'The past?!' Pakhet's pupils had shrunk, yet the reflection within was abundantly clear. Surging above was a river, countless rivers, intersecting and interweaving in an indescribably marvelous pattern. The very depths of her awakened True Soul generated only a single thought: "The Keeper of Time!"
Suddenly, as her golden eyes that exuded heavenly radiance of metal were slowly infected and overwhelmed by an insidious, silent, and oppressive dark-greyish color, a hand of silvery scales clasped itself onto her face, covering her eyes, while a strong, tyrannical hand pressed against her Dantian. She hadn't even realized that her body was experiencing a seizure, her body having lost all sense of temporal awareness as she glimpsed upon the manifestation of time itself.
If not for her anchored existence via the Major Authority of Metal Law, embedding her lifespan, soulspan, and existential framework to the Heavenly Realm of Metal, she would have been lost to the brilliantly profound flow of time-forever. As she entered the embrace, her heart calmed and her mind settled.
"Listen to my voice," a discombobulated voice echoed out, both far, close, beneath, and above, exceedingly difficult to locate by her senses, yet it was gentle and strong, reliable and certain, and she found herself without direction. She listened.
"Find it."
The voice echoed out yet again.
"Find it."
She listened with her True Soul.
"Find it!"
With a gaspingly greedy inhale of her lungs, desperately reaffirming her existence, she clung tightly to Wei Wuyin. Her body shivered as cold sweat drenched her, even through the cold emptiness of the Dark Void. She used every ounce of her strength to grab hold of the sturdy, warm, and certain figure before her.
"Good." Wei Wuyin held her in his embrace, tightly. With his Major Authority of Time surging outwards, enveloping them in a temporal isolation bubble, constantly fueled by Samsara Soul Energy, he observed the River of Time. Unlike Pakhet, he was a True Void Dragon hybrid who experienced sufficient temporal disconnect of past, present, and future to negate the initial experience.
Traveling in the past was something anyone who possessed the ability to enter the Void could potentially achieve. However, Paradoxical Correction, navigation of the ceaseless flows of variant time, and various aberrations within the Void itself made it exceedingly dangerous. Doing so rarely allowed one to gain any benefit.
Anything that didn't align with the established flow generated Paradoxical Energy, and so, even if you somehow changed time, it would be readily corrected unbeknownst to everyone else, and on the same vein, as the violator of this act, the Keeper of Time would eradicate your existence with extreme prejudice.
The once-renowned pirate known for his divine steel-like defensive art was an example of such a disastrous fate.
After twelve seconds, Pakhet regained her calm. She learned not to try and see the manifestation of time itself again, keeping her gaze focused on her immediate surroundings, never trying to extend beyond it.
In truth, the River of Time was omnipresent. It was always up above, below, at your right, at your left, in your face, flowing through you, and around you. The only issue was that its presence wasn't thick enough to observe even with Soul Perception unless you relied on special methods of the so-called Keeper of Time descended for Paradoxical Correction.
Wei Wuyin was constantly reminded that Fuxi's timely intervention back then had saved his life. However, if he had been given a choice to redo his action of absorbing his alternative selves' memories or not, even under the knowledge that Fuxi would not have intervened, he would not have hesitated to do so. Due to that fearless action, he avoided many pitfalls that would have established everlasting regrets.
"I'm okay," Pakhet confirmed as she slowly pushed herself out of Wei Wuyin's embrace. Wei Wuyin allowed her to go, observing the region as his Draconic Ascension was in full force, absorbing the incessant generation of paradoxical energies that surged towards both of them.
"Stay close," Wei Wuyin instructed.
Pakhet nodded, staying within three feet of Wei Wuyun at all times. She stayed solidly within his arm's reach. She was keenly aware of the taboo activity of venturing back in time. Even Mystic Overlords could attempt this. Mortals simply did not understand the sheer power that Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivators, especially Mystic Overlords and True Sages, truly wielded yet could never unleash.
The consequences were simply too much. However, clearly, Wei Wuyin was handling the temporal backlash by himself. She couldn't help but think that others would consider her foolish to confidently rely on a Soul of Mysticism Phase cultivator like this.
