Time stretches on, burying many things beneath its surface.
Chen Xia strolled within it, moving cautiously, afraid that a single misstep would entangle him in the quagmire of time. For cultivators, this was a troublesome matter, as prying into the River of Time could lead to drowning in its waters.
Fortunately, Chen Xia had comprehended the Dao of Time, akin to having his own small boat in this river, allowing him to navigate time's currents relatively safely.
He moved forward slowly, each step spanning a hundred years of time. The contents of this realm were rich and required careful observation to find the whereabouts of the Heart Demon of Big Yellow Dog.
Chen Xia took twenty-seven steps in the River of Time, looking back two thousand seven hundred years, before finally stopping and gazing into the flow of the river.
In the deepest depths of the River of Time, he saw the truth: the Heart Demon of Big Yellow Dog shining within the forbidden zone, arguing with the other three masters of the zone, their expressions furious as if conveying something.
The specific words could only be heard by truly sinking into the River of Time, a feat too difficult even for a sage; it was a great magical power wielded by the Emperor of Time.
Chen Xia could only stand on the surface of the river and watch from afar.
The Heart Demon of Big Yellow Dog grew more agitated, seemingly arguing with the other three masters of the forbidden zone, pointing at the sky and shouting loudly.
Their response was only cold laughter; Big Yellow Dog's nature was different from theirs, being the only master still alive in his original form, and there seemed to be a faint connection between him and his original form.
Furthermore, their ideologies clashed, which was not uncommon among the twelve masters of the forbidden zones.
The other three masters said little and directly launched an attack, sealing away the Heart Demon of Big Yellow Dog within the forbidden zone's depths, but not completely destroying him; instead, they engaged in conversation.
Suddenly, they looked to the sky, brows furrowed, seemingly sensing something amiss, but for some reason, the brief connection between heaven and man quickly vanished. The three masters didn't know why, but the divine sense of a great sage was not something ordinary, and its nature was unclear.
Meanwhile, Chen Xia had already retreated to the rear of the River of Time, his expression calm; he had already roughly guessed the outcome, so there were no surprises.
The imprisonment and suppression of the Heart Demon of Big Yellow Dog were beneficial to Chen Xia; he no longer needed to consider the relationship with his inner demon or with Big Yellow Dog while fighting the masters of the forbidden zones.
Not bad.
Chen Xia withdrew from the River of Time and returned to his small house, gazing at the night sky; it was probably time for the endgame of this chess match. The masters of the forbidden zones, who had always lurked in the shadows, should reveal their true faces now.
Wang Yangzi hadn't visited the small house in recent days; it seemed he was also searching for some clues.
Wu Saint advised him earnestly, "You are now a false saint, essentially disabled. Why bother with these matters? Even I, a normal person, don't investigate them. You, a disabled person, are still addicted. Is life not precious to you?"
Wang Yangzi chuckled lightly, replying, "I'm just a disabled pseudo-saint, but I should still find something to help Chen Xia, who is still in the realm, understand the cause and effect."
"They want to scheme against Chen Xia?" Wu Saint furrowed his brows, surprised by this news.
In his view, Chen Xia, with his four innate talents, shouldn't be a pawn on the chessboard within the realm, unrelated to its causality.
"In this chessboard called the realm, everyone is a pawn. They dare to scheme against Chen Xia. Even ordinary emperors are suppressed when they reach the realm. They are the pseudo-gods of the realm, looking down from above," Wang Yangzi responded in a low voice. He then squinted and added, "Boiling Water Great Saint left a lot of information, and as I searched through it, I increasingly feel that the realm is just a consumable for them to break free from constraints, without any real concern."
"It seems like you're the only one who cares," Wu Saint pointed out.
Wang Yangzi shook his head, "Given the current situation, I've come to terms with it. Perhaps my hometown is only meant for remembrance. I just want the people I care about to be safe."
"Does that include me?" Wu Saint asked playfully.
"Die first," Wang Yangzi replied expressionlessly.
The battle in the realm had intensified, with only Wu Saint from the Saint Hall actively participating.
The reason Wu Saint hadn't died yet was because he kept retreating.
Regardless of whether he could win or not, as soon as he sensed something amiss, he immediately organized a retreat. By now, he had retreated twenty thousand miles, with a rising trend.
This was inevitable. The masters of the twelve forbidden zones were all out fighting, but Wu Saint could tell they were just idling, pure troublemakers.
Wu Saint couldn't possibly sacrifice himself for these twelve troublemakers. He was smart from a young age. As soon as a saint appeared in the Heavenly Rain Realm, he retreated, yielding the strategic positions of the realm, aligning with the intentions of the Forbidden Zone Master.
The momentum of the attack from the Heavenly Rain Realm was rising, seemingly attempting to conquer the realm in one fell swoop.
At this critical moment, the attack from the Heavenly Rain Realm abruptly stopped without any warning. The cultivators from the Heavenly Rain Realm withdrew thousands of miles, securing their positions.
They also sensed that something was amiss.
Now it was just a standoff between the two sides, exchanging taunts and insults, but no one actually came forward to fight.
One prominent figure in this taunting was Wu Saint.
Wu Saint enjoyed this atmosphere. After all, he was fearless in verbal fights, shouting the loudest. But when it came to physical combat...
Sorry, he was nowhere to be found.
The Master of the Forbidden Zone seemed a bit anxious and ordered the realm cultivators to attack the Heavenly Rain Realm actively.
However, Wu Saint wasn't foolish. He agreed in words, but whether he fought or not was his own business.
For a moment, there was an unusual harmony between the two realms.
Inside a small house.
Chen Xia suddenly turned his head and glimpsed an old man coming with an umbrella in the drizzle. They locked eyes, and there was a subtle movement in their expressions.
The old man spoke first, "Long time no see, Chief Chen."
"Hmm," Chen Xia nodded slightly and asked, "What brings you here?"
Shanshui Quasi-Emperor chuckled, "I want to ask you about some secrets of the realm."
"I don't know, and I don't care. Why are you asking me?" Chen Xia shook his head in response.
"Since you've managed to claim the position of the chief, you must be privy to things beyond the knowledge of ordinary folks. Heavenly Rain Realm is willing to exchange some valuable treasures for information," chuckled Shanshui Quasi-Emperor.
"What do you wish to know?" inquired Chen Xia.
"Chief Chen, could you share your opinion, for instance, on whether we should continue the assault on the boundary?" asked Shanshui Quasi-Emperor.
Chen Xia nodded, providing his response.
"My assessment is..."
"Just go for it!"