Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 239 The Real and Fake Ye Yaoyao

The woman seemed to hear his words; her eyelashes trembled slightly, her withered arm slowly fell to her sides, and the faint light at her fingertips finally went out at that moment.

She managed a weak smile on her withered face.

"Let's go home," Ye Beixuan whispered in her ear again and again.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with no response whatsoever.

She has probably been here for tens of thousands of years, and has long since passed away. It is only the unwavering belief in her heart that has sustained her until now.

After an unknown amount of time, a crystal tear slid down that withered face.

Her once jade-like body and exquisitely beautiful face finally turned completely cold and decayed at this moment, slowly turning into ashes in his arms.

The tear lingered around Ye Beixuan, filled with reluctance and longing, before her body finally vanished without a trace.

The only tear that proved her existence was flying toward that single point of light. Ye Beixuan shuddered, and tears welled up in his eyes.

This was her last act of defiance; even in death, she wanted to guide him on his path.

The Mirror of Reincarnation shone brightly. Ye Beixuan gazed at the twinkling starlight, his eyes seemingly piercing through eras, and saw a majestic figure in that era, wielding a giant axe, diligently cultivating the land.

Fragments of memory surged through his mind once more, but this time Ye Beixuan did not hesitate at all. Instead, he followed the teardrop and flew towards the passage.

Fragments of memory told him that someone was waiting for him.

Ye Beixuan walked along the passage for an unknown amount of time, following the tears, when he suddenly experienced a strong sense of weightlessness and then fell from the sky.

The tear flew around him a few times before heading east.

When Ye Beixuan opened his eyes again, he found himself in an extremely familiar place. It was still the same cave, the same stone bed, and the same stunningly beautiful woman feeding him medicine.

"Junior brother, you're awake?" Her voice was still so clear and pleasant.

Ye Beixuan rubbed his throbbing head and looked at Ye Yaoyao in front of him, his heart filled with doubt. "Have I returned to Tiansui Palace?"
But he remained outwardly calm and asked, "Senior sister? How did I get back?"

Ye Yaoyao put down the medicine in her hand, sighed softly and said, "The Empress led us to attack the Strange Sea, and you! With such low cultivation, why did you risk your life so much? If I hadn't been keeping an eye on you, you would have been dead long ago."

Ye Beixuan frowned slightly, feeling that something was not quite right, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

So he instinctively followed up by asking, "What happened in the battle afterward?"

"It wasn't too surprising. There were many demons in the Strange Sea, but fortunately, the Empress turned the tide and repelled them." Ye Yaoyao continued, "Later, the Blood Sea Master descended, and since we didn't get any advantage, we had to retreat."

Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she said with a hint of surprise and playfulness, "But junior brother, how did you meet the Empress? She said that once you've recovered from your injuries, she wants me to accompany you to the Eastern Region to find her!"

Go find her? Ye Beixuan struggled to sit up, his heart filled with resistance; to be precise, he didn't know how to face her.

In an instant, the scene of the long river flashed through his mind, followed by the scene of their first meeting, and a pang of pain shot through his heart.

But he suppressed his emotions and tentatively asked, "Did she say why she wanted to see me?"

"Hmm..." Ye Yaoyao pondered for a moment, then said in a calm tone, "She didn't mention that. She only told me and Senior Brother Xiaofan to go together. Maybe this time she's going to bestow upon us the title of Heavenly Gods!"

Seeing Ye Yaoyao's joyful expression, Ye Beixuan felt increasingly suspicious.

Just then, an urgent voice came: "Junior Sister Ye, Junior Sister Ye, are you there?"

Both of them were taken aback. Ye Beixuan said calmly, "Young Sect Master must have something to discuss with you, Senior Sister."

"Then you should rest first, junior brother." Ye Yaoyao nodded and turned to walk towards the entrance of the cave.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Ye Beixuan activated his Yin-Yang Eyes to their maximum extent, but Ye Yaoyao appeared normal to him.

He suppressed his doubts; what exactly was wrong?
Putting aside his thoughts for the moment, Ye Beixuan recalled the scenes from the fragments of his memory.

There must be a complex connection between Pangu, himself, and the Blood Sea; otherwise, the Blood Sea would not have schemed against him so meticulously, even starting its plot as early as Ye Suifeng's time.

"If you and I join hands, we will become Pangu."

This question kept echoing in his mind: Why did the Blood Sea assume that he could become Pangu, the creator of the world, after assimilating with it?

Where is Pangu, the revered ruler, now? Presumably, he didn't die and transform into all things after creating the world, as legend suggests. If that were the case, why would the Mysterious Sea still search so desperately for Pangu?

This experience also made Ye Beixuan realize that the world is far more complex than it appears on the surface.

