Young Lord, Am I Dreaming?

Chen Changqing lowered his head and looked at the girl trembling all over from crying in his arms. He could not help but feel both wistful and heartbroken.

A million years ago.

He had just claimed the position of Divine Son, spirited and full of vigor as he looked down upon the heroes of the world.

Back then, Lin Wan'er had merely been a little girl with a ponytail. Hugging a sword, she had knelt before him and said, "I am willing to follow the Divine Son."

He had thought it was merely ordinary devotion, yet this girl had truly followed him—from thirteen to eighteen, from the Chen Family to secret realms, from the ends of the earth to its farthest corners.

On the day he was sealed within Divine Source.

She had stood amid the crowd without crying, merely biting her lip stubbornly, her eyes red as a rabbit's.

Chen Changqing had thought that might have been their final farewell.

Yet he had never expected that during the million years of his slumber, this little girl who had once followed behind him calling him "Young Lord" would reach the peak of the Quasi-Emperor Realm alone... and even after being reduced to a wisp of a remnant soul, she could still protect the descendants of the Lin Family while surrounded and besieged by a group of Saint Kings.

It was not difficult for Chen Changqing to guess that Lin Wan'er must have endured many dangers and hardships to cultivate to such a level.

Most importantly—

Even a million years later, though she had become a Quasi-Emperor, she still acted like that little girl before him...

Thus.

Chen Changqing raised a hand and gently patted Lin Wan'er's trembling back, his movements as gentle as though he were soothing a child who had cried herself silly.

"It's all right now. It's all right."

His voice was soft, yet it carried a power that made one feel incomparably safe. "I'm back."

Lin Wan'er cried even harder.

She buried her face in his chest, as if she wanted to shed every tear she had stored up over the past million years. She wept so hard that she could barely catch her breath.

"Young Lord... Young Lord... I... I thought I would never see you again... I... I waited for so, so long..."

"So long that I could barely remember what you looked like..."

"But I didn't dare forget... I was afraid that if I forgot, I truly would never be able to remember again..."

Chen Changqing said nothing, only gently patting her back, again and again.

He knew that what this girl needed was not comfort, but release.

She had kept those emotions buried in her heart for far too long. She needed an outlet like this.

Nearby, Lin Yue Ru stared blankly at the scene, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

In her heart, Ancestor Lin Wan'er had always been a mysterious and aloof existence.

Even when she had dwelled within the token in the form of a remnant soul, her ancestor's voice had always been calm and steady, like an unshakable mountain—the only pillar supporting Lin Yue Ru's spirit through her flight.

But at this moment—

That lofty ancestor in her heart was crying like a little girl, throwing herself into a young man's arms, her shoulders trembling with grievance.

So... Ancestor had such a side too.

No.

"Perhaps only before Senior Changqing would Ancestor reveal this side of herself."

Lin Yue Ru thought to herself, quietly lowering her head. The reverence she felt for Chen Changqing grew by several degrees.

No one knew how much time passed.

Lin Wan'er's sobs gradually quieted, but she still stubbornly remained in Chen Changqing's arms, as though she wished to make up all at once for the warmth she had lacked for a million years.

Until—

"Ahem."

A somewhat deliberate cough sounded from nearby.

Ancestor Chen Haotian stood not far away with his hands behind his back, a teasing smile on his face. "All right, all right, little Wan'er. The two of you will have plenty of time to hug in the future!"

"This old ancestor is still standing right here. At least leave me a little dignity."

Only then did Lin Wan'er abruptly realize what she was doing. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she sprang out of Chen Changqing's embrace. Two crimson clouds instantly bloomed across her pretty face, burning all the way from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.

Lowering her head, she hurriedly wiped the tears from her face, then turned around and cupped her hands respectfully toward Chen Haotian. Her voice still carried traces of her sobbing. "Wan'er... greets Ancestor."

Chen Haotian nodded and looked her over from head to toe. As his gaze swept across her, the more he looked, the more alarmed he became.

Peak Quasi-Emperor Realm.

Perfected Azure Lotus Sword Physique.

And that sword intent, condensed to the utmost extreme. Though she had not deliberately released it, it already made the surrounding void tremble faintly.

"Good, good, good."

Chen Haotian said "good" three times in succession, his weathered face filled with emotion and gratification. "Not bad, not bad. A million years apart, and you little lass have actually grown to such a level."

"Peak ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, a Perfected Azure Lotus Sword Physique... Heh, even this old ancestor of yours may not be your match now."

