Chapter 1850: Embers Illuminate

After the door gently closed, the sounds from the shop became much quieter.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't go in. He stood outside the door, listening to the movements within, touched yet completely detached, under the setting sun.

"Time Dao Disk (43).""Time Dao Disk (44)."

He continued diligently progressing the Time Dao Disk, not forgetting his original intention.

He was merely comprehending the Dao, traversing the River of Time, and experiencing the past.

In fact, even Xu Xiaoshou himself felt that his past self and his current self were a bit too similar in personality, both a little mischievous.

But he also knew.

He was him, and I am me.

Just as the constant influx of worldly insights from Jin Ren tried to interrupt his state of enlightenment,

If he were to fully immerse himself and treat "him" as "me," perhaps self-imprisonment would be the result, and Kong Yuhen would be a cautionary tale.

Stepping into the River of Time with an unstable core heart and Dao heart would lead to getting lost.

So...

"Time, or what else?"

Each increment in the Time Dao Disk's progress bar brought a different answer.

This time, looking at the setting sun and thinking of an old man and a young one, Xu Xiaoshou realized that time was youth, inheritance, still-beating passion, and also gradually settling old age.

But could these truly represent all of time?

The insights from the Time Dao Disk were incredibly clear, each a definitive answer. Xu Xiaoshou gained much, but because he gained too much, he became bewildered. He still couldn't see through or comprehend the essence and entirety of time.

"Not enough!""Keep pushing!"

While nurturing the Dao Seeds, he waited outside the shop. Not long after, sounds emerged again from within, the old and the young echoing each other, giving birth to the fairest new life under the dimension of time.

"Blood!""Coming, Old Li Tou, how much do you want? This kind doesn't cost spiritual crystals, I've got plenty!""Then fill it up.""Uh, I was joking...""Hmph, wasn't it 'fill it up'... Wait, why are you slitting your wrist? Xu Xiaoshou, are you trying to commit suicide? For blood refinement, we need essence blood!""Essence blood?""You don't even know how to extract essence blood? I'm impressed, a rookie in the three realms of spiritual cultivation, how are you going to break through to the fourth realm like this?""Hey, Old Li Tou, how did you know I'm going into seclusion to break through to the fourth realm?""Young man, don't talk about death all the time.""What do you mean? Seclusion, seclusion, seclusion! I'm saying my resolve is firm! Success or bust!""Heh, suit yourself.""Then what do you mean?""Avert bad omens, understand?""Wow! It's done... Light! Light! Cang Ku is done! I'm about to be done too! Uncle Li! I love you! *Kissing noises*"

The surrounding scenery changed again.

Xu Xiaoshou left at the exact moment Cang Ku's spirituality was born. He knew the outcome, both Cang Ku's and his past self, Xu Xiaoshou's. He suddenly feared he might act impulsively and enter the shop, disrupting the past.

Respecting time was also an insight he gained from the Time Dao Disk.

"Time is destined.""Every seemingly altered or changed event was already predetermined and clearly priced in destiny."

This couldn't help but remind him of Cui Yin's reversal of a forgotten technique, forcefully altering reality in the past.

Of course, Xu Xiaoshou had also altered time. He found Ai Cang Sheng in the past, asked many questions, and revealed some secrets. The cost seemed not that great? Or perhaps, someone bore the cost for him?

"Time Dao Disk (50).""Time Dao Disk (60).""Time Dao Disk (70)."

The Dao Seeds continued to be nurtured, passive values flowed out like water, and Xu Xiaoshou continued along the River of Time.

He walked from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard, seeing many old acquaintances. There was Wen Chong, Feng Kong, Zhang Xinxiong...

Stepping out of the Tiansang Spiritual Palace and into Tiansang City, then to the City Lord's Mansion, he encountered familiar faces again. There was Hong Gou, Shou Ye, and City Lord's son Fu Xing...

