Chapter 2674: Looking Unclear

At this moment, Lu Ye knew he likely couldn't reach the top of the waterfall to claim the pearl. He was at 7,000 zhang, with 3,000 zhang left to reach 10,000 zhang. He was already close to his limit and couldn't possibly traverse those remaining 3,000 zhang. It seemed he would have to, like Su Yun, honestly go and participate in the arena challenges. It wasn't a major issue, just a matter of spending more time.

Just as Lu Ye was about to retreat, he suddenly had an idea, recalling his previous perilous encounter with Zhu Yin in the spatial corridor. When they encountered that unique void beast, their individual powers were ineffective, but combined, they were unparalleled. The power of time-space was undoubtedly much stronger than mere spatial or temporal power. The waterfall currently crashing down carried abundant temporal power, and crucially, this power was unowned.

Lu Ye's eyes lit up. Since it was unowned power, could he perhaps borrow it? With this thought, he immediately began to try. Although the waterfall contained abundant unowned power, borrowing it was not easy. Lu Ye first tried to integrate his own spatial power into the temporal power of the waterfall. But after several attempts, he realized he was being overly imaginative. While such an integration might be possible, it would consume an enormous amount of time and energy, and he had a premonition that even if he succeeded, he wouldn't be able to control it. Power he couldn't control wasn't truly his own. He immediately changed his approach. He activated the power of his Talent Tree, and invisible roots spread out, probing in all directions to devour the temporal power within the waterfall.

At this very moment, in the innermost core of the Dragon Palace, the Dragon Venerable sat at the center of a grand formation, assisted by over a dozen Dragon clan Dao-Integration experts, with the Phoenix Empress also standing by. The grand formation hummed, its patterns glowing brightly, clearly activated.

The Dragon and Phoenix clans had adhered to their ancestral teachings, enduring countless millennia of waiting in this universe for the arrival of one person. Yet, to this day, they had found nothing. They had no idea who they were waiting for, or when that person would arrive. Previously, they hadn't been anxious, as generations of their clansmen had waited this way. But when the Phoenix Empress sensed that a certain will was growing stronger, the Dragon Venerable became restless. The strengthening of that will was not a good sign; if it ever gained sentience, the entire universe would fall under its shadow. Therefore, he intended to peer into the River of Time, from ancient past to distant future, to seek out that person's whereabouts.

At this very moment, the Dragon Venerable was doing just that. He had intentionally chosen this time because Dragon City was incredibly lively, which could help conceal certain traces. For this undertaking, Dragon City had paid a huge price; the materials required to engrave this grand formation alone were worth no less than several divine artifacts. Even Dragon City could only perform such a ritual once in a short period.

Within the grand formation, the Dragon Venerable's figure was almost transparent, temporal power flowing over him. He seemed to exist in the present, yet also as if from the ancient past or the distant future. A long river faintly flowed behind him, so grand that even a powerful figure like the Phoenix Empress dared not gaze directly at its full form. That was the River of Time, where traces of all temporal flow could be found.

Until a certain moment, the Dragon Venerable's figure completely vanished. The Phoenix Empress's eyes narrowed; she knew the Dragon Venerable had reached the most crucial point of his journey. She wondered if such an immense expenditure would yield any discoveries.

In the Dragon Venerable's vision, however, he now saw a blurry figure, so indistinct that he couldn't discern its gender, let alone its race. He tried to see clearly but always fell just short, so he frantically urged his Dragon Orb's power.

In an unknown place, within a vast darkness, countless intricate patterns covered everything. However, perhaps due to the passage of immense time, many of these original patterns had become extremely faint, some even damaged. This was undoubtedly an extremely powerful seal, left by an unknown entity, which, despite enduring endless ages of erosion, was still functioning. Almost at the exact moment Lu Ye activated his Talent Tree's power within the waterfall, this ancient seal seemed to produce a subtle reaction. In the darkness, flickering lights suddenly appeared. Under the faint light, massive figures moved through the darkness, and the roars of dragons could be heard. However, the dragon roars lacked their usual grandeur, filled instead with pain, almost like wails.

With a "poof" and a gush of blood, the Dragon Venerable's figure suddenly reappeared. The entire grand formation trembled violently, causing many Dragon clan experts to stumble. The Phoenix Empress's figure flickered, and she appeared behind the Dragon Venerable, gently patting his shoulder to stabilize him and help calm his turbulent vital energy.

It was quite a while before the Dragon Venerable slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with exhaustion. Even for someone as powerful as him, aided by the many enchantments of the Dragon Palace, peering into the River of Time was no simple feat.

"How was it?" the Phoenix Empress asked, her voice solemn.

"I couldn't see clearly!" The Dragon Venerable shook his head, his face full of helplessness. He had tried so hard, but he simply couldn't discern what that person looked like, what their race was, or whether they were male or female.

Hearing this, the Phoenix Empress's expression dimmed. Although she had mentally prepared herself, she couldn't help but feel disappointed by the Dragon Venerable's words. When would this endless waiting ever end?

