“ zhè me shuō ， cóng nǐ men yào wáng zōng huí dào xuán huáng jiè nà yī kè suàn qǐ ， shí jiān shì duì de shàng de 。 èr shí sì nián 。”
“这么说，从你们药王宗回到玄黄界那一刻算起，时间是对的上的。二十四年。”
"So, from the moment you returned to the Xuanhuang Realm with your Medicine King Sect, time is consistent. It's been twenty-four years."
xiāo héng dùn shí yě fǎn yìng le guò lái 。
萧恒顿时也反应了过来。
V Xiao Heng immediately realized this.
“ kě líng hú dào yǒu fēn míng shuō yào wáng dǐng zhǐ shì zài jiè wài guò le méi duō jiǔ ， jiù huí lái le a 。 zěn me kě néng zhè me diǎn shí jiān ， wǒ men zhè lǐ jiù guò qù le jǐ qiān nián ？” zhāng hào bō shēn shēn zhòu qǐ le méi tóu 。
“可令狐道友分明说药王鼎只是在界外过了没多久，就回来了啊。怎么可能这么点时间，我们这里就过去了几千年？”张浩波深深皱起了眉头。
"But Dao Friend Congfu clearly said that the Medicine King Cauldron only spent a short while outside the realm before returning. How could such a small amount of time have passed here for thousands of years?" Zhang Haobo frowned deeply.
“ shí jiān liú sù chà le shàng qiān bèi ？ zhēn de kě néng me ？”
“时间流速差了上千倍？真的可能么？”
"Is it possible that time flows at a thousand times faster? Who can answer this question?"
zài chǎng jǐ rén shuí yě wú fǎ huí dá zhè ge wèn tí ， jù shì xiàn rù le chén mò zhī zhōng 。
在场几人谁也无法回答这个问题，俱是陷入了沉默之中。
The few present were all silent, unable to respond.
“ huò xǔ ， yǒu gè bàn fǎ néng gòu gǎo qīng chǔ dāng nián dào dǐ fā shēng le hé shì 。” piàn kè zhī hòu ， líng hú chāng fǎng fú xiǎng qǐ le shén me ， tū rán shuō dào 。
“或许，有个办法能够搞清楚当年到底发生了何事。”片刻之后，令狐昌仿佛想起了什么，突然说道。
"Perhaps there's a way to figure out what happened back then," Congfu Chang suddenly said after a moment, as if he had remembered something.
“ zhuì xiàng xuán huáng jiè shí ， yào wáng dǐng hào jìn le quán bù de néng liàng ， zuì zhōng xiàn rù le chén jì 。”
“坠向玄黄界时，药王鼎耗尽了全部的能量，最终陷入了沉寂。”
"When the Medicine King Cauldron fell into the Xuanhuang Realm, it exhausted all its energy and eventually fell silent."
“ dàn nǐ gāng gāng shuō ， shì kào zhe xiǎo yào wáng dǐng de gǎn yìng cái néng jìn rù zhè lǐ de 。”
“但你刚刚说，是靠着小药王鼎的感应才能进入这里的。”
"But you just mentioned that we entered here by relying on the感应 of the small Medicine King Cauldron," he said to Xiao Heng.
tā kàn xiàng xiāo héng ：“ yì bān qíng kuàng xià ， yào wáng dǐng zhī jiān de gǎn yìng shì dān xiàng de 。 jí zhǐ yǒu yào wáng zhēn dǐng de chí yǒu zhě ， cái néng gǎn yìng dào qí yú xiǎo yào wáng dǐng de wèi zhì 。”
他看向萧恒：“一般情况下，药王鼎之间的感应是单向的。即只有药王真鼎的持有者，才能感应到其余小药王鼎的位置。”
"Generally, the感应 between Medicine King Cauldrons is unidirectional. Only the holder of the True Medicine King Cauldron can sense the location of the smaller ones."
“ shǒu chí xiǎo yào wáng dǐng ， què néng gǎn yìng dào zhēn dǐng wèi zhì 。 wǎng wǎng zhǐ yǒu zài zōng zhǔ zhào jí fù jìn zōng mén xiū shì shí cái huì fā shēng 。”
“手持小药王鼎，却能感应到真鼎位置。往往只有在宗主召集附近宗门修士时才会发生。”
"Holding a small Medicine King Cauldron and still being able to sense the True Cauldron's position usually only happens when the sect master calls nearby cultivators," he continued.
