Chapter 3092 - The Race From Beyond the Chaos Epoch

A solemn look appeared on Chen Pu’s face, but all he said was, “We’re holding it back for now.”

The heart devil understood. “There isn’t much hope, is there? Otherwise, there’d be no need for the old-timers of the Far Shore to waste their time on the River of Destiny.”

He laughed coldly. “And they’re still pretending it’s about finding the Source of the River of Destiny. Seems to me that they’re just looking for a safe place to wait out this crisis.”

Chen Pu rubbed his face. “I actually can’t blame them for that. If they find a safe place, they can at least ensure the continuation of their legacy and save a few sparks of hope for the world’s cultivators."

But the heart devil sneered. “Hiding will do no good at all! It might seem like this storm is coming from the All-Wonder Dominion, but in truth, it originated from beyond the Chaos Epoch. You could consider it an ‘alien race.’”

He paused, then asked, “Do you remember Alpha Origin?"

“Of course I do,” said Chen Pu.

The heart devil said, “He was from outside our Chaos Epoch.”

Chen Pu’s heart shook, and his expression shifted.

The heart devil patted him on the shoulder. “No need to be unduly concerned. Even if the heavens fall, you aren’t the only one there to prop them back up.

Chen Pu sighed. “Uncle, I’m worried about Father and Uncle Lin.”

Long ago, his father and Uncle Lin had led the disciples of Oracle and Fangchun Mountain to the All-Wonder Dominion to go beyond the present Chaos Epoch!

Yet now, an alien race from beyond the Chaos Epoch had invaded the All-Wonder Dominion and created a storm. Of course Chen Pu was worried!

The heart devil instantly understood. He pondered briefly, then said, “Rest assured. According to you, your father and Lin Xun both grasped the Dao of Life a long time ago. If something happened to even them... who else could oppose that alien race? If they’re dead, the rest of us might as well just roll over and wait to die.”

This was, of course, intended as a joke. His goal was to comfort Chen Pu.

But Chen Pu’s heart was heavy. He sighed. “Uncle, if you hadn’t reincarnated back then, perhaps—”

The heart devil shook his head slightly. “It’s already happened; there are no ‘ifs.’ Cultivators have to live in the present and look forward. It’s the only thing we can do.”

Chen Pu nodded silently.

“You’ve been fighting that alien race in the All-Wonder Dominion all these years. Have you learned anything useful?” the heart devil asked suddenly.

“I have,” said Chen Pu.

“Excellent. In that case, tell me. I’m curious to hear just how strong these invaders really are.”

As they walked, Chen Pu explained, and the heart devil listened. The two of them gradually faded into the distance.

After a while, the heart devil came to a sudden halt. “The Mountain of the Secluded Ones has already lost so many?”

Grief appeared on Chen Pu’s face. “That’s why Three Purities Temple and the other progenitor-level factions have sent their forces to look for a safe refuge on the River of Destiny.”

“It seems they’ve realized that in the end, there’ll be no blocking this storm from beyond the Chaos Epoch,” said the heart devil. He looked at Chen Pu. “How much longer do you think we can hold on?”

This time, Chen Pu fell silent for a long time before finally answering. “Ten years at most.”

“Ten years? That isn’t enough time.” The heart devil frowned. “Is the Mountain of the Secluded Ones really so lacking in capable fighters? The progenitors of Buddhism, the three old Daoists, and the first ancestor of Confucianism aren’t helping?”

Chen Pu’s gaze was conflicted. “All of them are there. Without them, we’d have collapsed a long time ago.”

The heart devil instantly realized the severity of the problem. The brewing storm was far more terrifying than he’d realized!

A moment later, he couldn’t help but curse. “Things are already this bad, but they’re still doing everything in their power to snuff out my reincarnation. The old bastards should have been put to death a long fucking time ago!”

Chen Pu laughed bitterly. “From their perspective, there’s no conflict. They can stave off the storm and target you, Su Yi, and Sword Sovereign City.”

The heart devil laughed coldly. “It’s true. In those old bastards’ eyes, Sword Sovereign City is their enemy, just like that alien race. They naturally have to treat us the same, and they cannot show any kind of favoritism.”

Suddenly, he was no longer in the mood to discuss these things.

His respect for the Mountain of the Secluded Ones was due to its many experts of strong character. It had nothing to do with his enemies.

He thought for a while, then said, “Before I reincarnated, I left countermeasures on the Far Shore of Destiny. I planned to have my reincarnation inherit them, but now, it seems there’s no longer any need for that.”

He closed his hand and condensed a bundle of light, which he passed to Chen Pu. “Take this. With it, you’ll be able to find them.”

Chen Pu was instantly flabbergasted. “Me?”

“I won’t promise it’ll help you kill vast swaths of your enemies, but it should at least keep you alive,” the heart devil said solemnly. “Staying alive comes first. Don’t fight to the bitter end. Where there's life, there’s hope of a comeback.”

Chen Pu couldn’t help but look moved. His heart churned with emotion.

“Of course, I’m not giving all that to you for free. There’s something I’d like you to do for me before you return to the Far Shore,” said the heart devil.

Chen Pu straightforwardly agreed.

......

