Chapter 562: Repeated Time Reversal! The Emperor's Breakdown!

Chapter 562: Repeated Time Reversal! The Emperor's Breakdown!

2025-02-20

"You've advanced to the Ancient Realm?"

The Emperor's gaze fixed on the illusory figure standing upon the Long River of Time, hesitantly speaking, his tone unconsciously laced with apprehension.

But to his inquiry, Qin Zheng remained silent, instead taking a step forward, returning from the Long River of Time to the current 'time node'.

The illusion became reality.

Instantly, a powerful aura tore through the void, as if the Chaos Ocean couldn't bear it, and a unique Qi began to permeate the heavens and earth.

Feeling this Qi, both Xuan Du and the Emperor's expressions changed, for they were all too familiar with this unique Qi!

Especially the Emperor! This unique Qi was almost identical to the one when the Emperor transcended millions of years ago, working with numerous Beyond-the-Shore beings to strike at the Polluted Realm. In other words, Qin Zheng had already touched the power of the Ancient Realm, even advancing to the Divine Ancient Realm, and was about to transcend from the Chaos Ocean to the Nine Continents!

There was indeed such a thing!

The Emperor's expression turned extremely gloomy, his icy eyes filled with complex emotions. First, shock appeared, then confusion, and finally, it turned into jealousy!

He had cultivated for countless years, and after the Beyond-the-Shore beings left, he plotted for thousands of years, only to have a chance to advance to the Ancient Realm in the present era.

But Qin Zheng was just a human who had lived for a few hundred years, with a cultivation time of barely over a century, directly surpassing the Emperor's countless years of accumulation, advancing to the Ancient Realm first!

At this moment, even with his experience of countless years of tempering, his Dao heart, already unwavering, couldn't help but waver slightly.

Although he had waited until now to merge with the Ancient Clan bloodline, it was to prevent being eroded by the Curse Power after transcending and being antagonized by the powerful beings of the Nine Continents.

However, judging from Qin Zheng's past actions, his ability to purify the Polluted Qi must mean he has a way to deal with the Curse Power, so even after transcending, he wouldn't need to worry about its erosion!

So, all his careful planning and obsession were no match for the opponent's century of cultivation depth!

Resentment grew in his heart.

The Emperor's eyes quickly filled with icy killing intent, and his aura seemed to break free, rapidly rising. In just a few breaths, he broke through the Beyond-the-Shore Realm!

He wanted to transcend the Chaos Ocean and reach the Nine Continents right now, while the Tao Te Tianzun and the Buddha Ancestor were still absent.

Whoosh!!!

Almost instantly as the Emperor broke through, the Qi in the Chaos Ocean drastically changed, as if a connection to another realm had been established.

Xuan Du, who was initially puzzled, wondered why Qin Zheng, who had just attained the Beyond-the-Shore Realm, was said to have advanced to the Ancient Realm by the Emperor. What realm was Qin Zheng in at this moment?

Following this, the changes brought about by the Emperor's breakthrough instantly captured Xuan Du's attention, and his expression also became flustered.

He wasn't afraid of the Emperor's transcendence but feared that the Emperor's breakthrough would break the seal, reconnecting the Polluted Realm and the Chaos Ocean.

Qin Zheng had restraint, but the Emperor did not!

However, when he anxiously turned his gaze to Qin Zheng, he saw Qin Zheng's calm demeanor, without much anxiety, even observing the Emperor's breakthrough with his eyes.

Could it be that Senior Brother Qin has truly advanced to the Ancient Realm?

Xuan Du, at this moment, finally realized the shocking truth, his eyes fixed on Qin Zheng, filled with disbelief.

Meanwhile, Qin Zheng calmly observed the Emperor's Dao breakthrough, not interrupting, but sensing the changes within the Emperor's body.

The Sky Abyss Clan excelled in Archery, and the most crucial aspect of cultivating this path was having an exceptionally keen perception. Thus, after merging with the Divine Ancient Blood and circulating the Sky Abyss Divine Archery, Qin Zheng's perception had reached an unprecedented level.

As the Emperor broke through, the various changes within his body were clearly reflected in Qin Zheng's heightened awareness.

However, Qin Zheng only focused half of his perception on the Emperor's advancement, while the other half was on the rapidly weakening Ancient Clan bloodline within the Emperor's body!

After merging with the Divine Ancient Blood, his sensitivity to the Ancient Clan's bloodline power was extraordinary. First, he sensed the drop of Hao Tian Divine Clan's blood within the Hao Tian Mirror, containing the power of the Ancient Clan.