“ zhè jiù shuō míng ， yào me zōng zhǔ yě yǐ jīng sū xǐng 。 yào me shì jīng guò zhè me duō nián ， yào wáng dǐng huí fù le néng liàng ， kāi shǐ zì fā zhí xíng mìng lìng ， xiàng wài jiè qiú yuán 。”
“这就说明，要么宗主也已经苏醒。要么是经过这么多年，药王鼎回复了能量，开始自发执行命令，向外界求援。”
"This means either the sect master has already awakened or, after so many years, the Medicine King Cauldrons have regained their energy and started executing commands to seek help from the outside."
“ zǒng zhī ， wú lùn rú hé ， bì xū qián wǎng 【 shēng sǐ mén 】 nèi ， chá kàn zōng zhǔ qíng kuàng 。”
“总之，无论如何，必须前往【生死门】内，查看宗主情况。”
"Regardless of what it is, we must go to the [Life-Death Gate] to check on the sect master's condition," Congfu Chang said solemnly.
líng hú chāng chén shēng dào 。
令狐昌沉声道。
"The Life-Death Gate? That gray stone door at the end of the corridor?" Su Xiaomei replied. "We've tried and couldn't open it."
“ shēng sǐ mén ？ jiù shì zǒu láng jìn tóu nà dào huī sè de shí mén ？ wǒ men shì guò le ， gēn běn wú fǎ dǎ kāi 。” sū xiǎo mèi huí yìng dào 。
“生死门？就是走廊尽头那道灰色的石门？我们试过了，根本无法打开。”苏小妹回应道。
"That's natural. The Life-Death Gate seals off life and death. Even a realm-fusing cultivator wouldn't be able to budge it. If you could break it, that would be a big problem," Congfu Chang said dismissively.
“ nà shì zì rán 。 shēng sǐ mén luò ， gé duàn shēng sǐ 。 nǎ pà shì hé dào xiū shì ， yě xiū xiǎng hàn dòng fēn háo 。 yào shì nǐ men néng jiāng qí pò huài ， nà cái shì chū dà wèn tí le 。” líng hú chāng bù yǐ wéi rán dào 。
“那是自然。生死门落，隔断生死。哪怕是合道修士，也休想撼动分毫。要是你们能将其破坏，那才是出大问题了。”令狐昌不以为然道。
"Can you do something about it?" Su Xiaomei asked with some不服气.
“ nǐ yǒu bàn fǎ ？” sū xiǎo mèi yǒu diǎn bù fú qì dào 。
“伱有办法？”苏小妹有点不服气道。
"Hmph." Congfu Chang made a cold sound but didn't speak further.
“ hēng 。” líng hú chāng lěng hēng yī shēng ， méi yǒu shuō huà 。
“哼。”令狐昌冷哼一声，没有说话。
He flew towards the deeper part of the passage.
fēi shēn qián wǎng tōng dào shēn chù 。
飞身前往通道深处。
Su Xiaomei and her companions exchanged glances, following closely behind.
sū xiǎo mèi sān rén duì shì yī yǎn ， jǐn jǐn gēn shàng 。
苏小妹三人对视一眼，紧紧跟上。
Soon they arrived at the gray stone door.
bù duō shí ， lái dào huī sè shí mén qián 。
不多时，来到灰色石门前。
Congfu Chang had already sat cross-legged. The small Medicine King Cauldron reappeared above his head, emitting a protective light shield.
zhǐ jiàn líng hú chāng yǐ jīng pán xī zuò xià ， tóu dǐng xiǎo yào wáng dǐng zài dù chū xiàn ， fàng chū fáng hù guāng zhào 。
只见令狐昌已经盘膝坐下，头顶小药王鼎再度出现，放出防护光罩。
Around him on the ground were golden symbols shining brightly.
ér tā shēn biān yī quān de dì miàn shàng ， yě shì jīn guāng shǎn shǎn 、 kè xià le xǔ duō fú hào 。
而他身边一圈的地面上，也是金光闪闪、刻下了许多符号。
He took out another piece of paper and stuck it to his forehead.
yòu qǔ chū yī zhāng fú zhǐ ， tiē zài zì shēn é tóu 。
又取出一张符纸，贴在自身额头。
Twenty-four golden needles surrounded them.
