Chapter 2596: Vast Changes Over Time

He had anticipated this when he first broke through the atmosphere. Normally, he should have entered the Heavenly Court, but his upward flight revealed no such place—only the atmosphere and the boundless cosmos.

Zuan fell silent. Had the Heavenly Court vanished completely?

Or perhaps the Heavenly Court wasn't physically located in the sky as people imagined, but rather, reaching a certain point in the heavens would activate a teleportation array, sending one there.

So, where exactly was the Heavenly Court?

Zuan suddenly recalled the Heavenly Court's peculiar time dilation—one day in heaven, one year on earth. It most likely existed near a black hole.

Yet, for some reason, it was no longer possible to reach the Heavenly Court in this era.

Could it be due to Zhuanxu's severing of the link between heaven and earth, combined with the breaking of the Jianmu Tree, preventing earthly beings from ascending to the Heavenly Court to witness the gods' divine radiance?

Furthermore, it was likely that the legendary deities would also find it difficult to manifest in this world.

The thought brought him immense frustration. If he couldn't reach the Heavenly Court, then a reunion with the Mermaid Queen seemed impossible.

He had intentionally left several coordinate markers within the Heavenly Court, but now he couldn't detect them at all, indicating either extreme distance or a powerful shielding array.

With no other option, he descended from the moon and flew back to Earth.

This Earth was significantly larger than the one he knew before his transmigration. Could it be that in the future, as vital energy depleted, the entire planet would shrink?

Countless theories surfaced in his mind, but currently, none could be confirmed.

After ascending into the air, Zuan abruptly changed direction and flew towards a mountain range.

With the Heavenly Court beyond reach, what about the mortal realm?

The Wushan Goddess was also awaiting his return!

As the saying goes, 'seas change into mulberry fields.' It was impossible to know how many years had passed since the Heavenly Court era, and the world's geography had undergone dramatic alterations.

Zuan vividly recalled Wushan's coordinates, yet upon arriving at that location, he found no mountain, only a lake.

He even meticulously searched every inch of the lake, but there was no trace of Wushan.

"The coordinates must be off due to topographical changes," Zuan mused. He had once set up a teleportation array in Wushan, but after countless years, he could no longer sense it.

Relying on his memory, understanding of space, and inquiries about local legends, he finally located the Ling Mountain range several days later.

While the Ling Mountain in this world clearly possessed more vital energy than other areas, it was still significantly inferior to its counterpart in the Heavenly Court realm.

No wonder the cultivation novels he'd read in his previous life often depicted each successive generation as weaker; ultimately, the environment itself had changed.

His divine sense enveloped the entire Ling Mountain, and he quickly matched its current geological features with those of the Ling Mountain from the Heavenly Court world.

Finally, he arrived before a beautiful peak.

Although every plant and tree on the mountain had changed, a strange sense of familiarity permeated his journey.

He quickly flew to the mountaintop. The spiritual energy waterfall was long gone, and the summit, once adorned with blooming flowers, was now overgrown with weeds.

Yet, through the weeds, Zuan could still faintly perceive the mountaintop's former appearance.

He approached the mountain wall and attempted to open the long-lost cave dwelling using the method he recalled. Honestly, he didn't hold much hope; countless ages had passed, and everything had changed. The former abode had most likely been obliterated by the tides of time.

To his astonishment and joy, the mountain wall actually parted, revealing the familiar cave dwelling!

Zuan's body trembled involuntarily. Was Yao Ji still here?

As the daughter of the Red Emperor, bestowed with the title of Wushan Goddess, she ought to still be here if Wushan remained.

"Yao Ji?" he whispered. Despite his heart pounding with impatience, his movements as he stepped inside remained slow and gentle. He dreaded discovering a sorrowful truth too quickly.

As he entered, the previously dim cave dwelling suddenly illuminated. Ethereal music drifted, and a beautiful rain of flower petals descended from above. A graceful figure slowly emerged, just as she had appeared at their first meeting.

"Yao Ji!"

Zuan was utterly overjoyed, unable to contain his emotions, and rushed forward.

To his dismay, he passed straight through the figure. The smile on his face instantly froze; what stood before him was merely an illusory projection of the Wushan Goddess.

In truth, with his abilities, he should have realized this at first glance. However, his heart had been overwhelmed by a tumultuous wave of joy and happiness, leading him to make such a fundamental error.

"Big Brother Zu," the beautiful illusion spoke, its voice a touch more playful than its usual cool tone, "I've always been curious about what you'd do first upon seeing me. Let me guess: were you incredibly excited at first, only to then be deeply disappointed when you realized I wasn't truly here?"

Zuan's heavy heart was somewhat soothed by her smile. He could discern that this wasn't a split soul, but merely a recording or impression left by a technology akin to a 'video mirror,' precluding any two-way conversation.

"Actually, I have another guess," the illusion sighed softly, "that you instinctively embraced me. I don't know if I'm being presumptuous, but I still remember your embrace from when we parted—it was so warm, so comforting, and yet so profoundly sorrowful."

"Yao Ji, I did hug you just now, and I'm hugging you still." Zuan knew she couldn't hear him, yet he walked to the illusion and gently 'embraced' it.

At that moment, the illusion spoke again: "Even if I don't know whether you hugged me the moment we met, now that I've said this, you must be holding me, right?"

Zuan quietly studied her face, which was indeed identical to Yao Ji's. She had always been a cold beauty, but he had never imagined her thoughts to be so intricate.

"I wish I could hug you too, but unfortunately, I can't," the Wushan Goddess said, also making a hugging gesture, 'nestling' into his embrace.

"Aside from me, only you know how to open this cave dwelling. If it were forcibly opened, everything within would automatically be destroyed," the Wushan Goddess continued, speaking as if to herself. "I was supposed to wait for you, but I've waited a thousand years, then ten thousand, and I don't even know how many tens of thousands of years have gone by. As you know, I've never really had a concept of time."

Hearing her gentle voice recount all this, Zuan's heart convulsed violently. From his perspective, only half a day had passed since their separation, but for her, countless tens of thousands of years had elapsed.

The thought of her waiting with such hope, day after day of anticipation eventually turning into day after day of disappointment, left him wondering how utterly heartbroken she must have been.

"Yao Ji…" Zuan's voice was dry and raspy. In the face of such immense eons, any words seemed utterly inadequate.

A hint of worry appeared in the Wushan Goddess's beautiful eyes: "Big Brother Zu, I know you would never forget me. You said you'd come find me, and I was sure you would. But after so much time passed without your arrival, I worried something had happened to you, so I went to find Sister Chang'e..."