Chapter 257 - 256: Finally Reunited

Chapter 257: Chapter 256: Finally Reunited

The area affected by the Array expanded, and Gu Qingyin’s eyes shone with increasing brightness. She was filled with a mix of anticipation and unease.

Finally, all the Spiritual Power converged on Huo Yunjing, the core of the Array. Then, at his command, it shot skyward!

Gu Qingyin tilted her head back and looked up. At the point where the Spiritual Power converged, the void rippled, layer upon layer, looking as if it was about to tear open at any moment. Overcome with excitement, she subconsciously increased her output of Spiritual Power.

"Qing Yin!" Gu Ziqian barked coldly.

Gu Qingyin snapped back to her senses and hurriedly brought her Spiritual Power output under control. Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her excitement and focused on maintaining a steady flow.

After more than ten minutes, the void finally tore open, revealing a pitch-black interior that gradually expanded into a black hole two meters in diameter.

Huo Xingchen pumped his fist in excitement and yelled, "This is it! This is the space-time channel! Hold it steady! They must have sensed it on the other side. We can’t close it until someone comes through, or they’ll be lost between the two worlds!"

Gu Qingyin’s breathing grew ragged, but in stark contrast, her Spiritual Power output became even more stable.

By comparison, Gu Ziqian and the others were much calmer. To maintain the space-time channel for as long as possible, Dongfang Lingjun even made slight adjustments to everyone’s Spiritual Power output.

Huo Yunjing, at the core, was not nearly as calm. For a fleeting moment, he was tempted to deliberately cause an accident to make the channel collapse, leaving his other self lost forever.

Huo Yunjing closed his eyes, suppressing the malicious thought. ’I’m just a tool,’ he told himself, ’a conduit for transferring Spiritual Power and fixing the location.’

’Don’t think about what you shouldn’t.’

No one knew how long it would take for the person on the other side to arrive. Until then, all they could do was maintain the channel.

「In the original world.」

The instant the space-time channel appeared, Huo Yunjing sensed it. By the time he turned his head, the entrance had already taken shape.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and stepped directly into the channel.

He had been ready to go ever since the moment he sent Huo Xingchen through.

After Huo Yunjing entered the channel, the space-time entrance closed.

At the same time, Gu Ziqian noticed that Huo Yunjing’s aura had vanished from the old mansion. He appeared in Huo Yunjing’s room in an instant, just in time to catch the faint spatial fluctuation.

Gu Ziqian’s expression relaxed slightly. ’The fact that they could construct a Space-Time Array proves that Gu Qingyin and Huo Xingchen have successfully reunited, and they must be doing well.’

Before long, Huo Xingye and Huo Xinghai arrived as well. They hadn’t sensed anything specific, but a moment ago, they had both felt a sudden urge to come and check.

It was probably the psychic connection between children and their parents.

Upon learning that Huo Yunjing had entered the space-time channel, both of their expressions relaxed. ’With Mom, Dad, and our third brother together, we can rest easy no matter how long it takes them to come back.’

After entering the channel, Huo Yunjing was swept forward by a tremendous force. Because his Soul Power was so strong, he didn’t lose consciousness. Instead, he clearly felt the changes wrought upon him as time itself washed over his being.

His flesh and blood were regenerating.

Huo Yunjing’s current soul body was already indistinguishable from a normal person, and now, deep within him, his bones began to regenerate.

At first, he paid it no mind. But the sensation of something sprouting within him grew increasingly distinct, and he realized he was growing bones.

Huo Yunjing was astonished. He couldn’t make sense of it at all, so he could only wait and see what would happen.

The flow of time inside the channel was incredibly fast. In what felt like no time at all, his bones finished growing, followed by sinew, muscle, and flesh, and finally... skin. ℴ

Huo Yunjing was dumbfounded. ’I’ve become human again? The space-time channel can do this?’

Before he could process it, his vision exploded in a flash of white. In the midst of the blinding light, the immense force abruptly vanished. As weightlessness took hold, he instinctively tried to adjust his posture for landing. But since he was still blind, he opted to curl up, covering his head and taking the impact with his back, while simultaneously releasing his Soul Power to envelop his entire body.

With a muffled THUD, Huo Yunjing’s vision finally returned.

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Gu Qingyin running toward him. He instinctively rose and opened his arms, catching her as she barreled into him.

Gu Qingyin hugged him tightly in her excitement, then quickly pulled back to look him up and down. "Are you hurt?"

Huo Yunjing didn’t say a word, his eyes rimmed with red as he pulled her back into his arms and held her tight.

Gu Qingyin went still, then hugged him back with all her might, murmuring soothingly, "I’m sorry. I made you worry again."

Huo Yunjing shook his head, his voice hoarse. "It’s not your fault."

Gu Qingyin felt a prickle in her nose. "This must have been hard on you."

"Not at all." Huo Yunjing loosened his grip slightly, leaned in, and kissed her on the cheek. He was about to trail more kisses along her face when she pushed him away.

Huo Yunjing was a little disgruntled. "Honey?"

Gu Qingyin’s cheeks flushed as she reminded him awkwardly, "People are watching."

Huo Yunjing froze. He finally remembered that this Array hadn’t been created by just one or two people.

He straightened up nonchalantly, letting his large hand slide down to take hold of Gu Qingyin’s.

As he looked up, the first person he saw wasn’t one of the adults, but his son, who had shrunk to less than half his size.

For a rare moment, Huo Yunjing was dazed. "Huo Xingchen?"

Huo Xingchen trotted over, calling out in a high, childish voice, "Daddy!"

Huo Yunjing snapped out of it, but his expression was strange. He stared at the boy for several seconds before saying, "You’re a man in your twenties. Stop acting like a baby."

Huo Xingchen was surprised, his chubby little face looking up. "How did you know I didn’t actually get smaller?" As soon as he asked, he realized. He looked his dad up and down. "You changed, too?"

Hmm? Gu Qingyin also looked over suspiciously. She even reached out to pat him down, starting from his head. "How did you change...?"

Before she could finish her sentence, her hand, now resting on his chest, froze.

A steady heartbeat pulsed against her palm, unbelievably clear.

Gu Qingyin froze, staring at him in disbelief. She took a step forward and hugged him, pressing her ear to his chest to listen closely.

"Oh my god." Unwilling to pull away, Gu Qingyin simply pressed against his chest and tilted her head up to look at him, her eyes filled with joyful surprise. "How did you do that?"

Huo Yunjing couldn’t help but laugh. "It must be because of the space-time channel. Time reversed for both me and Huo Xingchen, but our souls remained the same."

He thought for a moment and offered an example. "It’s a bit like our souls traveled across the river of time and went back to the past."

"I never expected this. What a bonus," Gu Qingyin marveled, listening to the strong, steady beat of his heart.

Huo Yunjing gazed down at her, his tone unreadable as he asked, "You’re happy about this?"

Alarm bells instantly went off in Gu Qingyin’s mind, but her expression remained serene. "Of course I’m happy. After all, before I came home, this is the version of you I wanted to see—young, healthy, and full of life."

She sighed. "I thought it would be impossible in this lifetime."

Huo Yunjing was taken aback for a moment, then his expression softened. "Well, I guess this makes up for that regret."

Gu Qingyin smiled and replied, "Now everything is perfect."