In the Heavenly South Desolate Domain, a vast and endless mountain range stretches between heaven and earth.
Every plant and tree here is incredibly tall and full of life, with birds chirping softly in the air.
Deep within the mountains, on an inconspicuous stone platform, a figure sat quietly cross-legged.
The figure was not tall, and was even somewhat thin.
His face was aged, and his hair and beard were all white, making him look like an ordinary old man.
However, upon closer inspection, one would find that the flow of time within a few feet of him was completely different from that of the outside world.
Outside, everything was still, while everything around him was moving at an extremely slow yet incredibly natural rhythm.
A withered leaf that had fallen in mid-air drifted slowly down his shoulder, taking a full ten breaths to touch the ground.
A bird flew overhead, its wings flapping so slowly they seemed frozen in time, as if it were flying through a viscous sea of time.
At this moment, a figure was kneeling beneath the stone platform, trembling slightly.
Zi's hair was disheveled, his upper body was bare, his bronze skin was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his eerie green eyes revealed fear.
He dared not look up, but pressed his forehead tightly against the cold ground, his voice trembling slightly:
"The lowly Guardian Zi pays homage to the Great One."
If Zi's men saw this, they would be incredibly surprised.
The usually extremely arrogant Zi actually showed such a humble attitude.
But if people truly knew the old man's identity, then no one would be surprised.
candle.
The oldest being in the Heavenly South Desolate Domain, Primordial Eternal Deity who governs time.
The candle neither opened its eyes nor spoke.
He simply sat there quietly, the rhythm of time surrounding him spreading slowly in the void like faint ripples.
He knelt there, not daring to move.
He had lived for countless years and was a notorious figure in the Heavenly South Desolate Domain, commanding a large number of Variant beasts and fallen cultivators, thus securing a place for himself in the Desolate Domain.
But before this ancient man, he felt so insignificant, even less than an ant.
Not much time had actually passed, but Zi felt as if he had been kneeling in this frozen moment for an entire era.
The candle spoke, its voice aged yet peaceful:
Get up.
Zi slowly stood up, but kept her head down.
Countless questions churned within him.
Why did "Candle" summon him?
He acted radically and was always regarded as a restless outcast in the Heavenly South Desolate Domain. The conservative old guys were very dissatisfied with him.
As for the Great One "Candle," he is a well-known representative of the conservative faction. It is because of the existence and decisions of "Candle" that these Eternal Deity of the Heavenly South Desolate Domain are able to live peacefully in this world today, even as the power of cultivators grows stronger.
He initially thought this summons was to reprimand him, but then he thought, if they really wanted to punish him, would they need to call him over?
It's no exaggeration to say that this great being could be wiped out a thousand times over with a single thought.
But what happened next left Zi completely stunned.
Zhu opened his eyes, his purple pupils flashing, and raised his right hand, gently pointing his fingertip towards the corner of his eye.
A purple light flew from between his fingers and silently disappeared into the space between Zi's eyebrows.
Zi's whole body trembled, and his eyes suddenly widened.
He felt the bottleneck within him that had bound him for countless years cracking, like a dam that had trapped a river being breached by a flood.
His aura surged rapidly in a very short time, skyrocketing from the Eternal Sage stage, crossing the chasm that countless beings could not cross in their entire lives, and steadily stopping at the Holy Lord Realm.
His aura surged like a tidal wave, and even the ground beneath his feet could not withstand the pressure, beginning to crack inch by inch.
But the cracks stopped spreading automatically when they reached a distance of three zhang around the candle, as if time had been paused there.
"From this day forward, you shall be the tenth Great Guardian of the Heavenly South Desolate Domain."
Zhu spoke slowly, his tone remaining calm.
He stood there dumbfounded for a long time before he came to his senses.
His legs buckled, and he knelt down again, this time kowtowing three times deeply, his voice trembling and his eyes reddening.
"Zi, I swear to follow you to the death, sir!"
While he was overjoyed, a sense of unease also crept into his heart.
He couldn't understand why the Great One would treat someone as radical and with a less-than-stellar reputation so kindly.
But he didn't ask any further questions.
He didn't even have the courage to ask another question in front of the "candle".
He secretly wondered if it was his actions that had moved this ancient and Great One?
I won't give you any tasks; do whatever you want.
The candle's sound was calm.
But to Zi's ears, it made him extremely uneasy, but he quickly nodded emphatically:
"Yes, sir."
Zhu didn't speak again, and Zi immediately understood, turning and leaving.
They watched as the other person disappeared.
Zhu closed his eyes again, but images from countless years ago flooded his mind.
At that time, there was no peace treaty between the Eternal Deity and the cultivators.
The two factions clashed in the Endless Void, in the Primordial Sea, and on the Eternal Continent, causing the heavens and earth to tremble and many great domains to become uninhabitable, all because of this war.
He watched as one ancient being at his level as he fell, including his old friend, "Fate."
"Fate" governs the Dao of Fate and was once his trusted companion.
He advised the other party not to act impulsively and suggested that they could choose to negotiate. However, the other party directly slaughtered a region of cultivators, which angered him. He was then surrounded and killed by powerful figures from the cultivator camp. His true spirit shattered, and he was cut off from life and death. Even Undying Eternal Deity would not be able to reincarnate.
He chose neutrality, and during the great battle after "Ming" fell, he stayed behind closed doors, letting the outside world be turned upside down.
In the end, the cultivator signed a treaty with the remaining Eternal Deity, thus preserving the Heavenly South Desolate Domain and those gods who were willing to choose conservatism like him.
But now, this peace doesn't seem to last much longer.
This time, he reincarnated as a part of his true spirit, transforming into Wan Zhu, and fully experienced the Principle of the cultivator's world.
He witnessed how those young prodigies grew at an astonishing pace.
The path of spiritual practice has evolved from its initial simplicity and crudeness to a vibrant tapestry of diverse approaches and competing doctrines, its potential far exceeding his initial assessment.
And what about the Eternal Deity?
They are born strong, but precisely because of this, their progress is slow, their path is singular, and they have hardly changed over countless years.
If things continue like this, one day the Eternal Deity will either vanish from this world or venture beyond to find new places to live.
The candle slowly opened its eyes, its gaze piercing through frozen time, looking into the depths of the sky.
Perhaps he should change his long-held views and demonstrate his strength to fight for a voice, instead of continuing to be complacent and stagnant.
I hope Zi can give him some surprises.
Zi was in a great mood upon returning to his own territory.
Having established a connection with a legendary being and received divine power from him, the other major Guardian of the Heavenly South Desolate Domain were completely powerless against him.
They could easily expand their influence and then teach those cunning cultivators a lesson.
Let them know who the true ruler of the Eternal Continent is.