Chapter 1896: Chapter 23: Middle-level Transcendent, Gazing Down Upon the Mountains
"Let’s go! Let’s leave here first. The entrance to the Returning Ruins looks stable and shouldn’t be an issue for now. Let’s see what’s happening elsewhere; who knows what it’s like outside."
Ni Yang spoke as he turned and flew towards the distance, initiating the Escape Technique, disappearing in front of Zhang Xiaoman in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Xiaoman was unwilling to lag behind, also enhancing Dark Speed to its maximum, chasing after Ni Yang.
During this flight at Dark Speed, he did not hold back; to catch up with Ni Yang, he activated full speed. It must be said, after reaching Middle Extraordinary Level, his Dark Speed was no longer of the same level as before. In just a few dozen breaths, he and Ni Yang crossed the distance they had previously traversed over the Endless Sea, arriving on land.
At this moment, the outside land was already covered with cracks. After the Immortal Soil had its Spiritual Power drained, it became indistinguishable from ordinary earth. As the collapse of the Immortal Realm followed, this earth also shattered, dispersing like dust in the air without leaving a trace.
"The Immortal Realm has started collapsing; soon it will cease to exist. It seems things are unfolding in the worst possible direction. Look, those shattered law fragments are drifting without control and will eventually fall into the Mortal World once the entire Immortal Realm disappears."
Ni Yang pointed at the void before them.
To the attendees, the void appeared empty, but in the eyes of Zhang Xiaoman and Ni Yang, it was filled with cracks and floating mirror-like fragments, which were the law fragments Ni Yang spoke of.
Raising a hand, Zhang Xiaoman grasped a law fragment in his palm, then channeled his "Negative Energy Sequence" to combat it. After the two clashed, both dissipated into nothingness.
Seeing his actions, Ni Yang exclaimed in surprise:
"Kid, are you trying to forcibly eliminate all these fragments? Didn’t I just tell you, these fragments are too vast; the weight of an entire Immortal Realm’s fragments would crush you!"
Zhang Xiaoman gritted his teeth, his gaze piercing through the shattering void, vaguely seeing the shadow of the Human World.
"Let’s go! We’ll discuss once we return!"
Speaking, he vanished instantly, reappearing above the Ascending Immortal Platform.
"Look! Someone is descending from the sky!"
Below, someone pointed towards the sky and shouted loudly.
The rest turned to look, and upon seeing the figure standing aloft, their expressions changed, with a hint of wariness in their demeanor.
"Hmm?"
Observing the scene below, Zhang Xiaoman felt something was off.
"The Human World seems minimally affected; why is everyone here tense? Don’t they recognize me?"
He said this not to assert his fame, but because this was the Tianyuan Sect’s territory, and most stationed on the Ascending Immortal Platform should be Tianyuan Sect disciples. Even if he’d been in the Immortal Realm for over three years, these disciples should still recognize their Sect Leader.
Yet as he scrutinized the faces below, he couldn’t help being shocked. He realized he didn’t recognize most of these people, only very few familiar faces.
"Tianyuan Sect disciples... have changed so many... No, many here are not Tianyuan Sect disciples; they look like Loose Cultivators..."
Zhang Xiaoman’s memory was exceptional; people and things he’d seen, even for fleeting moments, he recalled clearly.
But many here he had no recollection of, indicating they were newcomers since his departure.
"He’s human! Not a Heavenly Demon! But we mustn’t lower our guard; maintain vigilance! Don’t act recklessly!"
"Indeed! Heavenly Demons are vile! We must be careful; don’t let him near the great array. If he’s a transformed Heavenly Demon, it could be disastrous!"
"No, no! He looks familiar; I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere..."
"..."
Below, the crowd discussed animatedly, but everyone remained ready for battle, and the array atop the Ascending Immortal Platform stayed active, keeping Zhang Xiaoman outside.
With a calm expression, Zhang Xiaoman vanished from his spot, reappearing inside the array, near the array eye.
"Uh... cough, cough... Who is...?"
Sitting at the center of the array eye was a young man in white clothes, looking haggard, with bloodstains on his garments. He appeared lethargic, seemingly due to injuries, and hadn’t noticed Zhang Xiaoman immediately.
"Be careful! Elder, be careful!"
Seeing the man from the sky suddenly inside the array near the elder by the array eye, possibly endangering the array and elder, many rushed over.
The man in white then saw Zhang Xiaoman’s figure, his expression changed drastically, and he cried out:
"You, you are... no, no, you are... the Sect Leader...?"
The man in white appeared as if he’d seen something incredibly unbelievable, quickly standing up, and shouted to the disciples poised to attack:
"Stop! Return to your positions! This is our Tianyuan Sect’s Sect Leader! Stop immediately!"
His words were like thunder, exploding among the crowd; after a brief daze, everyone’s expression changed, gazing at Zhang Xiaoman in disbelief.
The man in white first saluted, saying:
"Sect Leader! You’ve returned! These people are naïve; most are new here these years and aren’t Tianyuan Sect disciples, hence they do not recognize you..."
Zhang Xiaoman waved his hand.
"No matter, you’re Bai Wushu, right? I remember you. Why has it become like this here? Tell me what’s happened over time."
He referred to the environment near the Ascending Immortal Platform and the Small Immortal Palace, both ravaged by war, severely damaged, and the disciples appeared pale-faced, lacking vigor.
With Zhang Xiaoman’s inquiry, a force enveloped Bai Wushu and the surrounding crowd, instantly recovering their injuries and depleted Spiritual Power, stunning everyone, followed by intense shock and joy.
Bai Wushu was surprised Zhang Xiaoman remembered his name, overflowing with joy and excitement, and quickly recounted concisely and swiftly what had transpired.
"What? Fifteen years?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaoman’s attention immediately focused on time.
"Yes... Sect Leader, since you last left Mortal World for the Immortal Realm, it’s been fifteen years, and the Guiding Immortal Road was severed ten years ago, but you never returned. If not for the Great Elder assuring us of your safety, we thought you..."
He paused, yet Zhang Xiaoman was somewhat absent-minded.
Fifteen years had passed; he distinctly remembered returning a year ago, yet so much time had suddenly slipped by.
Then he recalled his time absorbing Spiritual Power near the Returning Ruins entrance, causing a strange feeling to rise within him.
How long... exactly had he been cultivating...
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