èr shí sì méi jīn zhēn huán rào zuǒ yòu 。
二十四枚金针环绕左右。
Four jade tablets were placed in front and behind.
sì zhāng yù pái fēn liè qián hòu 。
四张玉牌分列前后。
After completing these defensive measures, Congfu Chang politely said to Xiao Heng and his companions: "Please guard me."
zuò wán fáng yù cuò shī hòu ， líng hú chāng fāng cái duì xiāo héng sān rén kè qì dào ：“ hái qǐng dào yǒu wèi wǒ hù fǎ 。”
做完防御措施后，令狐昌方才对萧恒三人客气道：“还请道友为我护法。”
"Who cares about showing off," Su Xiaomei muttered.
“ bù zhī dào chòu xiǎn bǎi shén me 。” sū xiǎo mèi dū nāng le jù 。
“不知道臭显摆什么。”苏小妹嘟囔了句。
Congfu Chang closed his eyes.
líng hú chāng yě bù zài yì ， yǎn jīng bì qǐ 。
令狐昌也不在意，眼睛闭起。
Suddenly, an infant figure resembling him appeared from within his body.
suí hòu ， yí gè hé líng hú chāng běn rén yǒu bā fēn xiāng sì de yīng ér xíng xiàng ， hū de cóng tā tǐ nèi zuān chū 。
随后，一个和令狐昌本人有八分相似的婴儿形象，忽的从他体内钻出。
"Greetings, Dao Friends!"
“ jiàn guò zhū wèi dào yǒu ！”
“见过诸位道友！”
The infant bowed formally towards Xiao Heng and the others. It was quite adorable.
yīng ér wén zhòu zhòu dì xiàng xiāo héng jǐ rén xíng le yī lǐ ， mú yàng shā shì kě ài 。
婴儿文绉绉地向萧恒几人行了一礼，模样煞是可爱。
"What is this...?"
“ zhè shì ……”
“这是……”
"An元婴?" Xiao Heng and the others were greatly surprised.
“ yuán yīng ？”
“元婴？”
Contemporary cultivators had long abandoned the "shattering of the essence to form an infant" method.
xiāo héng děng rén dà chī yī jīng 。
萧恒等人大吃一惊。
Instead, they directly plundered various realms, forming a domain in their place to replace the元婴.
dāng jīn xiū shì ， zǎo yǐ bǐng qì le “ suì dān chéng yīng ” de xiū xíng zhī fǎ 。
当今修士，早已摒弃了“碎丹成婴”的修行之法。
Seeing such a legendary existence, they were both shocked and curious.
ér shì zhí jiē lüè duó gè zhǒng dòng tiān ， xíng chéng dòng tiān fǎ yù ， yǐ dài tì yuán yīng 。
而是直接掠夺各种洞天，形成洞天法域，以代替元婴。
After the元婴 separated from Congfu Chang's body, it didn't immediately fly out. Instead, it put on a small set of greenwood armor and swallowed several pills before turning into a streak of light heading towards the gray stone door.
cǐ shí kàn jiàn zhè děng chuán shuō zhōng de cún zài ， jīng yà zhī zhōng yòu bù miǎn yǒu diǎn hào qí 。
此时看见这等传说中的存在，惊讶之中又不免有点好奇。
Just as it was about to collide with the Life-Death Gate, a green glow suddenly appeared around the元婴.
líng hú chāng yuán yīng chū qiào hòu ， méi yǒu zhí jiē fēi chū zì shēn bù xià de fáng hù 。
令狐昌元婴出窍后，没有直接飞出自身布下的防护。
The stone door seemed to be illuminated by this light, appearing somewhat lively.
ér shì qǔ chū yī tào xiǎo qiǎo de qīng mù kǎi jiǎ ， wèi zì jǐ pī shàng 。
而是取出一套小巧的青木铠甲，为自己披上。
Congfu Chang dove headfirst into the green area of the stone door.
yòu tūn fú le shù méi dān yào hòu ， fāng cái huà zuò yī dào liú guāng ， cháo zhe huī sè shí mén fēi qù 。
又吞服了数枚丹药后，方才化作一道流光，朝着灰色石门飞去。
After he disappeared, the stone door returned to normal.
