When Qin Yu and Xiao Yue stepped out of the void rift in the Stele Forest Imperial City, dusk was approaching. Yet, the entire city was more bustling than during the day, with countless flying boats traversing the sky. Origin beasts pulled magnificent carriages through the streets. With the Four Great Lineage Grand Competition approaching, cultivators from all over the Eternal Nonexistence Limitless Domain were continuously pouring into the Imperial City.
The entire city was filled with a tense atmosphere, like the calm before a storm. Xiao Yue, her hands behind her back, her long blue hair swaying gently, walked along, glancing around. "Tsk tsk tsk," she muttered. "It's only been a short time since I've been back, how come it's so much more lively than before?" Qin Yu smiled faintly. "There are only three months left until the Grand Competition." "Naturally."
Xiao Yue's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this. "Little Qinzi, don't rush to the Chi Lineage yet! I'm starving! Let's eat!"
Qin Yu shook his head helplessly. Alright, a moment later, the two arrived at the central area of the imperial city, where a glazed pavilion thousands of feet tall came into view. The pavilion had ninety-nine floors. It was made entirely of golden star crystals, with countless Dao patterns flowing on the surface of the walls. Each floor was suspended in the void, and nine golden primordial rivers swirled on the top of the building.
The magnificent gate, with an ancient plaque hanging above it, reads "Heavenly Pavilion Divine Banquet Tower." As soon as you approach, a deafening roar of voices fills the air. Inside the main hall, tens of thousands of cultivators have gathered, raising their cups and engaging in lively discussions. Prodigies and powerful figures from various regions are everywhere, and the aroma of wine mingles with the fragrance of primordial spiritual food.
The aura permeated almost the entire pavilion, even the air itself seemed to be filled with a rich Daoist charm. As soon as they entered, a waiter in a golden robe greeted them with a beaming smile. His smile was so enthusiastic it was almost radiant. "Please come in, sir!" "Is this for a meal or a room?" Xiao Yue asked, her hands behind her back, deliberately tilting her head up. "Meal, meal! Bring out all your best dishes! A top-class deluxe private room, please!"
The waiter's eyes lit up immediately; he could tell they were big customers. He quickly bowed and said, "Please follow me, gentlemen." Soon, the two were led to the top floor area, to a luxurious private room that seemed to float above the sea of clouds. Pushing open the door, the room was hundreds of feet in size.
In the center was a round table crafted from ancient divine wood, surrounded by flowing water curtains, offering a panoramic view of the entire Stele Forest Imperial City at night, shrouded in mist and bathed in rosy light. It felt like being in a celestial palace. Xiaoyue immediately plopped down on the soft Xiao Yue, rolling around in comfort. "Hahaha!" "This place is nice." "I like it." Qin Yu calmly sat down and then looked at the waiter. "Serve the dishes." "Bring one of everything you have here."
The waiter's voice trembled with excitement. "Okay, okay! Please wait a moment, sir." Before long, one delicacy after another was served, including the Nine-Turn Dragon Marrow Soup, which was made by simmering the spinal marrow of a True Annihilation Realm Origin Dragon for 30,000 years, and the Heavenly Star Returning Origin Carp, which was born deep in the Origin River, with each piece of fish containing a rich Daoist charm.
The Wuji Golden Pattern Phoenix Wings, taken from the original feathers of the Divine Phoenix Wuji Realm, melt in the mouth. There is also a platter of Void Evolution Spirit Fruits, Eternal Silence Snow Brew, and Primordial Jade Dew Wine. Each dish is more expensive and more luxurious than the last. A single jar of Eternal Silence Snow Brew alone requires 500,000 Supreme Transformation Source Crystal, a price that would bankrupt many Mystic Void Realm cultivators.
However, Qin Yu didn't even frown. When the waiter respectfully handed over the bill, Qin Yu simply took out a storage bag containing millions of Supreme Transformation Source Crystal and gently placed it on the table. The waiter's eyes lit up the moment he saw the Supreme Transformation Source Crystal.
He froze completely, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, his hands trembling violently. "Senior... Senior..." "This... is too much..." Qin Yu said calmly. "The rest is yours." The waiter almost knelt down in excitement. "Thank you, Senior!" "Thank you, Senior!!"
He then scrambled out of the private room, laughing so hard Xiao Yue almost fell over. "Little Qinzi!" "You really don't value money anymore." Qin Yu shook his head helplessly. "Too many Supreme Transformation Source Crystal." "They're just sitting there anyway." With that, he gently raised his hand, and a Soul Sound Talisman condensed in his palm.
Then it slowly flew out. "Senior." "I have returned to the Stele Forest Imperial City. Please forgive my hasty departure last time." The Soul Sound Talisman disappeared in a stream of light. A moment later, another Soul Sound Talisman flew back, and Chi Ninghua's gentle yet slightly reproachful voice slowly rang out. "It's good that you're back." "Qingyuan already told me at the time." "She said you might have gone to the Heart-Questioning Ancient Forest." "I was really angry at the time." "That place is so dangerous." "How could you go there alone?"
