When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

At this moment, after experiencing this space again, Zhu Chongjiu found that the void could no longer obscure his senses.

However, less than ten minutes after Zhu Chongjiu began flying upwards, he was already able to sense the entrance he had come from.

A few minutes later, after Zhu Chongjiu had emerged from the cave at the bottom of the sacred mountain, he finally understood something!

Zhu Chongjiu suddenly leaned over the cave entrance, sticking his whole head inside, and shouted, "Void, I...you...you're playing me!"

After Zhu Chongjiu frantically sent telegrams to the void for a full ten minutes, he finally stopped, his mouth dry.

With tears welling up in his eyes, Zhu Chongjiu said aggrievedly, "Void, you're playing me! The distance to the exit is so short, yet it took me years to fly there."

Even a blind person would have found it long ago!

You're the one controlling this space, making me go around in circles in it.

Even if you wanted to teach me something, you could have done so as soon as I joined.

You had to wait until I broke down and had nowhere else to turn before you showed yourself.

What does it matter to me if you stay here for tens of thousands of years?

What does your frustration have to do with me?

Are you bored and playing me?

Zhu Chongjiu grew angrier as he spoke. After sending a telegram into the cave for a while, he wiped away his tears, and in a flash, he appeared on the summit of the sacred mountain.

Now, Zhu Chongjiu, standing atop the sacred mountain, looked up at the long-lost light and thought to himself, "The void is pitiful enough, trapped in the dark underground for tens of thousands of years."

He was waiting for some ethereal being to come and save him.

They rely on their long lifespan and live in the boundless universe year after year.

If it were me, I would collapse even after a few decades, let alone tens of thousands of years.

It seems my willpower isn't strong enough!

After Zhu Chongjiu finished his exclamation, he looked towards the foot of the sacred mountain and asked, "What's going on? Why are they setting up camp here?"

Upon seeing this scene, Zhu Chongjiu flashed away and arrived directly at the foot of the sacred mountain.

Because of his excessive speed, even though the Firefly Sacred Beast sensed the energy fluctuations, Zhu Chongjiu had already left the area where they were guarding the sacred mountain.

This also resulted in the Firefly Sacred Beast not appearing at all this time!

When Zhu Chongjiu appeared at the main gate of the camp, the soldiers on guard were taken aback by his sudden appearance.

Then, with his mouth agape and his hand trembling, he pointed at Zhu Chongjiu, then at the depths of the camp, as if trying to say something, but in his haste, he couldn't utter a single word.

Finally, the soldier ran towards the camp at the fastest speed he had ever run.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Chongjiu remained silent, only smiling and shaking his head.

Then, Zhu Chongjiu strode into the camp.

However, just as Zhu Chongjiu stepped into the camp, a dark figure instantly pounced into his arms.

She cried loudly, "Ninth Brother, where have you been?"

Do you know that I've been waiting for you for twenty years?

If it weren't for Huoyan stopping me, I would have gone to find you long ago!

With his eyes slightly moist, Zhu Chongjiu stroked the little black dog in his arms and softly replied, "Silly boy, why didn't you listen to me?"

If I didn't tell you, would I have you waiting for me in a daze?

Besides, if you don't trust anyone, why wouldn't you trust your Ninth Brother?

The person who can kill your Ninth Brother hasn't been born yet.

Stop crying, you're almost seven thousand years old, why are you still crying?

I'll let you in on a little secret: your Ninth Brother's strength has increased again!

Upon hearing Zhu Chongjiu's words, Xiao Hei pulled its head out of Zhu Chongjiu's arms, wiped away its tears haphazardly with its two paws, and happily said, "It's because I trusted Brother Jiu that Xiao Hei didn't go looking for you."

Xiao Hei was afraid that if he went down there, he wouldn't be able to help Ninth Brother and would only cause him more trouble.

So, Xiao Hei didn't go back to find the Divine Void King, but instead waited here for Ninth Brother to return.

Zhu Chongjiu gazed tenderly at Xiao Hei, the little black dog who genuinely cared for him, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. That warmth spread throughout his body like the spring sunshine.

Looking back on the various hardships and difficulties I have experienced over the past twenty years, the endless bitterness and sorrow during those days of being trapped hung over my heart like a heavy gloom.

However, at this moment, facing Xiao Hei's sincere and concerned eyes, all the pain seemed to gradually melt away.

