"Down below, how is that old woman doing?"
"Old woman?" The demonic flood dragon was taken aback.
The old man smiled. "Your Hall Master, that is, old woman Jialuo."
Upon hearing this, the demonic flood dragon immediately widened its eyes, staring at the old man in shock, filled with suspicion and consideration.
It had to be known that the Jialuo the old man spoke of was an extraordinary existence within the Primordial Lake, lofty and exalted, revered by all living beings of the Primordial Lake. Yet, he actually playfully called her an old woman.
Such an address made its entire body tremble violently three times, nearly scaring it out of its wits. If this were to spread back to the Primordial Lake, it would cause an unprecedented great commotion.
But upon seeing the Golden Little Divine Dragon raise its chubby little dragon fist, the demonic flood dragon immediately became solemn and said, "The Hall Master is now in seclusion all day long, basically only emerging once every hundred years. However, I've heard from others that the Hall Master seems to have suffered severe injuries and finds it difficult to appear in the world frequently."
The old man let out an "oh," feeling somewhat melancholy, and nodded. "I didn't expect that after so long, her injuries still haven't recovered. It must have been hard on her. But that battle back then..."
He paused, his tone somewhat complex, then changed the subject. "What does she usually say when she's not in seclusion?"
"The Hall Master rarely speaks. More often than not, she is taciturn, or else she is issuing decree edicts." The demonic flood dragon thought for a moment and said, "Occasionally, I've heard the Hall Master muttering to herself, as if she was cursing someone."
"Cursing what?" the old man pressed.
The demonic flood dragon shook its head. "I didn't dare listen to the Hall Master say too much. I only heard some words, as if she was cursing a heartless, unrighteous old fellow who did something that wronged her back then. Once her injuries are fully recovered, she's going to slaughter that damned, thousand-cursed old fellow."
As it said this, it suddenly had an inkling. It looked at the old man fishing before it and widened its eyes. Could it be that the old fellow the Hall Master spoke of was...
"Some things you shouldn't think about, don't think too much. Go back. When you return below, don't speak carelessly, or you'll be in great trouble, understand?" the old man said.
The demonic flood dragon knew the seriousness and hurriedly nodded.
The old man grabbed the demonic flood dragon and threw it down into the Primordial Lake, letting it leave.
The demonic flood dragon circled twice above the Primordial Lake, then let out a long roar, transforming into a thousand-zhang giant flood dragon before plunging into the Primordial Lake, disappearing from sight.
The Golden Little Divine Dragon stared with its big golden eyes and said crisply, "Old man, why don't you go down and find that old woman? Don't you think about her all the time?"
The old man patted the Golden Little Divine Dragon's head and stroked Yiyi's little head. "Some things, you won't understand now."
"What's there not to understand? Isn't it just that you, old man, loved and then abandoned her?" the two little beasts muttered.
The old man chuckled softly, neither denying nor admitting it. He just suddenly said, "Soon, she will come out. Even if I don't go find her, she will come find me."
The others were somewhat bewildered. The two little beasts widened their eyes, completely at a loss.
But whether it was Ye Chen, the Goddess, or Yi Wu, they all immediately sensed something. They glanced at each other and understood.
Was it the moment when the Heaven and Earth Chess Game truly began?
Were both the old man and the mysterious Hall Master Jialuo within the Primordial Lake among the controllers of the chess game?
The old man had the old servant come forward, bringing eight divine fruits. Each one was an absolutely genuine treasure rarely seen in the world, flowing with misty divine radiance and containing vigorous vitality, not inferior to Ten-Thousand-Year Medicine Treasures. He gave them to the two little beasts.
There was also a bundle wrapped around many high-quality Heaven and Earth Treasures and spirit fruits, all for the two little beasts.
Then he patted the two little beasts' heads and said softly, "Alright, you should also go back now. Follow the people you should follow and leave."
Moreover, radiance bloomed in his palm, and a small, exquisite, ancient jade plaque appeared, possessing a special Dao Rhyme. It was very precious, but he just split it into two halves and hung them around Yiyi's and the Golden Little Divine Dragon's necks respectively. "With this jade plaque, if you encounter any trouble in the future, infuse it with divine radiance. I believe the other old fellows in the Ancient Emperor Realm who see it will give me, this old man, some face. Even the imperial clans would not dare harm you."
Even if Yiyi and the Golden Little Divine Dragon were foolish, they understood now. The old man was sending them away. Instantly, mist appeared in their big eyes, and they were on the verge of tears. "Old man..."
After all, they had spent a full dozen years together. During this time, they had also received all kinds of care from the old man. Now that they were suddenly about to part, naturally, there was reluctance.
For the two little beasts, the old man was like a grandfather.
The old man said, "Don't cry. We will meet again soon."
"Really?" The two little beasts were both surprised and delighted.
"It's true." The old man smiled, then personally saw his guests off, leading Ye Chen and the others to the exit of the peaceful heaven and earth. On the other side was the terrifying great killing ground, the vast Divine Battlefield, with countless remnants of Heavenly King-level Great Dao laws flying about.
They saw the old man point out a beam of divine radiance, which then shot up into the sky, transforming into a divine radiance channel. All killing intent was avoided. He said, "Young friends, as long as you follow this divine radiance channel, you can safely leave this Divine Battlefield and return to the outside world."
"Many thanks, Senior." Ye Chen cupped his fists and bowed in thanks. After a pause, he suddenly said, "Senior, may I ask your esteemed name?"
Such a lofty figure was definitely not a nobody.
The old man chuckled. "The name of the past has long been forgotten. You can call this old man the Nameless Old Man."
Nameless Old Man?
Ye Chen's gaze, however, sharpened slightly. He thought of something and looked thoughtfully at the Nameless Old Man before cupping his fists. "In that case, I won't disturb Senior Nameless from your fishing. This junior will now take my wife, Yiyi, and the Little Divine Dragon and leave. Thank you for always taking care of Yiyi and the Little Divine Dragon."
The group stepped onto the divine radiance channel and instantly sped far away. The peaceful heaven and earth vanished, everything disappeared.
Ye Chen looked back at this Divine Battlefield, even seeing those thousands upon thousands of ancient underworld soldiers, standing in neat formation, still stationed on the Divine Battlefield, their killing intent soaring to the heavens as if preparing to attack.
His gaze was very profound, thoughtful.
Within the peaceful heaven and earth, the Nameless Old Man watched the figures of the group instantly speeding away, especially lingering on Ye Chen. He sighed softly. "Truly a fearsome junior. To have reached this step relying on oneself—Peerless Tenth Heaven. Even in the Mythical Era, not many could reach that stage."
"He is the number one of this epoch, reaching this step by his own efforts. Moreover, he possesses the Battle Sacred Body, the inheritor of that great existence's lineage. Very powerful, very heaven-defying. Perhaps in the future, he truly has hope of becoming a Great Emperor."
"Hmm, his perception is also very sharp. Perhaps he might have sensed some of this old man's secrets."
"Those law remnants, I'll give them to you."
Then he looked towards the outside world, piercing through the layers of leaden clouds, gazing at the infinite starry sky. He suddenly said, "The heavens are about to undergo an anomaly. The layout of eternity, the annihilation of the Age of Gods, everything will ultimately appear."
"They, those people, will also appear?"