When You See Him, Remember to Remain Reverent

At those words, Ye Qingran and the others widened their eyes.

The Founding Ancestor?! The next moment—

A gray-haired, slightly stooped figure emerged from the black clouds, looking down upon them from above.

That stooped figure was the Bone Emperor—the Bone Emperor fifty thousand years later! Looking at Li Changtan, a nostalgic expression surfaced on his face as he asked, "Are you a descendant of the Dao Ancient Divine Sect?"

"Reporting to Founding Ancestor, this junior is the thirty-seventh Sect Leader of the Dao Ancient Divine Sect."

Hearing this, the Bone Emperor sighed with emotion. So much time had already passed. The Dao Ancient Divine Sect he had once founded had already reached its thirty-seventh Sect Leader.

"This junior has never forgotten the ancient precepts of the Dao Ancient Divine Sect. For the past ten thousand years, the Dao Ancient Divine Sect has been searching for the Time Wood."

"But we have never found it."

"Please punish us, Founding Ancestor."

Upon hearing this, Ye Qingran's beautiful eyes froze. At this moment, all the fog cleared away! As the Holy Maiden of the Dao Ancient Divine Sect, she naturally knew some of its hidden secrets.

The Dao Ancient Divine Sect had only one ancient precept: find the legendary "Time Wood."

What she had not expected was that one of the Four Emperors was actually the Founding Ancestor of their Dao Ancient Divine Sect. Even more unexpectedly, the thing the Four Emperors had been searching for was also the Time Wood! "I do not blame you."

"I have now found the Time Wood."

"I will be leaving this world. The Dao Ancient Divine Sect will be entrusted to you."

The Bone Emperor revealed a smile. This was the first smile he had shown in all these years. Perhaps it was because he had found the Time Wood, or perhaps because they could finally leave this place.

"Congratulations, Founding Ancestor!"

Li Changtan knelt in worship, and the others followed suit.

"Founding Ancestor, are you preparing to seek revenge?"

"The Dao Ancient Divine Sect is willing to follow Founding Ancestor there and brave fire and water for you!"

Li Changtan knew that the Founding Ancestor was not from this continent. It seemed he had been exiled here by some powerful existence.

"No need."

"If you go, you will only be cannon fodder. You will change nothing."

"Besides, I am not going there for revenge. I have something even more important to do."

The Bone Emperor smiled.

Revenge? He did not hate that powerful man on the River of Time.

On the contrary, the Bone Emperor was grateful to him.

If that man had not, through a twist of fate, exiled them into this stretch of time and space, they might never have come into contact with the Immortal King Realm in their entire lives.

Fifty thousand years of searching, fifty thousand years of cultivation.

They had obtained countless opportunities in this time and space, and now they had already touched the threshold of the Immortal King Realm.

Now that they had found the Time Wood as well, they could leave.

"But..."

Li Changtan could not quite understand.

Had the Founding Ancestor not sought the Time Wood in order to take revenge?

"You must remember this."

"This world is far greater and far more vast than you imagine."

"Never be proud and complacent. Never think yourselves invincible beneath heaven."

"You—all of you, myself included—are forever nothing more than ants in the eyes of those supreme existences. You must learn reverence."

The Bone Emperor of the past had also been a very proud man.

Ever since he had encountered that mysterious man on the River of Time, his pride had vanished. He became incomparably low-key and learned reverence.

Reverence was not fear.

It was a form of wisdom.

Should one not revere an existence who, with a wave of his hand, could affect the flow of the River of Time, and with another wave, send them into an unknown era countless years in the past?

What was more, he had turned disaster into fortune. He had even less reason to harbor thoughts of revenge.

Hearing these words, the group was stunned for a moment, as though they had realized something.

Li Changtan, standing at the front, asked again, "Founding Ancestor, once you leave this world..."

"How can we find you and follow in your footsteps?"

At this, the Bone Emperor fell silent for a while.

In truth, he could have directly snuffed out their hopes and told them not to seek him out. But after thinking it over, one had to leave a little hope in all things.

For these fifty thousand years, he had endured solely on the two words "hope."

If he had not always held hope in his heart, he might have given up long ago, turned into a mound of yellow earth, and been buried in this world forever.

"If you truly wish to find me..."

"If one day you truly cultivate to that point, and have the ability to set foot in a place called the River of Time, follow the River of Time upstream."

"However, you may encounter a man."

"You must prepare the River Crossing Fee. Do not come into conflict with him. You must treat him with respect and reverence."

"Because that man is the one who exiled me to this world. But he is not my enemy, much less yours."

At this point, the Bone Emperor paused. "Treat him as your benefactor. If not for him, I would not have come here, nor would the Dao Ancient Divine Sect have come into being. By that reckoning, he is also your Founding Ancestor."

"When you see him, you must also address him as Founding Ancestor."

In truth, the Bone Emperor did not need to say so much.

Because to traverse the River of Time, one needed to at least reach the Heavenly Immortal Realm. If the Dao Ancient Divine Sect could produce even one Tribulation Transcendence Realm cultivator, that would likely already be its limit.

But what if? What if, someday in the future, the Dao Ancient Divine Sect truly produced a Heavenly Immortal?

That was not impossible.

After speaking, the Bone Emperor waved his hand. A purple-black wooden plank flew from his sleeve and landed before Li Changtan.

"This is an extra piece of Time Wood."

"Remember this: to travel through the River of Time, the Time Wood is indispensable."

"However, this piece of Time Wood can carry only one person."

"If, in the future, the Dao Ancient Divine Sect gives birth to a person favored by destiny, its strongest person, and that person is willing to seek me out, then leave this piece of Time Wood to them."

Hearing this, Li Changtan carefully put away the piece of Time Wood.

"Alright, there is little time left."

"You should leave. I will also be departing soon."

"I hope you keep every word I just said engraved upon your heart."

The Bone Emperor said.

"Every word spoken by Founding Ancestor will become an ancient precept of the Dao Ancient Divine Sect and be passed down without end, until the strongest person favored by destiny mentioned by Founding Ancestor appears, and the Time Wood is handed to them."

Li Changtan answered, enunciating every word.

"Go. There is no need to say more."

The Bone Emperor waved his hand at them. The next moment, space churned, and in an instant, they were sent beyond the forbidden grounds.

At this moment, Ye Qingran, standing behind Li Changtan, stared blankly at the forbidden grounds before her.

The Founding Ancestor's words had deeply stirred her heart.

Was cultivation not meant to witness a broader heaven and earth? A flame of ambition began to grow within her. If the Dao Ancient Divine Sect was to produce a person favored by destiny, why could that not be her?

Even if fate decreed that it would not be her, she would still strive—strive to become the strongest person in the Dao Ancient Divine Sect, ride the Time Wood to the River of Time mentioned by the Founding Ancestor, and see a broader heaven and earth.

She also wanted to see with her own eyes that "other Founding Ancestor" who had exiled her Founding Ancestor to this world.