Chapter 390: The Coming of a Great Change
Liu Ruoxue stood silently before the wooden window, the breeze carrying strands of Immortal Qi through the Daoist temple as countless thoughts surged through her mind.
A King.
That title alone possessed enough weight to suppress entire eras in the Eighteen Heavens.
In the 33 Heavens Divine Realm, there existed an ancient saying:
In the absence of Emperors, Kings reign supreme.
Those words were not spoken lightly.
Emperors stood at the absolute apex of heaven and earth, beings whose names were recorded within the deepest layers of history, existing beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.
However, even in the Thirty Heavens, Emperors rarely appeared.
Many slept for countless eras, some disappeared into forbidden regions, and others pursued paths no one could comprehend.
These beings who stood at the pinnacle of heaven and earth were unfathomable existences, even knowing the whereabouts of an Emperor was a difficult task for many top tier factions.
Under such circumstances, Kings became the true rulers of the heavens.
Every King possessed authority capable of influencing the destiny of entire races.
A single thought can traverse through the infinite worlds, a single decree can determine the rise and fall of the ages!
Even Lords, who stood above countless beings, treated Kings with reverence.
The Lightning Yin Phoenix Clan’s ancient records she could access described them with only a few words.
Invincible beneath Emperors.
That evaluation alone explained everything.
And now, her master was actually suspected to be such an existence.
The more absurd the thought appeared, the more difficult it became to dismiss.
Eventually, she could only shake her head and laugh softly.
What am I even thinking...
No matter how mysterious Tian Yongheng was, speculating further held little meaning.
After all, whether he was a King Reincarnation, a hidden successor of some ancient force, or something else entirely, one fact would never change; he was her master, not her enemy.
That alone was enough.
Thinking this far, the solemnity in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a hint of excitement.
If master is really a King... then doesn’t that mean I can basically walk sideways in the 33 Heavens? Or at least in the Eighteen Heavens?
What Sovereigns, what Lords, those enemies of my past life better pray I don’t find them!
With the guidance of a suspected King Reincarnation, I will definitely go much further in this life than my past life, perhaps, there is hope to achieve the status of a King!
Thinking this far, she turned around and sat down cross-legged, countless strands of Thunder Spiritual Energy emerging around her body as the Thunder God Cultivation Technique began operating once more.
Regardless of her master’s identity, her current cultivation remained only at the Tribulation Transcendence Realm; she wasn’t qualified enough to investigate it.
Such strength was extremely insignificant in the Upper Realm Nine Great Immortal Worlds, much less the 33 Heavens Divine Realm.
Compared to her enemies from her previous life, she was currently weaker than an ant.
Only by becoming stronger could she uncover the truth behind everything.
However, if Tian Yongheng currently knew how much his disciple was overthinking, he would probably be speechless for a very long time.
Tian Yongheng: Damn it, I’m struggling to survive against Heaven Immortals, and you’re comparing me to the second strongest beings in this piece of heaven and earth? What if one of them overhears and slaps me to death!?
...
Meanwhile, inside another cave abode.
Yang Wei slowly exhaled, a powerful aura spreading outward before gradually settling down.
Finally, the Seventh Stage of Tribulation Transcendence Realm... at this rate, within a few decades, I’ll be able to challenge the Immortal Ascension Realm!
A smile appeared on his face at the thought.
Compared to when he first entered the Eternal Peak, his current self had already undergone earth shaking changes.
Back then, he was just a Rogue Cultivator carrying the Nascent Soul of a Nascent Soul Realm expert, stumbling across the path of cultivation.
Now, he stood among the strongest disciples of the Eternal Peak. Even among the current generation, few could compare to him.
Yet, strangely enough, Yang Wei felt no joy, and instead, a faint uneasiness lingered within his heart.
For several years now, that feeling had continuously grown stronger.
At first, he ignored it, after all, cultivators occasionally experienced strange emotions during cultivation, perhaps it was because all the recent events that had taken place, and a Heart Demon trying to sprout was being suppressed by his Dao Heart.
However, the sensation never disappeared, only intensifying with time, especially recently.
Yang Wei slowly stood up and walked outside.
The vast sky stretched endlessly overhead.
His gaze drifted upward, far beyond ordinary sight, at the deepest layers of heaven and earth, there existed something invisible to almost everyone, all beings who had not yet comprehended heavenly rules.
It was Providence.
At this moment, Yang Wei could perceive a colossal vortex of Providence gathering over the Second Great Mortal World, resembling an enormous golden ocean continuously expanding as countless strands of destiny converged toward it.
The Providence of the Mythical Era, under the influence of the Lower Realm Spirit, it had continued growing stronger for years now.
