Though he struggled against it, deep within his heart, he already knew: the words of those three outsiders were, in all likelihood, true.
To him, it had been nothing more than a nap, shorter even than a routine session of seclusion.
Yet in the vast Xuanhuang World, thousands of years had flowed by like a river.
But... how could such a thing be possible?
As fear swallowed him whole. Linghu Chang sank into a boundless, disorienting confusion.
At that moment, hearing no movement from within the chamber, Xiao Heng and the others finally stepped inside.
“Fellow Daoist,” Xiao Heng asked softly, “were we lying?”
Linghu Chang did not answer.
“In truth, we are no less curious than you,” Xiao Heng said quietly, his tone gentle yet insistent. “What exactly befell the Medicine King Sect all those years ago?
He paused, then continued, voice steady. “Perhaps, Fellow Daoist, you could recount in detail what transpired after your sect boarded the cauldron and left the Xuanhuang World.
“If we pool our thoughts,” he added, “we may yet uncover the truth of all this.”
After a long silence, Linghu Chang finally spoke. His voice was distant, as though drifting out of a half-remembered dream.
“To be honest... I do not truly know either. What happened back then feels unreal, like something in a dream.
“At the time,” he said slowly, “Sect Leader Liu employed a great divine ability, shattering the shackles of the Xuanhuang World and steering the Medicine King Cauldron into the depths of the void.
“The original intent was to seek out other rumored cultivation worlds beyond our own, but...”
He trailed off, his eyes unfocused as memory pulled him backward.
“Not long after, alarms rang throughout the cauldron.
“We were informed that a mysterious force had seized us, and that our trajectory was no longer under our control.
“Orders were issued for all disciples to return to their chambers and prepare to enter the Oneiric Seasons Array, to fall into hibernation.”
Linghu Chang’s brows knit slightly.
“But the Medicine King Cauldron began to shake more and more violently. Even the activation of the Oneiric Seasons Array was disrupted. It failed to initiate.
“And then...”
His eyes narrowed.
“A transmission arrived from the Sect Leader. He said the attempt to breach the world’s boundary had failed. We were being forced back toward the Xuanhuang World.
“The true Medicine King Cauldron had taken great damage, so severe that it could no longer transport us.
“To preserve what little remained, all residual power was redirected into protection.
“We allowed the Medicine King Cauldron to fall freely back toward the Xuanhuang World.”
“After that,” he continued, voice growing fainter, “the cauldron’s vital functions shut down one after another.
“My fellow disciples entered hibernation in succession.
“I was refining pills in the Medicine Hall at the time. When I rushed back to my quarters, I hadn’t even managed to shut the door completely.
“The cauldron shook even more violently.
“In the midst of that overwhelming tremor... I lost consciousness.
“When I awoke,” Linghu Chang said softly, “you were already here.”
He fell silent.
Xiao Heng and Zhang Haobo exchanged glances, both equally perplexed by the account.
Only Su Xiaomei frowned.
“That doesn’t sound right,” she said. “From your account, you only left the Xuanhuang World briefly before you were forced to return.”
Linghu Chang nodded. “That is exactly what happened.”
“And you only entered hibernation when you were about to crash back into the Xuanhuang World?” she pressed.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Yeah, right—my foot!” Su Xiaomei suddenly snapped, her voice leaping several notches.
“From our perspective, the Medicine King Cauldron left the Xuanhuang World thousands of years ago. It only returned not long ago!
“Every cultivator under heaven saw the blazing meteor tearing across the sky before crashing down.”
She paused mid-sentence.
“...That would’ve been...” Her eyes widened. “Twenty-four years ago.”
Su Xiaomei froze.