Digging up spiritual roots and seizing blood? You scumbags, wait and tremble.

While making light, squeaky noises, Da Bai kept rubbing its little head against her arm, appearing exceptionally affectionate and docile.

It tried every cute way to win her favor and cheer her up.

Zhong Ran chuckled and patted its head lightly: "Alright, stop fooling around. You're not affected by the rules here. Go and put away all those weapons."

Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of weapons, were scattered everywhere.

Keep it; even if she doesn't want it, you can exchange it for a large sum of spirit stones.

Big White squeaked and then shot back with a whoosh.

The weapons scattered all over the place then disappeared.

With this matter settled, Zhong Ran and her group continued to enjoy the scenery, strolling leisurely.

The marks of time have slowly left their mark on them.

As time went by, their bodies grew little by little.

Sometimes, they would stop and stare blankly at a flower or a blade of grass.

Sometimes, you might notice that there are tiny, twinkling lights on the grass.

They would stare at the unexpected objects for a long time before moving.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely for them; sometimes, they could even take a few steps back to see some of the scenery they had missed.

There's no going back on the path you've already walked, not even by a single step.

Now, however, I can walk back two or three steps.

As time went by, they were even able to walk back a short distance.

Their bodies also change as they walk back a short distance.

Those who remain at the end are all highly talented individuals, renowned geniuses from various families and powerful organizations.

Their comprehension and understanding were extremely strong. Gradually, through deep thinking and experience, they came to understand some principles and began to consciously control themselves to go back.

This so-called "self" no longer refers to the individual but also symbolizes the flow and retrospection of time.

Because each time they choose to go back, their bodies undergo subtle changes, gradually shrinking, as if time is quietly flowing backward.

But no one really noticed the changes in each other. Everyone was immersed in their own complicated thoughts, as if the world was only filled with the voice of their own hearts.

They gradually grow from innocent children into naive and confused teenagers, and then step into adolescence full of vigor and confusion.

During this process, sometimes when they look at the opposite sex, they unconsciously reveal a hint of undisguised admiration, a trace of the first stirrings of their hearts.

This is the most beautiful and sensitive age of a person's life, when they first fall in love, full of innocence and anticipation.

As they grew older and time quietly passed, they saw those cultivators who had long since surpassed them ahead of them.

They were all too old to walk.

They regretted it and wanted to turn back.

However, they failed to grasp the fundamentals, and now they can't go back to the beginning.

Conversely, the geniuses who came later, even though they were all the same age, were much stronger physically.

It seems that their bodies age very slowly, and time has not left many marks on them.

Gradually, some tall trees appeared ahead. These were all old trees, and their trunks seemed to emit a shimmering white halo.

It's very faint; you wouldn't even notice it if you didn't look closely.

But everyone saw it.

They exchanged a glance, quickened their pace, and soon reached the base of the tree.

A soft, white halo enveloped them, making them feel very comfortable.

At this point, many people feel that they are old and frail, their steps are unsteady, and time has ruthlessly pushed them into the twilight of their lives.

Physical exhaustion and mental fatigue intertwined, making each step they took heavy and slow.

They simply stopped moving and sat down on the spot, their gray hair disheveled.

It's quite difficult to sit cross-legged properly; very few people can do it.

Even so, they did not give up. They sat cross-legged, closed their eyes, and tried to understand.

Zhong Ran and Mu Jinning stood side by side. Both of them had completely white hair, had lost all their teeth, and their faces were covered with wrinkles that resembled tree bark.

They helped each other walk to the tree and sat down.

Ah Sheng and Yun Tianyu helped each other walk over and sit down, already panting heavily.

"So this is what it's like to get old."

Zhong Ran sighed softly, noting that this time was different from when she was a child, and her voice had become aged.

"Time is truly terrifying; it can so easily take away the most vibrant lives."

Mu Jinning reached out and pulled her shoulders into his arms, saying softly, "No matter how old we get, I'll always be with you."

“Okay.” Zhong Ran nodded gently, and the two of them sat cross-legged with difficulty, closing their eyes in deep thought.

At this moment, Zhong Ran's entire life was slowly replaying in her mind.

From infancy to now, with completely white hair and a lifeless appearance.

This deathly aura is different from the deathly aura among cultivators.

This is the life of an ordinary person.

In fact, it also reflects their entire lives.

Suddenly, Lin Hongqiang's ferocious face appeared in front of her.

"You brat, I went to such great lengths to get you to the Golden Core Realm, so what if I just want your spiritual root and bloodline?"

"How dare you resist! You are an utterly disloyal and unfilial person. People like you deserve to be struck by lightning."

Zhong Ran's anger was inexplicably provoked by him, and she wanted to rush over and torture him to death.

But then she suddenly remembered something, stopped, and stood there, looking at him calmly.

"Lin Hongqiang, there's no one else in the world who can talk about robbery so openly and honestly."

"What good is it if you're a dead man, no matter how unwilling you are? Can you come back to me?"

She was already so powerful that even if Lin Hongqiang were reborn now, she wouldn't take him seriously at all.

As she finished speaking, Lin Hongqiang froze in front of her. Then, his face became even more ferocious, as if he wanted to pounce on her.

But in the end, it turned into starlight and disappeared before her eyes.

Zhong Ran didn't take him to heart at all, and continued to look at her short life, carefully taking stock of some details she might have missed.

Then, Zhong Yan appeared and softly called out, "Sister!"

She paused for a moment, then slowly walked towards the boy in black in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

"Sister, I'm not feeling well at all, please come and help me, okay?"

Zhong Yan's eyes were full of grievance and longing: "Sister, they haven't been feeding me. I'm so hungry. Please come and take me away."

Zhong Ran stopped in her tracks, turned around and looked behind her, as if something was wrong.

"Sister, don't you love Xiaoyan anymore?"

Zhong Ran turned to look at him; he was slowly approaching her.