This made him understand that the former Emperor Hao Tian might have had a connection with the Ancient Clan of the Nine Continents!

Subsequently, upon returning to the current 'time node', he immediately sensed the Ancient Clan bloodline power within the Emperor's body.

Relatively speaking, compared to the Shen Gu Jingxue he obtained, the ancient clan blood power contained within the other party's body could be said to be extremely weak.

Even if the ancient clan bloodline is extremely weak, it is still the bloodline of the ancient clan. With the support of this bloodline power, even if the Heavenly Emperor ascends to the Ancient Realm, he will not be corrupted by the curse power and lose his reason, turning into a monster.

But at this moment, under Qin Zheng's perception, he can discover that although the Heavenly Emperor is trying to break through the realm, his aura is also increasing at a nearly explosive rate.

However, the ancient clan blood power within his body is constantly weakening and diminishing, just like the consumption of this weak ancient clan blood power when ascending to the Linggu Realm.

But in front of Qin Zheng, who has experience in merging with divine blood, this is simply illogical. The improvement in breaking through the realm and the blood power are not mutually consuming, but rather advancing together!

When the host of the merged divine blood becomes stronger, the divine blood power within his body will also become stronger. Instead of weakening with the host's strength, it allows the divine blood power to become stronger.

Therefore, in an instant, Qin Zheng's mind found the answer. The Heavenly Emperor is not consuming blood power but transferring bloodline power! The Heavenly Emperor before him has a profound foundation and can attempt to ascend to the Linggu Realm, causing the current changes in the Chaos Ocean. However, the Heavenly Emperor before him is not the true Heavenly Emperor!

Or, to say, it is not the complete Heavenly Emperor! Therefore, the Heavenly Emperor before him is using the commotion of attaining the Beyond to attract Qin Zheng's attention, and then quietly transferring the ancient clan blood power! No matter whether this clone can successfully ascend to the Linggu Realm or not, it will allow the true body to evade detection and secretly attain the Beyond in the shadows!

So at this moment, Qin Zheng calmly observes from the sidelines, as if waiting for the Heavenly Emperor to attain the Beyond. In reality, he is using the ancient clan blood power to anchor the true body of the Heavenly Emperor! The Heavenly Emperor is cunning and sly, and even now, the one who has appeared is not his true body. If his tail is not caught and he is not swiftly struck with a thunderous blow, who knows what kind of hiding technique he will use next! Before attaining the Beyond, Qin Zheng did not have the ability to do this, but now that he has attained the Beyond and merged with the Shen Gu Jingxue, it is not difficult to carefully execute this step!

Hua hua hua! In the Chaos Ocean, violent qi surges, and the Heavenly Emperor's aura also rises to an extremely powerful level. Although he has not completely broken through the Ancient Realm, he has far surpassed the Beyond.

At this moment, his mind suddenly moves, and the time river that had dissipated around him reappears before his eyes. He then has a thought, feeling that he can step onto this river of time.

Without hesitation, he takes a step forward and is about to step onto the river of time!

As long as he can step into the river of time, his past and future will become variable, and to a certain extent, he can change it according to his own will! In that case, his chances of successfully ascending to the Ancient Realm will greatly increase!

However, just as he takes a step forward and half of his foot touches the river of time, he immediately discovers that the scenery of the heavens and earth around him becomes blurry and illusory again.

At the same time, another blurry scene appears, gradually becoming clearer, until it crashes into his line of sight.

Ka-cha!

A crisp shattering sound rings in his ears.

The Heavenly Emperor only feels that the previous sense of power suddenly disappears, and the huge perception gap makes him feel so uncomfortable that he almost vomits blood.

At this moment, he forcefully suppresses the discomfort welling up in his heart, opens his eyes to see the hazy surroundings, and perceives his immature body, causing his mind to instantly become extremely heavy!

He has returned to the past time again!

He has been pushed back to the time when he was still incubating in the heart!

A sense of helplessness arises in the Heavenly Emperor's heart.

With this ability to reverse time, as long as he does not ascend to the Ancient Realm and does not step into the river of time, he will never be able to resist Qin Zheng!

Ka-cha, ka-cha... At this moment, the sound of shattering fills the surroundings, and in the next instant, a loud bang is heard, and the scene of the Hundun Void appears before his eyes.

His eyes reveal a contemplative look, and his body quickly grows from an infant to an adult. This time, he does not leak his aura, attracting the attention of Hongdu the Great Daoist in the Eight Scenery Palace. Instead, he turns around and takes a step away from his original position.