kuài yào hé shēng sǐ mén pèng zhuàng dào yì qǐ shí ， yuán yīng shēn shàng hū de yǒng xiàn qīng lǜ sè guāng máng 。
快要和生死门碰撞到一起时，元婴身上忽的涌现青绿色光芒。
"An元婴 separating from its body is truly amazing," Su Xiaomei said as she patted the stone door, making a loud sound.
shí mén bèi zhè guāng máng zhào yào ， fǎng fú yě bèi jìn rǎn le bān ， biàn dé yǒu xiē shēng jī qǐ lái 。
石门被这光芒照耀，仿佛也被浸染了般，变得有些生机起来。
Unable to enter, she felt somewhat disappointed and turned her gaze towards Congfu Chang's body surrounded by many treasures.
líng hú chāng chèn jī yī tóu zhā jìn shí mén de lǜ sè qū yù zhōng 。
令狐昌趁机一头扎进石门的绿色区域中。
Her eyes moved around: "This person has so many treasures."
tā xiāo shī zhī hòu ， shí mén yòu huī fù le zhèng cháng 。
他消失之后，石门又恢复了正常。
"Say, he carries all these treasures on his own person."
“ yuán yīng chū qiào ， zhēn shì shén qí a 。” sū xiǎo mèi pāi le pāi shí mén ， fā chū pēng pēng shēng xiǎng 。
“元婴出窍，真是神奇啊。”苏小妹拍了拍石门，发出砰砰声响。
"What kind of wealth must be hidden in the Medicine King Cauldron with all those sleeping cultivators?"
yī rán wú fǎ jìn rù ， tā yǒu xiē yí hàn 。
依然无法进入，她有些遗憾。
"And what about the various secrets and treasures of our Medicine King Sect?"
zhuǎn tóu yòu kàn xiàng bèi zhū duō fǎ bǎo hù zài zhōng yāng de líng hú chāng ròu shēn 。
转头又看向被诸多法宝护在中央的令狐昌肉身。
Su Xiaomei whispered.
yǎn jīng zhuǎn le zhuǎn ：“ zhè rén fǎ bǎo kě zhēn shì bù shǎo 。”
眼睛转了转：“这人法宝可真是不少。”
"Senior Head's words were right. This is indeed a great opportunity," Zhang Haobo agreed.
“ nǐ men shuō ， tā yí gè rén dōu suí shēn dài yǒu zhè me duō bǎo bèi 。”
“你们说，他一个人都随身带有这么多宝贝。”
"Too bad we don't have enough power, otherwise..."
“ zhè yào wáng dǐng nèi ， zhè me duō chén mián xiū shì 。 suǒ cáng yòu huì yǒu duō me fēng hòu ？”
“这药王鼎内，这么多沉眠修士。所藏又会有多么丰厚？”
Xiao Heng didn't respond. He stared at the gray Life-Death Gate, lost in thought.
“ hái méi suàn shàng yào wáng zōng zōng mén de zhū duō mì cáng 。”
“还没算上药王宗宗门的诸多秘藏。”
Time passed slowly as they waited.
sū xiǎo mèi chuán yīn dào 。
苏小妹传音道。
A day... two days...
“ tóu gǔ qián bèi shuō de méi cuò ， guǒ rán shì dà jī yuán 。” zhāng hào bō fù hè dào 。
“头骨前辈说的没错，果然是大机缘。”张浩波附和道。
Congfu Chang who entered the gate seemed to disappear entirely and was completely out of contact.
“ kě xī wǒ děng shí lì bù gòu ， yào bù rán ……”
“可惜我等实力不够，要不然……”
"Has something unexpected happened?"
xiāo héng què shì méi yǒu huí yìng 。
萧恒却是没有回应。
Xiao Heng and his companions grew worried.
tā dīng zhe huī sè de shēng sǐ mén ， bù zhī dào zài xiǎng xiē shén me 。
他盯着灰色的生死门，不知道在想些什么。
Five days later, the Life-Death Gate suddenly opened with a loud noise.
shí jiān zài děng dài zhōng huǎn huǎn liú shì 。
时间在等待中缓缓流逝。
The元婴 returned to its body.
yī tiān 、 liǎng tiān ……
一天、两天……
After a moment, Congfu Chang's body started to sway as he slowly stood up, looking sad.
jìn rù mén nèi de líng hú chāng fǎng fú xiāo shī le yì bān ， chè dǐ méi yǒu le yīn xùn 。
进入门内的令狐昌仿佛消失了一般，彻底没有了音讯。
"Dao Friend Congfu, what happened?" Zhang Haobo asked.
