How is that possible? I've been living in the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion all along. Moreover, the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion has passed down its legacy since the ancient times up until now. When was it destroyed?

Senior Sister Ye immediately thought of denying this fact. But for some reason, she was unable to say the words she wished to. At the same time, she felt her body becoming soft and falling backward.

What's happening? Why have I lost all the strength in my body, becoming soft from head to toe?

The nearby Song Shuhang, who was currently taking off the spacesuit, quickly stretched out his hands and supported Senior Sister Ye. She was very light. At this time, it felt as though Senior Sister Ye had next to no weight.

"Shuhang." Senior Sister Ye raised her head and looked at Song Shuhang with teary eyes.

"Senior Sister Ye, don't panic. Let's hear the whole story before reaching a definite conclusion." Song Shuhang supported Senior Sister Ye's body and comforted her, "Perhaps it's just another sect that just happens to have the same name and was destroyed a long time ago?"

Although Song Shuhang mentioned this possibility, he immediately refuted it in his mind.

Even if the two sects had the same name, what the Sobbing Old Man practiced was the authentic ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯!

The Sobbing Old Man had also stopped crying at this time. However, his heart was currently in turmoil.

F*ck, what did I just say? Did I just mention the destruction of the ancient Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion right in front of the entrance of the new one? I'm truly seeking death with my behavior!

To make an example, it was as if a guest were to come to the newly repaired Heavenly Palace of Jade Emperor after the monkey king had turned upside down the whole place and asked, 'Jade Emperor! I heard that the monkey king smacked you in the face, is that true?'

It was that type of feeling.

The old man had cried so much that he unconsciously ended up saying something he shouldn't have.

The favorable impression the opposite party had of him must have already plummeted. Perhaps they had already turned hostile.

How can I make up for my mistake? The Sobbing Old Man quickly operated his brain. His next actions would determine whether or not he would obtain the remaining part of the ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯.

But right at this time, Song Shuhang asked, "Senior Sobbing Old Man, can you describe to me the appearance of those ancient ruins related to the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion?"

Song Shuhang tried his best to keep his calm.

If the ancient Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion had been already destroyed, what was the deal with the 'Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion' before his eyes? Was it possible that someone had reconstructed it?

Or perhaps the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion before his eyes was a different type of existence?

❄️❄️❄️

The Sobbing Old Man stopped crying and described what he'd seen in there to Song Shuhang. "It looked like a very ordinary immortal cave hidden within the depths of the earth. I entered there by chance when I was still young.

The immortal cave had been already abandoned when I got there, and perhaps because someone entered before me, most of the things inside had disappeared. The only things left behind were bookshelves. It's possible that those bookshelves were once full of cultivation and magical techniques.

On the wall of the immortal cave was a painting, and what the painting depicted was precisely the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion during its golden age, completely identical to the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion currently before our eyes. On one side, there was a brief introduction to the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion. According to the introduction, back in those days, the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion had flourished under the lead of Pavilion Master Chu. The disciples of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion stood aloof from worldly strifes, and the entire sect was like a big family.

But due to five powerful influences in the world of cultivators fighting amongst themselves during ancient times, the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion got involved as well and got destroyed overnight; not even a single disciple survived the calamity."

After the Sobbing Old Man said this much, the nearby Senior Sister Ye used all her strength to squeeze Song Shuhang's arm, looking as though she was trying to recall something. But the expression on her face got even more perplexed.

Song Shuhang gently patted Senior Sister Ye and continued asking, "In that case, Senior Sobbing Old Man, did you obtain the ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯ inside that immortal cave?"

The ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯ was a tailor-made cultivation technique that Senior Sister Ye and her teacher had developed together. In the whole Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion, only she and her teacher had knowledge about the ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯.

Such being the case, was there a relationship between the immortal cave the Sobbing Old Man discovered and Senior Sister Ye?

"Yes. I obtained the ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯ inside the immortal cave. Unfortunately, it's an incomplete version, and the cultivation technique stops at the Fifth Stage Spiritual Emperor Realm. For this very reason, I've stayed in the Fifth Stage Realm for a very long period of time, unable to advance further," the Sobbing Old Man said.

Song Shuhang said, "Senior Sobbing Old Man, do you know who the master of that immortal cave was? Were there some clues inside?"

The Sobbing Old Man shook his head. The owner of the immortal cave didn't leave behind their name.

Song Shuhang gazed at Senior Sister Ye.

Senior Sister Ye still had a perplexed look on her face. Soon after, it changed into one of worry. "Shuhang, why am I unable to recall anything at all?"

Since she was unable to recall none of these events, she was very anxious and almost on the verge of tears.

"In that case... it's better to directly ask Pavilion Master Chu," Song Shuhang said gently. "What's the point of staying here and guessing? We can obtain the answer after asking Pavilion Master Chu."

As soon as he heard Pavilion Master Chu's name, the Sobbing Old Man got excited. "This brand-new Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion was built by Pavilion Master Chu? Little friend Song, if you see her, can you ask Pavilion Master Chu if the new Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion is interested in accepting disciples? As long as I can obtain the complete version of the ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯, I don't have any problem swearing eternal loyalty to the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion!"

He had a clean background and was a loose cultivator that had never joined any sect or school. In addition, he had already practiced until the Fifth Stage Realm and had a Golden Core with five dragon patterns!

If a loose cultivator like him were to sincerely ask a sect to accept him, it was very likely that the sect would accept him into their ranks.

