After leaving Xiao Chen for Yue Bingyun to deal with, Ba Yan finally heaved a sigh of relief. This Brother Xiao Chen seemed to have very refined manners, but unexpectedly, when he went crazy, he put even this battle maniac who inspired fear in others to shame.
This abandonment stunned Yue Bingyun slightly. She wanted to call out to stop Ba Yan. However, that fellow was already far away. Then, she noticed Xiao Chen stumbling, looking like he would fall over. She panicked and quickly caught him.
Yue Bingyun looked at Xiao Chen for a long time as he slept on her shoulder. Then, she smiled bitterly. This fellow probably has not had a good sleep in a long time already.
“Since you carried me over your shoulder once, I should do that to you too!”
This place was still a distance away from Xiao Chen’s room. Yue Bingyun would definitely be unable to keep a straight face as she carried him over.
Hence, she said something mischievous before she imitated Ba Yan and carried Xiao Chen to his room over her shoulders.
“You are really heavy.”
Placing Xiao Chen on the bed, Yue Bingyun gently breathed out. Then, she looked at the bloodstains on his face that had not been cleaned off yet.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered the time in the Blood Sword Sovereign’s cave and how he had kept trying to stand up over and over again. Back then, he vomited so much blood, his entire face had been covered with it as well.
Without realizing it, Yue Bingyun reached out and touched Xiao Chen’s face.
However, the moment Yue Bingyun touched Xiao Chen’s face, she seemed to recall something and withdrew her hand before shaking her head. After that, she brought over a basin of water and wiped his face clean. Then, she called the maidservants to help change his clothes and clean his wounds.
Yue Bingyun returned to her room only after she finished doing all this. Through it all, Xiao Chen’s eyes remained closed, showing no signs of waking up at all.
He was completely in a deep sleep. If it were in the past, even the movement of gra.s.s from the wind would have startled him awake.
However, this time, under the influence of one hundred cups of excellent wine, he did not even react when others changed his clothes.
It could only be said that Xiao Chen was utterly drunk!
Sighing once more, Yue Bingyun took away Xiao Chen’s blood-stained clothes and quietly closed the door. Then, she turned to leave.
---
Xiao Chen experienced a dream that was hazy but realistic.
He dreamed of Seven Horn Mountain, of the father who chased him out of the clan. He dreamed of the Heavenly Saber Pavilion, of Liu Ruyue, of Xiao Bai, of Feng Feixue…
He dreamed of many people. In his dream, he chatted happily with these people, feeling very relaxed.
However, in the end, he saw these people chasing after him with all their might, yet they could not catch up to him. He wanted to turn around, but an invisible force prevented him from doing so.
There was a bridge in front. A set of doors stood on the other side of the bridge. Finally, there was a vague figure stationed on top of the doors.
However, Xiao Chen knew who this was. It was the Azure Emperor, the Dragon’s Gate’s Azure Emperor. The unparalleled, tyrannical, undefeatable existence that swept through wherever he went.
Even though the Azure Emperor had died ten thousand years ago, Xiao Chen still heard his name no matter where he went. Only the Azure Emperor could stand on the Emperor’s Door.
Xiao Chen had so many doubts in his heart. Why did he come to this world? Why did he have to turn the world into his enemy, causing the Xiao Clan to be put into a desolate state? Why did he leave behind so much trouble for me?
“Pa!”
The bridge suddenly broke. Just as Xiao Chen was das.h.i.+ng over, filled with antic.i.p.ation, it suddenly broke and sent him falling into the boundless abyss.
The rapid drop induced a suffocating fear. There was an indescribable loneliness that made him cry out loud.
Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes and sat up on the bed in his room. He looked around and reacted only after some delay. “So, it was just a dream. Ouch! My head hurts!”
After a moment, his head throbbed. His mouth was dry, and he felt heavy and sluggish and incredibly uncomfortable.
After drinking so much and sleeping so much, the side effects had Xiao Chen leaning back on the bed.
He ma.s.saged his temples and circulated his energy to banish his fatigue. Soon, all the discomfort disappeared, replaced with a kind of relaxation that he had never felt before.
Even though his body felt relaxed, his heart felt empty.
Xiao Chen pushed the covers away and got out of bed. However, he stumbled on his first step and fell to the floor.
“This… How long was I asleep? My body is not listening to me,” Xiao Chen said in some confusion.
Then, he tried calling out to Ao Jiao but found that he could not get in touch. Strangely, neither Ao Jiao nor Little Yellow Feather was in the Immortal Spirit Ring.
However, the connection between an Item Spirit and its master was still there, so Xiao Chen was sure that Ao Jiao was fine.
He got to his feet and walked around in the room, stretching his arms and legs while circulating his Law Energy to drive his Qi and blood.
As his Qi and blood became more lively, his mind emptied, entering into a state of clarity, a very wondrous state.
This mental clarity startled Xiao Chen. He knew that he must have entered into the state that every cultivator yearned for—one with heaven.
Such a state would not last for long. Xiao Chen had experienced this once before when he was in the lower realm, so he quickly sat down cross-legged.
Without needing to choose, Xiao Chen immediately focused all this precious time on comprehending the Instant of Glory.
Instant of Glory was currently Xiao Chen’s strongest Martial Technique. It was a Martial Technique that allowed him to combine all the Martial Techniques he had learned and could execute. It was already equal to a Medial Grade Profound Martial Technique.
Furthermore, the might of the Instant of Glory far surpa.s.sed that of ordinary Profound Martial Techniques.
