After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past five years, Jiang Yan has led everyone on a tour of the entire Xuan Tian Realm.

They left their footprints in places large and small throughout the four regions.

Of course, they didn't encounter any trouble, because no one dared to provoke them anymore.

On the contrary, wherever Jiang Yan went, the local sects, dynasties, and independent cultivators would receive the news in advance and line up at the city gate to welcome him.

Especially in human territory, his status is not much lower than that of a local lord.

Many people who had only heard of Jiang Yan but never met him finally got to see him.

His distinctive white hair became increasingly famous in the storytellers' mouths.

If one were to encounter a young man with white hair on the road, accompanied by a group of women of extraordinary appearance and bearing, he would undoubtedly be Jiang Yan, the Lord of Chang'an.

A few of them took some time to return to Chang'an, which moved Yu Qian and Wen Chaosheng so much that they almost resigned on the spot.

However, Jiang Yan didn't give them a chance, leaving a message before leaving again.

On this day, in the far north of the Demon Realm, atop a snow-capped mountain.

The summit is covered in snow all year round, and as far as the eye can see, there are only continuous ice cliffs and glaciers that have never melted.

The small array plate kept out all the snow and wind, while inside the barrier, the teapot bubbled and steamed.

Jiang Yan sat on the edge of the cliff, holding a teacup, gazing at the surging sea of ​​clouds below.

The ice peaks, like swords, pierce through the clouds and soar into the sky, while the setting sun paints the snow-covered surface with a golden-red hue.

Occasionally, a giant snow sculpture will sweep across the sea of ​​clouds, its wings parting the mist to reveal a glacier on the mountainside that has remained frozen for millennia.

Xiao Xiao and Jian Li were chattering away on the side. One said that the snow could be rolled into balls and thrown at people, while the other said that it was already rolled and could be thrown directly.

Ruoshui sat next to Jiang Yan, her fox tail swaying comfortably, and rested her head on his shoulder.

Cang Yao held a teacup, her eyes reflecting the golden light of the snow-capped mountains.

Ao Tianxin sat to one side, still holding the wine pot in her hand.

Zhou Caiwei sat cross-legged on the edge of the array plate, her sword resting on her knees, and closed her eyes to rest.

Watching this scene unfold, Jiang Yan smiled and took a sip of tea.

Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder rolled across the sky from the far distance.

The horizon beneath the sea of ​​clouds was torn apart, and half of the sky was suddenly dyed in seven colors, with red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple like an overturned palette of paint poured onto the clouds.

An indescribable pressure emanated from that direction, causing even the array to tremble slightly.

Ao Tianxin stood up, her brows furrowed slightly. She closed her eyes and sensed for a moment before opening them, her expression darkening.

"Someone has ascended to immortality; it's the Feather Saint."

Jiang Yan narrowed her eyes.

For the past five years, Chang'an and Longting have never stopped searching for Yu Sheng's whereabouts, but the golden-winged roc seemed to have evaporated from the Xuan Tian Realm, and even Longting's intelligence network, which spans the four seas, could not find any clues.

"What a pity." Jiang Yan withdrew his gaze.

It's too late to get there now, and besides, once the ascension begins, no external force can interfere.

Ao Tianxin snorted coldly.

Jiang Yan patted her hand: "It's okay."

Ao Tianxin's hand froze for a moment, then she nodded somewhat awkwardly and sat down again, but her fingers unconsciously tightened around her knees.

Xiao Xiao and Jian Li lay on the edge of the cliff, continuing to watch the colorful clouds and chattering about what color they were.

Cang Yao withdrew her gaze and poured Jiang Yan another cup of tea.

Time flies.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The group has returned to Chang'an.

Because Jiang Yan's breath was getting weaker and weaker.

In recent years, Jiang Yan's cultivation level has remained at the Nascent Soul stage, without any progress. Everyone had long noticed that something was wrong.

But he spent his days smiling and accompanying everyone, drinking tea and strolling through the market as usual. Since he didn't want to talk about it, no one asked.

But not this time.

Cangyao and Ruoshui clearly sensed that his life force was fading away, which could not be explained by his injuries; it was the depletion of his life essence.

They were very worried, but Jiang Yan kept saying that she was fine.

Until this day, Jiang Yan summoned everyone to the main hall of the city lord's mansion.

He sat at the head of the table, looked at everyone's faces, and then spoke.

"As you can probably tell, I'm nearing my end."

He said it so casually, as if he were just saying the weather was nice today.

But as soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Jiang's mother's face turned pale instantly, and she swayed before Jiang Wuchen caught her.

Jiang Yan sighed inwardly as she looked at everyone's reactions.

He knew this would happen.

He had taken them around to play before so that this moment would be easier for them to accept.

"But—" he immediately spoke, his voice even more certain than before, "I won't die."

Everyone was taken aback.

Jiang's mother's eyes were already red, and when she heard this, she looked up at him blankly.

Jiang Yan met her mother's gaze and said with a smile, "This body will indeed die, but you can understand it this way: I will be reborn in another place, with all my memories."

He paused, glanced at the tense faces of everyone, and said with utmost seriousness, "So we just have to be apart for a while, but we will meet again eventually, we definitely will."

Cang Yao and Ruo Shui's shoulders relaxed a little at almost the same time.

They knew better than anyone that Jiang Yan wouldn't lie about something like this; if he said he wouldn't die, then he wouldn't die.

But the words "separate for a period of time" still pierce my heart like needles.

Jiang Yan stood up and walked to Jian Li and Xiao Xiao: "Cultivate well. When Master returns, I will test you."

"And you, Xiaoxiao, stop just eating."

