Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
How does one leave their existential mark in the River of Time?
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness chuckled then. “I’ll take you on a trip to the River of Time soon. You’ll realize how you can manifest past and present forms… and that it’s quite simple.”
“When you’re able to leave your existential mark in the River of Time, you would use a mystic treasure or some miracle object as a carrier to manifest your past and present forms.”
“If you’re powerful enough and grasp sufficient understanding over Temporal Dao, you could even leave your existential mark in different timelines like me, and become invincible.”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness did mention that before, and Jiang He’s eyes lit up at the same statement twice.
There was no prospect more captivating for a person who valued their life than to gain multiple lives.
After several exchanges, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness swiped a finger over the air.
Ooom!
The air rumbled, and Jiang He felt that the dimensions before them was altered.
“Come with me on a trip to the River of Time!”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness arose and strode into the gash, and he disappeared instantly upon entry.
Jiang He strode out, following him.
The world seemed to spiral around him the moment he stepped inside and his vision seemed to fluctuate, with blurry scenes flashing past his gaze just like movies.
Jiang He even found a handsome youth peering in the voids in one of the scenes…
“Eh?”
“Why is that handsome boy so familiar?”
He muttered inwardly, but found the world around him turning pitch-black in the next second. Only a single, turbid river that flowed under his feet permeated the darkness, extending toward the horizon.
“So this is the River of Time?” Jiang He gasped in awe.
The River of Time… was an actual river?
But wasn’t it too muddled? It was yellowish, no different from the mud water in the raining season.
He even saw the brief life of a cultivator from a tiny tide…
Jiang He reached out and grasp the tide to see that it contained the life of a Three Realms daemon cultivator, playing in fast forward.
It was a blue ox born in a small tribe, and it cultivated with the plainest legacies over 350 times before it reached Yuan Spirit-tier, only to be set up by a foe with a grudge, outnumbered and killed.
“Time does not move in a solid state, but it moves however you want it to.”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness chuckled, his hand clasped behind his back as he walked over the muddled river. “Only Saints could enter the River of Time by their power, though it’s not difficult—you can do so with Temporal Dao since you have learned it.”
Jiang He nodded. He had an epiphany when he reached into the River of Time, and understood how he could venture inside, though it was somewhat unclear since it was a mystical feeling.
Holding the turbid tide, he then asked, “Brother, are the events in this tide the past, the present, or the future?”
“It’s all three.”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness smiled. “The past and future are references of the present: the previous second is the past, the next second is the future. However, since it takes seconds for you to speak to me, doesn’t that mean the next second, which was once the future, is now the past?”
“…”
Jiang He appeared taken aback, but those words made sense, even though grade-schoolers should know that principle.
Mulling it over, he then asked, “If the blue ox’s death is assured, could we change its destiny?”
“The future can’t be changed.”
“It’s a constant determined by the Celestial Will—look at the blue ox again.”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness waved his hand, casting an unknown godly technique to replay the turbid tide in Jiang He’s palm.
This time, the blue ox gained great providence after it was born by consuming a divine herb. In just a dozen years of cultivation, it had metamorphized into a Yuan Spirit and was recruited as a disciple by a Grand Luo daemon passing through.
It weathered its immortal trial 300 years later, but after another twenty-fall years, it was cornered when it ventured into a hazard zone and was killed, his Dao fading.
As Jiang He kept watching the tide, the blue ox’s third life began anew.
The endless ages seemed to be condensed into a single instant. Jiang He watched as the blue ox’s life replayed repeatedly, and soon reached 180 times.
Each life was different and the most dazzling was when it became Golden Immortal in 350 years, where it met the Trial of Longevity… and died to it.
It would always die in different ways when it was around 350 years, despite living different lives.
“The future is constant, as decreed by the Celestial Will.”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness seemed to see the question in Jiang He’s mind and said, “The Celestial Will cannot be defied. Even if my control over Temporal Dao reached the pinnacle so that I could gain complete full clairvoyance over time and could change the past, I cannot change the future.”
“But wouldn’t the future be changed if you changed the past?”
Jiang He was perplexed.
For example, if the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness rescued a person destined to die in the past, so that he lived in the future… would that not count as changing the future?
“Changing the past forms a new timeline, but the Celestial Will would automatically adjust everything on that timeline so it stays on the right trail.”
“How could the future be easily changed when it’s decided?”
Jiang He was astonished.
The Celestial Will?
Did it become sentient?
Cultivating immortal arts is a violation of natural fate in the first place… but why bother if the future is constant?
There’s no escaping my death or becoming Grand Luo.
So why bother making an effort? Can’t I just goof off?
“What about my future, Brother? Can I kill the Demon-God Emperor in the future?”
“I can’t say.”
Stroking his beard, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness smiled, “Moreover, so what if the future is sealed for people of our level? There is no end to the pleasure of fighting against fate.”
Jiang He could not help laugh at that.
However…
Kaboom!
A loud rumble resounded across every direction, as if the Celestial Will was warning the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness.
Nonetheless, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness flatly replied, “What? Are you upset? But what can you do?”
The rumbling loudened, but faded since it was basically helpless frustration.
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness then said, “The Celestial Will can’t bear me bad-mouthing him, but you can ignore it—it can’t do anything to me even if it manifests.”
Jiang He gaped…
What the hell!
The Celestial Will is sentient?!
