Chapter 741: Breaking Through the Time Loop

Chapter 741: Breaking Through the Time Loop



In a secluded valley, an elite group of armored soldiers stood guard, sealing off the area from all outsiders.

Inside the valley, a group of men, women, and children gathered, their faces filled with fear and despair, yet they dared not resist as they awaited their final judgment.

"I didn't expect the remnants of the previous dynasty to be hiding here, making it easy for us to find them," said a fierce-looking man named Lu Ju, who was leading the group. He scrutinized every person in the valley and instructed the elite soldiers beside him, "Keep a close eye on them, and don't let a single one escape."

"Yes, sir," the soldiers on both sides replied, nodding. But then, one of them hesitated and asked, "Sir, how long do we need to keep watch?"

Lu Ju responded, "I've already informed the court, and someone will surely come to take these remnants of the previous dynasty away soon."

Lu Ju scanned the area, "Discovering the remnants of the previous dynasty is a great achievement, and you will be rewarded handsomely for it."

Since the founding of the Great Flame Dynasty by its first emperor, a reward had been offered for information leading to the capture of the previous dynasty's remnants. Over the past eighty years, many had risen to prominence due to their involvement in finding these remnants.

Unfortunately, as time passed, the remnants of the previous dynasty became increasingly scarce, and in the last decade, no news had emerged at all.

Lu Ju believed that the remnants he had discovered in this valley were likely the last of the Great Veneration Dynasty.

"Every time remnants of the previous dynasty were found, the court would send people to take them away. I wonder why they make such a fuss," Lu Ju thought to himself.

In his opinion, finding the remnants should mean killing them to eliminate future troubles. Why go through the trouble of taking them away? But this was an order from the Great Flame Emperor himself, and Lu Ju dared not argue. In the current world, the Great Flame Emperor was as revered as a deity.

This status was not due to strength but to the policies implemented after the founding of the Great Flame Dynasty.

Compared to the previous dynasty, the Great Flame Dynasty treated its citizens with great leniency, not only reducing taxes and labor but also actively educating the populace. Such measures were unimaginable in any previous dynasty.

Lu Ju held the Great Flame Emperor in high regard. On the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Great Flame Dynasty, when the emperor celebrated with the people, Lu Ju had even traveled to the capital to catch a glimpse of the emperor.

A moment later, a young man appeared outside the valley, seemingly out of nowhere.

Dressed in casual attire, the young man's expression was calm, showing no fear of the elite soldiers guarding the valley.

"This should be the hiding place of Grand Eunuch Liang and his relatives, the last remnants of the Great Veneration Dynasty," the young man, Lin Yuan, said as he gazed at the valley.

Grand Eunuch Liang had served the last emperor of the Great Veneration Dynasty for decades. Before the capital was besieged, Liang was exiled from the palace for a mistake he had made, and his whereabouts had been unknown ever since.

Recently, Lin Yuan had been traveling the land and learned about this, so he had come personally.

"Who are you? This place is sealed off, so leave immediately," the patrolling soldiers shouted at the young man.

Lin Yuan glanced at the soldiers but did not engage in any trouble. Instead, he took out a token from his pocket.

The token was crimson red, with the character 'Flame' inscribed on its surface.

Since the establishment of the Great Flame Dynasty, Lin Yuan had spent most of his time traveling the land, searching for the true emperor of the Great Veneration Dynasty.

And to travel the land, one needed a suitable identity to command local forces. As the identity of an emperor was too conspicuous, Lin Yuan carried this token.

This token represented the Great Flame Dynasty and could command local forces at any time.

"The Great Flame Decree?" The soldiers' expressions changed slightly, and they immediately bowed to Lin Yuan.

"This must be the person the court sent to take away the remnants of the previous dynasty," one soldier thought to himself.

Only someone from the high ranks of the court could possess the Great Flame Decree, a token personally issued by the first emperor, symbolizing an incredibly high status.

Before long, Lu Ju hurried out after being informed by his soldiers.

