It was him, the boy from last night.
Xiao Chen turned his head, his brows knitting slightly.
"Stop following me. You'll be in danger if you do!"
Watching the boy hurry toward him, Xiao Chen spoke.
"No!"
Bai He abruptly dropped to his knees before Xiao Chen and slammed his head heavily against the ground with a dull thud.
"Brother Xiao! I want to take you as my master!"
Bai He shouted loudly and firmly.
Xiao Chen hurried forward to help Bai He up, but Bai He remained prostrate on the ground, refusing to rise.
"Why? There are plenty of people stronger than me across the Nine Provinces. Why must you take me as your master?"
Xiao Chen asked in a deep voice.
"Brother Xiao, there's no time left. Among everyone I know, only you can help me!"
"Back then, my older brother died before my eyes while protecting me. Now the invaders have come again. If no one stops them, my compatriots will once again lose their homes and be driven into exile.
"I don't want to flee in disgrace like a coward. I want to avenge my brother, but I'm only an ordinary person. I need strength, Brother Xiao!"
Bai He slammed his head heavily against the ground.
The highest form of lying was mixing truth with falsehood. Apart from the fabricated older brother, Bai He had not actually lied. Both his body and soul were Chinese.
In the world before his transmigration, China had once been invaded by foreign nations. Yet after countless sacrifices and rivers of blood, they had ultimately driven out the invaders and, many years later, once again stood at the pinnacle of the world.
But after transmigrating, it was no longer just China—Earth itself would soon face the ravages of aliens.
If he had no strength, then in the future he would likely be like countless ordinary people, displaced and constantly in peril beneath the aliens' attacks.
He did not want that! Perhaps deep down, he too wanted to be like the future Ge Xiaolun and the other Black Armor Warriors: to resist the alien invaders, fight for his country, and fight for Earth!
"Invaders? Bandits, mountain bandits, or war?"
Looking at the delicate, frail boy before him, Xiao Chen sighed. He could sense the boy's worry and helplessness, as well as his thirst for strength.
"But I'm merely a mediocre martial artist myself. I truly have no qualifications to teach you!"
Xiao Chen looked at Bai He and spoke with self-deprecation.
"No! Brother Xiao, the moment I saw you, I knew you would one day become a great hero. You simply haven't risen to prominence yet, but someday your name will spread throughout the Nine Provinces and even all worlds!"
Bai He raised his head, his gaze resolute.
"Will such a day really come?"
Xiao Chen could not help asking himself inwardly. But he immediately shook his head with a self-mocking smile. How could he believe a child's flattery?
Still, flattery never failed to work, and he could not help feeling even more favorably toward Bai He.
"Perhaps. But I'm being hunted right now. If you take me as your master, not only will there be no benefit for you, I may even drag you down and cost you your life!"
Xiao Chen tried to persuade Bai He.
"I, Bai He, have never been a petty person who only pursues profit—who rushes in when there are benefits and flees when there is danger. A master for a day is a father for life. Naturally, we must share fortune and misfortune alike!"
"Besides, I believe they will definitely regret their actions someday!"
Bai He raised his head, clenched his fists, and looked at Xiao Chen with blazing eyes. His heart was utterly sincere, a sincerity the sun and moon could bear witness to!
Though his expression was an act, Bai He did not feel that what he had said was wrong.
"Since that's the case, I'll tentatively accept you as a nominal disciple. If we meet again at Kunlun Mountain, I'll formally take you as my disciple!"
Xiao Chen had not noticed Bai He's many seemingly prophetic turns of phrase. Yet seeing how persistent the boy was, he felt considerable appreciation, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
After speaking, Xiao Chen circulated the true energy within his body, leaped into the air, and gradually vanished from Bai He's sight.
"Meet again? There'll be a chance. I'm certain of it!"
Watching Xiao Chen's retreating figure fade into the distance, Bai He's lips curved into a confident smile. He knew the plot!
According to the plot he remembered from his previous life, Xiao Chen and Zhao Lin'er had both arrived at Red Dust Peak just before Goddess Lan Nuo shattered the void. Only then had they been able to hitch a ride and follow her into the Realm of Longevity.
And Kunlun Mountain was at most a journey until dusk from here. Therefore, Xiao Chen must have been discovered by Zhao Lin'er along the way. With one chasing and the other fleeing, they had ultimately lost time and arrived only at the very moment before Goddess Lan Nuo shattered the void.
Although he might cause some butterfly effects, Bai He still believed this crucial plot point would not change.
