Chapter 626: Existing in the Past
Chapter 626: Existing in the Past
Chen Mu pondered, recalling the previous scene, while his gaze remained fixed on the distant Void River.
As he scanned further into the distance, he saw an endless array of whirlpools, each blooming and fading one after the other. These whirlpools varied in depth and size, each unique in its own way.
Suddenly,
Chen Mu narrowed his eyes, focusing on a particular void whirlpool.
Within the whirlpool, the void warped, and a peculiar golden substance shot out. This golden material was extraordinary, shimmering with a lustrous gold sheen. It sliced through the chaotic, warped void force without being affected by it, and even seemed to guide the void force, causing it to shift and flow in waves.
"Void Essence Gold?"
Chen Mu instantly recognized the origin of this odd relic.
Void Essence Gold, one of the peculiar treasures of the Void Lineage, had an extremely high affinity with the void force. Its value was immense, serving as one of the primary materials for forging Upper Divine Armaments of the Void Lineage. Even for Chen Mu, it was worth taking action to acquire.
However, as Chen Mu watched the Void Essence Gold churning within the Void River, his brows furrowed slightly, and he made no attempt to retrieve it.
The void whirlpool that had spat out the Void Essence Gold was located in an extremely deep part of the Void River. It was impossible to retrieve it from the shore; he had to go down there himself. But the area was filled with numerous deep whirlpools, and entering it would mean being caught in the void whirlpools and transported to unknown, dangerous places.
Chen Mu watched as the Void Essence Gold tumbled and eventually sank into the deepest part of the Void River, disappearing completely.
"No wonder this Void River, though seemingly safe on the shore, even for second or third-tier Divine Realms, can still be dangerous. It's no wonder that some Divine Realms occasionally fall into it, leading to the loss of their true bodies."
Chen Mu muttered to himself.
Even he was slightly tempted by the Void Essence Gold. If it had been closer and shallower, he might have tried to retrieve it himself, let alone the average Divine Realm cultivators.
If a fifth or sixth-tier Divine Realm cultivator were here and saw the Void Essence Gold, they would likely go crazy for it!
After all, such a peculiar treasure would be an immense resource for them, possibly even surpassing their entire wealth accumulated over tens or hundreds of billions of years. In the face of such great value, it was understandable that some might take risks.
However, the reality was that even Chen Mu wasn't absolutely certain he could retrieve the Void Essence Gold and retreat safely, let alone ordinary fifth or sixth-tier Divine Realm cultivators. If they attempted to retrieve it, the chances of success would likely be less than two or three out of ten.
Of course,
If Chen Mu took action, he would still have a certain level of confidence, but there would be a minimal risk involved. For him at this point, even a one-in-a-million risk was not worth taking for resources.
After all, what he needed was never resources but time. Acquiring resources was only to save time and enhance his strength faster. If it required taking risks, it would obviously not be worth it. With enough time, he could gradually cultivate to higher levels, and the fusion of mysteries was not an obstacle for him.
Just as Chen Mu was feeling a bit regretful about the Void Essence Gold sinking into the depths,
Suddenly,
Another void whirlpool churned, and a peculiar, filthy black mud was ejected from it.
Chen Mu's gaze shifted immediately.
This void whirlpool was located closer to the surface of the Void River, and there were fewer whirlpools nearby.
After a brief observation, Chen Mu took action. He waved his right hand forward, and in an instant, three golden threads shot out from his fingers. As soon as they appeared, they seemed to come alive, constantly writhing and directly penetrating the Void River.
Splash! Splash!
The river water churned, trying to affect the three golden threads, but these threads contained resilient life force and were highly spiritual. They quickly coiled and approached the filthy, peculiar black mud.
This peculiar black mud was unusual, something Chen Mu had never seen before, and there was no mention of it in the Vangu Palace records. However, as the saying goes, the vast universe holds countless wonders, and the endless universe is incredibly complex, with 'creation' as one of its fundamental essences. Thus, it's not surprising for new and unprecedented objects to emerge.
No one can claim to know everything.
Sizzle!
The golden threads, under Chen Mu's control, coiled and entangled with the black mud, attempting to lift it.
However, strangely, the peculiar black mud remained unaffected by the golden threads. No matter how the threads entangled and pulled, the mud slipped through the gaps between the threads.
Even when Chen Mu manipulated the golden threads to transform into countless shapes in an instant, forming a dense golden net, they still couldn't contain the mud. It seemed to exist in a state of nothingness, slowly sinking to the bottom of the Void River.
