Chapter 385: A Letter from Home
Chen Chang'an stared blankly at the diary in his hands.
In his previous life, he had grown up in an orphanage, with few memories of his early childhood. He only remembered that one night, his father said he was working overtime and went out, never to return.
The next memories were of relatives arguing and shouting. At five years old, he chose none of them. For some reason, he understood the greed in their eyes, so he turned and entered the orphanage.
Later, he grew up, accustomed to loneliness, accustomed to surviving on his own.
Then, one night he went to sleep, and when he woke up, he had already transmigrated to this cultivation world.
He once thought it was merely an accident. But now, the handwriting in this diary was like a sharp knife, ruthlessly cutting open his long-sealed memories.
"My son, I am your old man—not joking, in the blood-related sense."
Chen Chang'an's fingers trembled slightly.
Could it be that his father hadn't gone missing back then, but instead had transmigrated to this world one step ahead of him?
He continued reading. It went on:
Don't blame me. Although I failed, I still feel that a mediocre life is inferior to this magnificent journey in another world. Moreover, the things your old man left for you, useful, right?
The domineering name "Strongest System of All Heavens" was something I thought about for a long time. You know, when I transmigrated here, besides decent cultivation talent, I had nothing.
But here is the key point. When you can see this book, it means you have inherited my Invincible Great Dao, attained verification as an Immortal Venerable, and also know many things. But I must tell you, this world is much more troublesome than you imagine.
I also only understood many years later that this world is merely a part of the shattered Primordial Chaos. The previous Great Cataclysm caused Primordial Chaos to disintegrate, and even Saints were drawn in and could not extricate themselves. Many people think those were ancient matters, but actually that Cataclysm has not completely passed.
Because it lacks a true protagonist of the world, the one who should undergo the tribulation.
And I later learned that I was specifically brought here by them as the tribulation-bearer, the protagonist of the world. An existence similar to the Journey to the West quartet.
According to their script, I would grow all the way to become the leader of the lower realm, bearing the full destiny of the lower realm, then play a game with them, fail, leave dejectedly, and transfer all the destiny to the upper realm. Then the lower realm would be swallowed by the upper realm, and then they would re-establish the Heavenly Court, becoming the new Primordial Chaos world, completing this Cataclysm.
But their methods were too despicable. I could not stand it.
They actually stole the stepmother I had finally found for you.
I can endure everything except being cuckolded. To hell with their grand trend of the world, I am not playing anymore.
Sorry, cursed just now.
Actually, they offered too few benefits. For me to complete this Cataclysm as the protagonist, not to mention becoming a Saint, at least becoming a Celestial Emperor of one side and holding high position in the future Heavenly Court is the minimum, right?
No, I fared worse than the monkey. The monkey at least got a Buddha position, but I was to be driven out of this world. Later I learned that the merit from completing this Cataclysm was too vast. They had already divided the cake long ago, they just did not leave me a small piece.
Bullying me, an Earth bumpkin? What Primordial Chaos immortal hero stories haven't I seen!
So when I died at the end, I concealed it from heaven, pulling you over through the blood bond. And I made a layout of the Return of the King, making them think I still had hidden moves, focusing their attention on my resurrection, thus neglecting your existence. Although they did not believe in my intelligence, these people are just too cautious, so in the end, I fooled them instead.
Actually, your old man has already turned to ashes now. The King cannot return at all.
But I believe my son can definitely replace your old man in making the Return of the King.
The unification of upper and lower realms is the great trend. The merit within can take half, and one can definitely become a Saint through merit. Since I am the protagonist of the world, taking half is not too much, right?
Since they will not give it, I do not want it either. Hehe, I gave it to my son.
In short, what Dad left you is enough to let you fight for that half merit. The Kunlun and East Sea fragments are enough to synthesize a Minor Thousand World no less than any one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, so you also have the capital to sit at the table.
As for how much you can win, that depends on your ability. No one knows a father like his son. You were stronger than your old man since childhood.
But you must be careful. Those people are pervasive and full of schemes. Before exposing yourself, you must accumulate more power, because after you are exposed, all who come to join you, regardless of reason, not one can be trusted. Lesson from the past.
In short, your old man's path ends here.
The rest is up to you.
PS: Must complete all achievements. Everything that can be left for you is there.
PS2: Your dad's modified external incarnation technique is quite useful, right? Back then your stepmothers tried it and all said it was good.
Chen Chang'an finished reading the letter, silent for a long time, then sighed deeply.
His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the page, and in a trance he seemed to return to that cramped living room.
In his memory, the smart television that always had pop-ups saying insufficient memory was playing cartoons. The little boy sat cross-legged on the floor watching intently.
Behind him came the sound of slippers shuffling. A tall figure walked over and casually pressed a cold cola against his face.
