Chapter 395: Space-time Domain
The hall was deathly silent.
Song Lingxue gazed at the three names before her and pointed at Wan Wenfeng's name.
Among these three, only Wan Wenfeng had interacted with her. Approaching the other two would involve many uncertainties, and she had no such intention.
Judging from Wan Wenfeng's previous words and actions, at least he seemed calculating and not a reckless brute.
Moreover, who knew how significant this favor would turn out to be?
Since she began her cultivation, Song Lingxue's mindset had undergone substantial changes. Relying on others was unreliable; it was better to depend on herself as much as possible.
Seeing Song Lingxue's choice, Ji Zhouyin slightly nodded:
"Wan Wenfeng is indeed a suitable choice. Though he is also from Fu Pinglan's lineage, he has a good sense of the bigger picture, knows when to advance and retreat, and is prudent in his actions."
He said no more, selecting Wan Wenfeng's name and sending it into the void. He then sighed lightly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes:
"I don't have much time left. My ability to help you and Chu Zheng is very limited. If Fu Pinglan survives the return from the Ancient Times, I will have to defer on many matters. He is too young, and he has a long life ahead, with an unyielding ambition, and his methods will be much more ruthless than mine."
The Martial Path ultimately values age. Though I have inherited the Martial Ancestor position and can temporarily suppress Fu Pinglan with Martial Arts Heavenly Fortune, I cannot outlive him."
"Why does Fu Pinglan harbor such hostility towards Azhen?"
Song Lingxue frowned slightly, finding it difficult to understand. There was no enmity between them, and they were barely connected.
"The reason is not complicated."
Ji Zhouyin mused for a moment and then said slowly:
"Back then, the Immortal Ancestor made a public display of searching for Chu Zheng, and this particular esteem may have sparked his killing intent. Fu Pinglan has always intended to ignite a Dao War and tear faces with the Immortal Alliance. It's something he's always desired, perhaps wishing to use Chu Zheng's life to provoke the Immortal Alliance."
"Now that the Ancestral Dao has passed, once Fu Pinglan returns, he will undoubtedly try to start a Dao War. It will be a tricky situation then. Within the Immortal Alliance, Chu Zheng is currently the most dazzling rookie and may achieve Immortal Venerable status within a century. Fu Pinglan might still entertain thoughts of killing him."
After outlining Chu Zheng's current predicament, Ji Zhouyin continued:
"To protect Chu Zheng, you must have sufficient foundation yourself, and you need someone to balance Fu Pinglan."
"At the same time, you need to quickly reach the Tenth Order. Once you enter the Space-time Domain, you'll have more influence within the Martial Hall. For Fu Pinglan to instigate a Dao War, the Martial Hall must act in unison; otherwise, there's no chance of winning. With you in front and support from at least two Ancestral Realm individuals, even if he intends to harm Chu Zheng, he should reconsider for the sake of the larger picture."
"Thank you, Martial Ancestor, for the advice. I will attempt to Breakthrough Realm as soon as possible."
Song Lingxue nodded and then hesitantly said, "I've touched the barrier to the realm, but space-time feels so mysterious to me, and I find it hard to comprehend it quickly."
"There are differences between the Martial Arts Scripture and today's Martial Path. Your body lacks the Martial Mark, so you can't condense a Martial Seal. The future Martial Vein is even more out of reach. Your Dao Fruit within is somewhat akin to a Dao Seed, yet it can be separated externally and passed to others. It's quite unique; what guidance I can offer is limited."
Ji Zhouyin pondered for a moment and came up with an idea: "To condense a Martial Seal, you need some understanding of the Space-time Law. This step can't be skipped in the Martial Arts Scripture either. The Ancient Dao Transmission Road you visited earlier is a branch in the space-time river. I'll send you there again; see if you can realize something."
"Thank you, Martial Ancestor."
Song Lingxue bowed in gratitude.
"This time, you don't need to return to the past. Go directly to the future. The Martial Arts Scripture originated from there; there should be a solution there."
Ji Zhouyin raised his hand and sent a Spiritual Light into Song Lingxue's forehead.
Her Divine Soul instantly became unstable, separating from her body and slowly floating upward.
A blurry path of light appeared before her eyes, winding down through a myriad of colorful starlights.
Returning to the Ancient Dao Transmission Road, Song Lingxue's experience was quite different. The clear Space-time Law surged into her senses, and the Dao Fruit inside her began to transform.
Song Lingxue walked gradually downstream along the ancient road. Time flowed beneath her feet, and those events that had yet to occur for her had already become the past at this moment.
Unknowingly, she had reached the end of the future.
As before, a vague figure stood in her way, blocking her path, surrounded by divine light, making its appearance indiscernible.
But this time, the figure did not step aside as before; it simply stood silently.
Song Lingxue vaguely sensed that the gaze of the person before her lingered on her for a very long time.
After a long while, just as Song Lingxue was about to speak, a whisper reverberated in her mind, carrying a faint sense of sorrow:
"This is... the final meeting."
As the words faded, the figure gently raised a hand, pointing a mysterious light directly at Song Lingxue's forehead.
Before she could react, her Dao Fruit suddenly emerged from the depths of her soul, suspended above the ancient road spanning time and space.
Crack—
The shell of the Dao Fruit fragmented layer by layer, and a tender sprout extended out, growing rapidly at an astonishing speed.
In just a few breaths, a crystalline Dao Flower had fully blossomed, exuding an extremely terrifying Dao essence.
Boom!
Song Lingxue felt an overwhelming shock in her mind, with countless memory fragments flooding into her Sea of Consciousness through the Dao Flower. For a moment, she seemed to connect the ancient with the modern, seeing the past and the future, and even... past lives!
Bang!
In an instant, Song Lingxue's form involuntarily retreated, only able to watch helplessly as her Dao Flower fell into the person's palm, disappearing without a trace.
When she regained her senses, she found herself back in the familiar Black Stone Hall.
Song Lingxue looked bewildered, glancing at the Space-time Law flowing through her fingers, feeling somewhat disoriented.
The Dao Fruit within her had disappeared, but she could still sense the Dao Flower's existence. She could even draw immeasurable power from it, enough to reverse time.
"You..."
Ji Zhouyin, no longer composed, stood up quickly, shock evident in his expression:
"You broke through?!"
The Space-time Law is the most incomprehensible mystery in the Great Universe. To enter the Space-time Domain, one must have enough understanding of the Space-time Law to harness the great power to reverse time.
Ordinary Upper Realm Great Saint Perfection requires at least tens of thousands of years to realize the Space-time Law and break through. He had lingered at the Great Saint Peak for exactly ten thousand three hundred and twenty-one years before entering the Space-time Domain.
This was an understanding almost unreachable for most!
How long did Song Lingxue take? She was not even three thousand years old, yet in front of him, after entering the Ancient Dao Transmission Road, she broke through in an instant.
Why?!