I could have endured the darkness.
If I had never seen the light.
These are words full of wisdom, quite applicable to the cultivators present. They stared blankly at Chen Xia and the lustrous Dao Elixir in his hand, not knowing where to start.
They felt as if their eyes were blinded by the light. By comparison, the days they had lived before seemed like a pitch - black nightmare.
Chen Xia gently twirled the Dao Elixir, its luster flashing, and then swallowed it.
"It's gone," he said with a smile.
The Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators present didn't dare to say anything. A being capable of refining Dao Elixirs was far beyond their ability to provoke.
If Chen Xia really came from the Outer Domain, then the Outer Domain must be extremely vast. There must be countless powerful beings there, for a being like Chen Xia, who could refine Dao Elixirs, to flee to Qingzhou.
Chen Xia stretched his body and twisted his neck. The medicinal effect of the elixir in his body had already started to take effect. Truly worthy of being a Dao Elixir that nourishes qi and blood, spiritual energy instantly filled every part of his body, even pouring into the Sword Sea within him.
Three million flying swords leaped up joyfully, absorbing all the spiritual energy and emitting a long, melodious sword hum within Chen Xia.
"You all came from afar. I don't have much to offer. How about rewarding me with a red envelope for good luck?"
Chen Xia continued to smile, looking exactly like a loafer on the street.
Since these few Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators had come with ulterior motives, they had to part with some money.
"Any amount will do, but you must give something," Chen Xia repeated his old saying, which was also his principle.
The few Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators were taken aback. A dragon - race cultivator quickly nodded and smiled, "Naturally. Since you've come to Qingzhou, we will definitely give you a red envelope. We'll send it to the Little Elixir Hall another day."
They all knew what Chen Xia looked like and knew that he usually sat at the entrance of the Little Elixir Hall.
"Let me ask a question," Chen Xia patted his sleeves and continued, "What exactly is considered the Outer Domain?"
The few Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators were stunned. After a little thought, they replied, "As we understand it, anywhere outside Qingzhou can be considered the Outer Domain. But in the past ten thousand years, no native of Qingzhou has gone to the Outer Domain. Only people from the outside have come in."
"However, those who came were mostly insignificant cultivators. There were many Nascent Soul and Great Ascension Realm cultivators, and a few Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators were extremely rare. In ten thousand years, only three Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators from the Outer Domain have come to Qingzhou."
"Good," Chen Xia nodded. Fidgeting like someone with ADHD, he adjusted his cuffs and continued to ask, "How can I get to the Outer Domain?"
The Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators replied, "There are hardly any paths to the Outer Domain now. It is said that one can reach the Outer Domain by crossing the Lanhai Sea. We don't know if it's true, and no one has ever tried."
"In the ancient era, many cultivators could go to the Outer Domain. Qingzhou was a prosperous and important place. But later, Emperor Wu cut off the path of cultivating immortality, and Qingzhou declined. Most of the paths to the Outer Domain were sealed."
This was the second time Chen Xia had heard about Emperor Wu. He asked out of curiosity, "Is this Emperor Wu you mentioned a Great Emperor?"
"We don't know. The ancient era was too long ago. The classification of realms wasn't as clear as it is now," the Mountain - Moving Realm cultivator shook his head.
Chen Xia blew on his sleeves and then gave them a gentle flick. Casually, he said, "Well, you can go now."
The few Mountain - Moving Realm cultivators didn't dare to linger. They turned around and left in a hurry.
At this moment, the autumn wind grew stronger, swirling Chen Xia's robe.
He walked in the direction of the wind, at a leisurely pace, like a traveler on an autumn outing, going with the autumn mood.
Leisurely and unhurried.
Just right.
————
Under a tall restaurant.
A large yellow dog standing upright like a human, with its two paws crossed over its chest, looked at the short old man in front of it indignantly and criticized,
"You're buying wine again. You drink every day. You haven't earned many spirit stones, and you've wasted them all."