But the moment he saw Lin Yuan, his expression changed, and he immediately knelt, "Lu Ju of the Qiong Prefecture Garrison, pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Do you know me?" Lin Yuan gave Lu Ju a curious look.

As the founding emperor of the Great Flame Dynasty, Lin Yuan rarely revealed himself to outsiders, spending most of his time traveling the land.

"On the 30th year of the Great Flame Era, this subordinate was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of Your Majesty in the capital," Lu Ju quickly explained.

Although it was just a brief glance, Lu Ju remembered Lin Yuan vividly. Even after fifty years, he recognized Lin Yuan instantly.

"Hmm," Lin Yuan nodded.

Indeed, he had visited the capital during the 30th year of the Great Flame Era.

"Are all the people inside?" Lin Yuan asked without wasting words.

"Yes, they are all inside," Lu Ju replied promptly.

"Withdraw your soldiers and wait outside," Lin Yuan instructed.

In the past, whenever remnants of the Great Veneration Dynasty were found, they would be escorted to the capital, and Lin Yuan would personally deal with them.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lu Ju nodded, but then hesitated, "Your Majesty, these remnants are not very cooperative. When I sealed off this place, they even resisted."

Lu Ju was concerned about Lin Yuan's safety. If all the soldiers withdrew, wouldn't Lin Yuan be left alone to face the remnants? If anything went wrong, Lu Ju would face severe consequences.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Lin Yuan said casually.

Eighty years ago, his strength had already reached the pinnacle of this world.

It was the pinnacle of this world, not the limit of the Daoist Grandmasters of past generations.

Now, eighty years later, Lin Yuan's strength had increased significantly, and there were hardly any beings in the world who could harm him.

"Good," Lu Ju hesitated for a moment but eventually followed Lin Yuan's instructions and withdrew all the soldiers.

As Lin Yuan entered the valley, the soldiers outside became agitated.

They had all witnessed Lu Ju's reaction.

"Your Majesty?"

Lu Ju had called the young man 'Your Majesty'? In the entire Great Flame Dynasty, only the founding emperor was addressed as such.

In the eighty years since the founding of the Great Flame Dynasty, the founding emperor had remained in power, and there had never been a second emperor.

"General, was that the founding emperor just now?"

"The founding emperor looks so young, younger than me even?"

"Eighty years ago, he overthrew the previous dynasty and established the Great Flame Dynasty. How is he still so young after eighty years?"

The soldiers were filled with awe, the opportunity to personally meet the Founder was enough to boast about for a lifetime.

"Keep your voices down, His Majesty is still inside," Lu Ju frowned, scanning the many soldiers, and the area immediately quieted down.

"Your Majesty," Lu Ju said.

At this moment, Lu Ju's mind was also in awe. He realized that the Emperor he saw was unusually young, showing no difference from fifty years ago? Fifty years ago, he was only nineteen, and after fifty years, he was sixty-nine, already showing signs of old age.

As for His Majesty? He was at least twenty years old when he overthrew the previous dynasty eighty years ago, and now he was at least a hundred years old. Even if he was a Daoist Grandmaster, he was nearing the end of his lifespan.

Inside the valley, hundreds of men, women, and children trembled with fear.

Just then, they noticed that all the soldiers had withdrawn.

Immediately after, a young man walked in.

This young man's aura was completely restrained, giving the men, women, and children a feeling that he was not even as good as a random elite soldier from before.

But now that the elite soldiers had withdrawn, and this young man had entered, it seemed that the latter held a high position, able to command all the soldiers.

"Who are you?"

At this moment, an old man with white hair stepped forward from among the men and women, looking at Lin Yuan, and asked tentatively.

"You don't need to know who I am," Lin Yuan shook his head slightly. "Who knows 'Liang Qin'?"

'Liang Qin' was the 'Eunuch' who had served the last emperor of the Great Veneration Dynasty.

It was said that this 'Liang Qin' had served the last Great Veneration Emperor since he was still a crown prince, until twenty years before the Great Veneration Dynasty's demise, when he was driven out of the palace, and his fate was unknown.

