He Is My Creditor

"Please speak, Celestial Venerable."

It was the first time the twelve had seen the Celestial Venerable wear such a grave expression.

In truth, Han Xiaopao did not know whether he should reveal it, but for the peace of the Spirit Realm after his departure and the safety of its future generations, he still decided to leave behind a contingency.

"I have a creditor."

"I am worried that after I ascend, he may come to the Spirit Realm looking for trouble."

The creditor Han Xiaopao spoke of was the mysterious man who had once forced him to sign a contract.

Though so many years had passed, and he did not know whether that man was still alive—or even whether he still existed—Han Xiaopao decided to speak of him, just to be safe.

The moment those words fell, the twelve exchanged glances, each seeing shock and disbelief in the others' eyes.

Han Celestial Venerable's creditor?! In this world, who could possibly be qualified to become Han Celestial Venerable's creditor?!

Moreover, they could hear a trace of worry in the Celestial Venerable's tone. In other words, that creditor of his seemed to be very powerful?! "Celestial Venerable, we do not quite understand what you mean."

"May we ask who this creditor of yours is?"

"Could it be that this creditor is even stronger than you, Celestial Venerable?"

They asked cautiously.

Hearing this, Han Xiaopao began recalling the scene of his first encounter with that mysterious man. At the time, he had possessed no cultivation, so he could not sense the other man's cultivation or strength at all, nor did he know how powerful he was.

Yet over these thousands of years, he had continued searching for that river.

Even with his methods and strength, he could not find it. That meant the river absolutely did not exist in this world.

Then there was only one possibility: that river very likely existed in a world higher than this one. If that was true, then the other party's cultivation and strength had to be unfathomable.

As for whether he was stronger or weaker than Han Xiaopao, that was not important.

What mattered was that once Han Xiaopao ascended and left, should that man come looking for him, it would be a calamity for the entire Spirit Realm.

Therefore, he had to prepare for the worst. If he ascended, he at least had to leave some protection behind for his Spirit Realm, his descendants, and his friends and family.

"In terms of strength, he should be stronger than me."

Han Xiaopao voiced the worst-case scenario so that they would feel a sense of urgency and not take it lightly.

Upon hearing this, fear appeared on the faces of the twelve, and stormy waves rose in their hearts. An enemy even stronger than the Celestial Venerable—if such a mighty being came calling after the Celestial Venerable ascended, who in the entire Spirit Realm could stand against him?!

"You need not be afraid."

"I merely owe him some things. As long as I return them, he naturally will not vent his anger upon the Spirit Realm."

With a sweep of his hand, a portrait appeared in Han Xiaopao's grasp. It bore the outline of a blurry face, not finely detailed; only the brows and eyes could be made out.

This was the portrait Han Xiaopao had drawn from his memories. At most, he could only capture a pair of brows and eyes and a vague outline.

With his memory, remembering someone's appearance should have been easy, even after an extremely long time had passed.

Yet for some reason, the more he tried to recall it, the blurrier the face in his memories became. It was as though a mass of void mist shrouded the man's figure. He could not see him clearly, much less deduce anything about him.

"This is what my creditor looks like."

"Too much time has passed, so I cannot remember him clearly. I could only draw these brows and eyes, along with a rough outline."

Han Xiaopao handed the portrait to them.

All of them crowded around, their eyes fixed on the outline in the portrait as they etched it deeply into their hearts.

"If one day, he comes looking for me."

"Tell him that I have already ascended and left this world."

"As for what I owe him, I have long placed it somewhere in the Spirit Realm. I hope he will not vent his anger upon the Spirit Realm. If he is still dissatisfied, then let him come to the Upper Realm to find me."

Han Xiaopao had placed ten fairly good treasures somewhere in the Spirit Realm and left behind a trace of his aura as well. He knew that with the other party's methods, finding them would be extremely easy.

This was the contingency he had left behind. He could only hope the other party would abide by the contract.

If the other party was truly still dissatisfied, then let him come find Han Xiaopao in the Upper Realm—if he had the ability.

Hearing Han Celestial Venerable's words, the twelve unconsciously swallowed.

When strength reached the level of the Celestial Venerable and his ilk, every move could bring calamity upon an entire realm. Even people like them, who stood beneath one person and above ten thousand, still had to watch others' expressions and pray for a way to survive.

"We understand."

They carefully put away the portrait and nodded solemnly.

This small portrait carried the life, death, and calamity of the Spirit Realm.

"Over the next hundred years, I will enter seclusion to undergo my tribulation. I will leave the management of the Spirit Realm to you."

"You have followed me for so long and helped me handle countless matters, great and small, throughout the Spirit Realm. I trust that you have the ability to govern it well."

Han Xiaopao planned to spend a hundred years making his final push toward ascension. He had made thorough preparations and was sixty percent confident.

That was why, before entering seclusion to undergo his tribulation, he had explained all these matters clearly. Even if he failed his tribulation and unfortunately perished, it would not throw the Spirit Realm into chaos.

"We will not fail the Celestial Venerable's great trust."

"Celestial Venerable, please enter seclusion without concern. You need not worry about the many troublesome matters of the Spirit Realm. Focus on your seclusion and breakthrough with peace of mind. We will do everything in our power to handle all these great and small troubles and preserve stability to the utmost."

The twelve also understood that the Celestial Venerable's secluded tribulation was the most important matter in the entire Spirit Realm.

Once the Celestial Venerable ascended to the Upper Realm, they would have someone there to rely on. And if, one day in the future, they were fortunate enough to reach the step of ascension themselves, they could follow in the Celestial Venerable's footsteps and ascend to the Upper Realm as well.

Thus, the Celestial Venerable was their faith—the one worth following.

"Go make the arrangements."

After Han Xiaopao waved them away, he sat alone once more at the cliff's edge, gazing into the distance—to the horizon, and beyond.

Above the River of Time, Su Mu, exhausted after a long day, finally got to rest for a while.

He lay beneath a willow tree in the shade, idly waving a folding fan in his hand.

Repairing the riverway had been exhausting, but when he looked at the five hundred Favor Points credited to his account, he immediately did not feel nearly as tired.

Only when effort and reward were proportional could one work with ever greater vigor.

Just like before he transmigrated—those miserable jobs that paid three thousand yuan a month, and they still wanted him to work overtime?

After working overtime hard for an entire day, he would come home and look at his three-thousand-yuan pay slip. His back, already bent from exhaustion, would snap outright.

But if the salary were fifty thousand yuan a month—

Tired? Was that even tired? Tiredness would no longer be a feeling—it would be greatness! Tired? He did not feel it!

The people were even more tired!

That was the enlightenment of a high salary.

The company was my home, the boss was my dad, I love going to work! Going to work was humanity's finest destination! Just like now—he had earned five hundred Favor Points after working all afternoon. It felt incredible.

He opened his status panel, checked his Favor Points balance, then drifted blissfully to sleep.

After Su Mu fell asleep, a willow branch drooped down, picked up the folding fan that had fallen to the ground, and fanned him.

After sleeping for nearly two hours, he sensed something in his dreams. He suddenly opened his eyes and walked toward the shore.