Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chen Fan smiled, not answering her question about cultivation level, but simply saying, "The path of cultivation is not easy anywhere. There are dangers outside, and responsibilities here. It is a blessing that you can live peacefully here, cultivate to the Foundation Establishment stage, and maintain a peaceful mind."

Chuntao nodded vigorously: "Chuntao knows. Chuntao doesn't have any grand ambitions; things are fine as they are now. Seeing you return safely is better than anything else!"

Her smile was pure and content, as if Chen Fan's return was the greatest reward for her more than seventy years of ordinary waiting.

Looking into her still clear eyes, filled with affection and joy, Chen Fan felt a slight stirring in his heart.

He thought that Chun Tao's simplicity and sincerity had not been completely worn away by the long years and the hardships of life. This unchanged nature made him feel as if he had returned to the Da Yuan Imperial Palace more than seventy years ago, back to the time when he was still the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration and had a little palace maid by his side.

At that time, he was in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, struggling to survive and planning far ahead.

Now that he has reached the peak of his tribulation, he can decide the birth and death of stars with a single thought.

Their strengths are worlds apart, and their states of mind are even more drastically different.

However, some feelings are like old wine buried deep in the heart; when accidentally unsealed, one can still smell a trace of distant, mellow fragrance.

Unfortunately, time is ultimately a one-way river, flowing ceaselessly.

What's past is past.

The spring peach tree before him had grown white hair, and Chen Fan himself was no longer the young Chen Fan he once was.

The two chatted for a long time, mostly Chun Tao asking questions, and Chen Fan answering selectively.

The tea kept getting cold, and the sun was setting outside the window.

Finally, Chen Fan put down his teacup and stood up. "I have some things to take care of at home, so I can't stay any longer."

Chun Tao's eyes immediately welled up with reluctance, but she sensibly didn't try to stop her. She simply stood up, her eyes reddening again: "Are you... are you leaving already? Will you... will you come to see Chun Tao again?"

Chen Fan looked at her, pondered for a moment, and then took out a small jade bottle and a jade slip from his robes. "This bottle contains three pills that can help you strengthen your foundation, prolong your life, and regain your youth. The jade slip contains a gentle and easy-to-cultivate cultivation technique suitable for your water and wood attributes, which can be practiced up to the Golden Core stage. Cultivate diligently and live a peaceful life. We haven't had enough of this comfortable life yet!"

Chun Tao took it with both hands, clutching it tightly to her chest, tears streaming down her face again: "Little Chenzi... you must come back safe and sound..."

Chen Fan nodded, said no more, and turned to walk out.

As he reached the courtyard gate, he paused slightly, but without turning around, his voice came calmly: "Chun Tao, Xiao Chenzi hasn't forgotten you..."

After saying that, his figure flickered and disappeared from the spot, as if he had never appeared at all.

Chun Tao stood blankly in the courtyard, staring at the empty doorway. After a long while, she carefully put away the jade bottle and jade slip.

She wiped away her tears, a complex smile of sadness, gratitude, and relief spreading across her face. She murmured to herself, "Little Chen... you're finally back, and you still care about Chun Tao... that's enough."

After leaving Chuntao's courtyard, Chen Fan's gentle expression vanished, replaced by a calm and serene demeanor.

He looked up to the north, towards the former ruins of the Soul Refining Sect, which was also the core of the seal that the Great Abyss was now suppressing with all its might.

The restless aura of the Nascent Soul stage ancestor was faintly emanating from that direction, like a muffled thunder gradually approaching.

It's time to settle the final karmic debt.

……

Outside the Great Yuan Imperial City, at the end of Chang'an Street.

A grayish-blue figure landed silently a hundred feet outside the city gate.

Chen Fan raised his head, his gaze piercing through the hazy sky and landing on the towering imperial palace walls. The glazed tiles on the walls gleamed with a dark hue under the cold winter light, and the moss and cracks growing at the corners were faintly visible.

More than seventy years have passed.

He has been away from the sealed land for over seventy years.

He is now at the peak of the Tribulation Transcending stage, just one step away from ascension. But he has yet to take that step.

Because there are still unresolved karmic debts to settle here.

Concealing his aura, Chen Fan walked towards the city gate step by step, like an ordinary old man. The streets inside the city were teeming with people, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and carriages mingled together, creating a familiar hustle and bustle in his memory. But upon closer inspection, the faces were no longer the same as they had been back then.

As Chen Fan passed by Baicaotang, he paused slightly.

The signboard was still the same, but there were two new guys at the entrance whom he didn't recognize.

Who goes there?

"Looking for Old Li," Chen Fan said calmly, his eyes narrowed.

Before long, Old Li came out from inside to greet him. The moment he saw Chen Fan, he froze on the spot, his lips trembled a few times, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Fellow Daoist Chen... You're back!"

Chen Fan nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

The news spread quickly.

Less than half an hour later, Emperor Jianwen and Emperor Wu were already waiting by the Tai'an Pond in the Imperial Garden.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators, Qingmu and Chiyan, from Baicaotang, also arrived.

Several people sat around in the pavilion by the pond, with several pots of hot wine and a few small dishes on the stone table.

Emperor Jianwen looked much older than he remembered; his body beneath the dragon robe was no longer as upright as it had been in his youth, but the light in his eyes was brighter than ever. He looked at Chen Fan for a long time before speaking:

"Master...you're finally back."

Chen Fan picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and smiled: "Well, we're back home now."

Emperor Wu, Xiao Wu, sat to one side, his burly figure clad in golden armor, still displaying his usual carefree demeanor. He stared wide-eyed at Chen Fan for a long while, then suddenly his eyes reddened: "Father! You've been gone for over seventy years, and I thought... I thought you'd given up on this Great Abyss!"

"Nonsense," Chen Fan said, squinting. "We're back home, aren't we?"

Aoki and Chiyan exchanged a glance, both filled with deep emotion. They had known each other since Chen Fan was just an old eunuch feeding horses at the Imperial Stables. Now, when they met again, he was an unapproachable figure, while they... were still trapped in the Nascent Soul stage.

"Fellow Daoist Chen," Qingmu said, clasping his hands in greeting, "we are already aware of the sealing matter. The Soul Refining Sect's patriarch... I fear he won't last much longer."

Chen Fan put down his wine glass, his gaze calm: "So, the reason we came back this time is to settle this matter."

The group chatted for a long time afterward.

They talked about the changes in Dayuan over the years, the unification of the Eight Kingdoms, and the destruction of the Changchun Sect. Emperor Jianwen spoke of the hardships of those years, Emperor Wu spoke of the joy of conquering all sides, and Qingmu Chiyan spoke of the duty to protect Dayuan.

Chen Fan mostly just listened, occasionally nodding and sometimes smiling.

After several rounds of drinks, the sun began to set.

Chen Fan stood up and patted off non-existent dust from his robes.

"Alright, we should go home now."

Emperor Jianwen stood up, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

Emperor Wu also stood up: "Father, don't you live in the palace?"

"No, I won't stay here." Chen Fan shook his head, smiling with narrowed eyes. "It's more comfortable for us to stay at the Imperial Stables."

The group watched him leave.

Emperor Jianwen watched the receding figure and murmured, "More than seventy years have passed... He's still that old eunuch who tends the horses."