The Long River of Time

Humans are born, grow old, get sick, and die; the ultimate conclusion of physiognomy is the moment of death.

In Yao Yuanguang's mind, it was almost impossible for someone like Nezha, who relied on his Dharma body to be immortal and ageless, to glimpse the end of another's life.

But in just over twenty years, Nezha faced a life-threatening ordeal.

He kept making Zhang Xuezhou move backward, so he couldn't see where the death was coming from.

The river of time flows on, and there's no way he could go back now.

As for casting the spell again, it's almost impossible. He's already paid a price for casting the spell once, and Nezha is no ordinary person, but an ancient monster with a long history.

Once the opponent adapts to his physiognomy and develops physical resistance, the difficulty of performing the spell will increase by at least several times.

Given the current situation, Yao Yuanguang is quite certain that casting the spell again will cause him to die from exhaustion.

"How could it have happened in such a short time!"

His thoughts also probed into this point of light, carefully observing everything about Nezha presented in the scene.

Nezha is both a hated character and someone people can't help, mainly because he can fly, fight, and has powerful Law Treasure.

But in this scene, everything about Nezha is destroyed.

Despite his formidable strength, Nezha failed to escape. Like a shattered mechanical doll, Nezha's body lay on the ground, never to rise again.

How can we explain this to the Primordial Sovereign?

If time could be reversed, Yao Yuanguang felt he would definitely have Zhang Xuezhou carefully observe the future fragments related to Nezha at times of ten, fifteen, eighteen, and twenty years, instead of setting the timeline to thirty years in advance for careful observation.

Time cannot be reversed, and he wanted to find out how Nezha perished, a mystery that remained unsolved.

Moreover, within the same river of time, Yao Yuanguang can only bring back one fragment of glimpse into reality.

"Who dares to steal my spacetime power!"

As Yao Yuanguang pondered, he saw towering waves in the river of time, and a consciousness that made his soul tremble roared out.

"Oh no, we've offended that transcendent saint!"

Yao Yuanguang was greatly shocked.

Before he could react, he felt as if struck by lightning, and his entire consciousness began to blur.

"Bang!"

The ancient tortoise Law Artifact, which would only take the place of the damage upon its own demise, exploded, jolting Yao Yuanguang awake.

"Quickly stop the spell, let's go!"

Yao Yuanguang had rarely encountered this situation when judging people in the past. For him, the most important thing to do immediately after encountering such a situation was to stop his magic and return to reality.

But he can't help feeling bitter now.

He borrowed Zhang Xuezhou's magic to perform the ritual, so he must bear the consequences of Zhang Xuezhou's actions.

Compared to his Divine Ability abilities, Zhang Xuezhou's skill in Person-Fixing Technique was not particularly high.

This also makes their spellcasting skills completely different.

Even though Zhang Xuezhou was still in a state of confusion and not fully awake, it was difficult for him to stop the Person-Fixing Technique as he wished.

"Oops!"

Recalling his initial experience of watching the fragments of time, Yao Yuanguang now fully understood why he was on the verge of death.

He hated himself in this fragment of time and didn't want to end up like this.

But if asked to change his fate right now, Yao Yuanguang couldn't do it.

When the roar of the river of time rang out again, Yao Yuanguang once again fell into a state of blurred consciousness. He only regained consciousness when the ten-thousand-year-old tortoise Law Artifact exploded again.

How can we break this deadlock?

The ancient tortoise Law Artifact protecting its own consciousness couldn't be used on Zhang Xuezhou. Zhang Xuezhou's consciousness was already blurred, and by the time the second layer of power from the time invasion arrived, it was clear that he wouldn't be able to regain consciousness.

Yao Yuanguang felt fear.

The future, as time flows on, holds countless possibilities. It could be the path they foresee, or it could take a completely different turn.

For example, if Yao Yuanguang saw his own dying future, it was entirely possible that he would choose a less likely time branch and die directly.

"I'm going to die!"

