At the Bottom of Tianchi Cave, We Meet Again

Chen Chang'an leaped into the Heavenly Pool and discovered that the space below was far more expansive than above.

Moreover, the depth exceeded his expectations. After diving nearly a hundred meters, he still hadn’t reached the bottom.

Though Chen Chang'an’s cultivation was only at the first level of the True Qi Realm, his true strength was far greater.

Additionally, his unique physique rendered the water pressure completely ineffective against him.

He continued his descent and, after nearly a thousand meters, finally noticed something unusual.

At the bottom of the Heavenly Pool, there was another barrier—one that merely separated the water from a cave entrance below.

"Interesting."

Chen Chang'an smirked before flashing forward and slipping into the cave.

Inside, the surroundings were pitch-black. The tunnel was narrow and winding but still allowed him to walk upright.

With a flick of his finger, a golden sword energy shot forward, illuminating the tunnel clearly.

The passage wasn’t long—only about a hundred meters—and at its end stood a stone door.

To his surprise, the door opened with a simple push.

Beyond the door, darkness still reigned, but Chen Chang'an’s senses told him the space wasn’t large.

Most importantly… there was warmth.

Not the natural kind, but the warmth of human habitation.

Someone was here!

"I know you’re here. I mean no harm—just passing through and found this place peculiar, so I decided to investigate," Chen Chang'an said calmly.

The other party’s strength was formidable; Chen Chang'an couldn’t sense their aura or pinpoint their presence.

Yet he was certain they were here.

"Chen… Chen Chang'an?"

A tentative voice echoed from the darkness.

The words stunned Chen Chang'an.

Another damn acquaintance?

What was going on? Were all his old friends gathering in Langya for a reunion?

"You know me?" Chen Chang'an asked, puzzled.

After receiving confirmation, the oil lamps in the chamber suddenly ignited, bathing the stone room in light.

The furnishings were sparse—a stone bed, a stone table, and a stone chair.

As Chen Chang'an surveyed the room, a figure emerged from behind a stone wall.

Recognizing the man, Chen Chang'an froze momentarily before recalling his name.

"Lie Zhankuang? How is it you?"

"You’re still alive?"

The revelation genuinely shocked Chen Chang'an. After all, Lie Zhankuang was someone he’d known seven or eight thousand years ago.

Having heard nothing of him in all that time, Chen Chang'an had assumed the man was long dead. Yet here he was, hiding at the bottom of the Heavenly Pool? What kind of hobby was that?

Lie Zhankuang sat on the stone bed and gestured for Chen Chang'an to take the chair.

"I never expected to see you alive after all these years, let alone meet you here."

"Fate plays cruel tricks."

"To be honest, I haven’t seen a familiar face in over six thousand years."

"It’s suffocating. Damn suffocating," Lie Zhankuang grumbled.

Six thousand years living here?

Seriously?

"Did you offend someone?" Chen Chang'an asked curiously.

Back in the day, Lie Zhankuang had been a prodigious genius, even more talented than Xuan Wudao and notoriously arrogant.

He’d been the type to pick fights with anyone who so much as glanced at him wrong.

That he’d ended up like this didn’t surprise Chen Chang'an—the man had always been a troublemaker.

"Yeah, I pissed off a Great Emperor. Had no choice but to hide. I haven’t dared leave this place since."

"Luckily, it’s secluded enough that no one else can get in."

"Wait… how did you get in here?"

Lie Zhankuang suddenly realized the oddity of Chen Chang'an’s presence.

"Walked right in. The barrier doesn’t stop me."

"Though I must say, you’ve grown stronger. That barrier even kept Da Huang out," Chen Chang'an remarked with a chuckle.

"Da Huang’s here too? Of course, you two are inseparable."

"After all these years, that dog’s still alive? What breed is it anyway?"

"How the hell is it so freakishly long-lived?" Lie Zhankuang asked, baffled.

"The Dog King."

"Dog King? At this point, it’s practically the Dog Emperor."

"Enough about him. Tell me—which Great Emperor did you cross? There aren’t many in the Tai Xuan Realm," Chen Chang'an pressed.

"Who else? That old bastard Long Wuqi."

"All I said was, ‘This bastard’s ugly as sin,’ and he sent ten Undying Realm experts after me."

"Bro, I was only at the Sovereign Realm back then. Was it necessary to send ten Undying Realm killers?"

"My old man made it worse—he disowned me on the spot to avoid dragging the family down."

"Ah, such touching father-son affection," Lie Zhankuang sighed bitterly.

Long Wuqi?

The founder of the Dragon Emperor Palace and one of the few Great Emperors in the Tai Xuan Realm.

The Dragon Emperor Palace was a formidable force, and Chen Chang'an knew a thing or two about Long Wuqi—mostly from Mu Yunyao.

Long Wuqi and Mu Yunyao were peers, both at the peak of the Great Emperor Realm.

Lie Zhankuang had it coming. Long Wuqi’s biggest taboo was being called ugly, and he’d gone out of his way to provoke the man. No wonder he’d been marked for death.

"Did you set up the barrier around the Heavenly Pool too?" Chen Chang'an asked.

"No way. I’m not that capable."

"Even though I’ve reached the Undying Realm now, I couldn’t create a barrier like that."

"It was already here when I arrived. That’s why I chose this spot," Lie Zhankuang admitted with a wry smile.

It predated him?

"Then how did you get in? Da Huang couldn’t even enter," Chen Chang'an pressed.

Lie Zhankuang shrugged. "Pure luck, I guess. The Heavenly Pool atop Cloud Snow Ridge has existed for ages, and so has this barrier."

"But the barrier has a flaw—it briefly weakens at regular intervals."

"I stumbled upon that quirk and used it to slip inside."

"Waited a year for the pool’s barrier to weaken, then another year for the cave’s barrier."

"Such a hassle, so I rarely leave."

Now Chen Chang'an understood—the barrier had a loophole.

But what about the villagers and the Snow Demon outside?

"Are the villagers and the Snow Demon connected to you?"

"Are they worshipping you?"

"Well… yes and no. It’s complicated."

"Then give me the short version."

"Fine."