The River of Time flowed between heaven and earth, its speed so swift that mere moments encompassed hundreds of years of change.
Chen Xia stood at the center of this Time River, unmoved by its current, calmly observing the scenes as they shifted around him.
Standing in the midst of his own timeline, he watched two million years of changes unfold, a spectacle even he found difficult to fully comprehend.
How long is Time?
From Weixi Town to the Realm's Edge, all the way to the present.
There's a saying that when people get old, they become cunning. One interpretation is that a person, once they reach old age, must be reborn as a zygote.
...
This was Chen Xia's understanding, but there was clearly another interpretation: as people age, they become more astute, to the point of enlightenment about new things.
He had found something new for himself, something hidden in the depths of the Time Dao.
The threshold for comprehending the Time Dao is to initially master time. This initial level means being able to stop time, regardless of duration or scope. As long as one can pause time, that is the entry point to the Time Dao.
The next level of comprehension involves the past and future. This is a difficult insight to explain, something that can only be understood intuitively, not conveyed through words. It forms the foundation for sainthood in the Time Dao.
Advancing to become a great saint naturally requires new insights, delving into the true depths of the Time Dao.
Chen Xia had found it.
It was emotion.
Emotions entrusted to the flow of time.
It's often said that time can make people forget everything, but things deeply etched in one's mind are unforgettable for a lifetime.
Within events lie scenes.
Thus, before Chen Xia appeared an ancient water town, with a slightly yellow river flowing out from it, distant mountains in the background, and nearby waters.
Events also involve people.
Scattered merchants gradually appeared, shouting enthusiastically, trying to sell their wares.
Chen Xia stood at the far end of the alley where the merchants had set up shop. Suddenly, he lowered his head to find himself wearing a red robe made of coarse cloth, with two large characters printed on it.
Patrolman.
He tilted his head slightly, looking to one side.
"Brother Chen!" a young girl called out enthusiastically, then lifted her skirt and hurried over.
This was Xu Zhen.
Chen Xia recognized her. He smiled gently, about to respond.
Suddenly, strong winds and heavy snow buried everything.
At the foot of the imperial city.
A woman with bright, watery eyes asked him, "Will you come back? Will you see me again? Will you take me with you?"
Chen Xia's lips parted slightly, about to reply with a "Yes."
But the scene suddenly changed again.
Above the Sword Sea, beneath the Azure Sky.
Chen Xia sat in a pavilion, facing a large yellow dog holding chess pieces, tilting its head in thought.
Chi Yu stood nearby with his hands behind his back, watching nervously, his brows furrowed. He actually didn't understand chess; his tension was just to feel more involved.
Zhang DaoMing stood to the side with his arms folded, smiling. Watching two terrible chess players was indeed amusing.
A short old man peeked in somewhat timidly – it was Pan Dadao.
Chen Xia held a chess piece, but before he could place it, the scene shifted once more.
The Azure Sky had shattered, and the Heavenly Dao Reckoning pressed down upon the Sword Sea.
The Old Fisherman wielded his Immortal Sword, fighting desperately against the White Emperor. The Sect Leader Saint ascended to the sky alone, holding back the Heavenly Dao Reckoning.
Numerous elders fell like rain towards the sky, scattering away.
The Sword Venerable Emperor swung his final sword.
This was the curtain call for the Azure Sky and Sword Sea.
Then came the Realm.
There was Qiu Yi, with her emerald eyes and slight stutter.
There was Wang Yangzi, with a flying sword at his waist, cheerful in nature and upright in character.
There was a small cabin housing a large yellow dog, Zhang DaoMing, and Chen Xia.
There were the four seasons.
There was a small grave.
The final scene settled on the dead, vast expanse between stars. Chen Xia stood on a small celestial body, his body suddenly trembling as he slowly turned his head.
The timid girl knelt on the small celestial body, her hair white, wrinkles covering her face. In the final moments of her life, she whispered with a smile.
"Remember me in your heart, like a flower."
A pause.
Time carries memories.
Memories bring all kinds of emotions – joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Perhaps this is the path of life.
Chen Xia stood in this moment of time for a long while, time constantly cycling.
