"Like those mortals you see when walking through the mortal world, you are someone who comes more fully alive amid the smoke and fire of everyday life."
He immediately added:
"I do not mean that disparagingly."
"After all, the original Divine Sense of Heavenly Officials and Star Lords like us also came from the mortal realm."
"It is just that by now, it has long since been washed away without a trace."
Xu Taiping smiled and said:
"I understand what you mean."
He looked up at the pitch-black sky, then continued:
"Actually, I also feel that these mortal bones of mine are not a burden, but a source of strength."
Xu Taiping turned his gaze back to Heavenly Lord Cangzhu and said earnestly:
"When I was very young, my grandfather once taught me something."
Heavenly Lord Cangzhu asked with great curiosity:
"What was it?"
Xu Taiping smiled.
"The longest road is sometimes the shortest."
Heavenly Lord Cangzhu froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up, and he nodded.
"Your grandfather was a man of great wisdom too."
A trace of longing touched Xu Taiping's smile.
"In my heart, he was."
As they spoke, the two had arrived at the thirteenth floor of the Abyssal Pavilion.
Heavenly Lord Cangzhu pointed toward the entrance to the thirteenth-floor main hall and said solemnly:
"Thirteenth Seat, from now on, this will be your cultivation ground in the Abyssal Pavilion."
Xu Taiping looked up and surveyed it, then nodded.
"Thank you, Heavenly Lord Cangzhu."
Just then, something suddenly occurred to him, and he abruptly turned to ask Heavenly Lord Cangzhu:
"Heavenly Lord, how many days have I spent in the Abyssal Pavilion altogether?"
Heavenly Lord Cangzhu carefully thought back, then said solemnly:
"Including today, thirteen days should have passed."
Xu Taiping immediately breathed a