Hong Chen's gaze was calm as he looked directly at Xie Feng: "I have come from ancient times, traversing ten thousand years of tumultuous history, to meet you with a single will."
Xie Feng blinked. "So?"
Hong Chen frowned. "So?... So what?...?"
"Where's Emperor Rainbow?!"
"You... you're only after Emperor Rainbow? You don't want to talk to me?"
"Is that so!"
"..."
A slight twitch appeared on Hong Chen's face.
Xie Feng laughed heartily, "Just kidding! Who wouldn't want to say a few words to an ancestor who has traveled through ten thousand years?"
Hong Chen gave a dry laugh, "I feel... like you've made a fool of me..."
Xie Feng looked around and said casually, "This space is pretty good. No one can eavesdrop on what I want to say!"
"You... are you really the head of the Four Emperors?" For some reason, seeing Xie Chen like this, Hong Chen began to doubt his origins...
"I defeated the Southern Illusion Emperor and entered here honorably!"
Xie Feng said seriously.
"The Four Emperors... have actually changed..." A trace of melancholy flashed in Hong Chen's eyes. "The rise and fall of dynasties, the passage of time in human history, is so merciless..."
Xie Feng smiled, "Nothing is immune to the test of time!"
Hong Chen looked at him and said sincerely, "You're really full of vigor... Before, I never let anyone into my territory, but this time, you're different."
Xie Feng joked, "Because I'm handsome?"
Hong Chen shook his head and said seriously, "I just told you, what's speaking to you now is just a wisp of my will. But my will is not unshakeable. After tens of thousands of years, my will is gradually turning into smoke and disappearing forever. Perhaps, this is the last time, and I'll be gone soon."
He finished speaking with a self-deprecating laugh.
A prodigy from ten thousand years ago, seeking immortality and living to this day, must have been incredibly difficult and filled with fear...
Gentlemen, who doesn't fear death?!
Xie Feng said, "You've accomplished what many people can't. You've lived for ten thousand years; you should be content."
"Yes, I should be content. But..." Hong Chen looked up at the sky, her gaze lost, "Humans, how can they ever learn to be content... They always want to live forever and then live even longer! They're just reluctant to let go, unwilling to give up, and clinging to the past!"
Xie Feng sighed.
Hong Chen composed himself and said seriously, "Let's not waste time on these trivial matters. What I want to tell you is, young man, congratulations on catching the last Emperor Rainbow! However, given that this encounter is quite unusual, you will gain even more."
Xie Feng was filled with anticipation.
He stared at Hong Chen with bright, sparkling eyes.
"First, directly absorb the Emperor Rainbow. I see your current cultivation level is at the Advanced Ancient God; after absorbing it, you will reach the Saint Ancestor Realm!"
"And the second one?"
"Secondly, I will use my last wisp of will to merge with the Emperor Rainbow, creating an Ultimate Emperor Rainbow that will allow your cultivation to leap forward even further!"
"Wouldn't it seem like I'm not smart enough not to choose option two?"
"No! There are conditions."
What are the conditions?
"My integration with Emperor Rainbow will take time, at least six months, and at most one or two years!"
Hong Chen said with a serious expression.
Two years at most? Xie Feng thought it was no big deal at all.
For a cultivator like him, who would care about a year or two?
It's just a matter of opening and closing your eyes, isn't it?
Hong Chen slowly closed his eyes, countless rays of light emanating from his body, as he prepared to peacefully perish.
Not far away, a golden pillar slowly emerged.
Under Hong Chen's mental power, the Emperor Rainbow atop the golden pillar slowly flew over and merged with him.
During his fusion process, Xie Feng caught a glimpse of the Northern Nether Heaven-Subduing Fire burning fiercely on the golden pillar out of the corner of his eye.
He muttered to himself, "The flames are what support the Emperor Rainbow. Since the Emperor Rainbow no longer needs to be supported, does that mean I can take it back? The Eastern City Lord wouldn't care about such a trivial matter, would he?"
At this moment, Hong Chen opened one eye and said expressionlessly, "No, you can't take this flame."
Xie Feng asked, "Why?"
Hong Chen declared matter-of-factly, "This is offered to me!"
Xie Feng grinned. "You're about to kick the bucket, and you're still so greedy?"
Hong Chen angrily retorted, "Young man, how rude of you!"
"Since you're useless anyway, don't make things difficult for a junior like me, hahaha..."
As Xie Feng spoke, he raised his sleeve and a Sword Qi flew out, taking the flame.
Hong Chen was furious. "You, you're so rude! You look so elegant and handsome, how could you do such a thing..."
Xie Feng absorbed the flames and said with a grin, "Thank you for the compliment, senior. Don't be angry; anger is bad for your health!"
Hong Chen sighed, "Alright, I finally understand why I can't achieve immortality. My temperament is still too weak... A mere Dao Fire can disrupt my millennia-old Dao heart. I still haven't cultivated enough..."
Xie Feng sighed, "Brother, at a time like this, stop reflecting on yourself. Aren't you tired...?"
Hong Chen nodded in deep agreement. "You're right. I'm prone to overthinking and nitpicking, which makes life exhausting. I can see that you're much more resilient than me."
He closed his eyes, transformed into a wisp of light, merged with the Emperor Rainbow, and finally a stone appeared in the air.
The stone was entirely purple, shimmering with a faint golden light.
Xie Feng held it in his hand; the stone was smooth as jade and slightly cold.
The light flickered and shimmered, like a beating heart.
Xie Feng tentatively asked, "Brother, are you really dead?"
The stone did not react.
For some reason, Xie Feng felt a strange sense of loneliness.
Witnessing the fall of a powerful figure from ten thousand years ago gave him a sense of unreal illusion.
At that moment, the stone flashed with light.
"He's not dead."
Hong Chen made a muffled, deep sound.
Xie Feng raised an eyebrow.
Hong Chen said, " The Emperor Rainbow is my will, and I don't know why I've been unable to merge with it."
"Brother, do you perhaps have some unfulfilled wish?"
"A long-cherished wish..."
Hong Chen was silent for a moment, then said, "Is it because you have unfulfilled wishes that you cannot die peacefully?"
"Very likely!"
"I want to see my wife's grave..."
"Where?"
Xie Feng's eyes lit up; he sensed a hint of gossip.
Hong Chen's voice was tinged with a soft sigh, "Because of a war, my wife and I were separated. I heard she was buried in Pine Cloud Mountain, but on my way to find her, I encountered the enemy and died in battle. My will resides in the Golden Pillar, unable to leave, unable to see her. This is what I have always been troubled by."
Xie Feng nodded. "Okay, I'll help you find her! By the way, you're not going to die anytime soon, are you?"
Hong Chen said, "My karmic ties are not yet severed; I dare not die."
Xie Feng shrugged. Here we go again. He was unexpectedly fed a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection).
"That's right!"
As Xie Feng was leaving, he suddenly remembered something.