What is the Empress's true purpose? The Blood Sea's so-called destruction of the world seems to be merely a prerequisite, not the ultimate goal. So what is its true intention?

Ye Beixuan took out the complete Mirror of Reincarnation, and a majestic figure appeared in it. He appeared at the beginning of the universe, after the Big Bang, he began to create heaven and earth, thus creating this world.

"It seems that what the Strange Sea fears most is still Pangu's three divine weapons that created the world. Now I have obtained one of the complete divine weapons, and the Book of Creation is about to be repaired. Next, I need to find the most powerful Pangu Axe. Perhaps it can sever all ties."

Ye Beixuan still had a question in his mind: what kind of direct connection did he have with Pangu?

His experiences in the mortal realm and his encounters in the immortal realm made him increasingly suspicious of many things.

Thinking about this, he still couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped worrying about it and calmed down to meditate and regulate his breathing.

Time flew by, and evening soon arrived. Ye Beixuan stepped out of the cave, wanting to relax.

Looking at the magnificent landscape of the celestial realm, he suddenly felt that there was not much difference between this place and the mortal world. The only difference was that the people in the celestial realm had more powerful magic.

Just then, two figures suddenly appeared in the distance. Ye Yaoyao and Ye Xiaofan stood side by side and said as soon as they met, "Junior Brother Ye, are you ready? The Palace Master just ordered us to go to the Eastern Region immediately."

Ye Beixuan was taken aback. So soon? His injuries hadn't even fully healed yet! Why did they have to set off now? He had a vague feeling that something was amiss.

Seemingly sensing his doubts, Ye Xiaofan slowly explained, "The Three Domains have won a great victory in their attack on the Northern Domain. The Empress is going to hold a sermon, so Master ordered the three of us to go there as soon as possible."

"Can we not go?" Ye Yaoyao's eyes widened slightly, then she said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Junior brother, the Empress's sermon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we miss it, we won't have another chance. Besides, it's the Palace Master's order."

Ye Beixuan sighed helplessly and said, "Alright! But my injuries haven't fully healed yet. What if I walk too slowly?"

"It's alright, Junior Brother." After saying that, Ye Yaoyao glanced at Ye Xiaofan, signaling him to make a statement. "The Young Sect Master and I will take good care of you along the way."

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Ye." Ye Xiaofan patted his chest and assured him, "We'll be going to Shenliu Palace on the way, and I'll definitely take you with me."

Seeing Ye Xiaofan's confident demeanor, Ye Beixuan frowned slightly. Had Ye Xiaofan been bewitched? Why was he so enthusiastic?

"In that case, let's follow the arrangements of our senior brothers and sisters!" Ye Beixuan didn't say anything more. He would deal with whatever came his way. Whether there was a conspiracy or not, he would know when he got there.

"However, we still need to be careful. Although we won't pass through the Southern Region on our way to the Eastern Region, it's hard to guarantee they won't do anything underhanded," Ye Beixuan reminded them again. However, for the two seasoned Celestial Immortal level experts, his reminder seemed somewhat superfluous.

After tidying up briefly, the group bid farewell to their sect and headed to Shenliu Palace, intending to invite others to travel with them.

As all the willows came back to life, a winding white jade path appeared and disappeared amidst the lush willow grove.

Mu Jingtian arrived with several disciples to greet him. Outsiders assumed he was welcoming Ye Xiaofan, the young master of Tiansui Palace, but he knew in his heart that Ye Xiaofan was not the one he truly cared about.

Among the crowd, there were two people Ye Beixuan recognized very well: Fei Yu and Long Lin.

Although they didn't have time for a deep conversation at the time, and they were all busy in seclusion to recover their physical bodies after returning, they didn't inquire about each other.

"Welcome to the three of you. I am sorry for not welcoming you properly." Mu Jingtian said politely, cupping his hands. Who would have thought that this seemingly ordinary person was actually the powerful and renowned Lord Suifeng of the Immortal Realm?
"Not at all, thank you so much for welcoming me personally, Uncle Mu." Ye Xiaofan felt that as the most senior member of the team, he should return the greeting. However, he didn't notice that when Mu Jingtian bowed, his body leaned slightly towards Ye Beixuan.

“Please…” Mu Jingtian gestured, and Ye Xiaofan immediately stepped forward, followed closely by Ye Yaoyao, while Ye Beixuan was pulled aside by the two of them.

"Hey young brother, could you teach us how to cultivate? I saw you were only at the Earth Immortal level a few days ago, how come you've become a Celestial Immortal now?" Long Lin clicked his tongue in amazement, while groping Ye Beixuan's body, trying to find out the secret.