Jian Li nodded vigorously, then pouted and kicked him lightly, as if brushing off dust.

Jiang Yan then walked up to Yu Qian and Wen Chaosheng, who looked at him silently without saying a word.

Jiang Yan patted their shoulders, then took out several recording stones from his pocket and handed them over: "The recording stones I gave you before can be opened after I leave. Everything you want to know is written inside."

Finally, he walked up to Mr. and Mrs. Jiang and bowed deeply.

Seeing this, everyone dispersed, leaving the family of three alone.

Jiang's mother's eyes were terribly red, her fingers gripping Jiang Yan's sleeve tightly, her voice hoarse: "Yan'er..."

Jiang Yan held his mother's hand and said softly, "Mother, Father, you must also cultivate diligently. With Chang'an City here, there will be plenty of cultivation resources. We will definitely meet again."

He actually knew roughly how many years it would take, but he couldn't say.

That subtle sense of oppression always hovered above my head; if I dared to speak out, I would be immediately obliterated.

Jiang Wuchen looked at the face in front of him, which was so much more mature than it had been back then, and remained silent for a long time before reaching out and patting him heavily on the shoulder: "...Waiting for you to come back."

Jiang's mother raised her hand to wipe away her tears, forcing a smile: "You promised your mother."

"I promise you."

Jiang Yan came out of the side hall, while Jian Li and Xiao Xiao were still standing under the corridor.

Jian Li finally couldn't hold back anymore. She rushed over and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, her shoulders trembling slightly: "Master—you must—you absolutely must come back soon—you promised me—"

Jiang Yan reached out and gently stroked her soft hair.

Xiao Xiao stood beside him, looking at him with teary eyes.

Jiang Yan reached out with his other hand and ruffled her hair: "You too."

Xiao Xiao turned her face to the side and vigorously wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Then Jiang Yan walked up to Zhou Caiwei.

Zhou Caiwei, holding her sword, leaned against the pillar as always, her face expressionless.

But in those cold, clear eyes, something was slowly shattering.

"Gathering ferns," Jiang Yan said softly.

Zhou Caiwei lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long while.

Then she raised her head, her voice a little hoarse: "I've known you for a long time, from Haoran Domain to Chang'an, from Lin Chu to Jiang Yan."

"All these years I've stood by and watched you, never taking a single step forward on my own initiative."

She paused, a bitter smile playing on her lips. "I thought this would be enough. To be able to stand beside you, to be able to occasionally see you smile at me, that would be enough."

She took a deep breath, and a faint glimmer of water appeared in her clear, cold eyes.

"I regret it. Why have I never taken the initiative even once? Why am I always waiting, waiting for you to talk to me, waiting for you to ask me how I'm doing, waiting for you to—"

Her voice choked for a moment, then she took a deep breath and looked up at Jiang Yan again.

"Lin Chu." She didn't call him Jiang Yan, but called him by his name from his past life. "Next time we meet, I won't wait anymore. No matter how many people are around you, no matter if you are Lin Chu or Jiang Yan, I will be the first to rush up to you, regardless of what others think of me."

After she finished speaking, her ears were already bright red, but she did not look away and stared straight into Jiang Yan's eyes.

Jiang Yan looked at her, and the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

Then he reached out and gently rubbed the top of her head.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be waiting."

Zhou Caiwei squinted as he rubbed her eyes, then lowered her head, rubbed the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, and the corner of her mouth turned up.

……

On the other side of the side hall, Ruoshui stood by the window with her back to the door.

When Jiang Yan pushed the door open, she was clutching the hem of her clothes, her fox tail hanging motionless behind her.

"Ruoshui"

Ruoshui rushed over, buried her face in his chest and rubbed against him, then let go and took a step back, raising her chin to try to keep the tears in her eyes from overflowing.

"Don't keep me waiting too long this time."

She's an empress now; she can't just cry all the time.

But in front of Jiang Yan, it seems he can't help himself every time.

Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat.

In this life, he had been making Ruoshui wait.

Then he reached out and pulled her into his arms, lowering his head to kiss her lips.

Ruoshui closed her eyes, and tears finally slid silently down her cheeks.

A moment later, the two separated, and Ruoshui's voice had become steady: "Anyway, you know I'm waiting for you. If you dare not come back, I will chase you to the ends of the earth and find you."

Jiang Yan looked into Ruoshui's eyes and nodded seriously.

The last person he went to see was Cang Yao.

The two stood there for a moment, neither of them speaking.

Cang Yao looked at him, her sadness deeper than Ruo Shui's, but not as overt.

"No matter which world, no matter how many times I reincarnate," she reached out and clasped Jiang Yan's hand in her own, "I will find you, my husband."

Her voice was soft, and there was even a faint smile on her lips, but tears silently streamed down her delicate face.

Jiang Yan pulled her into his arms.

Cang Yao buried her face in his chest, murmuring softly.

"The sun and moon wax and wane, the stars and constellations are arrayed, cold comes and heat goes, autumn harvests and winter stores."

"So this time, I'll assume you're hiding. I will absolutely, positively find you."

Jiang Yan's eyes were a little dazed, then she nodded seriously.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and hugged her even tighter.

For the next few days, the women stayed by Jiang Yan's side non-stop.

It was exactly the same as the period when Jiang Yan had just returned from the Haoran Domain.

This time, everyone knows in their hearts that it's no longer an injury that can be "healed with rest."

That morning, Jiang Yan was basking in the sun on a recliner in the yard, her white hair bathed in a warm, pale golden light.

He opened his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.

Then it slowly closes.

A system voice sounded.

"Host's second incarnation has been detected as dead. Mission settlement in progress. Return?"