Pain!
Bone-chilling pain!
Every bone in his body felt as if it had shattered. The moment Fang You landed, he collapsed, his nerves and consciousness screaming warnings.
His condition was dire.
Perhaps not "as if," his bones were truly broken, crushed by the spray from the River of Time, each droplet weighing as much as a world.
Fang You gritted his teeth.
He had to admit, this was the most severe injury he had ever sustained. Was this the price of directly confronting the rules of time and space?
"Fortunately, Lord Youying didn't descend in his true form; one blow repelled him. If there had been a couple more strikes... Hiss, wouldn't my entire body have simply exploded?"
Fang You lay limply on the cold floor, carefully channeling a trace of life energy. It transformed into an invisible hand, retrieving a crystal jar filled with Life Water, about 330ml in volume, from his storage artifact.
He then felt it was insufficient and pulled out a 4.5-liter barrel, also filled with precious Life Water.
The invisible hand twisted open the cap.
His hydrokinetic abilities manipulated the milky white liquid, which flowed into his throat, seeping into every limb and bone, continuously repairing his shattered body.
Once he regained a little strength, he borrowed Xing Jinglei's Furnace Indestructible Body.
His entire body began to heal rapidly.
Half a day later,
Fang You straightened up, rubbing his sore limbs. He had not fully recovered, but with the low-tier Furnace Indestructible Body and the unsparing use of numerous treasures, he was mostly fine.
"It was indeed a bit dangerous."
Even knowing this beforehand, he would have made the same choice.
As the physical pain subsided, memories surfaced. He gazed at the white ceiling, trying to glimpse scenes from tens of thousands of years ago, his pupils reflecting history and the passage of time.
"Panel."
He said softly.
Hesitantly, he still clicked on the "Destiny Apostle" tab.
Scrolling down slowly, he soon saw familiar... gray names.
Gray!
One by one, gray names. Fang You slowly scanned them, the youthful faces of his disciples appearing in his eyes.
He was not surprised, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
The peak of the Candela Empire and the present day might be separated by tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even greater distances. No one could live that long. Even if someone could cultivate to a degree that defied the erosion of time, they would still have to face... the great calamity of the Candela Empire.
All clues indicated that after the major change, not a single citizen of Candela survived.
The vast, magnificent empire collapsed in an instant, leaving only a few ruins stubbornly emitting their last vestiges of light.
—Oh, Miss 404 Trial Officer, that wasn't a person.
Dean Fang fell silent.
A ripple suddenly appeared in his沉寂 (chén jì - silent, still) eyes. With a hint of astonishment, he looked at one of the avatars.
A bun hairstyle, small canine teeth, and a bright, innocent smile.
It was Chi Yan.
His eldest disciple, the most talented and fiercest fighter.
Her...
Her avatar frame and name also appeared in gray. At first, he thought Chi Yan was like the others, but then he noticed a faint glow on her gray name.
It was the glow of life.
"!!!"
Fang You immediately clicked to open Chi Yan's character information.
The result...
It wouldn't open!
"Tip: Due to temporal interference, this sub-apostle's information is in a sealed state and cannot be accessed, cannot be accessed, cannot be accessed."
Naturally, he couldn't establish any connection.
This thread of destiny was incredibly thin, drifting into the unfathomable depths of space, beyond reach.
Fang You, silent, curved his lips into a smile, gazed for a long time, exited the Apostle interface, and switched to the Instance interface.
"Ding!"
"Tip: Instance 'Twilight Embers' settlement complete. Based on the strength, combat record, and impact of the 'Spark Lineage' powerhouses, the specific evaluation is as follows:
336 sub-apostles, statistical coefficient of 1.2;
2569 orphanage students, statistical coefficient of 1;
Over ten thousand second-generation students, statistical coefficient of 0.3;
Then followed third-generation students, fourth-generation students, fifth-generation students, the spark passed down through generations.
'Tip: Instance 'Twilight Embers' evaluation grade is SSS-, rewards obtained are as follows:
'Obtained: Destiny Points x5,000,000'
'Obtained: Sub-Apostle Vouchers x2000'
'Obtained: Gold Skill Card x100, Gold Skill Seed x30'
Fang You raised his eyebrows, "With this batch of skill cards, it seems everyone's core skills can break through a few minor bottlenecks."
'Obtained: Crafting Materials 'Secret Origin Orb', Crafting Materials 'Refining Potion', Crafting Materials 'Mysterious Tower'.'
These were Candela Orphanage configurations, worth a considerable amount.
'Obtained: Immortal Monument (Gold)'
—"A monument bearing the history of the Spark Academy, it is also a testament to the inheritance of generations of Spark people. Having undergone the baptism of time and the scouring of years, the monumental memorial erects the soul of legends, conveying an unquenchable belief."
The black monument narrated the vicissitudes of history. Before Fang You's eyes, the magnificent scene of Spark Academy flickered into existence, along with figures stepping forward one after another, holding torches high.
'Obtained: Miracle Blueprint - Light Tower (Purple), Miracle Blueprint - Pure Sky (Gold), Miracle Blueprint - Brilliant Sword (Gold)'
Parameters appeared before him one by one.
