Through the vastness of the universe and the primordial chaos, refining the essence of heaven and earth... Even though he had escaped the cycle of reincarnation, he could not avoid the turmoil of the world...

  The Divine and Demon Graveyard is located in the central region of Tian Yuan Continent. The entire cemetery is home to the strongest humans and the most powerful practitioners among the different races, with each grave containing the remains of an ancient god or demon. This is a resting place that belongs to gods and demons.

  The graveyard is lush with green grass and fragrant flowers. If not for the large array of tombstones, one might call it a garden. Surrounding the cemetery are towering snow maple trees, unique to the Divine and Demon Graveyard, said to be formed from the spiritual essence of the departed gods and demons.

  The snow maple trees have lush, green leaves that sway gently in the breeze, as if reminiscing about past glories. The pure white petals, as flawless as snowflakes, float slowly through the air. These are the tears of the gods, seemingly telling of an ancient sorrow.

  The day and night in the graveyard are starkly different.

  During the day, the place is suffused with an ethereal aura, and the sacred light spreads across every inch of the cemetery. One can see various gods conjured by the indomitable spiritual wills of the ancient gods and demons, and even catch glimpses of Western angels dancing and Eastern fairies singing. The entire graveyard is bathed in a divine atmosphere.

  If the day here is a paradise for the gods, then the night becomes the sanctum of the demons.

  As the sun sets and night falls, dark demonic energy surges out of the graves, dimming the stars and moon, and casting the world into a grim pallor. At this time, one might see the terrifying illusions of legendary evil gods and demons wreaking havoc in the cemetery, and hear the bone-chilling, mournful howls of ancient evil spirits.

  The sacred and terrifying Divine and Demon Graveyard is a holy site worshipped by practitioners from both the eastern and western parts of Tian Yuan Continent. During the day, one can often see people coming to pay their respects, and even at night, special practitioners, such as Eastern corpse handlers or Western necromancers, come to mourn.

  The graveyard is most peaceful at sunset, with the entire cemetery quiet, not a sound to be heard.

  As the sun sets once again, and the time for the divine and demonic transformations draws near, the last rays of the setting sun cast an eerie yet solemn glow over the Divine and Demon Graveyard.

  Each god and demon's grave is meticulously maintained, with fresh flowers placed at the base of each tombstone.

  Near the towering god and demon tombs stands a small, inconspicuous grave. This grave attracts no attention. There is no tombstone, no flowers, just a simple dirt mound, almost level with the ground. Over the years, eroded by wind and rain, this nameless grave has been forgotten, left in a corner.

  In the glow of the setting sun, the god and demon tombs appear even more imposing, while the nameless grave looks even more insignificant. Yet, at this very moment, the small, low grave begins to change. Slowly, cracks form along the grave, and the earth atop it begins to roll downward.

  A pale hand emerged from the grave, followed by another. The two hands grasped the edge of the grave, and a young man, with a dazed expression on his face, slowly climbed out. His messy long hair was covered in dirt, and his torn clothes clung tightly to his body. Aside from his unusually pale face, the young man appeared very ordinary, the kind of person who would go unnoticed in a crowd.

  "What is this place? How did I end up here?" the young man muttered, looking at the rows of graves before him, his expression growing more confused.

  Suddenly, he was deeply drawn to the epitaph of a nearby tomb. If anyone had been watching, they would have been astounded by how the young man was intently staring at the ancient script on the tombstone, for this was a form of writing so ancient that even the senior scholars of the Ancient Culture Research Alliance could only shake their heads and sigh in helplessness.

  As he finished reading the inscription, the young man’s expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "The grave of the Eastern Martial God, Zhan Wujie... Is this... is this real? Is this the legendary figure who once dominated the three realms and six paths, shaking the world with his power? Could it be... that even gods cannot escape death?"

  The towering god’s tomb nearby shocked him even more. "The grave of the Western War God, Caesar? Caesar? Could this be the Western god, clad in golden armor, wielding the Golden Holy Sword?"

  He seemed to recall something, and turned his gaze to the surroundings. The tall graves of gods and demons stood out, even more striking in the glow of the setting sun.

