Chapter 935: Reincarnated into Emptiness

The grief of parents lost! The son wishes to care for his parents, but they are gone. The wanderer returns, only to find neither father nor mother. Separated by life and death, where can he speak of his sorrow?

Ye Fan burst into tears. All his efforts had been in vain. He had returned desperately, traversing boundless star systems, yet he could not cross the river of time. In the end, he was a step too late.

He trembled lightly, reciting the “Scripture of Salvation.” What an unbearable pain it was, to weep while reciting Taoist scriptures for his parents, hoping for their peaceful rebirth.

Ye Fan bit through his lip, blood trickling down. He called out softly, over and over, each syllable stained with blood. The entire room was filled with runes, etched into the void.

For over twenty years, his life's sole purpose had been to return, to see his parents, to reunite with them, and to bring smiles back to their aged and sorrowful faces. For this, he had braved death countless times, solely for his return. But now, his parents were gone… In an instant, his life lost its purpose, and his entire world collapsed.

“Father, Mother…” Ye Fan murmured, tears streaming down his face. Trembling, he silently recited the “Scripture of Salvation,” never imagining he would bid farewell to his parents in such a way.

There was no greater pain in the human world.

He had so many words to say, to express the longing of those twenty-plus years, but with them gone, what could he do? He could only choke back sobs, tears endlessly rolling down his face.

Ye Fan was tormented. All his efforts had turned to dust before the relentless march of time. Nothing could be undone, nothing could be changed.

Life felt bleak and meaningless. Time’s cruelty left him with such grief and helplessness. Reaching into the void, he grasped at nothing!

He felt so ridiculous, believing that one day, by becoming invincible, he could shatter and change everything. But now, heaven had delivered a direct blow, leaving him so grief-stricken he couldn’t move. He knelt on the ground, unwilling to rise.

“Dad, Mom, I’m back. I’ve come to see you.” Ye Fan knelt there, lamenting again and again.

“I’ve missed you so much, but the journey was too long, so far that I struggled with all my might to overcome its difficulties and return… only to be too late. Why is this happening?… I wish I had died myself!” Ye Fan roared softly.

It was too late for anything now. He clutched his hair, trying to feel the lingering presence of the two old people. Why couldn’t he even see them one last time? He was filled with unwillingness and regret.

In the end, Ye Fan was resigned, shedding silent tears. Sitting on the ground, leaning against the bed frame, he suddenly felt that life had lost all meaning.

What was cultivation? What was severing the Dao? What was a Saint Body? What was invincibility? Everything was empty. What good was any of it if he couldn’t even protect his parents!

He felt ridiculous. All his efforts had been in vain. He had cast aside everything, only to arrive too late, a futile sorrow, powerless to do anything.

He cried loudly and laughed wildly, coughing, with streaks of blood appearing at the corners of his mouth. He suddenly felt that he was nothing, both pathetic and laughable.

“I can’t change anything! I couldn’t even see my parents one last time. I’m useless!”

Ye Fan cried, then laughed, utterly despondent. He felt no lingering attachment to this world, sensing that life was dull, and suffering outweighed joy.

He continued to cry and laugh, then collapsed weakly onto the ground, silent except for the tears streaming down his face. He didn't want to move, wishing only to sleep forever.

The aged faces of his parents flickered before his eyes. Ye Fan drifted in a daze, slowly losing consciousness. Exhausted and ravaged in body and mind, he fainted.

“Ye Fan… you’re back.” A gentle call echoed in his ears.

“Don’t be sad, don’t cry. We don’t blame you; we just missed you terribly. Seeing you safe brings us more joy than anything else.” A soft whisper, full of doting love:

“Your mother and I always believed you were alive, that one day you’d return to us. We waited for a long time, but we truly grew tired and couldn't hold on any longer. Now that we know you’re safe, we can rest easy.” The voice was aged, filled with both relief and solace, yet it brought a pang of sorrow.

Dreamlike and ethereal, Ye Fan, still unconscious, wept ceaselessly. He seemed to see two luminous figures, trying desperately to grasp their hands, but he couldn't.

“We’re leaving. You must live well, and take good care of yourself…” The voices faded, and the two luminous figures slowly dissipated. Their aged faces grew faint, then transformed into shimmering light, vanishing completely.

Ye Fan cried out, struggling desperately, trying to chase after them, to make them stay, but he couldn’t grasp anything.

Thud.

He suddenly woke up. Nothing was there. The warmth from moments ago was gone, as was the presence of his parents. An empty hollowness remained.

“You’re awake.”

Xu Qiong sat nearby, offering him a cup of water. “Please accept my condolences,” she said. “People have joys and sorrows, partings and reunions, just as the moon waxes and wanes.”

“What did you just see? Did you hear it?” Ye Fan grabbed her hand and shook it, spilling the water from the cup onto the floor.

Xu Qiong frowned. Ye Fan’s strength was immense; even with his careful control, she felt pain. She softly said, “You’re missing them too much. Your mind is overly exhausted. Don’t think too much, just rest well.”

“You really didn’t see or hear anything?” Ye Fan stood up, releasing his spiritual sense, hoping to find that familiar presence that had moved and comforted him.

Everything from moments ago felt too real, like a personal experience right before his eyes. He wasn't quite sure if it had been a dream or reality.

He pulled open the curtains. The night was deep, and a meteor shower was fading, disappearing into the horizon.

Ye Fan suddenly trembled. It was so much like the shimmering light that had vanished in his dream. His body involuntarily shook, tears streamed down his face, as he stared at the dark night sky.

