Seeing Ye Xuan and the others attack without hesitation, Lord Jie didn’t pause for a moment—he turned and fled!
His speed was astonishing, vanishing at the edge of the starry sky in a blink.
Now it was Ye Xuan and the others who were dumbfounded.
What the hell?
He fled so decisively?
Ye Xuan and his group were somewhat speechless.
In truth, Lord Jie had realised one thing clearly: he couldn’t stand against the four of them, now that they had broken through.
One against four?
Even with his Myriad Tribulations Body intact, he couldn’t have beaten the combined strength of Ye Xuan’s group now, let alone in his current state!
So, he chose to flee decisively!
Only a fool wouldn’t run!
In the arena, Dao Ling said gravely, “Brother Ye, this guy won’t fight us!”
Ye Xuan’s face was also grim. Why were their enemies getting smarter?
First, there was Shi Qian, who knelt immediately, and now Lord Jie, who bolted the moment things looked bad!
Was it because the Great Dao Brush hadn’t been suppressed?
But it made sense—when they couldn’t win, they fled, just as others would!
Shi Tian said gravely, “Will they come back?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “They probably will!”
Shi Tian looked at him, “Brother Ye, why don’t we go straight to Xianling?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Go to Xianling for what?”
Shi Tian said gravely, “Doesn’t Xianling have a Great Dao luck bearer? We could go find him and compete fairly!”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “We can’t go!”
Shi Tian was puzzled, “Why not?”
Ye Xuan asked, “If we find him, then what?”
Shi Tian said gravely, “We compete fairly!”
Ye Xuan said calmly, “What if he doesn’t want to compete fairly? Even if he does, what if Xianling doesn’t agree?”
Shi Tian fell silent.
Ye Xuan shook his head, “If we bet and lose, we’re done for!”
Shi Tian gave a bitter smile, “But now, we’re quite passive!”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “I think this is fine. We don’t have to face all of Xianling. We can use Venerable Lan and the others as whetstones!”
Shi Tian’s eyes narrowed, “Whetstones?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “We’ve all just broken through. If we want to improve further, the best way is through combat. If we can kill, we kill. If not, we use them as sparring partners!”
Shi Tian: “…”
Ye Xuan suddenly said, “Let’s go to the River of Time!”
With that, he led the three into the River of Time.
Having merged with the River of Time, he could now freely enter and exit it.
The City of Time.
The City of Time, once destroyed by Qin Guan, had been rebuilt by someone unknown.
When Ye Xuan and the others arrived, over a dozen divine senses swept over them from the shadows.
Ye Xuan glanced around, slowly closing his eyes. Soon, he looked up into the distance, then led Shi Tian and the others to vanish toward the horizon.
Before long, the four arrived at a riverbank. By the river stood a small courtyard with a vegetable garden in front, where a lean old man was hoeing weeds.
Ye Xuan walked to the garden and smiled faintly, “Greetings, Senior!”
The old man glanced at Ye Xuan and continued hoeing.
Ye Xuan smiled, “Senior, can we talk?”
The old man said calmly, “Talk about what?”
Ye Xuan looked at him, “About life!”
The old man suddenly put down his hoe, turned to Ye Xuan, “Young man, I don’t want to get involved in your business with Xianling. Don’t drag me into it!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Senior, you misunderstand! I just want to ask you a few things!”
The old man nodded slightly, “Ask away!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “What is a Time Immortal?”
This old man was the only Time Immortal in the River of Time!
Upon seeing him, Ye Xuan realised this Time Immortal’s strength was even more terrifying than he’d imagined!
The old man set the hoe aside, walked to a stone bench, and sat down. “Sit!”
Ye Xuan and the others sat before him.
The old man studied them and chuckled, “Last time I saw you, you were still weak. Now, you’ve transcended time! That’s no ordinary speed!”
His gaze fell on Ye Xuan, “Especially you, merging with the River of Time. I must say, that’s shocking!”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, “Senior, I’m puzzled. What exactly is the Time Immortal realm? Is it above transcending time?”
The old man thought for a moment, then said, “What is the Time Realm? It refers to those who have initially mastered the power of time. They can be called Time Realm cultivators. This term was coined by Miss Qin Guan. Before her, some had already begun mastering time’s power, but it wasn’t called the Time Realm—it was Time Wanderer. Back then, people’s understanding of time’s power was limited. Miss Qin Guan refined this realm well.”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “And transcending time?”
