The Strongest Mythical Emperor
Chapter 1623: A Lifetime

Chapter 1623: Chapter 1623: A Lifetime

"Of course, who else could it be but your Grandpa Zeng?"

The girl shot Qin Jun a glare, thinking that he must be out of his mind.

"No, he’s my father," Qin Jun replied with a shake of his head and a smile.

"..."

The girl felt lines of frustration forming on her forehead and suddenly had the urge to kick Qin Jun.

At that moment, the old man lifted his other hand and grasped Qin Jun’s hand tightly, his voice trembling with emotion. "Xiao Jun... you’re back..."

Xiao Jun?

The girl froze, stunned. It was her first time seeing Grandpa Zeng so emotional.

"I’m sorry. I wasn’t filial enough."

Qin Jun sighed. For the old man, perhaps only a few decades had passed, but for him, countless eons had elapsed.

Seeing his father so old and frail pained him, yet he sorrowfully realized that he could no longer even bring himself to cry.

Countless years of trials had tempered his heart to be as unyielding as stone, his emotions subdued and distant.

This feeling suffocated him with despair. Though he was the Creator of the Vast Void, he couldn’t control the changes within himself.

Time is forever the epitome of ruthlessness.

It is merciless, and it renders all things in the world just as merciless.

Before venturing into the Primordial, he had envisioned countless scenarios of returning to Earth, but during the time of the Primordial Origin, those fantasies were gradually eroded away.

In his very core, a profound loneliness had taken root—a yearning for ultimate solitude.

"You... you really came back... truly came back..."

The elderly man’s voice trembled as he struggled to speak, his clouded eyes moistening with tears.

The girl was startled. Naturally, she couldn’t possibly believe that Qin Jun was her Grandpa Zeng’s son, as Qin Jun looked far too young—barely a few years older than her.

To her, Qin Jun was nothing more than a liar.

Qin Jun silently channeled magical energy into the old man’s body. In mere moments, under the astonished gaze of the girl, the elderly man’s skin became visibly healthy and vibrant, his eyes regained their brightness, and his spine began to straighten.

Especially those hands—they seemed to inflate like balloons, leaving the girl wide-eyed in shock.

"I... this is..."

The old man asked, bewildered, his voice now rich with vitality, entirely different from before.

Qin Jun said, "Would you like for me to resurrect my mother?"

The only way he could repay his father was through such means. Staying to accompany him forever was impossible—he still had his own path to walk. He was also a father himself and had loved ones he couldn’t abandon.

"You... are you a deity?"

The girl asked in shock, the scene before her exceeding everything she could conceive.

Qin Jun offered her a faint smile. "Deities serve beneath me."

"..."

The girl was left speechless. What had initially felt emotional suddenly seemed absurd.

"Deities... what’s the deal with all of this?"

The old man asked. His name was Qin Guokun, a simple man of Huaxia. In his youth, he’d often fantasized about deities and spirits, so the sense his son gave him naturally brought those thoughts flooding back.

"Back then, an accident took me away from here. Just like the immortal cultivation novels you used to tell me about, I ended up in a world of cultivation."

Qin Jun cocked his head, smiling. Qin Guokun belonged to the generation in which Huaxia’s online novels had been flourishing. He loved to read them in his youth and would often share the stories he enjoyed with Qin Jun during the latter’s childhood.

Though Qin Jun forgot those stories as he grew, he vaguely remembered a few titles, such as *The Strongest Mythology Emperor* and *Deadly Game*—novels that Qin Guokun particularly loved.

"So... does reincarnation truly exist? Has your mother already been reborn?"

Qin Guokun asked cautiously, his response entirely different from what Qin Jun had anticipated.

Qin Jun never imagined his father would think so much.

"Yes. But even if she’s been reincarnated, I can still bring her back."

Qin Jun nodded. The Milky Way also had an underworld and reincarnation system. His mother had already been reborn into a parallel dimension, where she was now married and raising a child.

Reincarnation—it was this merciless. It erased memories of past lives, leaving only the present.

Qin Jun could help his mother regain her memories of her past life and bring her back.

"No, it’s fine. As the old saying goes, life is but one cycle. Since your mother has been reincarnated, I find solace in that. At least she hasn’t truly disappeared. Someone is taking care of her now, and maybe that’s for the best without me," Qin Guokun said, smiling. His tone carried no sadness, nor joy, as though discussing something as mundane as a daily topic.

The girl fell into a contemplative silence. A generational gap of ten years was large enough—she couldn’t possibly fathom how many gaps there were between her and her Grandpa Zeng. Yet even still, she found herself deeply moved by his views on love.

Qin Jun remained silent, Qin Guokun’s words leaving him with much to ponder.

"My life may have been ordinary, but it was unbroken. I’ve experienced white-haired parents burying black-haired children and the pain of farewells in life and death. Now, with a household full of descendants, I have no regrets."

Qin Guokun slowly stood up, stretching his limbs. The long-absent sensation of strength prompted a deep exhale.

He had been confined to a wheelchair for the past twenty or thirty years, and it had been ages since he last stood freely.

"But later, please take back this youthful state. I think it’s time for me to go. My children and grandchildren no longer need me, and I don’t want to be a burden to them. I have nothing left to linger for in this lifetime."

Qin Guokun supported Qin Jun as he stood, his smile serene and unrestrained.

Having lived to the age of 116 years, he had tasted all the joys and sorrows life had to offer. He had thoroughly come to terms with everything.

To see Qin Jun one last time before passing fulfilled his deepest wish.

"Grandpa Zeng, what are you saying? Of course, we need you!" The girl grew agitated, her eyes welling up with tears.

Qin Guokun turned to look at her, his face now that of a middle-aged man, stunning the girl into silence.

At this moment, her Grandpa Zeng resembled her own father so closely.

"Yu’er, your Grandpa Zeng isn’t someone you need. He shouldn’t be. Your focus should be on school—to become a space pilot as soon as possible."

As he spoke, Qin Guokun gently patted his great-granddaughter’s hair, his face filled with tenderness.

With a somber expression, Qin Jun said, "I could grant you immortality. You could start anew."

"What’s the point of immortality? After your mother passed, I was already bored to death. To live without the ability to die—it’s unbearable. Your descendants worked so hard to keep me alive, but honestly, I had no choice in it." Qin Guokun waved his hand dismissively, his smile radiant.

The girl named Yu’er also fell into silence. Over the years, they had spared no effort in extending Qin Guokun’s life, yet never stopped to consider what he truly desired.

"Before taking back this youth, could you take me to our old home?"

Qin Guokun turned back and smiled as he asked this of Qin Jun.

Qin Jun hesitated for a moment before sweeping his sleeve. The three of them vanished from the park without a trace.

In the next instant, they reappeared in an aged residential neighborhood. Fallen leaves blanketed the ground, there were no flying cars in the skies, and parked by the roadside were electric bikes and bicycles. Further ahead, an elderly woman sat on a bench, lost in thought.

Each scene left Qin Guokun in a daze. He finally stammered out, "This is..."

"The time eighty years ago. Our original home was demolished, so I could only bring you here. Just remember—not to let the you from this time period see you, or else time will spiral into chaos," Qin Jun explained. They were now in 2014.

Yu’er widened her eyes, covering her mouth in disbelief.

She had actually traveled through time!