“ gāi bú huì chū shén me yì wài le ba ？”
“该不会出什么意外了吧？”
"Follow me," Congfu Chang said as he retracted his protective shield and entered the stone door.
xiāo héng tā men bù miǎn yǒu xiē yōu lǜ 。
萧恒他们不免有些忧虑。
The three raised their vigilance and followed him inside.
zhí dào wǔ tiān zhī hòu ， shēng sǐ mén cái hōng rán kāi qǐ 。
直到五天之后，生死门才轰然开启。
It felt like they had suddenly arrived in an endless void. In the distant background, countless stars shone brightly.
yuán yīng guī wèi 。
元婴归位。
"A thousand years ago, our sect master sacrificed himself to protect us."
piàn kè zhī hòu ， líng hú chāng shēn tǐ yǒu xiē yáo huàng ， màn màn zhàn qǐ ， miàn yǒu bēi sè 。
片刻之后，令狐昌身体有些摇晃，慢慢站起，面有悲色。
Congfu Chang's sorrowful voice echoed.
“ líng hú dào yǒu ， fā shēng le hé shì ？” zhāng hào bō wèn dào 。
“令狐道友，发生了何事？”张浩波问道。
"This is what the Medicine King Cauldron recorded back then."
“ nǐ men suí wǒ lái ba 。” líng hú chāng shōu qǐ fáng hù ， jìn rù shí mén zhī nèi 。
“你们随我来吧。”令狐昌收起防护，进入石门之内。
The scene around Xiao Heng and his companions quickly began moving rapidly as if in slow motion.
sān rén xiǎng le xiǎng ， tí gāo jiè bèi ， gēn suí rù nèi 。
三人想了想，提高戒备，跟随入内。
Innumerable streaks of light were stretched into strange curves.
fǎng fú yī xià zi lái dào le wú jìn xū kōng zhōng ， yuǎn fāng de bèi jǐng zhōng ， wú shù xīng guāng shǎn yào 。
仿佛一下子来到了无尽虚空中，远方的背景中，无数星光闪耀。
Below, a hazy giant light ball was slowly moving away from them.
“ zōng zhǔ zài qiān nián yǐ qián ， wèi le bǎo hù wǒ děng ， yǐ jīng xiān qù le 。”
“宗主在千年以前，为了保护我等，已经仙去了。”
A sigh sounded.
zhè shí hòu ， líng hú chāng yǒu xiē bēi tòng de shēng yīn chuán lái 。
这时候，令狐昌有些悲痛的声音传来。
"Xuanhuang Realm..."
“ zhè shì dāng nián yào wáng dǐng jì lù xià lái de huà miàn 。”
“这是当年药王鼎记录下来的画面。”
An old voice appeared: "The sect master need not worry. The great calamity is coming, and we have fled to seek a chance at survival. We bear no fault."
xiāo héng děng rén zhōu wéi jǐng xiàng yī xià yóu jìng zhǐ kuài sù yùn dòng qǐ lái 。
萧恒等人周围景象一下由静止快速运动起来。
"But the Xuanhuang Realm is our homeland..."
wú shù liú guāng bèi lā cháng ， xíng chéng guài yì de qū xiàn 。
无数流光被拉长，形成怪异的曲线。
"The greater the responsibility, the more one must shoulder. Our Medicine King Sect is just a small sect; we can't even take care of ourselves, let alone others. Dealing with calamities and saving the Xuanhuang Realm should be left to the Ten Daoist Dynasties," the old voice clearly showed dissatisfaction towards the Ten Daoist Dynasties.
ér zài xià fāng ， méng lóng kàn bù qīng de jù dà guāng tuán ， zhèng zài yuǎn lí tā men 。
而在下方，朦胧看不清的巨大光团，正在远离他们。
"Old Yellow... forget it, let's not talk about this," Liu Ruchen paused before talking about another matter.
yī dào tàn xī shēng xiǎng qǐ 。
一道叹息声响起。
"It's worth mentioning that the Ten Daoist Dynasties' attitude is somewhat unusual. According to their usual behavior, they would certainly have come out to scold us for leaving as a sect. But I don't know why, they didn't try to stop us this time."
