Chapter 1341: Timeline Change

Above the cultivation world, a single star shone remarkably bright. While the surrounding stars gradually faded, this one remained, brilliantly luminous in the night sky, never extinguishing.

Yun Mengmeng gazed blankly at the star. An inexplicable happiness welled up within her, and she broke into a smile.

Qinghe, Ao Ling, and the others were bewildered. They were anxiously awaiting the outcome of the battle, so Yun Mengmeng's sudden laughter perplexed them. Had she sensed something?

Boom—

Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy simultaneously exerted their power. Yunzhi could finally act without restraint once more, no longer fearing advancement to the Dao Integration realm.

Even though Lu Yang exposing his natal Dao Fruit didn't cause the mastermind's cultivation realm to drop, it still had an effect, destabilizing his aura and putting him at a disadvantage throughout his confrontation with Yunzhi.

The mastermind's killing intent towards Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy intensified. He found them utterly loathsome and yearned to tear them limb from limb.

With the heavens and earth as her backing, Yunzhi wielded inexhaustible power. The mastermind couldn't endure such a prolonged battle; continuing this fight would undoubtedly lead to his demise.

The mastermind's figure moved, spanning millions of miles in an attempt to flee the battlefield.

However, against Yunzhi, who commanded a portion of the heavens and earth, such an escape was nothing but a pipe dream.

Yunzhi could even sense the mastermind's exact location as he traversed to another spatial plane, arriving almost simultaneously with him at the other end of space.

Their battle had long transcended the concept of space; the vast universe itself had become their battlefield.

For a time, countless civilizations observed this battle. However, its immense scale was beyond their comprehension. They mistakenly believed it was the universe beginning to collapse, a cataclysmic event, leading to widespread wailing and despair.

The mastermind was beaten black and blue, and his recovery rate was noticeably slower than before.

He set his sights on the Qilin Immortal, believing that if he could devour the Qilin Immortal's Dao Fruit of "Survival of the Fittest," he might have a slim chance of survival.

The next moment, he appeared behind the Qilin Immortal. Yunzhi, however, noticed his move and struck him down with a palm just as he was about to unleash a devouring vortex.

It was only then that the assembled immortals realized the combatants had arrived in their vicinity.

The residual shockwaves of the battle flung everyone far away. As Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy were fully occupied in restraining Yunzhi, they couldn't attend to the others. Consequently, everyone had to rely on their own methods to heal their injuries.

"That's it, Yun girl, finish him off!" the Immortal Fairy exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement. If she weren't currently channeling her Immortal Dao Fruit, she would have joined the fray herself.

That mastermind was rotten to the core. The root of all current events could be traced back to the ancient era when he assassinated her.

Had the mastermind not intervened, none of these subsequent events would have transpired, nor would the Immortal Fire Dynasty have been annihilated.

The more severely the mastermind was battered, the more pleased the Immortal Fairy became.

"Devour Heaven and Earth!" Facing the overwhelmingly powerful Yunzhi, the mastermind activated his Devouring Dao Fruit, unleashing an endless surge of dark light.

This was the Dao Fruit the mastermind had truly comprehended. Having devoured six other Dao Fruits, it had grown to an exceptionally terrifying degree. In comparison, Emperor Zhongtian's Devouring Dao Fruit, which hadn't consumed even a single one, was like that of a mere infant just beginning to understand.

Yet, Yunzhi was like the sovereign of heaven and earth; her position was the very center of all creation. The mastermind's formidable Devouring Dao Fruit, which he prided himself on, proved utterly ineffective against her.

The mastermind's body swayed as streaks of dark light condensed into six blurry human figures. These were all supreme powerhouses from ancient times, who had dominated for tens of thousands of years, and were also his close companions.

These indistinct figures, each wielding their own Dao Fruit, formed battle arrays and besieged Yunzhi. Their auras were terrifyingly potent, even stronger than they had been in life.