  "The grave of the Eastern Immortal Peony Fairy, the grave of the Western Goddess of Wisdom, Naris, the grave of the Eastern Martial Immortal Li Changfeng, the grave of the Eastern Demon Practitioner Ao Cangtian, the grave of the Western Demon King Lucifer..."

  "Oh my god! What has happened to this world? Have the gods of old all passed away... all buried here?" The young man’s face turned pale, his expression one of disbelief.

  "But... why are the gods from the Eastern Immortal Fantasy Continent and the Western Magic Continent buried together?"

  Suddenly, the young man noticed a small grave at his feet. He froze in place, cold sweat soaking his torn clothes. He felt a chilling sensation as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

  "I... I climbed out of the grave..." His eyes lost focus, and he stood there dazed, as though his soul had been ripped from his body. He collapsed helplessly onto the ground.

  "I am Chen Nan, I... I have died, but... I have come back to life..."

  It took a long time for the vacant expression in Chen Nan’s eyes to slowly show a flicker of life. Finally, shock crossed his face. "My God! What is going on? If I’ve already died, why am I crawling out of my grave?!"

  "Has the heavens condemned me, a useless person, to continue living my mundane life?!" After the shock faded, Chen Nan’s face was filled with confusion, but more so with pain. He closed his eyes and clutched his head tightly in his hands.

  He clearly remembered that he had died in a duel, yet now... here he was.

  Memories of the past flooded his mind—those days, those lost moments, those eternal things... leaving too many regrets in his heart.

  The world remained vast, the flowers and grass still fragrant, but his heart felt hollow, with no sense of direction.

  It was a long while before Chen Nan slowly rose from the ground. His gaze wandered through the graveyard, and eventually, he confirmed that this was a cemetery of gods and demons. After the shock, he gradually calmed down.

  "Even the hardest, diamond-like gravestones are clearly etched with the marks of time. This must have taken ten thousand years... The vast sea has turned into mulberry fields, ten thousand years of time flowing by... Heh... an eternal dream!" Chen Nan sighed.

  Looking at the rows of tombstones, his heart was filled with confusion.

  The Tomb of the Howling Sky God Tiger, Xiao Zhen; the Tomb of the Three-Headed Demon Dragon, Gai Rui; the Tomb of the Martial Saint, Liang Feng; the Tomb of the Divine Knight, Otto Li... It seems that, in addition to the gods and demons, there are also some powerful humans and rare practitioners of buried here.

  "What exactly happened ten thousand years ago? Why did the so-called immortal gods and demons die? Why are the gods of the Immortal Fantasy Continent and the Demon Fantasy Continent buried together? Why was I buried here?"

  A gentle breeze brushed by, disheveling his dirty long hair and stirring the loneliness in his heart.

  Chen Nan looked up and shouted to the sky, "Who can tell me what happened?"

  No one answered him.

  In the distance, the towering snow maple tree shed countless petals, drifting gracefully through the air, like tears from the gods who had passed away.

  "The gods are dead, the demons are gone, and I am still alive... Why, heaven, did you make me crawl out of the grave? Where should I go from here?"

  The sun sank behind the western hills, and the evening glow turned half the sky red, outlining the red clouds on the horizon with golden edges.

  Chen Nan gathered his scattered emotions. He knew that some things could not be chosen, and the only option was to move forward, step by step.

  He carefully filled in the small grave beneath his feet with soil, then walked out of the cemetery. As he passed through the snow maple forest, he froze. He had never seen trees so full of spiritual energy. He wondered, could these be a new species that emerged during the long years of his "slumber"?

  When pure white petals fell before Chen Nan, his vision blurred, and the sealed memories slowly opened. It was also a season of falling flowers...

  He thought of the "she" in his heart...

  "Time has passed, the world has changed... sigh!" Chen Nan shook his head and walked out of the forest.

  As he stepped out of the snow maple forest, it was also the time of the setting sun. The once peaceful Divine Demon Cemetery was no longer calm. Dark demonic energy rose from the graves, and endless darkness began to envelop the entire cemetery.