The tortoise shell Law Artifact, which could save his life, could still resist the seven waves of attacking power, but Yao Yuanguang saw no hope of escaping his predicament.

He used magic on Zhang Xuezhou, not only binding Zhang Xuezhou tightly and making Zhang Xuezhou stand in front of him, but also using this shackle to restrain him in turn when they were escaping, making it impossible for Yao Yuanguang to break free.

"I, Yao Yuanguang, have always been cautious; how could I have ended up like this!"

Longevity was within reach, but just one step away.

This situation made Yao Yuanguang extremely unwilling. He was unwilling that all his efforts had been in vain, and he was also unwilling that his lifespan would soon fall into chaos and then completely perish.

This kind of death is a complete annihilation of the soul, leaving only an empty shell of a body, with no possibility of reincarnation.

However, the river of time has a very special property; it will slowly erase the traces of his existence in the world, and those who knew him will gradually forget him, eventually making it difficult for him to leave a trace in the world.

Even transcendent sages cannot escape this situation. A thousand years have almost completely erased any trace of the other's existence, leaving only a few people with lingering thoughts in their minds. Some immortals even doubt whether the sage truly exists.

"To be annihilated!"

The resounding crack of the eighth ten-thousand-year-old tortoise Law Artifact shattering entered Yao Yuanguang's mind, clearing his muddled thoughts once more, and giving rise to the courage of a grasshopper struggling in its death throes.

Compared to being reduced to ashes, his pale face and dying state were nothing.

He struggled desperately, trying to break free from Zhang Xuezhou's connection, and screamed wildly.

"Wake up and stop the spell! We're about to die!"

"I'm going to die, do you hear me?!"

"We're going to die! Only by ending the spell can we return to reality and escape this disaster!"

"Hello!"

Wake up!

"Dongfang Shuo?"

"Help!"

Yao Yuanguang's cries grew increasingly desperate, and his desperate struggles caused his soul to sway unsteadily.

Whether it's struggling for a sliver of hope or heading straight for extinction, Yao Yuanguang is very clear about the choice, the answer to the choice, and the chances of success.

Even if there's only a one in ten thousand chance of survival, he will struggle.

But the ninth cracking sound of the tortoise shell shattered his little plan.

"I've lost all my ability to save my life!"

Without the ability to save their lives, the next step is for their soul to withstand the onslaught, ultimately leading to their annihilation.

Yao Yuanguang took a deep breath, then shut down his senses and quietly awaited death.

It might be a momentary shock, or it might be like the chaotic and vague feeling that came before, slowly fading away, or something else entirely.

Yao Yuanguang had never experienced death, nor did he know how to face it.

He used to be terrified, but now he felt a sense of peace.

He was terrified before he faced death, but when he actually faced it, he became more accepting of it.

"All for nothing!"

He kept thinking to himself, feeling the river of time roaring and raging ever more fiercely.

Then, a mechanical chant began to play.

"As long as the void remains, I shall endure forever!"

"Those who believe in me will have eternal life!"

Suddenly, Yao Yuanguang felt the binding with Zhang Xuezhou loosen, which made him struggle violently. His senses then left the state of the river of time and returned to reality.

"You old bastard!"

When Yao Yuanguang opened his eyes, he was greeted by a dizzying sensation as the world spun around him.

He felt as if he had been spinning in circles a thousand times; his head was spinning terribly.

But before he could recover, Yao Yuanguang suddenly felt a pain in his stomach.

"You opened your eyes, but my cousin's eyes weren't open!"

As the violent blow struck, Yao Yuanguang felt as if his intestines were about to be ruptured by the force.

What terrified him was the other person's renewed nagging.

"If you don't give me a clear explanation, you'll fly into a rage!"

Rong Tianding shouted, clearly intending to start a fire.

If it weren't for Jinxia Yuanjun's solemn expression, supporting the unconscious Nezha, and scolding him not to move, Rong Tianding would have already started a fire.