The seven formed a world-shattering grand array, tearing open the void and manipulating creation to establish a small world domain. This domain possessed the ability to defy the heavens, existing outside the cosmic order that Yunzhi embodied.

Yunzhi stood majestically at the apex of the firmament, with countless stars swirling beneath her feet. With unparalleled grace, she shattered the mastermind's small world domain, causing the six dark light figures to return to his body.

The mastermind was torn apart, his body covered in blood and utterly disfigured.

His eyes bloodshot, he refused to sit idly and await his demise. He desperately wanted to make a final stand, declaring, "Jianmu, your lingering essence has caused me so much trouble. This time, let me make use of your Dao Fruit!"

The Devouring Dao Fruit was not omnipotent; simply devouring something did not guarantee skilled mastery.

After absorption, only basic usage was guaranteed. True mastery required profound comprehension. Dao Fruits such as the Heavenly Tribulation Dao Fruit or the Five Elements Dao Fruit were straightforward to learn, eventually mastered with consistent effort.

However, mastering time-type Dao Fruits heavily relied on innate talent; even vast amounts of accumulated time yielded minimal results.

He possessed no talent in the path of time. Each activation of the timeline Dao Fruit required immense effort, and the extent to which he could alter the past was limited, only allowing him to modify events within a hundred years.

Activating the timeline Dao Fruit required preparation; without it, only minor alterations were possible. Lu Yang's assault this time had been too sudden, leaving him no opportunity to react.

The current dilemma was how to alter the timeline. He had to meticulously consider which specific point in time to modify to turn the tide of the battle...

Before he could pinpoint the crucial moment, he suffered a devastating blow.

Bang—

A moment of distraction allowed Yunzhi to seize the opportunity, striking him so hard that he coughed up mouthfuls of blood. His meridians were severed, he screamed in agony, blood streamed from his seven orifices, and his vision blurred.

Damn it, no more time to think! He had to make a decision quickly!

Gravely wounded, he knew his time was running out.

The mastermind's gaze fell upon Lu Yang and the Immortal Fairy. Reflecting on the battle, he realized that if either of them had been absent, Yunzhi would have integrated with the Dao much sooner, and he would not be in such a wretched state.

A knowing smile spread across the mastermind's face at this realization.

Altering this event would be perfectly suitable!

"Who would have thought," Lu Yang mused, "the Immortal Cult's mission for us is to infiltrate the Dao Inquiring Sect."

On their way back from Yanjiang Prefecture, Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, and Mang Gu chatted and laughed, finding the mission surprisingly easy to complete.

"This Immortal is quite formidable," Meng Jingzhou remarked. "He can revive just by having his name spoken correctly. I wonder what his true name is."

"Let's all be careful," Lu Yang cautioned. "What if we actually stumble upon the Immortal's true name? We don't know if the Immortal is friend or foe, and the Immortal Cult's claim of their protection over humanity is just one side of the story; we can't fully trust it."

"How about this," Lu Yang proposed, "from now on, let's refer to 'the Immortal' as 'the Immortal Fairy.' That way, even if we somehow pronounce the correct name, the Immortal won't be able to revive." The other two readily agreed.

The old horse pulling their carriage traveled a while longer before stopping by the roadside. The three disembarked to rest and continued their discussion about the Immortal Fairy.

"I wonder why the Immortal Fairy's true name wasn't preserved in history," Meng Jingzhou mused.

"It might be because her name wasn't very appealing," Meng Jingzhou speculated. "Think about it: in ancient times, everyone had grand, imposing titles and names. Before a battle, people would announce their identities. If the Immortal Fairy stepped forward and declared, 'This venerable one is Immortal Fairy Li Gou Dan,' she'd lose half her intimidation before the fight even began!"

"The Immortal Fairy would surely want to erase such a 'black history' from records!"

Lu Yang chuckled in agreement, "It could also be that her name was too adorable, lacking any deterrent power, like Immortal Fairy Li Doudou or something similar."