Chapter 441 - 197: The Dream of Immortality

After more than a month, Yan Hui’s ten fingers, left four and right six, finally all grew back.

Standing on the dragon’s head, he quickly tapped his fingers as if calculating on an abacus. His teeth clattered, making sounds like chicks pecking at grain. The focus of his pupils shifted constantly, as if many images were brushing past his eyes.

About ten breaths later, the sixth finger on his right hand suddenly snapped off. Turning around excitedly, he said:

"Success! Hiss—so painful!"

Fan Wubing had been paying close attention to his fingers, and at the moment it broke off, he tried to find the force that caused it.

Sadly, he felt nothing.

Yan Hui’s finger broke off so abruptly, without any warning or traces, to the point that it seemed it was meant to break off.

"So, what did you calculate?"

Yan Hui put his feet together, raising his right hand at a right angle to his body, rotating like the needle of a compass.

"Move in the direction I’m pointing!"

Fan Wubing directed the gigantic dragon to follow.

Yan Hui’s body kept rotating, looking extremely bizarre. His legs stood like columns, motionless, while his upper body rotated smoothly and fluidly as if connected by bearings.

Could this guy be a spirit in a compass?

Yan Hui explained: "The spatial orientation of the Sea of Eternal Life is constantly changing. Perhaps from a subjective view, we are moving in a straight line, but it’s actually a winding path. The directions of east, south, west, and north are changing all the time."

"Where does this lead to?" Luo Qingyao asked.

Yan Hui replied: "I don’t know, but according to my deductions, it’s the most advantageous direction for you."

"What about you?" Fan Wubing asked curiously.

Yan Hui chuckled, "I can’t deduce my own destiny, only yours."

Luo Qingyao snorted coldly, "You still claim you’re not a fortune teller. Deducing destiny, but not your own, isn’t that fortune-telling? Saying so much! If something looks like a sword, feels like a sword, and functions as a sword, then it is a sword."

Yan Hui gave an awkward smile, "Alright."

About an hour later, Yan Hui’s eyes lit up, "We’ve arrived!"

After crossing a giant tsunami, everyone looked ahead.

The massive tree canopy covered the sky as if it were a giant curtain that blocked out the sun. The mottled tree shadows reflected on the blue sea, causing dazzling waves that made everyone squint.

"What is that?" Luo Qingyao asked curiously.

Guan Xin, who hadn’t spoken much since the trip to the small world, looked up and finally spoke,

"Da Chun."

She might not read as much or see as much, but she was certainly well-versed and knowledgeable.

"Eight thousand years of spring, eight thousand years of autumn, eternally existing. Within it lies a grotto heaven known as the Da Chun Profound Realm, where it’s rumored that one day outside equals ten years inside."

Fan Wubing frowned, "Time not aligning? Does that mean cultivating inside for ten years equates to only a day passing outside?"

Guan Xin glanced at him, paused, and said, "It’s not that time doesn’t align, rather the perception of time for the body and soul has changed. It’s just a change in perception, without real effect. One stays inside for a day, yet feels as if ten years have passed."

"Sounds like a significant test of one’s character."

"Probably."

Fan Wubing was somewhat surprised to hear ambiguous words like "probably" from Guan Xin for the first time.

He led the dragon upward, approaching the Da Chun Immortal Tree.

Only at close range could one feel the extreme oppressive presence of this colossus, as if it were growing inside one’s own Purple Mansion.

"Senior Brother! Look, look!" Luo Qingyao suddenly pointed to the other side of the Da Chun where a drifting celestial fishing boat floated, "That’s Man’Er’s boat!"

Fan Wubing’s heartbeat quickened slightly as he saw a boat flying the Moon-piercing Hall flag and the Luo Family crest.

"Let’s check it out."

They put away the gigantic dragon transformation and flew over swiftly.

The navigator on the celestial fishing boat suddenly noticed several auras quickly approaching and was startled, ready to alert the interim captain when Fan Wubing and others landed in the cockpit.

Once their identities were known, everyone in the cockpit breathed a sigh of relief.

After hearing the interim captain’s words, Fan Wubing frowned, "You mean Fu Manman and the Moon-piercing Hall’s young lady, Bai Yihuan, went to the Da Chun Immortal Tree thirty-nine days ago?"

"Yes, Young Master Fan, Captain Fu instructed us to wait on the periphery of the Immortal Tree," the acting captain said, "Captain Fu made an agreement with us to report the situation every five days, but after the first report, there were no more. We don’t know what happened inside. Since she instructed us not to act rashly, we could only wait outside."

After hearing this, Fan Wubing felt slightly troubled.

"Senior Brother, don’t worry, maybe they just forgot."

Fan Wubing shook his head, knowing Fu Manman well enough to know that if she promised to report every five days, she wouldn’t stop unless something happened preventing her from doing so.

He looked at Guan Xin, "Do you know anything more about the Da Chun Profound Realm?"

Guan Xin thought for a moment, "I once heard during a Primordial Ancestor’s lecture, that the journey of life resembles a great dream. One must not enter the dream, nor awaken."

Primordial Ancestor!

Yan Hui and Luo Qingyao felt shocked. The Literary Ancestor of the Confucian tradition, so casually mentioned as if talking about a mere teacher. After the Jade Ancestor retired, the Confucian school was led by the Primordial Ancestor, the foremost authority on the Literary Dao.

Fan Wubing asked, "What does that mean?"

Guan Xin looked at him, shaking her head, "The Primordial Ancestors always speak in grand lectures, rarely explaining things fully. They mostly let us interpret for ourselves."

"And what’s your interpretation?"

Guan Xin suddenly seemed a bit timid, "Me? I...," her gaze darted away, "I don’t think my interpretation matters much."