Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 998: Outsider Secret Realms

...

That voice...

Zhang Mengchu's entire body shook, his pupils contracting sharply.

It sounded too much alike!

Too much like the voice of their ancestor, Chen Huaian!

But the pressure emanating from it was clearly very different from the ancestor's, even carrying a hint of the Heavenly Dao's lofty disdain. How could it possibly be the ancestor?

Wasn't the ancestor in the outer realms?

Could it be an Immortal from the Upper Realm mimicking the ancestor's voice, trying to disrupt his focus?

He steadied his mind, steeled himself, and said, "You there, stop spouting nonsense! Our ancestor's divine abilities are vast and profound. Do you think you can imitate him? If you dare to impersonate him again, don't blame me for being rude!"

Zhang Mengchu's mind went blank.

He could still doubt Chen Huaian's voice, but with Li Qingran's voice appearing at the same time, what was there left to doubt?

Could this be... Li Qingran returning from her training in the miniature world?

Feeling the terrifying aura emanating from Li Qingran, Zhang Mengchu felt dizzy.

Too strong.

Was training in a miniature world really that effective?

Had it directly allowed Li Qingran to achieve a Feathered Transformation and ascend to immortality?

Little did he know that Li Qingran had not yet become an Immortal. Although she already possessed the capital to do so, after returning to the Cangyun Realm, all the spiritual energy she had cultivated there was now activated. At this moment, she only needed to merge the cultivation and Dao attainments from the Cangyun Realm with her Divine Spark from the Canglan Realm to immediately summon the Tribulation Bolts for ascension.

However, due to certain concerns, Chen Huaian had concealed the Heavenly secrets for Li Qingran, delaying the fusion of her cultivation from the two realms to avoid being locked onto by the Heavenly Dao of the Canglan Realm.

Just as Zhang Mengchu was stunned and uncertain.

The two beams of Sword Light simultaneously dissipated, revealing the figures within.

The man was dressed in white robes, with sword-like brows and starry eyes.

A faint golden circular pattern on his forehead flickered in and out of sight. The aura around him seemed ordinary, yet it commanded the very Spiritual Energy of the world to submit. It was Chen Huaian.

The young woman beside him was dressed in green robes, her features gentle and graceful, with a faint trace of Sword Qi swirling around her. It was Li Qingran.

The two stood quietly in the void, their robes fluttering in the wind, like a pair of divine, immortal lovers.

Zhang Mengchu's eyes widened as he stared blankly at the two, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

It was clear now!

Everything was clear!

That familiar face, that aura etched deep into his memory—who else could it be but the ancestor and the Sect Master?

The panic, wariness, and thoughts of fighting to the death from before vanished in an instant.

All that remained was a surging tide of excitement and joy.

The Moon Shadow Sect enshrined a Memorial Tablet for Chen Huaian.

For some unknown reason, one day that tablet shattered.

The tablet contained a sliver of the living person's soul imprint. A shattered tablet meant the soul imprint was erased, heralding the Dao's destruction and the death of the person it represented.

In the immediate aftermath of the tablet's shattering, the Elders within the sect used every means possible to contact Chen Huaian. They tried everything, but received not a single response.

They didn't dare tell the younger disciples in the sect about this.

The ancestor's Memorial Tablet shattering was a major event, one that could drive many disciples to Dao Deviation.

Furthermore, they absolutely refused to believe that the powerful ancestor could suddenly die.

No matter what, they wanted to see the person alive, or the corpse dead.

There was another theory—if the living person corresponding to the tablet suddenly crossed realms to another world, the tablet could also shatter.

This was the last shred of hope supporting the Elders.

Now, with Chen Huaian and Li Qingran appearing together, the heavy stone in Zhang Mengchu's heart was finally completely removed.

Everything made sense!

Hadn't the ancestor's tablet shattered precisely because he had gone to the Canglan Realm?

It was also logical for the ancestor to go and bring the Sect Master back, wasn't it?

Although they hadn't spent much time together, whether it was him or the Elders and disciples in the sect, they had all long since regarded Chen Huaian and Li Qingran as family.

Over the years, they had guarded the sect in the Cangyun Realm, waiting day and night for their return.

Now, the people they had longed for day and night were truly before their eyes. A thousand words were stuck in their throats, ultimately transforming into two streams of hot tears.

Seeing him like this, a hint of amusement flashed in Chen Huaian's eyes. He deliberately put on a stern face and said in a low voice, "Zhang Mengchu, tell me, who is this Venerable One?"

"Ancestor... Ancestor!" Zhang Mengchu could no longer hold back. Tears streamed from his eyes. "Sect Master! You... you've finally returned!"

His voice trembled with emotion. He swiftly dismounted from his sword and bowed deeply to the two.

Tears slid down his cheeks, falling into the sea of clouds below.

