Ye Fan was not particularly worried. The mysterious piece of green copper lay dormant within his Bitter Sea. No one knew of it to this day, and surely no one would come looking for trouble with him over it.

“Perhaps the Central Province and the Eastern Desolation will cooperate. After all, both sides have supreme treasures lost at the bottom of the deep pool inside the yin burial mound.”

“It is said the Desolation Tower can suppress immortals to death. If it were to emerge, it would be enough to hold the demon emperor’s burial mound in place.”

“But the Desolation Tower is inside the demon emperor’s yin burial mound — saying that brings us to a complete dead end. There would be absolutely no way to break the burial mound open.”

“What exactly is the Central Province’s supreme treasure? How did it end up in our Eastern Desolation?”

“The Central Province is ancient and mysterious. It is said their supreme treasures have existed as long as the world itself — not something people at our level could know about.”

“Apparently what ended up lost in the Eastern Desolation is only a fragment. Almost nobody knows specifically what it is.”

The several cultivators ate and discussed, providing Ye Fan with quite a bit of useful information.

“It has been over two years now. That ruin is truly a sea of corpses and blood. No one knows when it will ever reach a conclusion, or how many more will die. Looking back now, it’s still best to be a free cultivator like us — otherwise, if we were part of a major sect, we’d likely be dispatched to that place. Anyone who gets close to the deep pool is almost certain to die.”

“It seems the sects have taken some major figure’s advice: to use endless lives in a blood sacrifice, forcibly prying open that deep pool. I have a premonition — if the Desolation Tower is not retrieved, the Eastern Desolation will know no peace. That place is destined to become a blood-soaked land of demonic darkness. The great demon emperor was truly terrifying. He must have foreseen this result even back then — truly leaving behind a catastrophe for ten thousand years.”

“Indeed. All the sacred grounds and ancient families are utterly determined to have the Desolation Tower. There is no way they will withdraw so easily.”

Ye Fan felt quite relaxed about all of this. After taking the green copper from the Central Province into his hands, he had no interest whatsoever in the Desolation Tower — that was not something he could obtain. Having the mysterious piece of green copper in hand was sufficient. What he needed to think about now was how to enter the ancient forbidden land. He would absolutely not get involved in the fighting over treasures — the further away from it, the better.

Just as he was about to leave, Ye Fan heard a piece of important news. Showing no reaction, he sat back down.

“Several major figures from the sacred grounds and ancient families are on the verge of death, and reportedly have set their sights on the ancient forbidden land.”

“That cannot be — someone still dares to enter? Since ancient times, the number of those who explored it is beyond counting, yet without exception, almost all of them were completely annihilated. Back when a certain immortal sect’s sacred ground was at the most prosperous peak in its history, they mobilized their full power — tens of thousands of powerful cultivators marching forth — and were they not also reduced to ash? That place is literally a living hell…”

“The reason that sacred ground was annihilated is that they were too arrogant. They wanted to storm inside and fight all the way to the deepest part. This time, some of the sacred grounds and ancient families have no choice in the matter — some of their major figures are on the verge of death. They want to gather the divine medicines from those nine sacred mountains to save lives. They are not trying to enter the abyss.”

“My prediction is that those who go in will be completely annihilated. That life-restricted zone is absolutely more terrifying than the demon emperor’s burial mound!”

“That may not necessarily be so. Since ancient times, there have still been people who successfully gathered sacred medicines — though what price they paid, no one knows. Those sacred grounds and ancient families have deep foundations. Since they intend to go gather medicines, they surely have thorough preparations. The hope of success is still quite great.”

“This is likewise an event that will shake the Eastern Desolation. The ancient forbidden land is one of the seven life-restricted zones of the Eastern Desolation. After countless ages, people are finally setting out toward it once more.”

“When will those sacred grounds and ancient families set out? Why don’t we also go and watch? When they ascend those nine sacred mountains and gather the sacred medicines, we’ll just pick some ordinary spiritual medicines on the outer fringes — that should be safe enough.”

“We may have to wait a little longer. Right now is the ancient forbidden land’s most dangerous period…”

Eventually, Ye Fan left that small town, the scattered cultivators’ words replaying in his mind. He felt it was necessary to think this matter through carefully.

