Hei Qin looked at him before sitting down on the stone chair.
"So, how do you know my master?"
This time, Hei Qin didn't use any honorifics to address Ye An; after all, Ye An himself had said they weren't necessary.
Ye An wore his usual carefree smile.
"You've heard of the Ashen Fall, right?"
"What is that? Is it some kind of high-level artifact?" Hei Qin asked, his tone laced with curiosity.
Ye An sighed. "Hmm… don't you know the Three Great Worlds are currently a total disaster?"
"Are they?"
"At least you know there are Three Great Worlds, right?"
"I thought there were countless worlds," Hei Qin replied.
Ye An shook his head, his voice rising in agitation. "You… you bumpkin! What the hell is your master teaching you?"
Hei Qin's expression didn't change. "Must I tell you what my master teaches me now?"
"Never mind," Ye An said helplessly.
Looking at Ye An's helpless expression, Hei Qin said, "I am sorry. I can't do anything about this… I was trapped inside this place for five years without any contact with the outside world. Even before I was captured, I was just a mortal… how could I know about the cultivation world?"
"When you put it that way..." Ye An paused before adding, "... But you definitely know something I don't, since… your soul doesn't belong to this world."
Hei Qin's body shook slightly, but his face didn't betray any of his thoughts.
"How would you know? Even my master knows. Is that the reason why he didn't kill me? I thought he spared me because of my Nether Yin physique."
Ye An listened to the series of questions calmly and said, "Nether Yin physique… that's just an excuse for others. And that special condition of yours—do you really think you had it before you met your master? Think for a moment."
Hei Qin's eyes widened at the shocking revelation. "Do you mean… I wasn't born with the Nether Yin physique, but was artificially granted it by my master?"
"Hmm, that's right."
Ye An continued as he looked at Hei Qin's slightly surprised face. "To say he 'knew' is an understatement… in truth, he searched for you frantically."
Hei Qin asked, "Are there any other reincarnated people here, besides me?"
Ye An simply said, "No."
Hei Qin didn't know how to process this newfound information. His knitted brows showed that he didn't believe it; or rather, by his logical reasoning, if one person had been reincarnated, there was a high chance of another.
That's why he asked again, "Is that really so? What if they exist... and you just haven't discovered them yet, like you discovered me?"
Ye An said with a laugh, "Don't worry, there isn't anyone other than you…"
"...Because we knew…" He paused for a moment. "...Because I knew… as did your master. There is a method for this… but it is too boring to talk about now."
"Then what do you want with me? It seems you are regarding me highly… but sorry to say, there isn't anything special about me other than being a reincarnated person. If you want high-level cultivation techniques… Again, I'm sorry. In my original world, there wasn't anything like that. In fact, compared to that world, this one is much more magical to me."
Ye An seemed slightly intrigued by Hei Qin's words. "It must be a very boring world."
Hei Qin smirked. "Boring? Not at all."
"...Anyway, we are not here for the techniques of your world. But for your connection to something…" Ye An paused for a moment. "...More tremendous."
"Connection… I don't understand?"
"The Realm of Death," Ye An explained. "It is where mortal souls meet their end—or perhaps the term 'reincarnation' is more suitable."
Hei Qin spoke with a tone of understanding. "You mean to say… you and my master are searching for this so-called Realm of Death, and there is a connection between me and this realm… That's why you want my help."
"That's right." Ye An smiled. "I thought I would die of old age before you understood. It seems you are quick to catch on."
"But why do you need to go to a realm that is basically the end? Does it have something to do with the 'Ashen Fall' you mentioned? What even is the Ashen Fall?"
"Yes, for your master… but not for me. As for what the Ashen Fall is… it is the destruction of everything."
Hei Qin's mind raced as he listened to Ye An's words.
"Do you know why there are only three worlds in this entire existence? Even though there were so many worlds, realms, and higher dimensions throughout our history… ahem, sorry, my bad—I forgot that you didn't know anything about history," Ye An continued. "Anyway, it is because they were all destroyed."
Hei Qin asked, his eyes twitching slightly, "Destroyed by what?"
"That is the secondary question everyone in the three great worlds is searching for."
"Then… What is the first question?"
"To survive."
Everything began to make sense to Hei Qin. They were all searching for a place to survive… just to survive. It was the same reason he had escaped from his sect.
"Still, how can you live in the Realm of Death?"
"We have to try it to know, right?" Ye An's expression became more intense, as if he were talking about the singular goal of his life. "As for me, I just want to discover the Realm of Death. I just want to know… that's all."
Hei Qin slowly digested this information. He analyzed the credibility of what he had been told; if it was true, it was precious information indeed.
Hei Qin finally asked, "How many people know about this Realm of Death?"
Ye An spoke slowly. "People from all three worlds are researching places where they can escape… but the Realm of Death is known only to me and your master."