Ye Guan returned directly to his courtyard, showing little interest in the so-called Nine Continents Cauldron.

A treasure?

Thus far, he had never seen anything more impressive than the tiny pagoda or the Qingxuan Sword. As for any other divine artifacts, he had no interest in them at all. Plus, the Daoist and monk were clearly not good people, so there was no need for him to join them.

In the dead of night, while Ye Guan was deep in sleep, he was suddenly jolted awake by a loud explosion. He quickly sat up and rushed outside.

Looking up, he saw a streak of light in the sky.

Two figures were faintly visible within the streak of light.

Ye Guan stared at the distant sky and asked,

"Master Pagoda, can you see it?"

Little Pagoda replied,

"It's Daoist Zhang and the monk."

Just as Ye Guan was about to speak, a terrifying aura erupted from the light.

Boom!

The light shattered, and the two figures were sent flying away by the impact.

Swoosh!

A beam of light shot down from the sky and flew toward Ye Guan at incredible speeds.

Ye Guan's face changed. He turned around and ran out of the courtyard.

As soon as he stepped outside, the beam of light landed firmly in front of him.

It was a large cauldron!

The cauldron was about two meters tall, and it seemed to be made of solid bronze. It had an oval shape with smooth, flowing lines, and its surface was a deep green, covered in intricate patterns.

There were ancient inscriptions visible among the patterns.

The rim of the cauldron was circular and smooth; the two handles on each side were adorned with fierce-looking demonic beasts. The beasts exuded a powerful and intimidating aura.

A strange black-red flame burned brightly within the cauldron.

Although Ye Guan had never seen the Nine Continents Cauldron before, he knew that this was definitely the artifact Daoist Zhang and the monk had been searching for.

But how come it's here?

Ye Guan immediately thought of running away.

First of all, he had no interest in this artifact. Secondly, he knew his current strength, and obtaining this artifact would only lead to him being hunted down.

As soon as he started running away, the Nine Continents Cauldron followed him.

Ye Guan was speechless. He stopped, and the Nine Continents Cauldron stopped as well.

He looked at the cauldron and asked, "Why are you following me?"

The Nine Continents Cauldron remained silent.

Ye Guan took a few steps back, and the cauldron immediately floated forward.

After a brief silence, Ye Guan decided to collect the Nine Continents Cauldron.

If the Heavens offer you something and you do not accept it, you will bring misfortune upon yourself.

[1] Ye Guan thought.

Afterward, he returned to his room and went back to bed.

Just as dawn broke, Ye Guan was awakened by a knock on the door.

He got up and opened it to find Daoist Zhang standing there.

Ye Guan rubbed his eyes. "Senior?"

Daoist Zhang smiled and asked, "Just woke up?"

Ye Guan nodded.

Daoist Zhang was about to speak when Ye Guan suddenly asked, "Senior, I heard a loud explosion. Did you do it?"

"Yes."

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Did you get the Nine Continents Cauldron?"

Daoist Zhang cast a thoughtful look at Ye Guan but said nothing.

Ye Guan furrowed his brow. "You didn't get it?"

"Did anything unusual happen last night?"

"Anything unusual?"

"Yes."

Ye Guan thought for a moment, and then he replied, "I heard an explosion last night, but that was it."

Daoist Zhang frowned slightly.

Just then, footsteps approached the door, and the monk entered the house. As soon as he stepped in, his divine sense engulfed Ye Guan, making him feel completely exposed.

However, the monk couldn't sense the tiny pagoda hidden within Ye Guan.

The monk glared at Ye Guan with suspicion, clearly doubting him, as they had seen the Nine Continents Cauldron fly in the latter's direction last night.

Ye Guan remained calm but silently prepared for the tiny pagoda to act if necessary. He knew that the tiny pagoda wasn't reliable, but he had no choice but to place his hope in it.

Just then, another set of footsteps echoed outside.

The door opened, and a middle-aged man walked in—Pan Zhen.

Pan Zhen looked at Daoist Zhang and the monk in surprise. Obviously, they all knew each other.

Pan Zhen remarked, "I didn't expect to see both of you here."

Daoist Zhang also smiled. "Pan Zhen? What a coincidence."

Pan Zhen glanced at Ye Guan. "Are you here to see him?"

Daoist Zhang turned to Ye Guan. "Did he come to take you out?"

"Yes." Ye Guan nodded.

Daoist Zhang said no more.

Meanwhile, the monk's expression grew darker.