“That life-restricted zone is far more dangerous than I imagined. That I was able to survive back then was most likely due to the existence of those nine Dragon Corpses and the ancient bronze coffin.”

Ye Fan did not fly, but walked the road forward, passing through the Yan capital on his way. This city was very imposing, occupying vast ground. The city walls stretched on like the Great Wall, spreading before him endlessly.

Inside the Yan capital it was very prosperous. Watching the bustling streams of people flowing through the streets, Ye Fan was moved by many feelings. Two years of solitary cultivation in the deep mountains, and the contrast between that silence and the clamor before him now were like two absolute extremes.

Every day spent facing only mountain forests, stone cliffs, and mountain streams — to suddenly return to a prosperous capital city filled with voices and noise — made him feel a profound sense of warmth and familiarity.

“Golden-thread honey dates — big and sweet!”

“Crispy fried chicken wings — if they’re not delicious, you pay nothing!”

“Zhang Family soup dumplings — thin skin, generous filling, plenty of soup, delicious flavor — come and try them!”

“Candied hawthorn skewers — only one copper coin per skewer!”

Calls of vendors hawking their goods rang out endlessly. At the corners of the streets, all kinds of acrobats and street performers had gathered crowds of adults and children. The fronts of every shop had enthusiastic attendants eagerly trying to draw customers in, with flattering words flowing in an endless stream.

“Cultivation is so austere; how charming is the mortal world…” Ye Fan could not help but feel a twinge of sentiment. All of this struck him as lively and familiar. Compared to the hardships of cultivation, this simple life filled him with longing.

But he could not waver in the foundation of his cultivation — for he wanted to go home. Back to the place that had truly given him life and raised him.

Ye Fan had come to this world for three years already. Now that his arduous cultivation was over and he had returned to the mortal world, countless thoughts flooded his mind. He inevitably thought of everything back in his homeland.

“Time passes so quickly — three years now. I wonder how my other classmates are doing…” Ye Fan thought first of Pang Bo, feeling deep concern for him. Then he thought of Liu Yiyi, Zhang Ziling, Lin Jia, Wang Ziwen, Zhou Yi, and the others.

“Perhaps before entering the ancient forbidden land, I should go see my old classmates.” He wanted to go find Liu Yiyi and Zhang Ziling. After three years apart, he wanted to know how they were getting along now.

“Big brother… I’m hungry. Please buy me a steamed bun, I beg you. Nannan is very hungry.” Just then, Ye Fan noticed a dirty, pitiable little girl blinking large eyes up at him. The clothes on her body were torn and tattered, her face was smudged all over, and only her eyes were very bright and clear.

Ye Fan could never bear to see scenes like this — every time he encountered one, he felt a pang of sadness. He bought several hot, steaming soup dumplings from the steamed bun shop nearby, wrapped them in oiled paper, and handed them to the pitiful little girl. Then he emptied all the coins from his person and, when passersby were not looking, tucked them into her arms.

Long after he had disappeared from the street, that little girl was still standing there in a daze.

Ye Fan strode away from the city. He found that the nearest destination was currently the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven — only about four hundred li away. He remembered that Liu Yiyi had become a disciple of that sect and decided to go there first and take a look.

The Yan Kingdom stretched two thousand li from north to south and three thousand li from east to west. The ancient forbidden land lay in the country’s interior, surrounded by boundless mountains. The Ling Xu Cave Heaven, Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, and four other sects all clustered around the outer edge of this primordial region.

The Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was embraced by a range of immortal mountains, wreathed in clouds and mist, and from a distance looked very ethereal — like a pure land apart from the world.

Ye Fan arrived before the mountain gate and sensed an aura of naturalness and serenity. The peaks were green, the valleys jade-tinted, streams flowed and waterfalls cascaded, vegetation was lush, and birds and beasts were full of spiritual life — like a world from within a painting.

At the mountain gate of the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, a strange beast stood guard. Its body resembled a wild bull, its head resembled a qilin, and its frame stretched eight to nine meters long. It lay crouched in a pond, its huge eyes half-open, staring at Ye Fan with displeasure.

“Who are you? What business do you have at our Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven?” Just then, the disciple guarding the mountain gate also spotted him.