But just at this moment—

Hua hua hua! The sound of the flowing river of time once again enters his ears with utmost clarity, and he also sees the calm figure in a golden-patterned robe standing not far from him.

The next moment—

Hua! The heavens and earth before his eyes become blurry again, and the river of time flows backward once more. Another scene reflects in his eyes, gradually becoming clearer from its initial vagueness.

"Such dense pollution qi!"

"Why is this happening?"

"Ahhhh!"

Heart-wrenching screams echoed across the boundless land.

Countless members of the Hao Tian Divine Clan with thin ancient clan bloodlines struggled and wailed helplessly on the earth, only to be enveloped by black qi, refining and extracting every trace of ancient clan blood power.

The Heavenly Emperor watched this scene, his eyes filled with a deepening sense of despair.

However, this scene didn't last long; in the blink of an eye, it became blurred again.

In the following moments, his time was repeatedly reversed. With each turn, the despair in his eyes intensified.

When the scene before him transformed into deep mountains, surrounded by towering trees, and he reverted from the 'Heavenly Emperor' to an ordinary 'woodcutter,' the roaring sound of the time river calmed. After a moment of waiting, seeing no changes, a hint of joy emerged in his expression.

If he were to be trapped in an endless time reversal, it would be like a process of constant weakening. By the time he fell from the Beyond, he would be utterly powerless to resist! Furthermore, as time continued to reverse, there would eventually be a moment when it returned to the scene where his original body severed this physical form, exposing it completely!

Fortunately, Qin Zheng's limit should be just enough to keep him at this stage.

The Heavenly Emperor heaved a sigh of relief.

At almost the same time, Qin Zheng stepped into the time river, with Tao Te Tianzun and the Buddha Ancestor following closely behind. Xuan Du, sensing their mental connection, turned his gaze to the time river, invisible to him.

Suddenly, Qin Zheng's figure emerged from the time river, appearing directly in the secluded cultivation area of the Eight Scenery Palace, right in front of Xuan Du.

"Where did you go, Junior Brother Qin?"

Xuan Du, seeing Qin Zheng's sudden appearance, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes, then quickly asked.

Even though he had his suspicions, he still wanted to hear the answer from Qin Zheng's mouth.

Qin Zheng, understanding that Xuan Du didn't possess memories related to the 'future,' nodded slightly and replied, "I just visited the Time River."

The moment he stepped into the Time River was his 'current node.' When he went to the 'future,' he witnessed the Heavenly Emperor's actions and wanted to see how far the Emperor could go.

After understanding the Emperor's plan, he dragged the Emperor's consciousness from the 'future' back to the 'past,' letting him experience the despair and helplessness of time reversal over and over.

Now, after several time reversals, the Emperor's state must not be good.

Thinking this, Qin Zheng turned and looked out of the Eight Scenery Palace, towards the Hao Tian Divine Clan's land hidden somewhere in the chaotic void, and saw the Heavenly Emperor disguised as a woodcutter.

"Junior Brother Qin, why did Teacher and the Buddha Ancestor..."

Xuan Du wanted to ask more.

But before he could finish, Qin Zheng's figure stepped into the void and instantly disappeared, leaving only a sentence echoing in Xuan Du's ear: "Senior Brother Xuan Du, guard the Eight Scenery Palace well. The Sage and the Buddha Ancestor will return soon."

After his voice faded, Xuan Du frowned slightly, muttering to himself, "Why am I left alone again?"

"Wait, why did I say 'again'?"

Xuan Du's frown deepened.

In the next moment, the void stirred, and Tao Te Tianzun and the Buddha Ancestor reappeared between heaven and earth. However, their auras were slightly disordered, not as stable as before entering the Time River.

Xuan Du immediately put aside his thoughts and turned to Tao Te Tianzun and the Buddha Ancestor, speaking with a heavy tone, "Teacher! Buddha Ancestor!"

The two lightly nodded in response.

Xuan Du quickly added, "Junior Brother Qin just returned, but without a word, he left again, and I don't know where he went. I saw a hint of urgency in his expression, and I'm not sure if he encountered some important matter."

At this moment, Tao Te Tianzun shook his head and spoke, "Let him be. We've helped him through the most difficult calamity; from now on, he must face it himself."

"Agreed," the Buddha Ancestor echoed.

The two then stepped back into the Daoist temple.

Xuan Du stood alone, his mind filled with questions:

What is Junior Brother Qin going to do?

Why did Teacher and the Buddha Ancestor help Junior Brother Qin through a calamity, and what kind of calamity could make them lose control of their auras, leaving them in such a disheveled state?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end