The Truth of the Fourteen-Year Disappearance (Part 1)

The hazy chaos-colored aura slowly receded. The wisp of Chaos Flame floating above Yao Lao's head trembled slightly, then turned into a streak of light and entered Xiao Chen's body.

Yao Lao remained seated cross-legged with his eyes closed, still in phantom form. His originally illusory figure had become more than twice as solid! Though he was still far from his peak, the frailty that had made him seem liable to dissipate at any moment had completely vanished. His soul body now radiated a warm, jade-like glow, and his aura had become deep and steady.

A moment later, Yao Lao slowly opened his eyes. A sharp gleam flashed within them, filled with barely suppressed excitement and joy.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" Feeling the abundant power and stabilized origin within his soul body, his voice grew several degrees louder. "This Chaos Flame is indeed extraordinarily miraculous! Just one session of nourishment is equivalent to several years of recovery on my own! At this rate, in less than a year, my Soul Power may recover enough for me to refine high-grade seventh-grade pills!"

For Yao Lao, once an Eighth-grade Alchemist Grandmaster, this was immensely significant! Not only would he be able to guide Xiao Yan better, but it also meant that the day of his resurrection had been greatly brought forward!

"Teacher! You really do feel so much better!" Xiao Yan was overjoyed as well. He could clearly sense the increase in Yao Lao's soul strength.

"Congratulations, Yao Lao." Xiao Chen smiled, though his face was slightly pale. Clearly, controlling the Chaos Flame for such delicate nourishment had also drained him considerably. "This method must be done gradually. Once every seven days will produce the best results."

"Enough! More than enough!" Yao Lao nodded repeatedly. Looking at Xiao Chen, his gratitude was plain to see. "Xiao Chen, I truly do not know how to repay such a favor."

"You flatter me, Senior. You have done much for Brother Yan. This is only what I should do." Xiao Chen waved a hand, indicating that there was no need for such courtesy.

The atmosphere in the room became especially harmonious. After this, Yao Lao's trust in Xiao Chen reached its peak, and the last trace of distance between them vanished completely.

Seeing the faint exhaustion on his brother's face, Xiao Yan felt deeply moved. At the same time, he could no longer suppress the question that had built up in his heart for fourteen years.

"Brother," Xiao Yan finally asked, his voice carrying a hint of caution, "can you tell us now... how exactly did you disappear back then? And how did you survive these past fourteen years? A Seven Star Dou Venerate... that's simply too..."

It was simply too shocking. He did not say the rest, but the meaning was obvious. Yao Lao also looked over curiously. He too was eager to learn about Xiao Chen's experiences. A twenty-four-year-old Seven Star Dou Venerate who possessed a Heavenly Soul Realm and fused Heavenly Flames—his life had to be legendary.

Xiao Chen looked at the expectant expressions of his younger brother and Yao Lao. After a moment of silence, a trace of reminiscence and emotion appeared on his face.

"It's a long story, and it is indeed time I told you." He took a deep breath, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space as it returned to an afternoon fourteen years ago.

"When I was ten, my Dou Qi had already stabilized at the eighth stage. Among those my age in Wutan City, I was considered outstanding. One day, I went alone to train in the back mountains, intending to attempt a breakthrough to the ninth stage..."

Xiao Yan held his breath. He knew that his brother's talent had been astonishing since childhood.

"Just as I found a secluded valley and prepared to cultivate, the unexpected happened." Xiao Chen's gaze sharpened. "The space deep within the valley collapsed without any warning! It was not a natural phenomenon. It was more like some indescribable external force, terrifying beyond measure, that had forcibly torn space apart!"

"Space collapse?" Yao Lao's pupils contracted. "How could space collapse appear for no reason in a place with such thin energy as the Jia Ma Empire? Unless..."

"Unless it was man-made, or an extremely rare spatial storm, or perhaps... spatial turbulence caused by the accidental activation of some ancient ruin or teleportation array." Xiao Chen took over Yao Lao's words, his tone grave.

"I was only ten at the time. Before that world-destroying Power of Space, I did not have even the slightest ability to resist. Everything went black before my eyes, and I was sucked into a Spatial Rift." Xiao Chen's voice carried a trace of lingering fear. "It felt as if both my body and soul were about to be torn to pieces."

Xiao Yan's palms grew sweaty as he listened. He could imagine the despair of a ten-year-old child being swept into a Spatial Rift.

