The River of Time continued to boil, its waves rolling and surging, vast and boundless.
Even if the massive stars from the highest reaches of the heavens were to fall, they would not splash up much of a spray.
Yet this River of Time had been severed. The supreme beings of the alien race had been successfully blocked, isolated before the Mythical Era, unable to cross over.
If not for the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi still by his side, Ye Chen would have thought it all an illusion.
Everything that had transpired before was too shocking, like a myth, making it hard to believe even now.
Ye Chen suddenly looked at the figure beside him. Who exactly was this? Where did he come from? And what was this crucial "him" that he was, which caused several supreme beings of the alien race to go so far as to project their avatars down, paying an unimaginable price, just to kill him?
There were far too many mysteries in all of this, leaving him utterly perplexed.
Perhaps only this mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi could know.
At the same time, the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi also looked at Ye Chen. Gone was the overwhelming, heaven-suppressing arrogance he displayed when dealing with the alien race's supreme beings. He was no longer that peerlessly majestic Supreme One who could prop up the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. At this moment, he appeared quite peaceful, like an ordinary person, having returned to a state of simplicity.
Yet Ye Chen could feel how profound those peaceful eyes were, as if they could completely pierce through his body, mind, and soul.
Before him, Ye Chen had no secrets at all.
Finally, Ye Chen could feel his gaze fall upon his brow, where a faint, sickle-like Moon Mark appeared.
This mysterious mark had accompanied him through his previous life and this one. To this day, he still could not truly understand what it was.
But he understood that the Moon Mark was extraordinary.
The mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi stared at the Moon Mark for a very, very long time before letting out a soft sigh, carrying an indescribable meaning within it...
Did he know about the Moon Mark?
Ye Chen's heart stirred, but he did not ask.
From within the chaotic mist, a voice of indeterminate gender emerged: "I know you must have many, many questions in your heart. What are they? Why were they willing to pay any price to cross the River of Time to kill you? Why did they call you the crucial 'him'? Why did I intervene to save you?"
Ye Chen nodded. All of these were his doubts. He did not understand.
"But I'm sorry, you cannot know now, because you are still very weak." Although the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi spoke in a very peaceful tone, Ye Chen understood his meaning: he was too weak, not yet qualified to know the truth.
His strength was only relative to the younger generation. Faced with those lofty supreme beings who could cross the River of Time, he was indeed as weak as an ant.
But he was not angry. He deeply understood that this world was always ruled by the strong. Otherwise, even if he were a Young True King brimming with limitless potential, he had not yet fully matured. Without reaching sufficient strength, he would not be truly valued by others.
"But you need not be disappointed. When the time is right, we will naturally tell you, along with a few others. Telling you now would only harm you," the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi said. "Moreover, in this epoch, you will be the key. You are our hope, and the hope of this universe."
"Is it because among us, there is the crucial 'him'?" Ye Chen said. "Apart from the real 'him', the others are all pieces placed around 'him', just to confuse the alien race's attention, allowing 'him' to grow completely and reach a level capable of resisting the alien race."
The mysterious figure said, "You are not wrong, but you are also not entirely correct. The crucial 'him' might not be one person. It might be several. All of you could be 'him', or none of you might be 'him'."
Ye Chen was taken aback. Could it be that even this unimaginably powerful mysterious existence could not determine who the crucial "him" was?
But he did not voice his question, because he knew the other likely would not answer. All of this was a very important secret.
"Whether you are the crucial 'him' or not, you are all very important to us. In the future, you all have the chance to grow to a level where you can battle the alien race's supreme beings," the mysterious figure added. "Especially you. You are extraordinary. You are that person's successor, having received his indestructible legacy."
Ye Chen shuddered. Did the person the mysterious figure referred to mean the supreme Saint Ancestor of the Battle Saint lineage?
It was said that Saint Ancestor was peerless, his cultivation reaching the heavens and earth. He achieved the Golden Saint Body and was an invincible Great Emperor of the Mythical Era, his combat prowess considered the absolute pinnacle among Emperors and Sovereigns.
After gazing at him quietly for a long moment, Ye Chen suddenly asked a key question, "Senior, was my survival in my previous life due to your intervention?"
He asked a crucial question. In his previous life, he had faced a certain-death situation, designed by several ancient Great Sages working together. They performed a Sacrificial Offering on his entire being. He thought he had perished completely, body and soul extinguished, but in the end, he was actually reincarnated and reborn.
He originally thought it was just luck, but later he discovered that someone had intervened in the unseen, pulling him back from the brink of death, allowing his reincarnation and rebirth, and even placing shackles deep within his True Spirit.
