Chapter 1 The Sound of Water

Hua la la~

The River of Time flows endlessly, its origin unseen, its end even harder to find.

Within the torrent of the river, time and space are born from every drop of water. Countless variations of time and space within various realms are contained within.

No matter your talent or heroism, you are but a single spark within a single drop of water in this endless river, a fleeting flash of light that quickly fades.

Standing here, looking around, one can see the past, the future, and the countless living beings and geniuses of the world.

Every fraction of a second allows the capture of endless information: past, present, future, what has happened, what is happening, what has yet to happen, what might happen...

No unity of man and nature can compare to even a single step within the river.

Having reached An Qisheng's level of cultivation, a single thought can stir the Five Lakes and Four Seas, the myriad mountains and valleys; a single suppression can bring down the stars of the heavens. Ordinary cultivation methods can no longer add even a fraction to his Dao.

Like Bai Di, who was already near-saint ten thousand kalpas ago, and could not advance even half a step after ten thousand kalpas.

Anchored to the timeline seventy thousand years after the Phoenix Lord's campaign against the heavens, he has been here for eight hundred years!

In these eight hundred years, he has tempered his body with the endless river, his divine will traveling through the waves it creates.

He uses ancient history as a mirror to reflect himself, debates the Dao with ancient and modern powerhouses, and constantly clashes with himself as an enemy.

Improving his realm and cultivation.

For Gautama, and even for that time and space, it has only been eight hundred years, but for him, it has been an almost incalculably long time.

"That is... the River of Time! That, that Daoist, has transcended time itself..."

"All things change, but time and space endure! Is that the legendary River of Time? Legend says that saints reside above the river, overlooking the past and future. Is the legend true..."

"The master of all changes, the convergence of all destinies... the River of Destiny. It is said that only supreme beings who have transcended destiny can glimpse a corner of it, the River of Destiny that dominates heaven and earth..."

...

Gazing at the unchanging, infinitely majestic River of Time, the world was in an uproar.

Great cultivators from various unknown places couldn't help but stand up abruptly, some shocked, some trembling, and some weeping with tears.

Legends of the River of Time have existed in ancient books since ancient times.

Ancient legends say that it is a forbidden zone for cultivators, a forbidden place for all living beings, and a taboo of heaven and earth.

Even immortal Golden Immortals who have attained Creation find it difficult to set foot in the river. Legend has it that the Celestial Emperor, from ancient times to the present, and even into the future,

has and can only have six figures that transcend the River of Time.

But at this moment, they actually saw another figure on that river who was definitely not one of the Six Saints.

This Daoist is the seventh!

Silence,

uproar,

boiling!

...

"Venerable Sage, Imperial Preceptor!"

After a long silence, on the Great Zhou Heavenly Altar, which was almost enveloped in an atmosphere of despair, Long Xingyi stood tall, his aura boiling like a raging fire, his eyes bursting with divine light.

His body trembled even more, and before he knew it, tears streamed down his face.

"Daoist Hong Xuan..."

Looking at the Daoist who was so far away, but whose aura could still be discerned, even someone as calm as Zeng San became excited.

He couldn't imagine how a Daoist who was once similar to himself could have risen to such a high level in such a short period of time, but in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.

The Confucianists write history for humanity, and for heaven and earth, having witnessed countless struggles and unimaginable despair.

From ancient times to the present, all chaos, all darkness, and all despair have stemmed from those six supreme beings whose names cannot even be uttered.

And at its root, it is powerlessness.

He knew very well that the fundamental reason why the 'Phoenix Lord's campaign against the heavens', the most likely to succeed in countless kalpas, could not succeed was that the human race had no saint!

The Phoenix Lord was powerful, but not a saint!

Could he be the first saint of our human race...?

Zeng San's heart trembled slightly, filled with hope, but also with trepidation.

At this moment, among the many great cultivators in the world, there were not a few who had the same thoughts as him, such as Yang Jian, such as Gautama...

One complex gaze after another pierced through the flickering 'Candlelight of Illumination', looking towards the eternal River of Time.

But the next moment,

the flames that had ignited in countless eyes were extinguished as if splashed with cold water.

Because, accompanied by the indifferent heavenly voice that resounded through countless time and space, an unimaginably terrifying palm,

pressed down from the highest point of the River of Time.

That palm was so huge that it seemed even more vast and heavy than heaven and earth themselves. The moment it pressed down, boundless waves exploded on the River of Time, as if it could sever the endless river!

At the same time, an infinitely desolate and ancient aura, with an extremely domineering and fierce momentum, filled the air, shaking large swaths of time and space, and ancient history.

It slammed towards the white-robed Daoist sitting quietly on the river, holding a scroll.

A saint has made a move.

His power is like a prison, deterring endless time and space!

...

"Unexpected..."

Amidst the rolling river, An Qisheng's expression was calm and peaceful: "But it is just right..."

Long ago, when he first glimpsed the River of Time, he had already seen a path that was only suitable for himself, the path most likely to break the deadlock among countless possibilities.

However, while the River of Time is eternally present and omnipresent, wanting to set foot on it is a completely different level of difficulty from seeing its existence.

The latter is enough if the path of Creation is far enough.

The former is something that even a near-saint, no matter how strong, is far from being able to take even a single step.

Even he had taken a risk and stepped onto it only after synthesizing the 'Divine Dao Imprint' and glimpsing the origin of the world, and in order not to be lost in the endless time and space,

he had no choice but to use Nan Zhan, the Great Zhou, the 'Fengshen Pavilion', the cultivators of the world, Yang Jian, Gautama, and the 'Qi Seed' as anchors, as guides, and as chains to bind himself firmly here.

