The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

"Click."

The chopsticks in Chen Xuan's hand broke in two.

The cut was clean, as if it had been cleaved by a sharp blade.

Lu Yao was startled: "Senior brother?"

Chen Xuan did not respond.

He held his phone, his gaze gradually darkening from its initial nonchalance.

Like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, the calm surface is broken, revealing the icy, bone-chilling current beneath.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Xiaoman was still saying, "Lingxiao has already sent a medical team, but it's too late."

"The Taotie and the Taotie could strike at any moment, sir. If you have the ability..."

"understood."

Chen Xuan interrupted her, his voice eerily calm.

He hung up the phone and placed it on the stone table.

Lu Yao had never seen her senior brother with such an expression.

It wasn't anger, it wasn't anxiety, but a kind of... absolute coldness.

Like a millennia-old glacier, its surface is calm, but its interior contains a temperature capable of freezing everything.

"Senior brother..."

She asked cautiously, "What happened?"

Chen Xuan did not answer.

He slowly got up and looked up at the southern sky.

It was midday, the sun was shining brightly, and the forests of Qingcheng Mountain were ablaze with color, filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

Smoke curls from the chimneys of distant towns, bringing with it the warmth and vibrancy of everyday life.

But the next moment——

"Buzz".

Heaven and earth faded.

It's not a metaphor.

It truly "lost its color"—within a radius of a hundred miles, all colors faded in an instant!

The lush green forests turned black and white, the azure sky turned gray and white, and even the sunlight lost its warmth, like a pale piece of paper pasted on the sky!

Time seemed to stand still.

Birds froze in mid-air, fallen leaves hung suspended in the wind, and the stream stopped flowing.

Even Lu Yao remained motionless with her mouth open, frozen in place by an invisible force.

The entire Qingcheng Mountain area fell into absolute stillness.

Only Chen Xuan could still move.

He took a step.

The stone bricks beneath my feet shattered silently, the cracks spreading like a spider web.

It wasn't that he stomped on it, but rather that the oppressive aura emanating from his body caused the material structure to collapse on its own because it couldn't withstand it.

The second step.

The three-hundred-year-old plum tree in the courtyard turned to ashes inch by inch, starting from its roots.

It is not burning, nor decay, but being "erased" from the level of existence.

third step.

He walked out of the courtyard and stood on the mountain path.

As far as the eye can see, the vast landscape unfolds before one's eyes.

"Fine."

Chen Xuan spoke softly and took a step forward.

This step is taken in the void.

The bluestone pavement beneath my feet crumbled silently, not downwards, but upwards.

Countless pebbles, dust, and fallen leaves gathered at his feet, forming a rainbow bridge!

The Rainbow Bridge spans the sky, connecting Mount Qingcheng at one end and extending to the southern horizon at the other, with no end in sight.

Chen Xuan stepped onto the Rainbow Bridge and walked with his hands behind his back.

He walked slowly, as if taking a normal stroll, but with each step he took, his figure was already a thousand miles away!

The rainbow bridge stretched out with his steps, and wherever he passed, the clouds parted automatically, the gale stopped, and even the sunlight seemed to dare not shine directly, only daring to cast a halo of awe at the edge of the bridge.

This is not flying, and it is not teleportation.

It is truly "shrinking the earth into an inch", it is the appearance of an immortal, roaming freely between heaven and earth!

........

Lingxiao Headquarters, Global Spiritual Energy Monitoring Center

"Warning! Warning! Extremely high-energy spiritual energy fluctuations have been detected in the southwestern airspace of China!"

"Energy level cannot be assessed! Monitoring limits exceeded!"

"Get the satellite imagery up! Quickly!"

The command center was instantly thrown into chaos.

The live footage transmitted from the satellite on the huge projection screen made everyone gasp.

A rainbow bridge spans the sky, extending from the direction of Qingcheng Mountain and spreading southward at an incredible speed!

On the Rainbow Bridge, a blurry figure walked with his hands behind his back.

