Chapter 1334: The Past Vividly Before One's Eyes

“…When I learned that Feng Qingshui had captured you, I rushed to the Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain and fought a great battle with the two Dao Ancestors, Feng Qingshui and Chen Ruyan. Heaven protected me, and I finally brought you back safely.” Han Li recounted everything up to now.

“I have imagined countless times what you might encounter after ascending, but it still falls far short of the reality. Under such circumstances, an ordinary person would have died countless times. Only you could turn danger into safety time and again.” Nangong Wan’s eyes reflected Han Li’s figure. She let out a soft breath and spoke with some admiration.

“Don’t praise me in front of our own family. It was just a series of coincidences and a bit of luck that allowed me to come this far safely.” Han Li shook his head with a smile.

“And with the help of many powerful female friends, right? I heard from Gan Jiuzhen that Ti Hun and Jin Tong have both transformed into humans, becoming two great beauties, and there’s also your close friend Zi Ling.” Nangong Wan said with a half-smile.

“Wan’er, don’t joke. You know Ti Hun—she has been my companion through life and death since the human world. As for Jin Tong, she was originally my Gold Devouring Beetle that cultivated and transformed. Even I didn’t expect her background to be so extraordinary… As for Zi Ling, she and I had some entanglements in her past life…” Han Li gave a wry smile and began to explain to Nangong Wan.

When he mentioned Zi Ling, his expression was slightly awkward. He was about to say more, but Nangong Wan’s two fair fingers stopped him.

“Husband, at this point, how could I still be jealous over such things? These are all due to fate and destiny, preordained in the unseen, just like you and me back then.” Nangong Wan shook her head and said softly.

“Wan’er, I’ve been talking only about myself. How did you spend these years in the lower realm?” Han Li nodded silently and changed the subject.

“My life in the lower realm was relatively simple, far less exciting than yours, husband. After you ascended, I stayed in seclusion in the Green Cloud Palace, cultivating hard. With the resources you left behind and some later fortuitous encounters, I managed to advance to the Mahayana stage. After several thousand more years of bitter cultivation, I reached the peak of Mahayana. After some preparations, I attempted to cross the Heavenly Tribulation, hoping to reunite with you in the True Immortal Realm.” Nangong Wan slowly tidied a strand of hair by her neck and said calmly.

“How did it go when you crossed the Heavenly Tribulation?” Han Li’s brows twitched slightly as he asked.

“I originally thought that with those preparations, I could survive the tribulation, but I underestimated the power of the ascension tribulation… After enduring several calamities, I finally exhausted my strength and was struck by the last tribulation lightning, falling into endless darkness… In my final moment, I cried out to the heavens, hoping you would hear my last words.” Nangong Wan said with a bitter smile.

Hearing this, even though Han Li knew that Nangong Wan had another experience afterward, his heart still trembled. He couldn’t help but reach out and gently stroke her cheek.

“I thought I was surely dead, but unexpectedly, I woke up in a dim world. The mana in my body had already transformed into immortal spiritual power, and everyone around me was a true immortal more powerful than Ma Liang back then.” Nangong Wan placed her hand over the broad palm stroking her cheek and said.

“A dim world? Could it be the Netherworld Realm?” Han Li’s eyes flickered.

“Yes, it was the Reincarnation Palace Master who saved me, but he quickly sealed my memories. After that, my consciousness fell into a deep sleep and only woke up not long ago.” Nangong Wan nodded slightly and continued.

“These years I haven’t been by your side, leaving you to face all this alone. You’ve worked hard. But why did you later leave the Reincarnation Palace?” Han Li held Nangong Wan’s hand and said.

“Although the Reincarnation Palace Master treated me with respect and courtesy, and told his subordinates not to stop me from doing anything or restrict where I could go, my intuition told me to stay away from him. I also missed you very much, so I secretly fled that place. Now that I think about it, I’ve caused you trouble.” Nangong Wan lowered her head slightly and said self-reproachfully.

“How could it be trouble? Actually, I wasn’t at ease leaving you in the Reincarnation Palace either; it was just a temporary measure. If you hadn’t escaped, we might not have been able to meet now.” Han Li smiled.

Hearing this, Nangong Wan’s face broke into a smile, and she held Han Li’s hand with both of hers.

“Speaking of which, how is the human race in the Spirit Realm? And everyone in the Green Cloud Palace—are they still well?” Han Li asked.

“With the foundation you left behind, the human race’s situation is very good. Everyone in the Green Cloud Palace has been cultivating smoothly. When I crossed the tribulation, Qi Lingzi and Hai Dashao had both reached the peak of the Combined stage, only one step away from Mahayana. Bai Guo’er, with better talent, had already advanced to Mahayana. Fellow Daoist Ice Phoenix and Sister Silver Moon advanced to Mahayana earlier than I did, but they weren’t confident about crossing the ascension tribulation and are still accumulating strength.” A strange light flickered in Nangong Wan’s beautiful eyes as she said softly.

As Han Li heard Nangong Wan recount these names, scenes of the trivial past events with these people involuntarily flashed through his mind. He felt joy but also sighed deeply.