"You brat, have you finished your homework yet you're watching TV?"
"Dad! I am only four years old, I have no homework. And—it is cold!"
"What is a man afraid of cold for!"
The temperature of that memory seemed to still linger on his cheek. Chen Chang'an subconsciously raised his hand and touched his face.
When he reacted, Ji Hongli was using her finger to gently wipe the corner of his eye.
"You are crying." Her voice was very light. "Did the letter write something that made you sad?"
Chen Chang'an shook his head, yet the corners of his lips rose in a gentle arc. "No, it is something that made me happy."
Between those crooked lines, he seemed to see that man who always loved to ruffle his hair, proudly raising his eyebrows at him.
"How about it? As expected, your old man is amazing, right?"
Chapter 386: The Dust-Covered Diary
Chen Chang'an steadied his mind and continued flipping backward.
The following content was several diary entries.
Date: First day after transmigration.
Weather: Cloudy.
Damn, what the hell is this place?
Did I not die in a car accident? Why am I lying in deep mountains and old forests, with no phone signal?
The most crucial thing is—where is my son?
Last night I clearly promised to bring him the latest Transformer. Now I do not even know where I am. He is only five. If he finds me missing... damn, cannot think about it.
Must find a way back.
But this place is not right.
The trees here are ridiculously tall, trunks thick enough to live in. Yesterday I saw a rabbit, bigger than a Tibetan Mastiff, running with an earth-shaking rumble. If I had not dodged fast, I would have been trampled to death by it.
Today I wandered in the forest for half a day and found a stream. There were fish in the water, but those fish could spit fire. I was nearly roasted alive.
This is absolutely not a normal world.
At dusk, I suddenly heard movement in the distance. I quietly crept over to look.
Two people were fighting in the sky.
Yes, literally fighting in the sky. One was stepping on a flying sword, one was riding a gourd, hands forming seals and chanting spells, fighting until heaven and earth went dark.
I hid behind a rock, not daring to breathe.
As they fought, the one riding the gourd suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and fell from the sky. The one stepping on the flying sword was about to laugh when his own chest exploded with a bloody hole. Both fell to the ground and stopped moving.
I waited half an hour, confirmed they were dead, and only then dared to go over.
I got a windfall.
Flying sword, gourd, storage bag, and several bottles of pills. Though I do not know what they are, they are better than bare hands.
The one riding the gourd died with eyes wide open, muttering something like "Peak Profound Mysteries Realm... unwilling..." Unfortunately I did not understand.
Now the problem is how to survive, and what about my son?
If I cannot go back...
No, I can definitely go back.
Tomorrow I will continue exploring. At least first I must figure out what world this is.
Good thing I have paper and pen in my shoulder bag. I will record things first.
Date: Third day after transmigration, probably.
Weather: Sunny.
Damn, I think I really cannot go back.
Yesterday I messed with the storage bag and could not open it no matter what. That thing looks like a rag bag, but I could not tear it open no matter what. So angry I smashed it with a rock. I accidentally scratched my finger and blood dripped on it.
Whoosh.
The bag opened itself.
Inside were several sparkling stones. These should be the legendary spirit stones. There was also a small dagger and an old worn book with "Profound Mysticism Technique" written on the cover.
I flipped a few pages. It was all archaic text, like "qi sinking to dantian" and "circulating through the meridians." It made my head spin. But idle is idle, so I tried what it said, sat cross-legged and tried.
And I actually really felt heat in my belly.
Though weak like a lighter flame, it is definitely there. What the hell... I have cultivated internal energy?
And I was about to starve, front chest sticking to back, but I actually felt the hunger lessen significantly. At least it is not so unbearable.
This world can really cultivate immortality.
I practiced a whole day. That heat flow became more and more obvious, and can even move around my body following my thoughts. According to the book, this should be "drawing qi into the body."
Am I a cultivator now?
Pity my son cannot see it.
But good news. Today I finally walked out of that damn forest and found a small village. The villagers wear coarse cloth and hemp clothes. The houses are all wood-built. There are not even electric lights.
I asked where this is. They said this is Great Li Kingdom, Qingzhou territory.
Great Li Kingdom? Is there this country on Earth?
I tentatively asked if they knew China or America. As a result, everyone looked blank.
Done for. It really is not Earth.
I asked again, "Do you have immortals here?"
They looked at each other. Finally an old man said, thirty li north, there is Mystic Mist Mountain. The mountain is covered in fog all year round. He heard there is an immortal gate inside.
An immortal gate. Maybe they can send me back.
I used my remaining coins and keychains and exchanged with the villagers for some dry food and silver fragments. Although they did not know what coins were, they thought they looked shiny and pretty, and reluctantly agreed to trade.