"Why are we here?" Pakhet asked.
"..." Wei Wuyin kept inspecting the region. From his lack of an answer, it was clear to any observer that he was uncertain.
Pakhet frowned slightly. Then, she asked the only important question that came to mind: "When are we?" If this were asked by a mortal, questions and straitjackets would be deployed without hesitation.
"When?" Wei Wuyin mused as his silver eyes darted to and fro, unleashing the Eye of Truth as he grasped certain intricacies of the Dark Void's general trend. "About a few decades back from our present. I aimed for the place with the least activity in this region, to create the least amount of temporal impact upon our arrival. I seem to have placed us exceedingly far from my intended location."
"What location?" Pakhet's heart had settled into a state of readiness. She was no damsel that had to be protected in any exploration or adventure, and this was certainly not the first time she had entered an event that exceeded her powers and survived. As long as she leveraged Wei Wuyin's strength, acted within the limits of his instructions, and didn't make any outrageous decisions on her own, she was confident of not only being useful but of surviving.
"The Onestar Galaxy," Wei Wuyin stated.
'Onestar Galaxy? Isn't that your home galaxy?' Pakhet thought to herself. Slowly, anticipation built within her. However, she warned, "When traveling back in time, you'd best avoid encountering yourself. A single situation can generate a flood of chaotic paradoxical energies which is said to immediately attract the attention of the Keeper of Time."
Wei Wuyin already understood this principle, nodding in acknowledgment.
While searching, Wei Wuyin suddenly asked, "Did you know that there is a specific type of person in this world that has tragic fates?"
Pakhet was startled slightly, but she inevitably nodded. "Beneath the heavens, there exist those beloved or hated by it. Some cultures believe they were cursed by the heavens, condemned by divinities for actions done in their past lives. Other cultures believe it is a simple expression of misfortune. The general trend of the world simply is not in their favor. Tragic fates can happen for many reasons, and even at my cultivation, I can barely see the lines that create them."
Wei Wuyin's silver eyes were brightly illuminated by spiritual light as he said, "Indeed. There are those blessed by the heavens who can receive unfathomable levels of guidance and fortune in a timely manner. They can attain the peak of their society's cultivation, potentially beyond, by virtue of existing and breathing. Then some ride the trend of a world, becoming exceptional existences by virtue of effort, opportunity, courage, and unseen connections.
"However, there's a specific type of person, not hated by the Heavenly Daos, but specifically rejected by the heavens. The general trend of their lives is seldom positive. Without an external force, they're doomed to suffer and inevitably die horrific fates. Some struggle viciously against it, only to succumb at the last moment. Others fight to the bitter end, and on the cusp of tasting victory, find their mouths filled with poisonous dust."
Pakhet's eyebrows furrowed deeply. The Heavenly Daos and the heavens in her mind were the same greater existence, but she understood that there was a distinction, she simply didn't know how or why. Her cultivation wasn't high enough. She knew of the three Great Daos that all cultivators embark on, she also understood that other daos existed that formed variant paths, such as the Alchemic Dao, but she didn't genuinely understand what a Dao was.
Wei Wuyin had to explore many facets of cultivation and come into contact with profound details far, far beyond his cultivation to understand these differences, and even then, he had only recently verified that the Dao of War or the War Dao existed in the form of Intent as its primary stage of cultivation. The three Great Daos were different due to their overarching resonance and inclusion of all other daos.
The Alchemic Dao's expression of cultivation was uniquely its own due to possessing great dao characteristics of unifying all daos, including the three Great Daos, but also containing the lesser daos and its own special qualities, such as the Alchemic Stars. Moreover, it was born from multiple other Daos fusing, essentially emulating Wei Wuyin's own recent actions of being a foreigner entering the native heavens and becoming a critical part of it.
Pakhet tried her best to understand, but many of these profound concepts alluded her. Despite awakening her True Soul, gaining Soul Perception, and even with her authority over the Heavenly Realm of Metal, she was not able to fully comprehend these differences. But she fully understood the struggles of cultivation. After all: Cultivation was
difficult. Just a three-word sentence could resonate with the hearts of countless cultivators who've experienced great joy and horrific pain.
