Chapter 1009: Ascending to the Western Heaven

After being freed from the river of time, Lu Yang found himself riding on the back of the Nian Beast Chieftain, surrounded by fiery red clouds that closely resembled the Nian Beast's own color. Enveloped by these fiery red clouds, the Nian Beasts darted and played across the world, unseen by anyone.

"Immortal Fairy, did you see that scene just now?" Lu Yang's heart trembled. At some point in the future, the Box World would open. Did this mean the Dao Fruits of the Five Ancient Immortals had all been gathered, and the mastermind had been defeated, or did it mean the Great Qian forces had gathered the Dao Fruits of the Five Ancient Immortals?

"Huh? What did you say?" The Immortal Fairy seemed half-asleep, her consciousness drifting.

"I asked if you saw the scene just now." Lu Yang didn't overthink it; the Immortal Fairy had been like this before.

"The scene just now referred to this Immortal... Wait, what did you see?" The Immortal Fairy suddenly remembered that the Immortal of Time had mentioned observing the future, and that what each person saw might not be the same.

"The Box World opened. What, did we see something different?"

"The same, of course."

"The Immortal of Time told me about this phenomenon. He said that if one falls into the river of time, one can see past and future events. Past events are definite, but future events are uncertain; the future we see is merely one possibility."

"So that's how it is."

"So, did you see the future?" the Nian Beast Chieftain, carrying Lu Yang, chuckled.

"I told you, being able to see us Nian Beasts is an opportunity many people pray for but can never achieve."

"So, what did you see, young man? Did you see yourself becoming a great cultivator, or did you see yourself surrounded by wives and concubines?" the Nian Beast Chieftain asked with a laugh. He had no intention of prying; he simply found the topic amusing. Lu Yang thought for a moment. Though the Nian Beast Chieftain looked intimidating, it was a good beast, and there was no need to hide such things from it.

"I saw the Box World open."

No sooner had Lu Yang finished speaking than the Nian Beast Chieftain beneath him abruptly halted. He was propelled forward by inertia, tumbling a couple of times before landing in front of the Nian Beast Chieftain.

"What did you say?!" The Nian Beast Chieftain stared at Lu Yang in astonishment. Based on their experience, the future seen by those who entered the river of time was always closely related to themselves.

The other Nian Beasts, hearing this, also showed expressions of disbelief. Although the future Lu Yang saw was merely a possibility, even that possibility was terrifying. Could it be that the opening of the Box World was intricately linked to this young man?! What did this young man do in the future?

"The world opened, is there a problem with that?" Lu Yang was extremely puzzled, not understanding why the Nian Beasts reacted so strongly.

"Immortal Fairy, do you know why?"

"I don't know," replied the Immortal Fairy, finding nothing surprising in it. Little Yang had first resurrected her, then found Ying Tianxian. Who knew who else he might find later? Wasn't it perfectly normal for Little Yang to have a causal link with the Box World opening?

"Nothing, nothing at all," the Nian Beast Chieftain said repeatedly, realizing its lapse. Their Nian Beast clan cherished freedom and most feared contact with individuals like Lu Yang, who carried great karma, as it might entangle them.

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask earlier, are you from Wen Dao Sect?"

"Yes."

"Then do you know the great devil... ah, no, do you know Yun Zhi?"

"Yes, she's my Senior Disciple Sister."

"Hahaha, I see, my apologies. Well then, may we meet again in the future!"

The Nian Beast Chieftain no longer had any thought of taking Lu Yang for a tour. An individual of great karma, and the junior disciple of a great devil – it would be best to get far away from this person quickly!

The Nian Beast clan, riding the fiery clouds, fled, leaving Lu Yang alone where he stood.

"Wait, send me back first!" Lu Yang stepped on the Sword Cleansing Pond to chase the fiery clouds. The Nian Beast Chieftain had been flying with him for half a day; where had it brought him?

However, even Yun Zhi couldn't catch up to the Nian Beast clan as they traversed through time, so how could Lu Yang possibly catch them? Lu Yang chased for a short while, but the Nian Beast clan's figures vanished, and he had no choice but to give up.

"By the way, where is this place?"

Lu Yang noticed a large city not far away. The city was bustling with activity, and fireworks bloomed in vibrant colors. There were卍-shaped, lotus-shaped, and Buddha bead-shaped fireworks, all quite beautiful. From Lu Yang's position, he could even clearly hear the firecrackers in the city. Surrounding the large city was an boundless desert.

Lu Yang descended and approached the large city. He looked up and saw two large characters carved above the city gate.

Xitian.

"Oh no, the Second Boss has been taken by a Nian Beast!" Yun Mengmeng saw the Second Boss disappear before her eyes and recalled that he had just claimed to be fighting a Nian Beast. She immediately panicked.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no... Right, if there's trouble, find Xiao Zhi."

Yun Mengmeng thought of this and immediately flew out of Wen Dao Sect like the wind, leaving Li Haoran stunned in place. To this day, he still hadn't figured out why Lu Yang had brought him along.

"Senior Brother Lu was taken by a Nian Beast; is this a New Year custom?"

Yun Mengmeng, worried about Lu Yang, rushed straight to her hometown, the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, after leaving Wen Dao Sect. She flew above a lake, jumped into the water with a splash, and swam directly to the bottom. The Peach Blossom Secret Realm sensed Yun Mengmeng's arrival. A whirlpool appeared at the bottom of the lake, drawing Yun Mengmeng into it.

Back in her hometown, Yun Mengmeng immediately smelled the familiar scent of peach blossoms. The Peach Blossom Secret Realm was like spring all year round, warm and pleasant, with vast peach trees blooming all over the mountains and fields, their fragrance filling the air. Rivers branched out everywhere like tree limbs, with a dense spiritual mist emanating from their surfaces, maintaining the spiritual energy concentration. The spiritual energy in the entire secret realm was comparable to that of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

"Mengmeng," the secret realm residents called, waving at Yun Mengmeng with smiles. The secret realm was also celebrating the New Year, and they were playing and laughing, welcoming it.

"Sister Niaor, where's Xiao Zhi?" Yun Mengmeng asked in a hurry.

"Xiao Zhi? She should be with Grandma. Is there something urgent you need her for?"

"It's very urgent; I'll tell you later."

When Yun Mengmeng found Yun Zhi, Yun Zhi was leisurely chatting with Grandma, recounting interesting stories from the outside world.

"Mengmeng is back? Come, sit with Grandma," Grandma said, waving with a smile. Although she was called Grandma, her appearance was remarkably young, looking like she was in her early twenties, and she handled matters with remarkable composure.

"Hm? Mengmeng, why are you here?" Yun Zhi put down her teacup, slightly puzzled.

"Happy New Year, Grandma. I have something urgent, so I won't sit down."

"Something big has happened, Xiao Zhi! The Second Boss has been taken by a Nian Beast!"

"Something like that happened? Tell me what happened."

"Well, the Second Boss and I were watching fireworks when suddenly he rolled on the ground with a thud. Then he huffed and quickly pinned something down, claiming it was a Nian Beast. Later, somehow, the Second Boss suddenly stood up with a snap and, with a whoosh, brought Li Haoran over, as if introducing him to someone. Finally, with another whoosh, the Second Boss seemed to be snatched away by something, and then he was gone."

Yun Zhi put down her teacup, automatically ignoring the onomatopoeia in Yun Mengmeng's description. She mused, "So that's how it is. No worries, nothing will happen."