People are nostalgic, but not always nostalgic.

There has always been a term in the world.

Called "joyful passing."

Referring to the departure of those elderly people who have lived a long life.

Is Zhang DaoMing considered long-lived?

Certainly, in history, the longest-lived cultivator in the Mountain Moving Realm lived for just over fourteen thousand years. Zhang DaoMing directly extended this record to twenty thousand years. In terms of the Mountain Moving Realm, he was unparalleled in the past and probably unmatched in the future.

Zhang DaoMing's passing away was not only due to insufficient cultivation, but also due to the failure of his body. His soul and spiritual power were not enough to sustain his existence.

Chen Xia naturally understood this truth. He was also good at consoling himself, sitting in the courtyard with a small stool, lost in thought.

The fine rain continued to fall from the sky, occasionally accompanied by thunder.

The raindrops fell on him, moistening his hair and clothes.

He paid no attention, but instead propped up his head, tilting it to survey everything in the small house.

There was hardly any difference from when he was there. The layout and arrangement were similar everywhere, and the medicinal herbs in the medicinal field were even more lush. It took a lot of effort, after all, no one threatened to grow medicinal herbs like Chen Xia did.

The phoenix trees stood tall, standing amidst the wind and rain, resembling a newly erected tombstone.

There was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the door, pausing for two or three seconds before pushing open the door and walking in.

It was Wang Yangzi.

He tied up his hair, wearing tight-fitting clothes, looking more like a swordsman. He stood in front of Chen Xia and comforted him.

"Life cannot be revived. Twenty thousand years of lifespan is already considered a joyful passing. You must learn to accept it."

"It's not your family member who died, so of course you can accept it," Chen Xia replied.

"My family died over thirteen thousand years ago," Wang Yangzi replied calmly.

"Then resurrect them and let them die again," Chen Xia's hostility was a bit strong at the moment, mainly because his emotions were not very stable, and partly because of Wang Yangzi, who insisted on joining in at this time.

"If resurrection were possible, that would be good," Wang Yangzi nodded, knowing that Chen Xia's emotions were not very stable at the moment, so he could only go along with his words.

Suddenly, Chen Xia asked again.

"I asked you to come back to help take care of Old Zhang. Did you take care of him?"

Wang Yangzi was taken aback, honestly replying, "In the beginning, I came to see him every once in a while, but later, due to insights into the Dao, I haven't been back for thousands of years."

"Then get lost," Chen Xia had nothing pleasant to say.

Wang Yangzi sighed, knowing that he was in the wrong for not taking good care of him, and finally said a word of condolences before seeing Chen Xia about to start a fight, and hastily ran out of the house.

Thousands of miles away, the sky was always raining, the gloom lingering, and the drizzle continued to patter.

The day after Old Zhang passed away, Chen Xia held a funeral for him, burying him to the east of the cottage, conveniently under the phoenix tree, with the intention of providing shade for Old Zhang after his death.

The tombstone was carved by Chen Xia himself, depicting the last moment when Old Zhang was playing chess with the big yellow dog.

Once the tombstone was finished, the small mound was also covered.

Chen Xia bought the wine Old Zhang often drank and placed it at his grave.

There was another sound outside the door, and a cultivator dressed as a physician walked in, looking at the scene inside the house, he froze for a moment, couldn't help shaking his head, and said nothing.

"Two days ago, when the old man didn't let me come, I knew something was wrong. Thinking of him being all alone, I hurried over to help him with the aftermath. I just didn't expect someone else had already come," said Chen Xia.

"These days, you've been taking care of my brother Zhang, right?" Chen Xia asked.

"I wouldn't call it taking care. I'm paid to come and check on the old man's health a few times a day. It's not really that helpful," the physician said with a bitter smile.

Suddenly, Chen Xia raised his hand, fingers curled like claws, and the physician's head was already firmly held in his grasp, as he calmly said, "Break."

Instantly, the physician's sea of consciousness surged, quickly spreading to his heart lake, then to the spiritual energy in his limbs, rushing straight to his veins. At this moment, the barrier of his Yuan Infant realm loosened rapidly, instantly reaching the mid-stage of the Heaven Mending Realm.

Chen Xia released his grip, his expression calm, he clapped his hands lightly and said, "Consider it a token of gratitude."

The physician stood stunned in place, feeling the abundant spiritual energy in his limbs and the obvious increase in his lifespan. His face was filled with joy, hastily kneeling down to kowtow to Chen Xia.

"Thank you for your guidance, thank you for your guidance!" The sound of his kowtowing was deafening, making the floor ring.

"Shh, don't make a noise, go outside," Chen Xia said with just one word.