He walked with composure, but every step he took traversed thousands of miles of mountains and rivers!

From Sichuan to the southern border, a distance of thousands of miles, at this speed... it will take at most half a cup of tea to get there!

"What...what kind of supernatural power is this?!"

One of the worshippers' voices trembled, "Shrinking the earth to an inch? No, shrinking the earth to an inch is merely shrinking a thousand miles into a single step. He's using a rainbow bridge as a road, and heaven and earth as stepping stones!"

The monitoring instrument emitted a piercing alarm, the energy curve on the screen soared to red, and finally, with a "bang," the instrument overloaded and emitted black smoke!

"The monitor is burned out!"

The technician exclaimed, "That person's spiritual power... exceeds the detection limit of all our instruments!"

Wang Mingyuan stared intently at the blurry figure on the Rainbow Bridge, a terrifying thought flashing through his mind: "This direction leads to Qingcheng Mountain! It's Mr. Chen Xuan!"

"Chen Xuan?!"

Everyone was shocked. "He's going to take action himself?!"

Just then, the door to the command center opened, and Lin Xiaoman strode in.

Her face was slightly flushed and her breathing was rapid, clearly indicating that she had run all the way here.

After making that phone call, she's been waiting in the hallway—waiting for a result.

"Xiaoman?"

Wang Mingyuan looked at her. "Where did you go just now?"

Lin Xiaoman took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, her voice clear and firm:

"Dr. Wang, esteemed colleagues, I have something to announce."

Everyone looked at her.

Lin Xiaoman walked to the control panel, pulled up the satellite image of the Rainbow Bridge, and pointed to the blurry figure on the bridge:

"It's him."

"It is Mr. Chen Xuan."

"I just called him."

The command center fell silent instantly.

Wang Mingyuan's pupils constricted sharply: "You called him? When? Why?"

"Just now, when the Empress was on the verge of death..."

Lin Xiaoman frankly said, "I used the private number Ye Li left to tell him that the Empress was in trouble."

"And then... he made his move."

She paused, then said, word by word:

"Judging from the gentleman's reaction—he is indeed Prime Minister Chen."

"He is the Holy Teacher."

"It's the white-robed prime minister that Empress Wu Minghuang has been searching for throughout her entire past and present lives!"

"boom!!!"

The command center was completely in chaos!

"Chen Xuan is Prime Minister Chen?! This... how is this possible?!"

"But if it's true... then everything makes sense!"

"Why does the Empress treat him so differently? Why does Pei Hanchuan see him as a god? Why does he know so much about ancient secrets even though he lives in seclusion in Qingcheng Mountain...?"

"Three hundred years! A full three hundred years! The Empress waited for him for three hundred years, and he's been stuck at Mount Qingcheng the whole time?!"

Wang Mingyuan braced his hands on the control panel, his knuckles turning white from gripping it so tightly.

All the clues flashed through his mind—Chen Xuan's composure, the Empress's autobiography, Pei Hanchuan's fear, Taiqingzi's respect...

"I see... I see!"

Wang Mingyuan murmured, "We always thought he was just a powerful reincarnated genius, but we never imagined... he was the 'teacher' of all geniuses!"

"immediately!"

Wang Mingyuan looked up abruptly, "Activate the highest level of emergency response plan!"

"No, activate the 'Divine Manifestation' contingency plan! All Lingxiao members are strictly prohibited from discussing this matter without permission!"

All relevant intelligence is classified as top secret!

Above the sky, at the end of the rainbow bridge.

Chen Xuan had already reached the skies above the southern border.

He stopped and stood at the end of the Rainbow Bridge, looking down at the blood-stained swamp below.

A glance swept across the scene: Wu Minghuang was covered in blood, Taiqingzi was on the verge of death, and Pei Hanchuan was leaning on his sword, exhausted.

The Taotie grinned maliciously as it raised its demonic claws, preparing to deliver the final blow to Wu Minghuang.

Chen Xuan's eyes turned completely cold.

He raised his hand and lightly tapped the air with his index finger.