Some lives were still vibrant, while some old friends had passed away. Several times, Xu Xiaoshou wanted to stop. He felt he only needed to reach out and touch them, as he touched Cang Ku, to touch their lives.

"Time is a record, and also history."

In the River of Time, nothing could hide. Xu Xiaoshou did not offend. Even though he sympathized with the special Red-robed senior, Shou Ye, and his experience in the deep sea, he had done his best at the time and now chose to respect the outcome.

"Is the end of time death?""What about the source?"

Looking towards the source of the River of Time, he couldn't see clearly. Xu Xiaoshou's steps were firm as he waded forward. Soon, Tiansang City weathered, the Eight Palaces arrived as scheduled, then to the Bai Ku...

From here on, the people he saw gradually became more dynamic, some even capable of responding.

He saw Wu Yue Jian Xian. It turned out he had arrived early, bringing many white-robed figures to set up defenses outside the Bai Ku. The unassuming Gou Wu Yue was the first whose eyes showed something different, but he didn't turn to meet Xu Xiaoshou's gaze.

"The Ten Revered Ones are truly strong..."

He entered Bai Ku and encountered Yu Zhi Wen, together experiencing the emergence of the Yan Mang.

Yan Mang!

Like Cang Ku, Xu Xiaoshou didn't hesitate and stepped forward to touch this sword, which was his personal weapon.

"Buzz!"

His spirit shook, and he entered an illusion again, encountering a saint with shackles on his hands and feet, looking somewhat disheveled.

Not a Half-Saint. He was a Saint Emperor, one of the three ancestors of the White Vein of the Void Island, Jin Zhao Lao Zu!

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

The River of Time was indeed as Kong Yuhen had described; the wills he touched here could communicate. He just wondered when he would see the Battle Ancestor...

Jin Zhao Lao Zu conveyed a curious thought. From his voice, it seemed he was trapped between past and reality, and the only thing that allowed him to distinguish between the two must be his formidable cultivation as a Saint Emperor.

Before long, he realized that this was not the past Xu Xiaoshou, but the future Xu Xiaoshou, and what he saw was not his current self, but his past self.

"Where are you?" Jin Zhao Lao Zu asked curiously.

"Where are you?" Xu Xiaoshou replied with a question.

"Ghost Buddha."

When the Ghost Buddha emerged, the Saint Emperors of the black and white veins of the Void Island all came out to protect Elder Sang and empower Wu Xiu・Chi Jiao's body, becoming the host for the Resentful Buddha. To this day, not only Jin Zhao Lao Zu but also Long Bao and others are inside the Ghost Buddha.

"How is the Ghost Buddha doing?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"We can't last much longer. According to the Divine Prison Green Stone, maybe only fifteen minutes, or even less."

Fifteen minutes?

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt time pressing. He feared he wouldn't be able to traverse the River of Time in fifteen minutes. When Hua Chang Deng emerged, would Ba Zun An protect him or turn back to deal with Hua Chang Deng?

So this was Kong Yuhen's plan; was he stalling for time? Or was it just a coincidence?

"Awoo—"

The Demon Emperor Black Dragon was very happy, eagerly squeezing over. He had met an old friend again.

Xu Xiaoshou took a step back, not exchanging pleasantries with Long Bao, but retreating to Bai Ku, to the dimensional rift, to see Ba Zun An.

Ba Zun An brought Cen Qiao Fu, who could still move, and the Storyteller. The latter two showed no reaction. Old Ba was strong; he immediately sensed the anomaly and met Xu Xiaoshou's gaze.

"Time seems to be running out, only fifteen minutes left," Xu Xiaoshou reminded, awaiting Ba Zun An's choice.

Ba Zun An didn't speak, merely nodded at him.

"Speak!"

Ba Zun An still didn't speak. After a long pause, he extended a fist. At this time, he only had eight fingers, and the clenched fist he extended made people feel inexplicable. Did he want to fist bump?

Xu Xiaoshou also extended his hand, gently moving to touch.