At the moment, this move was just a vague outline of what it could be. Xiao Chen had only touched the surface of it, not even reaching Small Perfection. He could not miss the opportunity provided by this state of being one with heaven.
The blazing sun, snowflakes, Azure Dragons, falling leaves, and many other mysterious phenomena flew out of his body, forming a profound painting.
As Xiao Chen worked on comprehension, an increasing number of Martial Technique phenomena manifested from his body.
Four Season Saber Technique, Myriad Heaven Divine Fist, Subduing Dragon Profound Slash, Thunder Dragon Chop, Flawless Bright Moon, Thousand Year Flame, Thousand Year Death…
There were all sorts of Martial Techniques of various levels, close to a hundred of them. As time went by, Xiao Chen’s understanding of the Instant of Glory became increasingly profound.
This move seemed capable of taking any direction. However, it eventually pointed to two particular directions—s.p.a.ce and time!
The wondrous state of one with heaven disappeared, and Xiao Chen’s comprehension stopped at this point. It was impossible for him to improve the Instant of Glory drastically within such a short period. However, it clearly identified for him what path to take in the future.
“The state of time and the state of s.p.a.ce are too profound. It is not easy to advance far in them. However, after that session of comprehension, I gained a lot.”
With a thought, the moment Xiao Chen stood up, the many mysterious phenomena in the room froze. Then, several mysterious phenomena disappeared, leaving only the bright moon, the night sky, and the winter snow, forming a painting of a cold moon and snow.
The previous Instant of Glory was deeply moving and boundlessly grand. However, it was too messy, hence uncontrollable. It required a large amount of Law Energy to execute it.
Several mysterious phenomena actually did not need to appear. It was not that Instant of Glory would be more glorious with more mysterious phenomena. Sometimes, a simple yellow desert would be sufficient to bring out glory.
Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and waved, dispelling the painting of the cold moon and snow. “In the past, I was only circling the periphery. Now, I have properly entered and seen the path. I will not end up taking the wrong path.”
Now that he had found the direction and taken the right path, he did not fear walking for a long time or facing any difficulties. He would eventually reach the peak of the Instant of Glory.
Xiao Chen collected his thoughts, and his eyes narrowed as his gaze fell on the neatly folded white robes on the table. Only then did he notice that he was wearing simple sleeping attire.
There was also a letter signed by Yue Bingyun on the Clear Wind Robes.
Yue Bingyun left a letter? Has she already gone? If not, then there would be no need to leave a message like this.
“How long did I sleep exactly?”
Xiao Chen was filled with questions. Of all times for Ao Jiao and Little Yellow Feather to be gone! Feeling somewhat lonely, he opened the letter. The graceful handwriting gave the impression of agility.
The letter was not very long, just two or three hundred words. However, its content deeply moved Xiao Chen.
“I’m not sure how much longer you are going to sleep. You have already been asleep for ten days. I have no other choice but to depart without saying goodbye. Actually, my destination is not the Human-Demon Sea. I’m going to the Ice Sea and the Storm Sea to help the Lunar Palace search for two things to make a new Transcendent Divine Weapon.
“When we were in the Blood Sword Sovereign’s cave on Black Water Island, there was a moment where I really thought that I would die. I even gave up on resisting. Perhaps you did not know, but when I was on the verge of death, your voice was like a beam of light s.h.i.+ning into h.e.l.l. At that point, I shed a tear for the first time in my life…
“We are both very similar, both carrying a heavy burden. However, after interacting with you for a while, I found that compared to you, the pressure I shoulder is really nothing. You are even more fatigued than I am.”
“It is rare for one to get truly drunk. However, after the drunkenness, one must eventually wake up. Don’t give up hope, don’t give up your arrogance. The things of the world consistently change; the universe is unpredictable. There is always be a chance of survival. We should not give up…”
“I await the day you advance to Martial Emperor. When you undergo your Great Tribulation of wind and fire, I will definitely come to a.s.sist. Take care! We will meet again if it is fated. x.x.x, Yue Bingyun.”
The x.x.x were words that had been defaced. Xiao Chen could not read them at all. However, that was not important.
The most important thing was the concern that Yue Bingyun expressed in the letter. This somehow warmed him. To think that this mysterious girl could have such a tender side to her!
According to the contents of the letter, Xiao Chen had slept for at least ten days.
“This sleep was really long.”
Xiao Chen put away that letter, feeling somewhat lost. Yue Bingyun’s departure and the various scenes in his dream left him unsettled. He kept feeling somewhat empty like he had lost or forgotten something.
He looked at the Clear Wind Robes on the table and picked them up, involuntarily recalling the scene of Liu Ruyue helping him put on these robes for the first time.
After changing into the Clear Wind Robes, Xiao Chen pushed the door open and went out. He discovered that there was not much hustle and bustle in the entire Flame Rock castle. Aside from some important areas, most of the guards were not around.
He walked around the courtyard, heading to the Dragon Subduing Platform. Before he went to the Conflagration Restaurant, the Dragon Subduing Platform had already been almost completely repaired. Since Yue Bingyun had left, she must have applied the final touches.
When Xiao Chen reached the backyard, he was somewhat surprised to discover an old man in hemp robes. His aura seemed ordinary, and his goatee was very thick. This old man was currently studying the Dragon Subduing Platform with interest.
“Who are you?” Xiao Chen asked somewhat warily.
The presence of this old man was quite strange. Earlier, when he sent out his Spiritual Sense, he had not detected anyone here.
The hemp-robed old man looked over and smiled. “You woke up. Don’t be anxious. This is my home. If I wanted to take away your Dragon Subduing Platform, I already had plenty of chances while you were dead asleep.”