After so many years, Old Yan had finally appeared.
That long-unseen figure was so familiar, yet carried a trace of strangeness, suddenly appearing before his eyes.
"Old Yan."
Even with Ye Chen's typically calm disposition, he couldn't help but exclaim upon seeing Old Yan's sudden appearance, his voice filled with thick delight, his eyes even faintly glistening with moisture.
Back in the Starry Land within the Heavenly Pass, Old Yan had suddenly vanished, disappearing without a trace. Even later, when Ye Chen repeatedly probed that Ancient Ring—the Tai Sheng Huang Ancient Ring—he couldn't sense the slightest trace of Old Yan's existence.
It was only in the Dark Night Ancient City that this mysterious Tai Sheng Huang Ring had shown unusual activity. He had thought it would require many more experiences before he could finally find Old Yan. He never expected him to appear so suddenly before his eyes now.
So abrupt, yet so incredibly delightful, to the point that Ye Chen's state of mind was profoundly stirred.
However, a doubt arose in his heart: wasn't Old Yan's Ancient Ring currently in his true body's hand? How had Old Yan appeared here?
Moreover, the Old Yan before him was no longer so ethereal; he appeared very real, and the clothes he wore seemed incredibly ancient.
Hearing this, Old Yan turned to look at Ye Chen, suddenly frowning: "You know me? I'm not called Old Yan. Who are you?"
Ye Chen stared at Old Yan in shock. What did this mean? Had Old Yan lost his memory?
"I am Ye Chen. I bought your Ancient Ring in Luo Feng City, and then you emerged. Have you forgotten?" Ye Chen urgently pressed.
But Old Yan shook his head: "I don't know any Luo Feng City, nor any Ye Chen. I have always been in this Chaotic Sea. What are you talking about?"
Ye Chen was utterly astonished. What was going on? Could the person before him merely be someone who resembled Old Yan?
But that was impossible. Even their fundamental aura was identical. How could it be someone else?
His true body also looked at the Ancient Ring in his hand. Although it had been flickering with light ever since this person who resembled Old Yan appeared, that was all.
Ye Chen pressed further: "If you're not Old Yan, then who are you?"
"Who am I?"
Upon hearing the question, this old man who resembled Old Yan suddenly looked dazed, appearing quite confused, shaking his head and muttering to himself: "Who am I? Who am I, really..."
He kept questioning himself, his entire person in a state of bewilderment.
Ye Chen could naturally see that this person who resembled Old Yan was genuinely in a state of confusion, as if he had lost all his memories, lost himself.
This person who resembled Old Yan might not be the real Old Yan, but with such similarity in appearance and aura, Ye Chen knew that even if he wasn't, there must be a significant connection.
"Young man, you say I am Old Yan. Do you know me, then?"
Suddenly, the person who resembled Old Yan stood up, looking at Ye Chen, his eyes gleaming. He even grabbed Ye Chen's arms, gripping them so tightly it caused intense pain, actually shattering his arms, causing golden, brilliant essence to flow out.
This shocked Ye Chen. Although his Dao body was far inferior to his true body, it still surpassed a Saint weapon. Yet his arms had been shattered just like that. He was astounded by the immense strength of this person who resembled Old Yan, far beyond imagination.
Enduring the severe pain, Ye Chen quickly broke free from the grasp of the person who resembled Old Yan, shaking his head: "I don't know you, but I know another you."
"Don't know me, but know another me?"
The person who resembled Old Yan frowned, looking extremely confused: "Who is this other me?"
"The other you is called Old Yan. You look exactly like him, but you are not him," Ye Chen said.
"He is Old Yan. Then who am I?" the person who resembled Old Yan asked again.
"I don't know."
Instantly, both fell into silence, with nothing more to say to each other.
After a few breaths, Ye Chen took the initiative to ask: "Why are you in the Chaotic Sea?"
"I don't know. In my memory, I have always been in this Chaotic Sea."
"How many years have you been in the Chaotic Sea?"
"I don't know. It seems like six thousand years have passed, perhaps even more."
The reply from the person who resembled Old Yan shocked Ye Chen, making him increasingly certain that this person was definitely not Old Yan.
And he had existed for more than six thousand years? What kind of existence was this? At the very least, a Heavenly King.
"Besides the Chaotic Sea, have you never been anywhere else?" Ye Chen asked again.
"No," the person who resembled Old Yan replied. "I feel that in this Chaotic Sea, there seems to be a kind of intangible guidance. It's as if there is something here that can help me recover my memories. I have been searching for it all along."
"Have you found it?"
"No."
The words of the person who resembled Old Yan did not surprise Ye Chen. Although he very much wanted to ask what that thing was, now was not the time for such inquiries. Suppressing the myriad thoughts in his heart, he looked towards the black-bone ancient ship sailing in the distant horizon, remembering what the person who resembled Old Yan had said earlier. He asked, "Old sir, may I ask, does the Primordial Immortal Realm truly exist? And what is the deal with this so-called Ship That Slays Immortals?"
"The Primordial Immortal Realm does indeed exist. And this Ship That Slays Immortals has indeed slaughtered true immortals, for it is an invincible warship that attacked the Immortal Realm."
When this question was raised, the gaze of the person who resembled Old Yan instantly deepened many times over, no longer showing the slightest trace of confusion. With his opening words, he revealed a shocking secret.
Boom—
At the highest point of the heavens, it was as if Taboo Immortal Lightning that had resounded through the ages was roaring, a warning against speaking recklessly.
But the distant Ship That Slays Immortals, carrying with it an endless dark world, directly blocked everything, the Taboo Immortal Lightning being no exception.
Ye Chen was profoundly shaken. If anyone else had said this, it might have been different, but with the person who resembled Old Yan speaking personally and the Taboo Immortal Lightning resounding, Ye Chen had reason to believe.
It had to be said, this was an incredibly astonishing fact. The Primordial Immortal Realm, which the world considered fictional, truly existed.
Moreover, in ancient times, there had been such an invincible warship that attacked the Primordial Immortal Realm and had truly slaughtered invincible immortals. Their blood stained the ship's hull, bearing the words "Slay Immortals" that shone throughout the heavens.
"Immortals, invincible throughout the myriad universes, are not inferior to Emperors and Sovereigns," the person who resembled Old Yan spoke. "In ancient times, this Ship That Slays Immortals did indeed invade the Primordial Immortal Realm, but not through the power of a single individual. It was the combined force of an entire universe, launching a forceful, domineering attack. However, they paid the most grievous price."
Ye Chen knew the price: the devastation of that universe, the shattering of its myriad stars, the fall of countless living beings, blood staining the vast heavens, even a True Dragon dying in battle.
"Burying an entire universe... for what purpose did they attack the Primordial Immortal Realm?" Ye Chen sighed softly.
"To comprehend the Dao, to seek immortality, to achieve eternal immortality!" said the person who resembled Old Yan.