Dean Fang was all too familiar with these three defensive structures, and the parameters before him...
"Optimized."
"The Candela Empire's buildings were merely close to perfection. Those constructed via the Miracle Blueprint are truly perfect. Not only that..."
The most powerful aspect of the Miracle Blueprint is its rapid construction speed and low cost!
Dean Fang had fully participated in the renovation of the orphanage and consulted with several architectural masters. He was already thoroughly familiar with the cost and technical requirements of these buildings.
"The cost of the Miracle Blueprint is less than 20% of the original price, and the construction time is only... one day!"
Two days at most.
And the Candela Empire?
The Light Tower was relatively quick to build, but the most difficult, the Brilliant Sword defense system, took over half a year to construct.
This was with the core components already available.
Otherwise, even with a complete manufacturing system, it would probably take two or three years to build.
"At that time, the Brilliant Sword defense system was not outstanding; it only killed over a dozen seven-star anomalies... But that was because the enemies were too strong. In the current era, the combination of offense and defense from two sets of defenses would be quite invincible, perhaps even stronger than the Four Overlords."
"Besides, if one set isn't enough, we'll build two, three, four sets!"
Simply because it was cheap.
The rewards from this instance were undeniably generous, but this was not all. The real heavy hitters were just emerging.
"Tip: Obtained Recruitment Voucher 'Destiny Apostle - Myriad Dao Sword God (Gold)', Recruitment Voucher 'Destiny Apostle - Immortal Dragon King (Gold)'."
"Tip: Obtained Special Item 'Character Descent Card - Crimson Pillar (Crimson)'"
The rewards concluded here.
A hard card, emitting a deep crimson glow, hovered before him.
On it, a slender but sky-piercing back was depicted.
Candela Empire, Ninth Pillar - Crimson Pillar!
'Character Descent Card - Crimson Pillar (Crimson)'
'Description: This descent card is a one-time-use item. It can traverse time and space to replicate a Crimson Pillar with peak combat power in its normal state, descending into the current world! The descended character's state is fixed and can last for a maximum of one hour.'
'Note: Although the embers of twilight have extinguished, sparks remain in the ashes, waiting for the moment to rekindle.'
And the description of the descent card stated Crimson Pillar's combat power was...
After gazing for a while, Fang You carefully stored this somewhat surprising card and then turned his attention to the two special Destiny Apostle recruitment vouchers.
Myriad Dao Sword God!
Immortal Dragon King!
These were two resounding titles, and their faces bore four parts weariness and six parts familiarity.
...
In the Instance traversal interface, a crystal that seemed not to exist in the current world clattered onto the ground.
It was so exquisitely beautiful, containing profound principles of time. However, compared to before it was placed, this 'Time Yao' had become somewhat mottled and faded.
It appeared that the Time Yao could be retrieved after the instance, but not without a cost.
And this Time Yao could probably... only be used once more.
The cost of the instance was far more than just this time-stabilizing item. He had left many cultivation supplies in the instance era; these were items that had to be left behind. If one were to speak of 'heavy losses,' it would be the Guardian Dragon, whose combat power rivaled that of a demigod.
The Candela era was not short of demigod-level combat power, but the current world was severely lacking.
However, even though he had repelled the avatar of Lord Youying, there were still many seven-star anomalies within Xiaguang City, and the crisis still existed.
After much thought, Fang You left one Guardian Dragon and two Radiant Blades in that time period.
He did not regret it.
He just felt a bit of a pang.
As for bringing back certain treasures or artifacts from the Candela era to the current world? He had indeed considered it, but the moment the thought arose, an overwhelming palpitation followed, making it difficult to breathe.
Other than himself and the memories he had gained, no other items could travel back to reality along the River of Time.
He could bring them, but any single grain of sand would weigh upon him like a mountain in the River of Time. Even a little too much would crush him, drowning him in this endless river of time.
Dean Fang had to abandon such shortcuts and instead tirelessly absorbed and memorized various books, reminiscent of his sleepless high school days.
...
Leaving the Apostle dormitory, he went to a deserted, remote corner of the secret realm and took out two recruitment vouchers shimmering with intense golden light.
Legendary - Destiny Apostle.
But there were differences even among Legendary-class individuals.
Six-awakened Siti Na, with golden potential, was a Legendary apostle.
Demigod powerhouses with golden potential were also Legendary apostles.
And Myriad Dao Sword God, Immortal Dragon King...
"These two children obtaining such titles is enough to show their extraordinary nature."
"Well, they are not children anymore."
In terms of age, they might be his grandfathers or ancestors!
He seemed to have never summoned such an aged Destiny Apostle.
He found it a bit... strange.
He decided to use them.
"Tip: Due to 'Savior of Destiny' being in the Seven-Awakened stage, summoned Destiny Apostles cannot exceed this grand realm. Do you wish to summon?"
"Tip: Destiny Apostle Recruitment Vouchers can be kept for a maximum of three months. Beyond the deadline, unpredictable changes will occur."
Mentor Fang was taken aback. There was such a restriction?
