Outside the imperial city of Beiyin, there stood a tall tower, more than ten stories high.
This tower was the tallest structure in the capital, named the Star-Gazing Tower, and it was the residence of the National Preceptor, the Daoist True Immortal.
On the very top of the Star-Gazing Tower stood a man clad in a Daoist robe. A gentle breeze blew past him, causing his robes to flutter.
This man was the Daoist True Immortal. At first glance, he appeared to be a middle-aged man, yet upon closer inspection, his face seemed excessively youthful. Then again, his eyes possessed an immeasurable depth and ancient wisdom, as if he were an old man who had seen through life.
The Daoist True Immortal wore an expression of excitement, clapping his hands and exclaiming.
"The myriad worlds, there are wonders beyond imagination. To think that commoners outside can eat meat at every meal, and live in buildings tens of meters high..."
Qiao Feiya sat beside him, her expression one of resignation as she listened to his laments.
After her arrival in this world, she had been brought to this tall tower by the Daoist.
Although the Daoist had not attacked her or committed any other discourteous acts, Qiao Feiya was unable to leave the capital, thus it was effectively house arrest.
They engaged in discussions daily. The Daoist would inquire about matters from the outside world, and in return, he would share information about this world with Qiao Feiya.
Therefore, despite never having left the capital, Qiao Feiya understood this world better than Wen Wen.
This Daoist True Immortal, like Wen Wen and the others, had also come from the outside!
However, his arrival point was a thousand years ago.
At that time, the land of Huafu was suffering from a calamity of the undead. The Daoist True Immortal, unwilling to get involved in this troublesome affair, set sail in search of the legendary Immortal Islands.
Near Pengwan Island, the Daoist discovered the anomaly here. He entered Yuliannu, pushed open the bronze gate, and arrived in this world.
But to his dismay, once he entered, he could never leave.
Although this world was vast, it was in fact incomplete. It existed as a projection, relying on the real world.
It was perfectly fine for ordinary people to live here, but for a calamity-level expert like him to exist in this incomplete world was a torment beyond words.
When he first arrived, this world was identical to the two thousand years of history in Huafu, and even the names of people could be perfectly matched.
However, due to the arrival of the Daoist True Immortal, the world's development had undergone a subtle deviation, causing this world and the Huafu Grand Region to be unable to remain completely consistent.
Upon noticing this, the Daoist True Immortal ceased to deliberately interfere with the history of this world and entered a state of reclusion.
His assumption of the position of National Preceptor of the Beiyin Dynasty was because, before entering Yuliannu, he had already been the National Preceptor of the Beiyin Dynasty. To avoid disrupting the course of history, he reassumed the role.
However, when Qiao Feiya descended from the heavens, he knew that maintaining historical progress was meaningless. What concerned him more was how Qiao Feiya and the others had entered, and whether he could seize this opportunity to leave.
After Qiao Feiya had spoken her piece, the Daoist began to reveal some of this world's secrets.
"This world is vast, yet also small. In your terms, it only contains the complete Huafu Grand Region, parts of the Bai Xiong and Dong You Grand Regions, and some ocean.
"You might see some people from the Western Regions here, but in reality, these Westerners appear out of nowhere. Once they leave the borders, they vanish into thin air.
"I once ventured deep into the 'borders' to investigate, but after walking a certain distance inward, I emerged from the other side. The entire world is a closed loop with a finite scope..."
After sharing some intelligence, the Daoist True Immortal fell silent, preparing to leave.
Qiao Feiya hesitated for a moment before pressing further, "You said that before your arrival, the development of this world was consistent with the Federation's two thousand years ago. Then this world would have another you, him..."
The corners of the Daoist True Immortal's lips curled. "He disappeared."
"Disappeared?" Qiao Feiya asked, confused.
The Daoist True Immortal's interest in conversation was reignited. "That 'me' was merely a phantom void of power. After my arrival, he had no purpose for existence, and thus vanished.
"At my level of cultivation, I am unique. Even in a perfectly identical world, another 'me' could not be born; only a phantom of power.
"The reason this world produced another 'me' is solely because the foundation of this world's existence is an imitation of the history of the real world."
As he spoke, the Daoist True Immortal paused, his gaze fixed on the sky, his eyes glinting with light.
"It seems your friend has come to fetch you. Lingering outside and peeking is not a good habit."
With that, the Daoist True Immortal waved his hand towards the sky. Instantly, a strong wind surged, and dark clouds gathered. A massive sparrow flew towards the Star-Gazing Tower with astonishing speed.
"Friend above, since you are here, come down and let's have a chat."
As he finished speaking, a colossal sparrow appeared in the sky, and then three figures fell from it.
Wen Wen landed lightly on the floor, while Zhu Pengpei and Chun Ling directly smashed through the tower's rooftop floor, crashing all the way to the bottom.
The Daoist True Immortal's mouth twitched slightly; he felt a pang of sympathy for his Star-Gazing Tower.
Seeing Wen Wen arrive, Qiao Feiya smiled, confident that she could now leave. She then grew concerned that this Daoist might detain Wen Wen as well.
The Daoist True Immortal smiled at Wen Wen. "You should also be from the outside. I am the Daoist True Immortal; you may simply call me You Dao."
Wen Wen observed the Daoist True Immortal, a hint of wariness in his eyes.
Just moments ago, while riding the great sparrow, he had flown outside the imperial city of Beiyin and circled it, observing the city.
The city was a dead silence at night, with a faint, chilling aura emanating from above it. The complexions of many of the city guards had begun to turn ashen.
Under these circumstances, Wen Wen certainly had no intention of barging in rashly. Instead, he planned to first understand the situation, then infiltrate to communicate with Qiao Feiya, and subsequently devise a plan to slip away under the Daoist True Immortal's nose.
In the worst-case scenario, he would summon the Dark Knights and force his way in to rescue Qiao Feiya.
But to his surprise, before the great sparrow could even land, the weather had suddenly changed dramatically, and in the blink of an eye, they were airborne above the great sparrow.
"I'm not sure what you wish to discuss, but let me state beforehand that I am here to take her away, so I cannot chat for too long."
The Daoist True Immortal continued to look up at the sparrow, and after a moment, he chuckled and shook his head, turning his gaze to Wen Wen.
"I come from the same place as you, and I bear you no ill will. I only seek to escape this cage-like world, so I only ask for one promise from you."
Wen Wen narrowed his eyes and asked, "What guarantee do you require?"
"If there is an opportunity to leave this place, please do take me along. If you promise me this, you may take this young lady. And any trouble you encounter in the land of Xiafu, I can also help you resolve."