Chapter 283

After a long while, the two finally composed themselves.

"Xiao Rui, do you think the fairy sister can save Mother?"

Xiao Luo Qianhua blinked her sore eyes and looked at her younger sister cautiously.

"I believe in Fairy Sister, she can definitely do it!"

Xiao Luo Qianrui said with unwavering determination.

The other servants in the Luo household were also silently praying, hoping for a miracle.

After leaving the Luo residence, Xiao Minghuang came to a mountain forest and called out the Emperor's name once again.

"Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles!"

"Zhongtian..."

The sound hadn't even faded.

"Buzz~!"

The void trembled, and a blurry, hazy figure materialized out of thin air, floating like a dream bubble. All that could be seen was that the figure was leaning on a golden staff, and it did not exude any particularly powerful aura. However, Xiao Minghuang knew that this was none other than the Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles.

"Have you gotten what you wanted?"

Xiao Minghuang cut to the chase, getting straight to the point. "Senior, do you have a way to bring back to life those whose life force has been extinguished and whose true spirit has returned to nothingness?"

Upon hearing this, the Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles gently shook his head. "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if their true spirit is retrieved from the river of time and reintroduced into the body, they will no longer be the same person they once were."

Xiao Minghuang refused to believe it and insisted, "Senior, you are the master of this great world. In this world, you are the only ruler. There is nothing you cannot do. I beg you to help me one more time. In the future, I will definitely repay your kindness!"

363. Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.

"Stranger, your obsession runs too deep."

The voice of the Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles was vast and ethereal. He lightly tapped his dragon staff, and ripples spread out, like a great river flowing endlessly past the two of them.

Looking at everything before her, Xiao Minghuang remained silent. She knew that she had indeed gone too far for the sake of the Luo Sisters, but there were things she should not do and things she must do!

She doesn't want to give up!

Seeing that she refused to give up, the Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles pointed to the gradually solidifying long river, which seemed to contain countless worlds floating and sinking within it. Scenes, some familiar and some unfamiliar, emerged from time and space, appearing extremely mysterious.

Xiao Minghuang looked closely and saw the familiar timeline.

Xiao Luo Qianrui was kidnapped by the Silver Gourd Demon King and became a disciple of the Joyful Union Dao in the Southern Wilderness.

Xiao Luo Qianhua entered the Holy Academy by chance, but was still coerced by the Silver Gourd Demon King into becoming his spy within the Holy Academy.

As scenes from their past flashed before her eyes, Xiao Minghuang felt heavy-hearted.

At this moment, she understood more, but she was also more confused, and with a hint of reproach, she asked, "Senior, since you knew all this, why didn't you stop it? Why didn't you try to reverse it? You could have made things turn out for the better!"

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles did not answer her question, but suddenly brought up an old topic again. "Look at this endless river, among all these fish, how many of them can truly achieve freedom?"

"Senior! Why did you—"

Xiao Minghuang raised her voice and questioned him again.

Suddenly.

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles lightly tapped his dragon staff, causing the void to tremble violently.

Xiao Minghuang's mind went blank for a moment, but he immediately came to his senses and bowed, saying, "This junior has been impolite..."

"This isn't your fault." For the first time, the Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles showed a change in emotion. He sighed softly, "You're still young, and you have a long way to go."

"To be strong, or rather, to become strong, is not about learning how to use power, but about learning how to control oneself and not use the power in one's hands!"

Before trying to achieve your goals, think carefully: is it really necessary?

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles said leisurely, "The Great Dao is Simple; this is an extremely simple truth. Yet, people all seek to increase it. Wrong! Utterly wrong!"

Xiao Minghuang remained silent for a moment, then replied, "This junior has learned a great deal."

With her intelligence, how could she not understand the true meaning of the Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles?

This teaches her to let go of her obsessions, unnecessary emotions, and all external possessions in order to free herself from mental burdens.

It was also a way of guiding her, reminding her that the Great Dao is Simple, and that this is the true, straightforward path.

Only.

Xiao Minghuang has her own path.

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together!

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles was unaware of her true thoughts, or perhaps he knew but chose not to reveal them. He continued, "You are a stranger in this world, and have seriously interfered with the cause and effect of this space-time. Although you possess great fortune, if you linger here for too long, you will be assimilated by this space-time and will never be able to return."

Xiao Minghuang took a deep breath, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and said, "This junior understands."

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles slowly said, "Before you leave, I have one more gift to give you. You can open it after you return to your own time and space."

Regardless of whether Xiao Minghuang agrees with his path, there is no younger person more outstanding than Xiao Minghuang in this vast world, and this is his only choice.

As he spoke, he gently raised his hand, and a golden treasure box flew out from his sleeve, landing in front of Xiao Minghuang and hovering there.

"Go! Go back to your world!"

Before he finished speaking, he lightly tapped his dragon staff, and ripples spread out from beneath it, distorting the void and forming an invisible vortex.

Xiao Minghuang had just accepted the treasure box and hadn't even reacted when he tapped his dragon staff again, and another ripple surged up. This time, it was like a tidal wave, pushing Xiao Minghuang directly into the whirlpool.

"Senior, the Luo Sisters-- "

Xiao Minghuang's words were only half-said before abruptly ending.

"Buzz--!"

A ripple spread out, and Xiao Minghuang's figure vanished without a trace.

After everything was done, peace returned to the world.

"Well!"

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles sighed deeply, and then issued an edict to the Holy Academy to arrange for the aftermath of the Luo family's affairs.