"Interesting," Chen Mu thought as his eyes flickered.
The golden threads, created from the mysteries of the Creation Lineage, could retrieve all objects, but they couldn't move this peculiar black mud. This didn't necessarily indicate a higher level of the mud's essence but only that its essence didn't belong to the Creation Path.
Swish!
Chen Mu's right hand flipped gently, and his power suddenly transformed.
As a formidable Divine Lord, his foundation was already fully abundant, and he was a nearly flawless Peak Seventh Heaven Divine Lord. The power he wielded encompassed three primordial Daos, and his methods were far from shallow.
With a simple hand gesture, the three golden lines trembled and suddenly transformed from gold into a transparent, illusory hue. The life essence energy within also changed in an instant, converting into a formless and ethereal power.
Void Power!
The three life essence lines switched forms in a flash, becoming three lines of void.
The next moment, these three void lines intertwined, slicing through the void and creating an isolated space. They scooped up the clump of black mud within and lifted it upwards once more.
However,
To Chen Mu's surprise, even though he used the void power to form silk threads and cut out an isolated space as a 'net' to scoop up the strange black mud, he still couldn't get it out!
This peculiar black mud was like a more ethereal entity, flowing out of the cut-off space once more, ignoring the isolation and interruption, and continuing to sink towards the bottom of the Void River.
"So that's how it is."
Chen Mu observed the black mud, surprised by how difficult it was to retrieve. But after two unsuccessful attempts, he had figured out the nature of this black mud. Despite its appearance, there was no doubt that its core was the Time Dao!
Only substances influenced by the power of time would be so elusive.
Chen Mu couldn't discern its core at a glance, and even after ruling out the essences of creation and void, he finally identified it as time. The reason was simple; this black mud might appear in the line of sight, but its origin existed in the 'past' or 'future'! Distorted by the power of time, it wasn't on the current timeline, which meant it couldn't be touched. Hence, the observation was so peculiar, making it difficult to discern its essence because the essence wasn't there.
However,
The power of time wasn't an unsolvable mystery.
For Chen Mu, once the essence was clear, there was more than one solution.
Firstly, he could unleash the power of a Seventh Heaven Divine Lord, using brute force to tear apart the time power entangled in this black mud, forcibly pulling it from the 'past' or 'future' to the present!
There was no hierarchy among the primordial Daos. The divine energy that constituted the life essence of Divine Realm beings was also primordial, sharing the same essence as the primordial Daos. Therefore, while the methods of the Time Dao seemed profound, involving the past and future, when it came to a real clash, it still depended on the strength of power.
Unless the essence of this black mud surpassed that of a Seventh Heaven Divine Lord, any Seventh Heaven Divine Lord could 'use force to break through', forcibly tearing apart the layer of time distortion.
But Chen Mu didn't resort to such violent means.
His eyes flickered slightly, and with a gentle snap of his fingers, the three ethereal lines transformed again. This time, the three silk threads instantly covered in a seven-colored hue, bursting with three distinct Time Mysteries.
In a 1-6-1-9-1-book-1-bar-1-see-1-no-1-wrong version!
Past, present, future!
Chen Mu already mastered all five fundamental mysteries of the Time Dao, and now he didn't need to use the last two mysteries, 'Cycle' and 'Gap'. Covering the past, present, and future was enough.
Swish! The three seven-colored silk threads intertwined into a net of time, encompassing the past, present, and future, enveloping the strange black mud. In an instant, the powers of the 'present' and 'future' penetrated through the 'past', and only the power of the 'past' came into contact with the substance, entangling the black mud.
Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged as he lifted his right hand slightly.
This time, the black mud encountered no obstacles, and the void whirlpool didn't block it either. It was entangled by Chen Mu's line of the past and then instantly pulled out of the river, appearing before Chen Mu.
At the same time, Chen Mu flicked his fingers slightly, and the three silk threads disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"An oddity with its essence in the 'past'?"
Chen Mu gazed at the floating black mud with keen interest.
Although he possessed oddities of the Time lineage, this was the first time he encountered such a situation.
Through the contact with the 'line of the past', Chen Mu had a clearer understanding of the black mud's essence. Its essence was indeed that of the most ordinary 'world mud', a common resource with extremely low value. Its sole purpose was to create something from nothing, serving as the foundation when attempting to open a new world.
