Chapter 1

Hua Xia, Hu Hai City!

In the scorching summer, cicadas chirped, and the streets were filled with rolling heat waves, especially at noon when it was rare to see anyone outside.

But it was precisely at this scorching noon that a young man, with a tall and straight figure like a spear piercing the sky, deep eyes that seemed to have experienced countless lifetimes, and a sense of endless vicissitudes, slowly walked down the street.

His jet-black hair reached his waist, and he wore a set of ink-black ancient Han clothing, just like the ancients in TV shows. His unusual attire drew frequent glances from passersby, their eyes filled with curiosity.

This person is so strange!

A man's hair is actually longer than a woman's, and in such hot weather, he is still wearing a black ancient Han costume. Is he crazy?

"In that immortal world, five thousand years passed, while on Earth, only five years have passed. The time difference between the two worlds is a thousand times, but in these short five years, everything on Earth has changed so much!" Xiao Fan looked at the surroundings, which were vastly different from his memories, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

He remembered that the houses here used to be low and dilapidated, but now this place has become a CBD development zone, with skyscrapers towering, their glass surfaces shimmering in the sunlight, blinding to the eye.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back!"

Xiao Fan muttered, quickly heading towards the suburban area where his hometown was located.

"This place has changed too...!"

Looking at the environment, Xiao Fan was stunned.

This place was bustling with traffic, people coming and going, and the flow of vehicles never ceased. Where were the wheat fields, vegetable gardens, and wells of his old home? If he hadn't trusted his intuition, he would have thought he had come to the wrong place, as everything was now unrecognizable!

"Dad, Mom, where are you now? Are you two still in good health? And my little brother, how have you been these years?" Xiao Fan's expression was somber.

When he mysteriously 'disappeared' from this world, no one knew that five years ago, he had accidentally traveled to a vast, boundless world of immortals and deities, demons and monsters, and spent a long five thousand years there.

That world was almost identical to the immortal worlds described in the online novels he used to love, where everyone diligently practiced to become a powerful warrior. Each warrior was so powerful that they could fly, tunnel through the earth, breathe to create wind, wave their hands to cut rivers, and with a flick of their fingers, destroy a city, and with a flip of their hand, make the sky split and the earth collapse, almost like gods.

Xiao Fan remembered being shocked speechless by the scenes he saw when he first arrived in that world, and it took a long time for him to react.

Although he was curious about this world, the sudden and permanent departure from his family and friends, and the complete move to a strange world, filled him with loneliness and fear. He became silent and depressed, initially wandering like a beggar, begging for food, sleeping under the sky and on the ground, with no hope or motivation for life.

But soon, Xiao Fan witnessed the bloody and cruel side of this world.

In this world, ordinary people at the bottom were no different from ants. They were arbitrarily violated, plundered, and killed by warriors, and human lives were as worthless as grass.

Xiao Fan had seen warriors seal off an area, forcing the local people to offer their wives and daughters for their nightly pleasures. He had also seen warriors destroy a village on a whim to vent their frustrations, and a sect forcing thousands of ordinary people to jump into a trap, using their lives to solve a deadly trap in a forbidden area.

These scenes deeply shocked Xiao Fan, and he was completely awakened.

He didn't want to end up like that, so he began to force himself to adapt to this world, change himself, and grow stronger bit by bit, enduring countless hardships and trials, until he finally saw the magnificent rainbow in the sky.

The leader of the Demon Sect, the head of the Demon Sect, the commander of the Seven Divine Beasts, the commander of the Eight Heavenly Demons, the commander of the Twelve Dark Armies, the true leader of the 'Heavenly Net' assassin organization, a generation of military saints, one of the five presidents of the weapon-making guild, a legendary alchemy sage, one of the three presidents of the alchemy guild, the only array sage, the only president of the array guild, the master of the Heavenly Enlightenment Commercial Pavilion, the master of the Heavenly Luo Commercial Pavilion... After five thousand years, Xiao Fan grew from an ordinary young man into a towering giant.

In that world, the name of Xiao Fan, the Demon Emperor, dominated the world, overwhelming all of history, and his presence made all living beings kneel and tremble.

But no one knew that every night, when he was alone, Xiao Fan would repeatedly recall his memories of Earth, unsealing his emotions, letting his thoughts run wild, and tears flow.

On Earth, there were his parents who gave him life, his biological brother, and his most precious friends. All of this could not be forgotten, nor should it be forgotten.

