Su Luo, We Are Here

After exploding, Su Luo did not die.

He waited.

Soon, his entire body appeared in an alternate space, surrounded by a vast expanse of white.

This place was not unfamiliar—he had been here many times before.

[Host, I have arrived.]

The system appeared.

"Don’t tell me I failed to clear it this time either."

[No. Congratulations, Host. You have successfully cleared it.]

Along with the announcement came virtual celebratory fireworks.

Cleared it...

For a moment, Su Luo felt dazed.

He hadn’t expected to actually succeed.

Originally, he thought clearing it was just a vague possibility.

But without the accumulated experience from previous perfect clears, Su Luo felt it had been a close call.

The system continued.

[As a reward for clearing the trial, Host may return to reality while retaining all your cultivation.]

[Please prepare. The teleportation will begin shortly.]

"Wait." Su Luo interrupted the system. "Let me return to reality a thousand years later."

The system paused briefly before responding.

[Calculating...]

[Host’s proposal approved. Return to reality in one thousand years.]

[Countdown initiated.]

[Does Host have any further questions? If not, this system’s service will conclude here. At the designated time, this system will vanish.]

"Nothing else. Goodbye."

[Farewell.]

The system disappeared.

However, it left behind a trace of power beside Su Luo, which would teleport him back after a thousand years.

At the same time, subtle changes appeared on the cover of Su Luo’s diary—a countdown of one thousand years now marked it.

Staring at the countdown, Su Luo sighed. Truthfully, he hadn’t been sure if delaying his return was possible.

The system had been unexpectedly accommodating.

If it had refused, Su Luo would have simply rejected the offer and stayed here.

He truly couldn’t bear to leave them.

But now, with the delay secured, it was enough.

Though returning to reality would be a thousand years later, the time he had already spent here made this addition seem insignificant.

He would use these thousand years to live happily with them.

Su Luo emerged from the alternate space and hurried back.

As for Lin Xuan? Well, he wasn’t dead, so who cared?

......

Jiang Ningshu paced restlessly, unable to sit still as she awaited the outcome.

"Stop walking. You’re making me dizzy," Nangong Xiyun sighed, though her outward calm was a facade.

She understood Jiang Ningshu’s anxiety but still wished she would steady herself.

The last thing they needed was for her to develop a heart demon.

Suddenly, Jiang Ningshu froze, her expression blank. "Su Luo’s presence... it’s gone!"

He had left.

Tears spilled from Jiang Ningshu’s eyes in an instant.

Nangong Xiyun sighed. Though she had braced herself for this, the reality still brought sorrow.

She tilted her head slightly upward, willing her own tears not to fall.

Little Yu didn’t cry—she had already wept in secret earlier and had no tears left.

Li Siyi felt happy for Su Luo. His long-cherished wish had finally been fulfilled.

Yet while her face wore a smile, her heart was drowning in grief.

However, Su Luo’s presence soon reappeared, rapidly approaching them.

The moment they sensed him, joy lit up their faces.

Exchanging glances, they confirmed it wasn’t an illusion and rushed out to meet him.

"Su Luo!"

Li Siyi, Little Yu, Nangong Xiyun, and Jiang Ningshu crashed into Su Luo, clinging to him desperately.

At least for this moment, they refused to let go.

The impact sent Su Luo flying, taking them along with him—a testament to the force of their affection.

Su Luo had allowed himself to be knocked back to prevent them from getting hurt.

They tumbled through the air before finally coming to a stop.

Jiang Ningshu looked up, tear streaks still visible on her face, but she paid them no mind. "Su Luo, you’re not leaving, are you?"

Su Luo smiled. "That’s right."

His answer eased the weight in their hearts.

Little Yu: "That’s wonderful."

Nangong Xiyun: "Staying is for the best. I won’t let you regret it."

Li Siyi: "This is good."

But then Su Luo doused their relief with cold water. "Well, not entirely. I’ll still leave... in a thousand years."

?

Su Luo gave a brief explanation, which wasn’t hard to grasp, and they soon understood.

Little Yu grumbled, "You couldn’t have delayed it longer? A thousand years isn’t enough."

"It’s enough. If a thousand years don’t tear us apart, then nothing will afterward."

Su Luo hadn’t sought to extend the time further. A millennium was already long.

Who knew what they would be like after a thousand years? Would they still love him then?

Though displeased that Su Luo would eventually leave, they reluctantly accepted it for now.

They didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind his words—"nothing will tear us apart afterward"—but they trusted him nonetheless.

And so, Su Luo lived happily with Li Siyi, Little Yu, Nangong Xiyun, and Jiang Ningshu.

In bliss and contentment.

......

A thousand years later.

"Well, this time, it’s truly goodbye."

A millennium had passed, yet Su Luo remained unchanged—and so did Li Siyi and the others.

At their level of cultivation, a thousand years meant little.

Su Luo handed each of them a pure white jade pendant.

One for each.

"If you wish to find me, these pendants will guide you. Use them when you’ve made your decision."

Over the centuries, Su Luo’s [Gradual Departure] ability had elevated his cultivation, allowing him to ascend as an immortal.

With the power of an immortal, his understanding of traversing worlds had deepened.

After studying the remnants of the system’s energy, he had crafted these pendants—keys that could lead them to Blue Star.

Little Yu said, "Su Luo, you could just take me with you now."

Without hesitation, as always, she would follow him anywhere.

"No. I want you to make the choice yourselves."

Su Luo could have taken them with him, but he left the decision in their hands.

If they still wished to be with him, they could come.

As the countdown reached zero, Su Luo was enveloped in energy and vanished from the cultivation world.

The four women stared at the pendants in their hands.

Little Yu asked, "What will you all do?"

She would follow without question—that had never changed.

"I’m going," Jiang Ningshu declared first.

She had no attachments left in this world. Even if she could never return, it didn’t matter.

"Naturally, I’ll go too," Nangong Xiyun said without hesitation. She had long prepared for this day, settling all her affairs.

Then their gazes turned to the last among them.

Li Siyi shrugged. "Don’t look at me like that. Of course I’m going."

It was no surprise they scrutinized her—after all, Li Siyi had the most "responsibilities" here.

She is now a grandmaster-level figure in the Seven Stars Sword Sect, having even become its sect leader 900 years ago.

After retiring from her position, she still occasionally seeks things to do.

However, she prefers the days spent with Su Luo.

The four of them held the jade pendants given by Su Luo and crushed them together.

"Su Luo, we're here."