Talisman Emperor

The guest hall.

Bai Gunan arranged for a sumptuous banquet to welcome Chen Xi and the others.

After the banquet ended, Chen Xi called out to Bai Gunan and asked. “Has the acknowledgement process ended?”

“Of course.” The person that replied wasn’t Bai Gunan but Bai Jingchen who suddenly arrived in the guest hall.

As the Patriarch of the Bai Clan, since Bai Jingchen had said so, then it displayed the attitude of the entire Bai Clan.

Chen Xi heaved a sigh of relief in his heart when he heard this. Even though he wasn’t worried about others coming to challenge him again, unending battles were too troublesome in the end.

Subsequently, Bai Jingchen bluntly drove Bai Gunan away, causing only Chen Xi and him to remain in the hall.

“Actually, Grand Elder acted in this way for the sake of the entire Bai Clan, but the method he chose was wrong.” After pondering deeply for a short moment, Bai Jingchen said, “I hope that you won’t have any ill feelings because of the matters that occurred today.”

Chen Xi was stunned, and then he shook his head and said, “I can’t be said to have any ill feelings, and I’m still able to clearly distinguish between friend and foe.”

Bai Jingchen roared with laughter. “Good! There’s no need to worry about you being capable of achieving great things with such broad-mindedness.”

Chen Xi smiled as well.

“Truthfully speaking, I was in a rather troublesome position because of you, kid. I was almost forced to hide by those bastards from the Zuoqiu Clan.” Bai Jingchen sighed.

Chen Xi naturally knew what Bai Jingchen was talking about.

The Grand Elder Bai Cheng was Bai Jingchen’s elder brother, whereas Bai Wanqing was Bai Jingchen’s younger sister. Amongst these two people, one had the intention to attach themselves to the Zuoqiu Clan and had an extremely bad attitude towards him, whereas the other was the opposite.

Even though Bai Jingchen was the Patriarch of the Bai Clan, it was rather troublesome for him to be at the center of it because no matter which side he helped, it would cause the other to be displeased.

Moreover, at the bottom of it all, all of this came from the resentment between his parents and the Zuoqiu Clan, and it was an extremely complicated net of relationships.

It was even to the extent that Chen Xi still hadn’t figured out the relationship between Bai Wanqing and his parents and why the entire Bai Clan would be affected because of his family.

“Rest at ease today, I’ll take you to see Wanqing tomorrow.” Bai Jingchen didn’t speak any further, and he patted Chen Xi on the shoulder before turning around and leaving.

But when he left the entrance of the hall, Bai Jingchen suddenly said something baffling. “A true man doesn’t just live for himself, right?”

Chen Xi pondered silently for a long time by himself within the hall, and then he shook his head in the end.

Since the moment he was born, he’d carried too many responsibilities. He had to take care of his grandfather, protect his younger brother, search for his parents, take revenge for the entire Chen Clan…

So he was bound to be unable to live for himself until he dealt with all these things.

This was his responsibility.

The responsibility a true man had to bear.

He’d never regretted all of this, and he’d persisted until now, so there was no need for Bai Jingchen to instruct him as he knew what he should do and had to do, and he would never hide and be afraid to face the truth because of this…

Of course, Bai Jingchen’s words had another layer of meaning, and he was tactfully reminding Chen Xi that after Chen Xi found out the truth about everything from Bai Wanqing tomorrow, he hoped Chen Xi would bear all of this like a man.

That truth and the responsibility was bound to not be too easy. 

    …

Early in the morning on the next day.

Daybreak had just arrived when Chen Xi awoke from his meditation.

“I never expected that my tribulation for the 2nd level of the Earthly Immortal Realm is not far away…” Chen Xi was able to clearly sense that an unseen force seemed to be reminding him that it wouldn’t be long before he would greet the heavenly tribulation of the 2nd level of the Earthly Immortal Realm — The Yin Yang Lightning Tribulation!

Normally speaking, amongst the nine levels of heavenly tribulation in the Earthly Immortal Realm, one had to prepare for a very long time after overcoming each level before greeting the next round.

The time between these heavenly tribulations were at least over a hundred years to almost a thousand years.

But even then, this bit of time was still too short for those Earthly Immortal Realm experts in the world. After all, overcoming the tribulation was no joke, and the slightest carelessness would cause one to perish.

So during this period of time, Earthly Immortal Realm experts would either enter into closed door cultivation or search the entire world for things they needed to overcome the tribulation successfully. They did this to make proper preparations for overcoming the tribulation. Moreover, they would only complain that the time wasn’t enough, and they would never feel this time was too long.

It was even to the extent that unless they had no other choice, they wished for nothing more than to never greet the next round of heavenly tribulation.

Of course, reality was brutal. For the sake of ascending to become a Heavenly Immortal and to live forever with the ages, these nine levels of the heavenly tribulation for the Earthly Immortal Realm was something that no Earthly Immortal Realm expert could avoid.

This caused the figures of Earthly Immortal Realm experts to be extremely rare in the Mortal Dimension. It was because the existence of the heavenly tribulation was like a sharp sword that hung above their heads, and it didn’t allow them to waste the slightest bit of time.

On the other hand, only around two months of time had passed since Chen Xi overcame the Azure Lightning Tribulation and ascended into the Earthly Immortal Realm, yet he actually sensed a slight sign of the second level of heavenly tribulation at this moment. If news of this were to be spread, it would be too sensational.

When something occurred abnormally, then there was surely something strange going on!

But when Chen Xi thought of the reality that he was taken to be a ‘variant,’ he came to an understanding, and he knew that his path of overcoming the tribulation was bound to be different from other Earthly Immortal Realm experts.