Zhang Daoming held a wine pot and shook his head. "You can't say that. One should enjoy life when happy. Here, have a taste."
"Even a dog wouldn't drink this," the large yellow dog made a sharp comment.
"Ha, this wine is brewed with the dew of a hundred flowers, the water from a thousand mountains, and the spiritual water from the center of the Drunken Spring. You just don't know how to appreciate it. If Chen Xia were here, he would definitely love it."
"Chen Xia definitely wouldn't drink it," the large yellow dog shook its head.
"Why?" Zhang Daoming was puzzled.
"Because he doesn't drink much. He doesn't have anything to worry about," the large yellow dog replied.
Zhang Daoming was taken aback. His short body seemed to shrink suddenly, and he nodded, "That's true."
He only drank to drown his sorrows.
Mainly because he was old, and there were more and more regrets. He couldn't help but think about them. When drunk, he dared to say and think anything.
Not to mention that this immortal - grade wine made people drunk even faster.
And it was easier to fall asleep.
"How many elixirs does the Starry Sky Pill Gate ask you to refine?" the large yellow dog suddenly asked.
"Not too many," Zhang Daoming counted on his fingers. "One hundred, two hundred... It should be about five or six thousand elixirs, and then they'll let us go."
"How many years will it take to refine five or six thousand elixirs?" the large yellow dog asked again, with a hint of expectation in its voice.
"Soon, soon. It should be done in about one or two thousand years," Zhang Daoming smiled, but his turbid eyes didn't dare to meet the large yellow dog's gaze.
He was lying.
One or two thousand years was far from enough. Even ten thousand years wouldn't be enough.
The large yellow dog crossed its arms and slightly frowned. "It's still so long. I want to see Chen Xia soon. How about you teach me how to refine elixirs? If we do it together, we can cut the time in half."
"Okay, okay," Zhang Daoming smiled. He squinted his eyes and looked into the distance.
Behind him, the setting sun was hanging low, and the twilight was casting over his back.
The large yellow dog walked side by side with him, and they were almost the same height.
Not long after, the large yellow dog asked again.
"Old Zhang, when are we going to see Chen Xia?"
"Soon, soon," Zhang Daoming only replied with a smile.
The short figure could no longer block the thick twilight.
The twilight passed over his back and spread onto the road ahead.
So he walked on the twilight.
And he became the twilight.
————
On the land of Qingzhou.
Two hundred years after Chen Xia took his seat in the Little Elixir Hall.
Suddenly, a dragon rose from the Lanhai Sea, setting off thousand - zhang waves that crashed onto the shore. The peak Mountain - Moving Realm dragon rampaged along the shore, brutally tearing half of the mountain range apart.
It was like an earth dragon turning over!
Qiu Yi stood on the top of the Little Elixir Hall, frowning as he watched. This was the first time he had witnessed a dragon emerging from the Lanhai Sea. He was surprised but helpless. His eyes would occasionally turn to the pavilion at the entrance.
When the dragon let out its third roar.
Suddenly, a purple - gold sword light spread out from the Little Elixir Hall.
It stretched extremely long.
Like an extremely long thin line that cut through the void.
It appeared in the world so unreasonably.
The peak Mountain - Moving Realm dragon's roar was cut off halfway.
Because the dragon was split into two halves.
There was no blood splashing. The wound was extremely smooth, as if it had split naturally.
When the two halves of the peak Mountain - Moving Realm dragon's body crashed to the ground, the scalding dragon blood flowed all over the mountain range, soaking everything.
The purple - gold thin line reversed and returned.
Chen Xia was lying on a rocking chair with his eyes closed. His finger tapped the armrest, and he gently said,
"Don't make noise."
The purple - gold flying sword hung beside him. The bright sword tip carried a drop of the dragon's heart essence blood. It didn't fall but was completely absorbed by the flying sword.
A thousand - li dragon - slaying return.