Time is Unmeasurable, Years are Silent

The River of Time lay still.

Chen Xia was the only one on the river, and his solitary presence also signified that he was the most profound and powerful practitioner of Time Dao in this world.

Perhaps it was because Time Dao was inherently difficult for few to comprehend.

Chen Xia looked down upon the entire River of Time, where a few vague figures flickered, their identities unknown, yet their silhouettes firmly etched into the River of Time.

As if these figures were the embodiment of time itself.

Chen Xia gazed intently, and the flowing River of Time gradually slowed, eventually coming to a halt at the last silhouette.

A voice, ancient and long-lasting, echoed.

"Thirty thousand years have passed since the Spring and Autumn period, and now a new Time Dao quasi-emperor emerges. I am deeply gratified."

The last silhouette in the River of Time began to solidify, revealing a figure as profound as the cosmos, with eyes like revolving stars. This figure stepped directly out of the River of Time to face Chen Xia.

What is this?

Chen Xia frowned slightly at the cosmos-like figure before him, unable to recognize it.

The cosmos-like figure extended his left hand, palm open, revealing countless stars swirling, resembling an entire star domain.

His ancient voice, akin to that of the primordial past, resounded once more, smiling at Chen Xia.

"I am the Emperor of Time from the previous era, or you could call me a part of the River of Time. To see me means you have achieved the status of a quasi-emperor in Time Dao, the first in thirty thousand years to do so."

Chen Xia joked, "Why don't others come to see you? Is it because they don't want to?"

"Only a Time Dao quasi-emperor can truly overlook the River of Time, qualify to see me, converse with me, and receive the teachings that follow."

The cosmos-like figure clenched his palm, continuing,

"Since the inception of the Way of Heaven, since ancient times, only nine emperors have emerged from Time Dao, making it the rarest of supreme paths."

"It is often said that the Way of the Sword's emperors are invincible in battle, but that is merely because there are so few emperors in Time Dao. If there were more, the Way of the Sword would have no place."

Chen Xia hesitated for a moment before replying,

"Is it possible that I also have some understanding of the Way of the Sword?"

"Is that so?" The cosmos-like figure seemed surprised, curious, "What level?"

"Not high, just a quasi-emperor." Chen Xia modestly replied.

This left the cosmos-like figure in silence, unable to fathom how someone could master both the Way of the Sword and Time Dao to the level of an emperor.

Now, the age-old debate over which path was stronger—Time Dao or the Way of the Sword—was rendered moot by Chen Xia.

If one mastered both paths, then one was the strongest.

The cosmos-like figure sighed, "You are truly a prodigy, and it is not in vain that I will impart my teachings to you."

"What teachings, and how?" Chen Xia frowned, asking back.

"On the River of Time, naturally, I will teach you Time Dao. As for the method, it is through combat. The ancient saying goes, only through combat can one achieve breakthroughs."

The cosmos-like figure chuckled softly, whispering,

"Since you are a quasi-emperor of two paths, I won't be too hard on you. I will use many Time Dao techniques; how much you can comprehend depends on your own aptitude!"

With his words finished, he gently pressed his hand downward, causing the entire River of Time to shrink into a dim world.

"Every Emperor of Time becomes a part of the River of Time, a form of merging with the path, a progression for cultivators. Whether you are qualified to become a part of the River of Time, let me verify it."

"Pass my test, and you truly are a quasi-emperor."

The cosmos-like figure smiled as he pointed upward, where a faint sound of sand grains falling could be heard.

Looking up, there was indeed an hourglass.

"One of the carriers of time." The cosmos-like figure smiled, then his form gradually faded.

He appeared behind Chen Xia, left hand pinching, softly uttering,

"Collapse."

Chen Xia turned, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

His body suddenly exploded with a loud noise, plummeting to the lowest point, skidding along the ground for thousands of miles before he managed to grab hold of the ground to stop.

The cosmos-like figure pointed at the clock overhead, smiling again,

"One more thing, if the hourglass stops and you can still stand here, you will have passed my test."

"Thus, the world of time."

The cosmos-like figure extended his hand, palm open, as if holding an entire world, the sky and earth turning gray, suddenly compressing.

Boundless gray light flashed.

Combat had begun, and it was also the climax.

In the realm.

Wang Yangzi slowly paced through the world, these years he had been searching for Chen Xia's trace. Logically speaking, since Chen Xia had become the will of the realm, he should be omnipresent.

But over the years, Wang Yangzi had been unable to summon Chen Xia, so he began to search continuously, filled with doubts.

The realm was now flourishing, the will of the realm reconstructed, opportunities returned to the world, equivalent to a great era restarting, at its peak.

Wang Yangzi had also re-entered the realm of a dual-path great saint, but there was still a considerable distance to the realm of a quasi-emperor, presumably he would need to slowly comprehend the path.

Over the years, he had searched many places in the realm.

Chen Xia's small house was where he visited most often. The spirit tree outside the courtyard wall had long withered, with axe marks on it, not knowing who had cut it down.

The outer wall of the small house was already dilapidated, not for any other reason, just because time had passed too long.

The small grave inside had been dug up, Wang Yangzi leaned over to take a look, finding that Zhang DaoMing's ashes were gone, but it should have been taken by Chen Xia, so he didn't pay much attention.

Wang Yangzi stood in the dilapidated small house for a long time, reminiscing about some past events.

This small house had actually housed many people, from tens of thousands of years ago to now, Zhang DaoMing, Chen Xia, the big yellow dog, followed by Zhang Feiyu, Qiu Yi, himself, and Wu Sheng.

Now the small house looked like it was about to collapse, Wang Yangzi didn't think about repairing it, what was there to repair, everything had changed.

He set up a chessboard inside the small house, playing against himself, stopping halfway through the game and leaving.

His figure swayed in the wind.

The chessboard remained in the dilapidated small house, waiting for someone to continue the game.

Wang Yangzi's next destination...

Was the Zhang family.