Chapter 103: Shifting Forward and Backward

The Time-Reversal Mirror was forged by the Turbid Dragon in ancient times, embodying the defiant cosmic law of “Time.” Although only an acquired spiritual treasure, its power was terrifying.

Ao Bei used a trace of his brother Ao Fei’s aura to trace the cause and effect, rewinding past events. At that moment, he was well aware that the ancestral dragon’s legacy, which he had long coveted, had fallen into the hands of Qing Xu. This realization gave him a severe headache. The vast ocean, several times larger than the continental landmasses, made finding Qing Xu’s trail no simple task. Of course, leveraging the might of the Northern Sea Dragon Clan made it easy, but the problem was secrecy. He had to seize the ancestral dragon’s relic before the Ten Elders could react. Once the deed was done, no matter how unwilling the Ten Elders were, they would have to accept it.

“There’s no trace of that ugly Taoist’s aura. Without that, tracking him is nearly impossible. Mobilizing the Dragon Palace army en masse to seal off the Northern Sea will only alert those ten cunning old fellows. What should I do?” Ao Bei pondered deeply. The situation had reached this critical point, his two sons had perished, and he was determined not to let all his efforts be in vain.

“Fine, I’ll have to use the technique of Forward and Reverse Transfer, harnessing the power of the Time-Reversal Mirror to teleport directly to that ugly Taoist’s location. But that will cost me at least thirty percent of my cultivation. Coupled with the previous expenditure from opening the Dragon Gate, my strength will be halved immediately. What if I can’t take down that ugly Taoist in one strike? Seems I’ll have to break the ancestral rules and bring out some tremendously powerful spiritual treasures. If I’m careful, those ten old fellows won’t even know.” He schemed within his heart.

Forward and Reverse Transfer was a grand spatial technique that theoretically allowed free travel anywhere in the vast cosmos, but it consumed an unimaginable amount of magical power. Even a Grand Daoist Golden Immortal dared not use it recklessly. A slight misstep could cause one to become lost in the infinite void barriers or parallel spaces of the Ganges river sands, where even an immortal with eternal lifespan and indestructible cultivation would perish.

In his previous astrological rewind, Ao Bei had witnessed Qing Xu’s actions. As a mid-stage Grand Daoist Golden Immortal, Ao Bei immediately recognized that Qing Xu was also a Grand Daoist at the initial stage. While Qing Xu appeared only to be a lower-ranked Golden Immortal, clearly no match for him, one could never be too careful. What if Qing Xu was deliberately hiding his true strength?

To ensure a decisive victory, killing Qing Xu and seizing the ancestral dragon’s relic in one blow, Ao Bei was willing to risk the great taboo of the Dragon Clan and violate ancestral rules by using secret chamber treasures. This was not a trivial matter. If exposed, he would not only lose his position as Northern Sea Dragon King but could face obliteration of body and soul, or worse, eternal imprisonment.

The chamber was filled with dazzling treasures, strange and rare spiritual artifacts placed within protective arrays. Each one possessed immense power; not to mention destroying the heavens and earth, even shaking a thousand miles of land was trivial. The finest among them could reduce tens of thousands of square miles to scorched earth with a single strike.

“One Binding Dragon Rope and one Heavenly Punishment Blade should be enough.”

The Binding Dragon Rope was a relic left by the Qilin tribe in the ancient war of the Three Clans. Like the Phoenix tribe’s Dragon-Slaying Needle, it was a spiritual treasure designed to suppress dragons. But unlike the Dragon-Slaying Needle, which only worked on dragons not at the Grand Daoist Golden Immortal level, the Binding Dragon Rope could bind other creatures as well, sealing their magical power, with the best effects on dragons.

The Qilin tribe had painstakingly forged only a dozen Binding Dragon Ropes, far fewer than the Dragon-Slaying Needles, but theirs could affect even Grand Daoist Golden Immortal cultivators—a feat the needles could not achieve. This was the result of the Qilin and Phoenix tribes’ joint effort to counter the dragons, each specializing in different fields.

The Heavenly Punishment Blade was no less formidable than the Binding Dragon Rope, but it was an innate spiritual treasure, not acquired later. It had no other functions except annihilation. Any being struck by it, even a peak Grand Daoist Golden Immortal, would be destroyed in body and soul.

“Whether it’s the Binding Dragon Rope or the Heavenly Punishment Blade, as long as one hits that ugly Taoist, even if he is a peak Grand Daoist Golden Immortal, his chances are slim. The odds of victory should be above eighty or ninety percent. To avoid prolonged complications, I’ll just do it this way!” With that, Ao Bei retrieved the Binding Dragon Rope and Heavenly Punishment Blade one by one. These two treasures were among the Northern Sea Dragon Clan’s finest, ranked within the top ten. Their protective arrays were formidable, far stronger than that of the Time-Reversal Mirror—perhaps tenfold. Even with the correct method, Ao Bei still needed some time to extract them.

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While Ao Bei was entering the Dragon King’s rear chamber to retrieve treasures and plan, Qing Xu was also deep in thought, too preoccupied to enjoy the unique scenery of the Northern Sea.

The White Dragon Taoist had said that Qing Xu would face a life-and-death tribulation within three days. Now nearly two days had passed; the third day was imminent. Even Qing Xu was uneasy. Honestly, he trusted the White Dragon Taoist’s prophetic calculations. After all, he had witnessed the Taoist’s profound cultivation—their Dao was unfathomable, beyond his comprehension.