In this timeline, the sisters will no longer experience the pain of separation, but the wonder of Way of Destiny is never something anyone can control. Even speculating on the rules governing its operation is merely a glimpse through a tube, only seeing a part of the whole picture.

"Stranger, you've done too much; it's already affecting the long river of time..."

The Lord of the Central and Eastern Poles looked up at the sky, his eyes piercing as if he could see through both worlds.

"The Sea of Boundaries tides that will impact multiple dimensions are coming..."

Inside an ancient tomb in Dongji, Dongling.

Xu Xiuer sat in front of the now-unremarkable hourglass and said something to Xie Ziyin.

"I only have a superficial understanding of the Dao of Time and Space. I've heard that if a slight change occurs at a certain point in the past, it may not necessarily have a significant impact on the future, because the Dao of Time and Space itself has a restorative function. It can limit changes to a minimum. In books, this is called 'the arrangement of fate'!"

"The so-called arrangement of fate is just a common saying. In fact, all changes in the world that are beyond cause and effect are included in the Way of Destiny. Some sages even believed that the Way of Karma is also a part of the Way of Destiny!"

"Therefore, if the Way of Chaos is the general outline of all tangible ways, then the Way of Destiny is the general outline of all intangible ways. These two are like the warp and weft of the world, interconnected and inseparable."

"The changes in spacetime caused by the Way of Destiny only affect this spacetime itself, not other parallel spacetimes. This is why super-strong individuals cannot travel from the future to the past to eliminate their enemies prematurely."

"Because, from the moment they altered the past, a new parallel universe was created."

She looked anxiously at Xie Ziyin, who had a blank expression, and explained helplessly.

Upon hearing this, Xie Ziyin nodded and smiled, "I don't understand."

Xu Xiuer pouted, feeling somewhat annoyed.

The intangible way is too difficult to understand, ineffable, and indescribable, so ordinary people cannot know its true nature through language alone.

Moreover, her understanding of parallel universes is only superficial and incomplete.

"Forget it, we don't think we can figure out this hourglass anyway. How about we take it back to the Holy Academy and have the ancestors take a look?"

Xu Xiuer suggested.

364. Chaos Bead

Xie Ziyin naturally had no objections, but for safety's sake, she still reminded him, "It's better to be careful. It would be terrible if we got teleported away like Miss Luo did!"

"Yes, I won't make direct contact."

As she spoke, Xu Xiuer took out a bag from her sleeve, channeled her spiritual power, and condensed a huge shovel, which she then plunged into the ground, intending to put the entire piece of land into the bag.

"Miss Xiu'er, you rest. I'll take care of this."

Xie Ziyin, mindful of Xu Xiuer's blindness, took the initiative to stop the task.

Xu Xiuer did not object and handed the bag to her.

However, at that moment...

The hourglass, which had been dim for a long time, suddenly shone with a faint light. The hourglass, which was lying flat on the ground, suddenly turned upside down, and a drop of golden, dazzling liquid condensed out and slid down in an instant.

A burst of brilliant white light erupted from the hourglass, accompanied by a powerful shockwave that swept outwards in all directions. Xu Xiuer and Xie Ziyin were instantly blown hundreds of feet away before they could barely regain their footing.

"Hiss...!"

At the same time, Xu Xiuer gasped and stood up abruptly, looking towards the area disturbed by the hourglass.

As the dust settled, the hourglass shone with golden light, forming a portal of light from which a figure gradually emerged.

Wearing a bright yellow dress, with a slender and tall figure, crystal clear skin, and an unparalleled beauty, she was none other than Xiao Minghuang, who had been missing for a long time.

However, at this moment, her stunningly beautiful face bore a hint of weariness.

"Your Highness!"

"Princess!"

Xu Xiuer and Xie Ziyin immediately flew over.

"I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried you."

Xiao Minghuang was pale and looked haggard. She raised her hand and released Luo Qianrui.

After Luo Qianrui came out, she saw that she had returned to her original time and space, and her heart finally settled down. But when she turned her gaze back to Xiao Minghuang, a deep complexity appeared in her pupils.

How is she supposed to face this person?!

This is the fairy sister she always talked about when she was a child!

Xu Xiuer knew nothing of what had happened in the alternate time and space. When she saw Xiao Minghuang again, she was overjoyed and immediately rushed over to hug her tightly.

"Your Highness..."

Xiao Minghuang reached out and hugged Xu Xiuer tightly, gently comforting her, "I'm back, everything's alright..."

Having experienced so much in another time and space, returning to this familiar world and seeing familiar people gave her a feeling of being in another life, making her cherish everything before her even more.

Seeing Xiao Minghuang and Xu Xiuer embracing, Luo Qianrui clenched her jade-like hands, hidden in her sleeves. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions; she truly didn't know how to face them...

The next moment.

Luo Qianrui turned to leave, but after taking only a few steps, Xiao Minghuang suddenly called out.

"Xiao Rui..."

Xiao Minghuang's tone seemed to carry a hint of unfamiliarity, yet also a trace of expectation, "How have you been these past years?"

Luo Qianrui froze, remained silent for a long time, and finally left without turning back.

Seeing this, Xu Xiuer was somewhat confused and released her arms from Xiao Minghuang.

"Sigh!" Xiao Minghuang sighed softly, "Let her have some peace and quiet."

"Your Highness, don't you want to talk to her? I remember back then..." Xu Xiuer frowned and asked tentatively.

"It wasn't that incident, and it wasn't her..."