Just like solid ice meeting the warm sun, it slowly melts into a clear spring and flows away.

Now, the bitterness and sorrow that lingered in my heart have almost completely disappeared, replaced by a glimmer of hope and anticipation for the future.

Just as Xiao Hei and Zhu Chongjiu were enjoying their time together, the figure of the Fire Emperor rapidly approached them from a distance.

When the Flame Emperor stood before Zhu Chongjiu, Zhu Chongjiu noticed that the Flame Emperor, who had a lifespan of nearly a thousand years, seemed to have aged several hundred years in just twenty years.

Upon seeing the arrival of the Fire Emperor, the little black cat in Zhu Chongjiu's arms happily said, "Ninth Brother, you don't know, during the twenty years you disappeared, it was the Fire Emperor who took care of me in every possible way."

They prepare delicious food for me every day and always comfort and advise me not to do anything foolish.

Moreover, the Flame Emperor also believed that Ninth Brother would one day emerge!

Upon hearing Xiao Hei's words, Zhu Chongjiu smiled and looked at the Flame Emperor, saying, "Thank you for your hard work!"

Huo Yan then replied, "Compared to you, it's not hard work at all!"

Emperor Huoyan now understood the weight and meaning of the name Zhu Chongjiu.

Then, the Flame Emperor said, "Ninth Brother, let's not stand here talking, let's go to the main tent in the camp."

Immediately afterwards, the Fire Emperor loudly proclaimed, "Pass down the word: a grand banquet will be held today, and the entire army will rest."

The whole army rejoices at Ninth Brother's return!

At the command of the Fire Emperor, all the soldiers put down their weapons and cheered happily.

After a while, in the central military tent, the generals and ministers took their seats on both sides of the tent, while Zhu Chongjiu and the Emperor Huoyan sat in the center at one end of the tent.

In the center of the large tent were a variety of delicious foods, prepared on the spot by palace eunuchs and distributed to everyone.

Emperor Huoyan raised his cup and said, "Today, Ninth Brother has returned safely from the Holy Mountain. Let's not talk about national affairs or military matters, let's just have fun and drink until we're drunk."

The generals and ministers below also raised their cups in unison, echoing the Fire Emperor's words: "Let's be happy and drink to our hearts' content!"

None of these people used any magic to counteract the effects of the alcohol; the wine jars were simply being brought in and taken out in batches.

Zhu Chongjiu, who never drinks alcohol, also had a few drinks in the atmosphere today.

It wasn't until late at night that everyone, supporting each other, returned to their respective tents.

Zhu Chongjiu also noticed that these people had been feeling suffocated by the pressure over the past twenty years.

Because of my return, they finally felt relieved!

To Zhu Chongjiu's great surprise, no one at the banquet asked him about what had happened inside the sacred mountain.

They didn't even mention the words "sacred mountain" once.

Including the Flame Emperor himself!

After everyone left, the Flame Emperor, his body swaying and his eyes glazed over, said to Zhu Chongjiu incoherently, "Ninth Brother, I'm dying."

That's all for today. Go and get some rest. We can talk about it tomorrow!

When Huo Yan finished speaking his last sentence, before Zhu Chongjiu could react,

With a thud, Huoyan collapsed to the side, falling into a deep sleep accompanied by deafening snores.

After getting up, Zhu Chongjiu returned to his tent under the guidance of the palace eunuch.

As soon as they entered the tent, Xiao Hei couldn't wait to ask Zhu Chongjiu about the past twenty years in this sacred mountain.

At that moment, if someone happened to pass by this tent and curiously peered inside, they would witness a strange and interesting sight.

Inside the tent, the blazing fire illuminated the entire space, making everything clearly visible.

In this bright light, a human figure stood out.

At times he would act wildly and wildly, like a madman, his movements exaggerated and insane; at other times he would suddenly raise his fist or kick, as if he were fiercely fighting some unseen enemy.

However, what is even more surprising is that directly opposite this human figure, there was a petite figure that looked like a kitten.

It sat there quietly, its big, round eyes fixed on the human in front of it.

It would also occasionally extend its small, cute paws and wave them gently, as if trying to imitate the other's movements.

Sometimes, when the human's movements are too violent, the kitten-like figure will involuntarily tremble and shrink back slightly, clearly filled with fear and unease at the scene before it.