  Chen Nan vaguely heard low growls behind him, but he didn't pay attention, thinking that wild beasts were beginning to appear after sunset. He stretched his limbs and muttered to himself, "It's been ten thousand years. My body shouldn't have rusted yet." He knew his martial skills weren't particularly strong, but dealing with ordinary beasts should be no problem.

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  Not far ahead, three thatched cottages appeared. A frail, bony old man stood at the door. His hair and beard were both white, and his face was carved with wrinkles from years of hardship.

  A strange emotion surged in Chen Nan's heart. This was the first person he had seen since his reincarnation, and there was a sense of familiarity, loss, and confusion...

  Ten thousand years ago, he was born to his parents. Ten thousand years later, when he was reborn, he faced this old man.

  "How could I connect my parents to this old man?" he laughed self-deprecatingly.

  The old man, leaning on a cane, trembled as he walked toward him, looking so frail that it seemed a gust of wind could blow him over.

  Chen Nan hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man, but the old man waved his hand, signaling for him to let go. In a tone of reproach, the old man spoke a few words, but Chen Nan couldn’t understand a single one.

  The incomprehensible words sent a chill through his heart, and he suddenly realized that ten thousand years had passed. The language of his era had long been abandoned by history.

  He had originally hoped to learn about the present world through the old man, but the language barrier shattered that hope.

  Seeing the blank look on his face, the old man’s expression softened, and his tone grew gentler. However, seeing the confusion still on Chen Nan’s face, the old man furrowed his brow, then took Chen Nan's hand and led him toward the thatched cottage.

  Chen Nan numbly followed behind the old man. His instinct told him that the old man meant him no harm, but because of the language barrier, he had no choice but to remain silent.

  The old man brought him to the front of the cottage, pointed to a wooden bucket on the ground, then pointed to a well not far away, before walking into the house.

  “Is he asking me to fetch water? Does he want me to work as a laborer here?” Chen Nan wondered silently.

  When the old man appeared in front of him again, Chen Nan realized he had misunderstood the old man. The old man handed him a set of slightly worn clothes, evidently wanting him to change into them.

  Seeing the faint smile on the old man’s face, Chen Nan couldn’t help but blush. At this moment, his clothes were tattered, his hair disheveled, and he was covered in filth.

  Chen Nan’s heart sank. How could he have been so miserable after ten thousand years? He silently picked up the wooden bucket and walked toward the well.

  He circulated his inner energy and exerted a bit of force, and the torn clothes completely disintegrated, falling to the ground.

  These were the God Silk Armor from back in the day! Time was ruthless. The armor, which once resisted fire and water, and could not be pierced by blades or guns, had long been worn down by ten thousand years of erosion!

  The cold well water washed away the grime from his body, but it couldn’t wash away the troubles in his heart.

  “What should I do? Without understanding the language of this world, I can’t communicate with anyone. How am I supposed to survive in this world?”

  After putting on the clothes the old man had prepared for him, Chen Nan smiled at the old man to show his gratitude.

  A fragrance of food wafted through the air, and the old man slowly walked over to the stove, signaling for Chen Nan to come over.

  Chen Nan took the bowl of porridge the old man handed him, and he couldn’t help but think: Ten thousand years, and I still get to sit at the dinner table. Life is truly unpredictable!

  His stomach was empty, and oily food wasn’t suitable for him, so a bowl of porridge was just right. After finishing dinner, the sky had already darkened. Chen Nan followed the old man into the house, where the old man lit a candle. The soft candlelight filled the small room with a warm glow.

  The room’s furnishings were simple: a wooden bed, a chair, and a desk.

  The desk was immaculate, with a dozen or so books neatly arranged on top. However, Chen Nan couldn’t read a single word on the covers. After ten thousand years, the script of the continent had long changed beyond recognition, and he felt a pang of loss in his heart.

  After the old man walked into another room, Chen Nan lay on the armchair, his mind in turmoil, but there was not a trace of joy in his heart.

  Ten thousand years ago, although he had a prominent family background, he himself was ordinary. Living in such a circle, he carried too much pressure, constantly enduring painful torment. He had long grown tired of that life; if not for the lingering attachments in his heart, death might not have been an escape for him.

