Yi Chen spent only the time it took to smoke a cigarette adjusting his mindset and clarifying a vitally important path forward.
He stamped out the cigarette butt and was just about to walk back into the room when the breath he exhaled was suddenly swept away.
"You old geezer, you're only showing up now... If it had been anyone else, they'd probably be covered in livor mortis by now."
"Hahaha! Aren't you all perfectly fine? I didn't come late on purpose. After all, with the world completely sealed off by the Calamity's interference, I had to stake the value of these old bones just to get them to open the door.
"Speaking of which, what exactly happened? Why are you all still alive? And why did the Tenth Calamity actually retreat on its own? Your strength shouldn't have been enough to drive it back... Could it have been William?"
The Celestial Venerable descended, completely unlike his usual carefree self.
He was now utterly serious. Golden light coiled around his body, his beard drifted in the air, and every breath he took created ripples in the spatial dimensions that spread outward.
"No..."
When Yi Chen explained the entire process, the Celestial Venerable's expression changed several times. In the end, however, he threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"There really is a way to break through a deadlock like that. You certainly know how to adapt! In the past, the gods hunted by the Tenth Calamity could all hold on at first, but before long, they would die completely.
"To actively accommodate the manifestation of such evil and establish this kind of connection with the Tenth Calamity... Although it isn't enough to avoid your eventual death, it's still extremely interesting.
"However, in essence, you've still been marked.
"According to the