Wei Wuyin continued, "This type of person faces the calamities of heaven and earth despite doing nothing themselves, simply by existing. I recently learned they may have an official term recognized by the heavens."
"Official term?" Pakhet was flabbergasted.
"A title, if you will." Wei Wuyin thought back to the words Su Mei conveyed about the mysterious woman- Daoseeking Child & Lesser-Heaven Primeval Sprout. That event led him to think about a specific person, and it wasn't even himself who triggered this thought, but Su Mei who had brought the subject up that made him think.
Yao Houyi and Shui Fengbao. He could be certain that Shui Fengbao was a Lesser-Heaven Primeval Sprout. The Heavenly Realm of Fire was in love with him, a clear Chosen, and his life was quite tragic. Meanwhile, Yao Houyi was intuitively connected to the Intent of Archery.
Initially, Wei Wuyin wouldn't think this, but after witnessing Su Yi unleash his Void Sword Intent against the Arbiter, Yao Houyi...he...
Wei Wuyin felt that if there existed Daoseeking Children out there, this man was bound to be one.
What if there existed another one? What if his identity as an Inheritor of Sin subconsciously attracted him to existences like this? Obscure entities of unpredictable qualities? Removing his ego, what if there was something else attracting them to him? Whether it was his association with Su Mei, an extraordinary existence in her own right, or his existential status as a Magi, there was something that drew him to these incredible existences.
Pakhet was actively digesting this information when Wei Wuyin abruptly said, "What if I had died?"
"What?" Pakhet was stunned, gazing at the roaming eyes of Wei Wuyin filled with thought and truth. She saw something unimaginably intricate: a past seen yet not lived.
Wei Wuyin's eyes flashed as he replied, "Nothing. I was simply thinking nonsense. I've found out when we are. As for where we are, that's an interesting answer." As he said this, he reached out his hand with an open palm. Pakhet showed no hesitation in holding his hand, feeling the warmth that felt like it originated from the gentlest and most glorious star in the sky.
Wei Wuyin didn't conjure a Void Portal. Instead, the two turned illusory, ethereal as ghosts, faintly enveloped by the soft roars of a thunder of dragons. They flew. Whether it was Chaos Mana or ambient energies, even the faint rays of light emitting from distant stars, none of them touched upon their bodies as they existed alongside the Void and the Heavens. They immersed themselves as indistinguishable entities.
With that transformation, the generation of paradoxical energies was pushed to the bare minimum.
Pakhet was taken aback as her skin and body were enveloped by illusory scales. She could feel astrological forces circulate around her, merging with the natural progression of universal affairs. It was miraculous, as if the entirety of the Void was acting as an exoskeleton defense.
Infinite Void Scales!
After adjusting for a few miles of flight, Wei Wuyin immediately brought out his Infinite Void Wings that expanded an unfathomably long distance, seemingly Infinite, as Pakhet was hugged tightly. She accepted entering his embrace again. Then, the wings unfurled to their greatest extent before flapping across the Dark Void.
WHOOSH! The two flashed across the Dark Void at indescribable speeds that seemed to glide upon time, dance through space, and fly through creation.
Pakhet kept her awareness about her. Despite their speed, she caught glimpses of the scenery vanishing and fading. She could see the streams of time assist the wings in movement, so things felt both fast and slow, both frozen and ethereal as if they didn't exist.
She saw fascinating things. Including Void Vessels flying across the Dark Voids as well as cultivators fighting desperately. She felt herself move out of galaxies, stellar regions, starfields, and strange Dominions. None of it
seemed to affect them. They were out of time. Pakhet had a myriad of questions, but she held everything down as she held Wei Wuyin tighter, utterly in awe by
what she saw. However, while Pakhet was enjoying the show, Wei Wuyin's actions were by no means easy. He felt an excessive degree of pressure from several sources upon his Existential Framework. He sensed unfathomable entities observing him, unable to escape their notice.
