The next month was entirely composed of the children playing around or relaxing on Zhou Fan's mountain.
Ying Xiong was beginning to get impatient, so Zhou Fan sent the two children away.
When he was alone with Hei Ren, he began to speak.
"I doubt that I will stay here much longer. I am getting both complacent and bored." Zhou Fan said. "The question is, do you want to go with me, or stay here?"
"I would like to go with you." Hei Ren said without any thought.
"Let me explain it first. I will likely be in seclusion for the next 10 billion years after leaving. That means that, aside from occasional guidance, you will sit in a void and be completely alone." Zhou Fan explained.
"But it would benefit me more to go with you, right?" Hei Ren asked.
"I suppose. In the long run, it will likely help you more, but you only have a single life, and if you come with me, your entire youth will be wasted." Zhou Fan said.
He was aware that Hei Ren didn't really care, but he would still feel somewhat bad if he made him spend so much time away from other beings.
"Let me put it this way, would you mind if you faced such a situation?" Hei Ren asked.
"No. It would actually be pleasant, but I'm not like normal humans." Zhou Fan answered.
"Do I seem to be like normal humans?" Hei Ren questioned.
Zhou Fan sighed and patted Hei Ren's head.
"I know, I was just making sure." Zhou Fan said as he stood up.
"Now, let's train." He said as he pulled out a sword.
—--------------------------------
Nearly 10 years later, 2 children burst through Zhou Fan's doors. Both Zhou fan and Hei Ren looked over.
When Feng Liu and Lu Zhong saw them, they didn't even seem that excited.
They dropped to their knees, before falling face first onto the ground.
"Uncle Zhou Fan, I really can't take it anymore." Feng Liu said as her face was planted on the ground.
"Please, Uncle Zhou Fan, Teacher Ying Xiong deserves death." Lu Zhong said.
Ying Xiong just sighed and shook his head from behind them. He didn't even know why he was the only one who deserved to die. Tong and Pangu were there as well.
"Alright, get up. You are free now." Zhou Fan said.
"Just let me sleep right here for a moment." Feng Liu said.
"Same." Lu Zhong said.
Zhou Fan just shook his head and looked at the two.
They could no longer be called children. They were fully grown cultivators. Hei Ren was as well.
Feng Liu still had long white hair and wore a blue dress, while Lu Zhong still had long black hair and wore yellow clothes. Although they seemed to grow, they didn't change much.
Feng Liu had grown up to be very pretty, while Lu Zhong had grown up to be very handsome.
Zhou Fan looked at his own disciple, and Hei Ren did not lack compared to them.
He had short black hair that seemed to absorb the light around it and wore black clothes.
Zhou Fan let the two sleep until they recovered, and a year passed by as they relaxed on the mountain. After seeing their exhausted state, Ying Xiong was not in a hurry to make them cultivate again, so he did not bother them at all.
As they spent a day fishing, Zhou Fan broke some news.
"I'll be leaving the cosmic sect soon, and I won't be back for a long time." He said.
Lu Zhong and Feng Liu both dropped their fishing rods and froze in disbelief.
"WHAT!" They shouted at the same time.
"I'm sorry, but I have my own things to do. I would love to accompany you all more, but I must go." Zhou Fan explained.
"Y-You can't leave us. What would we do?" Feng Li said.
"I simply must go. Perhaps, as you continue to follow the path of cultivation, you will one day understand." Zhou Fan said.
Lu Zhong suddenly stood up and bowed his head.
"I understand Uncle. Thank you for staying with us all this time." He said with maturity.
Neither Hei Ren nor Zhou Fan expected such a reaction from him, so they both sat shocked for a brief moment.
Feng Liu looked unwilling and desperate, but she soon sighed and did the same thing.
Neither of them wanted to burden Zhou Fan, even if they were selfish and greedy.
"Don't worry. I'll stay for another half a year." Zhou Fan said.
Time flew by as half a year passed.
On the outer ring of the cosmic sect, Hei Ren and Zhou Fan floated in space.
"We'll miss you, Uncle." Feng Liu and Lu Zhong said.
"I'll miss you guys too." Zhou Fan said as he turned to Ying Xiong.
"I'll come back once I exit seclusion. Make sure these two cultivate hard." Zhou Fan said.
"I will." Ying Xiong solemnly nodded.
Zhou Fan turned to Pangu and Tong.
"You two cultivate well. I expect both of you to enter the inner world realm by the time I return." Zhou Fan said.
"We will not disappoint you." Pangu and Tong responded.
"Alright. I'll make sure to capture any talented youths I find." Zhou Fan said.
"Please do." Ying Xiong chuckled.
"Goodbye." Zhou Fan said as he put his hand on Hei Ren's back and the two of them disappeared.
—--------------------------------
When Zhou Fan finally stopped moving, he was at the edge of the Zhou Galaxy cluster.
"I thought we would never leave." Hei Ren said.
"I'm not one for all that sad goodbye stuff." Zhou Fan said as he began to fly to the center of the Zhou supercluster.
It did not take long for them to arrive.
As soon as Hei Ren felt the space around them, he shuddered.
"Don't worry, the formation on you will last until you enter the lesser dao creation realm. I also split the Qi in this area so that it is possible for you to cultivate." Zhou Fan said as a large bubble, bigger than a galaxy, appeared.
"Thank you master." Hei Ren bowed.
"Don't worry. I'll be cultivating up there. I'll check on you after a hundred years." Zhou Fan said as he disappeared and reappeared outside of the bubble.
He crossed his legs and began to cultivate.