The years passed quickly.
Then the centuries.
Chen stopped counting them long ago.
What had once seemed like an impossible sentence of four thousand years slowly became his life.
He learned.
He cultivated.
He traveled.
He read countless celestial records and visited places he once couldn’t even imagine.
He watched civilizations rise and disappear.
He met beings who had lived for millions of years and others who were only a few centuries old.
He made acquaintances.
He made enemies.
He even made a few friends.
And through it all, Bai Yuexian remained beside him.
Sometimes she was his teacher.
Sometimes his employer.
Sometimes his biggest source of trouble.
But somehow, she had also become the closest thing he had to family in the Celestial Realm.
Chen changed too.
The impatient mortal who had once complained about spending four thousand years doing paperwork was long gone.
He had become calmer.
More knowledgeable.
More confident.
He could now read celestial texts that had once looked like meaningless symbols.
He understood formations, spiritual energy, cultivation, artifacts, history, and countless other things.
But there was one thing he never stopped waiting for.
Reincarnation.
Then, one day, Bai Yuexian walked into his room.
“Chen.”
He looked up from his book.
“What?”
She smiled.
“It’s time.”
Chen froze.
His book slowly lowered.
“Time for what?”
“You know.”
He stared at her.
Then his eyes widened.
Bai Yuexian nodded.
“Four thousand years are over.”
Chen didn’t speak.
For several seconds, he simply sat there.
Four thousand years.
He had imagined this moment countless times.
He had dreamed about it.
Complained about it.
Even joked about it.
Yet now that it had arrived, he didn’t know what to say.
“So… I’m finally leaving?”
“Yes.”
Chen looked around his room.
The desk.
The shelves.
The books.
The window overlooking the endless celestial clouds.
He had spent thousands of years here.
It wasn’t his original home.
But it had become familiar.
Bai Yuexian watched him quietly.
“You’re allowed to miss it.”
Chen smiled faintly.
“I thought I’d be happier.”
“You are.”
“Yeah.”
He stood.
“I am.”
Bai Yuexian led him outside.
The sky was unusually clear.
A massive formation had appeared in the distance, surrounded by countless glowing symbols.
Chen stopped.
“What is that?”
“Your reincarnation formation.”
He stared at it.
“So that’s it.”
Bai Yuexian nodded.
Chen took a slow breath.
“What will I become?”
“You’ll find out.”
“You’ll find out.”
“Will I remember this life?”
Bai Yuexian smiled.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On how much of yourself survives the transition.”
Chen frowned.
“That sounds ominous.”
“It isn’t.”
“You’re terrible at reassuring people.”
“I know.”
They approached the formation.
Chen looked at Bai Yuexian.
“Thank you.”
She blinked.
“For what?”
“Everything.”
For once, Bai Yuexian didn’t make a joke.
She simply smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
Chen stepped into the formation.
Light surrounded him.
His body began to disappear.
His consciousness became lighter.
The Celestial Realm faded.
The countless memories of four thousand years began slipping away.
The libraries.
The cities.
The mountains.
The banquet.
The countless meals.
Bai Yuexian.
Everything became distant.
Yet just before everything vanished, he heard her voice.
“Live well this time.”
Chen smiled.
Then darkness swallowed him.
Far away, in a world completely different from the Celestial Realm, a new life was about to begin.
A life that would change everything.