“I have come to the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven to visit a friend.” When Ye Fan spoke Liu Yiyi’s name, the expression of the guard disciple noticeably eased. “Please wait. I’ll have someone go notify her.”

After a quarter of an hour, Liu Yiyi did not appear. Instead, a young man with graying temples came walking over. Upon seeing Ye Fan, he immediately cried out: “Ye Fan, it’s really you!”

Ye Fan was taken aback, then showed a look of delight. “So you’re also cultivating at the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven.”

The person was an old classmate — Zhang Wenchang. Whether during their school days or after graduation, he had always been ordinary and unremarkable, with a quiet and reserved nature, not much given to talking. When many people were gathered together, he was easily forgotten.

Ye Fan stepped forward, laughing, and punched him in the arm. “You’ve got your youth back — congratulations!”

Zhang Wenchang showed a faint bitter smile. “My skin has simply stopped wrinkling — look, my temples are still frosted white.”

“Far better than when we parted. Back then you looked completely decrepit. Now you look like a young man with prematurely white hair.”

“I truly envy you — you got to relive your youth.”

The quiet and reserved Zhang Wenchang had even learned to joke around.

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing. Meeting again after a long separation — it was a joy that came straight from the heart.

Back when they had first arrived, the six Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands had each chosen two people, dividing Pang Bo and the others among them. Only Ye Fan had been the exception.

Zhang Wenchang and Liu Yiyi had been chosen by the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven, and had been cultivating here for three years.

“Yiyi is the apple of an elder’s eye within the sect. Her potential is enormous. She’s currently in closed-door cultivation. It’s said she may very well break through into the Spring of Life realm within half a year to a year — a cultivation speed that is truly terrifying.”

“You’re not too bad yourself. You look in good health.”

“I can’t compare to Yiyi. Within the sect I’m only considered below average. My appearance could recover this much thanks to Yiyi petitioning a Supreme Elder on my behalf.”

Zhang Wenchang led Ye Fan into the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. Inside was strikingly beautiful. One after another, verdant immortal mountains stood like green jade, shimmering with faint points of light, wreathed in immortal mist. Waterfalls cascaded down, white silk ribbons as though woven from starlight.

On many peaks half-obscured by cloud and mist, the vague outlines of halls and towers could be made out — very ethereal, very much with the mood of an immortal realm.

What was most striking of all was that at the center of the mountain ranges stood a snow-white mountain, entirely jade-like, without a single blade of grass growing on it, shimmering with faint points of light, shaped like a round cauldron.

“We’ve been apart for three years. Today we must drink until we’re completely drunk.” Zhang Wenchang appeared very excited and happy.

“Do cultivation sects have wine and meat?” When Ye Fan had been at the Ling Xu Cave Heaven, he and Pang Bo had eaten vegetarian every single day. Those days had felt like a form of torment.

“Not to worry — there’s wine and meat here. Now that I have officially set foot on the path of cultivation, I no longer need to eat vegetarian and temper my mind like new disciples.”

The Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven was very vast. After passing through several mountain ranges, Zhang Wenchang led Ye Fan to a peach blossom grove, beside which were quite a few small taverns. It had a very poetic and picturesque atmosphere.

“Cultivators are people too — they need to relax.” Zhang Wenchang smiled and explained: “Of course it can’t be like the mortal world with its red lights and overflowing desires for power and money. Here we can only drink in small amounts and enjoy some good food and cuisine.”

“That sounds quite pleasant.” Ye Fan nodded and smiled. “Otherwise I’d truly think that cultivators had to sever all seven emotions and cut off all six desires.”

The two found a small tavern and sat down. Pear-wood eight-immortals table, peach-wood four-legged chairs — looking very antique and charming, set out right along the road, facing the peach blossom grove, very atmospheric. All the other taverns were like this too — tables and chairs all set outdoors.

They ordered some food and drink and began to toast each other. Having come to this strange world and seeing an old friend again, both felt a wave of emotion. There were endless things to say.

“After coming to this strange world, for a very long time I could not sleep through the night. I dreamed of going back. I missed my parents, missed my friends…” The quiet and reserved Zhang Wenchang was very talkative today. Genuine feeling flowed freely — as though he had seen a family member.

Li Xiaoman’s coldness, Zhang Wenchang’s warmth — the contrast between the two left Ye Fan with much to reflect on.

