The Overlord Sage lay at the lowest point of the formation, his consciousness hazy and full of confusion.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?
Oh, that's right, I'm the Overlord Sage.
He came to his senses and looked up at the sky, feeling utterly bewildered. What was that pitch-black figure that had suddenly appeared earlier? It was terrifying.
He stood up, suppressing the pain from his injuries, and took a high-grade healing pill. Barely managing to rise, he looked up with a gloomy expression.
The sky flickered, and a flash of black seemed to ripple across it, like the swaying of a robe.
The pitch-black figure appeared before the Overlord Sage again. As they faced each other, the atmosphere instantly became tense. Even the surrounding stars ceased their rotation, and meteors hung suspended.
The Overlord Sage lowered his gaze slightly, examining the black figure. After a long moment, he finally spoke in a deep voice.
"May I ask your name, senior? If I have offended you in any way, please tell me, and I will certainly apologize."
The Out of Body Avatar remained motionless. After a while, it slightly turned its head to look in Chen Xia's direction.
The Overlord Sage followed its gaze, his thoughts racing. His pupils dilated as he suddenly understood something.
No wonder he had felt a similarity between the two earlier. This suddenly appearing black figure must be the ancestor of that person from before. He had beaten the junior, so naturally the elder had come to stand up for him!
Having realized this, the Overlord Sage quickly put on a smile and said to the Out of Body Avatar,
"Indeed, I was in the wrong. I didn't realize I had offended your descendant. I will certainly provide compensation to satisfy both you and your junior."
He had made his stance clear and thought the Out of Body Avatar would agree. After all, the Star Region wasn't that big, and all the saints knew each other. They saw each other frequently, and this senior probably just wanted to save face since his junior had been beaten, damaging his reputation.
Now that he had apologized so sincerely, the senior should have regained face, so there was no need to continue making trouble. After all, he was a saint himself.
If he maintained his sincere attitude, he might even be able to establish a connection with this senior and improve his standing in the Star Region.
The Overlord Sage's thoughts were reasonable, and indeed reflected the thinking of most cultivators.
But the Out of Body Avatar was no ordinary being, especially now without its main soul in control. At this moment, it had only one thought: to protect Chen Xia's remnant soul and to suppress and kill the Overlord Sage.
Seeing that the Out of Body Avatar remained motionless, the Overlord Sage clasped his hands and bowed deeply, saying in a loud voice,
"This junior apologizes to the senior!"
His voice echoed far and wide, reaching the ears of the several saints who were watching. They all fell silent, understanding the Overlord Sage's actions, because he indeed couldn't win against this opponent.
A hint of a smile appeared in the Overlord Sage's golden eyes. He felt he had given enough face, and now this senior should have nothing more to say.
He had thought everything through and indeed acted appropriately, at least in the eyes of the observing saints who saw no problem with his actions.
"Is the senior willing to forgive me?" the Overlord Sage asked timely.
The Out of Body Avatar finally turned to look at him. Its consciousness was somewhat subdued, lacking energy, but it still slowly raised one hand.
The Overlord Sage quickly stepped forward, also extending a hand to grasp the Out of Body Avatar's, while smiling and saying,
"Thank you for your forgiveness, senior. I am grateful..."
His words suddenly stopped.
Because the Out of Body Avatar's raised hand didn't stop, but continued to rise, gathering spiritual energy. It suddenly clenched, causing the sky to tremble violently as if about to collapse.
The Overlord Sage's extended hand trembled, and his body retreated explosively, trying to escape. But he was already enveloped by pitch-black death energy. The sky seemed to wrap around him like a black robe, then violently flung him away.
Boom!
An extremely bright light appeared between the stars, piercing through countless celestial bodies before finally crashing into the great formation, causing spider web-like cracks to appear.
The Overlord Sage was at the center of these cracks, his body covered in blood. He stared at the sky in horror, unable to utter a word, feeling only excruciating pain as if his soul and body had been torn apart.
The black color in the sky hadn't dissipated. It flashed again.
The Out of Body Avatar appeared before the Overlord Sage, its index finger pointing at his brow. Vast death energy condensed into a single point, then explosively spread out, transforming into a strike capable of obliterating the stars.
