The Old Man - 394

When Zhou Fan finally checked how much time had passed, it had been 30 million years since he had entered the first city and met the old man.

Plenty of time had passed, and Zhou Fan understood that a lot had changed in the universe in that time.

In this world, the ruler was now only at the peak of the void traversing realm due to multiple events taking place.

The old man may or may not be alive now. If he had gone to the cosmic sect with Lu Wei, then there was a good chance he was alive.

Zhou Fan left the planet and returned to the cosmic sect. He still had plenty of time to freely pass, but he felt like moving to a different planet regardless of whether or not he returned to the cosmic sect first.

He entered without being stopped this time. Compared to his usual distance between visits, almost no time had passed. There was a chance that no new disciples had even been added.

He made his way towards the center of the cosmic sect, and came across Lu Zhong and Feng Liu.

They were excited when they saw him and hurriedly came up to him.

They talked for a little while before Zhou Fan asked about Lu Wei.

"Is there a disciple named Lu Wei here?" Zhou Fan asked.

"The youngest disciple? Indeed." Lu Zhong answered.

"Do you know him?" Feng Liu asked.

"I do. Do you know where he is right now?" Zhou Fan asked.

"He may be at the temple. He likes to cultivate there." Feng Liu answered.

"Alright. I'll see you guys later. Tell Hei Ren I said hi." Zhou Fan said as he flew towards the temple.

As he stepped on the ground before the temple's entrance, he saw Ying Xiong waiting for him.

"Back so soon. I suppose you are here to meet Lu Wei." Ying Xiong said. "He made quite the commotion when he saw the statue of the origin god for the first time."

"I wish I was here to see it. Do you want to come with me?" Zhou Fan asked.

"I'll just watch from the sides." Ying Xiong replied.

Zhou Fan nodded and entered the temple. The first thing he noticed was a middle aged man meditating in front of and below the statue of the origin god. Seeing the statue made Zhou Fan remember Leaf, who he pulled out of the sword and allowed him to wrap around his body.

He walked up to Lu Wei, who seemed to ignore the footsteps, until Zhou Fan stood right in front of him.

Lu Wei opened his eyes in annoyance, but only saw the bottom part of a gray robe. 

"My eyes are up here." Zhou Fan said jokingly.

Lu Wei's eyes widened and his head jerked up. Zhou Fan had regained his appearance, and although he seemed slightly different, Lu Wei was able to instantly recognize him.

"Uncle?" Lu Wei asked.

"I suppose." Zhou Fan said.

Lu Wei jumped up and hugged him.

"I was hoping that the statue was truly you. It seems that you are a lot stronger than I ever expected." Lu Wei laughed.

"Don't you remember claiming that you would become strong enough to see my cultivation? I've awaited the day you would surpass me." Zhou Fan joked.

"Haha. Let's just forget about that, uncle." Lu Wei laughed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It seems I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." Zhou Fan said. "It seems that you are in good health. Where is the old man?" 

"He is in the outer section of the cosmic sect. We can go see him now. He should be happy to see uncle." Lu Wei said.

Zhou Fan and Lu Wei left the temple. 

Soon, they arrived at the outer section of the cosmic sect. They went to a more desolated area where a large tower stood.

Zhou Fan and Lu Wei entered the tower. It was a library that was very similar to the one long ago.

The old man was sitting at the front desk reading a book. He looked up and saw Zhou Fan, with Lu Wei following behind.

"You're a couple million years late. I'll be docking your pay." The old man said seriously.

Zhou Fan and the old man looked at each other in silence for a moment, before they began to chuckle.

"It's good to see you again Old man." Zhou Fan said.

"You truly are the origin god. I suppose I should bow." The old man joked.

"Please don't. It would not be worth it to lose a friend and gain a follower." Zhou Fan said.

"In that case, I'll have to stand." The old man said.

Lu Wei and the old man said hello to each other as it had been a long time since they had last met as well. The old man was in the space shattering realm, though only in the first level.

That seemed to be the limit of his talent. He would end up dying before even a billion years passed. A true pity, though he seemed content.

There was a reason that Zhou Fan considered him a friend. He was an admirable person, fearless in the face of even the end of his lifespan. 

Perhaps only he and Ying Xiong could be considered Zhou Fan's friends.

Luckily, Zhou Fan had become numb to the deaths of those he knew a long time ago.

It was nice to meet the old man again, and after staying in the library for a year, Zhou Fan left with Lu Wei. He may never meet the old man again, so their goodbye's were truly profound.

Lu Wei and Zhou Fan returned to the temple. After Zhou Fan left alone, he saw Ying Xiong again.

"Allow Lu Wei and the old man to enter my mountain as they please. Also, treat the old man well. He is a friend." Zhou Fan said as he turned to leave.

"I truly don't know how you do it." Ying Xiong said, making Zhou Fan stop.

"I don't know if I would be able to watch those I know die so casually." He said.

"I don't find it casual at all. I'm quite sad." Zhou Fan said as he wistfully stared at the stars in the distance. "Perhaps that is what makes us so different."