The moment they passed through the main gate, Zhang Fei immediately froze in place, and his eyes turned blank.

"Husband!" Luo Yunxiao, Qing Qiu’er, and Jia Yuyan shouted as they stood before Zhang Fei. "What happened to him? Why did he suddenly become like this?"

Qi Qingxiu immediately observed Zhang Fei’s face before speaking to them. "You guys don’t need to worry about him because there’s nothing wrong with him, and he seems to have seen something we can’t see here."

"I agree with you, Demon God Qingxiu." Tian Huangjin stood behind Zhang Fei, pressed her palm to his back, and tried to wake him up to no avail. "I can’t wake him up, so I think we shouldn’t go into the inner area yet, and we should wait for him to wake up first."

Tianshi Shengjie scanned the area around them. "What did Zhang Fei actually see in this place? Why was he the only one who could see it?"

"I think it has something to do with past civilizations in this place." Nalan Wangzi spoke, looking at the surrounding area. "This place is like a domain within a domain, and it’s almost the same size as my domain. Strangely, there are no other buildings apart from this monastery, which leads me to believe that the people who once lived here concentrated their population in this area."

Huang Xiaoyi turned to Luo Fenghan, who nodded to her. She immediately spoke to the others. "You guys have to wait here until our son-in-law wakes up, and we will go look for our ancestors in the inner area."

"Mother, but—"

"I’ll go with them." Qi Qingxiu walked beside Huang Xiaoyi and Luo Fenghan. "This place is indeed mysterious, but I’m sure there’s nothing dangerous here, so I’m sure we’ll be fine."

"Let’s go." After that, Qi Qingxiu, Huang Xiaoyi, and Luo Fenghan walked towards the first building right in front of the main gate.

Although the building was ruined, most of its walls still stood tall, and the shape was still visible, indicating that it was the first hall of the Ashen Lotus Monastery.

Luo Yunxiao released a soft sigh as she looked at Zhang Fei again. "Old fox, I know you can hear me; can you come out to meet us?"

*Swoosh*

Soon, Hu Tianlang’s benevolent soul emerged from Zhang Fei’s body, surprising Qing Qiu’er and the other three. "You don’t need to worry about this kid, Yunxiao. Nalan Wangzi’s guess just now was correct, and he did see the ancient civilization in this domain."

"Do you know anything about this domain, Senior? Who exactly were the people who lived in this domain in the past? How is this domain connected to the Empyrean Main Domain?" Tian Huangjin and the others asked at the same time.

Hu Tianlang let out a soft sigh as he looked ahead. "As you’ve heard before, Qing Qiu’er found the giant Yin-Yang Lotus here, and the lotus is its main core. In fact, this domain was once part of the Ancient Realm, and people from the past called it the Yin-Yang Corridor Domain, which connected two different worlds created by the lotus. This monastery was once the hub between the two worlds, and the people who used to live in this domain were the lotus protectors."

"Huh? They were shocked after hearing that the domain was once part of the Ancient Realm.

Luo Yunxiao then asked. "Is this domain separate from the Ancient Realm now, Old Fox?"

"No." Hu Tianlang shook his head at Luo Yunxiao. "This domain is still connected to the Ancient Realm, just like the Forgotten Land, the Endless Night Dungeon, and the Zenith Solar Sanctum, which are also connected to that realm. If Zhang Fei wants to go to the Ancient Realm in the future, this domain is his best choice, but he needs an item to open the path. However, the item doesn’t seem to be here anymore, so he has to look for it elsewhere."

"What kind of places are you referring to, Senior?" Jia Yuyan asked.

"Do you guys know the Yin-Yang principle?" All of them nodded at Hu Tianlang. "Night and day are born from Yin and Yang, and so are evil and good. Those two places are also born from Yin and Yang, and the Yin place is—"

"The Lotus Limbo World."

"That’s right." Hu Tianlang nodded to Qing Qiu’er. "The place born from the Yang is the Lotus Luminous World, which is the opposite of the Lotus Limbo World. Those who failed to defy the cycle of reincarnation, or those who went astray in their cultivation journey, will be sent to the Lotus Limbo World. Those who succeeded in defying the cycle of reincarnation, or those who succeeded in gaining enlightenment on their path of cultivation, will be sent to the Lotus Luminous World."