He was speaking the truth. Although they were both at the ninth level of the Quasi-Emperor Realm, the sharpness of Lin Wan'er's sword intent was far too fierce. Combined with the boost of her Perfected Azure Lotus Sword Physique, if they truly fought, he would most likely not be this girl's opponent.

Mm... that was on the premise that he did not use divine abilities.

If divine abilities were included, Lin Wan'er naturally could not be his opponent.

But then again, if this little lass had comprehended divine abilities too, he might not have much chance of winning.

The moment he thought of this.

Chen Haotian could not help but sigh inwardly.

Time flowed on, and the world was ever-changing!

Who could have foreseen it!

That little girl with the ponytail, who had always followed behind Chen Changqing back then, would after Chen Changqing's sealing climb to such heights all by herself.

With the strength she had displayed, in the era of a million years ago... aside from the Great Emperor of that age and those ancient supreme beings sleeping in the forbidden zones, she likely had few rivals.

Just how much suffering had this girl endured to reach this point in a million years?

Upon hearing this, Lin Wan'er merely shook her head gently. Her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Chen Changqing beside her, the light in her eyes gentle and resolute.

"Ancestor overpraises me. Wan'er's achievements today are all thanks to the Young Lord's guidance in the past."

That was not entirely modesty.

Back then, the reason she had been able to break through again and again was certainly due to her own talent and diligence.

But more importantly, it was because of Chen Changqing's guidance regarding her future path of cultivation.

Though that guidance had consisted of only a few words, every word had been a pearl of wisdom, allowing her to avoid countless detours afterward.

More importantly—

If she had not kept Chen Changqing in her heart, if at every moment of utter desperation she had not thought, I still want to see the Young Lord once more... that thought had given her immense strength of will. Otherwise, she would likely have fallen long ago amid countless perilous death traps.

The Young Lord was her obsession.

He was also her Dao.

The Young Lord still lay within Divine Source, waiting for the arrival of the Golden Age.

As the Young Lord's follower, how could she stop moving forward?

Hearing her words, Chen Changqing's heart stirred. He raised a hand and gently rubbed her head, asking softly with a hint of heartache in his tone, "To cultivate all the way to this level, you must have suffered greatly, little girl."

Peak Quasi-Emperor Realm.

Perfected Azure Lotus Sword Physique.

Even in the Golden Age, such accomplishments would be enough to make countless prodigies look up in awe.

However—

What Chen Changqing saw was not those halos of glory, but the unknown hardships, blood, and tears behind them.

He understood this girl too well.

She was not some monstrous talent unparalleled through the ages. She did not possess the Azure Heaven Tyrant Body, the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, or the Innate Sword Bone...

Her Azure Lotus Sword Physique was, in truth, only superior talent. It fell far short of those peak ancient sacred physiques. She could only temper her body with sword intent again and again through sheer perseverance, enduring the agony of Sword Qi devouring her heart before she could make her sword physique stronger.

To reach this point, she must have put in even greater effort.

As Lin Wan'er felt him rub her head, her eyes began to redden again.

But she held it in.

She only shook her head firmly and lifted a radiant smile. "To meet the Young Lord again, Wan'er does not feel that it was bitter."

Immediately afterward.

She paused, as if suddenly recalling something. She looked down at her hands, then examined the intact cultivation and physique within her body. The confusion in her eyes grew increasingly intense.

"Oh, right, Young Lord..."

She raised her head, looking at Chen Changqing with eyes full of bewilderment and disbelief.

"Wan'er... Wan'er was able to recover because the Young Lord took action?"

Though she already had an answer in her heart.

After all, in the entire Great Desolate Realm, aside from the Young Lord, who else would do this for her? And who else could accomplish it?

Yet faced with such an unbelievable experience, she still found it difficult to believe.

After all, the Young Lord's cultivation now...

She secretly sensed Chen Changqing's aura. It was precisely at the Great Sage Realm.

Between the Great Sage Realm and the Quasi-Emperor Realm lay three entire major realms: Saint King, Saint Emperor Realm, and Quasi-Emperor Realm.

With only Great Sage Realm cultivation now, how could the Young Lord possibly use such heaven-defying means to completely revive her from a wisp of remnant soul on the verge of dissipating?

Even her Quasi-Emperor Realm cultivation had been restored without the slightest loss!

Such a thing... was simply impossible!

"Young Lord... what exactly is going on?"

Lin Wan'er blinked, her eyes full of confusion and curiosity.

"Or could it be that Wan'er is actually dreaming right now?"