"I thought I'd never see you again!"

Chen Huaian raised a hand, making a gesture of empty support. "Get up. How old are you now, still crying like this?"

Li Qingran also said in a warm voice, "Elder Zhang, we've caused you to worry."

Only then did Zhang Mengchu wipe away his tears and stand up. Looking at the two, his face was a mixture of tears and laughter, too excited to speak coherently:

"It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back! Hahaha!

The disciples have all been waiting for you!

Quick, come back to the sect with me! I'll go notify the Elders at once!"

...

The ancestor's return to the sect was naturally a cause for great celebration, with lanterns hung and banners raised.

Most importantly, the heavy burden weighing on the hearts of all the Elders was finally lifted.

Although they normally cultivated as usual and joked around with the disciples, when they were alone, there was always a knot in their hearts.

They were constantly afraid that one day, bad news would come, that someone would find the ancestor's corpse or something...

Each of them had lived for tens of thousands of years. They knew that seeing was believing, hearing was not, and that cultivators at the Tribulation Transcendence stage were not so easy to kill.

Now, they could finally relax.

In accordance with the wishes of the Elders and disciples, Chen Huaian casually held a welcoming banquet.

After the feast, he waved his hand to dismiss the boisterous disciples, summoned Su Qinian, Zhang Mengchu, and other Core Elders, and headed straight for the sect's main council hall.

The atmosphere in the council hall was solemn, with the Elders sitting upright and proper.

Chen Huaian had just taken his seat when his gaze swept to a corner where Elder Wang was chewing on something, going "crunch, crunch," his cheeks puffed out, looking thoroughly engrossed.

"Elder Wang, what are you chewing on?" Chen Huaian raised an eyebrow and asked.

Elder Wang was startled. He quickly swallowed what was in his mouth, cupped his hands, and replied:

"Reporting to the ancestor, this is something called 'chewing gum' brought back by that girl, Yue Qianchi. She said it's a curious item from the Outsider Secret Realms, and chewing it makes your breath fresh.

She also told me to read the instructions. But I turned the little square packet over and over and couldn't find a single word on it, so I just kept eating. I figured I just wasn't doing it right."

"Oh?" Chen Huaian's interest was piqued. "Let this Venerable One have a look."

Elder Wang quickly pulled a small packet out of his Storage Pouch and handed it over.

The packaging was square-shaped, looking immediately out of place.

Chen Huaian pinched one corner, saw the thin, small umbrella-like shape inside, and the words "Okamoto" clearly printed on the packaging. The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

Well, damn, some 'chewing gum'...

But in a certain sense, the raw materials for these two things did share some similarities.

It was just that their respective uses were... quite different.

He barely suppressed his laughter and pointed at Elder Wang's Storage Pouch. "What about the box? This thing should have an outer packaging box."

Elder Wang was stunned for a moment, then pulled out a cool-looking small blue box.

Chen Huaian took it, opened the lid, and pointed to the dense, tiny text on the back. "The instructions are here."

Elder Wang leaned in, squinting his old eyes to read line by line.

At first, his expression was calm, but the more he read, the more his brow furrowed. His face shifted from confusion to a deep flush, until even the tips of his ears were burning red. A fine sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead.

The surrounding Elders, seeing this, asked curiously, "Old Wang, what's wrong? What does the instruction manual say?"

But Elder Wang couldn't utter a single word.

"Ugh!" He gagged, feeling as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat. His face turned purple from the strain.

He then began frantically clawing at his own throat, desperate to vomit up all the 'chewing gum' he had just swallowed.

Seeing his embarrassed state, Chen Huaian couldn't help it anymore and let out a low laugh.

This laugh broke the awkwardness in the council hall, but left the other Elders even more confused.

"Where did all these things come from?" Chen Huaian, having suppressed his smile, asked in a deep voice.

Zhang Mengchu quickly stepped forward to report. "Reporting to the ancestor, the disciples brought these back from the recently appeared Outsider Secret Realms."

"Outsider Secret Realms?" Chen Huaian raised an eyebrow slightly. "Tell me in detail."

"Yes." Zhang Mengchu nodded and began to speak slowly. "These realms appeared suddenly about a year ago. At first, they were only one-way passages. Only the Outsiders from the other side of the realm could come through.

Those people acted very strangely, snatching anything they saw, like they'd never seen the world before. They caused quite a bit of trouble.

Later, some disciples discovered by chance that cultivators from our Canglan Realm could also enter the secret realms. However, we are restricted by an invisible force to a specific area, unable to move freely. But we can interact and trade with the Outsiders within that area."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Now, these secret realms appear randomly throughout the Cangyun Realm. It's not just our Moon Shadow Sect; other sects have discovered many as well.

Everyone speculates that these secret realms connect to another world, so we have collectively named them 'Outsider Secret Realms.'"

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