From a human perspective, the universe is truly vast.

Chang Le has been gone for a long time, yet his search remains fruitless, like a speck of dust in the vast universe.

She found a place to rest.

"Sizzle..."

A strange sound reached her consciousness. Chang Le was already used to this; it was a message from the being on the star she was on.

Chang Le spread his spiritual power towards its source.

This is a planet similar to Earth, surrounded by thick clouds, the composition of which is unknown, but it has no oxygen.

The gravity is about 1.3 times that of Earth. Looking around, there are many undulating rocks, most of which are soaked in liquid water. In the depressions, a viscous substance similar to soil has formed.

The signal came from one of the clay's undulating depressions.

Two completely different spiritual energies came into contact and unexpectedly connected smoothly, prompting Chang Le to turn his head to look.

She was within the luminosity of the star, though much dimmer than daytime on Earth, but still bright enough to see normally.

She saw that in the center of the nearly circular depression, about 100 meters in diameter, the clay, soaked in liquid water, pushed out a shape resembling a tree stump, like a slightly heavy jelly swaying gently, as if it were greeting someone.

Chang Le relaxes, allowing that wisp of spiritual energy to briefly merge with his own, achieving communication.

"You, an outsider?"

This is the meaning translated by mental power itself.

Chang Le floated down to the top of a rock exposed above the water on the outer edge of the depression: "I come from another place."

The energy in the depression surged for a moment, seemingly breaking with its vows, yet also learning. When the message was relayed again, its meaning was clearer and more precise: "What do you define yourselves as?"

Chang Le said, "Human. I am...human."

The energy in the depressions churned more violently, causing energy fluctuations in the adjacent depressions as well. Fragments of the initial crackling sounds emanated from them, suggesting that the entities within these depressions were communicating with each other.

The same energy responded to her: "In our memories, it seems that you—humans—exist."

"You may have visited my hometown."

"Searching my memory..."

Chang Le realized that each of them could share memories.

"Blue Star, Humanity, Trade."

Upon hearing the last word, Chang Le's eyes widened slightly.

The depression said, "You define us as—forbidden heretics, [Shadow Children]."

Chang Le was stunned for a long time before revealing a smile: "I once saw a ghost child, and it was my friend."

The original Yin Child in the depression couldn't understand this sentence and replied, "We here are not adults and cannot access the memories of adults."

“It’s alright,” Chang Le said, even though he knew they couldn’t understand the word “it’s alright.” “It’s already very lucky to be able to visit the place where Yin Tong was born.”

"Friend...friend?" The infant Yin Child was still trying to decipher what he heard.

Perhaps it was seeing this magical place that made Chang Le, who was originally exhausted, feel much stronger. So he told it, "I'm leaving now. Maybe we'll meet again someday."

The infant ghost child asked, "Where to?"

Chang Le said, "Go find a place where life can be brought back to life."

The infant Yin Child did not speak again, and Chang Le floated up from the rock.

Suddenly, a distinct energy fluctuation emanated from the ground and water surface. Chang Le looked down and widened his eyes in shock.

The hundred-meter-deep depression converges into a bright, earthy blue surface, surrounded by jagged rocks that are askew and obscuring the view. Yellowish-brown light extends from the light gold surface in the center, forming elephant-trunk-shaped arms, creating a mysterious and romantic scene.

Like the wide-field image of the Elephant Trunk Nebula that she saw, IC1396 (attached below).

This is a ritual performed by the spirit child to bid farewell to the infant spirit who has grown up and left their homeland.

The gift to Chang Le is a ritual for friends, derived from the interpretation of the young, spirit-bearing children in this area.

Chang Le didn't understand, but she could sense it.

After leaving the birthplace of the Yin Child, Chang Le continued his journey for many, many years.

How long? Long enough that Chang Le can no longer feel his own existence.

When she suddenly stopped and turned around, even the path she had come from had become blurry.

All I remember is that, perhaps hundreds of years ago, perhaps thousands of years ago, on that mirror-like starry river, among the two choices He gave, she chose that big tree.

The World Tree, symbolizing protection.

Then, she received His guidance on "resurrection" and continued her journey through the stars.

Besides not being able to feel her own life, Chang Le even began to forget what her body looked like.

Sometimes, when I suddenly think about it and look at my own body, I find that a part of me has been replaced by vines, tentacles, frost, or lightning. Sometimes, I don't even have a shape or a substance.

But that doesn't affect her existence.

Time seemed to have almost completely stopped in her body the moment she left the Water Mirror Galaxy; only her thoughts continued to grow and pursue.

Like an immortal wandering soul in the universe.

At first, Chang Le kept searching.

We've traversed the Pink Star, where the extraterrestrial mutant [Flesh Mother] was born; we've traversed the Iron Lands, where the extraterrestrial mutant [Byin] resides; we've traversed the fragments left behind by the planet where the Shadow of Calamity was born; we've traversed the Water and Earth Star, where the [Shadow Child] was born…

Later, Chang Le moved forward wearily.

Feel the death of distant stars in the nebula, lose your way in the magnificent stardust clouds and have to stop, and find the Trial Grounds Desperate Situation No. 99 Hanging Coffin City on a dead planet, it really exists.

Those bronze coffins filling the sky were merely drying racks for another kind of creature. That dead star was their shop for choosing food.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!