He thought for a long time and finally decided to temporarily leave that immortal world.

He wanted to return to Earth, even if his parents, little brother, and many friends had already turned to ashes, he wanted to return to pay his respects.

So, despite the earnest advice of his subordinates, he left that immortal world with a firm resolve, breaking through the spatial barrier, and entering the chaotic space flow to search for a way home.

Finally, after enduring countless dangers, Xiao Fan returned to Earth, surprised to find that only five years had passed in the Earth world, and his parents, little brother, and many friends were likely still alive. Overjoyed, he exhausted the last bit of spiritual energy in his body and directly teleported to his hometown, Hu Hai City, only to find that the result was not what he expected!

"The good news is that only five years have passed on Earth, so my parents and little brother should still be alive." Xiao Fan muttered to himself.

"The bad news is that the spatial flow is not something to be taken lightly. I was severely injured on the way, and before entering the Earth world, I unfortunately encountered a group of 'void devouring beasts.' After the battle, I was even more injured, and I lost my weapons, armor, and storage ring, reducing my strength to an extreme low."

"Otherwise, I could directly use my great powers to scan the entire world, person by person, to find my parents and little brother, which would be easy. Why would I be at a loss like this now?" Xiao Fan leaned back on a bench by the roadside, a sense of frustration rising in his heart.

"Right, I almost forgot. Everyone's ID number and place of origin never change. I can go to the police station to inquire, and I believe I can find them quickly!" Xiao Fan thought, suddenly standing up.

And at that moment!

On the roadside, a white Cadillac business car slowly backed up, the window rolled down, and a beautiful face appeared, calling out in surprise to Xiao Fan: "Are you... Xiao Fan?"

Xiao Fan looked up at the sound, and he was also surprised to see the beautiful woman in the car: "Tang Lin?"

"It's really you! I thought I was mistaken!" Tang Lin opened the car door and stepped out, wearing a pair of white stilettos, laughing.

After five years, Tang Lin was even more beautiful and charming than in her school days. Her hair was shoulder-length, jet-black and lustrous, her waist slender, her chest high, and her black short skirt uniform revealed a long, white, and beautiful leg, highlighting her well-proportioned figure and exuding a mature woman's allure.

Xiao Fan stood up, a smile on his face. He and Tang Lin were classmates in college, and they had become close due to some events when they first entered school, and their relationship was good, to the point where other classmates thought they were a couple.

But later, with many boys who were better than Xiao Fan and had better family backgrounds pursuing Tang Lin, she seemed to look down on Xiao Fan, so they began to reduce contact, and their relationship became increasingly distant, eventually becoming simple acquaintances.

"I heard that you suddenly disappeared five years ago, and some said you had died. I never thought I would unexpectedly meet you here today!" Tang Lin looked at Xiao Fan, sighing, then suddenly covered her mouth and laughed, "Right, why are you dressed like this? Are you performing in a historical drama or doing performance art?"

Xiao Fan smiled but didn't explain, instead asking, "Why are you here?"

"I?" Tang Lin laughed, "The general manager of our group's cosmetics branch in Hu Hai City resigned at the end of last year, so the company sent me here to take over!"

Xiao Fan immediately congratulated her: "Wow, in five years, you've become the general manager of a company!"

Tang Lin shook her head, smiling: "There are several classmates who are doing much better than me. Some have gone abroad, some have become bosses, and some have entered government agencies, each one more impressive than the last. Especially Zhang Qingyun, who is the best among us, already the deputy director of the Jiangzhou City Administration for Industry and Commerce. Compared to them, I can only say I'm doing average, so don't mock me!"

"Oh!" Xiao Fan smiled and nodded.

But Tang Lin immediately seemed to remember something and quickly said, "Sorry, Xiao Fan, I didn't mean to, I forgot that you and he had a conflict. Don't take it to heart!"

"It's fine!" Xiao Fan smiled indifferently, then asked, "What about the three guys from my dorm? I just got back and don't know their recent situation!"

"I really don't know how the three guys from your dorm are doing these years!" Tang Lin shook her head, "Although we have a class group, everyone is busy with their own lives and rarely speaks in the group. The three guys from your dorm are the same, so I don't know how they've been these years!"

"Oh!" Xiao Fan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said calmly, "Tang Lin, can you lend me some money? I'll pay you back a hundredfold in the future!"

Hearing Xiao Fan's words, Tang Lin was stunned, and her beautiful eyes immediately filled with a strange light.