The physician hurriedly complied, exiting the small house and gently closing the door behind him.

Inside the small house, only Chen Xia remained, standing under the tall plane tree, hands behind his back, lost in thought.

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Realm Middle Layer.

Since the peak of the Zhang family declined after the death of the Supreme Ancestor of the Heaven Mending Realm, the family has been in a huge crisis. With not enough Heaven Mending Realm cultivators in the clan and no other geniuses to rely on, they could only rely on the sole Sea Inversing Realm Supreme Ancestor.

However, over the millennia, two Sea Inversing Realm Supreme Ancestors had died, leaving only one Zhang family Second Ancestor at the fifth layer of the Sea Inversing Realm, obviously unable to support the clan alone.

During this time, the Zhang family Second Ancestor tried many methods, such as "sacrificing flesh" for peace, and seeking external help.

"Sacrificing flesh" for peace initially had some effect, but it was only a slight effect, because after other clans tasted the sweetness, they were even less willing to give up such a fat piece of meat like the Zhang family.

The second method was to seek external help. The first one they sought probably couldn't be considered external help because it was Zhang DaoMing, but Zhang DaoMing never agreed.

Helpless, the Zhang family Second Ancestor went to seek help from Triumphant Mountain, the dominant force in the Realm Middle Layer today, but the person in charge of Triumphant Mountain was in seclusion, and the other elders of Triumphant Mountain did not have the qualification to lead Triumphant Mountain to participate in the clan war.

If the Master of Triumphant Mountain found out, they would lose their heads.

With no other options, the Zhang family could only seek help from some friendly clans they had dealt with in the past. These clans were willing to lend a hand, but first, they harshly demanded a large sum of wealth from the Zhang family, then sent a Heaven Mending Realm cultivator to assist.

Sounds good, right?

But the problem was that this Heaven Mending Realm cultivator was really just assisting. They only intervened against Mountain Moving Realm cultivators, not even willing to kill a single Sea Inversing Realm cultivator. If they encountered an enemy Heaven Mending Realm cultivator, they would even greet them with a smile and friendly greetings.

It almost made the Zhang family Second Ancestor pass out from anger.

In this kind of environment, the Zhang family became increasingly decadent. Many spiritual stones and treasures were distributed in exchange for peace, but it still couldn't save the entire Zhang family.

This is the cruelty on the path of cultivation, marked by deceit and oppression, where the weak are preyed upon by the strong.

Today, the Zhang family has dwindled in numbers, with only a small territory remaining, centered around the mountain gate, with a few thousand surviving members led by the second ancestor of the Zhang family.

Zhang Feiyu stood aside, now the master of the family's alchemy hall, responsible for refining medicines with exquisite skill, producing high-quality elixirs. However, due to his low cultivation level in the Nascent Soul Realm, he struggled to produce top-tier elixirs and found it challenging to engage in combat.

In the distance, a dense mass of dark clouds loomed, signaling another siege.

This was a familiar tactic employed by other sects, each assault not intended to exert their full force but to gradually deplete the strength of the Zhang family. They were in no hurry, as in their eyes, the Zhang family was destined to perish, and they sought the safest method to slaughter them.

The second ancestor of the Zhang family appeared grave as he personally led the charge, adorned in armor and armed, leading the surviving cultivators of the Mountain Moving Realm to face the enemy.

The battle lasted for three days, with no intense skirmishes but significant losses for the Zhang family. Two cultivators of the Mountain Moving Realm fell, and the second ancestor lost an arm.

The enemy's assault subsided.

At this point, the Zhang family seemed more like lambs waiting to be slaughtered in the pen, with the concern not about how quickly to kill but how to kill in the most satisfying manner.

It was truly lamentable.

The second ancestor of the Zhang family clutched his severed arm, his armor drenched in blood, unable to suppress his tears and cries of pain.

"How tragic!"

————

【This is the seventeenth day after Old Zhang's death, when a brown butterfly entered the room. It's often said that these insects are the reincarnation of the deceased, so I greeted it, but it paid me no mind.】

【On the twenty-ninth day, a small white flower bloomed on Old Zhang's grave, quite beautiful, a fitting tribute.】

【Forty-five days later, love sealed, in this life, I won't be sad again... or so I should believe.】

Someone once said,

"Heartache has an expiration date. Once it's passed, you'll only feel sad when you remember, and even then, it'll be rare."

People are nostalgic, but they shouldn't dwell solely on the past.

Chen Xia placed the diary he had written in front of Old Zhang's grave, then, in the late autumn, beneath the falling leaves of the plane tree, he straightened his clothes.

And then, he ascended.

He remembered a request Old Zhang had made before his death.

Now, he would fulfill that request.

With excellence.