Ye Ling, with Bai Lan, re-entered the time pit. The light stones were no longer visible, only shattered spacetime hinting at what had transpired.
Ye Ling surveyed the pit and soon located the nearly disintegrated formation.
"Hmm... spatial traces remain. It can be repaired."
After a thorough inspection to ensure the Primordial Time King had left no traps, Ye Ling began the repair. It was, after all, his second visit, and with nothing left, it was unlikely anyone would expect him to return. The Primordial Time King certainly didn't.
"Lan'er, assist me in repairing the teleportation formation."
"Okay."
With Bai Lan's assistance and Ye Ling's own potent origin text, the formation was repaired in no time.
Once the formation was fixed, Ye Ling turned to Bai Lan. "Lan'er, are you ready? Honestly, I don't know where this formation will send us. We might have to fight the Primordial Time King as soon as we arrive."
Bai Lan pursed her lips, steeled herself, and nodded gravely. "Yes! Let's go!"
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Satisfied with Bai Lan's resolve, Ye Ling nodded. He masked their presence with his origin text and activated the formation.
A flash of light, and Ye Ling and Bai Lan vanished.
The next moment, they emerged from the teleportation formation, finding themselves still within a time pit. However, this one was filled with light stones, just as it had been before their initial visit.
"This... have we returned to the past?" Bai Lan exclaimed, stunned by the familiar sight.
This time pit was identical to the one in the Time Void Realm!
Ye Ling scanned the area. "No, we've arrived in another parallel spacetime. This isn't the time pit we visited before."
"A parallel spacetime..." Bai Lan murmured, her eyes wide with wonder. "Although I feel I can create a parallel spacetime myself, actually arriving in one feels incredibly strange, like reading a novel."
After a brief exchange with Bai Lan, Ye Ling inspected the pit, confirmed it was safe, and reactivated his disguise barrier. "The light stones here are genuine and contain immense power. We mustn't waste them."
"Are we... doing this again?" Bai Lan, seeing Ye Ling's intent to collect even the light stones from this parallel spacetime, was unsure how to react.
"The giants continuously transported light stones from the Time Void Realm to this parallel spacetime. This indicates these stones are unique, impossible to create within this parallel world. Such treasures should not fall into the enemy's hands."
"Good disciple, let's get to work."
"Okay..."
With Ye Ling's words, Bai Lan had no choice but to comply. She sat down again, absorbing the energy from the light stones at the bottom of the pit. Her absorption was much more practiced now, and the light stones dwindled at a visible rate.
Ye Ling was not idle. He calculated how much Bai Lan could absorb in fifteen minutes, then collected the remaining light stones into his personal dimension.
Fifteen minutes passed in a flash. Under Ye Ling's precise calculation, the last light stone was absorbed by Bai Lan. The parallel spacetime's time pit began to destabilize.
"Master, I'm done," Bai Lan said, rising quickly, knowing they had to leave.
"Hmm, I'll leave a few words."
Ye Ling nodded slightly and then carved seven large characters onto the bare bottom of the time pit.
"Wang Li Ren was here..." Bai Lan read aloud, then asked Ye Ling, "Master, who is Wang Li Ren? Why did you write this?"
Ye Ling patiently explained, "Lan'er, you must remember, when we travel the martial world, a pseudonym is crucial. It can draw a lot of fire and curses away from you."
Bai Lan nodded, a flicker of understanding in her eyes. "Oh... so, when we do bad things, we shouldn't use our real names, but fake ones, right?"
"Yes, your comprehension is good," Ye Ling affirmed. "As my beloved disciple, I permit you to use the name 'Wang Li Ren' when venturing through the Primordial Chaos."
"Does 'Wang Li Ren' have any special meaning?" Bai Lan asked innocently. "Why must we use this fake name?"
"It represents honor and legend," Ye Ling said seriously. "In the Primordial Chaos, Wang Li Ren's reputation is already ruined. Any curses enemies throw at this name are useless. You can use this pseudonym without any psychological burden."
"Disciple understands," Bai Lan nodded earnestly, committing 'Wang Li Ren' to memory.
"Time to go."
Sensing a powerful aura approaching, Ye Ling didn't linger at the bottom of the pit. He took Bai Lan and teleported away.
Boom!!!
Not long after Ye Ling and Bai Lan departed, another colossal fist shattered the disguise barrier, and the Primordial Time King's furious aura surged in. Upon seeing the pit's bottom, cleaner than his own face, the Primordial Time King's expression turned livid.
"I was only gone for a moment... Outrageous... Outrageous!!!"
Enraged by being robbed for the third time, the Primordial Time King's fury erupted, his power surging towards the heavens. This parallel spacetime within the Time Void Realm, still unstable, began to show signs of collapse under the onslaught of his anger.
Then, the furious Primordial Time King spotted the seven defiant characters etched at the bottom of the pit.
"Wang Li Ren was here..."
The Primordial Time King spat out the name, his eyes burning with killing intent. "Well done, Wang Li Ren! Not only did you steal my light stones, but you also left such a provocative message!"
"Wang Li Ren! I swear! No matter where you hide, even if I must traverse countless spacetime dimensions and cross the endless river of time, I will find you and tear you to shreds!!!"
Boom!!!
The Primordial Time King roared, his earth-shattering aura piercing the clouds, causing the parallel spacetime of the Time Void Realm to shatter completely. The light stones in the pit vanished, and this parallel spacetime lost its reason for existence.
Bai Lan, hidden in the sky, heard the Primordial Time King's enraged roar and felt a strange sense of satisfaction. She and her master were the culprits, yet Wang Li Ren was taking the blame. Furthermore, the Primordial Time King's investigation based on the clue "Wang Li Ren" was destined to yield no results.
"It seems using a pseudonym isn't so bad," Bai Lan murmured, watching the collapsing time pit.
Ye Ling noticed the shift in Bai Lan's gaze and nodded slightly. He felt no guilt for corrupting her; instead, he continued his lesson. "Yes, you are too kind to everyone, child, and too trusting of strangers. That is not right."
"You must remember, kindness and selflessness are only for those close to us. Towards enemies... you need not show any mercy."
"Oh..." Bai Lan responded softly, a realization dawning upon her. She committed Ye Ling's words to memory once more.
"Master, what do we do next?"
"We wait for the Primordial Time King's next move."
Ye Ling looked at the enraged Primordial Time King in the time pit, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Those seven words I wrote with my origin text were not just for provocation and shifting blame..."