Hourglass, Time Law?

Di Jiang let out a sneer, radiating an unshakable confidence: "Wouldn't it be perfect if more cultivators came to pay homage to Father God?

The innate gods who shake the Primordial Wilderness must bow their heads beneath Father God's lingering might.

That scene is exactly what my Wu Clan wishes to see!

Besides, not everyone can reach the mountaintop, and even fewer have the courage to pass through my Wu Clan's outer tribes.

Since my Wu Clan entered the world, establishing ourselves at Mount Buzhou and contending for supremacy in the Primordial Wilderness, the cultivators who dared to come and pay their respects can be counted on one hand."

The wind howled, Di Jiang's voice overpowering all else:

"Everyone knows Mount Buzhou holds opportunities, but how many dare to face the edge of us Twelve Ancestor Wizards?!

The Wu Clan loves battle, but the Wu Clan is not cruel. What we do is for the survival and development of our clan, not because we delight in slaughter.

The Wu Clan is the Orthodox Lineage of Pangu; we are meant to rule the Primordial Wilderness by right.

In the Primordial Wilderness, the strong reign supreme; those who comply live, those who defy perish!

If the myriad beings of the Primordial Wilderness misunderstand my Wu Clan, it is only because we are too powerful, too united!

You fear, you tremble!"

Fuxi's expression remained calm, neither agreeing nor denying.

He shook his head inwardly. In his view, forcing all clans under one clan's heel was not the righteous path.

But this was the Ancestor Wizards' territory, and Fuxi had no intention of debating them. He could only clasp his fists and say:

"Since Ancestor Wizard Di Jiang permits, Poor Daoist will take the liberty."

Fuxi lingered for a while longer, then finally activated the formation and entered.

Di Jiang snorted coldly, vanishing again through the Space Laws.

Though the Twelve Ancestor Wizards expanded outward, three Ancestor Wizards were always left to guard Mount Buzhou.

The guard duty rotated; this time, it fell to Di Jiang, Ru Shou, and She Bi Shi.

As an Ancestor Wizard who had taken form at Mount Buzhou and possessed an extremely powerful Physical Body, Di Jiang spotted Bei Ming and his two companions halfway up the mountain and ascended simultaneously. His speed to the summit was naturally faster.

By chance, he discovered that Bei Ming, praised by his younger brother Ju Mang, had come to Mount Buzhou—a perfect chance to test him.

While they entered the Secret Realm, Di Jiang used the Wu Clan's unique communication method to contact Ru Shou and She Bi Shi, summoning them to the summit of Mount Buzhou.

Long ago, after the Twelve Ancestor Wizards took form, they had all climbed to the Mount Buzhou Summit together to worship Father God Pangu.

By chance, they entered the formation and obtained the twelve Twelve Divine Fiends Banners and the Twelve Divine Fiends Great Array.

Years later, the Three Pure Ones arrived together and also entered the formation, splitting the Twenty-Four Grade Fortune Green Lotus into three, each obtaining a Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

Over the long years, cultivators had gradually come to the summit one after another.

During his time stationed at Mount Buzhou, Di Jiang had witnessed all of this without stopping them.

Some obtained treasures, some returned empty-handed.

Even among companions, not all could enter the formation.

Since these were opportunities given by Father God, as His descendants, the Ancestor Wizards naturally would not obstruct them.

Meanwhile, inside the Secret Realm

Bei Ming's vision blurred, and in the next instant, he found himself inside a dark palace.

This palace had no doors or windows; all four walls were thick stone walls, ancient and desolate, exuding an aura strikingly similar to Mount Buzhou.

Bei Ming instinctively looked back, but saw only a stone wall, as if no entrance or exit had ever existed.

Above the palace hung an ancient chandelier, its Lamp Wick burning with a deep gray flame.

The light was faint, casting only a dim glow across the vast hall.

The flame flickered, throwing down cold shadows, making the entire palace feel even more silent and oppressive.

