NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 284: Galloping Through a Flower Field
Chapter 284: Galloping Through a Flower Field
The river of time quickly flowed backward again, this time by 78 years, revealing the scene from the previous major struggle over the Origin Tracing Light-the first time Xu Lian had participated in such a contest.
Initially, the Origin Tracing Light was seized by an elderly cultivator at the Origin Tracing Realm 9 stage. However, he was quickly besieged and incapacitated by the others.
The light was then taken by an elderly woman, also at Origin Tracing Realm 9 Stage, who burned her life force to forcibly ascend to Pseudo-Sage Realm.
Unleashing her newfound power, she displayed overwhelming dominance, killing multiple powerful cultivators in succession.
The energy unleashed by a Pseudo-Sage was extraordinary, capable of partially penetrating the River of Time.
One unfortunate bystander, Ye Rushang, was grazed on the shoulder by her withered palm. He let out a muffled groan, coughed up blood, and his face turned pale from the injury.
Fortunately, the energy was weakened by its traversal through the river of time, and Ye Rushang was also protected by the black battle armor he wore, which further reduced the impact. In the end, he only sustained minor injuries.
“Damn it! That old hag who has been dead for 560 years still won’t leave me alone!”
Ye Rushang rubbed his aching shoulder and cursed under his breath.
Xu Lian’s heart tightened as he thought to himself, “There are hundreds of us traveling upstream in the river of time, yet the one who got struck happens to be my father-in-law. Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?”
Ye Rushang frowned. “Are you saying that it wasn’t a coincidence?”
Xu Lian replied, “It seems that the concept of karma isn’t entirely unfounded. Father-in-law, do you recall cursing her back then? She must have borne a grudge, and even now, in this river of time, that karmic thread guided her attack to strike you.”
Ye Rushang shuddered, feeling an urge to slap himself. Back then, he should never have launched a “verbal assault” on that old woman. Now, even in death, she seemed unwilling to let him go.
The other cultivators of the Origin Tracing Realm also wore grave expressions. The river of time had only flowed back 560 years, and already they were running into trouble. Who could have predicted what dangers awaited them further upstream?
Meanwhile, the Origin Tracing Light, resembling a small tireless white dragon, continued swimming upstream relentlessly, extending the river of time further into the past. The group had no choice but to follow its lead, endlessly ascending the river’s flow.
A century passed.
Two centuries.
Three centuries…
Scenes of Wuguang City’s past unfolded one after another, seemingly endlessly.
For the past several hundred years, every occurrence in Wuguang City revolved around the Origin Tracing Light Battles waged by the Origin Tracing Realm cultivators. Fortunately, the energy of these cultivators could not penetrate the River of Time, so the current group was unaffected.
For the time being, the group was relatively safe.
However, traveling further back might spell disaster. If they ascended to an era where sages and supreme beings fought for the Origin Tracing Light, the situation would undoubtedly turn perilous.
“Origin Tracing Light, please stop. Don’t go any further.”
“I don’t care about this abnormally robust Origin Tracing Light anymore. I just want to leave the River of Time alive…”
One after another, the cultivators prayed bitterly.
One thousand years
Fifteen hundred years
Two thousand years
Two thousand five hundred years
Three thousand years
Xu Lian witnessed the events of the past three thousand years in Wuguang City as if he were galloping through a field of flowers.
Every decade or so, the Origin Tracing Light would appear, sparking another fierce contest in Wuguang City.
Some even rejoiced at seizing the Origin Tracing Light.
Others met a tragic end, dying far from home.
This city, neither too large nor too small, had nurtured countless Origin Tracing Realm cultivators while also consuming an equal number of their lives.
Ye Rushang’s gaze became distant as he observed the scenes, nearly all of which featured himself. “I spent most of my life in Wuguang City.”
Three thousand five hundred years.
Four thousand years…
The river of time revealed a scene of Wuguang City, where over a hundred Origin Tracing Lights appeared simultaneously, resembling a breathtaking meteor shower.
However, this was a deadly beauty.
The appearance of so many Origin Tracing Lights drove the Origin Tracing Realm cultivators in Wuguang City mad. The ensuing battle lasted for three years, and nearly half of the participants lost their lives before the dust finally settled.
Among them was Ye Rushang, who fought fiercely, his entire body drenched in blood and riddled with wounds. Despite his injuries, his face was lit up with joy and his eyes shone with fervor as he clutched an Origin Tracing Light in his hand.
“Father-in-law, you were quite the warrior back then,” Xu Lian said with a faint smile.
The others cast curious glances at Ye Rushang in the scene, struggling to reconcile this bold and reckless warrior with the composed man standing before them now.
Reflecting on the glory of his youth, Ye Rushang sighed deeply. “At that time, I had just entered the Origin Tracing Realm and was full of ambition, fearless of anything. Looking back now, it was terrifying. Hundreds, even thousands of Origin Tracing Realm cultivators fought in that battle. With my then-novice level cultivation, it was pure luck that I survived”.
The abnormally robust Origin Tracing Light, resembling a tireless little white dragon, continued upstream.
Four thousand five hundred years.
Five thousand years…
When the group reached an era 8,000 years ago, trouble arose. In the visions of Wuguang City, an Origin Tracing Realm 9th Stage cultivator of the highest peak, a pseudo sage, appeared.
Every time the Origin Tracing Light emerged, he unleashed a devastating power, slaughtering anyone who opposed him and instilling fear in the hearts of his peers.
He had deliberately capped his cultivation at the peak of Origin Tracing Realm 9, avoiding a breakthrough to the Sage Realm. This allowed him to partake in the Origin Tracing Light Battles without violating the rule prohibiting Sages from joining these contests in Wuguang City.
The energy he unleashed could penetrate the river of time, affecting the group. Each member was forced to deploy their combat techniques to counter his power.
“This guy is terrifying!”
“Fortunately, there’s no one like him in Wuguang City now. Otherwise, we’d never get even a single Origin Tracing Light…”
The group was shaken. Even through the river of time, they felt the stinging pain in their hands from the force of his attacks.
This guy used a loophole? Xu Lian’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Capping his cultivation to dominate Wuguang City and monopolize the Origin Tracing Light-genius. I can’t believe it worked.”
Ye Rushang explained, “Back then, he exploited the loophole in the rules and monopolized all Origin Tracing Lights in Wuguang City for 2,000 years. Eventually, the major powers grew wise to his scheme and expelled him”.
The major powers amended the rule by adding a clause: If anyone deliberately capped their cultivation at Origin Tracing Realm 9 to avoid breaking through to the Sage Realm, they would be allowed to stay in Wuguang City for a maximum of 500 years. After that, they would be forcibly expelled.
“So the loophole has been fixed…” Xu Lian felt a pang of regret. If this tactic were still viable, he would’ve considered doing the same once he reached Origin Tracing Realm 9, hoarding all the Origin Tracing Lights in Wuguang City. Even if he couldn’t use them all, he could trade them for Sage Realm resources, which were in perpetual shortage among the major powers.
After all, Origin Tracing Light was an ultra-high-grade, regulated cultivation resource. A dozen or so of them could likely be exchanged for a small quantity of Sage Realm resources.
But now, thanks to that man’s actions, the loophole was gone.