Chapter 1080

Chapter 1080: Ten Years

Thud!

A human head fell into the dust.

His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were wide open in fury, still bearing the expression he had in life, though the light in his gaze had completely faded.

Observing the horde of enemies scattering in all directions, Wang Chen sheathed the Seven Ultimate Sword.

It wasn’t that he was weary from slaughter; the entire Enemy Army had utterly crumbled under his relentless assault. Chasing down and killing the stragglers now would be meaningless.

It would also be a waste of time.

As for those fearless enemies who sought to avenge their commander, they now lay lifeless around Wang Chen, their bodies sprawled in disarray.

He turned and made his way back to Hanhai Dao Palace.

At that moment, the gates of the Dao Palace stood wide open, and a group of battle-scarred warriors emerged to greet him.

“Hail, Grandmaster!”

They all dropped to one knee, their faces alight with overwhelming excitement and reverence.

These Dao Palace warriors had witnessed Wang Chen’s unstoppable charge through the enemy ranks, and their admiration for him had reached its zenith.

“Rise,” Wang Chen said, raising his hand in a gesture of acknowledgment. “There is still much work to be done.”

He glanced toward Hanhai City, where the situation remained uncertain. Here, the aftermath still needed to be dealt with.

But his foremost concern was finding Xi Jun.

In a deep voice, Wang Chen asked, “Where is Master Zhou?”

Xi Jun had originally been without a surname, but after Wu Zhao established the new dynasty, Great Zhou, Wang Chen had casually bestowed the national surname upon her.

“Grandmaster, please follow me!”

Immediately, someone rose to lead the way; by their attire, they appeared to be a military officer.

Guided by this officer, Wang Chen arrived at a room in a side hall of the Dao Palace.

After replenishing the spiritual energy of the Great River and Mountain Formation, he had left the hidden chamber and charged into battle to break the siege of the Dao Palace.

Yet, in truth, Wang Chen’s greatest concern was Xi Jun.

The moment he stepped into the room, his eyes fell upon Xi Jun, lying on a soft couch.

She was dressed in a plain white Daoist robe, now stained with blood, a sight that was both shocking and heart-wrenching.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her face deathly pale. Were it not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, she might have been mistaken for a corpse.

Even so, it was clear to anyone that she was like a candle flickering in the wind, her life hanging by the thinnest of threads.

Beside the couch stood several young Daoist nuns and a middle-aged female doctor.

When Wang Chen burst into the room, they were all startled. One of them even furrowed her brows in anger.

But just as she was about to reprimand him, she suddenly remembered who he was, and her expression shifted dramatically.

She immediately knelt and said, “I greet you, Grandmaster!”

Others were utterly astonished and instinctively knelt down as well.

"No need for such formalities."

Wang Chen stepped forward, grasped Xi Jun’s wrist, and infused a trace of his magical energy.

The seriously wounded and unconscious Xi Jun shuddered, let out a faint moan, and her eyelids fluttered but she did not wake.

The female doctor nearby wanted to speak but silently stepped aside.

In the presence of the renowned Grandmaster, she had no place to meddle!

As Wang Chen’s magical energy coursed through Xi Jun’s body, he immediately understood her condition.

She must have overexerted herself while casting a spell, suffered a backlash, and then endured enemy attacks, resulting in a shattered foundation, a damaged soul, and severe issues with her five organs and meridians.

In such a state, almost no one in this world could save her!

But Wang Chen had returned just in time.

Though he lacked miraculous healing abilities and was not versed in medicine, the Cangqing Ring contained various spirit pills.

Wang Chen quickly retrieved a Healing Pill and fed it to Xi Jun, followed by a Soul Condensing Pill.

The efficacy of these two spirit pills was indeed influenced by the rules of this world, making them far less potent than in the Haotian Realm, but they were more than sufficient to treat Xi Jun’s injuries.

In just ten breaths, Xi Jun’s complexion turned rosy, and with a soft murmur, she opened her eyes.

"Grand Celestial Master!"

Everyone around was overjoyed.

Xi Jun’s gaze was initially blank but soon grew brighter, tears of excitement welling up in her eyes.

She trembled and tightly grasped Wang Chen’s hand, whispering, "I… I’m not dreaming, am I?"

Wang Chen held her delicate hand and smiled, "It’s not a dream; I have truly returned."

"My Lord!"

Xi Jun mustered all her strength and threw herself into Wang Chen’s embrace, sobbing, "I thought… I thought I would never see you again…"

Everyone present exchanged surprised glances.

None had ever seen the formidable Zhou Grand Celestial Master in such a fragile state, and they were all utterly astounded.

But none of them were fools; they quickly exited the room.

They closed the door behind them, leaving Wang Chen and Xi Jun alone.

Wang Chen gently stroked Xi Jun’s hair and said, "It’s all right now; don’t worry. I will surely avenge you!"

This time, he was truly enraged.

Had Wang Chen arrived even half a day later, Hanhai Dao Palace would likely have fallen.

Losing his own body was no great loss; he could simply find another vessel. But if Xi Jun had died, there would be no chance of revival.

Xi Jun shook her head and murmured, "It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m with you, my Lord, I am content!"

As the effects of the spirit pills continued to take effect, her condition improved rapidly, and her internal injuries healed swiftly.

But to be cautious, Wang Chen still had Xi Jun lie back down.

He held her hand and chatted with her.

As for the situation in Hanhai City, Wang Chen did not care to inquire.

"Great Zhou has been around for ten years?"

After a brief conversation, Wang Chen was suddenly astonished: "You say it’s been ten years in Great Zhou?"

"That’s right."

Xi Jun confirmed, "My Lord, you have been gone for ten years."

This didn’t add up!

Wang Chen clearly remembered that the flow of time between the Haotian Realm and Cangqing was one to ten.

He had returned to the Haotian Realm for two years, so it should have been twenty years here, meaning it should be the twentieth year of Great Zhou!

Yet, despite his surprise, Wang Chen did not raise any further objections and simply nodded, saying, "I see."

He surmised that after his return, the flow of time between the two realms had changed.

Perhaps upon a future return, new changes would occur, and it was possible that the two realms’ timelines would align!

Thinking this, Wang Chen shifted the topic to inquire about the enemies.

Over the past ten years, Wu Zhao and Ling Zhiyuan not only completely eradicated Dayan but also defeated the long-standing rival, Da Qi, in the north, leaving them in utter disarray and occupying most of their territory.

The remnants of Da Qi had to retreat to the far north to survive, with extinction just a matter of time.

Following that, Great Zhou swept through the surrounding areas, consuming numerous small nations and expanding its territory to unprecedented extents!

However, they had also bitten off more than they could chew, as the new Great Zhou faced many internal issues, with refugees, bandits, and rebellions rising everywhere.

Wu Zhao had to halt their expansion and focus on governing domestic affairs.

Then, new enemies appeared!