Pan Zhen smiled at Daoist Zhang and the monk. "Well, if you have time, come visit us in Panzhou."

With that, he led Ye Guan out of the room.

The monk suddenly said, "The Nine Continents Cauldron must be with him."

Daoist Zhang nodded.

"Are we just letting him go?"

Daoist Zhang sighed softly. "Monk, you practice the Buddhist path of karma, so do you really not see it? That kid is no ordinary person."

The monk fell silent.

Daoist Zhang continued, "I calculated his fate. His fate is incredibly strong—harder than a tortoise shell. We won't be able to kill him."

The monk gave him a skeptical look. "Are you sure your calculations are accurate?"

Daoist Zhang chuckled. "When it comes to fate, my calculations are always accurate. The future is uncertain, but fate is certain. His fate is as clear as day."

The monk sighed deeply. "I guess we're simply not fated to it."

Daoist Zhang nodded. "The Nine Continents Cauldron has a consciousness of its own. Clearly, neither of us is its chosen one. But this trip hasn't been without any gains. Let's go, haha..."

With that, Daoist Zhang turned and walked away.

Though the monk was unwilling, he couldn't do anything about it. He knew Daoist Zhang was no ordinary person. If even Daoist Zhang couldn't act against him, he wasn't going to push his luck.

Outside, Pan Zhen led Ye Guan out of the town.

On the way, he glanced at Ye Guan and asked, "Do you know those two?"

Ye Guan replied, "I do, but not very well."

Pan Zhen nodded slightly. "Be cautious around them. They're not from the Nine Continents; they're from another civilization."

"Anyway, from now on, stick with me. Got it?" said Pan ZHen.

Ye Guan quickly nodded. "Got it."

Pan Zhen led Ye Guan to the town's entrance, where an elder and a young man were waiting for them. The young man, around seventeen or eighteen, wore a simple cloth shirt and looked a bit nervous.

Pan Zhen addressed the elder. "Elder Ku, take them and leave. I still have some matters to deal with."

Elder Ku nodded. "Understood."

He turned to Ye Guan and the young man. "Follow me."

The young man approached Ye Guan and said, "My name is Lin Li. What's yours?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Ye Guan."

Lin Li beamed. "I thought I was the only one. It's good to have someone else with me. We'll be companions from now on."

Ye Guan glanced at him. Although Lin Li seemed a bit nervous, he was more excited. It was clear he was eager to leave.

It was normal. Those young often wanted to see the world outside.

Lin Li suddenly exclaimed, "I heard that once we leave, we can cultivate, fly, and even live forever!"

"Did he say that to you?"

"Yes, Brother Ye, he wasn't lying, was he?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Flying is easy enough, but living forever? That might be a bit tough."

Lin Li grinned. "It's fine; I mainly want to fly."

When they reached an intersection, the road ahead seemed to lead to nothingness. Elder Ku stepped forward and took out a token. The token trembled and transformed into a streak of flame that disappeared into thin air.

Moments later, a trail appeared before them.

"Let's go!" Elder Ku called, and they stepped onto the path.

After about fifteen minutes, a white light appeared ahead. Once they passed through it, Ye Guan was struck by a wave of dizziness. After a while, he recovered, and they found themselves standing in a mountainous area.

Ye Guan looked back, but the nothingness remained.

Lin Li was excited. "Did we make it out?"

Elder Ku smiled. "Yes, from now on, you're part of Panzhou. I'll take you there now."

With a wave of his sleeve, Ye Guan and Lin Li were lifted into the air, and in the blink of an eye, they found themselves in the starry sky.

Lin Li turned pale, clearly terrified.

Seeing Lin Li's reaction, Elder Ku chuckled. Then, he noticed Ye Guan's response.

Ye Guan was calm, and the sight puzzled him.

Lin Li looked around, thrilled. "Wow! Are we really in space?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Yes."

Lin Li turned to him. "Brother Ye, aren't you scared?"

Ye Guan answered seriously. "Very scared."

Lin Li was speechless.

Elder Ku glanced at Ye Guan. "Let's go!"

With that, he led them deeper into the starry skies.

As they traveled, Little Pagoda said,

"You need to be more low-key. Maybe try to act a little less noticeable."

Ye Guan chuckled and responded,

"Don't worry, my sister said she's doing great here, and she's got our back. Even if we can't walk all over the place, no one will dare to mess with us. Haha!"

1. Comes from the Chinese Philosophy of Change book. ☜