The elder's speech was strange, unlike the modern language.
It sounded more like the intonations of ancient people.
Although each syllable was somewhat unclear, when combined, Elijah and his companions could understand the meaning. It was truly mysterious!
"Yes, does the elder know about this sword?" Elijah asked respectfully.
He had no choice but to be respectful.
Not only had the elder easily taken the sword from his hands, despite Elijah unleashing his full third-tier strength, but the elder had also deliberately directed the sword's energy away from them, preventing any injuries.
This alone commanded Elijah's respect.
"This was a talisman of one of my descendants, but it was unfortunately taken by a demonic being after killing him," the elder sighed. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, the sword mysteriously vanished!
Elijah's eye twitched at the sight.
Seriously? He just casually mentioned that it belonged to one of his descendants, and now he can rightfully claim it?
Wait, a talisman?
Charlotte was right!
As if sensing Elijah's thoughts, the elder said calmly, "This sword is useful to me. But I won't take it without offering something in return. If you have any requests, feel free to ask. I will do my best to fulfill them if I can."
Elijah exchanged a glance with Charlotte.
Charlotte immediately stepped forward and asked, "Elder, judging by your arrival on a streak of light and your ability to summon this talisman with a wave of your hand, could it be that you are the legendary wizard?"
In situations like yours, where the two realms have briefly merged, a stable passage is formed, allowing even an ordinary person without cultivation or spiritual Chi to travel between them effortlessly."
Three Thousand Worlds? Lowering of Realms?
Although it differed from their initial understanding—where they had thought the mysterious cultivation realm's seal had been broken—Elijah and his companions were still shaken by the elder's explanation, despite having mentally prepared themselves for an outlandish answer.
"What? So, there are over two thousand other worlds besides ours? I wonder where they are in the universe!" Abigail muttered in disbelief.
"Three thousand is just a metaphor, meaning there are countless worlds!" Daisy explained, gently patting Abigail on the head.
"Oh, I get it. Like those movies I've seen about parallel worlds and the multiverse..." Abigail grumbled as she dodged Daisy's hand, which she felt was treating her like a fool.
On Azure Isle, watching movies was one of Abigail and Elena's favorite pastimes. In the apocalypse, losing some memories might be a blessing in disguise; at least, it allowed them to find joy in entertainment.
The banter between the two lightened the atmosphere slightly, easing the shock Elijah and Charlotte were feeling.
"Thank you for your guidance, elder. So, the reason our world is now filled with spiritual Chi is because of the lowering of realms?" Elijah asked, clasping his hands in respect.
"Indeed. The area where the two worlds have merged, though just a small and insignificant part of my world, contains spiritual Chi far surpassing that of your realm," the elder confirmed with a nod.
"Elder, do you know what caused the zombie virus that turned most of our world's population into the undead?" Elijah inquired further.
"The zombie toxin? Alas, I bear some responsibility for that," the elder sighed, then explained, "I was originally pursuing a demonic cultivator who had killed one of my descendants. At the critical moment when I was about to slay him, the lowering of realms occurred by chance. Both of us were drawn into your world.
The demonic cultivator seized the opportunity to absorb the souls of a million nearby beings and used a forbidden technique to launch a desperate attack. Although I ultimately killed him, he self-destructed his corpse core in his final moments, injuring me and releasing a large amount of corpse toxin that, along with the spiritual Chi, flooded into your world..."
As the elder recounted his story, Elijah and Charlotte were reminded of the photos they had seen on Elena's phone, as well as the account given by the military officer Nicholas.
The mysterious deaths of the crew on the nearby C-nation warship, and the two "immortals" seen flying from the island—all the pieces were falling into place!
Everything matched perfectly!