The girl’s figure seemed faint, flas.h.i.+ng back and forth - on the verge of disappearing at a moment’s notice.
Contrary to this visual phenomenon, she seemed to be stuck there for an eternity.
The lightning storm above her wasn’t regular lightning but rather a type of heavenly punishment. Nothing could ever survive.
This slumbering girl was clearly sealed by this tribulation. Any attempt to flee would result in a barrage of lightning.
However, the lightning couldn’t actually reach her current spot. The galaxy with its stars completely surrounded her as a form of barrier.
These stars and planets weren’t actually physical celestials. They were made from years and years acc.u.mulating together - a manifestation of the temporal affinity.
Long periods of time formed this galaxy to separate the girl from the tribulation above.
Thus, as the tribulation descended, it needed to cross one era after another. Its power would considerably weaken as a result even when reaching her.
Li Qiye stared at her for a long time. Alas, she was deep in slumber and didn’t know what was going on outside.
He eventually stopped and continued forward towards the source - the end of this temporal river or rather, the beginning of time.
One epoch pa.s.sed after another until he reached the primordial stage with heavenly laws forming for the first time.
Once again, just crossing one epoch was enough to destroy anyone’s mind. Dao laws and the strongest physical sh.e.l.l still couldn’t withstand this withering. Only an indomitable and unchanging dao heart could finish this journey.
While maintaining his original purity of mind, he saw numerous historical figures. Their existence has been erased or forgotten. Behind them were shocking and legendary tales, enough to compile the most interesting book.
Finally, he made it to the oldest source and heard rampant detonations like the bottom of a waterfall.
Numerous dao and runes flowed at great speed, carrying with them a thick, everlasting aura.
The years started flowing from this radiant area - the beginning of all.
Li Qiye sitting in front of the coffin was drenched in sweat after making it here. This tired him out more than a thousand battles.
The explosions and flow of the dao continued. The runes seemed happy to roam freely while looking resplendent with a pure radiance. These temporal runes gave light to the myriad worlds.
This serene harmony seemed to be frozen. Time wasn’t flowing at the source of time in a regular manner. A million years seemed like the blink of an eye and vice versa, the blink of an eye was still a million years.
Li Qiye observed this area freed from any urgency. The runes played as if they were little spirits, just having fun as always.
Mightiest masters would be afraid to look at this scene. Of course, only the supreme lords could actually get here to have a look.
“Time to open a page.” Li Qiye smiled, finally able to relax after getting here. While being in this place, he had control over everything on top of endless possibilities.
The runes ahead turned out to be one of the nine heavenly scriptures - Time.
Of course, Time was only its name in the nine worlds and the thirteen continents, stemming from its location as the source of this epoch.
In reality, the nine scriptures were nameless. Their fundamental source and essences consisted of mystical grand dao and primordial runes.
Later on, future generations had masters strong enough to find them. They would then pick the form of these scriptures.
For example, a supreme existence back in the nine worlds opened a page of the previous scriptures, changing them to something entirely new. From then on, the nine current scriptures took form and gained their t.i.tle - Fate, s.p.a.ce, Dao… [1]
In a different epoch, a scripture manifested here wouldn"t have the same names as the ones back in the nine worlds.
No one knew the masters that have managed to open these pages in the nine worlds. They must have been ancient existences with enough power to do so.
The same applied to Three Immortals. However, these scriptures weren’t as well known here as if some people have tried to conceal their existence.
This immortal coffin was actually a scripture, choosing to manifest in this form.
Time has appeared in the nine worlds before then Three Immortals. This movement was quite strange - perhaps a secret kept hidden by someone.
Did someone pa.s.s down its temporal merit laws to the nine worlds and thirteen continents? Or perhaps the scripture itself was taken there before being brought back to Three Immortals? Or the scripture moved on its own accord?
All of these possibilities were plausible, part of a great mystery.
However, Li Qiye didn’t care to find out. Time Scripture was in his possession now so he wanted to open a new page.
He didn’t need to do so for all the scriptures. When his epoch came, they would manifest into the world as something completely different with a new dao.
He could have been in this dimension for millions of years to observe the runes. However, only a blink of an eye was pa.s.sing by in Three Immortals. He seemed to be at peace here because he had plenty of time to figure it out.
His body began to change, becoming sparkling and translucent and fusing with the time source.
An unknown amount of time pa.s.sed - could be a million years or a single second. He disappeared completely from sight, replaced by an ancient rune.
He became a part of time in a runic form. He began jumping and playing with the other runes.
There was no way to distinguish him now from the original runes for he was a part of Time Scripture.
Meanwhile, the body in front of the coffin outside became transparent, eventually disappearing as well. Only a layer of temporal affinity flowed around the coffin.
This was a potentially horrific event. If his dao heart wasn’t firm enough, he would disappear completely, forever lost in the time source and truly become a temporal rune of the scripture.
1. Fate can also be Life, depending on the context. That word means both fate and life.