Surprisingly, the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi did not deny it. His gaze seemed to look far into the River of Time, as if gazing upon the eternal sky, where eons of vicissitudes seemed to appear. He said, "Correct. Your survival involved our intervention. Because you are crucial. You cannot die. Your existence is needed in the future."
Indeed, Ye Chen's speculation was confirmed. He did not know whether to feel fortunate or sorrowful.
Fortunate for his survival, sorrowful for being under surveillance, unable to simply die.
"I know you have many doubts in your heart, many, many things you wish to ask, such as the destruction of the Mythical Era. But none of it can be spoken of now," the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi sighed softly.
"What is seen is not necessarily real. What is imagined is not necessarily illusory."
Suddenly, he uttered an enigmatic phrase, but Ye Chen was deeply impressed and remembered it.
Ye Chen pressed on, asking, "Are you an Emperor or Sovereign from the Mythical Era?"
Mentioning the Mythical Era's Emperors and Sovereigns—just those two simple words could press down upon the eternal sky, make the River of Time boil, cause the myriad stars to fall, and force the countless races of the myriad realms to bow in submission. They were supreme beings.
They were the absolute pinnacle of humanity, Supreme Ones on par with the Heavenly Dao, the ultimate level all cultivators strove their entire lives to reach.
Now, Ye Chen gazed at the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi before him. He suspected this was an Emperor or Sovereign from the Mythical Era. Otherwise, how could he be so powerful?
"One could say yes, and one could say no..."
From within the chaotic mist, the mysterious figure gave a half-true, half-false reply, making Ye Chen frown. Was he or wasn't he? Couldn't he give a definite answer?
"Whether one is or isn't, it's actually not important. What's important is the need to strive to protect the peace of the myriad races. The future will be very bitter," he added another vague statement.
But Ye Chen grasped the key point: the future would be bitter.
His mind trembled, suddenly recalling a glimpse he had of a section of the River of Time's lower reaches not long ago. It was vividly crimson, as if dyed with blood, like the blood of countless beings, staining the River of Time red. It had even been severed, giving him a sense of unease.
What exactly was going to happen in the future? Why did it appear as if blood stained the long river, as if eons flowed through blood?
It seemed just like the great destruction of the Mythical Era, with myriad races withering and great realms collapsing.
"Senior, I wish to see the future," Ye Chen suddenly spoke, making a request of the mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi.
The other seemed to have anticipated this long ago, showing no surprise. He said, "The future is difficult to probe, filled with variables. Once touched, one becomes entangled in causality. In the future, you may face various great tribulations, endure the pain of being crushed to dust, even risk the complete annihilation of both body and spirit. Do you still wish to see?"
Ye Chen smiled, appearing very peaceful and also very resolute: "I was already a dead man once. Having died, what is there to fear? Moreover, I am a successor of the Battle Saint lineage. A Battle Saint dares to contend with the heavens. Why should I fear?"
"I only wish to see a glimpse of the future. I want to know the bloodshed and chaos of the future. I want to bear it all."
The mysterious figure shrouded in chaotic qi stared at him for a long time before finally nodding. "Very well. Since that is the case, I will let you see a corner of the future."
He placed a hand on Ye Chen's shoulder. It was slender and jade-like, warm and gentle, carrying an intimate warmth that made Ye Chen feel at ease.
But at this moment, boundless great power of the Dao was at work, reviving. Wisps of chaotic divine principles erupted. The myriad Daos of the myriad realms manifested upon him, affecting time and space, empowering Ye Chen.
At this moment, Ye Chen felt his eyes contained inconceivable power. He gazed into the lower reaches of the River of Time and instantly pierced through layers of mist, looking toward the farthest, most distant end.
The River of Time, dyed with blood, clearly appeared before him. Waves rolled, terrifying surges soared to the heavens, shaking the firmament. Ye Chen distinctly saw corpses floating upon the long river.
"It's them..."
Ye Chen's heart trembled. On the River of Time, he saw familiar figures among the floating corpses: Wang Ming, War King, Peacock King, and other old friends from his previous life.
He also saw several figures of breathtaking beauty, among the most beautiful fairies of the myriad realms. But now they lay horizontally upon the river of blood, motionless, their life force extinguished. They were the Goddess, Chen'er, and his other beloved wives.
Finally, a scene instantly appeared before his eyes. It was as if he had traversed countless eons of time and space, arriving at a distant, unreachable future, experiencing it firsthand. He saw an infinite starry sky, upon a supreme imperial throne, sat a majestic figure before whom the myriad realms and heavens would bow. His black hair cascaded like a waterfall, his heroic bearing overshadowing the world, his eyes deeper than the infinite starry sky.
That person was him!