Is it time to find Chen Xia

I could have endured the darkness.

If I had never seen the light before.

This is a profound statement that resonates with the cultivators present. They stared at Chen Xia, their gaze fixed on the shimmering Dao Pill in his hand, unable to find the right words to say.

They felt as if their eyes had been blinded by the brilliance of the light. In comparison, the days they had lived before seemed like nothing but darkness.

Chen Xia gently rotated the Dao Pill, causing it to sparkle, before swallowing it.

"It's gone," he said with a smile.

The cultivators in the room didn't dare to say anything. The existence capable of refining Dao Pills was beyond their reach.

If Chen Xia truly came from beyond this realm, then that realm must be incredibly vast. It must be inhabited by countless powerful beings to force someone capable of refining Dao Pills to flee to Qing Province.

Chen Xia stretched lazily and twisted his neck. The medicinal effects had already begun to take hold. Truly, it was a Dao Pill that nourished the qi and blood. Spiritual energy instantly filled his limbs and body, even surging towards the Sword Sea within him.

Three million flying swords fluttered into the air, absorbing the spiritual energy and emitting a melodious sword hum within Chen Xia's body.

"Since you've come from afar, I don't have much to offer as hospitality. How about you reward me with a red envelope? Just a little token of appreciation," Chen Xia continued to speak, looking like a street hooligan.

The several cultivators in the room had come with ulterior motives, so they would have to contribute some wealth.

"It can be any amount, but it must be given," Chen Xia repeated the old saying, which was also his principle.

The cultivators in the room were momentarily stunned. One of them, a Dragon Seed, quickly nodded and smiled, "Naturally, since you've come to Qing Province, we will definitely give you a red envelope. We'll deliver it to Little Cinnabar Hall another day."

They all knew what Chen Xia looked like and that he usually sat at the entrance of Little Cinnabar Hall.

"Let me ask you a question," Chen Xia patted his sleeve and continued, "What exactly is considered 'beyond this realm'?"

The cultivators hesitated for a moment, contemplating the question before replying, "According to our understanding, anything outside of Qing Province can be considered 'beyond this realm.' However, no locals from Qing Province have gone beyond in the past ten thousand years, only visitors from beyond."

"But those who come are usually insignificant cultivators, mostly in the Yuan Ying and Da Cheng realms, with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. It's extremely rare to see cultivators in the Moving Mountains realm. Only three cultivators from beyond the realm have come to Qing Province in the past ten thousand years."

"Alright," Chen Xia nodded, absentmindedly rolling up his sleeves. He continued to ask, "How does one go to the realm beyond?"

A cultivator in the Moving Mountains realm replied, "There aren't many ways to go beyond the realm now. It is said that crossing the Surging Sea can take you there, but we don't know if it's true, and no one has tried it."

"In ancient times, many cultivators were able to go beyond the realm. Qing Province used to be a thriving place, but later on, the Martial Emperor closed off the path of cultivation. Qing Province declined, and most of the routes to the realm beyond were sealed."

This was the second time Chen Xia had heard of the Martial Emperor. Curious, he asked, "Is this Martial Emperor considered a great emperor?"

"We don't know. The ancient times were too distant, and the hierarchy wasn't as clear as it is now," the cultivator in the Moving Mountains realm shook his head.

Chen Xia blew on his sleeves and gave them a light shake before casually saying, "You may leave now."

Several cultivators in the Mountain Moving Realm didn't dare to linger and hurriedly turned around to leave.

The autumn wind grew stronger, causing Chen Xia's robes to flutter.

He followed the direction of the wind, walking at a leisurely pace, like a traveler enjoying the autumn scenery as he went along.

Not hurried, not slow.

Just right.

————

Beneath the towering restaurant.

A large yellow dog, standing upright like a human, glared at the short old man in front of him with dissatisfaction and berated, "You're buying alcohol again, drinking every day. You haven't earned many spirit stones, but you've spent them all."

Zhang DaoMing held a wine jug and shook his head, saying, "You shouldn't say it like that. When you're in your prime, you should enjoy life to the fullest. Come, have a taste."