The half-dead Overlord Sage furrowed his brow, realizing something was wrong. His consciousness instantly cleared, and he hurriedly begged for mercy.
"Brother, I was wrong. Please give me another chance, brother, I beg you..."
The Out of Body Avatar's finger touched his brow. Space exploded, stars and meteors shattered into dust, then were obliterated until nothing remained.
This strike lasted for ten breaths.
The world was bombarded until only void remained. The great formation revealed an enormous gap, having been destroyed.
Half of the Overlord Sage's body fell to one side, while the remaining half was in no better condition, left with only the strength to breathe after the bombardment.
The Out of Body Avatar remained frozen in its striking pose in the starry sky.
It had completely run out of energy.
Without the control of its main soul, the Out of Body Avatar could only forcibly move for a period of time based on its instinct to protect its master. Once Chen Xia was out of mortal danger, the Out of Body Avatar would cease to move.
It was precisely because of this that the Overlord Sage managed to keep his life, not being directly obliterated into dust and scattered across the Star Region.
Now, the Overlord Sage's remnant body drifted in the starry river, clinging to life by a thread. Any Heaven Mending Realm cultivator could have finished him off, let alone the saints who were currently observing.
But not a single saint dared to deliver the final blow.
Because of the presence of the Out of Body Avatar.
The Out of Body Avatar hadn't killed the Overlord Sage, which in the eyes of the saints meant it had its own intentions. If they dared to step forward and completely kill the Overlord Sage, they feared they might be the next to die.
No saint dared to take action in front of the Out of Body Avatar. They could only watch quietly.
The Overlord Sage's fate today depended on his own luck.
The formation trapping the Blue Sky Sword Sea had been shattered. It was unclear what impact this would have, or whether that ancient being who had been left there for tens of thousands of years would appear.
If it did emerge, who could stop that ancient one?
These were all pressing questions.
The saints were somewhat worried, and at the same time began to speculate about the background and identity of the Out of Body Avatar. They did manage to find a figure that matched.
It was discovered based on the pervasive death energy. There had been records in ancient chronicles over twenty thousand years ago mentioning this figure, who was none other than the Lord of Dead Star from the Dead Star Region.
However, the last record about the Lord of Dead Star was from twenty thousand years ago, reportedly a high-level Heaven Mending Realm cultivator with extremely high combat power.
Now, reappearing after twenty thousand years, its combat power was unexpectedly so high. Judging from how easily it had dominated the Overlord Sage, it should have combat power very close to a Great Saint, or it might even be a Great Saint.
The saints fell silent, truly at a loss for words.
Because a Great Saint was the pinnacle of power in the Star Region, truly at the peak of the mountain. Currently, there were only three Great Saints in the Star Region, all of them unparalleled geniuses, the cream of the crop among Great Emperor Seedlings.
Now another figure suspected to be a Great Saint had appeared. The balance of power in the Star Region might shift again, giving rise to a new force.
The saints continued to ponder rapidly.
Chen Xia, who had fallen injured, had already stood up. Standing on a thread of sword intent, he first glanced at the Out of Body Avatar suspended far away in the starry river, shaking his head helplessly, then walked towards the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
Today, he was determined to see the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
The shattered Blue Sky Sword Sea wasn't completely broken. Many sections still remained, upon which one could faintly see ancient buildings from over twenty thousand years ago.
Chen Xia approached, treading on wisps of sword energy, and stopped tens of miles from the broken Blue Sky Sword Sea, gazing at what lay within.
He faintly saw a figure in the desolate sword sea.
A blurry figure.
So Chen Xia took a few more steps forward, and everything became clear.
A sword grave devoid of flying swords, pavilions filled with divine abilities and magical techniques, countless shattered cave dwellings.
Every building had been reduced to fragments, each floating in a different place, creating a complex scene.
Chen Xia looked at each one, finding them all familiar. Suddenly, his gaze stopped.
Because he saw an extremely old pavilion.
The pavilion floated in the starry river, as if forgotten by time. Even after twenty thousand years, no one had retrieved it.
Chen Xia gazed at the pavilion with nostalgia. This was the place he often visited to rest when he was in the Blue Sky Sword Sea. Whether he sat idly or played chess, it was a frequent haunt.
