at sixty years old.]

[He worked diligently, supporting the young emperor, giving all his heart and soul to govern the nation.]

[Time passed swiftly like a galloping horse, and Li Yanzhi was eventually dismissed by the Emperor. Disheartened, he returned to his hometown to spend his remaining years, sitting alone in the mountains, gazing at an old jujube tree whose dried branches miraculously sprouted new green buds.]

["So this is the Dao," Li Yanzhi murmured softly, eyes flashing a hint of clarity.]

[Li Yanzhi, seeing the heavens, seeing all beings, found the true self, realizing a "Dustless Dao Heart" from the depths of the red dust.]

[Li Yanzhi suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of inspiration in his heart, the path of cultivation in the "Cyan Heaven Great Sun Burning Qi Scripture" became clear, leading him to break through the realm of "Qi Refining and Divinity Transformation," forging a "Top-grade Innate Spirit Body - Five Elements Body."]

[He walked his path—Attaining "Red Dust Immortal."]

[At that moment, he could pluck stars and gather the moon with ease, feeling a mysterious pull and call from deep within the sky, sensing great fear, he ignored it.]

[Soon, the Demon Abyss rose again, wreaking havoc in the Mortal World, leaving living beings in misery.]

[Li Yanzhi sat alone in the Demon Abyss, breaking through eternity from behind, suppressing countless formidable enemies, shattering the Dao Hearts of demonic cultivators.]

[In a hundred years, the "Celestial Palace" Golden Armor Heavenly God descended, questioning Li Yanzhi why he obstructed "Celestial Intent."]

[Li Yanzhi casually killed him.]

[He communicated with the Divine Monarchs from the Lingxiao Pavilion and Celestial Master Sect.]

[It was known that deep within this world’s Celestial Vault, there was a gate.]

[The gate is the Celestial Gate.]

[Whenever Divinity Transformation cultivators achieve "Five Elements," the Celestial Gate would descend with "Guiding Divine Light," allowing them to ascend. However, once ascended, none have ever returned; there’s great horror among them. Thus current Divinity Transformation cultivators immediately screen the Celestial Gate’s sensing upon breakthrough.]

[Li Yanzhi did not recklessly ascend, instead wandering the world, seeking the truth.]

[People are innately gifted with "Spirit Roots," a special type of "crop."]

[They breathe in Spiritual Qi, cultivate their Spirit Roots, transform Spirit Roots into Golden Cores, then into Nascent Souls, and then Divinity Transformation to return to the essence of "Spirit Roots," equaling maturity.]

[Every ten thousand years, the Celestial Palace sends "Celestial Gods" to destroy the world and harvest vast amounts of "Spirit Roots."]

[Celestial Gods are not eternally living; they need the "Five Elements Spirit Roots" to delay the arrival of Celestial Five Declines, to maintain Primordial Spirit Rebirth; to extend their lives, they need the nurture of all beings, perhaps they were once human and now truly monsters.]

[The Celestial Palace is the greatest "darkness" of this world.]

[Eventually, a cultivator discovered this secret and recorded it. Mortal cultivators learned everything and chose to unite against the Celestial Palace’s gods.]

[A great war between humans and gods erupted.]

[The Celestial Gate opened wide, a hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers descended, Mortal cultivators were defeated, with many Divine Monarchs falling.]

[Heaven and earth mourned.]

[Ultimately, Li Yanzhi intervened, alone holding the Wooden Sword of Enlightenment, seated above the Celestial Vault, severing heaven and earth.]

[From then on, anyone entering the Mortal World—dies!]

[The Celestial Palace trembled, a sleeping Supreme God awoke, seeing the "Red Dust Immortal" blocking the gate, burst in fury, then returned to sleep.]

[That silhouette dominated eternity.]

[Mortal cultivators no longer worried about the Celestial Gate’s sensing, during a millennium celestial prides emerged consecutively, with many breaking through Divinity Transformation, proclaiming themselves Divine Monarchs, creating the greatest era for cultivators throughout time.]

[All cultivators know, as long as the "Red Dust Immortal" lives, the world remains peaceful.]

[Through the endless years, until the "Red Dust Immortal" sat above the Celestial Vault from youth to old age, his aura gradually declining.]

[The Celestial Palace trembled once more, a Supreme God dared to awaken from sleep, personally descended to the lower realm to debate Dao with Li Yanzhi.]

[A hundred years later, both simultaneously transformed the Dao and left.]

[Li Yanzhi’s Dao fell.]

...