Chapter 589: What is Going On?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Celestial Will was born and could manifest itself?
How?
Could it directly project a clone of itself into the mortal realm?
“Senior Brother, how powerful would a clone of the Celestial Realm be? Could it really descend upon the human realm after it manifests?” Jiang He asked quietly.
Kaboom!
The fading thunder cracked deafeningly again just then. Violet bolts flashed amid the darkness of the cosmos, and the River of Time churned from the tremors.
Jiang He was left gaping.
He could clearly feel it…
This time, the ‘retribution’ was aimed at him.
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness was left s.p.a.cing out too…
The reason that the Celestial Will was really interested in himself was because he had violated much of its rules over the endless ages, and he was almost on the verge of Transcendence.
On the other hand, Jiang He caught his attention just by uttering a single sentence?
That was when he heard Jiang He mutter softly, “What the h.e.l.l, is the Celestial Will really that awesome? I was just asking if its clone could be killed after it comes to the mortal realm, but it sensed that even before I said it?”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness was dumbstruck.
At the same time, Jiang He had waved his hand to destroy the thunderbolts spreading all over the cosmos, sneering, “Who cares what will you are—we’re cool as long as you don’t get in my way, and I won’t mind knocking you down a peg or two otherwise.”
The thunder rumbled even louder.
The Celestial Will was clearly angered by Jiang He’s words.
Even so, Jiang He neither cared nor feared.
It was just thunderbolts, after all…
He was willing to let it hit him as much as it wanted, since he won’t be hurt one way or the other.
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness, who was especially used to such scenes, chuckled. “Ignore it, Jiang He. Let’s continue on the River.”
Ooom!
The flow of time beneath their feet was hence altered, and the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness brought Jiang He along as they moved against the tides of the River of Time, heading upstream.
In Jiang He’s perspective, the reverse flow of time made everything run backwards rapidly…
He could see the past and ancient history, the battle waged upon Earth over two hundred years ago, as well as cultivators of the Three Realms fighting against the G.o.ds and the Demons…
“Focus. Use your mind to see and feel.”
“…”
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness spoke then.
Stilling his heart, Jiang He meditated in serenity…
And at a certain point in time, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness pause and began to move along the flow of the River of Time.
The historical scenes that were rewinding seemed to fast forward then, and the scenes before them began to alter. Soon, the future was right in front of Jiang He’s eyes, but before he made it out clearly, the scenes quaked and blurred.
The True Lord of Morality and Nothingness flinched.
Around him, the pitch-black cosmos swayed and whirled, and Jiang He realized that he had returned to the Throne of Seven Holies in the next instant.
Beside him, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness had also returned, but shock was registered all over his flushed face.
Then, he coughed and puked a mouthful of blood.
“Senior Brother!”
“Senior Brother…”
Both the Primeval Lord of Heaven and Jiang He quickly called out, but the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness waved his hand and said, “It’s alright. Just a little recoil, and I will be well again with a moment of rest.”
The energy within his body flowed and he was quickly good as new, and he took a long look at Jiang He with a troubled expression.
It was clear that he saw something in the future.
“What happened in my future, Senior Brother?” Jiang He asked curiously then. “I couldn’t see a thing since it was all a blur.”
Musing to himself for several seconds, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness then said, “I was only able to see a fragment of the future. It might be a possibility on a certain timeline… still, no one could thoroughly see what that future actually holds, and neither can I.”
“Ah…”
Jiang He was confused.
Wasn’t the future supposed to be certain?
Why couldn’t it be seen if it was certain?
Perhaps his own future was an anomaly, that even elites the like of the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness would suffer recoils just by looking into it?
Jiang He had more to ask, but the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness shook his head and said, “The fragment I saw is merely one possibility across the many timelines. There would be countless possibilities should the infinite timelines weave together—no one barring the Celestial Will could look into the heading of the actual future.”
He was not willing to elaborate, and instead asked, “So? Have you understood anything from this journey into the River of Time?
“…”
Jiang He did a double take.
???
Understand?
Understand what?
Then, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness said, “Now, I shall teach you how you are supposed to leave your existential mark in s.p.a.ce of time.”
He began to speak of the profound Dao involved, and Jiang He listened attentively but soon realized with a start. ‘So that is what the so-called existential mark is… no wonder only Saints could create those!’