Upon reflection, it made sense. The SSRs he had drawn had never exceeded his own realm. Siti Na had also advanced to Mythical only after their destinies intertwined.
He understood, but...
But he was at a great loss!
Downgrading from demigod to mythical felt like a massive loss!
"Wait?"
No.
Putting away two SSRs like this was torture. The most important thing was...
"Three months is not enough time for me to advance. Breaking through to demigod is not as simple as condensing three strands of divinity." He had obtained valuable information regarding realms and subsequent cultivation in the Candela Empire.
He was still far from demigod.
Unless he rushed the breakthrough.
"From another perspective, the two summoned now are at peak Mythical, able to break through to demigod at any time. This makes the loss less severe... probably."
Fang You no longer hesitated and pressed his hand down.
"Tip: Do you wish to summon Legendary Destiny Apost..."
"Yes!"
"Tip: Do you wish to summon Legend..."
"Yes!"
"Tip: Myriad Dao Sword God - Liu Feng, Immortal Dragon King - Zhou Bao are being reshaped."
Golden radiance burst forth, transforming into fierce beams of light that shot up into the sky.
A vast, deep, mysterious great river, surging through history and the future, the other shore and the present world, washed past him.
Two droplets of water splashed up.
Within the droplets, magnificent scenes flickered into existence.
The sword blade met the azure sky, mountains stretched for ten thousand miles, tearing at the dark tide, finally freezing on two character portraits.
One was a slender youth carrying a huge sword box on his back, walking on his sword.
He had sharp sword brows and starry eyes, emanating a powerful aura. Daoist golden sword lights swirled around him. Thousands upon thousands of multicolored sword lights followed him, weaving a vast canopy.
The other was a honest-looking youth. Behind him stood a rock dragon that was beyond words, rooted in the world. It was so majestic and resilient, like the strongest barrier in the world, blocking the surging dark tide from the front.
These two figures gradually solidified, emerging from the illusions of time and space.
The long river receded, the sky cleared, and the invisible pressure gradually dissipated.
The two figures who emerged from the River of Time were bewildered, dazed, and stunned. Their gazes gradually focused on the young white-robed man before them, snapping out of their daze.
"Tea... Teacher!!!"
...
Half an hour later,
"We died, and yet we lived."
"Teacher, I didn't expect you to haven't changed at all after so many years. Time seems to have stopped in that summer."
"... We both died relatively early, so we don't know what happened afterward, but is the Candela Empire gone in this era?"
"Senior Disciple Sister... Hmm, I also believe we'll meet again."
"Others... they didn't meet the requirements for revival."
Reunited after tens of thousands of years, they seemed to have much to say, but at the moment of speaking, they didn't know what to say.
There was the joy of reliving their lives, and also confusion about the future.
At this moment, Zhou Bao said, "Second Senior Brother, we seem to have gotten younger. Hmm... our realms have also returned to what they were over a hundred years ago. I am now a Mythical with 5 divinity."
Liu Feng nodded, "Me too. No wonder my strength has weakened so much. I thought I was just weak from just coming back to life... To think that in my prime, I was close to completing my demigod body."
Fang You felt a little guilty.
This was his fault. You definitely wouldn't expect the invincible mentor to be just a mere Seven-Awakened, with only two strands of divinity.
Liu Feng suddenly slapped his palm, "I understand!"
Fang You: "?"
Zhou Bao: "?"
"Teacher, you must have reset us to this stage because you want us to advance to demigod with a more perfect posture and foundation!"
Liu Feng suddenly realized, "Indeed, the situation was critical back then, and we didn't have much time to continue trying to condense the sixth strand of divinity before hastily breaking through to demigod. This was a great regret at the time."
"If we can enter demigod with a foundation of six strands of divinity, then the demigod body and demigod form forged will be at least 20% stronger, and there will be more possibilities for impacting higher realms in the future!"
A Mythical with three strands of divinity is called peak Mythical, but in reality, it is not.
A Seven-Awakened Mythical can choose not to break through at this stage, but continue to condense divinity.
This is very difficult, but condensing one more strand of divinity brings a significant increase in dimensionality and divine factors, opening up broader prospects.
In the Candela Empire, those who aspired to demigod status would try to condense a fourth strand of divinity.
Some geniuses might try to condense a fifth.
The limit was the sixth strand.
Such attempts required a large amount of time, resources, foundation, and most importantly, talent. Otherwise, it would be impossible to stabilize the fourth strand of divinity on top of three strands.
It also required skill.
The Candela Empire possessed many profound techniques for this path.
In the current world, there might be similar techniques. Perhaps they are the closely guarded secrets of the Four Overlords, and now he didn't need to find ways to excavate them from the Four Overlords.
Mentor Fang maintained his composure.
"Let's set the return to demigod as your short-term goal. As for future arrangements..."
"Do you have any ideas?"
Zhou Bao rubbed his head and slowly shook his head.
This child... this third disciple has always been quite unthinking.
Liu Feng pondered, visions of the past flashed in his eyes. He said with certainty, "Teacher, I want to rebuild the Spark Academy."
(End of this chapter)