At the center of the palace, on the upper dais, sat a simple, archaic Table.

Its surface was smooth, without a speck of dust.

Above it floated a Small Hourglass the size of a palm, crystal clear, hovering silently while exuding a mysterious fluctuation of laws.

Bei Ming's expression turned solemn. His gaze fixed on the hourglass as he stepped forward slowly, each step cautious and deliberate.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty hall.

But before Bei Ming could reach the center of the palace, the Small Hourglass on the table suddenly trembled silently, then flipped over on its own.

A wave of Profound Mystery surged outward.

"Not good!"

Bei Ming's heart tightened. With a flick of his right hand, he summoned the Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag.

The Flag surface unfurled, raising an endless Water Curtain.

Yet the temporal fluctuation silently merged into the void, and the Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag was forcibly retracted.

Bei Ming's figure was forcibly thrown back, retreating once more to the entrance of the palace, as if nothing before had ever happened.

Staring at the hourglass quietly suspended before the table, Bei Ming's gaze darkened:

"Time Law..."

Bei Ming looked at the Small Hourglass that had returned to its original state, not daring to slack off, and once again summoned the Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag, stepping forward.

But when he reached the halfway point, the Small Hourglass turned over once more.

The familiar fluctuation spread out, time reset, and Bei Ming was again pulled back to the starting point, the Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag forcibly recalled.

Seeing this, Bei Ming grew even more curious about that Small Hourglass.

This trip to Mount Buzhou had indeed not been in vain.

The Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag, as one of the Innate Five Directions Flags, possessed the effect of being impervious to all techniques.

In theory, ordinary spells should not be able to interfere with the Five Directions Flags.

However, the Time Law was profoundly mysterious, and when it came to this aspect, it was hard to say for sure.

The first time might have been because he was too slow to act;

But the second time proved that the Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag had indeed failed to take effect.

This time, Bei Ming unleashed all his defensive spiritual treasures;

The Twelve Grade Pure World White Lotus hovered above his head, radiating circles of gentle Divine Light, its lotus petals blooming softly, purifying all calamities;

At the same time, the Xuan Yuan Controlling Water Flag in his hand unfurled once more, a blue Water Curtain cascading down, enveloping his entire body.

Under the dual protection, Bei Ming stepped forward again.

When he reached the halfway point, the Small Hourglass suddenly turned over, the fluctuations of time surging forth, causing the entire palace to tremble slightly.

Unlike before, this force struck against the White Lotus and the Water Curtain, rippling in layers, but could no longer penetrate even a fraction.

Bei Ming's mind steadied slightly, and he continued forward, finally reaching the table;

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and reached for the hourglass.

The moment his fingertip touched it, the hourglass blazed with brilliant light, illuminating the entire palace in a dazzling radiance.

The intense light forced Bei Ming to close his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was no longer in the palace, but standing above a vast, surging river.

The river flowed endlessly, its waves turbulent, and the spray seemed not to be water, but countless specks of light formed by years, interweaving an aura that spanned from ancient times to the present.

On one bank of the river sat a White-Haired Stooped Elder, wearing a Bamboo Hat and draped in a Straw Cape, quietly perched on a Green Stone, holding a Fishing Rod and angling.

The elder slowly raised his head, his gaze calm and profound, filled with endless vicissitudes. His voice was calm yet deep:

"Daoist friend, from what region are you?"

Bei Ming's mind tensed, and he landed on the riverbank, cupping his hands in salute:

"This Humble One is Bei Ming, dao name Kun Peng, a cultivator from the northern reaches of the Primordial Wilderness. May I ask, Senior, where is this place?"

The elder gently flicked his Fishing Rod, the hook cutting through the void, stirring up faint light.

There was no bait on the hook, nor any fish.

Then, the elder reeled in his rod and stood up, his back steeped in the passage of time, and spoke slowly:

"How did you come to be here, Daoist friend?"