"But I saw something else," the Dragon Venerable said, changing the subject.

"What?"

"A tree, a massive, blazing tree, standing behind that person!" The Dragon Venerable spoke softly, his eyes filled with an incredulous expression. "Guess what I saw on that tree?"

"Fruits?" the Phoenix Empress replied naturally. If it was a tree, it must have fruits.

The Dragon Venerable shook his head. If he had only seen fruits, he wouldn't have worn such an expression. He didn't keep her in suspense, stating directly, "I saw the Haotian Hammer, the Azure Sky Mirror, the Ten Thousand Bright Blazing Blade, the Star Chessboard, the Golden Wind Jade Dew Bow, the God-Slaying Sword..."

"What does that mean?" The Phoenix Empress was puzzled; all the items the Dragon Venerable had listed were supreme treasures.

"They were hanging on the tree like fruits!" And there were many other supreme treasures he didn't even recognize.

The Phoenix Empress's eyes narrowed slightly.

Within the waterfall, Lu Ye's expression was one of joy. The power of his Talent Tree, frantically devouring the surrounding temporal energy, smoothly integrated with his own spatial power, quickly evolving into the power of time-space. Just like his cooperation with Zhu Yin that time. Immediately, he channeled the power to envelop the dugout canoe beneath his feet, and he suddenly felt completely at ease. Simply using spatial power to resist the temporal power in the waterfall was arduous and yielded half the results for twice the effort, but with time-space power, it was entirely different.

Thus, under the astonished gazes of the many observing cultivators, Lu Ye struggled painstakingly for a while at the 7,000 zhang mark. Not only was he not repelled, but as if divinely aided, he advanced forward at an even faster pace than before. And his speed actually increased! Su Yan's eyes showed astonishment. She had witnessed Lu Ye's situation from start to finish, but even she didn't know exactly what had happened.

8,000 zhang, 9,000 zhang... The increasing height didn't slow Lu Ye down; instead, he accelerated. With a single burst of effort, he surged to 10,000 zhang. Lu Ye reached out and snatched the pearl hidden within the waterfall. His vital energy surged, time-space power swirled around him, and he smiled at Su Yan below.

A moment later, Lu Ye flew to Su Yan and handed her the pearl. The pearl was not particularly valuable, so Lu Ye figured it was fine to take it. Su Yan's face flushed slightly as she reached out, took it, and carefully put it away. It was the first time someone had given her a gift in person, and crucially, it was from Lu Ye. Although she had previously received the Bright Moon Wheel, that had been handed over by Su Yun, so its significance was different. Furthermore, Lu Ye had expended considerable effort to obtain this pearl.

"Young friend, by claiming this pearl, you are, by rule, granted a spot to enter the Tower of Time. Please leave your name and imprint here. I need to report this to Dragon City's higher-ups, and a dedicated person will contact you then." The Dao-Integration expert in charge of the proceedings came forward.

Lu Ye complied readily. A moment later, he, along with Su Yan and the two little ones, quickly departed. The news that a human had not only defeated many Dragon descendants in the "Hundred Boats Competing" event but also achieved a feat no one had accomplished in the Dragon City Grand Ceremony until now had spread rapidly. Many cultivators, upon hearing it, were converging on the area, wanting to see if the human who achieved this had three heads and six arms. Lu Ye did not want to be surrounded by onlookers, so it was naturally better to leave promptly.

Just then, Zhu Yin had mostly finished her tasks and sent a message to Su Yan, asking her to return to the Dragon Palace to fulfill her duties as a host. Zhu Yin was waiting outside the Dragon Palace. When Lu Ye and his companions arrived, they spotted her figure from a distance.

"Sister Yan," Zhu Yin greeted, her face full of joy. During the Dragon City Grand Ceremony, every Dragon clan member had tasks to attend to, and she was no exception. She originally couldn't finish her duties in a short time, but for some reason, a Dragon clan elder had just told her to stop working and rest. She immediately called Su Yan back.

"Sister Yin," Su Yan stepped forward and took Zhu Yin's small hand.

Zhu Yin then turned to Lu Ye and chirped, "Brother-in-law!" Without waiting for Lu Ye's response, she looked at the two little ones, "You two little rascals came along too. Don't run around; Dragon City is crowded with many different people now, so be careful not to get caught."

Phoenix 25 and Phoenix 26 both rolled their eyes. Although they looked small, it was only because of their Phoenix lineage, which had a long growth period. In reality, they had lived for over a hundred years, so they certainly didn't have the minds of true children.

"These are for you," Zhu Yin said, flipping her hand to produce two strings of berries.

"Thank you, Sister Yin." 25 and 26 immediately beamed, each taking a string, and in the blink of an eye, began comparing who had more berries.

"Let's go," Zhu Yin called out, leading the group towards the Dragon Palace. Unlike her, who often went to the Phoenix Nest to cultivate the Dao of Space, Su Yan rarely visited Dragon City. Since it was a rare occasion, Zhu Yin naturally wanted to entertain her well.