"In other words, counting from the moment your Medicine King Sect returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, the time does match up. Twenty-four years."
Xiao Heng realized this as well.
"But Fellow Daoist Linghu clearly said that the Medicine King Cauldron only stayed outside the realm for a brief time before returning. How could such a short span out there equate to thousands of years passing here?" Zhang Haobo knitted his brows deeply.
"Could time flow at a difference of over a thousandfold? Is that really possible?"
None present could answer the question, and silence fell over them all.
"Perhaps there is a way to find out what happened back then," Linghu Chang suddenly said after a moment, as if recalling something.
"When it plummeted toward the Xuanhuang Realm, the Medicine King Cauldron exhausted all its energy and ultimately fell dormant.
"Yet you mentioned just now that you were only able to enter here by sensing the resonance of a Small Medicine King Cauldron."
He looked toward Xiao Heng. "Under normal circumstances, resonance between the cauldrons is one-way. Only the wielder of the true Medicine King Cauldron can sense the locations of the other Small Medicine King Cauldrons.
"Holding a Small Medicine King Cauldron and yet sensing the location of the true cauldron usually happens only when the Sect Master convenes nearby sect disciples.
"This means either the Sect Master has also awakened, or after all these years, the Medicine King Cauldron has recovered its energy and begun executing orders on its own, sending out calls for help.
"In short, no matter what, we must go inside the Gate of Life and Death to check on the Sect Master's condition," Linghu Chang said gravely.
"The Gate of Life and Death? You mean that gray stone gate at the end of the corridor? We already tried, and there was no opening it at all," Su Xiaomei replied.
"Of course. Once the Gate of Life and Death descends, it severs life and death. Even a Dao Integration cultivator couldn't hope to budge it in the slightest. If you had been able to breach it, that would truly be alarming," Linghu Chang said dismissively.
"So you have a way?" Su Xiaomei asked, somewhat peeved.
"Hmph." Linghu Chang gave a cold snort without replying, then took flight deeper into the corridor.
Su Xiaomei, Zhang Haobo, and Xiao Heng exchanged a glance and followed closely behind.
Before long, they arrived before the gray stone gate.
Linghu Chang was already seated cross-legged. A Small Medicine King Cauldron materialized above his head once more, projecting a protective barrier of light.
The ground surrounding him also gleamed with gold, etched with numerous sigils.
He then drew a talisman paper and pasted it to his forehead.
Twenty-four golden needles circled him on either side, and four jade tablets arrayed before and behind him.
Only after finishing his defensive preparations did Linghu Chang politely address the trio: "I must trouble you fellow Daoists to guard me while I work."
"I don't know what he's showing off for," Su Xiaomei muttered.
Linghu Chang did not mind, simply closing his eyes.
A moment later, an infant bearing an eighty percent resemblance to Linghu Chang suddenly emerged from his body.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists!"
The infant offered a polite, scholarly bow toward Xiao Heng and the others, looking utterly adorable.
"Is this..."
"A Nascent Soul?"
Xiao Heng and the others were astonished.
Cultivators of the present day had long since abandoned the path of "shattering the core to form a soul." Instead, they directly plundered various grotto-heavens to forge grotto-heaven domains as substitutes for a Nascent Soul.
Seeing such a legendary entity now, their shock was naturally accompanied by curiosity.
After Linghu Chang's Nascent Soul projected from his physical shell, it did not immediately fly out from the defenses he had erected.
Instead, it produced a miniature suit of greenwood armor and draped it over itself.
Only after swallowing several medicinal pills did it transform into a streak of flowing light, darting toward the gray stone gate.
Just as it was about to collide with the Gate of Life and Death, a teal-green glow suddenly erupted from the Nascent Soul.
Bathed in this light, the stone gate seemed to be steeped in its essence, gaining a touch of vitality.
Seizing the opportunity, Linghu Chang plunged headfirst into the gate's green-tinted area.
After he vanished, the stone gate returned to normal.
"Projecting a Nascent Soul is truly marvelous," Su Xiaomei remarked, patting the stone gate with dull thuds.
Still unable to enter, she felt a trace of regret.
Turning her head, she looked back at Linghu Chang's physical body, guarded at the center of so many magical treasures.
Her eyes darted slyly. "This guy sure has plenty of treasures on him.
"Tell me, if a single person carries this much wealth...
"Inside this Medicine King Cauldron, with so many slumbering cultivators, how immense must their collective hoards be?
"And that isn't even counting the Medicine King Sect's own secret vaults," Su Xiaomei transmitted her voice.
"Senior Skull was right; this truly is a tremendous fortune," Zhang Haobo agreed. "A pity our strength is lacking, otherwise..."
Xiao Heng, however, did not reply.
He stared at the gray Gate of Life and Death, his thoughts unknown.
Time trickled by as they waited.
One day, two days...
Linghu Chang, having passed through the gate, seemed to have vanished entirely, with no news whatsoever.
"Could something have gone wrong?"
Xiao Heng and the others could not help but worry.
Only on the fifth day did the Gate of Life and Death rumble open.
The Nascent Soul returned to its vessel.
Moments later, Linghu Chang swayed slightly and slowly rose to his feet, sorrow written across his face.
"Fellow Daoist Linghu, what happened?" Zhang Haobo asked.
"Come with me," Linghu Chang said, stowing away his defenses and stepping inside the stone gate.
After brief contemplation, the three tightened their guard and followed him inside.
It felt as if they had instantly entered the endless void, countless stars shimmering against the distant backdrop.
"A thousand years ago, to protect us, the Sect Master passed away."
Linghu Chang's grieving voice drifted over at that moment.
"These are the images recorded by the Medicine King Cauldron back then."
The scenery around Xiao Heng and the others abruptly surged from stillness into rapid motion.
Countless streaks of light elongated, distorting into bizarre curves.
And down below, a massive, indistinct cluster of light was rapidly receding from them.
A sigh rang out.
"The Xuanhuang Realm..."
Another, aged voice emerged: "Sect Master need not take it to heart. A great tribulation is at hand, and fleeing into the distance to seek a thread of survival is no fault of ours."
"Be that as it may, the Xuanhuang Realm is our homeland after all..."
"With greater ability comes greater responsibility. Our Medicine King Sect is merely a tiny sect, barely able to look after ourselves; how could we manage all the rest? Leaving the task of braving the calamity and saving the Xuanhuang Realm to the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao is only right." The aged voice clearly carried resentment toward the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao.
"Old Huang... Never mind, let us not speak of this." Liu Ruchen paused, then turned to another topic. "Speaking of which, the attitude of the Ten Sects of the Immortal Dao was truly rather odd this time. Given their usual conduct, hearing that our entire sect intended to flee, they certainly would have stepped in to reprimand us. Yet for some reason, this time they made no attempt whatsoever to stop us."
Old Huang replied dismissively, "When disaster strikes, each flies for themselves. As for fleeing, our Medicine King Sect is hardly the only one. Perhaps there were too many for them to bother managing."
Liu Ruchen met this with silence.
After a moment, Old Huang added with a touch of excitement, "Yet outsiders will never suspect that within our Medicine King Sect lies a beacon to another cultivation world.
"Guided by this beacon, we can traverse the endless void and reach a new world."
Chapter 402