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The funeral has concluded.
The sorrow still lingers.
But there is little time to spare.
The forces of hell are powerful and could launch a counterattack against the heavens at any moment.
Therefore, it is necessary to reorganize the army, establish defensive lines, and prepare to fend off the enemy.
“Qin Li, before the Confucian Immortal passed away, he mentioned that mastering the Nine Supreme Arts together would bring about unimaginable changes,” the Artifact Immortal said, calming his emotions as he spoke slowly.
Qin Li nodded: “I have also felt this, but the need to attack hell has delayed me. Now, I have a precious window of time.”
“Qin Li, you have only practiced half of the ‘Deceiving Heaven Sacred Art.’ Here is the remaining half!” The Alchemy Immortal took out half of a sacred book.
Qin Li was somewhat surprised and also took out his half of the sacred book. When the two halves came into contact, they merged into a complete Supreme Art: “Why was the sacred book torn?”
The Artifact Immortal gave an awkward smile.
The Alchemy Immortal glanced around and whispered:
“Because we tore the sacred book, and the reason was the Heavenly Emperor.”
“Back then, we were sleeping in the Immortal Key Boat when she dragged us out to serve. Although we received the highest treatment, we were filled with resentment.”
“Then one day, the Heavenly Emperor wanted to learn the ‘Deceiving Heaven Sacred Art’ and asked us to pilot the Immortal Boat to retrieve the sacred book. In a fit of anger, we tore the book and spread the rumor that the Supreme Art was incomplete because it was envied by heaven.”
So that’s how it was.
Qin Li truly hadn’t expected this.
The Supreme Art was incomplete because of the Immortals’ grudge.
But that’s just the Heavenly Emperor’s character—not evil, but utterly self-assured.
“Alright, I’ll start with the ‘Deceiving Heaven Sacred Art,'” Qin Li said, opening the sacred book and carefully reading the second half.
“We won’t disturb you. If you wish to learn other Supreme Arts, just let us know,” the Alchemy and Artifact Immortals said before taking their leave.
Qin Li began his rigorous cultivation.
The ‘Deceiving Heaven Sacred Art’ was his first Supreme Art.
Thus, he quickly grasped it, achieving instant enlightenment and comprehending its profound mysteries.
This Supreme Art is divided into two stages: the first half focuses on concealing oneself, while the second half involves deceiving the rules.
If mastered to the extreme, even an ordinary cultivator could harness unimaginable power, but only if they can withstand the backlash, and it cannot reach the level of the Supreme Sovereign.
At this moment!
Inside the Heavenly Realm’s Immortal Ship.
The Immortal Emperor, the Divine Emperor, and the Heavenly Emperor gathered together.
They combined their powers to glimpse the situation in hell.
Bai Lijian raised an eyebrow: “Fortunately, the Supreme Taihua and the Chaos God perished together, and the Spirit Platform Master retreated voluntarily, allowing us to leave safely.”
Li Ping’an said with lingering fear: “But too many heroes have died, and hell is making frequent small moves, seemingly building dark altars. I wonder what they’re planning.”
Chu Qingyin worried: “Hell will not let this go, nor will they sit idly by. They could attack at any moment, but we have no more tricks up our sleeves.”
“Sorry!”
A soft voice came.
From afar, Chu Qingyin floated over, her steps graceful.
“I’m late. How did the discussion go? Do you have a plan?”
Instantly!
The room was stunned.
Why was there another Chu Qingyin?
The heroes of the heavens were also wide-eyed, speechless.
“Husband, why are you imitating me?” Chu Qingyin said, both amused and exasperated.
The fake Chu Qingyin’s figure twisted, transforming into Qin Li, who stepped forward: “It seems the Supreme Art has little effect on Supreme-level experts.”
“Even with the ‘Deceiving Heaven Sacred Art’ mastered to its peak, you saw through it at a glance.”
Bai Lijian exclaimed in delight:
“It’s only been half a day, and you’ve already mastered a Supreme Art.”
“We were worried it would take you several months to learn all nine arts, so we didn’t dare disturb you. It seems we were overly concerned.”
Qin Li didn’t speak but extended his hand, revealing a mark—an intricate immortal rune, irregular like a wound or the jagged edge of a broken blade, splitting the Dao and producing a profound effect.
“A Supreme Rune!”
Han Xinwu exclaimed in delight, explaining:
“Only when a Supreme Art is mastered can one possess such an immortal mark.”