Ye Beixuan was startled. How did this guy figure it out? But he still pretended to be calm and said in a flat tone, "You must be joking. I am clearly still an Earth Immortal."

"How could that be? This is the Eye of Truth." Dragon Scale said in a strange tone, while looking Ye Beixuan up and down from time to time.

"The Eye of Truth? I think it's more like nearsightedness," Ye Beixuan joked with a smile.

"Boy, you can question my character, but you can never question my eyes. Who in this immortal realm doesn't know the power of my Eye of Truth?" Long Lin glared and puffed out his beard, completely lacking the composure one would expect from a senior.

"The two seniors summoned me here, surely not just for idle chatter!" Ye Beixuan said with a calm smile.

Fei Yu chimed in with a smile, "Of course not. We're just curious about how you concealed your cultivation level, little brother. Long Lin is right. This Eye of Truth in the Immortal Realm is unique. Back then, only Lord Sui Feng knew it, and Long Lin just happened to receive his true teachings."

“Since you two are old acquaintances of Lord Suifeng, then I will give you something as a gift.” With that, Ye Beixuan took out the Starshine Stone he had obtained from the Scattered Soul Spring and handed it over.

"Starstone..." the two exclaimed in surprise at the same time!

With this stone, their restoration of their physical bodies would be just around the corner; it was an extremely rare treasure.

The two accepted the stone without hesitation and carefully placed it into their storage rings. Fei Yu said, "Sect Master Mu is still waiting upstairs!"

With that, the three of them headed towards the main hall.

Ten thousand years have passed, and the two strongest sects in the Southern Region—Tian Sui Palace and Shen Liu Palace—have now declined somewhat, simply because their two strongest Heavenly Monarchs perished.

Today, it wasn't just Tian Sui Palace that came to visit Shen Liu Palace; other sects from the Southern Region also flocked there. This was all because of the Empress's return, which had led to a steady rise in the status of both Tian Sui Palace and Shen Liu Palace.

Mu Jingtian was methodically arranging for everyone to take their seats. After everyone was seated, he gently waved his sleeve, and in an instant, thousands of green leaves formed from spiritual energy enveloped them like clouds and mist, instantly dispelling everyone's fatigue. "You have all come from afar, and you must be very tired. This is just a small token of my appreciation."

"The Empress is giving a sermon, which is a rare opportunity for all of you. Please listen in a relaxed state."

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they couldn't help but secretly speculate that the strength of the Palace Master of Shenliu Palace was probably close to that of a saint.

Immediately afterwards, Mu Jingtian waved his hand again, and teacups flew automatically to everyone's front.

"It's getting late tonight, so everyone should rest here. We can set off again tomorrow, when I will personally guide you to the teleportation array."

This is precisely what puzzled Ye Beixuan: why did Tian Sui Palace have a teleportation array but not use it, instead of gathering everyone together in such a grand manner?
Before they could think it through, everyone was taken to their respective residences.

Time flies, and the moonlight soon descends quietly, casting dappled light and shadow through the window lattice.

Ye Beixuan was meditating cross-legged in his room when he suddenly noticed a change in the light outside the window.

He flashed and saw Ye Yaoyao acting suspiciously, completely unlike her usual cute self.

He quietly concealed himself and followed behind. Suddenly, Ye Yaoyao stopped in front of Ye Xiaofan's door, and Ye Beixuan immediately felt that things were not so simple.

Ye Yaoyao looked around, her slender fingers about to touch the door, when suddenly she froze.

"Junior Brother?" She turned her head sharply, looking into the darkness, and said, "I...I've come to discuss tomorrow's itinerary with the Young Sect Master..."

Ye Beixuan slowly emerged from the darkness, looked up and revealed a gentle smile: "Senior Sister is truly thoughtful."

The moonlight shone on Ye Yaoyao's eyes, which remained as clear and bright as ever.

Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Ye Xiaofan peeked out. Seeing Ye Yaoyao standing there looking at a loss, he quickly came to her rescue, saying, "Junior sister, why did you take so long to get here!"

On the surface, he appeared calm and amiable, but inwardly he was cursing Ye Beixuan to the core: "This Ye Dazhuang, my junior sister has already agreed to meet me in my room tonight, but he's ruining my plans just because he's junior sister Yaoyao's cousin."

"It's late and the dew is heavy, so I'll head back now. Senior Sister and Senior Brother, you can continue your conversation." With that, Ye Beixuan turned and left.

There must be something fishy about this. Although I witnessed it tonight, it's not wise to alert them yet.

"Senior brother, it's too late tonight, I'll head back now." Ye Yaoyao gave Ye Xiaofan a "resentful" look before leaving, while the latter cursed Ye Beixuan tens of thousands of times in his heart.

(End of this chapter)