"When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a completely unfamiliar primeval forest. The natural energy there was more than ten times richer than in the Jia Ma Empire! Ancient trees towered a thousand zhang high, powerful magical beasts could be seen everywhere, and there were even plenty of fifth- and sixth-tier ones!"

"Fifth- and sixth-tier magical beasts?" Xiao Yan sucked in a breath. Those were equivalent to human Dou Wang and Dou Emperor experts! His ten-year-old brother had actually ended up in such a place?

"Relying on a little luck and the vigilance I had honed since childhood, I barely managed to hide and struggle for survival. When I was hungry, I ate wild fruits. When I was thirsty, I drank mountain spring water. At any moment, I could have become a meal for a magical beast." Xiao Chen's tone was calm, but the dangers within his words moved both Xiao Yan and Yao Lao.

"Just when I was nearly unable to hold on and was about to starve to death, I met someone." Deep gratitude and nostalgia appeared in Xiao Chen's eyes.

"He was an old man who called himself 'Xu.' He seemed to appear out of nowhere. He saved me, and seeing that I had decent aptitude and a fairly resilient temperament, he asked whether I was willing to cultivate under him."

"Xu?" Yao Lao frowned deeply, quickly searching through his vast memories, yet he had no impression of that name whatsoever. An expert capable of raising a twenty-four-year-old Seven Star Dou Venerate could not possibly be unknown.

"I had no other choice, and I knew this was a tremendous opportunity, so I took him as my master." Xiao Chen continued, "My master... was very mysterious, and very powerful. He took me from that forest to a vaster and more dangerous region—the Central Plains."

"Central Plains!" Xiao Yan and Yao Lao cried out at the same time. Just as expected! Only that true core of the Dou Qi Continent could produce such a young Dou Venerate!

"For the next dozen years, I was almost always cultivating and training under my master. We explored ancient ruins fraught with danger, braved deadly forbidden lands, and clashed with the geniuses and old monsters of the Central Plains' top factions over resources..."

Xiao Chen spoke briefly, but Xiao Yan and Yao Lao could imagine the magnificent turmoil and ever-present danger within those experiences. The Central Plains was a place where Dou Emperors were as common as dogs and Dou Zongs roamed everywhere. Its brutal competition was far beyond anything the Jia Ma Empire could compare to.

"My cultivation rose step by step through countless battles on the edge of life and death, along with my master's careful guidance. As for the Chaos Flame..." Xiao Chen paused. "It was formed in an ancient ruin called the Chaos Ruins, where I fused the origins of three Heavenly Flames through a narrow escape from death."

Three Heavenly Flames! The corner of Yao Lao's mouth twitched. This was no longer something that could be described as mere "coincidence." It was heaven-defying fortune and perseverance!

"Then... where is Master now?" Xiao Yan could not help asking.

A complicated expression flashed through Xiao Chen's eyes. He shook his head. "Three years ago, Master said he had urgent matters to attend to in an extremely dangerous forbidden land. Before leaving, he settled me in a safe place and told me that once I broke through to the Dou Venerate realm and my spatial senses greatly increased, I could try to find my own way home. After that, there was no more news from him."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Though Xiao Chen had described the past fourteen years lightly, the hardship, danger, and loneliness within them were enough to shock anyone.

From a ten-year-old child struggling to survive in the unfamiliar and dangerous Central Plains, to becoming the disciple of a mysterious expert, enduring countless trials, and finally reaching the Seven Star Dou Venerate realm at the age of twenty-four... it was practically a living legend!

Xiao Yan looked at his brother. Beyond his shock, he felt even more heartache. He had endured only a little humiliation over the past three years and already considered life difficult, while his brother had crawled out from true mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

"Brother..." Xiao Yan's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Xiao Chen smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's all in the past. Now that I've returned, that is the best possible outcome."

However, Yao Lao keenly caught a detail in Xiao Chen's words. His expression turned solemn as he spoke.

"Xiao Chen, you said that you found your way back by relying on the enhanced spatial senses you gained after breaking through to the Dou Venerate realm? Then that Spatial Rift which swept you away back then... could it really have been no accident?"

Xiao Chen's smile faded, and his gaze became profound. He looked at Yao Lao and slowly nodded.

"This has also been a lingering doubt in my heart. That Spatial Rift appeared too suddenly and too strangely... I suspect that some unknown secret may be hidden behind it."

"And perhaps this is connected to the Xiao Family in some way."