"Does that mean the Lotus Luminous World is the heavens?"

"No." Hu Tianlang denied Tian Huangjin with a shake of his head. "The heavens have no form, and no one has ever seen them, not even my original self."

"Then, what kind of place is the Lotus Luminous World?"

Hu Tianlang explained immediately. "The Lotus Luminous World is a place where enlightened souls live, free from doubt and despair. They have the opportunity to be reincarnated, but they choose not to take that chance; instead, they prefer to live in that place because it is free from evil, burdens, and worldly emotions."

"Doesn’t that mean the Lotus Luminous World and the Lotus Limbo World are false worlds?"

"Both worlds are like false worlds, but they are also real." Hu Tianlang nodded to Tian Huangjin. "The giant Yin-Yang Lotus that Qing Qiu’er encountered in the past directly connects the two worlds, and my original self once entered both of these worlds; however, I do not know who or what created the lotus or the two worlds. The lotus contains immense power from both worlds, and the people of the past who lived in this domain increased their strength by absorbing its power."

"That means—"

"What is good and evil?" None of them answered Hu Tianlang’s question. "Virtue and evil are born at the same time, and they complement each other, just like Yin and Yang. There is no such thing as absolute virtue, and there is no such thing as absolute evil. Virtue and evil are choices, you know? Virtuous people can turn into evil, and vice versa. In the past, this domain was the embodiment of balance between virtue and evil; there were no virtuous or evil people here, and they lived in balance and harmony."

Jia Yuyan stared at Hu Tianlang. "If there were no virtuous or evil people in this domain in the past, then how could it have fallen into such disarray?"

"Sigh." Hu Tianlang let out a heavy sigh. "Long ago, the balance between Yin and Yang was disrupted, leading to many unfortunate events, which were the worst I have ever witnessed in my life. Unfortunately, no one knew how the balance between the two could shake at that time, including my original self and Shen Yuanzhi."

"Anything that disturbs the balance between Yin and Yang is certainly terrifying, and this universe will collapse if the balance between the two is completely lost," Luo Yunxiao muttered under his breath. "Did all the inhabitants of this domain die when that incident occurred, Old Fox?"

Hu Tianlang nodded. "The events of that day were truly terrifying, and they destroyed most of the Ancient Realm, including this domain. As for how this domain became connected to the Empyrean Main Domain, you guys should already have the answer, right?"

"The will of the universe."

"Yes." Hu Tianlang nodded slightly. "The Three Mortal Realms and the Paradise Realm were once connected to each other, but the emergence of the barrier separated the two, leaving many tunnel passages to travel between them. Unfortunately, only a few cultivators there knew about those passages, and the situation there continued to deteriorate because the majority of them couldn’t ascend to this realm. I think my explanation is enough for now, and you guys just need to wait for this kid to wake up by himself."

After he said that, Hu Tianlang entered Zhang Fei’s soul world again, especially since he couldn’t stay outside for too long.

Luo Yunxiao let out a soft sigh and spoke to the others. "We have no choice but to wait for him to wake up."

"You can wait for Zhang Fei to wake up, and I’ll check the other places with Huangjin." Without waiting for Luo Yunxiao and the others to reply, Tianshi Shengjie and Tian Huangjin hurriedly left towards the west, where another ruined building was located.

Nalan Wangzi also walked away, but she did not join Tianshi Shengjie and Tian Huangjin. "I’ll check the east area."

"I will come with you, Wangzi." Qing Qiu’er hurriedly caught up with Nalan Wangzi.

"What do you think our husband saw, Yunxiao?" Jia Yuyan asked.

Luo Yunxiao shook his head slightly. "I can’t guess what he’s seeing right now, but whatever it is, I think it will be useful for him in the future."

"I hope so."

.

.

.

Zhang Fei was stunned when he saw that the building of the Ashen Lotus Monastery was still intact. He saw countless people passing by in the surrounding area; they looked joyful and carefree.

"What happened? Where am I now?" Zhang Fei was startled when someone touched his shoulder, and he jumped away while turning around, finding two people there. "Who are you two?"

- To Be Continued -