The River of Time and Space is the path to the future!
Yang Kai fell into contemplation. "Senior means..."
"The reason I placed a prohibition on the outside of my River of Time and Space is because only those who have similarly condensed a River of Time and Space possess the ability to save the world. No one else does. Even if someone found my River, it would be of no use. In that case, it was better to sever any hope of those who came early on, so as to spare them even greater despair later."
Mu had hidden her River of Time and Space within the Primordial Grand Restriction. When Yang Kai had followed Wu Kuang's guidance to find it, he had sensed a layer of prohibition upon entering, yet he passed through with ease. He had originally attributed it to his human heritage, only learning later that it was because he had also manifested his own River of Time and Space.
Had it been anyone else—a Ninth-Order Open Heaven cultivator, no less—they would not have been able to enter.
To the humans of this Primordial World, the so-called Saint was the savior of this world. But the savior Mu spoke of was one who could save all Three Thousand Worlds.
"To defeat Mo, the strength of the Ninth Order is not nearly enough. Unless one can break through the shackles of the Ninth Order and reach the next realm—I once stood a single step away from that realm!"
Yang Kai hurriedly asked, "What is the next realm? And why were you unable to break through, Senior?"
Mu gave him a bitter smile. "I don't know what the next realm truly is either. As for why I failed to break through... it is because my River of Time and Space is incomplete."
Yang Kai's mind went blank as he recalled the vast and magnificent river he had seen before...
Such a colossal river was in an incomplete state? What, then, would a complete River of Time and Space look like?
Moreover, how could a River of Time and Space be incomplete? What manner of enemy had Mu encountered that left her own River of Time and Space lacking?
"Is it beyond repair?" Yang Kai asked.
In theory, the River of Time and Space was the condensation and manifestation of one's own Three Thousand Great Daos. Even if it sustained damage from fierce battle, as long as the foundation of one's Great Dao remained intact, there was a chance of full restoration.
There was only one scenario in which the River of Time and Space could not be restored: the complete shattering of one's own Great Dao foundation...
Mu slowly shook her head. "It cannot be repaired." Ancient memories churned in her mind, bringing back the scene of that day, and a faint smile curved the corners of her lips.
When the Gate of Xuanpin had devoured a portion of her River of Time and Space, she had not been particularly concerned, fully immersed in the joy of rescuing Mo from behind the gate.
She had believed that once she opened the gate again, she would be able to retrieve the lost portion of her River of Time and Space.
Who could have imagined that when she later opened the Gate of Xuanpin, there was nothing left behind it—only eternal silence and darkness.
She still had not grasped the severity of the problem...
Not until her River of Time and Space continued to grow, her cultivation growing ever more refined, and she attempted to take one more step forward did she discover with helpless resignation that the incomplete River of Time and Space had already cut off any chance of further advancement.
Had it not been for that accident all those years ago, she would by now have broken beyond the bounds of the Open Heaven Realm and reached that ineffable, wondrous realm.
Did she regret it?
Never!
She only felt a certain self-reproach: she had rescued Mo from the Gate of Xuanpin, yet failed to guide him well. By the time she realized what had transpired afterward, it was already beyond remedy.
And in comparison, she had not gained nothing. Had the Gate of Xuanpin not devoured a portion of her River of Time and Space, she would never have been able to so easily refine it—for it was, after all, a supremely profound treasure of heaven and earth.
Shooing the memories from her mind, Mu's smile faded, and she regarded Yang Kai with solemn gravity. "You have already forged your own path. Sooner or later, you will reach its end and blaze a new trail. But time is running short for you now. I hope you can accomplish what I failed to do."
The weight of her words crashed down upon Yang Kai like a mountain, but he could only reply in a steady voice, "This junior will give everything he has!"
Mu smiled softly, stepping closer one pace at a time, and—as the silhouettes Yang Kai had encountered across those countless realms had done—gently placed her hand upon his chest. "Go now. End all of this. Humanity has suffered since the Ancient Era. As the chosen of heaven and earth, it is time they knew a peaceful life."
Yang Kai quickly said, "But Senior, you haven't yet told me what to do."
The reason he had returned here was because the final silhouette had sent him back. Yet after all this conversation, Yang Kai still had not received a clear answer from Mu.
How was he supposed to defeat the Mo of today?!
Mu had said he must break through to the next realm, but he had not even touched the threshold of that realm—how could he possibly break through in such haste?
Mu's smile remained as her form gradually faded. "I have left something for you. You will know what to do soon enough."
The silhouette dissolved, and Yang Kai's body shot skyward of its own accord, swiftly plunging into the vast and magnificent River of Time and Space.
This time, he felt not the slightest pull. Of the Three Thousand Realms that sealed Mo's origin, he had already traversed over ninety percent, successfully sealing more than a thousand portions of Mo's primordial power.