The voice paused for a moment, then shifted to a mixture of helplessness and relief, "But thinking back on everything you've been through..." Your safe return seemed only natural. "There are still three months until the Four Great Lineage Grand Competition..." "Lineage affairs are busy..."
All the disciples are in seclusion, focusing on their intensive training. "Oh, by the way," "Junior Sister Ju Wanning has woken up." "She even came to look for you a few days ago." "But you weren't back yet then." "She asked me to convey her gratitude." "Also," "Senior Sister Chi Tongyue asked me to tell you," "After you return," "go to her place."
The soul-sound faded and slowly dissipated. Qin Yu's gaze flickered slightly, then he condensed another Soul Sound Talisman. "Hmm." "Okay." "Tomorrow morning." "I'll come to visit." After the soul-sound flew out, Qin Yu gently picked up his wine cup and looked out the window at the brightly lit Stele Forest Imperial City.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yue was already gnawing on a Tianxing Guiyuan carp, bigger than her head, her mouth dripping with oil. Between bites, she mumbled, "Little Qinzi." "Finally, a few days of peace and quiet," Qin Yu said with a faint smile.
As night deepened, the Stele Forest Imperial City remained brightly lit. From the Heavenly Pavilion Divine Banquet Tower, the entire Imperial City resembled a divine city floating in a sea of stars. Countless pavilions and palaces were illuminated by the Primal Divine Lamp, with golden, silver, cyan, and purple radiance intertwining between heaven and earth. Long streets crisscrossed in the distance, where cultivators from various regions traversed.
Inside the restaurant, wine glasses clinked and people chattered in the auction hall, while the Daoist aura rose on the Daoist platform. The Four Great Lineage Grand Competition was approaching, and the entire Stele Forest Imperial City was immersed in an unprecedented prosperity. However, inside the private room, it was unusually quiet. Xiao Yue had already eaten her fill and was now curled up in a small ball, hugging the soft brocade quilt.
Her long, blue hair was scattered messily on the pillow, her delicate, fair face buried in the blankets, her breathing even, sleeping soundly, occasionally turning over. The corners of her mouth would turn up slightly, as if she were dreaming of something happy. Qin Yu glanced at her quietly, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, and then slowly got up.
Qin Yu walked slowly to the window. The night breeze blew in, gently lifting the hem of his black robe. He placed his hands behind his back, his gaze passing over the scattered buildings and settling on the boundless, dark night sky beyond the realm.
The room Ji Ran, as if time itself had slowed down. After an unknown period of silence, the light in his eyes gradually settled into a distant and profound state. In the deepest part of his mind, figures that had been sealed away for millennia and had been silent for so long resurfaced one after another from the Annihilation Abyss Epoch.
That era, so far removed from the present, those who once walked alongside him, those who shared life and death, those who braved countless perilous situations together—it all seems like yesterday. Mu Qingwan, Qian Ruishan, Jin Hanyan —familiar figures emerge from the depths of his memory. Some are laughing, some are angry.
Some people stood quietly gazing into the distance under the sunset, while others sat peacefully beside him after the great battle. The scenes from that year became incredibly clear at this moment. Qin Yu slowly closed his eyes, letting the night wind blow across his face. Time really flies. He had come all the way from the Great Yan Continent.
From that weak boy who couldn't even control his own fate, to the Eternal Silence Realm he has reached today, he has experienced countless life-and-death situations and crossed countless worlds, which he himself can no longer remember. However, some people and some things have never truly left. Suddenly, Qin Yu's gaze softened, and he remembered someone.
Qin Yu, the person with no blood relation to him, yet who gave him all the warmth, his adoptive mother, was also one of the most important people in his life. Great Yan Continent, White Cloud Sect, scenes from the past slowly emerged. Back then, on the Great Yan Continent, the Black Dragon descended, the Demon Spirit Legion swept across the heavens and earth, and the whole world was shrouded in despair.
It was in that battle that Gray Ring and Azure Ring fully awakened. He single-handedly slew the Black Dragon and destroyed the Demon Spirit Legion, ultimately attracting the attention of Xiao Yinshan, the sect master of the White Cloud Sect. It was from then on that Qin Yu was taken into the White Cloud Sect, far away from war and suffering, and lived a truly peaceful and stable life. Thinking of this...
A faint smile slowly appeared on Qin Yu's lips. No matter how many years had passed, no matter what realm he had reached, at least the person who had raised him was safe and happy. That was enough. Outside the window, the lights of thousands of homes still shone brightly, and the River of Origin stretched across the night sky like a river of time that had flowed through countless eras.
Qin Yu stood quietly by the window, motionless for a long time. The entire private room fell into silence, with only the occasional soft sound of Xiao Yue turning the covers on the bed. The night was gentle, and time passed silently. Qin Yu did nothing but gaze quietly at the distant night sky, letting the memories buried deep in the years flow by slowly.