"I know him," the white-haired old man said after a moment of silence. "I am Liang Qin's adopted son. I originally planned to return to our hometown together, but later, after hearing about the Great Veneration Dynasty's fall, I hid here."

"Did Liang Qin tell you anything? About the last Great Veneration Emperor?" Lin Yuan asked.

In fact, at this moment, Lin Yuan was already observing the other party's past timeline, and then locking onto the parts related to 'Liang Qin'.

Perhaps he could sense some traces of the other party from this eunuch who had served the last Great Veneration Emperor for decades.

"He told me some things," the white-haired old man said. "I can tell you everything, but the Great Veneration Dynasty has nothing to do with these people. If you want to kill, just kill me."

"Tell me," Lin Yuan said, looking at the other party.

"After returning to his hometown, my adoptive father told me that in the decades he served the emperor, the Great Veneration Emperor's character had undergone two subtle changes."

"Two subtle changes?" Lin Yuan's expression was pensive.

"The first time was two years after his ascension. The Great Veneration Emperor, who was initially very interested in state affairs, suddenly immersed himself in Daoist cultivation, spending most of his time in the Dao Pavilion."

The white-haired old man explained, "Later, when my adoptive father cleaned the Dao Pavilion, he discovered that the Emperor, in addition to observing normal Daoist cultivation methods, was very interested in some Daoist secrets, such as methods to suppress his aura and reduce his qi and blood fluctuations."

"He spent a lot of time observing such secrets," the white-haired old man said.

"Go on," Lin Yuan nodded.

"The second change occurred about a decade or two later. After serving the Emperor for decades, my adoptive father vaguely felt that the Emperor seemed like a different person. Even though his behavior, demeanor, and character were the same, there was still this feeling."

The white-haired old man said, "When 'Liang Qin' told me this, he specifically instructed me not to spread it, or there would be a death sentence."

However, now that the Great Veneration Dynasty had been overthrown for eighty years, there was no harm in revealing this information.

Lin Yuan's expression sank into a brief contemplation.

According to the white-haired old man's words, Lin Yuan could infer the reason for the second subtle change in the Great Veneration Emperor.

It was the time when the body double took over.

No matter how similar the body double was to the original body, they were not the same person.

Ministers and even close relatives might not be able to notice the difference.

But as the Emperor's personal attendant, 'Eunuch Liang', must have known something.

"I understand," Lin Yuan nodded.

He had already obtained the crucial information he wanted to know.

As for whether the white-haired old man was lying or hiding something, Lin Yuan had also observed the other party's past timeline and confirmed that there were no omissions.

"Sir, I do have a connection to the previous dynasty, but the others have nothing to do with it. They were all born after the Great Flame Dynasty was established and are citizens of the Great Flame Dynasty," the white-haired old man immediately pleaded.

"Don't worry," Lin Yuan said, glancing at the trembling crowd. "You will all live."

He was not a bloodthirsty person and would not kill innocents when his interests were not involved.

From the beginning, Lin Yuan's target had been solely the Great Veneration Emperor.

As for the many remnants of the Great Veneration Dynasty sent to the court over the past eighty years? After confirming that these people were also unaware of the Great Veneration Emperor's situation, Lin Yuan did not kill them all but kept them in a small town.

Outside the valley, Lu Ju saw Lin Yuan leaving and immediately approached him. "Your Majesty."

"I'm leaving first," Lin Yuan glanced at Lu Ju.

"What should we do with the people inside?" Lu Ju asked in a low voice.

"There's no need to make it difficult for them. Just let them go," Lin Yuan said.

"Yes," Lu Ju bowed immediately.

When he looked up again, Lin Yuan's figure had already disappeared.

"Your Majesty," Lu Ju steadied himself, looking at the empty space before him, feeling a bit dazed.

Had he really just seen the Founder of the Great Flame Dynasty?

Atop a mountain peak, the terrain was steep and rugged. Even a Daoist Grandmaster would find it challenging to reach this place.

Yet, at this moment, a young man sat on a large rock at the summit, deep in thought.

"That Great Veneration Emperor used all the Primordial Divine Metal to forge a coffin instead of following the Founder's decree to cast the Nine Tripods?" Lin Yuan pondered.