He lifted his foot, stepping on sword energy to ascend, and once again entered the ancient pavilion. He sat down obliquely, mimicking his posture from twenty thousand years ago as he rested in the pavilion.
A youthful appearance imitating youth, yet somehow failing to capture the essence.
Chen Xia pondered for a moment before realizing the answer.
It was because he had become estranged from his former self.
No wonder.
He sighed, rising from the pavilion to continue his journey forward.
The traces of the heavenly dao's reckoning were deeply etched, imprinted on the shattered Blue Sky Sword Sea.
Chen Xia's footsteps suddenly halted as he reached the innermost part of the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
As expected, a figure appeared before him.
A silhouette that had been guarding the Blue Sky Sword Sea from beginning to end.
The Old Fisherman.
Even without consciousness, he was instinctively protecting the Blue Sky Sword Sea.
Chen Xia's expression grew complex, his youthful face revealing a bitter smile.
This was his second visit to the broken Blue Sky Sword Sea, and each time he encountered the Old Fisherman.
He raised his left hand to the side of his head, waving it gently as he spoke.
"Master, what a coincidence."
The Old Fisherman, however, would not respond. He had completely lost consciousness, with only a remnant of obsession left in his soul.
So he certainly wouldn't reply to Chen Xia, but instead raised his sword.
A broken sword, with only the hilt remaining.
A Demigod Sword.
Chen Xia's expression turned helpless as he shook his head, "Can't we find a nice place to sit down and talk about the old days, reminisce a bit? I don't blame you for using me as a life-extending elixir, and you shouldn't blame me for tricking you."
"Let's not fight. I can't beat you now anyway."
The deathly silent sword sea rippled slightly.
A flash of crimson appeared in the Old Fisherman's eyes, as if a hint of intelligence had emerged, and he actually spoke.
"Are you confident now?"
He was naturally asking about Chen Xia's confidence in obtaining the sword.
Chen Xia shook his head, "I was before, but not anymore."
This referred both to his weakened state with only a remnant soul, and to his softened heart upon seeing the Old Fisherman.
Chen Xia rarely softened, but the current Old Fisherman was an exception.
The Old Fisherman didn't respond. The crimson color reclaimed his eyes, and the Demigod Sword in his hand let out a cry. The silent sword sea suddenly trembled.
The sword was coming.
Chen Xia stood motionless, knowing he couldn't block this strike.
A flash of pitch-black death energy.
The Out of Body Avatar used its physical body to receive the sword. The death energy rippled, countering the sword energy, directly shielding Chen Xia.
The Old Fisherman didn't pause, continuing his deadly assault, each move lethal, the Demigod Sword swinging relentlessly.
Fortunately, the Out of Body Avatar was not inferior to the Old Fisherman wielding the Demigod Sword. They fought back and forth evenly. If not for the Demigod Sword, the Out of Body Avatar should have been able to easily suppress the Old Fisherman.
This was the change over twenty thousand years.
Yet Chen Xia couldn't quite feel happy about it. He sighed.
"Old man, those who fall behind get beaten. So why don't you quickly regain your senses and improve your realm a bit more?"
There was no response.
Dense death energy and sword energy surrounded them.
Such is the nature of time's changes, always keeping you unaware of what the future holds.
Forever mysterious, forever unknown.
Time that can be glimpsed is never true time; it's merely what can be known after it has already occurred.
Chen Xia seemed to gain some new insights. He stood on the broken Blue Sky Sword Sea, his expression gradually moving forward as he walked along the edge of the sword sea, his right hand stretching out.
Until it touched the sword sea.
It was cold water, it was abundant swords.
Over twenty thousand years of time touched, memories of the past flashed through his mind.
"My name is Chi Yu, I am..."
"Brother, do you have any more of those pills? I've been guarding this gate for two great eras..."
"Chen Xia, come and refine pills, quickly..."
"Elder Chen, I've brought spirit stones for you. When I die, I want my grave to be impressive..."
"..."
Scenes from the past, one after another.
Chen Xia suddenly looked up and exclaimed softly.
"Twenty thousand years."
The thread of time broke.
The Time Dao was not only regained but had new insights.