Alex looked to his left in the direction where the carriage was headed to. If the carriage was coming from the east and heading toward Cardinal City, then it appeared that he had arrived in the Eastern Regions of the Crimson Empire.
He hadn't been to these places before.
"You will take us to the Cardinal City?" Alex asked. "Thank you, brother Ma."
Alex looked at the group behind him and gestured for them to get on.
Yang Ma looked at the people behind Alex and asked, "Who are they? You really aren't doing banditry, are you? I heard you left the Crimson Empire, but I'm starting to doubt it now."
"Haha, these are my family and friends. This is my father and his sister. This one is a friend, and this right here is my daughter," Alex explained.
"And… who's that?" Yang Ma pointed to the only person Alex hadn't introduced.
"Well, how do I explain this? That's me," Alex said. "Well, my clone."
"Your clone?" Yang Ma's eyes narrowed.
"Yes," Alex said. "Actually, it was him you met all those years ago, not me. Technically speaking you should be talking to him, but I'm afraid he doesn't have that good a memory, unlike me."
Yang Ma couldn't understand what was happening at all. "Let's get inside for now. We're blocking the road," he said and settled the group in various carriages.
Alex got into the carriage with Yang Ma, while the rest were scattered throughout the various carriages.
"So, how's life going, brother Yang? I hope it's good," Alex said as he settled in the carriage.
"It's alright," Yang Ma said.
"How long has it been since we've seen each other? I don't think I saw you after I graduated, have I?" he asked.
"I believe that was the last time," Yang Ma said. "Did you even return after that time?"
"I did once about a decade later," Alex said. "But, it's been over 30 years since then too. I wonder how the sects have changed since then."
"So, you really just came to the Empire?" Yang Ma asked. "What were you doing in the other Empire beyond the forest?"
"Oh, I wasn't there at all," Alex said. "I went to different continents and was stuck there most of the time. I only recently found a way to come back which is why I'm here."
"Different Continents?" Yang Ma was surprised. "Are you saying you've left the Western Continent?"
"I have," Alex said. "I actually came from the Central Continent. Do you know about the Central continent?"
"I have heard a few things from my Grandfather, nothing else," Yang Ma said.
"Your grandfather? Oh right, he was a Saint too, wasn't he?" Alex thought. "I remember master saying something about your family being one of the more powerful ones in the Empire."
"Of course," Yang Ma said proudly. "We are the Yang family after all."
Alex nodded. "So, what are you doing right now, brother Yang? What's this carriage about?" he asked.
"I handle my family's merchant business. I'm delivering a few goods to the capital right now," Yang Ma said. "It shouldn't take more than an hour or two now. We're close."
"I see."
Alex remembered having negative feelings about this person long ago, but somehow none of that remained anymore. Any feelings, negative or positive about him had been washed away with time.
He looked at Yang Ma again and didn't know if he was fast or slow given that he had only just reached the True Lord's 8th realm.
For someone close to 70 years old, he should be considered slow, but given that this was the Crimson Empire, Alex couldn't be sure. It was after all one of the worst places for cultivators due to its severe lack of high-grade spirit veins.
"You got married?" Yang Ma asked curiously.
"No," Alex said. "My daughter is actually my clone's daughter, he's the one that got married."
"Why did you make a clone?" Yang Ma asked.
"Haha, he was made without my knowledge," Alex said. "It's too much to try and explain right now. Very soon, there should be announcements that spread all over the empire. That should help explain a bit."
Yang Ma nodded. "Whatever reason it may be… welcome back," he said.
Alex smiled. "Thank you, brother Yang."
The carriage arrived outside the Cardinal city and stopped as there was a long line of carriages that were trying to enter the Cardinal city.
"It will take a while to enter the city, huh?" Alex asked.
"Half an hour or so," Yang Ma said.
"I see, then… I think it will be better if I get off right here then," Alex said.
"You're not going to enter the city?" Yang Ma asked.