After eighty years, with the power of the entire world, he had probably figured out what the Primordial Divine Metal was ultimately forged into.

Even if the Dafeng Emperor tried to conceal the truth and even had all the artisans involved in the casting killed, the act itself would leave traces. With Lin Yuan's ability to observe past timelines, it took some time, but he eventually uncovered the truth.

Compared to the casting of the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, the Dafeng Emperor's casting of a coffin made from a large amount of Primordial Divine Metal was even more puzzling to Lin Yuan.

Once a coffin made entirely of Primordial Divine Metal was completely sealed, it would be almost impossible to open it from the outside.

Even if it were to be returned to the Inferno Cavern and subjected to the scorching earth fire for recasting, due to the size of the coffin, it would take at least several hundred years to melt even half of it.

To completely melt it, it would likely take six or seven hundred years.

"Additionally, he must have comprehended numerous Daoist Secret Arts for concealing one's aura and reducing the fluctuations of qi, blood, and mind. Is this related to the False Death Technique?"

Lin Yuan delved deeper into his speculations.

If the Dafeng Emperor had used the False Death Technique to hide within a coffin made entirely of Primordial Divine Metal, then where he hid the coffin would be of little significance, even if Lin Yuan had established a causal connection with him at the moment of his arrival.

The only question was, why would the Dafeng Emperor do such a thing?

Using the False Death Technique to hide within a Primordial Divine Metal coffin was no different from actual death.

"He would rather prolong his life in this manner than be killed by me. It's not as simple as him knowing in advance that I would come to kill him."

Lin Yuan shook his head slightly.

"This Dafeng Emperor, like me, has fallen into this time loop world. But while my test is to kill him, his test seems to be to stay alive?"

After eighty years, with the help of numerous clues and his own observations, Lin Yuan finally reached an incredibly unbelievable conclusion.

If the Dafeng Emperor was a native of this time loop world, he would never have acted in such a way. Instead, he could have negotiated with Lin Yuan, offering his own life in exchange for the continued existence of the Dafeng Dynasty.

But now, the Dafeng Dynasty has been destroyed, and the Dafeng Emperor is hiding in a coffin, barely surviving—no different from death.

"Is this the true test I face?"

"A test where someone from the outside, like me, knows for certain that they can kill the other?"

Lin Yuan also found this situation challenging. If he had known all this from the start, he would have infiltrated the Imperial Palace without hesitation upon his arrival, establishing a causal connection with the Dafeng Emperor.

That way, no matter where the Dafeng Emperor hid, Lin Yuan would have been able to find him.

One month later.

At the edge of the East Sea.

The East Sea, also known as the Abyssal Depths, was called the Endless East Sea or the Endless Deep Sea.

Lin Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance.

In the past eighty years, he had basically explored every corner of the land.

Each time he moved to a new location, he would observe the future timeline and attempt to search the area thoroughly in that timeline, including digging ten thousand li deep into the ground.

Now, the continent beneath Lin Yuan's feet had been thoroughly searched dozens of times in the millions of timelines he had observed in the past eighty years, and there was no trace of the Primordial Divine Metal.

In other words, if the Dafeng Emperor had indeed hidden himself in a Primordial Divine Metal coffin, the location where he hid the coffin was definitely not on the continent.

"The Abyssal Depths."

Lin Yuan gazed at the endless deep blue sea.

Not to mention that Lin Yuan's lifespan was already nearing its limit, in two months, this physical body would reach the end of its life.

Even with ample lifespan, searching the Endless Deep Sea as thoroughly as he had searched the continent would take thousands, if not millions, of years.

The area of the Endless Deep Sea was thousands or even millions of times larger than that of the continent.

Not to mention the harsh environment at the bottom of the Endless Deep Sea, with its crushing sea pressure that Lin Yuan could never withstand. His physical body would be crushed to pieces.

In this world, no matter how much Lin Yuan cultivated or pushed his limits, the upper limit of his physical body was fixed. He couldn't break through the limitations of his physical body or transcend its shackles.