“Strange, there was no forecast for a meteor shower,” said Xu Ye, at another window, resting her chin in her hand, blinking her large eyes curiously as she gazed at the sky.

Ye Fan pushed open the window, soared into the air, and pursued, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into the distant sky.

Inside the room, Xu Qiong’s mouth dropped open in shock. The teacup in her hand suddenly fell to the floor, shattering with a crisp sound, water spilling everywhere.

She could hardly believe it. Although she had mentally prepared herself, she still couldn't accept this reality. Ye Fan, tearing through the sky like a golden-winged roc, was he still human?

Initially, she had associated his sudden return with extraterrestrial civilizations, thinking of abductions or similar scenarios, but now she was petrified. Was this… a divine-demon civilization?

In another room, Xu Ye shrieked, loudly calling for her mother, exclaiming that a meteor had streaked past their house.

Fearless, the girl ran into the room and said, “Mom, did you see it just now? A meteor seemed to streak past our house! It was amazing!”

Xu Qiong clasped her hands to her chest, her trembling ceased. She didn’t want to lose her composure in front of her daughter, trying hard to calm herself. Everything that had just happened was too astounding.

Xu Ye, sixteen or seventeen years old, was lively and energetic. She darted to the window, peering out constantly, trying to find where the meteor had landed.

“Mom, why is your face a bit pale? Were you scared just now? Don’t worry, with your precious daughter here, any monsters or ghosts that come will be chased away by me, hmph hmph hah hei.” She playfully demonstrated an opening move of Tai Chi.

However, seeing that her mother’s complexion was still unnatural, she quickly put away her playfulness and said, “Mom, what’s wrong? I’ll get you a glass of water. Huh, where’s that uncle? He’s gone, where did he go?”

Xu Qiong composed herself, finally calming down. She said, “He had something to attend to and left.”

At the edge of the sky, Ye Fan stood alone in the night, staring blankly. He couldn’t catch anything; the meteor shower had already vanished.

“Why? Was that you? Where did you go?”

He wondered if there truly was some inexplicable force in the human world. Had that just been his parents bidding him farewell?

But then he shook his head. He was a cultivator, especially powerful enough to be acutely sensitive to primordial spirits, understanding their essence.

What was gone was gone; it could not reappear, nor be reborn. This was an unchangeable essence of heaven and earth: all mortals must die, even ancient Great Emperors were no exception.

“Perhaps my subconscious is trying to heal my wounds,” Ye Fan sighed, reaching his hand into the night sky, but finding nothing.

He didn’t believe in fate, nor in reincarnation. There was no transmigration in the human world. Yet, his recent experience was both real and illusory, leaving him utterly bewildered.

He recalled the words of the old monk who had transcended the Dao when he went to the Western Desert: “As for the next life, believe and it exists; disbelieve and it does not. The years flow on, and eventually, two identical flowers will appear in the world. A thousand years of looking back: one flower withers, another blooms.”

Whether they were the same flower, let later generations ponder and discuss. Even that ancient Buddha could not say for certain.

“Is my own subconscious deceiving me, or were they truly bidding me farewell?” Silent tears fell from Ye Fan’s eyes.

He preferred to believe it was the latter. He had traversed star systems to return, only to be a step too late, unable to see his parents one last time. Was that vision just now them filling his regret?

Ye Fan murmured, his words indiscernible to anyone. He whispered continuously, standing alone in the night sky, wishing to remain there forever.

He didn't want to think rationally, because if he delved deeper, ancient sages had already discussed it, with records in their writings stating that reincarnation could not exist.

Ye Fan wandered alone beneath the starry sky, not thinking, not pondering, his heart hollow. At dawn, he landed on the ground. After the sun had risen high, he arrived at the Xishan Villa District, and Xu Qiong welcomed him inside.

“Wow, Uncle, why did you suddenly disappear yesterday? I don’t remember seeing you leave.” Xu Ye, still sleepy-eyed and fond of lying in bed, had just woken up, hugging a large teddy bear.

“Sweetie, go wash your face, brush your teeth, and eat breakfast first,” Xu Qiong urged her.

Although Xu Ye was only sixteen or seventeen, she had a slender build like her mother and was almost as tall. She nodded obediently and said, “Oh, okay.”

This was the greatest blow Ye Fan had ever suffered in his life. He yearned to leave this place, to escape this mortal world, as everything he saw filled him with sorrow and pain.

However, he couldn't just leave. He wanted to know about his parents' final days, to learn everything about their past.

“You should eat something first. I’ll tell you everything slowly in a bit,” Xu Qiong said softly, tucking her long hair behind her ear, trying to comfort him.

“I can’t eat. You go ahead. I’ll wait for you, and then you can take me to their graves.” Ye Fan felt a profound heaviness. He slumped onto the sofa, unwilling to move, his eyes stinging, though his tears had already dried.

Xu Qiong sighed softly. She had no appetite either. She took Ye Fan out, driving towards a distant location. More than an hour later, they arrived at the cemetery.

The cemetery was vast, planted with evergreen shrubs, built along a low hill. Ancient pines and cypresses enhanced its solemn and dignified atmosphere.

“This is it…” Suddenly, Xu Qiong’s expression changed. Before the tombstone lay a bouquet of white flowers, swaying in the wind, their petals softly falling and emitting a faint fragrance.

“Do other people come here to sweep the graves?” Ye Fan asked.

“I don’t think anyone else would know about this. It’s strange,” Xu Qiong said, her expression uncertain and surprised.