The dawn was breaking.
Chen Xia squatted on Little Star, propping his head with one hand, frowning as he gazed at the dim starry sky.
"Are you shitting?" Big Yellow Dog bounded over and now really looked like a big yellow dog, not like the vast Emperor.
"Nope, just wondering why this portal still isn't open," Chen Xia shook his head in reply.
"It should still take some time. Some great saints haven't arrived yet, can't rush it," Big Yellow Dog replied. He shuffled forward a bit, squatting down alongside Chen Xia, propping his head just like him.
Now it really looked like he was taking a dump.
Still a team effort.
Xu Zhen eyed them from afar. Her pretty eyebrows furrowed slightly as she felt this kind of low quality thing shouldn't happen.
But it was fine for one person to squat like this, but with a dog also squatting like this...
It was hard to say.
Fortunately Xu Zhen still believed in Chen Xia. She stood in place, stretching lazily. Her robes clung to her body, revealing some exquisite curves.
She looked up at the dim starry sky.
In these days, many quasi-saints had descended in the Great Death Realm, and even great saints too.
According to the news Wang Yangzi brought back, there were already over a dozen great saints in the Great Death Realm now.
This was the foundation of the myriad worlds, the ace existences of the various grand worlds.
And one of these great saints was from the Immortal Realm, and was the great saint of Fuyao Immortal Sect.
Xu Zhen recognized her. She was Fuyao Immortal Sect's current Guardian Saint, the existence with the highest cultivation, a great saint who had comprehended two Daos.
It was said that when she was ascending the Emperor Realm, she suffered injuries that damaged her Daos, and since then had no fate with the Emperor Realm, only able to cultivate at the great saint level.
And the elders of Fuyao Immortal Sect all said one thing.
They said it wasn't her own problem that this Two Dao Great Saint couldn't walk the Emperor Road, but it was Fuyao Immortal Sect's problem at the time.
At that time Fuyao Immortal Sect was at its lowest point, and the sect's guardian with the highest cultivation was only a quasi-saint.
Clearly a quasi-saint couldn't guide an Emperor.
Fuyao Immortal Sect at that time also didn't have the ability to nurture an Emperor.
You could say it was because this Two Dao Great Saint's own ability was lacking, but her starting line compared to other top geniuses really wasn't equally long.
Now this Two Dao Great Saint was guiding for Fuyao Immortal Sect, precisely to nurture a real Emperor for Fuyao Immortal Sect.
Xu Zhen had heard this Two Dao Great Saint's name before, so she remembered it.
Her name was Chen Xi.
She had said before that she would become the dawn for Fuyao Immortal Sect, paving the way for Fuyao Immortal Sect's coming brilliant sun.
Xu Zhen greatly admired her. She was one of the few people in Fuyao Immortal Sect that Xu Zhen approved of.
And now Chen Xi had come, so she must have gotten some news sent out from the Great Death Realm, and came specifically for Xu Zhen.
Xu Zhen blinked, and the dim stars seemed to twinkle too.
What would she do if Chen Xi came?
Chen Xia...
Fuyao Immortal Sect...
She was conflicted for the first time.
Up ahead, Chen Xia was still propping his head looking at the stars. The squatting lineup just had one more added, Wang Yangzi squatting behind them, wanting to see if there was anything hidden in the starry sky, some great Dao he could comprehend that had them so engrossed.
But he really couldn't understand it, and could only attribute it to his own stupidity.
Ma Xiaohong hugged her sword, her white hair tied in a bun, wearing a slightly tight yellow skirt, looking a bit cute and charming. She hesitantly called out from behind.
"Chen... Chen Xia."
"Hmm?"
The two people and one dog turned their heads together.
Ma Xiaohong's pretty face flushed slightly. She lowered her head a little, somewhat embarrassed.
"Changed clothes?"
"Changed hairstyle?"
"Changed... changed demeanor?" Wang Yangzi racked his brains to chime in.
"No need to force yourself if you can't say anything." Chen Xia considerately said.
"Oh." Wang Yangzi obediently nodded. He was very well-behaved in front of the Big Yellow Dog.
"Yes... Xu Zhen gave it to me. Does it look good?" Ma Xiaohong nodded with a laugh.
"Looks good." Chen Xia nodded. As far as he knew, Ma Xiaohong had never changed her clothes before, always wearing that set from the Realm Domain. They probably didn't prepare anything else for her there.
"Haha." Ma Xiaohong laughed embarrassedly again, also scratching her head. A few strands of flowery white hair sprang out, contrasting with the fine wrinkles at the corner of her eyes, breaking the cute and charming atmosphere.
Ma Xiaohong also seemed to notice it, and laughed dryly twice.
Chen Xia watched silently, not saying a word. After a moment, he softly laughed once, and nodded again.
"Looks good."
He had said this twice.
And they had heard it twice.
Big Yellow Dog noticed something, but didn't speak, instead starting to ponder.
Wang Yangzi let out a faint sigh, very softly, unheard by Ma Xiaohong.
The long absent daylight shone down, piercing into the endless pitch black.
Ma Xiaohong said a couple more words softly, then slowly walked away.
Big Yellow Dog asked Chen Xia, "Life reduction divine ability?"
"Yeah, can you resolve it?" Chen Xia asked.
Big Yellow Dog shook his head. "Lifespan is set by the heavens. The lifespan she has lost has all been given to the Heavenly Dao. It can't be taken back, but pills and divine abilities can be used to supplement it. But this kind of supplementation ultimately has a limit. No one can truly live forever."
Chen Xia let out a muffled affirmation, then turned to look at Wang Yangzi and asked again.
"Do you know who captured her into the Realm Domain?"
Wang Yangzi thought for a moment then replied, "The combined forces of several big clans, but the Forbidden Lord's assistance was likely behind it. Otherwise those few clans wouldn't have had the means."
"The Forbidden Lords are too eager to regain lost ground from the Immortal Realm and Divine Realm. But now two, three great worlds have passed, and the Immortal Realm and Divine Realm have only grown stronger, while the Realm Domain is stuck in place, even news is so closed off."
"I'll ask them one by one when I get back," Chen Xia said expressionlessly with a nod. He stood up and looked at the daylight again, frowning slightly.
He had been pondering something earlier.
What if the portal back didn't open?
That wasn't impossible.
And now he had thought it through. If the portal back didn't open...
He would become a saint in the Great Death Realm!
Having glimpsed the door to transcending the mundane and entering sainthood, growing further from filling the heavens, and closer to becoming a quasi-saint.
Accumulating steadily, seeking the opportunity.
Then kick open the door, step into the hall of transcending the mundane and entering sainthood!
Achieve quasi-saint.