Even now, if Lin Yuan's heart or brain were to be shattered, he would still die, but with his powerful mind power, he might survive a little longer.

"Impressive."

Lin Yuan admired the Dafeng Emperor in his heart.

At this moment, he couldn't help but feel some respect for the Dafeng Emperor.

He had left no opportunity for Lin Yuan.

"Even if I had infiltrated the Imperial Palace upon my arrival and established a causal connection, knowing where he hid in the deep sea wouldn't be of much significance."

Lin Yuan thought to himself.

The environment at the bottom of the sea was too harsh, and he had no means to retrieve the coffin.

The Dafeng Emperor had relied on the Primordial Divine Metal to withstand the infinite sea pressure. What about Lin Yuan? Even if he found the same amount of Primordial Divine Metal and sealed himself within, he couldn't withstand the sea pressure. If he dared to open the coffin and expose himself, he would be crushed instantly.

As for developing technology and using it to explore the Endless Deep Sea?

In this time loop world, the suppression wasn't limited to the fluctuations of the Dao rules.

Even the basic physical rules were restricted, making technological advancement impossible.

"There are only two months left until my lifespan limit."

"Thirteen days until that time node."

Lin Yuan turned his gaze away from the deep blue sea.

Twenty years ago, Lin Yuan had searched the land extensively but still couldn't find the Dafeng Emperor's location. He had already guessed that the Dafeng Emperor might not be hiding on land.

Searching the deep sea was also impractical. Even if he started over with a full one hundred and fifty years, it would still be impossible to search every location in the deep sea.

By then, Lin Yuan had already been thinking of other methods.

To thoroughly understand the Endless Deep Sea, or even the entire world, in a short period was not impossible, but it required an incredibly powerful mind power.

As long as the mind power reached a certain level, one could envelop the entire world in an instant.

However, this was almost impossible to achieve.

Mind power needed to be nurtured by the physical body, and with the world's suppression of the physical body, it was impossible to develop mind power to that extent.

This was a limitation of the world, or perhaps the restriction of the supreme rules.

Lin Yuan couldn't break through this limitation.

However, Lin Yuan couldn't enhance his physical body, but he could replace it.

If Lin Yuan's physical body wasn't this flesh and blood but the world itself, at Lin Yuan's level, his view of the physical body was no longer limited to flesh and blood.

All things in the world could become spiritual, and the physical body could take on countless forms, including the world itself.

All Lin Yuan needed to do was to replace the world's consciousness with his own psychic power.

However.

Replacing the world consciousness was extremely dangerous.

Especially in a world with such strict rules, Lin Yuan's psychic power might be counterattacked by the world consciousness during the replacement, leading to total annihilation.

Only at the right time and the right place.

By seizing the moment when the world consciousness instinctively fluctuates, could he have a chance of success.

And that right time was thirteen days from now.

At that time, the world consciousness would fall into its deepest sleep.

That would be Lin Yuan's greatest and only opportunity.

This was the timeline he had locked onto after watching countless future timelines.

During other times, Lin Yuan's attempts to replace the world consciousness failed.

Only at this specific moment did it succeed.

With Lin Yuan's realm, once he completely replaced the world consciousness, his psychic power would surge without restriction, easily covering every corner of the world.

At that point, as long as the Emperor of Dafeng was still in this world, he could be easily located.

Relying on the explosive increase in psychic power after replacing the world, even with the barrier of Primordial Divine Metal, Lin Yuan could still force a breakthrough to eliminate the opponent.

"Thirteen days from now."

Lin Yuan was not anxious.

Even in the worst-case scenario.

If the replacement failed at the right time.

He could directly use the Boundary-Breaking Essence to eliminate the opponent.

With the strength of Lin Yuan's psychic power, even if the replacement failed and he was counterattacked by the world consciousness, he could still hold on for a few moments, enough to activate the Boundary-Breaking Essence to 'pass through.'

Of course.

Lin Yuan hoped to successfully replace the world consciousness.

Not only to save four million Boundary-Breaking Essence, but also to give a proper conclusion to the past 150 years.

