Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy

Over a million people prepared as it was time to return to the Eastern Continent once more. Alex could see signs of mortals wishing to join the cultivators on this journey.

He could see old cultivators that stayed here but did not like life here in the time they remained and wished to return.

He also saw many that came to say goodbye to the ones they would most definitely not see again for a very, very long time, if ever.

Today was the day that senior Yang could finally rest easy, knowing he had made some amends for things he had broken.

Hao Ya was the one that was the one looking over the teleportation on the outside. Since her job was done, she wasn't going to return to the Eastern Continent anymore.

"What will you do next?" Alex asked her as he stood next to her, watching the people walking toward the teleportation formation.

"Focus on my cultivation," Hao Ya said without giving the question much thought. "I've spent nearly half a century helping master with his problems. It's time I live my life for myself."

She turned toward Alex. "You better speed up, or I might be the one to break through to the Immortal realm first," she said with a bit of a chuckle. Her cultivation base was in the Saint Soul 4th realm, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch if she did manage to do just that.

Alex brought something out and handed it to her. "I wish you good luck then," he said. 

The girl looked at what she was given and gave a surprised look. "Cultivation pills?" she asked. "You didn't have to. My master can—"

"He can't make pill clouds," Alex said. "Not without revealing himself to the heaven, can he? Use these ones with Pill veins. Unfortunately, I can barely make 6-veined pills without rousing anyone's suspicion on myself."

"If not, I could go for 8-veined pills," he shrugged. "That's the problem with trying to keep my real strength a mystery, I suppose."

The girl looked at the pills for a while before speaking again. "Thank you. Thanks for this."

"I should be thanking you instead," Alex said. "For all you've done for us. All the humans of this continent. They should all be thanking you."

Hao Ya gave a small smile. "Next time we meet, I might be in the Southern Continent," she said. "I will spend some time here, then once master manages to successfully make a teleportation talisman, I will leave this place."

"Why the Southern Continent?" Alex asked curiously.

"To take care of little sister Ronron," Hao Ya said. "She needs me by her side."

"Ah!" Alex said. "Please take care of her."

"I will," Hao Ya said. "Leave for the Eastern Continent without any worries."

Alex nodded and thanked Hao Ya one last time before walking away, mixing with the crowds to go to the teleportation formation on his own.

He had already said his farewells to the Senior Yang and the snake, so there was nothing left for him to do here anymore. His time here had a purpose for which he had come, and the purpose had been fulfilled.

Now, it was time to return to the Eastern Continent and continue his journey there so he could do what he had promised Bai Jingshen, Ren Xiao, all the other wives of the White Tiger, and most importantly, Pearl.

The teleportation roared as the power consumed thousands of people at once. The silver lights gathered around them, grabbing onto every single one of them. Then, at the next moment, they vanished.

Alex reappeared in the Dragon Capital, surrounded by the Azure Imperium's army surrounding the teleportation platform both on the ground and the skies.

They started moving everyone along in a line until they were away from that location in preparation for the next set of people to be teleported there.

Alex was singled out early on by some soldiers and taken away to where his Elders were waiting for them. It had been a year since he had left, so they were more than happy to see him come back in time.

"Elder Yao, Elder Liang, how have the two of you been?" he asked the two.

"We've been good, Your Majesty," the two said. "We're happy you returned at last."

Alex nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't take the two of you. I was sure the senior wouldn't let you two remain in his mansion, so I had to be alone."

"We understand," Elder Liang said. "It might've been better that we didn't leave at all. I managed to gain a Water dao in the time I was here."

"Oh!" Alex gave a surprised look. "Congratulations. What dao?"

Liang Shufen gave a wide smile. "Refraction," she said gladly.

"That's amazing," Alex said. He had yet to learn a single water-related Dao, so he could only imagine how good that was. Having recently learned what he could about gaining more Daos before entering the Immortal realm, Alex was looking forward to learning a few Daos of his own. 

Half a dozen more at best. He was sure he could handle such strength from the heavens. 

"Welcome back, Your Majesty," the crown prince spoke after a while. His arrival announced the ending of the return of everyone.

Alex turned toward the man. "Crown Prince, it's good to see you again," he said. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing fine," the man said. "Let us return to the palace. I can say I'm positively drained after all this."

Alex chuckled and started moving. "I can only imagine."

The two got onto a carriage that took them to the Dragon Palace which wasn't even that far away. As they went along, Alex asked the Crown Prince what he had been hoping to learn for a long time.

"The barrier… dropped?" Alex asked with wide eyes. He had been hoping for that to happen, but it was still something incredible to hear about. He hadn't very low expectations of it and yet it had happened.

The barrier around the Ivory Kingdom had dropped.

However, the news that came afterward was concerning to Alex.

"Nope, nothing," the Crown Prince answered. "Nothing happened at all."

Alex frowned a bit. "What?" he asked. "How can nothing happen?"

"I don't know," the Crown Prince said. "The Queen herself came to meet his Majesty, and she didn't tell him anything was different."

"Then? What were they doing in the veil for nearly 2 years?" Alex asked.

"Just regular life," the Crown Prince said. "It's confusing really. I can't wrap my head around it. We cannot tell what happened there, or who did anything. Everyone says nothing happened."

"But the barrier is gone and you've checked everything?" Alex asked.

The Crown prince shrugged. "We found nothing," he said. "We might have to wait for a while before the changes start showing up."

"Maybe," Alex said. He wondered if he should ask the man about Immortals, or if that would be giving away too much information.

"Oh right," the Crown Prince said. "I heard that you said you would have to complete part of the trade with my father after you returned."

"Yes," Alex said, remembering. "That is true."

"I see, no wonder my father is out right now," the Crown Prince said. "And no wonder he told me to tell you to find him as soon as you returned."