Reunion After Forty Years

[Year 56, Age 74.]

[You replaced "Man and Sword as One" with "Ageless Male God".]

[You replaced "Senior Tomato User" with "Wandering Dragon Teasing the Phoenix".]

[After equipping the Male God trait, your appearance instantly reverted to that of an eighteen-year-old.]

[You pulled out your original outfit from your storage ring.]

[White robes, silver armor, and the gleaming Overlord Spear!]

["I'm so handsome..."]

[You admired yourself in the still-smoking Universe Mirror, lost in narcissism.]

[Returning to the Southern Border, you had three things to accomplish this time.]

[Borrow the recipe for the Five Regions Holy Pill from the Pill Fragrance Valley.]

[Find the supreme treasure of the Southern Border, the "Flower of the Southern Border".]

[Persuade the Empress to temporarily cease hostilities with the Central Plains and dispatch troops to the Firmament Ridge to build a defensive line.]

[These three tasks sounded troublesome, but they were actually quite simple to execute.]

[Find Li Lingyue and persuade her!]

[Flying on your sword, you soared through the sky.]

[Among the mountains, beasts prostrated themselves at the sight of you.]

[Within the mountain villages, the commoners bowed in worship when they saw you.]

["Now, I've also become one of those mysterious martial artists flying overhead in the eyes of others..."]

[Recently, your cultivation broke through once again, reaching the tenth level of the Spirit Sea Realm.]

[The effects of your high-tier bone structure were obvious.]

[With sufficient resources, you basically wouldn't encounter any bottlenecks in minor realms like this.]

[In the past, your natural cultivation amounted to nothing, but now, even natural cultivation could significantly improve your base.]

[Of course, for a normal Spirit Sea martial artist at your age, the efficiency of natural cultivation would be greatly reduced due to physical aging.]

[Although you were also old, you had the "Older is Wiser" trait, so aging had no impact on your cultivation.]

[The Central Plains and the Southern Border were at war.]

[The Empress's cultivation had surpassed the Martial King Realm. According to the internal agreements of the human race, she could not directly participate in frontline battles, but she had always been commanding from the central army tent.]

[You asked around along the way and learned that the Empress's current location was likely somewhere along the border between the Southern Border and Suzhou in the Central Plains.]

[A vague direction was enough. Once you got close, your "Treasure-Snatching Strange Nose" would catch Li Lingyue's scent.]

[Flying over from the Eastern Wasteland, you first passed through the northeastern territory of the Southern Border.]

[Compared to decades ago, the Southern Border now had many Empress Temples of various sizes.]

[Most of these temples were flourishing with incense, and there was an endless stream of believers.]

[Unlike other temples, these Empress Temples were equipped with varying numbers of guards depending on their scale of construction.]

[These guards were all fully armored soldiers. Their martial arts realms were unclear, but they could definitely take on a hundred mortals each.]

["Temples, incense... I remember that old woman saying that Li Lingyue possesses the Incense Holy Physique. She probably grows stronger by gathering the power of incense. No wonder she wants to attack the Central Plains and claim orthodox imperial power. If she becomes the Great Emperor of the Five Regions, she will definitely build Empress Temples all over the Five Regions, and by then, she'll become even stronger!"]

[Among the eighteen paths researched by Patriarch Shen, there was one known as the Dao of Incense.]

[This was likely what Li Lingyue was cultivating.]

[Therefore, as long as Li Lingyue's holy physique awakened and she realized she had the Incense Holy Physique, she was bound to take the path of seizing power and claiming the imperial throne.]

[In a feudal era, what could be more influential than becoming an emperor?]

[Not long after, you arrived at the encampment of the Hundred Nations Alliance Army of the Southern Border.]

[Gleaming dragon banners fluttered in the wind, and towering military flags were arrayed in all directions.]

[The central army camp was filled with numerous soldiers and generals, exuding a domineering aura.]

[You figured that if you flew straight in like this, you'd be courting death.]

[You landed outside the military camp and walked to the entrance of the stockade.]

[Whoosh!]

[An arrow struck the ground at your feet.]

[A sentry shouted.]

["Who goes there! What is your business here! Speak quickly! If you can't give a good reason, don't blame us for firing a volley of arrows!"]

[You cupped your fists from afar.]

["I wish to see the Empress. Please pass on the message that an old friend has come to visit. My surname is Chen."]

[The sentry sneered disdainfully.]

["Hahaha, everyone wants to see the Empress, even I want to see her! You think just because your surname is Chen you can see her? Well, my surname is Chen too, we're all named Chen!"]

[Standing at the camp gates, you adjusted the cuffs of your armor, a somewhat mysterious smile on your face.]

["Three... two..."]

[Seeing your bizarre behavior, the sentry scolded.]

["What are you counting over there? Are you exchanging secret signals with a spy?"]

[You looked around.]

[Why was there no movement?]

[Li Lingyue should be incredibly powerful by now; her divine sense should easily cover the entire military camp.]

["One point five..."]

[Give her a little more time.]

[Seeing your suspicious actions, the sentry drew his bow and nocked an arrow again.]

["Retreat fifty zhang and submit to an inspection! Otherwise, we will shoot!"]

["One point three..."]

["Fire!"]

["One point two..."]

[These ordinary arrows couldn't break your defenses now anyway.]

[You didn't plan to dodge.]

[But just as the rain of arrows was about to hit you, a fierce gust of wind blew out from the camp.]

[Whoosh—]

[A lock of dark hair brushed past your face, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.]

[A tall and heroic figure appeared, clad in red armor and wearing a cape adorned with dragon and phoenix patterns, her jet-black hair flowing freely.]

["Audacious! Who dares to harm him!"]

[When the sentries saw that the newcomer was the Empress, they were so frightened they fell from the watchtowers and kowtowed repeatedly.]

["Spare us, Your Majesty! Spare us, Your Majesty! We didn't know he was truly your friend..."]

[Li Lingyue glanced down at the soldiers disdainfully.]

["Those who fired arrows without reporting first shall each receive thirty strokes of the military cane!"]

[The sentries kowtowed in gratitude.]

["Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing our lives!"]

[Li Lingyue turned around, and your eyes met.]

[After so many years.]

[The two of you finally met again.]

[You still looked the same as you did back then, and so did she.]

[But in both of your eyes, there was much more experience and worldly vicissitudes.]

[There was no tearful reunion drama, nor any tender exchanges of greetings.]

[Li Lingyue simply led you into the military camp, as if receiving an ordinary old friend.]

["Lingyue, back at the Soul-Severing Cliff, my departure without saying goodbye was..."]

["There's no need to explain. Master has already told me everything. Whether we said goodbye or not, we had to part ways. Why add to the sorrow?"]

["I came to find you this time to tell you that the war with the Central Plains needs to stop for a while. The demon race from the Great Wasteland is about to attack. I've already made an agreement with the Sword Master to gather forces from all sides at the Firmament Ridge. When the time comes, we..."]

[You spoke logically and clearly.]

[But it felt like Li Lingyue wasn't really listening; she just kept walking forward.]

[The soldiers in the camp all stood at attention and saluted when they saw her.]

[Most of the officers and soldiers did not dare to look directly at the Empress. Those brave enough to look had expressions of utmost reverence and awe, as if they were seeing a fairy descending to the mortal realm.]

["Um, Lingyue, the demon race is going to make their move soon. If possible, it would be best for the Southern Border to dispatch a portion of troops and resources to..."]

"After disappearing for so many years, did you come to see me just to tell me this?"

"Well, then how about... we... hmm?"

The corners of Li Lingyue's lips curled up into a faint smile...