If he still had to rely on the Boundary-Breaking Essence to break the time loop, why not use it immediately upon arrival?

"Let's head to An Mountain."

Lin Yuan got up and left.

An Mountain was the correct location for Lin Yuan to replace the world consciousness.

Only when the right time and the right place coincided, did he have a chance to successfully replace the world consciousness.

Time passed.

Soon, thirteen days arrived.

Lin Yuan sat cross-legged on the peak of a mountain.

He could clearly sense a mysterious aura flowing here.

During this period, this place was the weakest point of the world.

"It's now!"

Lin Yuan took a deep breath, and his psychic power suddenly began to burn.

After burning, his psychic power soared infinitely, faintly piercing through the clouds and reaching the Celestial Vault.

Without the control of psychic consciousness, Lin Yuan's physical body aged visibly.

Previously, Lin Yuan maintained his youthful appearance due to his powerful psychic power.

Now that all his psychic power had left his body, the latter naturally could not maintain its previous state.

Rumble.

As Lin Yuan's psychic power continued to soar and merge into the deepest part of the world, the originally sluggish world consciousness gradually awoke.

"Replace the will of the world with my own will."

Lin Yuan's vast psychic power continuously intertwined and operated, countless runes appearing and merging into the world consciousness.

Regarding the replacement of the world consciousness, Lin Yuan had done it before during his early traversals to the boundless void's Azure World.

He was quite experienced.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—Lin Yuan's psychic power continuously merged into the world consciousness, which struggled fiercely but could not resist.

Lin Yuan's replacement of the world consciousness was too sudden, leaving the world consciousness completely unprepared. By burning all his psychic power, he gained a significant boost.

Finally, at a certain moment.

Lin Yuan's psychic power completely replaced the world consciousness.

"This—"

After replacing the world consciousness, Lin Yuan's psychic power began to surge endlessly.

Upon arriving in this world, compared to his true body, Lin Yuan's psychic power was extremely weak.

But this was due to the limitations of his physical body. A weak body could not withstand overly powerful psychic power.

Now, with his body transformed into the strength of a world, it was certainly far superior to an individual's body, although still not as strong as Lin Yuan's true body in the outside world, it could to some extent unleash the true power of his psychic ability.

Swish—With the support of the entire world, Lin Yuan's psychic power surged infinitely, easily sweeping across the entire world.

The Central Plain's Ninety-Nine Provinces, various small kingdoms, and tribes were all under the cover of Lin Yuan's psychic power.

In the past, it took Lin Yuan eighty years to investigate these areas, but now it happened in an instant.

Whoosh!

The terrifying psychic power continued to spread, covering the Endless Deep Sea.

Soon.

The Endless Deep Sea was also enveloped by Lin Yuan.

Within the deep sea, massive sea beasts, sensing something, trembled in fear as they were swept by the psychic power.

"That place—"

Lin Yuan looked at a certain spot in the depths of the Endless Deep Sea, where almost no life existed.

At this deepest point, a black coffin lay there.

Rumble—The terrifying psychic power swept over, and although the Primordial Divine Metal blocked everything, it could not stop the current psychic power, which, with the world as its body, quickly penetrated the Primordial Divine Metal, covering the figure lying inside.

"What is this—"

The Emperor of Dafeng, who had been sleeping, seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes.

"Die!"

Without hesitation, Lin Yuan activated his psychic power to completely annihilate the Emperor of Dafeng inside the coffin.

At the moment the Emperor of Dafeng died.

The entire world fell into a kind of stagnation.

Lin Yuan seemed to have an epiphany, and his psychic consciousness returned to his body.

His body was now extremely aged, but it was not yet dead, with over a month left before reaching his lifetime limit.

Lin Yuan stood up and looked around the world.

Starting from the edge of the world, all matter began to disintegrate and scatter.

As if everything was like a bubble, ultimately destined to completely dissipate.

"I have broken the time loop."

Lin Yuan looked up at the sky.

In the Depths of One's Heart, he already knew he had passed the test of the time loop.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end