Geniuses emerged endlessly, countless opportunities appeared throughout the world, cultivation became easier, ancient inheritances awakened, and powerful cultivators were born one after another.
Everything appeared prosperous, but for some reason, there was something very wrong.
The more Yang Wei observed that gathering Providence, the more uneasy he felt, as if something was wrong.
There was definitely something strange, and he wasn’t the only one who had noticed that; no cultivator who could reach the Nascent Soul Realm and perceive the heavenly rules was stupid.
His brows gradually furrowed.
A cultivator’s intuition is not to be ignored, especially after entering higher realms of cultivation.
Immortal Cultivators rarely experienced baseless premonitions, and the stronger the cultivator, the more significant such feelings became.
At his current realm, intuition was often another form of foresight.
"Something is coming..."
Yang Wei murmured softly.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t determine what exactly was wrong.
The sensation was too vague, like trying to grasp smoke.
At this moment, another thought emerged in his mind.
If anyone could discover the truth, it would undoubtedly be his master.
However, Yang Wei hesitated.
His master was currently in seclusion, interrupting him over a vague feeling seemed somewhat inappropriate, but at the same time, the uneasiness persisted.
After standing silently beneath the clear sky for a long time, Yang Wei finally made a decision.
He would wait for the time being, and if the feeling continued worsening, he would inform Tian Yongheng regardless.
After all, caution never hurt anyone.
Soon afterward, he returned to cultivation.
...
At this moment, at an an unknown location that seemed to exist between reality and illusion, far beyond the reach of most Immortals and Gods.
An ancient river flowed through the vast cosmos, immeasurable and indescribable, existing beyond all space and time, transcending infinite dimensions.
Countless timelines intertwined within its waters.
Past, present, and future, everything existed simultaneously, appearing like countless branches of the same source.
Infinite timelines were born and destroyed every single instant, with branches constantly appearing and disappearing.
At this moment, a small ripple suddenly appeared on the surface of the River of Time.
It was only a tiny, miniscule ripple on the vast river, appearing extremely insignificant, barely perceptible.
However, the instant it appeared, countless fragments of future possibilities shattered and entire timelines disappeared as new futures emerged.
The River of Time began to rearrange itself.
Just then, another ripple appeared, then another, like the first droplets before a coming storm until countless ripples emerged, boundless waves beginning to rise across the River of Time.
At that very instant, countless ancient powerhouses and old monsters in the material world were alarmed from the fluctuations coming from the River of Time.
Deep within the endless river, several indistinct figures slowly opened their eyes.
Their appearances could not be seen clearly, and even their existence seemed unreal, however, each figure possessed an aura vast enough to suppress endless heavens.
They all collectively gazed towards the Lower Realm, specifically at the vortex of Providence gathering above the Second Great Mortal World.
After an unknown period of silence, a voice seemed to echo from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
"It is time."
The voice carried neither emotion nor fluctuation.
Another figure spoke, their voice sounding to be outside of mortal perception, incomprehensible.
"The Lower Realm Spirit seems to have received a warning from the Heavenly Dao. According to that one, Lords and above cannot interfere, otherwise, the Heavenly Dao will fully awaken."
Then, a third voice emerged, sounding like an old man’s on the verge of death, yet each word carried enough power to obliterate an uncountable number of Lower Realms.
"So many variables, the future has become unclear. Had it not been for that, we wouldn’t have had to accelerate the process by nearly seventy million years."
The River of Time surged violently as countless possibilities flashed by.
Among them appeared fleeting images.
There was an extremely handsome young man cultivating in the depths of a river, a divine sword constantly hovering around him.
There was a beautiful woman with a red lotus mark between her brows, fighting against a horde of Demon Beasts.
There was a old man appearing lazy and gentle, yet his entire being was as if a sharp sword capable of piercing heaven and earth, carrying the residual aura of a certain Sword Emperor Scripture.
All of them appeared completely different, yet it was as if an intangible thread of karma bound them together to a certain something, or someone.
The images vanished almost instantly.
The figures remained silent, with no one speaking for a long time.
Eventually, one figure slowly closed their eyes, a voice filled with extreme indifference echoing across the River of Time.
"It doesn’t matter. The instructions have already been given; that person’s orders cannot be defied. Unless an Almighty descends, the general trend cannot be changed."
The others gradually withdrew their gazes.
Soon, silence returned to this piece of heaven and earth once more.
The River of Time continued flowing endlessly, as if nothing had happened.
Yet somewhere within the endless currents, a storm capable of shaking the Great World and its infinite dimensions was already beginning to gather.