"Even dogs don't drink."

The big yellow dog retorted sharply.

"Heh, this wine is brewed with Baihua Dew, Qianshan Water, and the spiritual water from the Drunken Spring at its core. You don't appreciate it. If Chen Xia were here, he would definitely love it."

"Chen Xia definitely wouldn't drink it." The big yellow dog shook its head.

"Why?" Zhang DaoMing asked in confusion.

"Because he's not much of a drinker to begin with, and he doesn't have much to worry about." The big yellow dog replied.

Zhang DaoMing paused for a moment, and his short figure seemed to shrink suddenly. He nodded and said, "You're right."

He only drank to drown his sorrows.

Mainly because as one grows older, regrets pile up. When you don't want to think about something, drinking makes you dare to say anything and think about anything.

Not to mention that this immortal wine intoxicates even faster.

And it leads to quick dreaming.

"How many pills does the Starry Sky Pill Sect want you to refine?" The big yellow dog suddenly asked.

"Not that many." Zhang DaoMing counted on his fingers and said, "One hundred, two hundred... about five or six thousand pills, and then they'll let us go."

"How many years does it take to refine five or six thousand pills?" The big yellow dog asked again, with a hint of hopeful emotion in its voice.

"It's almost done, it should only take one or two thousand years." Zhang DaoMing smiled, avoiding the big yellow dog's gaze with his cloudy eyes.

He was lying.

One or two thousand years wouldn't be enough. Even ten or twenty thousand years wouldn't be enough.

The big yellow dog crossed its arms and frowned slightly, "That long, huh? I want to find Chen Xia as soon as possible. Why don't you teach me alchemy, and we can refine pills together to shorten the time by half."

"Alright, alright." Zhang DaoMing laughed and looked into the distance.

The setting sun hung low behind him, and the dusk cast its shadow on his back.

The big yellow dog walked side by side with him, and the two were almost the same height.

Not long after, the big yellow dog asked again.

"Old Zhang, when are we going to find Chen Xia?"

"Soon, soon."

Zhang DaoMing replied with a smile.

The short figure could no longer block the dense dusk.

The dusk crossed over his back and spread onto the road ahead.

And so, he walked upon the dusk.

And became the dusk itself.

————

On the land of Qing Province.

Chen Xia had been in charge of the Little Cinnabar Hall for two hundred years.

Suddenly, a dragon rose from the Surging Sea, causing thousand-zhang-high waves that crashed onto the shore. The peak-level dragon of the Mountain Moving Realm rampaged along the shore, arrogantly tearing apart half of the mountain range.

It was like a land dragon turning over!

Qiu Yi stood at the peak of the Little Cinnabar Hall, frowning as he watched. This was the first time he had witnessed the emergence of a dragon from the Surging Sea, and he was amazed but helpless. From time to time, his gaze shifted to the pavilion at the entrance.

As the dragon roared for the third time,

A burst of purple-gold sword light suddenly spread from Little Cinnabar Hall,

Stretching out incredibly long,

Like an extremely thin line that sliced through the void,

Appearing in the world without any regard for reason.

The roar of the peak-stage dragon, at the pinnacle of the Moving Mountains Realm, only came halfway before abruptly ceasing,

Because the dragon was split in half,

There was no splattering of blood; the wound was incredibly smooth, as if it naturally split apart.

Only when the two halves of the Moving Mountains Realm dragon's body collapsed with a thunderous crash did the scorching dragon blood flow, filling the mountains and soaking all things.

The purple-gold thread reversed its course and returned.

Chen Xia closed his eyes, reclining in a rocking chair, his fingers tapping the armrest as he softly uttered,

"Don't make a fuss."

The purple-gold flying sword hovered nearby, its bright tip carrying a trace of dragon heart essence blood, not a drop spilling, as it was fully absorbed by the flying sword.

A thousand miles to slay the dragon, returning home.

————

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It's rare for me to make two PS (Postscript) entries in one day. There's not much else to say. It's already late, so everyone should go to bed early.

Love you ❤️.