Chapter 139: A Paradise Beyond the World

The azure sky was as clean as if it had been washed, devoid of a single impurity, resembling a vast, flawless sapphire.

This was the outskirts of the Luoyan Mountain Range, less than fifty miles from the City of Heaven-Veiling. Ye Feng walked alone, his body devoid of any spiritual fluctuation, much like a wandering ascetic.

Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, a sense of boundless nature prevailed. Along the roadside, various flowers and lush vegetation adorned the land, making it beautiful and full of vitality. A small, turquoise river wound through the fragrant meadows like a ribbon of jade, its waters gurgling as they flowed through this sanctuary of blooming flowers.

As he walked, a trance took hold of Ye Feng. In a daze, he seemed to see the figure that haunted his dreams and tugged at his soul.

Beside the clear river, where willow catkins drifted like snow, she danced lightly. Slowly, a tear rolled down his cheek. Ye Feng’s heart was filled with hesitation, helplessness, and a myriad of negative emotions; even this natural serenity could not calm the panic within him.

He had strived to cultivate, not to stand at the pinnacle of the world. On the contrary, he sought that height only to protect those he cared about.

But… his mother was dead, his father had left…

And now, even the person he loved most in his heart had met with sudden disaster, her fate unknown.

Tears blurred his vision as Ye Feng walked forward, step by step. In this moment, he no longer restrained his emotions, wailing aloud like a child who had lost his way home. His helpless sobbing was like a mournful song, enough to break the heart of any listener.

At this moment, Ye Feng was no longer the leader of the younger generation in the capital, nor the head of the Heavenly King Alliance. He was merely a young man who had lost his beloved, a heartbroken, ordinary boy.

Three days had passed since he parted ways with Xiao Chong and the others. During these three days, everywhere Ye Feng traveled, people were discussing the great battle in the imperial capital. Opinions on the events of that night were divided; though the Holy Lands were powerful, they could not silence the voices of the masses.

The Holy Lands had undoubtedly lost face. With three Red-Robed Deacons killed, their losses were heavy and their humiliation complete.

The strength of the Ye family was evident to all. Despite having been in decline for decades, they were a force that every major power had to treat with caution. Aside from the Holy Lands, almost no other clan could contend with them.

In particular, the way Ye Feng had slaughtered his enemies in the end had caused a massive uproar. Many predicted that great chaos was bound to follow soon.

Flowers blossomed in profusion, the grass gave off a fresh scent, and the air was filled with the aroma of earth, making the scene feel even more vivid and real.

Before a village in the distance, an old man stood quietly, watching the helpless figure approaching from afar.

With eyes brimming with hot tears, Ye Feng gazed ahead and saw the mysterious elder as well. He took a step forward, but the next instant, the old man vanished. Even the houses behind him and the entire village disappeared without a trace.

At first, Ye Feng paid it little mind, continuing to walk forward in a daze.

Half a day later, Ye Feng arrived at a beautiful plain of flowers. He did not know where he was; in his memory, there was no such place on the road to the Luoyan Mountain Range.

In the endless sea of flowers, exotic plants of every color imbued the land with spiritual energy. Many small animals, unafraid of humans, curiously examined Ye Feng; snow-white jade rabbits and colorful little deer ran circles around him.

The spiritual energy was thick, rising like a thin mist that shimmered with the brilliance of a colorful sunset under the sunlight.

"What place is this?" Ye Feng was filled with doubt. It truly felt like a paradise detached from the world, free of secular dust. Even the animals were fearless, which was truly astonishing.

After sensing his surroundings carefully, Ye Feng realized this was no ordinary location; it possessed an intoxicating, mysterious power. He quickly circulated his spiritual energy, attempting to see through everything around him.

His eyes glowed with a purple-gold light, the Purple-Gold Pupils capable of piercing all illusions. But… to Ye Feng’s disappointment, the mountains remained mountains and the water remained water; there was nothing amiss.

"This is not a simple place. At the very least, I have never heard of it before. It is better to leave," Ye Feng muttered to himself. He chose a direction and began to walk briskly.

Yet, after walking for over an hour, he discovered he had returned to his starting point. The small animals were still leisurely drinking water by the stream, showing not the slightest alarm at his return.

"What kind of place have I stumbled into?" Ye Feng frowned.

Calming himself, Ye Feng sat cross-legged and focused his mind to sense everything around him.

The moment Ye Feng closed his eyes, the scenery around him slowly shifted. Cottages appeared on the previously empty grass, and playful children gathered together to play. Further away, smoke curled from several chimneys as if someone were cooking.

When Ye Feng opened his eyes again, this was the scene he beheld—it truly was like a paradise on earth.

In the small village, a little girl skipped over to a cottage and called out mischievously, "Grandpa, I’m home!"

"Xiao Yu is back. Come, help Grandpa welcome our guest." The old man who had been gazing at Ye Feng earlier pushed open the wooden door and stepped out.

The old man smiled kindly as he led Xiao Yu toward Ye Feng, looking incredibly gentle and benevolent.

"Has something unhappy happened to you, young man?" Reaching Ye Feng’s side, the elder reached out a rough hand and patted Ye Feng’s head quite naturally.

"I am just very lost, not knowing what I should do," Ye Feng replied.

The old man chuckled and said, "Experiencing setbacks is not terrifying; the key is how you view them. Those with outstanding talent, if they have never failed, may remain merely ‘outstanding’ their entire lives. A person’s life requires constant tempering; only after walking through wind and rain will one understand the true meaning of it all. Sometimes, you think you have reached a dead end, but as you keep walking, you will find that there is still a path ahead. Some people, whom you think you have truly missed, may meet you again when you least expect it."

Upon hearing this, Ye Feng shuddered, looking at the elder in astonishment. Only then did he realize that the person before him was by no means an ordinary old man.

"Please, Senior, help me." Judging solely by the elder’s brief words, Ye Feng could guess that the man before him was no simple figure. He might have had a brilliant past and only lived in seclusion here due to a detached temperament.

"Meeting is fate, young man. Come inside and have a cup of tea." The old man remained smiling, the wrinkles on his face bunching together.

As he followed the elder into the village, what Ye Feng saw along the way left him completely stunned. Within a short distance of a few hundred meters, he saw over a dozen seemingly ordinary elders.

Some sat under an old willow tree, playing chess quietly, while others gathered in small groups, sipping tea and chatting. At a glance, they looked exactly like ordinary old men.