"Brother Daoran! I... was wrong as well. I shouldn't have blamed you!" Seeing Zhang Daoran's deep regret, Xunkong Shangren hurriedly forced a smile. "Everyone has their own destiny. What happened to Brother Xiao... was also his own choice. No one can be blamed, and you must not reproach yourself too much, or it will affect your Dao heart. Besides, although Brother Xiao can no longer be seen, his heart... or what he wished for, has been left behind, hasn't it? I'm not saying this very well. In short, I feel as though Brother Xiao is still right beside us!"
Watching Xunkong Shangren actually take the initiative to admit his own mistake, Zhang Daoran could hardly believe this was the Xunkong Shangren he had known before entering Yaotai Mountain. Zhang Daoran smiled and nodded. "You are right. Thinking of all the scheming and mutual deception between you and me before, it truly feels... childish! Like three- or four-year-old children! Utterly meaningless! Look at us now. Not a word or action of ours goes against our true hearts, and we have entrusted our trust to each other. This feeling... is truly reassuring! In the words of mortals, one could even sleep until waking naturally!"
"Indeed!" Xunkong Shangren looked at the two hundred or so cultivators behind him. "Before, I only felt that all these cultivators trembled before me because of my majesty. But now I feel that was merely their fear of me, not any sincere admiration or reverence. Now, although these cultivators have never sworn loyalty to me, look at their gratitude—it warms the heart far more than any oath. It comes from their very hearts. I too feel especially at ease."
"Brother Xiao... was likely not younger than us! Without several thousand years of insight, how could he have gained