On the way back, Melos asked in confusion:
"That Compendium of Magic should be the work of your heart and blood—perhaps even your true Dao. Why did you hand it over, and under the name of the Codex at that?"
Anything involving the Codex forced Melos to be more vigilant.
Chen Cheng merely smiled lightly.
"What does Elder think I am doing? This is the Dao I wish to prove. There isn't much time left, so my methods have had to become somewhat crude.
Besides, people are all like this. If the treasure you bring out has no origin, others truly won't regard your treasure as a treasure."
Hearing Chen Cheng's explanation that barely counted as an explanation, Melos did not press further.
"Elder, we need to pick up the pace. If we stay gone too long, I fear unforeseen changes may arise."
Chen Cheng apologized, then directly used his Divine Domain to carry Melos onward.
Through those shattered spatial nodes, Chen Cheng traversed nearly the entire Karmak Continent in just a few days.
In the end, Chen Cheng returned to the place where everything in his life had begun—the Kingdom of Moss.
The new Hui Dun City had been rebuilt atop its old site, and most of the people Chen Cheng knew had returned here.
When he saw the somewhat travel-worn Wisdom Shield, a rare smile appeared on Chen Cheng's lips since his return.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before getting down to business.
Wisdom Shield first explained the situation with the first northern expedition. Originally, they had planned to settle it in one burst of momentum, but after Ye Rong's analysis, he believed a single campaign could not force a decisive battle, so the operation had been delayed.
Chen Cheng felt no anger over this alteration