Among them was the River of Time. It circulated above, below, and around in every flow of time, so escaping its gaze was already impossible. The only question was whether he had attracted its minimally invasive attention that coincided with upkeeping the flow of time or not, and this was not at the level of his violation all those years ago but definitely higher than Paradoxical Correction.
Meanwhile, his Celestial Eyes could sense indescribably indistinct creatures looming near, seemingly observing without taking action, hungering for something. It could be his accumulation of Paradoxical Energies or something
else entirely. He wasn't quite certain.
Traveling to the past was littered with dangers, something that countless cultivators knew about. And while Wei Wuyin's footprints were driven to their minimal extent, the fact that his footprints existed at all was a sign of his lack of mastery and experience in this harrowing attempt.
Fortunately, his current state was profoundly concealed. Without a Major Authority of Time, Space, a Law focused on control, or a Void Bloodline, sensing his movements was almost impossible.
Eventually, he reached his location: the Onestar Galaxy. 'How long have we been traveling?' Pakhet was unable to calculate time correctly. They had traveled a seemingly
far yet short distance in a time that felt as long as could be and similarly only an instant. The sensation was complex to an extreme.
They stopped short of the Faux-Immortal Sky Source Seal enveloping the galaxy. Wei Wuyin had learned that the Supreme Sages launched an assault on his reputation and life due to the Jiaolong. It was due to this sealing array. The Faux-Immortal Sky Source Seal wasn't too indistinct information to gather, and cultivators familiar with the thirty-three galaxies' circumstances were aware.
For example, Young Master Shang, a member of royalty who oversaw a region of a greater galaxy, was aware of this array's existence. However, Zhang Jiangwen was not. Athena had extracted a little information from the psyche and Sea of Consciousness of Superior Duan, granting him enlightenment on the topic.
He wanted to insult their stupidity, but if he were in their shoes, given the information they had, he could honestly say that he might have thought the same. The Sempiternal Resonance Domain was far too high-level a power. Wei Wuyin already expected that it was a full realm and some higher than a Domain of Mysticism, so roughly peak
Resonant Soul Realm. The aura of eternity was in the domain of that great dao of eternity.
Anyhow, observing this array, Wei Wuyin didn't try to perform any of his hijack shenanigans, merely sensed it a little and entered without being hindered. Even Pakhet was allowed in without issue.
He didn't linger or idle about. Each passing second was a sharp increase in Paradoxical Energy accumulation. At a
certain point, even his True Void Dragon physique and Infinite Void Scales would find it impossible to deal with. After all, even a fish would have difficulty swimming if the water they inhabited became too thick and viscous.
If he stayed too long, the thickness would become impossible to move through. In his situation, that would translate
to his inability to absorb or negate the paradoxical power seeking to taint his existence. If that happened, then returning to his original time would lead to Paradoxical Correction.
Finding the Endless Void Mirror, Wei Wuyin could sense that the Void Wyrm was in slumber. Entering held no
difficulty. As they entered, the World Between the Folds, also known as the Endless Void Realm, was shown. The
three cities were rife with activity, flourishing without restraint. Wei Wuyin's gaze softened as he thought of Ye Ziling.
They didn't linger long, entering the cage that he called home-the Ancient Sealed Regions. For others, however,
this was a stage of a grand game within potentially a greater game. The players were difficult to discern, and the final objective still eluded him.
When he arrived in the Ancient Sealed Regions, he resisted the urge to observe himself. However, there were certain things he couldn't avoid seeing, such as the gargantuan Tiangou that was briskly walking across the stars, led by a starry lure. This was the tactic that those of the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region had invented to prevent the
Tiangou from causing chaos. In his present, he knew the Tiangou was slumbering quietly within the region that was currently the Tri-Vision
Starfield here.
"We have to be minimally invasive. I can't come into contact with anything that I touch or will touch," Wei Wuyin
finally spoke as Pakhet's focus gathered immediately, becoming alert and ready. She had more or less understood her purpose.