“ xuán huáng jiè ……”
“玄黄界……”
Old Yellow said dismissively: "When the great calamity comes, everyone flees for themselves. How could it be just our Medicine King Sect?"
lìng yī dào cāng lǎo de shēng yīn chū xiàn ：“ zōng zhǔ bù bì jiè huái ， dà jié jiāng zhì ， wǒ děng wèi qiú yī xiàn shēng jī yuǎn dùn ， bìng wú guò cuò 。”
另一道苍老的声音出现：“宗主不必介怀，大劫将至，我等为求一线生机远遁，并无过错。”
Liu Ruchen remained silent.
“ huà suī rú cǐ ， xuán huáng jiè bì jìng shì wǒ děng jiā xiāng ……”
“话虽如此，玄黄界毕竟是我等家乡……”
After a moment, Old Yellow became excited again: "But outsiders surely wouldn't think that we have a [Way Marker] in our Medicine King Sect."
“ néng lì yǒu duō dà ， zé rèn jiù yǒu duō dà 。 wǒ men yào wáng zōng bù guò zuì ěr xiǎo zōng ， zì gù bù xiá ， nǎ lǐ hái néng guǎn qí tā xǔ duō 。 yìng duì jié nàn 、 zhěng jiù xuán huáng jiè zhī shì ， hái shì jiāo gěi tā men xiān dào shí zōng ba 。” cāng lǎo de shēng yīn zhōng ， míng xiǎn yǒu zhe duì xiān dào shí zōng de bù mǎn 。
“能力有多大，责任就有多大。我们药王宗不过蕞尔小宗，自顾不暇，哪里还能管其他许多。应对劫难、拯救玄黄界之事，还是交给他们仙道十宗吧。”苍老的声音中，明显有着对仙道十宗的不满。
"By following this Way Marker, we can cross the endless void and go to a new world."
“ huáng lǎo …… suàn le ， bù shuō zhè ge le 。” liǔ rú chén dùn le dùn ， què yòu tán qǐ le lìng wài zhī shì 。
“黄老……算了，不说这个了。”柳如尘顿了顿，却又谈起了另外之事。
(End of chapter)
"So, from the moment you returned to the Xuanhuang Realm with your Medicine King Sect, time is consistent. It's been twenty-four years."
V Xiao Heng immediately realized this.
"But Dao Friend Congfu clearly said that the Medicine King Cauldron only spent a short while outside the realm before returning. How could such a small amount of time have passed here for thousands of years?" Zhang Haobo frowned deeply.
"Is it possible that time flows at a thousand times faster? Who can answer this question?"
The few present were all silent, unable to respond.
"Perhaps there's a way to figure out what happened back then," Congfu Chang suddenly said after a moment, as if he had remembered something.
"When the Medicine King Cauldron fell into the Xuanhuang Realm, it exhausted all its energy and eventually fell silent."
"But you just mentioned that we entered here by relying on the感应 of the small Medicine King Cauldron," he said to Xiao Heng.
"Generally, the感应 between Medicine King Cauldrons is unidirectional. Only the holder of the True Medicine King Cauldron can sense the location of the smaller ones."
"Holding a small Medicine King Cauldron and still being able to sense the True Cauldron's position usually only happens when the sect master calls nearby cultivators," he continued.
"This means either the sect master has already awakened or, after so many years, the Medicine King Cauldrons have regained their energy and started executing commands to seek help from the outside."
"Regardless of what it is, we must go to the [Life-Death Gate] to check on the sect master's condition," Congfu Chang said solemnly.
"The Life-Death Gate? That gray stone door at the end of the corridor?" Su Xiaomei replied. "We've tried and couldn't open it."
"That's natural. The Life-Death Gate seals off life and death. Even a realm-fusing cultivator wouldn't be able to budge it. If you could break it, that would be a big problem," Congfu Chang said dismissively.
"Can you do something about it?" Su Xiaomei asked with some不服气.
"Hmph." Congfu Chang made a cold sound but didn't speak further.
He flew towards the deeper part of the passage.
Su Xiaomei and her companions exchanged glances, following closely behind.
Soon they arrived at the gray stone door.
Congfu Chang had already sat cross-legged. The small Medicine King Cauldron reappeared above his head, emitting a protective light shield.
Around him on the ground were golden symbols shining brightly.