Ba Zun An paused, retracted his hand, making no contact. Sword energy slowly wrapped around his severed finger, finally taking shape and forming an upward-pointing thumb...

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his lower teeth, rolling his eyes to the heavens.

The sound of rushing water moved backward, time moved forward, and Ba Zun An soon perished, as did all living and dead things in Bai Ku.

Plants returned to land, water receded, mountains emerged. Everything was bizarre and grotesque; this was the evolution of time.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of his junior sister, who had gone to the Crossroads. Bai Ku had now become her small world. However, the predecessor of Bai Ku was the Seven Severances Forbidden Burning Prison Sea. The upper limit of the Seven Severances Forbidden was Ancestral God, with Dragon Ancestor related Dragon Cave, Heavenly Ancestor related Void Island, and Hua Weiyang and Medicine Ancestor related Flowers' Fragrant Hometown...

The Burning Prison Sea must hold mysteries!

Xu Xiaoshou wanted to take a look at the Burning Prison Sea, to see if there was anything special, eerie, or guiding hidden within!

With a thought, this异次元 space quickly reverted to the past, becoming a place filled with ancient and vast aura.

"Boom!"

Cracked firmament, erupting volcanoes, frequently earthquake-stricken land. When the Burning Prison Sea was restored, it was the extreme opposite of Bai Ku's "gentleness," and it was hard to find even a place to stay; it was simply a scene of apocalypse.

Amidst the shifting light and shadows, a powerful sealing aura shot out from a crack: the Saint Emperor of Sealing Heavens, Feng Yu Jin. Xu Xiaoshou once again saw the red-robed Shou Ye and others; this group was originally guarding the Burning Prison Sea and arrived very timely.

But soon, under the power of the seal, everyone went limp and collapsed.

Feng Yu Jin didn't kill many people. After sneaking out of the Void Island, he used the Burning Prison Sea as a springboard, passed through the Eight Palaces, and went to the Saint God Continent—acting discreetly. His story, next, was possessing Mo Mo.

Mo Mo, caught between not daring to refuse the Saint Slave's mission and wanting the freedom and ease of Feng Yu Jin's struggling will, on one hand, entered the promised Tiansang Spiritual Palace, wanting to contact the Saint Slave Wu Xiu. On the other hand, she hesitated greatly,蛰伏 for years, never making contact in the end, and when she was beaten by him in the Tianxuan Gate, the dignified Saint Emperor didn't even dare to break through the Grandmaster's shackles, choosing to fall into a slumber with the flow.

Feng Yu Jin was an evader. But an evader couldn't become a Saint Emperor. Who said "it's easier to change rivers and mountains than to change one's nature"? It can only be said that the greatness of time ultimately even altered the Saint Emperor's original intention!

"Time is change..."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't pay much attention to Feng Yu Jin from the Burning Prison Sea. He was worried about his junior sister and continued to observe the evolution of these Seven Severances Forbidden.

After an extremely long time, perhaps centuries or millennia, he saw another anomaly in the Burning Prison Sea. An ancient and gigantic tree, rooted in the firmament, grew downwards, its crown blooming and bearing fruit. Pulled by gravity, a spark detached and fell into this place.

Ancestral Tree, Sky Tree!Heavenly Fire, Heart of Jin Zhao!

"Flap, flap—"

White flames swept across the entire Burning Prison Sea, igniting space, Dao principles, and all things. The spark landed, utterly unnoticed. It then absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, inhaled the vital energy of the sun and moon, and finally cultivated creation, evolving into a human form. Upon its birth, it was already a Half-Saint!

"The predecessor of Jin Zhao Lao Zu..."

Xu Xiaoshou was amazed. This time, he didn't greet him, realizing something was amiss. The Five Declines of Heavenly Beings, sealed as a saint with the Blood World Pearl, were actually false saints. Essentially, he was still in the Taixu realm, but he had mastered saint power, and with the blessing of various absolute bodies, his combat power was higher than saint power. If Jin Zhao Lao Zu cultivated this path, sealed as a saint with the Heart of Jin Zhao, then his true realm should also be Taixu, and he should ultimately not be able to reach the Saint Emperor realm.