His eyes turned extremely white, as if containing a tiny river within.
Suddenly, he blinked.
Both the River of Time and the tiny river in his eyes ceased to flow.
Chen Xia nodded and softly said,
"Time Dao Enlightenment."
The stagnant River of Time dissipated, and Chen Xia appeared between heaven and earth.
The River of Time still existed, within Chen Xia's eyes.
This was a great divine ability to embody time itself, transforming his eyes into the River of Time. It was becoming the Dao with his own body, and would be an important foundation for later becoming a great emperor and attaining the Dao.
Chen Xia had comprehended the Dao through emotions, finally gaining a deeper understanding.
At this moment, between heaven and earth, he was Time itself.
His external manifestation was still entangled in battle with the Old Fisherman. The Old Fisherman had increased his realm and combat power over these twenty thousand years. With the addition of the Immortal Sword, he was even more formidable than an ordinary great saint, which was why he could engage in battle with Chen Xia's external manifestation.
Chen Xia stepped upward, his blue robe unmoving, as if climbing heavenly stairs. He slowly walked to the highest point of the Azure Sky Sword Sea, looking down upon it all.
Full of memories.
He smiled gently, reaching out his hand and pressing down lightly.
The shattered Azure Sky Sword Sea suddenly retreated, its scattered fragments beginning to reverse, reassembling themselves. The lifeless Sword Sea began to churn, and the Azure Sky faintly reappeared.
Chen Xia was using the supreme divine ability of Time to forcefully rewind the Azure Sky Sword Sea from twenty thousand years ago!
The two tiny rivers in his eyes began to flow frantically, rapidly pulling time backwards.
A rough outline of the past Azure Sky Sword Sea appeared, continuing to rewind.
Chen Xia gritted his teeth, his body bearing immense pressure. Using a remnant soul body to forcefully rewind twenty thousand years was somewhat too strenuous, but he wanted to try. He wanted to see if he could save the Old Fisherman.
Because this rewind included the Old Fisherman as well.
The Old Fisherman, holding half of the Immortal Sword, suddenly stopped his battle with the external manifestation. His body was bizarrely stretched by time, his expression and appearance constantly changing between twenty thousand years past and present, sometimes lucid, sometimes dazed.
When lucid, the Old Fisherman saw Chen Xia at the highest point of the sky. He was first stunned, then smiled contentedly, feeling that this was already very good.
Chen Xia was still gritting his teeth and enduring, blood now seeping from the corners of his mouth. His outstretched hand trembled, and the rivers of time in his eyes churned violently, as if about to overturn.
Bang!
Suddenly, the barrier at the highest point opened, and a beam of light imbued with supreme aura descended. Like a pillar of heaven, the glorious light covered hundreds of miles, its momentum even causing half the star region to tremble.
And the target of this divine light was Chen Xia!
"A singular Heavenly Dao Reckoning!" A saint who witnessed the descending light couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"Who is committing such a great disrespect against the Way of Heaven, actually provoking a singular Heavenly Dao Reckoning?!"
The saints were extremely puzzled, their minds racing with guesses under the shock, but they couldn't find a suitable candidate.
To provoke a singular Heavenly Dao Reckoning from the Way of Heaven, one would need to be at least a saint to have such ability. But in their memory, no saint would dare to act in such a manner.
At this moment, the Azure Sky Sword Sea was completely enveloped by the Heavenly Dao Reckoning, and no cultivator dared to approach to investigate.
At the bottom of the divine light, a figure fell rapidly, crashing through numerous dead celestial bodies along the way, all the way to the lowest part of the star region, extremely far away.
The River of Time in Chen Xia's eyes was still flowing, albeit extremely slowly, until it found a safe moment in time.
Thus, Chen Xia's body fell into the Great Zhou Dynasty, crashing straight onto a main street, overturning a convoy transporting spirit stones and creating a huge crater.
Half-dead, Chen Xia lay in the shattered crater, looking at the panicking crowd before him and the woman who suddenly appeared in front of him. He managed to reach out his hand with a smile and said,
"What a coincidence, Senior sister Zhou."