The old man smiled, “So-called transcending time is a bit of a joke!”
Ye Xuan was puzzled, “A joke?”
The old man said softly, “Look at this boundless River of Time. How many can truly transcend it? The idea of ‘time not touching you’ is an even bigger joke. That means true immortality, where time’s passage has no effect. Only those who have truly surpassed time can claim that.”
He looked at Shi Tian and Dao Ling, gently waving his right hand. A terrifying force enveloped them, and their faces changed as they felt their lifespans rapidly draining.
The old man withdrew his hand, “I just used time’s erosion. Could they resist it?”
Ye Xuan was silent.
The old man continued, “I’ve only seen one person resist time’s erosion!”
Ye Xuan, curious, asked, “Who?”
The old man said softly, “Miss Qin Guan!”
Ye Xuan was stunned, then said, “Didn’t she say she doesn’t cultivate?”
The old man shook his head with a smile, “I don’t know. All I know is time can’t erode her! Apart from her, even those above transcending time can’t resist it!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Senior, do you know Venerable Lan from Xianling?”
The old man nodded, “A little!”
Ye Xuan, curious, asked, “What’s her realm?”
The old man smiled, “Beyond transcending time, as you know!”
Ye Xuan’s expression froze.
The old man chuckled, “Sounds absurd, right? After transcending time, you still need to master it!”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Indeed absurd!”
The old man said softly, “Transcending doesn’t mean surpassing. It’s like in mortal relationships—sleeping together doesn’t mean love!”
Ye Xuan and the others’ expressions froze.
What the hell!
What kind of wild analogy was this?
Sleeping together?
Not love?
This old man had stories!
The old man smiled, “That’s how it is. When they reach a certain level, they realise the River of Time isn’t as simple as they thought. So, they return to study it, hoping to master it! But you, young man, skipped two realms and reached the Time Mastery Realm. And you’re different—others borrow the River of Time’s power, but you’ve merged with it. That’s a fundamental difference. Like in mortal relationships—you’ve loved *and* slept together!”
Ye Xuan hesitated, then said, “Senior, let’s skip the analogies! I understand without them!”
He was a bit wary of this old man!
What kind of analogies were these?
Even wilder than Little Tower’s!
The old man smiled, “Are my analogies off?”
Ye Xuan was speechless.
This wasn’t about being off—they were completely derailing the meaning!
The old man continued, “Don’t mind the details. Back to the point! Venerable Lan is at Time Mastery, and Time Immortal is the realm above that. What’s a Time Immortal? One who endures the trials of mortal time without losing themselves. After reaching Time Immortal, though you still can’t truly be untouched by time, you can coexist with it—not merging, just coexisting! Like in mortal relationships—just living together, not sharing a bed! But you’re both living together *and* sharing a bed! Impressive!”
Ye Xuan and the others: “…”
Ye Xuan’s head ached.
The old man continued, “Anything else you want to ask?”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Senior, by your definition, am I a Time Immortal?”
The old man shook his head, “No! Though you’ve merged with the River of Time, you can’t fully master it yet. This river is boundless and profound. To become a Time Immortal, you must traverse its endless mortal trials and reach a certain mental state. Only then can you be called a Time Immortal. It’s a process of tempering the heart. You’re too young, lacking time’s sedimentation and tempering. Your heart hasn’t transcended mortal time, so you’re not a Time Immortal.”
Ye Xuan glanced at the river, “Is walking the River of Time enough?”
The old man shook his head, “Walking it is just a process. What you comprehend during it is key. Like reading a book—those who read carefully gain much, while those who don’t come away with nothing.”
Ye Xuan nodded, “I understand!”
He looked at the old man, “Senior, to be honest, we’re planning a big fight with Xianling. Care to join us?”
The old man quickly shook his head, “No interest!”
Ye Xuan said seriously, “Don’t be afraid. We have backing.”
The old man said calmly, “I don’t!”
Ye Xuan was about to say more, but the old man shook his head, “I’ve survived this long by staying out of conflicts. I don’t trouble others, and they don’t trouble me. I have no grand ambitions—just to live longer, enjoy a few more romances, and savour mortal pleasures, heh heh…”
Ye Xuan: “…”
