[You controlled your "other self" and found Chen Qingyan. As you had expected, he was trapped alone in the [Ten Thousand Beasts Secret Realm].]
[He was desperately trying to complete the [unfinished] [Dao-Burying Fruit Position] of the [Northern Region].]
[Perhaps the backlash was too severe, for he did not immediately notice the arrival of your "Number Two Other-Self."]
[You watched him quietly, a mixture of all five flavors churning in your heart.]
[You watched his almost obsessive persistence until he finally exhausted his strength and raised his head. His gaze pierced the barriers of spacetime and fell upon you.]
[He did not seem surprised. He merely gave a miserable smile and said hoarsely, "You came!"]
[You only nodded silently. For a moment, a thousand words caught in your throat, and you did not know where to begin.]
[A deathly silence settled over the scene.]
[Neither of you spoke first. Only the wind howled through the secret realm, as though mourning this ending that was destined to be a tragedy.]
[After a long silence, you finally could not bear it any longer. You broke the stillness first, controlling your "other self" to speak in a low voice:]
["Come with me!"]
["The [Immortal]'s descent is already inevitable. There is no salvaging the situation now. Come with me, and perhaps there will still be a [Sliver of Vitality]!"]
[To your surprise, Chen Qingyan showed none of the struggle or longing you had expected upon hearing this. He merely shook his head with a bitter smile.]
["Live?"]
["How?"]
[His Dharma Body was suffering violent backlash from his forced efforts to complete the [Dao-Burying Fruit Position]. Every word seemed to drain all the strength he had.]
["Chen Fan, do you know?"]
[He tilted his head up toward your "other self," his eyes hollow and grief-stricken.