After all, she could anchor her existence in the omnipresent Heavenly Realm of Metal. Wei Wuyin's actions at this moment were deeply profound, containing layers upon layers of preparations to negate any severe consequence, but to say that it wasn't thought of or considered by any Mystic Overlord or greater existence would be a gravely
incorrect assumption. In the world of cultivation, death was both permanent and impermanent. The difference was a simple matter of
cultivation base. A mere mortal could only face death with grief and acceptance, unable to change anything. As one cultivates, the
goal post of an eternal death was pushed further and further away, often determined by the degree of risk and sacrifice a person was willing to make.
Superior Di had violated the cycle of reincarnation by constantly extracting the ego, Sea of Consciousness, psyche, and every other critical aspect of his loved one, allowing them to obscurely reincarnate in different bodies. He had done so hundreds of times, infringing upon the process of soul cleansing and harming time and time again.
He wasn't the only one.
If soul-infringing taboos were set aside, such as Astral Core Realm cultivators extracting Spirits of Cultivation tethered to the soul and placing them in others, not negating or extending the soulspan, but inadvertently lengthening the lifespan of the physical body, then Mystic Ascendant Realm cultivators had Temporal Reversion.
With sufficient power, they can reverse the causality of events, including the death of mortals with relative ease the
stronger they are. However, for each passing second, the difficulty increases exponentially, so time was a great
factor. These were only common methods. After a while, how could others not think that if they went back in time, and executed Temporal Reversion shortly
after death, that they could reverse causality with greater ease? Records have been written of these temporal taboos, including the cost and difficulties of achieving them. And almost always it failed.
The Paradoxical Energies would inevitably erupt, and those authors would be listed as unnamed existences, daring
explorers. This type of thing occurred so frequently over the span of hundreds of thousands of years that it became relatively known that these were failures.
The only-ONLY exceptions were those who acted to revive those they had zero karmic ties or connection. These were the only surviving named authors. And almost always, they had to seal those they survived, maintaining
their state of death in their time. After all, they can not interact with others, and they can't create any additional waves of causality that shouldn't otherwise happen.
She was aware of what Wei Wuyin wanted her for! And it was also why he never told her any details of events! Not the where! Not the when! Not the how! Not the
who! The less connection, the less understanding, the better her situation would be! Here, ignorance was truly
bliss! She was an idle passenger. No. She was a storage unit!
"There's a young mortal woman who's about to die on a flat continental earth in this sealed area. At this moment,
on this day, within ten seconds. She is only a few decades old. When you grab her, leave this behind," Wei Wuyin handed her a tiny marble.
She couldn't determine what was in the marble, but there was certainly a timed-release formation imprinted on it.
"How many chances?" She asked solemnly, taking the marble.
"Once." Wei Wuyin's voice grew deep, his silver eyes seethed with spiritual radiance. "Only one," he emphasized
as the observation of those entities grew stronger, especially the River of Time. He could already sense it surging from around him. Curiosity was not enough to accept a violation.
"Only one," Pakhet repeated. She knew that she had to be ignorant of every detail outside of vague specifics. She
was in the Ancient Sealed Regions, a place so vast with thousands upon thousands of flat continental earths, yet she was to find a single mortal woman that would die...in ten seconds...somewhere... While she had some details, a time frame, the difficulty was impossible to imagine. Mortals died every second on a single planet, but this was likely trillions of people.
"When you find her, envelop her existence with your-" Wei Wuyin began but Pakhet interrupted.
"I know."
Wei Wuyin didn't say more. He couldn't involve himself in his own karmic ties. Such acts of violation were repeatedly showcased as failures by unnamed authors. If his cultivation base was higher, perhaps. However, even passing a second increased the difficulty. They were already decades in the past. Moreover, he lived in this region.
'When I see her, I'm sure I'll know,' Pakhet thought confidently. Since Wei Wuyin had chosen her, there must be something that would attract her to this young woman. When she spread out her Soul Perception, her existence was anchored fully by the Heavenly Realm of Metal, no longer guarded by Wei Wuyin's power.
She could feel the exponential growth of paradoxical energies, seeking to invade her Existential Framework, tagging her as a violator condemned for future erasure. She set aside her sensation of imminent crisis.
She had no karmic ties to this place, only to the past Wei Wuyin. If she had tried to kill Wei Wuyin in the past, she
wouldn't have succeeded in the slightest before her erasure by the Keeper of Time. With a soft breath, she counted down.