Otherwise, even if he would not be devoured and killed by the river, he would never be able to find this time and space.

This action was half because he had been waiting for the Da Dao Ji for a long time, and more than half because he could no longer gain the slightest improvement. Now, if he couldn't do it, then even if he sat here for countless eons, he still wouldn't be able to do it.

"I've caught you!"

At the same time as the ruthless and cold voice echoed, countless rivers of water surged on the River of Time, creating huge waves!

Each and every time and space in ancient history was almost shaken off its original track at this moment, and an endless terrifying aura instantly permeated an unknown amount of time.

"Mr. Monster!!!"

An Qisheng's expression was calm because he had already imagined countless times the scene of a saint attacking him.

"Wuwu~ no, no..."

But in his heart, the Three Hearts Blue Spirit Child, seeing this palm from afar, screamed in a broken voice and exploded directly in his heart: "I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm really going to die this time!!"

This is not a self-explosion.

Kaka kaka!

The moment the giant palm crossed the sky, separated by who knows how much time and space, An Qisheng's body let out a groan of being unable to bear the weight.

His muscles, bones, skin, internal organs, the myriad of divine temples in his acupoints, and even the particle-sized cave heavens invisible to the naked eye, were all experiencing earth-shattering turmoil.

Irresistible!

Unstoppable!

Run!

Run!

Run!!!

In that instant, An Qisheng seemed to hear countless sharp roars, which were his body and his mind frantically warning him, frantically urging him.

Urging him to escape from this terrifying horror that was impossible to resist.

"Huff!"

In the gradually boiling river, An Qisheng took a deep breath, as if he wanted to inhale the universe, and even this River of Time, into his chest.

Boom!

He stood up, his clothes fluttering, his long hair dancing wildly, and instead of retreating, he advanced, stepping forward to meet the giant palm that was suppressing all time and space!

In that instant, he no longer held back anything.

He turned all the power of his cultivation into fuel, and with a reckless attitude, he forcibly pushed his divine will, which had been raised to the limit, one step further.

He wanted to reach the extreme and the peak!

Buzz!

Just as An Qisheng stood up, in Nan Zhan, in the Great Zhou Imperial Capital, in the Fengshen Pavilion, Qiao Moke, who had been hidden from the light for many years, suddenly opened his eyes.

At the same time, the countless divine temples inside and outside the seven levels of the Fengshen Pavilion all lit up.

"What?"

On and off the Heavenly Altar, many cultivators of the Great Zhou were shocked and suddenly turned their heads, only to see rays of divine light soaring straight into the sky from the Fengshen Pavilion.

"The time has come!"

Almost simultaneously, in the highest reaches of the Star Sea, in the towering Divine Court, the Crown Prince in a red robe kicked over the burning furnace and stepped forward, letting out a long howl that shook the clouds.

"Eastern Pole?!"

The hearts of the emperors of the Cangjin, who had all their attention taken by the River of Time, trembled, and they suddenly turned their heads. Just as they were about to scold him, they saw an extremely unbelievable scene.

In the Divine Court, from the Four Great Divine Generals to the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, at this moment, they all burst out with familiar yet unfamiliar light. The rays of light fell down like a celestial river, sweeping across the Star Sea.

Colliding with all the divine light that burst out from the earth.

Rumble!

Amidst the earth-shattering tremors, a huge Taiji diagram connecting heaven and earth and filling the Star Sea slowly formed.

"It's interesting to have exhausted all your schemes, but it's a pity..."

Above the vast river, the giant palm trembled slightly, then sneered and pressed down:

"How can an ant defy the heavens?!"

"Tai Long!"

Above the river, divine light was like the sun, An Qisheng rose up to the sky, and behind him, boundless streamers intertwined, evolving into infinite visions and all kinds of Dao rhymes.

South Heaven Gate, Eight Trigrams Furnace, Execution Platform, Fengdu City, God-Slaying Whip...

One after another, magical powers flashed and disappeared, and thousands of magical powers merged and converged at this moment, following him to the sky, and had turned into the most primitive and ancient means.

Palm!

Palm against palm!

For eight hundred years, he had forgotten himself, indulging in the myriad of time and space, tempering his body and spirit. Until now, he had truly seen 'Saint' for the first time in a meaningful sense!

"I, I see you!"

...

Boom!

At this moment, in the Great Zhou, Nan Zhan, the various seas, the various continents, and even the various realms, all living beings who were gazing at the long sky and glimpsing the long river, regardless of their cultivation level, whether they were humans or demons, or even demons and ghosts lacking intelligence, and ignorant beasts,

were trembling!

Because, along with the rolling of the river, the Daoist stepped forward.

At the highest point, which was higher than the sea of clouds, higher than the sea of stars, and higher than everything else, a brilliant divine light suddenly appeared, and a wisp of purple light slowly overflowed.

It was extremely weak at first, but in an instant, it was extremely brilliant.

In just a few moments, under the gaze of countless living beings, a round sun, different from the six suns, with purple as the base, gold as the auxiliary, and red as the highlight.

Rose slowly!

It was weak and small, and the gap between it and the suns was very big. However, it was still many times more brilliant and infinitely dazzling than the combination of the stars.

Countless people stared in fascination.

Until,

tears filled their faces.

That was,

the Celestial Emperor,

the Seventh Sun!