The Path to Another World

The two worked tirelessly around the ancient tomb for a whole day, their energy exhausted several times, but they still made no progress. As night fell, many people began to gather in the square, bringing out food they usually wouldn't eat from their homes and filling the table with it. They would occasionally cast grateful glances at the two. Many children also curiously surrounded the two, who were working up a sweat, wondering what game they were playing and why they looked so tired.

As darkness fell, the sky became completely dark. The sky here was much clearer than outside, with countless stars twinkling mischievously, clearly visible. At the invitation of several elders, the two men lit a large pile of firewood in the middle of the square—the greatest respect one could show to a guest; whoever lit the fire was the most honored guest of the evening. Young men danced a primitive dance around them, and cups of strong liquor were poured into their bowls as if they were free. Unmarried young women also joined in the primitive dance; though lacking the men's boldness, they possessed a more graceful charm—soft waists, alluring bodies, flowing hair, and captivating eyes that left the two men parched, their heads bowed, unable to bear the alluring glances from the beauties.

Night deepened, but the crowd remained tirelessly dancing. The bonfire party wasn't just a celebration of the harvest; it was also a prime opportunity for young men and women to find love. Boys could invite girls they liked to dance, and if the girl didn't object, they would be blessed by the crowd and become a new couple. The two looked at the entertaining crowd, declined several dance invitations, glanced at the ancient tomb with a sigh of resignation, and couldn't help but sigh deeply. Waiting for the alignment of the seven stars—who knew when that would be? If they were lucky, it might be thirty to fifty years; if they were unlucky, it could be a century. Completely bored, they lay back on the square, looking at the starry sky, counting constellations one after another: "This is Venus, this is Jupiter… and this is Neptune…" Ye Fan pointed to the brightest stars in the sky, explaining scientific concepts to the children.

As night deepened, the stars in the night sky shone even more enchantingly. The planets closest to Earth appeared particularly bright. Gazing blankly at the starry sky, bathed in the cool, watery moonlight, enjoying this rare tranquility, Tian Jun, almost asleep, suddenly changed his expression and leaped up, clutching his chest. Uncontrollably, beams of blue light emanated from between Tian Jun's fingers, instantly enveloping the entire square. The pendant emitted a mysterious power, soaring higher and higher. Tian Jun gritted his teeth and tried with all his might to snatch the pendant back, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the seemingly insignificant pendant from rising slowly. Ye Fan, startled awake by Tian Jun's sudden leap, was also stunned, staring blankly at this strange scene, still not understanding what was happening. Seeing Tian Jun being lifted up by the chest pendant, his expression changed. He circulated his Dao power throughout his body, becoming as light as a swallow or an autumn leaf in the wind. In the blink of an eye, he placed his hands on Tian Jun's shoulders, who was already two or three meters off the ground. He used all his strength and shouted in a low voice, "Thousand-pound pendant!"

To everyone's surprise, the pendant only swayed slightly, slowing its ascent a little, but still stubbornly continued its slow ascent into the sky. Ye Fan's expression changed. This pendant must have at least a thousand pounds of force, yet it not only failed to bring it down, but it couldn't even stop it. He had seriously underestimated the power contained within the pendant. It seemed that something strange was about to happen tonight. He said softly, "Junzi, it seems we can't do anything to it from the air. It's better to be careful. Let it go first, and we'll go down and wait and see." Hearing Ye Fan's words, Tian Jun nodded helplessly. He didn't know what would happen if he continued to be carried by the pendant. Would he fall from the sky and die? A few dozen meters couldn't hurt him, but what about a few hundred meters? A thousand meters? Tian Jun glanced reluctantly at the pendant he was holding, then quietly let go, allowing it to continue flying towards the bright moon. The villagers, who had been singing and dancing on the ground, stared in disbelief at what was happening before them. The playful children huddled in their mothers' arms, leaving only their heads to stare intently at the slowly rising blue light, watching with envy as Ye Fan and Tian Jun descended gracefully from mid-air like immortals. The blue light almost enveloped the entire square; everyone was stunned, staring blankly at this beautiful yet somewhat eerie scene, unable to comprehend what was happening. Feeling a strange power cleansing their bodies repeatedly, the crowd was overjoyed. Several elders appeared much younger, their gaunt faces regaining a healthy glow. Little Ye Zi nestled gently against Grandpa Li, cautiously saying, "Grandpa, this aura feels very familiar; it's like I've felt it somewhere before."

Upon hearing Xiao Yezi's words, the elders were immediately shocked, staring at him in astonishment. Xiao Yezi's identity was quite special in the village. When he was born, extraordinary phenomena occurred: hundreds of flowers bloomed, their fragrance spreading for miles; hundreds of birds sang in unison; and wild beasts from the surrounding area gathered around the village, trembling and kneeling in worship, placing down gifts they had found in the mountains before slowly and quietly retreating. These gifts included centuries-old ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, stones with special energy, and many other rare items, including an ancient vermilion fruit. At first, the villagers thought it was a beast invasion and were prepared to fight back. However, seeing the usually ferocious beasts quietly lined up and kneeling in worship, enduring the villagers' scolding and beatings, they understood. From then on, no one in the village was ever attacked by wild beasts again; everyone understood that this was because of Xiao Yezi's existence. Everyone had speculated about Xiao Yezi's true identity. However, besides being exceptionally intelligent, able to read and write at the age of three, able to communicate with beasts and birds at the age of five, and already highly learned by the age of eight, he was regarded by everyone in the village as the reincarnation of a certain deity. His status in the village was extraordinary, and he was clearly the leader of the next generation. Hearing his sudden words, everyone gathered together and took it very seriously, because it was related to the ancestral artifact and whether they could leave this cage.

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