Letter

The sun shone with a chilling brightness, its piercing rays cutting deep into Chen Xia's heart.

He stared blankly at the sky, unsure of what to say or to whom he could speak after all these days.

The Blue Sky Sword Sea was gone, and everyone in his world had suddenly vanished. It was the natural cycle of life and death, and he couldn’t blame anyone.

It felt as though the world had cast him aside, only to pick him up again, leaving him utterly alone.

In the end, even an immortal is but a plaything of time. How ironic.

Chen Xia’s gaze shifted away from the heavens, and he leaned slightly against the doorframe. Zhang Yue came to see him again, calling out from beyond the entrance.

“Senior Chen!”

“What is it?” Chen Xia asked.

“Well… um…” Zhang Yue hesitated, her clear eyes lowering as she fumbled with a pouch of spirit stones from her robe. She spoke in a pleading tone.

“The clan competition is coming up soon. I’m only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and if I don’t do well, I’ll be demoted and sent away from the family. I won’t even have a chance to advance. So, I’ve gathered all my savings to ask for your guidance, just a little would be enough. I don’t ask for more.”

Chen Xia looked at her, studying her features, and suddenly asked, “Was it the one-horned dragon on your shoulder who came up with this idea?”

“Sort of,” Zhang Yue nodded nervously. The one-horned dragon poked its head out from her shoulder guard, rolling its eyes as if scolding her for betraying its trust.

Chen Xia waved his hand lightly and said, “You can keep the spirit stones. Just play a game of chess with me.”

“Of course, of course!” Zhang Yue quickly agreed, following Chen Xia into the house.

It was a quiet game of chess, without any dramatic moves or underhanded tactics. Everything was straightforward. Chen Xia played calmly, while the young girl didn’t dare to win.

In the end, Chen Xia narrowly won.

Zhang Yue wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, feeling relieved that she had lost.

It was a strange game.

Chen Xia put away the chessboard and asked the girl, “What do you want? Supreme divine abilities, unparalleled insights, or a direct boost to your cultivation?”

“Gulp.” Zhang Yue swallowed hard, her heart racing at the options Chen Xia presented. She wanted to choose all of them but didn’t dare to be greedy. After weighing her options, she said,

“I… I’ll take the insights, if that’s okay, Senior… Senior Chen?”

With insights, she wouldn’t lack combat power. Divine abilities required training, and boosting her cultivation might have side effects. Insights felt the most practical.

“Alright,” Chen Xia nodded.

Zhang Yue’s consciousness instantly expanded, as if she were traversing the cosmos, accompanied by the stars. In a single breath, she became the most immense sun, then transformed into the tiniest grain of sand.

She could be a mountain, a river, a flower, or a tree—everything and nothing at all.

It was an insight so profound it defied comprehension.

Chen Xia stood up, his footsteps light, leaving Zhang Yue to her epiphany as he walked slowly toward the door.

The one-horned dragon perched on Zhang Yue’s shoulder timidly watched him leave.

Chen Xia stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

And then, he was no longer outside either.

He walked a new path, a path of time, not toward the future but back into the past.

He was heading to 500,000 years ago, to witness the glory of the Blue Sky Sword Sea in its prime.

By the time he reached 300,000 years, his steps grew heavy, burdened by the immense pressure of the passing millennia. Yet, he pressed on.

Time bent his spine, making him appear aged.

But his steps never faltered.

When he reached 500,000 years, he strained to look out, hoping to see the Blue Sky Sword Sea in its most glorious era.

There were many people in the Blue Sky Sword Sea, a sea of faces, but none of them were the old friends Chen Xia longed to see. Perhaps they had already passed away long before. Who could say?

After all, he had been asleep for a very, very long time.

A wry smile crept onto Chen Xia’s lips as time began to drag him back, trying to pull this ghost of a bygone era back to where he belonged.

He offered no resistance, letting time take him.

At 400,000 years, Chen Xia suddenly paused, his feet firmly planted. He sensed a familiar aura flickering within the flow of time.

What was it?

Chen Xia hurried to investigate, unraveling the spiritual energy enveloping this moment. It was a message left by several emperors, their voices overlapping as they spoke the same words.

“Brother Chen!” “Chen Xia.” “Brother Chen.”

Hearing these voices, Chen Xia froze, his hands trembling with emotion.

“Brother Chen, we discussed it and didn’t know when you’d wake up, so we left this letter in the future for you to find. When you wake up, you should be able to see it. Haha.”

It was Huang Qingyue’s voice.

“Chen Xia, you’ve been quite the absentee leader, leaving the Blue Sky Sword Sea for me to manage. And you still owe me 10,000 spirit stones. Can you hurry up and pay me back?” Li Yang’s words were tinged with urgency but also sorrow.

“Chen Xia, Chen Xia, have you gotten addicted to sleeping? Back in the Dead Star Region, you slept in that coffin, and now you’re still sleeping. We can’t even wake you up. Sigh.” Li Yue lamented.

“The Blue Sky Sword Sea is in good hands with me. Don’t worry about it when you wake up. Oh, and Chi Yu left a message for you. He said he misses you… and so do I.” Big Yellow Dog’s voice was soft.

“Brother Chen, what am I supposed to do if you don’t wake up? I’ve reached the third level of the Emperor Realm. You have to see me. We haven’t even started dominating the myriad realms yet.” Emperor Capital called out.

“We met in the realms, went through the trials of the Great Death Realm, and our bond grew stronger. Then came the realms beyond, and finally the Immortal Realm. I never thought our parting would be like this. Life is unpredictable, but let’s not make farewells too sorrowful.” Wang Yangzi chuckled lightly.

“Brother Chen, do you remember the snow in the imperial city that year? It feels like it was just yesterday. I wonder if we’ll ever get to see snow together again.”

Huang Qingyue’s voice was tinged with melancholy but carried a note of hope.

“Brother Chen, wake up. It’s me, Little Xu. The one who wandered the markets with you, fought alongside you in the Great Death Realm, and spent time with you in the Immortal Realm. Don’t you want to see me again?”

Xu Zhen’s voice trembled with quiet sobs as she pleaded.

The letter ended with a collective message from them all.

“Hey, if you’re reading this, don’t forget to think of us. But don’t think too much. We hope you can embrace this new era and become the new Chen Xia… Well, that’s all…”

“Farewell.”

“Brother Chen.”

The voices faded, and the flow of time fell into a hollow silence.

Chen Xia stood still.

Tears streamed down his face.