After a moment of disorientation, Xu Jun and Niu Xiao felt their surroundings shift. The pitch-black cave was gone, replaced by a desolate yellow land.
They could even keenly sense that this barren land was normal, free from radiation. Their exposed skin felt no discomfort.
“This… we’re back…”
“Back, we’re definitely back. This is clearly the uninhabited area of Qu County. Yes, this is Qu County!”
“We’re back, we’re finally back!”
“Wuwuwu… that’s great…”
After a moment of stunned silence, Xu Jun and Niu Xiao embraced and wept, their excitement and emotion overwhelming. The years of fear, anxiety, homesickness, and regret over their curiosity about parallel worlds were all vented through their tears.
They cried for a long time before their emotions finally calmed. They then saw the bodies of the school mentors, senior students, and fellow students that Ding Yun had brought back with them – some reduced to ashes, some merely skeletal remains, and some not yet fully decomposed.
A wave of sorrow washed over them again. Yes, they had returned alive, but everyone else was dead. How would they ever account for this?
At this moment, the security agency’s Special Incident Handling Department, having received Ding Yun’s warning minutes earlier and equipped with anti-radiation gear, arrived and detected radiation on their bodies.
“Facial features confirmed. They are indeed two of the individuals who went missing. One is the fiancé of Hei Jinli, and the other was the youngest, most talented freshman student accompanying that mentor. Radiation levels are exceeding the limit, exceeding the limit!”
“So, are the remains beside them dead?”
“Of course, they’re just skeletons. Are you blind? Don’t report the obvious. Quickly, get some anti-radiation urns and anti-radiation coffins. These remains and ashes are emitting radiation above the limit and must be treated accordingly, then buried deep. Also, fetch two purification talismans. The radiation levels on these two survivors have also exceeded the limit; they need immediate purification with the talismans.”
Currently, their technology had not yet developed instruments to quickly eliminate radiation. However, the purification talismans from the cultivation world could indeed purify radiation, though these talismans were quite precious. Since the deceased were already dead, scientific methods could be used to isolate the radiation, making the talismans unnecessary for them. They would only be used for the two survivors. Better to save them where possible. Dealing with the cultivation world was not easy.
Soon, Xu Jun and Niu Xiao, along with the remains they brought back, were all handled by the Special Incident Management Department. The remains were relatively easy to deal with – processed, sealed, and families notified. The two survivors were more troublesome. Before notifying their families, they had to be brought in for questioning to understand the specifics of the parallel world experience. While it might not be immediately useful, it could provide documentation for future generations.
Meanwhile, Ding Yun had already departed. Liu Yun’s soul had also successfully returned, along with the sarira. However, upon her return, she was still unable to move. Ding Yun had only left his soul, not his cultivation. Liu Yun now had to inhabit the body of a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. Even though her soul had been nourished by the sarira for a long time, it was clearly not enough to effortlessly take over a Nascent Soul cultivator’s body. She needed time to absorb the two cultivation techniques Ding Yun had left for her and gradually adapt to the body. Therefore, she waited until the Special Incident Management Department had thoroughly extracted all information from Xu Jun and Niu Xiao’s parallel world experiences. Then, following Ding Yun’s residual memories, she hastily went to the Special Incident Management Department.
She announced her intention to take her fiancé home. Furthermore, she explained that the person who had been inside her body earlier was not her. She did not possess the opponent’s curse techniques and would likely be unable to cast new curses in the future. She also did not know how to break the previous curses. She also clarified how Xu Jun and the others had returned, stating that the person who had been inside her body previously was responsible. In short, Liu Yun completely betrayed Ding Yun, fearing she might be implicated and targeted or retaliated against by the sects that had lost many disciples.
The Special Incident Management Department did not know whether to believe her or not. In the end, they let them go. They also recorded the information Liu Yun provided about Ding Yun into a new secret file titled "Mysterious Abilities of a Temporal Curse User," likely possessing the ability to break world barriers, travel between different worlds, and assist others in doing so. The individual clearly possessed special curse abilities to curse others, as well as the ability to possess and usurp bodies. Their current whereabouts are unknown, and they appear to be vengeful. They are likely an ability user leaning towards order and justice.
Additionally, they created a new secret file named "Parallel Worlds," which meticulously documented the information they obtained from Xu Jun and Niu Xiao regarding parallel worlds. These two secret files, apart from the case officers, could only be accessed by a select few high-ranking officials. It was uncertain if they would ever be declassified and revealed to the public.
After leaving the Special Incident Management Department, Xu Jun and Niu Xiao parted ways and returned home. On their way back, Liu Yun and Xu Jun talked incessantly, pouring out their hearts to each other, sharing their experiences and their longing. When Xu Jun returned home, his parents were overjoyed and ecstatic. They repeatedly spoke of Liu Yun’s deep affection for him, urging him never to let her down after marriage and vowing to stand by her if she was ever wronged. In essence, they fully approved of Liu Yun as their daughter-in-law. That very evening, they called Liu Yun’s parents to invite them over for a meal to discuss the marriage. Both children were in their early thirties and could not afford any further delays.
Neither Liu Yun nor Xu Jun had any objections. Although they had been separated for years, their feelings for each other had not faded. Instead, their shared hardships and regrets had made them cherish each other even more. Their future remained unknown, but for now, their relationship was strong. After their parents met, a wedding date was quickly set. This was soon followed by the official registration and a grand wedding ceremony. The two of them stepped into the marital hall together. As for what the future held for one who was already a Nascent Soul cultivator and the other still a mortal, who could say? The love story before marriage and the daily trifles of family life afterward were, in essence, two different worlds.