Therefore, as long as he stayed safely on Red Dust Peak of Kunlun Mountain and guarded a tree to wait for a rabbit, he could meet Xiao Chen again at night, follow them through the shattered void into the Realm of Longevity, successfully become his disciple, and perfectly insert himself into the plot!
Day had fully broken, and the venomous insects and ferocious beasts that prowled Black Mountain at night in search of food began to hide away.
The group in the temple packed their things and once again set off for Kunlun Mountain.
After descending Black Mountain, they entered a stretch of flat, rolling hills. The road was no longer lined with the same towering ancient trees; patches of grass and clear flowing streams began to appear.
In the distance, the steep and majestic Kunlun Mountain was already faintly visible.
By evening, orange-red sunset clouds blazed brilliantly across the horizon. Bathed in the lingering glow of the setting sun, the group finally arrived safely at Kunlun Mountain.
But at this moment, Kunlun Mountain was already packed with people.
Over the past few days, more than a hundred thousand people had poured in from every corner of the Nine Provinces. From princes and nobles to peddlers and laborers, people from all walks of life had come to witness a divine miracle rarely seen in centuries.
The entire Kunlun Mountain, from its foothills to its middle slopes, was nearly filled wherever people could stand, everyone trying to get a little closer.
Only Red Dust Peak at the summit of Kunlun Mountain was devoid of people. The crowd stood only around Red Dust Peak, because the protagonist of this event stood there—Goddess Lan Nuo.
Bai He squeezed through the crowd, stopped before Red Dust Peak, and began climbing.
He was only an ordinary person. He possessed neither true energy nor the ability to fly. If he waited until Xiao Chen and Zhao Lin'er arrived before climbing, it would be far too late by the time he reached the top. He had to climb early and guard a tree to wait for a rabbit!
Seeing Bai He offend the goddess so brazenly, many people frowned. Yet though they wanted to teach him a lesson, they feared offending the goddess.
Lan Nuo was the central figure here, and since she had said nothing, they could not overstep their bounds. Moreover, Bai He's projected body was only fourteen years old and looked like an immature youngster, so it would not do to bully the weak. Thus, they could only let it go.
Bai He climbed slowly and finally reached the very peak of Red Dust Peak. He sat down more than ten meters away from Lan Nuo and quietly began waiting.
The system indicated that he had already reached the place where the plot was about to begin!
In the blink of an eye, night had arrived, and a full moon hung high overhead.
Under the bright moonlight, Red Dust Peak seemed veiled in a hazy gauze, making the place appear as ethereal as an immortal realm.
At the summit, Lan Nuo wore snow-white robes. Bathed in moonlight, her immortal body seemed to emit a faint, sacred radiance. Her white dress fluttered in the breeze, like a moon goddess untouched by the mortal world.
Over the past half month, she had attempted to shatter the void twice. Yet at the instant of success, she had withdrawn the foot she had stepped forward.
One step away lay eternal life between heaven and earth.
Everything of the past would drift away from her.
To wield the sword of wisdom and sever mortal ties required immense courage, for no one knew what awaited beyond the shattering. Once she took that step, perhaps endless loneliness would await her in the boundless years to come.
Today, she had stood there from dawn until now. Every facet of the mortal world had surfaced one by one within her heart. At last, she made her decision. It was time to say farewell!
A blazing divine light suddenly erupted, enveloping the summit. The entire mountaintop was shrouded in sacred brilliance, and Bai He instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes.
Under the erupting divine light, the void before them instantly shattered. With skin like ice and bones like jade, Lan Nuo calmly and resolutely stepped forward amid the sacred colored light, vanishing before everyone's eyes.
Bai He stared wide-eyed at the sight before him, his heart filled with shock.
Suddenly, Bai He heard an angry female shout from behind him. "Stop right there!"
A black figure flashed past him in an instant. It was Xiao Chen!
"He's here!"
Bai He sprang to his feet. It was beginning!
The Source Energy stored within the system began burning wildly. He had never felt himself run so fast before!
"Master!"
Bai He called out to Xiao Chen ahead of him.
Xiao Chen instinctively turned to look. Bai He had already caught up under the speed boost from burning Source Energy, and both hands seized a corner of Xiao Chen's robe.
In an instant, the two figures disappeared into the shattered void.
Then Zhao Lin'er, who had been hot on their heels, vanished as well.
The histories of the Nine Provinces recorded that in the year 7316, Goddess Lan Nuo shattered the void and departed. Royal Heavenly Maiden Zhao Lin'er was fortunate enough to form an immortal affinity and followed her into the Realm of Longevity.
As for Xiao Chen and his disciple Bai He, they were certainly fated never to be recorded in history.
Before you continue