The lid of the pitch-black burial coffin flew open. Black mist surged into the heavens, and a slender figure could vaguely be seen as if reviving, rising to its feet.
However, its true face remained unclear. Only a slender, flawless, and delicate hand—as white as frost, surpassing snow, like mutton-fat jade, flawless and untainted—reached out, gently meeting the Primordial Heavenly Emperor's hand.
Boom—
It was like a collision between Supreme Ones. The River of Time swirled around, dissolving this strike, but that slender figure fell back, tumbling once more into the burial coffin. In that moment, it seemed as if bright, fresh blood splattered, staining the River of Time.
The Primordial Heavenly Emperor said coldly, "Even a living Supreme One is no match for this Heavenly Emperor, let alone a soulless Supreme One's corpse. So be it. This time, I shall completely refine your Supreme One's body. Though you have passed, there remains some Supreme One's essence blood, which can to some extent heal the injuries on this Heavenly Emperor's body."
He strode forward, moving with extreme speed, traversing the River of Time. With a flick of his sleeve, he unleashed a Heavenly Emperor's strike—powerful beyond compare, enough to make even a true, flawless Great Emperor pale.
Boom—
Yet at this moment, the River of Time boiled and surged. A stream of light shot from below upward, as if coming from the future, meeting the Heavenly Emperor's strike. Astonishingly, both attacks dissolved.
"Who is it?!"
The Heavenly Emperor was startled, and others were also alarmed.
Boom, rumble, rumble—
The River of Time churned for tens of thousands of li, surging upward beyond the ten heavens as countless stars fell.
At this time, footsteps could be heard, ethereal and elusive, their origin unknown.
The Primordial Heavenly Emperor, however, looked toward the lower reaches of the River of Time. As a supreme Heavenly Emperor with unparalleled achievements, he saw the endless expanse of the River of Time's lower reaches—the direction belonging to the future. Boundless Chaos Mist was spreading there, and those elusive, untraceable footsteps were emanating from that place.
Golden Crow Great Emperor, Wuxiang Sovereign, Monarch Wushi, and the five Ancient Sovereigns of the Chaos Burial Ground all instantly looked toward the lower reaches of the River of Time, shocked. Could it be that someone was coming against the current from the future to reach this era?
"Someone from the future?"
The Primordial Heavenly Emperor's expression turned grave. As a Heavenly Emperor, the strongest among emperors, he understood better than anyone what it meant to come against the current from the lower reaches of the River of Time—to come from the future. The difficulty of that far surpassed coming from the past.
Because the past had already happened. Although intervening in the present from the past was immensely difficult, it could be managed by paying a certain price.
However, intervening in the present from the future was different. The difficulty involved was incomparably greater.
Even a peerless Heavenly Emperor like the Primordial Heavenly Emperor was unwilling to lightly involve himself. If the changes involved were minor, it might be manageable by paying a certain price, as long as they didn't reach a sufficient level.
But if they involved Supreme Ones like Emperors or Supreme Immortals, the involved causality would be truly immense. The price paid might be unimaginable, possibly even triggering backlash across all times—past, present, and future—a comprehensive backlash from the operating rules of the Chaos Sea. Even the strongest Emperor might fall. The cost was too great.
Now, someone was actually crossing time and space against the current from the elusive, unknowable future. This made the Primordial Heavenly Emperor unable to take it lightly. He watched gravely as the boundless, boiling Chaos Mist below seemed as if the entire Chaos Sea was surging forth.
Boom, rumble, rumble—
It was as if boundless Chaos Mist was boiling, or as if the entire Chaos Sea was arriving from the future, overwhelming everything, flooding the entire lower reaches of the River of Time.
Only vaguely could footsteps be heard from there, ethereal and mystical, their exact location impossible to perceive.
Ye Chen's body trembled violently. He looked toward the future direction submerged by the boundless Chaos Mist. Was it his future self, supreme and unparalleled? He didn't know, because he couldn't sense it.
"Hmph, a pretentious trickster."
The Primordial Heavenly Emperor snorted coldly, yet he did not strike. Engaging a being not in the same space-time would involve the rules of the vast ages. Even a peerless Heavenly Emperor like him could not ignore this.
"Let me see just who you are!"
At this moment, the Primordial Heavenly Emperor's eyes pierced through everything in the world. His gaze, as if solidified into substance, shot into the boundless Chaos Mist, seeking to discern the true face of the being within.
However, the Primordial Heavenly Emperor soon revealed astonishment. "Impenetrable!"
These words seemed to shake past and present, startling everyone. Could even a peerless Heavenly Emperor like the Primordial Heavenly Emperor not penetrate the Chaos Mist to see the true face of that mysterious being?
"No, that's not it. It's not that I cannot penetrate, but that you carry a fearsome power of causality upon you—coming from that Blood-stained Future!"
As these words fell, the Primordial Heavenly Emperor's expression turned grave for the first time. As a peerless Heavenly Emperor, he had naturally deduced matters concerning the future and learned some inside information. He knew the terrors of the future, stained red with infinite blood—a Blood-stained Future.
But he could only glimpse a corner of the future, unable to fully understand it. He only knew that the Blood-stained Future was terrifying, as if all the world's Supreme Ones were about to wither and fall.
Moreover, later on, it seemed as if a certain supreme forbidden figure had intervened in the Blood-stained Future, severing it, making it impossible to glimpse even the slightest bit more.
Therefore, a being from the Blood-stained Future, coming against the current from the severed River of Time, carried infinite power of causality. Even the Primordial Heavenly Emperor found it difficult to see the true face of the newcomer.
Golden Crow Great Emperor, Wuxiang Sovereign, Monarch Wushi, and the other five Ancient Sovereigns of the Chaos Burial Ground all showed shock. They naturally had some understanding of the various aspects of the Blood-stained Future. But in the present era, someone was actually returning against the current from that almost forbidden Blood-stained Future? It was unimaginable.
Yet the Primordial Heavenly Emperor's expression remained deeply solemn. Being able to come against the current from the severed River of Time was enough to indicate the formidable strength of the mysterious being. This was not something an ordinary Supreme One could achieve. The other party was very likely an existence standing at the same level as him—the strongest Emperor.
The Primordial Heavenly Emperor said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist, the past cannot be changed. You come from the future. If you forcibly change the present, especially when it involves the Supreme One level, it will be very unfavorable for you. You too will have to pay an unbearable price."
"Is that so."
The mysterious being within the boundless Chaos Mist spoke. Its voice was of unknown gender, very mysterious. Gradually, a blurry figure appeared, its entire form concealed within the Chaos Mist.
"I believe you also understand very well what the cost of such an action is," the Heavenly Emperor continued gravely.
The mysterious existence wreathed in Chaos Mist said, "So what? Since the future is already blood-stained, I will forcibly reverse this Blood-stained Future, changing the established timeline of past events."
Boom—
Suddenly, from the lofty heights of the space-time above, infinite Chaos Thunderbolts descended from the sky, each one terrifying enough to make Ancient Sovereigns pale.
It was as if these words had touched upon certain taboos that should not be mentioned, inviting heavenly punishment!
But the mysterious existence wreathed in Chaos Mist merely uttered a single command: "Disperse!"
It was as if words became law. Once spoken, the infinite Chaos Thunderbolts dissipated.