  Fate played a cruel joke, and after ten thousand years, he had somehow returned to life. Although he had freed himself from the heavy pressure, everything had changed...

  Chen Nan felt a deep bitterness. His family, his friends had long passed into the afterlife, and the beauty who understood him was also buried in the earth. Now, he was left alone, living in this world with no interest in life.

  He mocked himself, "Did I escape history, or was I abandoned by it?"

  The candle's tears dried up, the last spark flickered, and the room fell into darkness.

  Outside the window, the stars twinkled, and the night was especially serene. Yet, Chen Nan tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

  He forced himself to calm down and activated his family's ancient technique. He wanted to see if, after ten thousand years, his martial strength still remained.

  The true energy flowed like a gentle stream within him. After ten thousand years, his strength remained unchanged.

  Due to the deliberate activation of his inner technique, his senses immediately became sharp. He faintly heard deep, mournful growls coming from the direction of the tombs, sending a chill down his spine.

  "Are there that many wild beasts? This old man, so advanced in age, is guarding the tombs alone. It's truly dangerous!"

  What Chen Nan didn't know was that, at that very moment, the old man had entered the Divine and Demon Tombs. He held a basket of flowers, filled with the fragrant snow maple blossoms. The old man ignored the ferocious illusions and demonic apparitions around him, offering a few pure white petals in front of each tomb, his demeanor deeply reverent.

  Chen Nan's "old home," the low little mound, had almost disappeared due to the settling of the soil after being hollowed out. It now barely protruded above the ground.

  The old man shakily walked over and sighed, "Sigh! Who told you not to have a gravestone? I'm afraid you’ll fade from the memories of the world. Perhaps it's for the best, less glory, more simplicity, peaceful and quiet, free from disturbances. Return to where you came from."

  After speaking, the old man slowly crouched down, stretched out his hands, and carefully spread the sunken soil elsewhere. The little mound disappeared completely. A dozen flower petals fell from the air, leaving a faint fragrance behind.

  In the early morning, a ray of sunlight shone through the window. Chen Nan opened his bleary eyes and muttered to himself, "Strange, why hasn't Father sent someone to urge me to practice today? Oh, that's right, he's about to step into the realm of immortal martial arts. He no longer has time to worry about me."

  Suddenly, he noticed the simple furnishings in the room. He sat up abruptly and, after a long while, murmured, "So, everything is real. Ten thousand years have swiftly passed!"

  He gently pushed open the small door of the thatched cottage and stepped into the yard. The fresh, floral-scented air rushed toward him, refreshing his senses. A faint mist swirled through the forest, slowly drifting, and the birds, unafraid of humans, hopped from tree to tree, singing melodiously. Chen Nan closed his eyes and felt the harmonious poetic atmosphere.

  "You're awake?" The old man’s voice came from behind him.

  Chen Nan couldn’t understand the old man's words, so he could only offer a smile in response.

  After breakfast, Chen Nan stood up, pointed to the small road leading into the distance, waved goodbye to the old man, and bowed deeply to him before leaving.

  An hour later, he arrived at a small town. Due to his ordinary appearance and the fact that he wore clothes typical of the present-day continent, no one paid him any attention.

  At this moment, Chen Nan felt both joy and worry. The joy was that his new life was about to begin; the worry was that he didn’t understand the language spoken on the continent now.

  Chen Nan was surprised to notice that, in addition to the black-haired, black-eyed people like himself, there were also residents with golden hair and blue eyes, as well as red-haired, blue-eyed, and blue-haired, black-eyed people...

  "It seems that a lot has happened in these ten thousand years. I must quickly adapt to this society," Chen Nan thought.

  Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine, a cold shiver in his heart. With his intuition, he knew that a powerful figure was watching him.

  A half-century-old Taoist priest, not far behind him, shook his head and sighed, "Strange, I clearly sensed a strange aura around this young man just now. How is it that after closer inspection, it's gone?"

  It wasn’t until the Taoist priest had walked far away that Chen Nan dared to turn around and look. All he saw was the figure of the Taoist priest’s back, indifferent and otherworldly, as if floating like an immortal.