As she spoke, she extended her slender hand, which also bore a Supreme Rune.
“It seems I’ve mastered several already,” Qin Li smiled, as two more Supreme Runes appeared in his hand, glowing in harmony.
They came from the ‘Boundless Immortal Array’ and the ‘Great Zen Salvation Art,’ the two Supreme Arts Qin Li had cultivated most deeply.
Han Xinwu smiled even more warmly and handed over a sacred scroll: “Your progress is far faster than we imagined. This is a good thing.”
“Take this scroll of the ‘Nine Reincarnations Art.’ Remember, to master this Supreme Art, you must experience the despair of death and the hope of survival.”
Qin Li accepted the scroll but didn’t open it, as he had already seen it during his time at the Sun-Moon Holy Land. Instead, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.
With each breath, he resonated with the traces of the Dao, causing the void to shimmer with immortal marks that intertwined, forming a Supreme Rune that quickly matured and merged into his body.
“Done!”
Qin Li ended his cultivation.
The surrounding experts were dumbfounded.
Han Xinwu was incredulous: “That was too fast.”
“It took me hundreds of years, with many close calls, to finally master it. Yet you did it in just ten breaths.”
Qin Li smiled and explained: “I am a Dao Spirit, naturally attuned to Supreme Arts. Moreover, I’ve died twice, which is why I achieved instant enlightenment.”
Li Ping’an slapped his thigh in excitement: “Brother Qin, in just half a day, you’ve mastered four Supreme Arts. It won’t be long before you obtain the Dao’s backup plan.”
The others were equally thrilled.
However.
Qin Li remained calm.
Having experienced a major failure.
He was much more cautious, feeling no pride:
“Actually, there’s no need to place too much hope or reliance on the Dao’s backup plan.”
“No one can predict its changes. What’s truly useful is for me to reach the eighth level of the Saint Realm and inquire into the nature of time.”
Bai Lijian nodded: “Your clarity is a good thing. But your path is too grand, and we truly can’t offer much help. We can only answer some questions and provide some advice.”
Qin Li asked:
“I only have one question.”
“What is time? It must be a fundamental answer.”
He had long mastered the power of time and possessed the ‘Instant Blossom,’ yet he couldn’t advance, indicating he hadn’t grasped the essence.
The Immortal Emperor pondered for a moment before speaking: “Time is a vast river, an inevitable process, like a thread connecting the beginning and the end.”
“Outside, the rain falls. Raindrops are born from the clouds and fall to the earth. Their brief existence in between is the passage of time, and also life.”
The Divine Emperor half-closed his eyes and said leisurely: “Time is a relative concept, like length, beauty, ugliness, and speed. It is a force that exists in opposition.”
“For the mountains, a thousand years is a spring, and another thousand years is a winter. What we see as the four seasons is but a single breath to the peaks.”
Qin Li felt a spark of insight and voiced a startling thought: “Perhaps time doesn’t exist at all. It’s just an illusion of living beings. What we call the power of time is merely the speed of decay.”
“No!”
The Heavenly Emperor spoke.
Her expression calm, she said softly:
“Your answers are close but miss the fundamental truth.”
Qin Li was taken aback but then felt a surge of joy.
The Heavenly Emperor was a master of space-time. No one present understood time better than her.
“May I ask, senior, what is time?”
“Civilization!”
The Heavenly Emperor explained slowly:
“Time is merely the measure of civilization.”
Qin Li’s eyes flickered with confusion: “Senior, what do you mean?”
The Heavenly Emperor stood up, her flawless immortal robes exuding a cold elegance as she gazed at the stars: “Beyond the cosmos lies ‘nothingness,’ infinite and eternal. Even a billion years is but a moment there.”
“Because it is ‘nothingness’! Whether it’s a billion years ago or a trillion years ago, it’s all the same—utter nothingness. Thus, time has no meaning, and the power of time doesn’t exist.”
“Time is the measure of civilization. The stories of a thousand years ago are different from those of today, so we need to distinguish time to reflect a continuous thread, such as one generation planting trees for the next to enjoy their shade.”
“In other words, only living beings have a past and future. If the last living being in the heavens dies, civilization will perish, and time will reach its end. Thus, the Dao is born, all things return to nothingness, and there is no more change.”
As her words fell.
Qin Li felt a chill.
But also a sudden enlightenment:
“Give civilization to time, not time to civilization!”