Saints controlled Temporal Dao, allowing them to control the power of time.
As for the so-called existential mark and their bodies in the past and future, those were all in fact themselves—portions of energy would be taken out of the past and future, and the existential marks would manifest on the timeline, in the past and future.
Jiang He was impatient to try it, and before leaving the Throne of Seven Holies, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness reminded him, “The Demon-G.o.d Emperor were in secret talks with the patriarch of the Machines and that might be disadvantageous to you. Just set your mind at ease and cultivate, and keep an eye out for what the G.o.ds and Demons plan next.”
Right now, the Three Realms did not need to take the initiative in attack.
Their cultivators occupied the Celestial Battlefield in its entirety, and were tapping into the resources from the various Secret Realms within. The G.o.ds and the Demons were the ones who needed to be worried.
Jiang He left then, while the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness rose and headed outside the Throne of Seven Holies, staring into thin air for a long time before breathing a long sigh.
“What did you see, Senior Brother?”
Moving to stand beside the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness, the Primeval Lord of Heaven asked with a somber look.
He clearly did not believe what the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness had just said.
Meanwhile, the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness sighed and said, “In the future I saw, all worlds were falling apart because of Jiang He…”
***
At an inconspicuous hill on Jambudvipa…
Descending from the skies above, Jiang He landed on the peak.
He waved his hands, and multiple array flags landed around the hill, instantly conjuring an illusory array that shrouded the hill. Since it was conjured with Jiang He’s current abilities, no one barring a Saint could break it.
Still, Jiang He thought that it was risky, and laid out a sealing array, a death array and a guard array before he was satisfied.
He sat cross-legged, and was soon in the zone.
In that very moment, s.p.a.ce and time quaked around Jiang He. His Yuan Spirit had detached from his physical form and flowed within the River of Time.
He moved against the stream, feeling the obstruction force of the River of Time and unable to hide a cry of surprise, “I guess the True Lord of Morality and Nothingness is really the strongest Saint in the world, and could easily go against the flow even when he’s carrying me along. It seems that he’s not boasting when he said that his command over Temporal Dao reached the highest limit.”
If the River of Time was an actual river, Jiang He’s present temporal node was the center.
Moving against the flow, he was stopped by a great tide even before he could advance over more than a single stride.
There were millions of phenomena in the churning tide, and Jiang He exclaimed in shock when he looked closer. “Is this the temporal node where I became Saint in immortal arts?”
Every section of the River of Time represented a temporal node.
Jiang He carefully extended his senses, his Yuan Spirit entering the tide and watching his ascension to Saint as a spectator. As he looked at the ‘him’ sitting meditatively in the world within his gained a stronger aura, he could not help being inspired…
“Even if the Saints are known to be immortal, they would in fact be killed if their existential mark over the River of Time was ground away… but if I kept my existential mark in the world in my body… who could even notice it?”
It was profound.
Jiang He was a being of the Proper Realm, and naturally belonged to the River of Time of the Realm Proper.
However, in the temporal node where he became Saint, his physique, Yuan Spirit, and psyche were all kept in the world in his body.
Even if someone noticed that his existential mark was kept in that temporal node… could he destroy the existential mark from the world in his body?
Making one was actually very simple, since it was just about leaving a strand of his spirit, qi and psyche.
When it was all done, Jiang He’s Yuan Spirit departed from the River of Time and returned to his physique.
He was still seated atop the hill, his eyes closed and feeling out himself. Just as expected, he noticed the existential mark he left in the world in his body, but it was not in the present but in the past, and was such a mysterious feeling that no words could describe it.
He had a feeling that if he were to connect to that existential mark, he would be able to intercept the energy from his past immediately and manifest a clone.
“And that counts as a past form… my grasp on Temporal Dao is low, and I wonder if I could put an existential mark in the future as well…”
Jiang He thought about it and made an attempt, before…
Done!
He then felt out different timelines, and then…
Done!
He stayed secluded in that hill for seven days.
Seven days later and when the seclusion was over. Jiang He slowly opened his eyes in confusion…
What was going on?
Wasn’t he told that it was very difficult to leave an existential mark into the River of Time? That it needed incredible understanding of Temporal Dao?
How did he managed to make so many on a whim?