"But he is already a Saint Emperor..."

The proper path of spiritual cultivation was to ascend step by step through Half-Saint rank, Saint Emperor rank, and Ancestral God destiny.

He probed. Xu Xiaoshou found that when Jin Zhao Lao Zu was born, he inherently possessed the Half-Saint rank—he was not a false saint! Furthermore, deep within him, there seemed to be the aura of a Saint Emperor rank, just waiting for the right time and sufficient creation to ascend swiftly.

"Where did his Half-Saint rank and Saint Emperor rank come from?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought deeply, chilled by the implication. He knew that even if the Sky Tree was a venerable Ancestral Tree, it made no sense for it to not only give birth to heavenly fire but also to ranks. He focused on the Sky Tree, which had suddenly become eerie.

The ancient Ancestral Tree, rooted in the firmament, was gradually fading after completing its mission of giving birth to the heavenly fire, about to disappear. Xu Xiaoshou took a step forward, ascending to the sky, and came before the Sky Tree's roots, slowly extending his hand.

He wanted to touch it! He wanted to probe the reason why the Ancestral Tree landed in the Burning Prison Sea, gave birth to Jin Zhao Lao Zu, and bestowed two great ranks. By intuition, he felt it wasn't a coincidence. On the contrary, it was incredibly deliberate!

"Friend..."

But just as his hand was about to touch the Sky Tree, a low call came from his ear, instantly making Xu Xiaoshou anxious. He turned his gaze, and the Ancient and Present Worry-Free Tower stood beside him at some point, right above the River of Time!

Within the tower, Mei Si Ren and Ba Zun An were not visible. Kong Yuhen, with a subtle smile, held a teacup and sat quietly before the tea table, squinting as he watched him.

"Brother Anxiety, what are you up to!" Xu Xiaoshou cursed immediately.

As soon as his words fell, the Ancient and Present Worry-Free Tower disappeared, and Kong Yuhen, with a gloomy expression, returned to his jade-faced scholar appearance. He frowned, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Xiaoshou, looking sideways at the Sky Tree, and pressed Xu Xiaoshou's arm:

"Friend, I must remind you, this is also an important time node. My suggestion is to come back another day."

"How important?" Xu Xiaoshou looked at him, not wanting to miss the opportunity. Elder Sang was already in that state, and he had few remaining relatives; his junior sister was one, whether she was Mu Zixi or Lei Xi'er.

Bai Ku was unusual, and the Burning Prison Sea was unusual. These all concerned his junior sister's safety, especially now that she was at the critical juncture of having entered the Crossroads. If he didn't investigate thoroughly today, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

Kong Yuhen said, "Just like the Battle Ancestor time node I wanted to give you, this is also an Ancestral God time node, and this friend, he is not easy to talk to."

"Who?"

Kong Yuhen shook his head, not answering. His expression was grave, very worried about Xu Xiaoshou's safety, making it hard to tell if he was faking it, playing hard to get, or truly expressing his emotions.

Xu Xiaoshou was conflicted. The Sky Tree was about to disappear. Although Kong Yuhen said he could "come back another day," what if the Ancestral God at this time node detected the anomaly of "being spied upon"? If he came back another day, would He already be prepared?

"Do you want to go?"

Just as he was weighing his options, another voice came from beside him, this one extremely calm. Xu Xiaoshou turned to look, and it was still the Ancient and Present Worry-Free Tower. Ba Zun An leaned against the wooden door, arms crossed, his face unruffled, quietly watching him.

"Yes!" Xu Xiaoshou said without hesitation.

Ba Zun An completely ignored Kong Yuhen's presence and attempts to stop him, nodded slightly, and spoke faintly:

"If you want to go, then go. Leave the rest to me."

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