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An older man walked out of the house.
It was Xiao Lie.
He stopped on the porch when he saw a crying stranger holding his grandson.
"What is going on here?"
Xiao Lie asked.
Yun Canghai let go of Xiao Che and wiped his face.
He walked over and bowed deeply to Xiao Lie.
"You must be the man who raised him,"
Yun Canghai said.
"I am his biological grandfather. I lost him many years ago. Thank you for keeping him safe and raising him so well."
Xiao Lie looked at the man's face.
He saw the honest pain and love in his eyes.
Xiao Lie smiled and bowed back.
"He is a very good boy,"
Xiao Lie answered.
"You do not need to thank me. He is my family too. Come inside. Let us share some tea. We have a lot of lost time to talk about."
Yun Canghai nodded gratefully.
Xiao Che stayed in the courtyard.
A young girl ran out of the house to join him.
It was his little aunt, Xiao Lingxi.
They both walked over to Sam.
They looked incredibly happy.
"It is so good to see you again,"
Xiao Che smiled.
"Thank you for everything, Senior Sam,"
Xiao Lingxi added.
"You always bring good things with you."
"You both deserve a quiet, happy life,"
Sam told them.
Suddenly, the wind stopped blowing.
A falling leaf froze in mid-air.
Xiao Che stopped smiling. He stopped breathing.
He was completely stuck in place like a stone statue.
Time had completely stopped.
Sam did not panic. He just looked around.
Only one other person could still move.
It was Xiao Lingxi.
She slowly turned her head to look at Sam.
But her presence was totally different.
Her innocent smile was gone. Her eyes looked deep, calm, and older than the stars.
A soft, holy light surrounded her body.
"Hello, Sam,"
She spoke.
Her voice did not sound like a young girl anymore. It echoed softly in his mind.
Sam looked at her calmly.
"You are the Ancestral Goddess,"
Sam said.
"I am,"
She answered gently.
"I borrowed this vessel for a moment to speak with you."
"Why did you stop time?"
Sam asked.
"To say thank you,"
The Goddess replied.
"I came from the distant future just to see you."
Sam raised an eyebrow.
"What did I do in the future?"
He asked.
"You saved my universe,"
She explained clearly.
"A terrible threat will come. One that I cannot stop. Even as a creator, my power has limits. But you will step forward. You will protect everything I built. You gave my universe a future. You have my eternal gratitude."
Sam stood quietly. He processed her words.
He understood exactly what this meant.
If she came all the way from the future just to thank him, his path was already set.
He was going to become unimaginably powerful.
It was inevitable.
He would grow so strong that the highest creator of this reality did not care about the rules of the timeline anymore.
She just wanted to bow to him.
"I see,"
Sam said simply.
"I will handle it when the time comes."
"I know you will,"
The Goddess smiled.
"I will leave you now. Good luck on your journey, Sam."
The holy light faded from her eyes.
The falling leaf finally hit the ground.
The wind blew through the courtyard again.
Xiao Che blinked, completely unaware that anything had happened.
Xiao Lingxi shook her head slightly, looking a bit confused for a split second before smiling at Sam again.
Sam looked up at the sky.
He took a quiet breath, ready for whatever the future held.
An hour passed.
The front door of the house finally opened.
Yun Canghai walked out.
The heavy sadness in his eyes was gone.
He looked much calmer now.
"Are you ready?"
Sam asked.
"Yes,"
Yun Canghai nodded. He looked back at the warm house one last time.
"You do not want to take him with you?"
Sam asked quietly.
"No,"
The old man answered, smiling softly.
"He has a good family here. His life is peaceful and safe. My world is full of war and blood. I refuse to drag my own blood into that mess. Just knowing he is alive and happy is enough for me."
"That is a wise choice,"
Sam agreed.
Yun Canghai turned his attention back to Sam.
"To reach my home, we must travel far to the east,"
Yun Canghai explained.
"We have to find a specific spot in the endless ocean. There is a massive sea storm that never stops. Inside that storm is a hidden spatial tear. It is the only way to cross over."
Sam stood completely still. He listened patiently.
He already knew exactly where the Illusory Demon Realm was.
He knew the exact coordinates of the portal and how to bypass the storms.
But he did not interrupt.
He just nodded and let the old man finish speaking.
"It is a very dangerous path,"
Yun Canghai warned him.
"Can your magic take us to that ocean?"
"It can,"
Sam answered.
Sam raised his hand and opened another bright portal in the air.
"Step through,"
Sam told him.
"Let's go save your Empress."
Yun Canghai stepped into the portal.
Sam walked in right behind him.
They appeared high above a raging black ocean.
Massive waves crashed below them.
A giant spatial tear spun like a violent hurricane in the sky.
"Brace yourself!"
Yun Canghai yelled over the loud thunder.
"The spatial winds will try to tear us apart!"
Sam did not look worried. He simply raised a finger.
A calm, invisible shield wrapped around them.
The loud thunder instantly went silent.
The violent wind could not touch them at all.
To Sam, this deadly barrier was no more dangerous than a light breeze.
"It is just a storm,"
Sam said easily.
"We can walk right through."
Yun Canghai stared in shock, but quickly nodded.
They moved straight into the chaotic tear without taking a single scratch.
When the bright light faded, the stormy ocean was gone.
They stood on top of a quiet, green hill.
A vast, colorful land stretched out before them.
The air felt completely different here.
"We made it,"
Yun Canghai whispered.
He fell to his knees and pressed his hands into the dirt.
"A hundred years,"
He said, his voice shaking.
"I am finally back in the Illusory Demon Realm."
Sam stood quietly and let the old man have his moment.
After a few minutes, Yun Canghai stood up.
His posture changed.
He was no longer a tired prisoner.
He stood tall and proud.
"Where do we go now?"
Sam asked.
"To the Demon Imperial City,"
Yun Canghai answered, pointing toward the far horizon.
"My family's estate is there. They are the loyal swords of the Empress. I must see them first to understand what has happened while I was gone."
"Lead the way,"
Sam told him.
Yun Canghai nodded and leaped into the air.
Sam followed close behind as they rushed toward the capital city.