"I might," Alex said. "My main intention for coming here is because I can now know where I have to go to go to Scarlet city."
"I see," Yang Ma said. "My journey is to the city alone, I'm afraid. I will have to return once I'm done with my business."
"No worries, brother Yang. Thank you for bringing us here," Alex said. He reached into his storage ring and pulled out a pill bottle.
"Please take these pills," Alex said. "I haven't seen you in a long time, so you may consider this a gift. If not, consider this my way of saying thanks for helping us today."
Yang Ma hesitated to take the pills. After all, all he had done was give him a ride.
"Don't hesitate to take it, brother Yang, you should know how good my pills are," Alex said. "These pills can help you or your grandfather improve your cultivation speed by a lot. Use them very carefully."
Yang Ma finally sighed and took the pills. "I can't reject something so precious, thank you."
Alex smiled and got off the carriage. The others had already gotten off before him as he had told them to do so already.
"I'll see you around, brother Yang. Goodbye."
Alex walked away with his group, leaving Yang Ma by himself to wonder what he really had been doing all this time.
To him, Alex was an enigma, that came out of nowhere and left as early. "Did he lose his cultivation base? Or was it just so high that I didn't even notice it?" Yang Ma wondered. Whatever it was, Yang Ma understood that the two of them stood in a different league from each other, and it was very much likely that he was never going to see Alex ever again.
Alex arrived by the gate of the Cardinal City and looked back at his group. "Sister Hao, do we go and tell the Emperor about gathering people to send them back?" he asked.
"No, we need to fix the formation first. We will let the players know after everything is ready," Hao Ya said.
"Alright," Alex said. "Then we should split."
The group gave a weird look. "Split?" Ronron asked.
"Yeah, I will go with Sister Hao to the Beast realm to fix the formation and help Pearl. The rest of you will go to Scarlet city," Alex explained. "I can also quickly go over to the Luminance empire and bring mother back."
"Sounds good," Liz said. "But I will have to come with you. The senior said I am needed to speed up the process of fixing the formation with my time dao."
"Is that so?" Alex asked. "I guess you should come with us then. What about you, Scarlet? What do you—"
"Obviously I'm coming with you," she said, not even letting him finish his sentence.
"I see, obviously," he said. "I guess that's it then."
Alex, Pearl, Liz, Hao Ya, and Scarlet were in the group that would go to the formation to get it fixed. Meanwhile, Ronron, Graham, and Old Alex would have to go to Scarlet city on their own.
"Uhh… this is annoying," Alex thought. "You guys don't really have a very high cultivation base."
"It should be fine though," Graham said. "I can protect them."
"Yes, but not if the fight takes place in the sky," Alex said and brought out the Blood God's Manual. He pulled out a beast from inside the book, a four-horned Ocean snake that was completely made up of blood.
At the same time, he brought out Whisker as well. "Whisker, you will have to go with them. You are in charge of protecting them with this snake, okay?" he asked.
Whisker nodded.
Alex reached for the snake and suddenly the snake changed its size rapidly, shrinking not only in size but in shape as well. It took the form of a small sphere that looked no different from a beast's core.
"Use it only when needed, okay?" Alex said. "You guys can't revert it back at all. Also, don't use it when Whisker is not around. He is the only one that can control it at all."
"Got it, father," Ronron said and took the blood core. "So, where do we go now?"
"Your papa will tell you. He should be remembering everything now," Alex said, pointing at the older Alex that was looking around in amusement and disbelief.
"I believe I do remember," he said. "We need to head west from here, don't we?"
"Yes," Alex said and pulled out a ship. "Take this and go. We won't be needing ships, so you guys take it."
"Thank you, father," Ronron said quickly got onto the ship with Whisker. Graham and the other Alex got on as well.
"Alright, head out now. We will hopefully be back very soon," Alex said and waved them goodbye.
After the group left, Alex turned to his remaining group. "Shall we?"
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