“Perhaps someday we can go back.” Ye Fan ventured.

“Go back… I’ve stopped harboring such fantasies.” Zhang Wenchang shook his head with a bitter smile. “These three years, how have you been? Were you at the Ling Xu Cave Heaven or living in the mundane world? I heard Pang Bo disappeared?”

Seeing an old classmate, Ye Fan very much wanted to tell the truth. But he held back. His experiences were too complex — if he said anything, it would bring trouble to both of them. He could only nod and say: “Pang Bo did disappear. I’m very worried about him. I left the Ling Xu Cave Heaven long ago, and have been wandering various places.”

“Sigh, none of it has been easy for any of us. Life as an ordinary person is hard, and cultivation is not as wonderful as one imagines either — it is very tedious, and in the future we may face all kinds of life-and-death ordeals.”

“You must take care. It’s best to cultivate more and wander around less.” Ye Fan cautioned him.

Zhang Wenchang nodded, then smiled bitterly. “I’ve come to see — no matter where I am, I will never stand out. That was true in the past, and it remains true now. I’m destined to be mediocre and ordinary all my life. Perhaps someday I’ll leave this place and go into the world of ordinary people — open a small tavern and live out the rest of my days in simple peace.”

“There is no need to be this pessimistic…” Ye Fan urged him.

“You don’t know what it’s like. The world of cultivators is very cruel. If I don’t remove myself from it, sooner or later I’ll die by someone else’s hand. When that day comes, I’ll die without a sound — like an ordinary ripple in a river. No one will know. No one will cry for me. Only I myself will know that I’m no longer in this world.”

After hearing this, Ye Fan felt deeply moved. He had not truly entered the world of cultivators yet, but now he could see — it was truly cruel.

Zhang Wenchang sighed. “I’ve heard that Lin Jia, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and Li Xiaoman are all highly valued by their respective sects. It seems some people, wherever they go, can always shine.”

The two drank and chatted, talking about many past memories, then speaking of present difficulties. In the end, Zhang Wenchang became completely drunk. He slumped over the table and started sobbing quietly, saying: “I truly want to go back. I don’t want to stay in this strange world. When I left, my wife was already with child. Our child was about to be born — she needed me most, and yet I disappeared, and ended up here…”

Unable to contain himself any longer, he cried like a child, sobbing aloud.

“I want so badly to go back… My child should be three years old by now. In my dreams I imagine seeing them, holding them, kissing them…”

Watching Zhang Wenchang in such anguish, crying aloud, Ye Fan’s heart surged with wave after wave of emotion. He offered words of comfort again and again.

“Who’s crying over there? Oh — it’s that useless old white-hair.” Snickers rang out from not far away, as several young people, making no effort to conceal their contempt, came walking this way.

“Hair all white, half-decrepit, and he still has the face to cry.”

“Truly laughable!”

The several people all looked to be in their twenties, each offering merciless mockery without a shred of consideration for face.

Ye Fan let out a sigh. Now he finally understood — Zhang Wenchang was not having a good time at the Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven. He let two rays of divine light shoot from his eyes, fixing a gaze on the approaching figures. “You’d better watch your words.”

“Who are you? If you want to meddle in other people’s affairs, first weigh your own worth.”

“Really think you’re a Spring of Life realm expert, do you? Laughable!”

“What kind of expert could a friend of the half-decrepit old white-hair be anyway…”

“It’s you!” Just then, the youngest among them — who looked about eighteen or nineteen — opened his eyes wide, an expression of fury on his face, staring fixedly at Ye Fan.

“Han, junior fellow disciple, do you know him?” the surrounding young people asked.

The young man’s eyes blazed with fire. He gritted his teeth: “Of course I know him. He’s not one of your Jade Cauldron Cave Heaven’s people. He spent time at our Ling Xu Cave Heaven. He is a genuine good-for-nothing!”

Ye Fan quietly let out a sigh. He felt that sometimes the world was truly a small place. He had not expected to encounter Han Feiyu here.

“Is that so — turns out he’s a good-for-nothing. Birds of a feather truly do flock together. The half-decrepit old white-hair’s friend really is a good-for-nothing.” Beside him, all those young people broke into unrestrained laughter.