  Chen Nan recalled his father’s words: "Chen Nan, remember, anyone who can see through the flow of our family’s inner energy is not simple. They are either true martial arts masters or transcendental cultivators. You must be extra cautious!"

  "He’s a cultivator! Aren’t such people rare in the mortal world?" Chen Nan deeply understood the danger of such individuals. Only those with profound martial arts skills dared not oppose them.

  His father's voice still echoed in his ears: "…To reshape the body, solidify the primordial spirit, and achieve longevity equal to that of heaven and earth, to shine with the sun and moon—this is the ultimate goal of cultivation, the state of immortality. The path we martial artists follow is to cultivate against the heavens, to reach that legendary state of immortal martial arts. While most people believe that the path of martial artists is inferior to that of cultivators, …"

  His father didn’t continue, but Chen Nan understood. Martial artists were not powerless against cultivators, for his father himself was the best example. Even those who had achieved the state of cultivation would treat him as an equal when they met.

  Thinking of this, Chen Nan’s heart stirred. "I wonder if Father ever entered the realm of immortal martial arts. If so… maybe there will be a day when we meet again."

  But as he thought of the numerous demon and god tombstones in the cemetery, his heart filled with panic.

  "If Father entered the immortal martial realm, he probably couldn’t escape..."

  He sank into desolation.

  People came and went along the street, with cries of vendors calling out and selling wares, creating a lively atmosphere. Yet, Chen Nan felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness. He felt like the abandoned child of this world, ruthlessly discarded by history.

  "I was once ordinary. Since I have already died, why, after so many long years, was I allowed to crawl out of the tomb of the gods?"

  A large cloud passed through the sky, and the daylight quickly faded.

  "Boom!"

  After a thunderclap, the shops on either side of the street began closing, and the pedestrians hurried away. In just a short time, the streets became deserted, with only him standing alone in the middle of the road.

  After the lightning and thunder, a torrential downpour began, soaking Chen Nan’s clothes with cold rainwater. He felt a chill spread through his body. But what was colder was his heart; he felt an intense, desolate coldness within.

  "The world is so vast, where is my home?"

  A curtain of rain fell across the world, and a solitary figure wandered aimlessly through the street, letting the raindrops batter his body in a chaotic frenzy.

  "Where should I go from here? Ten thousand years ago, even if I was ordinary, I was still a child of a prestigious family, with a level of respect that ordinary people could hardly imagine... but now I’ve lost everything. Am I doomed to live a mediocre life in the vast sea of people? I truly can’t accept it!"

  "Haha... what does it matter if you can’t accept it? Can you change any of this? Ten thousand years ago, you were mediocre, and ten thousand years later, you remain the same!"

  Chen Nan spoke to himself, a look of agony on his face.

  "Yes, I am just a mediocre person. My family’s secret art has regressed, falling from the second-tier Great Perfection of the Second Heaven to the middle stage of the First Heaven. Is my talent truly that poor? People say a dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, but me...?"

  "My father stepped into the third-tier Great Perfection of our family’s secret art at nineteen, renowned across the world. By forty, he had already stood at the peak of martial arts. I’m his biological son, and I’m twenty, yet I’m still stuck in the First Heaven!"

  "I know, my father has never blamed me, but I just can’t accept this reality..."

  "Heh, a tiger father and a dog son. I’m sure all our family friends must have discussed me behind my back like this."

  "Perhaps only she believed that one day, I would shine brightly."

  Thinking of the "she" in his heart, Chen Nan’s face darkened, and a wave of indescribable pain surged in his heart.

  "Yuxin, do you know? The thing I regret most is not saying those three words to you: 'I love you.'"

  Time passes swiftly, and beauty fades with age.

  Yuxin was the eternal pain in Chen Nan’s heart, the regret of his entire life.

  Without a sense of direction, Chen Nan stumbled into a narrow alley. His chest felt unbearably tight, and a wave of blood surged from his stomach.

  "Ugh..."

  He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing into the muddy water.

  "Yuxin, I love you!" His vision darkened, and he lost consciousness.