The production of this material was vast, and it was generated during the birth and destruction of any world. If one wanted to use world mud to open and stabilize a large world, the required amount would be enormous, thousands of times more than this small lump. Therefore, this small amount of world mud had an extremely low value, even for a Second or Third Heaven Divine Realm being.
And so, an ordinary lump of world mud, for some unknown reason, was influenced by a strand of Time Force. This force attached itself to the mud, causing its original form to remain in the past. The current state it presents is merely a projection of its past self.
"Time Force is truly peculiar."
Chen Mu couldn't help but marvel at the mud.
The three fundamental Primordial Daos are of equal importance, but Time Dao is undoubtedly the most mysterious and elusive. As far as he knows, under certain special circumstances, Time Force can attach itself to any material or substance, and it might even affect humans.
Including mortals.
Some mortals, while engaged in a particular task, might suddenly feel a sense of deja vu, as if they've experienced the present moment before. This is actually the influence of Time Force.
Some people, more affected by Time Force, can even glimpse fragments of the future.
These individuals are, to some extent, favored by Time Dao. If they are fortunate enough to embark on a cultivation journey, they might achieve something significant in the realm of Time Dao. However, according to Chen Mu's observations, such people are rare, and most only experience minor interference from Time Dao, not truly deserving the favor of Time.
As far as he knows, those truly skilled in the Time Lineage and favored by Time are gifted with various abilities, even before they attain godhood. They can glimpse scenes from the past or see numerous future fragments, predicting various possibilities.
After studying the lump of mud for a while, Chen Mu waved his hand and collected it.
The world mud itself has little value, but after being entwined with Time Force, it becomes something entirely different. Although Chen Mu doesn't currently know its purpose, any odd relic related to Time Dao is bound to be extraordinary.
Chen Mu couldn't help but think of the five fundamental mysteries of Time Dao:
Ancient, Present, Future, Cycle, and Gap.
Ancient represents the past, Present the current, Future the future, Cycle signifies the wholeness of time, and Gap its discontinuity.
The Endless Universe originated from a single point and has its lifespan. Eventually, it will return to that point, back to its origin. This is the Time Cycle, and anyone who comprehends the mysteries of Time knows this is an inevitable process.
However, this process can be so prolonged that even Divine Realm beings can only sense the void, perhaps spanning over billions of years... At least, neither Chen Mu nor Vangu Divine Lord knows when this Endless Universe was born or how much time has passed since then. Nor do they know how long this universe will exist before reaching its end.
As for 'Time Gap', it's also intriguing. Just like the Void Lineage's splitting and merging are opposing forces, Time is both complete and fragmented. It's like a burning incense stick, a cup of tea, a blink of an eye, or a breath... After dividing Time into infinite segments, it ultimately remains discontinuous, with special gaps between each minuscule node.
If that lump of black mud exists in the past, how can the current beings travel there?
The answer lies in these gaps.
In simple terms, if one truly wants to influence the past, they must achieve the fusion of the 'Past' and 'Gap' mysteries. Only then can they genuinely interfere with the past, but even so, they will face immense resistance from Time!
When Chen Mu was exploring Time Dao, he wondered if he could infiltrate his power into the past, retrieve those who had fallen, and bring them back to the present. The answer is yes, but it's extremely difficult! The greater the interference with the past, the greater the impact on the present, and thus, the resistance from Time will also be more significant.
Resurrecting the fallen from the past is an enormous influence. At least, a Time Lineage Divine Lord at the Seventh Heaven level is still far from achieving this feat, even if the fallen are not in the Divine Realm but merely mortals.
Only a Time Lineage Divine Lord at the Ninth Heaven level, an unparalleled deity, might be able to retrieve the fallen from the past, but this is limited to those below the Divine Realm. Once it involves the Divine Realm or above, it becomes impossible, unless a Time Lineage Venerable intervenes!
Chen Mu had also worried about the mysterious methods of the Time Lineage Divine Lords. Could they interfere with his past, when he was weak, and change everything? It's also extremely difficult because he has already attained the Divine Lord realm. Any interference with his past would significantly impact the present, and thus, the resistance from Time would be immense. At least, it's challenging to employ such methods against an equal-level opponent.
If dealing with mortals who have not yet attained godhood, a Divine Lord who has mastered the fusion of 'Past' and 'Gap' mysteries could indeed strike down and toy with them... But in reality, a Divine Lord wouldn't need to go to such lengths to play with mortals.
(End of Chapter)
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