He took out another piece of paper and stuck it to his forehead.
Twenty-four golden needles surrounded them.
Four jade tablets were placed in front and behind.
After completing these defensive measures, Congfu Chang politely said to Xiao Heng and his companions: "Please guard me."
"Who cares about showing off," Su Xiaomei muttered.
Congfu Chang closed his eyes.
Suddenly, an infant figure resembling him appeared from within his body.
"Greetings, Dao Friends!"
The infant bowed formally towards Xiao Heng and the others. It was quite adorable.
"What is this...?"
"An元婴?" Xiao Heng and the others were greatly surprised.
Contemporary cultivators had long abandoned the "shattering of the essence to form an infant" method.
Instead, they directly plundered various realms, forming a domain in their place to replace the元婴.
Seeing such a legendary existence, they were both shocked and curious.
After the元婴 separated from Congfu Chang's body, it didn't immediately fly out. Instead, it put on a small set of greenwood armor and swallowed several pills before turning into a streak of light heading towards the gray stone door.
Just as it was about to collide with the Life-Death Gate, a green glow suddenly appeared around the元婴.
The stone door seemed to be illuminated by this light, appearing somewhat lively.
Congfu Chang dove headfirst into the green area of the stone door.
After he disappeared, the stone door returned to normal.
"An元婴 separating from its body is truly amazing," Su Xiaomei said as she patted the stone door, making a loud sound.
Unable to enter, she felt somewhat disappointed and turned her gaze towards Congfu Chang's body surrounded by many treasures.
Her eyes moved around: "This person has so many treasures."
"Say, he carries all these treasures on his own person."
"What kind of wealth must be hidden in the Medicine King Cauldron with all those sleeping cultivators?"
"And what about the various secrets and treasures of our Medicine King Sect?"
Su Xiaomei whispered.
"Senior Head's words were right. This is indeed a great opportunity," Zhang Haobo agreed.
"Too bad we don't have enough power, otherwise..."
Xiao Heng didn't respond. He stared at the gray Life-Death Gate, lost in thought.
Time passed slowly as they waited.
A day... two days...
Congfu Chang who entered the gate seemed to disappear entirely and was completely out of contact.
"Has something unexpected happened?"
Xiao Heng and his companions grew worried.
Five days later, the Life-Death Gate suddenly opened with a loud noise.
The元婴 returned to its body.
After a moment, Congfu Chang's body started to sway as he slowly stood up, looking sad.
"Dao Friend Congfu, what happened?" Zhang Haobo asked.
"Follow me," Congfu Chang said as he retracted his protective shield and entered the stone door.
The three raised their vigilance and followed him inside.
It felt like they had suddenly arrived in an endless void. In the distant background, countless stars shone brightly.
"A thousand years ago, our sect master sacrificed himself to protect us."
Congfu Chang's sorrowful voice echoed.
"This is what the Medicine King Cauldron recorded back then."
The scene around Xiao Heng and his companions quickly began moving rapidly as if in slow motion.
Innumerable streaks of light were stretched into strange curves.
Below, a hazy giant light ball was slowly moving away from them.
A sigh sounded.
"Xuanhuang Realm..."
An old voice appeared: "The sect master need not worry. The great calamity is coming, and we have fled to seek a chance at survival. We bear no fault."
"But the Xuanhuang Realm is our homeland..."
"The greater the responsibility, the more one must shoulder. Our Medicine King Sect is just a small sect; we can't even take care of ourselves, let alone others. Dealing with calamities and saving the Xuanhuang Realm should be left to the Ten Daoist Dynasties," the old voice clearly showed dissatisfaction towards the Ten Daoist Dynasties.
"Old Yellow... forget it, let's not talk about this," Liu Ruchen paused before talking about another matter.
"It's worth mentioning that the Ten Daoist Dynasties' attitude is somewhat unusual. According to their usual behavior, they would certainly have come out to scold us for leaving as a sect. But I don't know why, they didn't try to stop us this time."
Old Yellow said dismissively: "When the great calamity comes, everyone flees for themselves. How could it be just our Medicine King Sect?"
Liu Ruchen remained silent.
After a moment, Old Yellow became excited again: "But outsiders surely wouldn't think that we have a [Way Marker] in our Medicine King Sect."
"By following this Way Marker, we can cross the endless void and go to a new world."
(End of chapter)