"Do not be deceived by the time mirrors. Within the void of eternity, there exist traces of countless lives, countless memories. These layered memories will affect you, awakening the deepest softness within your heart. Like a swamp, they will drag you into a bottomless abyss."
He Li surveyed his surroundings, gripping the blood saber tighter. His heart was far from calm. It was hard to imagine the mental torment of facing memories that did not belong to him every day.
"I see him," Cheng Xilin said, pointing in one direction. Then, his brow furrowed. "But it seems he's not there."
He Li nodded. "He is indeed not there. Even if he appeared before us, we would be separated by billions of light-years, or even several epochs. He does not exist in our current temporal node."
Cheng Xilin looked at He Li, awaiting his next words.
He Li pondered for a moment. "Here, I can already touch the river of time. Next, I will travel against the river of time to another temporal node and do my best to find him."
"What can I do?" Cheng Xilin asked.
He Li grinned, pointing to the sky. "Block it, or kill it."
Cheng Xilin followed He Li's gaze. It was a realm, the realm where the Star Devourers resided.
He Li smiled. "The universe belongs to me now. I cannot rest easy with them around."
"A small matter," Cheng Xilin replied.
"Be careful. The Star Devourers' realm is connected to my universe. Don't be too heavy-handed, lest you affect my territory," He Li said, thinking of Cheng Xilin's violent methods, especially his recent feat of casually crushing three Time Envoys. He couldn't help but caution him.
"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," Cheng Xilin said with a playful tone, then vanished into the Star Devourer realm. Immediately, the Star Devourer realm erupted with immense tremors, shaking the entire void of eternity.
He Li clicked his tongue with concern. It was truly hard to imagine how this fellow possessed such immense power. However, having such a formidable subordinate was not something to be wasted.
Cheng Xilin had gone to work for He Li.
But He Li's task was not easy. To travel against the river of time to find the Lord of Time – how insane must one be to undertake such a feat? However, Xia Keduo was still in the river of time, and he had to be found. Moreover, he himself had mastered the law of time. Cheng Xilin was right; two tigers cannot share the same mountain. The ultimate possessor of the power of the law of time could only be one.
Clearly, the Lord of Time understood this as well, which was why he repeatedly dispatched Time Envoys with Time Edicts to find him.
Just as he had granted Cheng Xilin power and bound him, the Lord of Time wanted to bind him with a Time Edict.
He Li's eyes gradually turned pure white. He looked down upon the extremely thin yet grand river of time. The white threads of time and the black nodes of time were clearly delineated. Those black temporal nodes were the critical event nodes that altered the trajectory of the universe each time; they were segments of history, and the memories of time.
A golden phantom appeared behind He Li, passed through him, and moved into the void, merging into the river of time. He traveled against the river of time, towards the past.
Immediately after,
A golden phantom emerged from behind He Li, also merging into the river of time and soaring along its current, heading towards the future.
They were He Li's divinity and his bestiality, respectively heading to the past and the future.
Suddenly,
He Li felt time around him flowing at an accelerated pace. Then, time began to reverse, and an unshakeable temporal turbulence enveloped him.
He Li ceased observing the river of time, his eyes regaining their distinct black and white. He looked at the Lord of Time who had suddenly appeared before him.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed. "Time is truly a mysterious and difficult-to-understand power. It is simple enough for an ordinary person to grasp the meaning of time, yet profound enough that even gods cannot truly comprehend its true essence.
You exist in the past, the present, and the future. You are the true master. Does the appearance of a challenger truly make it so unacceptable for you?"
The Lord of Time sighed softly, as if contemplating something. After a long pause, he looked into He Li's eyes and slowly spoke:
"I have always been here, witnessing the birth and death of countless beings. The most frequent phrase I have heard is that time will prove everything. But only those who truly control power have the right to decide everything, do they not?"
The Lord of Time, like a twilight elder, wore a sorrowful expression, sighing for reasons unknown.
"He Li, you are the most special among countless beings. Everyone, including so-called gods, will change their will as time passes. But you will not. Time will not allow any change in you. You are not eroded by time, nor are you tolerated by time. You should be the freest spirit in this world, not trapped by emotions, living a self-imposed confinement."
He Li asked with interest, "Are you trying to persuade me?"
The Lord of Time shook his head. "No, I am merely lamenting for you. If you were not a god, if you did not control the law of time, you would have no intersection with me, nor with Cheng Xilin. You would have lived a simple and peaceful life, rather than this loneliness you now endure."
He Li frowned, his tone growing colder. "Loneliness? I have family, a wife, brothers, and friends. I am not lonely."
The Lord of Time did not refute, merely chuckling. "When the crowds disperse, you are the only one left to face the outcome."
He Li's eyes turned exceptionally sinister, his expression grim and ashen. A murderous aura surged from his body. When one wears a mask for too long, they gradually become accustomed to it, believing themselves to be that person. If the mask is suddenly ripped off, they will become enraged and unable to face themselves beneath it.
Indeed, He Li's heart was lonely. He had never once opened his heart to anyone. He had always presented himself as strong, even when surrounded by conspiracies and his heart was riddled with wounds. He would only look in the mirror, force a smile at his reflection, and pretend.
Some things, who to tell, how to tell, what to tell, no need to tell, not to tell, telling is futile.
Just as the Lord of Time said, when the crowds disperse, you are the only one left to face the outcome.
"Old man, I will kill you!"
He Li uttered these words with a near growl, venting the anger in his chest. After his outburst, he quieted down again, his eyes turning pure white once more. At this moment, He Li was sacred and majestic, exuding the awe-inspiring aura of a God King.
The figure of the Lord of Time shattered like a mirage.
The next moment.
The already trembling void of eternity erupted with a deafening roar. The Star Devourer King escaped its realm and lunged towards He Li, its massive maw agape.
In the face of this sudden turn of events, He Li forcefully recalled his divinity and bestiality, then unleashed a punch towards the Star Devourer King. Endless divine power erupted.
Boom!
After a thunderous impact, the Star Devourer King was halted in its tracks by He Li's punch.
He Li looked up towards the higher Star Devourer realm and discovered that Cheng Xilin had pursued the Lord of Time into the river of time.
"This useless fellow," He Li cursed under his breath, then understood. The primary purpose of the Lord of Time's appearance was not to converse with him, but to lure Cheng Xilin away, leaving a sliver of hope for the Star Devourer race and allowing the Star Devourer King to kill him.
"One useless fellow, one cunning old fox. I'm truly impressed."
After his curse, He Li, holding the Corrupted Blood Forest, spun in the air and cleaved towards the Star Devourer King.
...