But he wasn’t afraid. With his current strength combined with the Immeasurable Virtue technique, so long as the divine lightning of judgment didn’t descend, then he had entirely no reason to worry that any lethal danger would arise.

“He truly is a big lazy pig! The sun is already shining on his butt, yet why hasn’t he woken up?” When Chen Xi walked out of his courtyard and hadn’t approached the guest hall, he heard a clear and melodious voice sound out from within the hall, and it sounded like a gurgling stream, pleasing and moving.

Chen Xi’s brows raised. Before he could figure out the identity of the person who spoke, he saw a beautiful figure charge out of the hall like a gust of wind.

“Big Brother Chen Xi, you’ve finally woken up!” A beautiful, graceful, and charming young girl in a light yellow dress who had waist fine like a willow twig stood before Chen Xi with a pleasantly surprised expression.

Her eyes were clear, jet black, and perfectly round. She possessed jade white skin, red and moist cherry lips, a slender neck like the neck of a crane, hair that was weaved into numerous little braids, and she emanated an oppressive aura of youth and liveliness.

Chen Xi was stunned, and then said hesitantly, “You’re… Xixi?” 

From the young woman’s appearance, he was still able to faintly notice the shadow of that lively and cute little girl with a vertical pigtail. But because too long had passed since then and Xixi was only around six years old at that time, he didn’t dare confirm that she was Xixi.

The young woman smiled like a flower and said with a clear voice, “Big Brother Chen Xi, I knew you’d still remember me!”

Chen Xi’s eyes opened wide as he sized her up and smiled with surprise. “Xixi, it really is you.”

He still remembered that when he was a young man, Xixi and Bai Wanqing were his neighbors, and the little girl had a very good relationship with Chen Hao. She was like a follower that would always come to his house to play every single day.

During that period of time, even though it was filled with hardships, it was a beautiful memory that was impossible to regain now.

As he looked at the young woman that had grown to become beautiful and graceful, Chen Xi thought of Chen Hao for no reason or rhyme, and he recalled the time he shared his life his grandfather in Pine Mist City…

It couldn’t be said to be sorrowful, but he knew clearly in his heart that it was impossible to return to that period of time because the people of that time had already started their journeys on their own paths.

This sort of feeling was called running into an old friend in a distant land.

“Come, I’ll take you to see my mother.” As she spoke, she held Chen Xi’s arm and said intimately, “Big Brother Chen Xi, where’s Little Hao? Why didn’t he come to the Dark Reverie with you? I’ve always been thinking about returning to Pine Mist City, but my uncle won’t allow it. It’s truly disappointing. Alas, you must bring me along with you when you return to Pine Mist City. Right, you can’t allow my mother to find out, otherwise, she’ll force me to cultivate again. It’s such a pain…”

All along the way, the clear and melodious voice of the young woman chirped on endlessly, whereas Chen Xi grinned as he listened to her while his thoughts seemed as if they were plucked like a zither, causing him to recall too many things.

Are Chen Hao and the others well?

Are those friends of mine still working hard on their own paths towards the Dao?

Senior Ji Yu is probably still laying on that rocking chair and bathing under the sun as usual, right?

What about An’er and Yu’er? So many years have passed. Do these two little fellows frequently think about me? 

    …

After the time for an incense stick to burn.

“Big Brother Chen Xi, go ahead. My mother is waiting for you inside there.” Xixi stopped before a courtyard, and then he turned around and spoke to Chen Xi.

“Aren’t you going in as well?” Chen Xi returned to his senses from his deep contemplation and asked.

“Oh, no. Even if I go in, my mother will drive me out, so instead of being driven out by her, it’s easier for me to leave myself.” Xixi chucked and said, “Big Brother Chen Xi, go in quickly, and I’ll come look for you to play later.”

As she spoke, she turned around and left happily. Her jet black pigtail fluttered under the sunlight and emanated a beautiful and dancing aura.

Chen Xi smiled, as he liked this sort of feeling.

This courtyard was quiet and elegant. Numerous ancient and luxuriant pine trees resided within it. The pine trees rustled and whistled in the wind while mist drifted around them, and they cast a shade onto the ground.

When Chen Xi saw Bai Wanqing, she was sitting before a stone table beneath a pine tree. She wore loose robes that were simple and plain, and she had a beautiful appearance and a warm and modest bearing like she had in the past.

A wisp of indescribable feelings arose in Chen Xi’s heart for no reason or rhyme when he saw a familiar feeling, and it contained delight, sorrow, excitement, and so on and so forth. It was complicated and difficult to describe.

“You’ve come.” Bai Wanqing stood up and looked over with a smile.

It was a mere two words yet seemed like a refreshing fountain that cleansed the heart, and it caused Chen Xi’s feelings to instantly calm down and become tranquil. He walked forward and stretched his arms to hug Bai Wanqing before he said, “Aunt Bai.”

When he was young, his grandfather, his younger brother, and him depended on each other for survival. He wholeheartedly refined talismans for the sake of obtaining spirit crystals to support his family, causing him to work from early hours in the day until late in the night, so he very rarely met Bai Wanqing after that. But the feeling between them still existed, and it was just buried deep within the bottom of his heart.

“Your parents would surely be extremely happy if they know about your current accomplishments.” Bai Wanqing raised her head and stared at the signs of experience that had been accumulated between Chen Xi’s brows, and she felt both sad and gratified in her heart. The young eagle has finally started to cry proudly in the nine heavens, and he isn’t that sedate and reserved immature young man from all those years ago…