Chapter 1818: Xuan and Lan Return

When Heavenly Emperor Jiang and the other Heavenly Emperors started to make preparations to bring Tantai Lan and Li Taixuan back, Li Luo returned to House Luolan's headquarters in the Xia Kingdom. His current situation was a little unique, and the process of retrieving his parents was time-consuming and complicated. Therefore, Heavenly Emperor Jiang had advised him to go home and rest. Li Luo understood this well and thus did not reject the idea. Li Jingzhe went with him.

For the following days, Li Luo remained within the headquarters and completely stopped cultivating. He rarely left home, occasionally catching up with Yu Lang and Xin Fu. However, more often than not, he would lie on a recliner, quietly observing the temples on the Acheronian Sun and Blood Moon in the sky.

Occasionally, the First Princess came over, silently watching over him from a distance as she was reminded of the times countless years ago when he was still a spirited and handsome youth. Unknowingly, decades had flown by. The youth was now a pinnacle being, his once youthful features now marred with fatigue and the marks of time. After all, the very existence of the divine continents now lay on his shoulders.

Time passed, and three out of the ten years were gone. The temporary peace had allowed many to forget the atrocities of war. The world was filled with celebration, though the First Princess knew that this was a method many people were using to keep their minds off reality. The Acheronian Sun and Blood Moon weren't unleashing their malevolent light on the world, but their mere existence high up in the sky meant that no one could ever truly forget.

The First Princess also knew that as each year passed, the final deadline loomed ever closer. At that point in time, those who had chosen to delude themselves in the heat of celebration would be the first to collapse mentally.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

What could they do at that point in time? The First Princess simply didn't know, and she was powerless to deal with such a calamity. She could only quietly accept what would happen as she didn't have the power to do anything else. The only one who could was perhaps the guy who was half-asleep on the recliner. In the end, she chose not to disturb him. She left after chatting with Cai Wei for a short while.

Li Luo was well aware that the First Princess was coming and going, but he never bothered to even look at her. His mind was focused inwards, on the changes happening to his body. Ever since he returned to House Luolan's headquarters, his resonances had continued to gradually dissipate.

At this point in time, he only had two resonances left—his water and Heavenly Dragon resonances, the ones he considered the most important. The water resonance was his very first resonance. When he was at his weakest point in his youth, he had relied on its recuperative powers to gradually recover from the damage wrought by refining an acquired resonance. The Heavenly Dragon resonance, on the other hand, was the main one that had accompanied him through countless battles.

The two resonances had remained strong to the very end after the loss of his Absolute Resonance Seed. It was as though they were doing their best to resist the dissipation. It seemed like they were doing their best to resist the outcome that Li Luo thought was inevitable.

This was because over the years, as his resonances disappeared one by one, he had come to a new understanding. Perhaps the loss of the Absolute Resonance Seed was not a bad thing. Only new life could be born from despair once all of them were gone. Thus, he had patiently awaited the day that he would find himself with zero resonances. However, the resilience of his water and Heavenly Dragon resonances was out of his expectations.

"Could it be that I'm unable to sever the last strands of attachment?" Li Luo mused to himself.

The two remaining resonances were special to him. Even though he had not intentionally sustained them, his body was binding them tightly, preventing them from dissipating as quickly as the rest. He opened his eyes, taking in the sight of the majestic temples on the Acheronian Sun and Blood Moon. Black and gold light flowed through them, as though Jiang Qing'e herself was staring back at him lovingly.

Jiang Qing'e had transformed her own body into temples to seal the Dark Sect Master and had won him these final ten years. What wouldn't Li Luo do for her? What wasn't he willing to give up? Resonances were important, but they were nothing compared to her.

Li Luo took a deep breath and said out loud, "Old friends, it's time to say goodbye."

As he spoke to himself, his state of mind transformed. A moment later, his body let out a low draconic roar, as though containing a deep unwillingness to leave. However, in the end, it gradually faded and his strength fell even more.

The Heavenly Dragon resonance had dissipated. With that, his water resonance also started to dim, as though it was a tiny creek evaporating under sunlight. Unfortunately, this resonance was tied very closely to his physical being and thus couldn't disappear just like that.

That said, the rate at which the tiny creek was now evaporating had sped up. Li Luo's heart was filled with complicated thoughts as he sighed. Severing his attachment to his strength and breaking free from his resonances truly required great perseverance and courage. One's resonances were directly connected to one's lifespan, so who would willingly part with them?

As Li Luo felt melancholic over the loss of his Heavenly Dragon resonance, the void before him rippled and turned into a mirror-like surface that projected Heavenly Emperor Jiang's face. "Heavenly Emperor Luo, the formation to bring back your parents has been completed."

Upon hearing those words, Li Luo's expression faltered and his calm eyes rippled with emotion. He lightly nodded, then he stood up from the recliner and strode into the void. The world around him changed as he travelled through the void, and he eventually arrived at a massive formation. Tens of Heavenly Emperors were standing in various positions, all nodding in acknowledgement upon noticing him.

"I've greatly troubled all of you," said Li Luo as he nodded back in appreciation.

Heavenly Emperor Jiang waved his hand. "You've already contributed greatly to the divine continents. How could we not help out?"

After which, he decisively bellowed, "Everyone, activate the formation!"

The Heavenly Emperors acknowledged the command, and vast amounts of Authority poured into the sky, activating the formation. Countless beams of divine light drilled through the layers of the void, reaching its depths, as though forming signal beacons.

As Li Luo observed the beams of divine light, his expression grew tense. He was worried about his parents. After all, even a Heavenly Emperor could easily be lost in the depths of the void, finding it hard to escape.

However, his nervousness did not last for long. This was because one of the guiding beacons displayed a response, transforming into a path made out of Authority, with countless mountains on it. Two people then strode across the mountains and seas, emerging from the void, entering Li Luo's field of vision.

Li Taixuan and Tantai Lan were holding hands as they descended from the path of divine light. The first thing they did when they set foot on the divine continents was look at their son, and their expressions changed.

Li Luo's long, grayish-white hair was tied up. Although his face was still youthful and handsome, it had clearly lost much of its original spiritedness. His aura had also turned dim and unstable. After only a few short years apart, Li Luo had almost become a completely different person.

Tantai Lan hurriedly walked forward, bringing him into her embrace. The lady who had always exuded a graceful and elegant air now had reddened eyes, caressing Li Luo's gaunt features with an aching heart. Although she didn't know what had happened, as a mother, she instantly knew that the only thing that could leave him so depressed was a monumental change in the situation.

"Son, no matter what happens, your father and I will always support you," said Tantai Lan, on the verge of tears.

Li Luo's heart thrummed with warmth as he lightly patted Tantai Lan's back. He softly replied, "Welcome back, Father and Mother."

Li Taixuan also stepped forward, his heavy palm patting Li Luo's back. He didn't see Jiang Qing'e nor sense her around. Adding on the fact that Li Luo seemed incredibly disheartened, his heart sank as well.

In the end, he asked the question in both his and Tantai Lan's minds, causing the latter to tremble slightly. "Little Luo, where is Qing'e?"