The past was vivid before his eyes, but separated by heaven and earth, he might never see them again in this life.

The path of cultivation was always accompanied by loneliness. Fortunately, he had the person before him to share his innermost feelings—that was enough.

“By the way, how is Yuan Yao now?” Han Li hesitated for a moment and asked.

“Sister Yuan Yao…” Nangong Wan’s eyes dimmed slightly, and she seemed to hesitate.

“What happened to her?” Han Li’s heart skipped a beat, but he still couldn’t help asking.

“Sister Yuan Yao also successfully advanced to Mahayana. She inherited the legacy of Senior Qing Yuanzi and later had fortuitous encounters, so her strength advanced very quickly. She crossed the ascension tribulation earlier than I did, but unfortunately, the might of heaven is unpredictable, and she ultimately failed to survive the tribulation…” Nangong Wan lowered her eyelids and said gloomily.

Han Li stood frozen, the image of Yuan Yao’s voice and face appearing in his mind, and his vision blurred.

Even though he had now severed both corpses and possessed an extremely firm mind, hearing the bad news of an old friend still brought an indescribable grief to his heart.

“Husband, life and death are fated. Don’t be too sad. Before crossing the tribulation, Sister Yuan Yao and I had a long heart-to-heart talk all night. She said that she had lived a full enough life and had no regrets whether she succeeded or failed.” Nangong Wan added.

“Wan’er, rest assured, I’m fine. I’ve seen too much of life and death over the years, but hearing bad news of an old friend still brings grief.” Han Li forced a smile and said.

“According to the Reincarnation Palace Master, the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk can dominate the reincarnation of countless beings. If we have the chance in the future, we might use this treasure to find Yuan Yao’s reincarnation.” Nangong Wan hesitated for a moment and said.

“Yuan Yao died from the tribulation, perishing by the Heavenly Dao. Whether her soul was preserved is uncertain. And even if we find her reincarnation, that person is already someone else. Would we, like the Reincarnation Palace Master, forcibly awaken her past life memories? Doing so would be equivalent to erasing this life’s Yuan Yao.” Han Li shook his head and said.

Having personally experienced this, Nangong Wan felt it deeply and did not continue.

“If fate allows us to return to the Spirit Realm in the future, take me to her grave to pay respects.” Han Li gently embraced Nangong Wan’s shoulder and sighed.

Now that he had advanced to the peak of the Great Luo stage, he could increasingly feel the gap between realms. With his current power, rashly entering the Spirit Realm would cause violent disturbances in the world’s primal energy, likely leading to the collapse of the realm.

In the True Immortal Realm, only low-level immortals like true immortals could enter the lower realms.

Nangong Wan nodded.

“Speaking of fate, I never expected that when you were in the human world, you obtained such a miraculous treasure as the Bottle Gourd. No wonder you cultivated so quickly in the human world and the Spirit Realm. But you kept it so tightly secret, not even letting me know.” Her beautiful eyes then shifted, and she gave Han Li a playful glare, changing the subject.

“This matter is too significant. If it were carelessly leaked, it would invite countless deadly pursuits. That’s why I didn’t tell you back then. Please don’t blame me, Wan’er.” Han Li smiled slightly.

“At this point, how could I blame you for such a small matter? And you did the right thing. The existence of this object is too shocking. One more person knowing means one more risk. Now that the Heavenly Court knows you have this treasure, they might send people to seize it again. Is that okay?” Nangong Wan asked with some concern.

“It’s fine. The Heavenly Court is currently at war with the Reincarnation Palace and has no time for itself. Besides, my strength is now considerable. As I said before, in the entire True Immortal Realm, aside from three people, I believe I can handle the rest and keep the Bottle Gourd safe.” Han Li said confidently.

“Since you say so, Wan’er naturally believes you. But with my current low cultivation, I’m afraid I can’t help you much. Speaking of which, the Three Thousand Great Daos are truly full of wonders—even such a thing as traveling through time and space exists.” Nangong Wan let out a long sigh.

“If you’re interested, I can take you to try it.” Han Li tossed the Bottle Gourd in his hand and said with a smile.

“No, every time you activate the Bottle Gourd, you must exhaust all the power of your time Dao patterns. That’s too dangerous.” Nangong Wan immediately shook her head.

Han Li smiled. Now that his cultivation had advanced to the peak of Great Luo, he could even communicate with the power of the Heavenly Dao. Activating the Bottle Gourd for time-space travel would not cost him as much as before.

He was pleased and warmed by Nangong Wan’s concern for him.

“Alright, we’ll talk about that later.” Han Li said.

“Husband, what are your plans next?” Nangong Wan asked.

“Before, my mind was completely focused on rescuing you. I haven’t thought much about what comes after. But the commotion from my battle with Feng Qingshui and Chen Ruyan in the Dragon Abyss Immortal Domain was considerable. It has likely attracted the attention of some interested parties. It’s best we leave here first.” Han Li thought for a moment and said.

Nangong Wan naturally did not object to this.