1445 Replenishing the Lord's Cultivation

After receiving Yuan's reassurance that the Empyrean Overlord was unoccupied, Yu Ning took a deep breath before entering the sword.

"Wow… they weren't exaggerating when they said it was spacious inside a Soul Weapon… You can probably fit one or two major cities in here and still have room to spare." Yu Ning's surprised voice resounded a moment later.

"I'm glad you like it." Yuan smiled.

"What are you going to do now?" Ji Ran asked.

"Since I've accomplished what I came here to do, I will leave this place and return to the Nine Heavens," he said.

"And because it's been a long time since you guys last seen the world outside of the Shadow Realm, I won't immediately ask you to start working, Ji Ran. However, I also cannot delay it for too long."

"Honestly, I don't care if I have to immediately start working. After all, I am satisfied just knowing that I am no longer in the Shadow Realm," Ji Ran quickly replied.

Yuan nodded, "Let me leave this place and show you my world first."

However, Yuan did not directly leave the Shadow Realm. Instead, he returned to the nearest city, where he logged off.

Upon returning to Earth, Yuan immediately climbed to the peak of the Dragon Spiral Mountain to meet with the Lord.

He met Liya halfway through the formation.

"I know you called in advance, but you couldn't have waited a few minutes for me?" Liya complained with a slight frown on her face.

Yuan smiled and said, "I haven't cracked the formation yet, but I instinctively know the way to the peak after walking through this mist multiple times."

"Huh? Formations don't even work like that!" Liya exclaimed with a look of disbelief on her face.

Yuan shrugged and continued climbing the mountain.

Sometime later, they arrived at the peak of the mountain, where the Lord was already prepared to meet them.

"I heard you had something urgent to tell me?" The Lord asked.

Yuan nodded and retrieved the Starry Abyss and Empyrean Overlord.

"Those are… your Soul Weapons? Why are—"

"W-where are we?!"

"We were still at the Shadow Realm an instant ago! How did we end up here before I can even blink?!"

Ji Ran and Yu Ning's bewildered voices suddenly resounded.

In their eyes, they were in the Shadow Realm when their scenery suddenly flickered and changed to something completely new and unfamiliar.

"Calm down. This is Earth—my home world." Yuan explained the situation to them.

"E-Earth? Already? I was expecting it to take some time—at least much longer than this…" Ji Ran muttered in a dazed voice.

Sometime later, Yuan said, "Ji Ran, meet the Lord. Lord, this is Ji Ran, and he'll be helping you with your cultivation base from now on."

The Lord approached the Starry Abyss with a look of wonder on his face.

"I don't have a name, but you may call me Xue." The Lord said, and he continued, "I also cannot sense your presence or cultivation from out here."

Ji Ran then introduced himself, "My name is Ji Ran, and I used to be the Sect Leader of the Immortal Monastery before my body was destroyed by the Celestial Emperor and tossed into the Shadow Realm, where I spent countless years. I was at the 4th level of God Ascension during my peak, but I was reduced to the 1st level of God Ascension after spending so long in the Shadow Realm."

"The Sect Leader of the Immortal Monastery?! I never would have imagined that such a renowned figure would still be alive in this day and age!" The Lord exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment

"Oh? You know of me?" Ji Ran sounded pleasantly surprised as well, as he didn't expect to be recognized by someone who wasn't from the Primordial Era.

"Of course! You were a prominent figure in the Primordial Era, also known as the Devil Hand Madman after single-handedly annihilating the Maleficent Devil Cult! And as the second Sect Leader of the Immortal Monastery, you led the sect to its peak, becoming a top 5 sect within the Divine Heaven!"

Although the Lord sounded like a fanboy, one must consider his point of view. In the Lord's eyes, he was speaking to someone who should've perished long ago and only existed in stories. Even someone as ancient as the Lord came into existence long after the Primordial Realm ended. He was no different than a baby if compared to Ji Ran or Yu Ning.

"Hehe… I think we'll get along just fine…" Ji Ran sounded a little prideful as he spoke.

"Are you sure you want to immediately start working?" Yuan asked him a moment later.

Ji Ran nodded inside the Starry Abyss, "It's fine, I can start working now. It's not like I have to do it without any breaks, as I will need time to replenish my exhausted spiritual energy afterward, anyway. Furthermore, although Xue is hiding it, he's actually in a lot of pain. His body is in a mess. I'm surprised he's managed to survive this long, much less support such a powerful formation for so long."

Ji Ran spoke with deep admiration for the Lord's preservation and determination to protect Earth.

Sometime later, the Lord sat on the ground and closed his eyes, seemingly going to sleep. Meanwhile, Ji Ran left the Starry Abyss and took the form of a middle-aged man before sitting behind the Lord.

"I will begin transferring my spiritual energy to you now." Ji Ran warned as he placed his palms on the Lord's back and began transferring his spiritual energy.

A refreshed and relieved look immediately appeared on the Lord's face, resembling an old man who regained years of energy after soaking in a hot spring.

"I can do this for five days before I run out of spiritual energy." Ji Ran said a moment later.

Yuan nodded, "I will return before then. In the meantime, I'll show Yu Ning around this world."

Not wanting to disturb them any longer, Yuan descended the mountain and returned to his living quarters.