The upper reaches of the River of Destiny, in the Retracing Sky Zone, the pass leading to the Source of the River of Destiny.

The duel between Lonely Heights and the Little Boss had drawn to a close.

The Little Boss had achieved his goal of preventing Lonely Heights from returning to the Secluded Realm and going to his allies’ aid, so he simply left.

Lonely Heights didn’t stop him. He couldn’t have even if he wanted to.

As the spirit of the Big Boss’s personal weapon, the Little Boss was a truly terrifying existence. No one understood that better than Lonely Heights.

Even if they fought to the very end, their battle would most likely end in heavy injuries for both parties. It would be extraordinarily difficult for either of them to kill the other.

All of this left Lonely Heights feeling deeply frustrated. He was among the mightiest experts in Three Purities Temple, second only to the three founders, but now, he couldn’t even beat a mere sword spirit!

Before the Little Boss left, Lonely Heights said with the utmost conviction, “I’ll refine you sooner or later, sword spirit!”

The Little Boss just flashed him a bright smile and said, “Useless.”

It was just two syllables, but it practically broke through Lonely Heights' defenses. His expression was as unsightly as could be.

This was because once, long ago, a certain incident had circulated throughout the All-Profound Dominion, to the point that practically everyone knew it.

The famously taciturn Big Boss of Sword Sovereign City had broken precedent to comment on Lonely Heights, the famed grandmaster-level expert.

He’d said just one simple word: "Useless.”

This incident spread like wildfire, leaving a dark shadow over Lonely Heights’ heart. Even now, countless years later, he nursed a grudge and saw this as a source of deep shame.

Now, he’d heard that familiar word again, with all that undisguised disdain.

Lonely Heights was in a bad mood already, but not long after the Little Boss left, he received word from the three founders.

He instantly sank into a deep, lasting silence.

......

A treasure ship hovered silently in the Sea of Fate. Su Yi, River Ancestor Luo Yu, River Ancestor Hu Chan, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, and Fei Yunzi were drinking on board.

After several rounds of drinks, Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan slapped his thigh and said wistfully, “Little Brother, you asked a Dao Ancestor for help, just to save me. I haven’t lived all this time in vain!”

Over the course of their conversation, Ku Xuan had learned just how lofty Ruo Su’s cultivation base was. The realization startled him to the point that his hands shook, almost spilling his wine.

Su Yi just laughed. He hadn’t asked for help, and he hadn’t anticipated that Ruo Su would cross endless time and space to help him.

The two River Ancestors exchanged glances and thought, I wonder how shocked he’d be if he knew that a grandmaster of Three Purities Temple had shown up, only for the ‘Little Boss’ of Sword Sovereign City to wipe him out with ease.

Su Yi hadn’t brought any of that up, so the River Ancestors considerately didn’t reveal anything about the Little Boss either.

“Little Brother, you needn’t worry about the members of the Heart-Tempering Sword House. I guarantee that the other Heavenly Sovereigns won’t be able to find them,” said Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, taking a drink and changing the subject. “I’ll bring you to see them when you return to the Eternal Heavens Domain!”

Su Yi smiled and nodded.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan had already told him that he’d indeed visited the Great Aberrant Ruins, gathered up the Aberrants and everyone in the Heart-Tempering Sword House, and led them to safety to prevent their enemies from discovering them.

He’d arranged a safe place for them before leaving for the Sea of Fate.

Only now did Su Yi fully relax. The thing he’d feared most ultimately hadn’t come to pass. That was cause for celebration.

“Daoist Brother Ku Xuan, did someone really claim the lost Eternal Throne already?” River Ancestor Luo Yu couldn’t help but ask.

Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan nodded. “Fei Yunzi and I have a copy of a secret map that leads into the Blood Lotus Forbidden Domain. Now that we’ve been here, we can say with certainty that someone has already left with the Spring and Autumn Eternal Throne. Neither of us can say who exactly did it, but there’s no way it was someone from Three Purities Temple.”

The Spring and Autumn Eternal Throne!

A Heavenly Sovereign had controlled it during the Devastation. It had unfathomable power, and purportedly contained a supreme Law of Space.

Its owner had died during the last battle of the Devastation, his Eternal Throne lost to the depths of the Sea of Fate!

Su Yi said thoughtfully, “It wasn’t Three Purities Temple, it wasn’t the Heavenly Sovereigns, and it wasn’t you. Who else in this world could possibly have been capable enough to run off with such a grand stroke of fortune without anyone noticing?”

The group sank into thought.

“Little Brother, it seems you have a hypothesis?” Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan glanced at Su Yi.

Su Yi grabbed a jug of wine and poured himself a cup. “I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I can only think of one real suspect.”

“Who?”

“The Threelives Buddha!”

“Him?” The others were flabbergasted.

“When I returned to the Great Aberrant Ruins, he was there waiting for me. He wanted to make a deal with me so that I’d bring him to the Abyss of Endless Tribulations.

“Earlier, I wondered why there was no sign of the Threelives Buddha anywhere in the Sea of Fate. After all, the whole world is watching what’s happening here.

“Now, it seems it’s not that he isn’t interested, but that he beat us all to the punch and ran off with the Spring and Autumn Eternal Throne!”

The others were astonished. Is the Threelives Buddha really that capable?