This place, where he had stayed for a long time, now felt utterly unfamiliar as Shen Yuan revisited it. It wasn't due to the passage of time, but rather the immense changes that had occurred.
When he was here before, there were few deities in the entire Heavenly Realm. Besides Zhuo Ran, he recalled only a handful of gods: those who summoned rain and wind, those who upheld justice, the keepers of the Book of Fate, a War God renowned as he was, and that utterly foolish Ling Huang Saintess. The rest were mere attendants conjured by spiritual energy.
Now, however, immortals clad in opulent attire were everywhere. Though their powers were meager, they existed as individuals, not dependent on anyone.
How interesting.
It was astonishing that Cang Lan, a place once ravaged by calamity, could now nurture spiritual beings to achieve immortality.
Concealing his true form, he wandered leisurely, searching for the Divine Venerable's palace while observing the transformations of this realm, his heart filled with emotion.
The Forbidden Tower had been an unbearable torment.
During those countless days and nights within, he had often feared his soul would gradually dissipate, vanishing completely from existence.
At that time, he harbored no resentment, even a faint sense of anticipation. Life there was worse than death.
To have escaped that place, to witness the ethereal beauty of the world, the myriad forms of life, was like a luxurious dream.
He was lost in this dream, unable to extricate himself.
Upon reaching the Palace of the Grand Astrologer, Shen Yuan found no familiar structure, only a void of ruins.
The Palace of the Grand Astrologer had collapsed.
Shen Yuan was somewhat surprised. He flew closer to investigate and discovered that the collapse had occurred long ago. The once resplendent golden halls now stood as broken walls and crumbling ruins, exuding an aura of utter decay.
A palace reflects its master; its collapse signified the demise of the former Grand Astrologer, Yao Zhu.
Shen Yuan felt a pang of panic, coupled with a sense of absurdity.
He, who had endured ten thousand years of torture in the Forbidden Tower without perishing, had outlived Yao Zhu, who, free from constraints and engaged in what were seemingly simple, perhaps not so simple, tasks, had not survived as long?
This place didn't consume people, after all.
He lingered for a while, then left with a sense of regret.
Speaking of which, Yao Zhu had been the closest to him in this place, the only one who had pleaded for him before Zhuo Ran.
Though it hadn't made his suffering significantly less, he hadn't died, but lived a life worse than death.
Shen Yuan felt the silent yet lethal power of time for the second time.
The first had been when he was trapped in the Forbidden Tower, enduring torment again and again, unable to even find death.
His earlier joy vanished in an instant, and without further interest in the scenery along the way, he ascended to the Nine Heavens.
Unlike the blooming prosperity and bustling clamor below, the Nine Heavens held only a single, solemn and majestic palace. No sounds could be heard, and few guards patrolled the path.
He entered with practiced ease. The main hall was empty. After searching for a considerable time, following a faint, familiar scent, he finally found someone in a sleeping chamber behind the palace.
It was one of the individuals he had thought of, one he remembered.
The Ling Huang Saintess—Rong Jin.
Just as he was about to phase inside, he was blocked by a barrier, nearly being repelled and falling to the ground.
Shen Yuan looked at the colorless spiritual energy barrier before him, a hint of hesitation in his heart.
Zhuo Ran's spiritual energy was white, matching her name. She was born of the void, raised in a world of nothingness, where everything was pure white.
A barrier without spiritual energy could not be hers.
He temporarily suppressed his doubt, raising his hand and trying several times. Finally, he tore a gap in the barrier and phased into the palace.
The interior of the palace was empty. In the center lay a round bed, with curtains hanging down on all sides, veiled in ethereal mist, lending the entire chamber an atmosphere of sensual allure.
Shen Yuan walked slowly towards it. He pulled back the curtains and, as expected, saw Rong Jin, but...
"Is the Saintess awaiting this seat?"
Rong Jin, draped in light gauze, her graceful figure faintly visible, lay on the bed as if boneless. Her face was flushed, her eyes held a spring-like moisture, and she seemed to be in a daze. Hearing his voice, she looked up with a bewildered expression.
"I, was wrong."
Shen Yuan didn't hear clearly and leaned closer to have her repeat herself.
Rong Jin mumbled unconsciously, "Baby, let go, let go of me, I, was wrong."
Shen Yuan frowned. "Baby? Your child?" He withdrew, circled the bed almost halfway, then lifted the curtains again, looking at Rong Jin. "What's wrong with you? Where is Zhuo Ran? Where has she gone?"
"Sister," Rong Jin hummed softly. "Sister, baby..."
Shen Yuan grew somewhat impatient. He raised his hand and sent a surge of spiritual energy towards Rong Jin, suppressing another restless spiritual energy within her body. He waited by her side for her to regain consciousness.
A moment later, her eyes indeed became much clearer.
Rong Jin sat up from the bed, her body still somewhat unsteady, but at least she could control herself now.
She already knew who had arrived and didn't ask the redundant question in surprise. Instead, she looked at him calmly. "You're out too."
"Too?" Shen Yuan frowned. "Besides me, is there anyone else?"
"Remnants of the Golden Dragon clan, but their luck wasn't as good as yours. They died as soon as they got out."
Shen Yuan, recalling that there was no one guarding the Forbidden Tower when he emerged, understood.