Tomorrow I am going to Mystic Mist Mountain.
Date: Fifth day after transmigration, probably.
Weather: The fog is too damn thick.
Done for. I am lost.
This Mystic Mist Mountain ghost place is really not for humans. I entered the mountain half a day ago. The fog is so thick I cannot even see my feet.
I wandered in the mountain for two days. I cannot go up, I cannot go down, and the dry food is almost finished. If this continues, I will probably starve to death on this broken mountain.
Just when I was squatting on a rock cursing, I suddenly saw someone lying in the grass ahead.
It was a woman.
She was wearing white clothes and was quite pretty, but her face was pale and there was blood at the corner of her mouth. It looked like she had fainted.
I hesitated for half a day. Finally I still carried her on my back. I cannot just see someone die and not save them, right?
I found a cave and laid her flat. Afraid of beasts at night, I huff-huff carried a pile of branches and blocked the cave entrance tight. I also took out the lighter and lit a bonfire.
The lighter is running out of gas. I need to save it.
Idle and bored, I squatted by the fire smoking. While smoking I wondered, if this woman wakes up, will she slap me to death?
Just thinking this, a light hum came from behind.
She woke up.
I quickly put out the cigarette and raised both hands. "Miss, do not get excited. I was just passing by. I saw you fainted there and conveniently carried you here."
She stared at me coldly, her gaze like knives.
My back was drenched in cold sweat. I thought, done for, people in the cultivation world do not have good tempers.
But she only asked a few questions. After confirming I had no malicious intent, she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes to circulate her energy. It looked like she was healing her injuries.
She is quite reasonable.
Not bad. Fortunately, the women in this world do not have an innate ability to love people.
I breathed a sigh of relief and squatted by the fire to continue smoking.
After a while, she suddenly spoke. "What is that in your hand?"
I froze and raised the cigarette. "This? A cigarette."
She frowned. "Cigarette? What is it for?"
I replied, "Refreshing."
Her eyes brightened. "Can you share some?"
What?
This beauty wants to smoke?
I reluctantly handed one over and lit it for her.
She learned from my appearance and took a breath.
The next second, her brows twisted into knots. She coughed violently and pointed at me angrily. "You poisoned me?"
I was silent.
I silently raised the cigarette in my own hand. "Look, I am smoking it too."
She got angrier. "Then why are you poisoning yourself?"
I was stunned.
That is a good question.
Chen Chang'an closed the diary. The corner of his mouth could not help rising slightly.
He had not expected his father to be quite lively.
He rubbed the cover of the diary, his brow slightly furrowed. However, there is nothing after this. It is impossible that he only wrote three entries and stopped, right?
Suddenly a flash of inspiration struck. Chen Chang'an turned and asked, "Hongli, besides the Destiny Mirror of the Temporal Wheel, what other book-type immortal artifacts are there in the cultivation world?"
Ji Hongli thought briefly and said softly, "The Grand Void Heavenly Book, the Jade Capital Precious Register, and the Jade Register of the Nine Heavens are all famously known book-type immortal artifacts."
"Which ones are in the lower realm?" Chen Chang'an pressed.
"The Jade Capital Precious Register is said to have fallen to the lower realm for many years. The Jade Register of the Nine Heavens also had rumors of appearing in the Southern Border." Ji Hongli paused and answered.
Chen Chang'an nodded. His gaze fell back on the diary in his hand. He probably needs to search more for book-type immortal artifacts. According to this person's personality, he could not have scattered the diary into various immortal artifacts, could he?
The more Chen Chang'an thought, the more likely it seemed.
Chen Chang'an gently closed the diary. The corner of his mouth held a meaningful smile. "Hongli, I know who the Holy Lord is."
Ji Hongli's hand that was pouring tea for him paused slightly. She raised her eyes and asked, "Who?"
"Our dad." Chen Chang'an's tone was light, but his eyes flashed with complex light.
"Our... dad?" Ji Hongli was stunned for a moment. The teapot in her hand nearly tilted.
Chen Chang'an's smile deepened. "Yes, perhaps a more common way to say it is my father and your father-in-law."
Ji Hongli's small face immediately flushed red.
She had wandered the mortal world for many years and naturally understood the meaning in these words.
The tea cup in her hand gently shook. The tea water rippled slightly in the cup.
"Then... the contents of the book..." Her voice gradually lowered, and her gaze unconsciously drifted toward that ancient diary.
"My dad's diary." Chen Chang'an shook the book in his hand. His eyes carried a teasing smile. "Want to read?"
Ji Hongli lightly bit her lower lip. Suddenly she placed the tea cup heavily on the table, turned and left.
Her plain white sleeve brought up a gust of fragrant wind, yet her footsteps paused at the door. Without turning back, she gave a light hum.
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