Even if his loyalty couldn't be compared to the elders that had been brought up inside the sect, he was still a powerhouse of the Fifth Stage Realm!

Treating him as a 'non-native elder' or 'hired elder' was also pretty good!

Song Shuhang furrowed his brows. The creator of the ❮Tome of Never-Ending Tears❯ was standing right beside him.

From the looks of it, the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion is still accepting new disciples. Perhaps Senior Sobbing Old Man still has an opportunity to join the sect.

"In that case, I'll ask this question to Pavilion Master Chu on your behalf, Senior," Song Shuhang replied.

❄️❄️❄️

Song Shuhang's voice had yet to fade when the main gate of the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion slowly opened.

Afterward, a small snow-white hand suddenly appeared and grabbed the collar of the Sobbing Old Man, lifting him up.

A powerhouse of the Fifth Stage rank like the Sobbing Old Man couldn't revolt in the slightest in front of the strength of the small hand. He had been lifted upward like a little chick.

"Get out of my way!" Pavilion Master Chu shouted gently.

In the next moment, the Sobbing Old Man was flung away, flying very far away along with a series of shrieks. "Aaaaaah~"

Mentioning the destruction of the ancient Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion right before Pavilion Master Chu's eyes was similar to asking the Jade Emperor if the monkey king had smacked him in the face, a death-seeking behavior in short.

"Aaaaaah~" Then, just as the Sobbing Old Man was screaming, a space gate appeared on the trajectory he was following.

In the next moment, the Sobbing Old Man passed through the space gate, ending up in an unknown place!

It was unexpectedly a space-related delivery method.

Pavilion Master Chu clapped her hands and lazily stretched herself.

Her long hair was scattered all over the ground, resembling a cloak draping over her shoulders.

Then, she lowered her eyes and asked Song Shuhang, "Little friend Song, what did you want to ask me just now?"

Song Shuhang immediately got anxious.

He quietly looked in the direction the Sobbing Old Man had disappeared into and felt that he would follow in his footsteps if he were to ask that question. He was just a small cultivator of the Second Stage; he would die if someone were to fling him away like that!

But right at this time, Senior Sister Ye Si raised her head and looked at Pavilion Master Chu, asking, "Pavilion Master, was our Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion really destroyed in the past?"

Pavilion Master Chu stroked her long black hair and said softly, "Yes, it was destroyed. It was razed to the ground overnight. The painstaking effort of so many years of my life was gone, just like that. Back then, I cried so much that I nearly lost my mind. Afterward, I isolated myself and cut ties with the external world for several millennia."

Ye Si's tears couldn't help but stream down her face.

Pavilion Master Chu placed her in her bosom and comforted her, "Silly child, why are you crying. In ancient times, it was quite normal for sects to flourish and be destroyed. Our Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion was just unlucky that it got involved in a dispute. We didn't make any mistake. If we have to blame someone, we can only blame ourselves for not being strong enough."

If Pavilion Master Chu had had her current strength back then, the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion wouldn't have been destroyed.

Pavilion Master Chu was rather bad at comforting others. After she comforted Ye Si, the latter cried even more aggrievedly.

Their sect had really been destroyed!

Song Shuhang quietly sighed and looked at the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion before his eyes, saying, "In that case, Pavilion Master Chu, is the current Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion something you rebuilt from scratch?"

Pavilion Master Chu looked at Song Shuhang with her eyes half-closed and half-open, saying, "You have already guessed it in your heart. What's the point of asking?"

Song Shuhang forced a smile. Earlier, he indeed made a wild guess—perhaps the whole thing was just an 'illusory reality'; the special ability of a Seventh Stage Venerable!

However, he refused to believe that the guess he had made was the correct one.

People, buildings, rivers, grass, trees... everything inside the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion felt so real. Every disciple in the pavilion looked alive and had their own thoughts and will.

If it was really just an 'illusory reality', what was the difference between it and reality?

Song Shuhang felt a little bit of sympathy for Daoist Priest Cloudy Mist at this time. 'Do you find this group very lively? Actually, everyone in there is just my alternate account!'

After all, Song Shuhang had currently experienced the real-life edition of it. 'Do you find the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion very lively? Actually, the people that accompanied you during your permanence in the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion were just my alternate accounts!'

Eh? Wait a moment!

There is a big problem in that case!

If the Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion is really just an 'illusory reality'...

"Pavilion Master, what about Senior Sister Ye then?" Song Shuhang asked about this problem.

If the whole Crystal-Clear Water Pavilion was just an 'illusory reality'... what about Senior Sister Ye Si?

Senior Sister Ye and Shuhang were currently in a sort of 'girlfriend and boyfriend' relationship. They hadn't stayed together for that much time, and one could say that they were still building up their sentiment.

They were currently very close friends that had similar hobbies; perhaps a bit more than friends. However, they were still very far from truly becoming lovers.

But regardless of all this... Senior Sister Ye was still Song Shuhang's first love!

And the first love experience would sometimes be very sad or harsh.

Song Shuhang was very anxious at this time.

Pavilion Master Chu gently caressed Ye Si's eyes, making her fall asleep.

"Ye Si's situation is a bit special. She is not something I created with the illusory reality. From a certain point of view, my illusory reality can be considered as a part of myself. If she were part of my illusory reality, she would have never approached you and agreed to become your partner," Pavilion Master Chu replied.

Pavilion Master Chu had no interest in taking a small cultivator such as Shuhang as her husband.

After hearing this much, Song Shuhang felt that there was perhaps still a chance to save his first love!