7... 6... 5... 4... Suddenly, her eyes illuminated with heavenly radiance as she vanished with startling speed.
Wei Wuyin sealed off his multitude of senses. He was gambling here. However, he trusted Pakhet.
"GOT HER!" A heavy, exhausted voice echoed in his ears.
Wei Wuyin didn't bother to check or verify. He opened his arm, feeling the metallic body of Pakhet grab him tightly, deeper than any of their last embraces, and the waves of paradoxical energies emitted by her were overwhelming, akin to a woman on fire, and he absorbed it all in a single draconic gulp. With an enclosure of his Infinite Void
Wings, the two were engulfed as they vanished from this space and time through a Void Portal.
As they departed, the River of Time surged over a specific continent. Just as it was about to take action, the trend of the world that was on the verge of shifting corrected itself. From the current past to their future present of the violators, the events remained unchanged. The corpse of the young
woman was seen and corroded, melding flawlessly with the ecological system of the continent through
decomposition. Her remaining family grieved. Her surviving allies mourned.
The Heavenly Daos loomed, sensing the strange absence of a single soul.
But the world moved on. Moreover, the entanglement of karmic ties was untouched. Within those ten seconds, tens of thousands of young
mortal women met their demise, but only one was taken by a woman resembling a golden goddess!
Meanwhile, far, far, far away from the Ancient Sealed Regions, the elderly Fuxi caressed his beard with fascination
in his eyes, clapping his hands excitedly, far unlike his normal teacher-like and serene demeanor.
"What a brilliant exploit! Impatient but utterly brilliant!!" Fuxi laughed heartily, causing the area he was in to sing a
song of creation and destruction. BOOSH!!! From a Void Portal which resembled cracked glass, two time travelers had just pulled off a heist of a single life from
the clutches of death. Wei Wuyin landed on the floor of his room, clutching Pakhet with his entire strength, devouring every ounce of
temporal energy that was foreign to her. She was shivering in his arms. They stayed like this for a full hour. Only after every iota was taken away, absorbed by him, did her body relax.
Wei Wuyin found that this golden goddess-like woman and the Alchemic Knight of his was asleep. She had lost
consciousness. It shouldn't be understated that traveling back decades was something even True Sages dared not do, even if they had the Authority of Time. At most, the records only listed a few days. Never decades!
The lengthier the tether from the present, the greater the attraction of paradoxical energy attraction. If he hadn't
brought her with him through the Dark Void, the disturbance of a single pebble being kicked in a lake, creating ripples, was enough for her to experience the fate of that Sage that was lost during the search for Mythical
Contracts. Not even Wei Wuyin could stop it. He stood up, lifting her in a bridal carry, adjusting her position for comfort, and sighed deeply in his heart. Bringing her to his bed, he gently laid her down. She took the risk without question. Her loyalty was irrefutable.
"I'll make sure you attain the Resonant Soul Realm. I promise," Wei Wuyin knew of Pakhet's dream for cultivation,
and he intended to fulfill it no matter what. Then, he observed her Dantian, within the source of her Major Authority
of Law, finding a sealed body of a young woman. She was unconscious. However, nothing detracted from her innately heroic presence. Wei Wuyin recalled one of the descriptions he often
had of her: With her spear in hand, her spine as straight as the spear she wielded, she resembled a gate guardian of heaven.
Seeing her, the feeling she gave off didn't change despite her higher physical age than he remembered, and what
he felt was on par with Yao Houyi. Obviously, he couldn't help but recall her activity in the Yang Yore Field, and the
sounds of those...enticing moans.
"You're in for a surprise, Yan Zhu."
[Author's Note: Ayo! No. Character. Forgotten!] Erdiul's Note: Alright, that was pretty cool. Also Yan Zhu is from the early early chapters, she's from the Scarlet
Solaris Sect and she has a Seed of Spear Intent. She's also a natural leader type of character, perfect for WW's
coming war. Also as a personal huge fan of spear users, I'm glad she's back. +1 Prime Ascendant.
This chapter had 28,800 characters btw, long ass chapter.

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