“Dao, method, the Dao comes before method. Cultivators ultimately pursue the Dao—the Way. The methods are merely auxiliary means, helping one to realize the Dao more easily.”

Only those with profound Dao cultivation could perceive the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, discern yin and yang, and avoid misfortune. Though Qing Xu’s incarnation was also at the Divine King realm, equivalent to an initial Grand Daoist Golden Immortal, his Dao cultivation was shallow, merely late-stage Earth Immortal. The White Dragon Taoist was different. His Dao cultivation far surpassed his magical power, at least late-stage Grand Daoist Golden Immortal in Dao. Such a figure’s words could not be taken lightly.

“A life-and-death tribulation within three days? Nearly two days have passed; it must be imminent. But the White Dragon Taoist gave me the Ren-Gui Rosy Light Silk treasure and arranged a reunion on the third day at White Dragon Island. That should mean I can safely avoid the tribulation...” Qing Xu felt somewhat reassured by these thoughts. The Taoist’s warnings, the gift of treasure, and the promise to reunite all indicated that this trial would pass without harm.

“Perhaps it will be uneventful this time, but that doesn’t mean I should relax. A life-and-death tribulation is no trivial matter. The White Dragon Taoist, no matter how advanced, is still not a Primordial Sage. If his calculation is wrong, regret will come too late.”

This incarnation only carried three treasures: the Central Earth Yellow Flag of Xu and Ji, the Grand Dao Blood-Transforming Azure Sword, and the Jade Void Palace Lantern. As for the Yin-Yang Dao Robe, the Mysterious Yellow Bowl, and the Supreme Clarity Immortal Talisman, these remained with his original self. The original self, at late-stage Earth Immortal cultivation, lacked the ability to transmit treasures through the void. If danger threatened the original self, aid could not arrive.

“If this incarnation perishes, even if my master learns of it, he might not intervene, at most retrieving the treasures. Whether he returns them to me would depend on his mood. Ah! I shouldn’t have been so cautious. If I had brought the Supreme Clarity Immortal Talisman, life-and-death tribulations would be no problem!” Qing Xu knew his high standing in the eyes of the Primordial Sage was unmatched within the orthodox sect. If the original self were in danger, the Primordial Sage would definitely help. But for an incarnation, it was uncertain. Sages had their dignity. No matter how important the disciple, they were but vessels of inheritance and lineage. Frankly, if Qing Xu died, the Primordial Sage would feel more shame before other sages than sorrow.

For mortals, a decade or more apart weakens even kinship. For cultivators, a secluded retreat could last decades or centuries. What room was there for human affection?

The Primordial Sage had begun cultivation in ancient times, spanning countless aeons. Having attained the Primordial Sage status and merged his soul with the Dao, he viewed the vast wilderness as a chessboard and all living beings as pawns. In such a state, where could there be sentiment? Even the two brothers, Supreme Clarity and Upper Clarity, were not close.

Sages valued face above all; the Primordial Sage even more so. He was no babysitter. Would he bother over a disciple’s danger? An incarnation’s danger?

“Primordial Sages seek cosmic strategy; intervening might appear inferior.”

Qing Xu was unaware of the supreme saint leader’s true state of mind, but he guessed somewhat. His original self had cultivated for over a hundred years, the warmth of human emotion almost extinguished. He could scarcely imagine how he might become after a thousand or ten thousand years. Selfish? Self-serving? “Better the fellow cultivator dies than I?”

As Qing Xu pondered, a sudden chill swept over him. The world grew cold and ruthless. Looking down over the Northern Sea, thin ice covered the surface, translucent and dazzling, a breathtaking illusion. Perhaps the freezing coincided with turbulent waves, the vast sea’s icy surface forming countless ripples, as if time itself had stopped. Yet if one listened closely, the sound of surging currents beneath the ice could be heard.

Between stillness and motion!

A mysterious sensation overwhelmed Qing Xu’s heart. Heaven and Earth contradicted themselves, imparting a sense of illusory deception.

False! This world is false. Am I false as well?

Falling into this inner demon, Qing Xu fainted into a deep sleep. Above his Divine King soul, a faint trace of dark black karmic fire ignited. If this continued a little longer, his incarnation would be destroyed in body and soul, possibly dragging his original soul into severe injury.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Three minutes.

...

Time slowly passed, and Qing Xu’s situation grew increasingly dire. His Divine King soul shrank by a tenth in that brief period...

Boom!

Suddenly, ripples shimmered across the void before him, at first faint, then intensifying until they surged like a tsunami or hurricane. Perhaps the void could no longer bear the strain and began to crack—one fissure, then two, then three...

The cracks multiplied and merged, the starlight flames growing into a prairie fire.

The sound of the void shattering was like a sudden awakening, jolting Qing Xu back to consciousness.

Relieved, Qing Xu recalled what had occurred and felt a surge of fright. It had been too close; he nearly perished.

“Fortunately, the void didn’t break earlier or later, but just when I was most vulnerable. It saved me.” While relieved, Qing Xu wondered why the void had shattered without reason.

Within the dark void, a figure rapidly approached. As it neared, it was none other than Ao Bei.

[Thanks to Duanmu Sangshui for your support, and congratulations on becoming the first page attendant of this book!]