Rain pattered down.
The night wind howled over the desolate ruins.
Gu Qingshan stood silently in the rain, motionless.
The War God Operating Interface reappeared before him and began communicating.
"Welcome back to the future, Gu Qingshan."
"How long was I gone?"
"Since you were sealed in the Quicksand World, one year and seventy-nine days have passed."
"Strange. I should have returned to the moment I left. Why did time leap forward by one year and seventy-nine days?"
"You'll have to ask the thing that brought you back."
Gu Qingshan looked up.
The Golden Coin floated in the air before him, giving off a mournful little chime now and then.
Gu Qingshan cleared his throat. "Um... may I ask why we skipped forward by more than a year?"
The Golden Coin chimed in a series of tinkling notes.
Gu Qingshan had gained the ability to communicate with artifact spirits back in the Divine Martial World, so he understood it now.
"You're saying we had to skip over that year, or I would have been killed for certain?" Gu Qingshan asked to confirm.
"Ding-dong!" The Golden Coin chimed in confirmation.
Gu Qingshan said sincerely, "Thank you for bringing me good fortune. If I'd come back using the Human Race's three coins, who knows what might have happened to me?"
The Golden Coin gave a weary series of chimes.
"Too tired? Then get some rest," Gu Qingshan said.
The Golden Coin drifted down into his hand. He placed it carefully in his Storage Bag.
Gu Qingshan silently went over everything that had happened, then sighed. "More than a year has passed already. I wonder how the Nine Hundred Million Layer World is doing."
"The important thing is that you made it back alive—and brought back the Heavenly Sword," the God of War