198: Spacetime Dislocation
After leaving that dead Star Domain, Liu Qingtian did not immediately wander aimlessly through the Star Sea. He needed to understand the changes that had occurred in the outside world over the past century, and even more, he needed to confirm some matters. With a thought, he followed a faint, ethereal connection to that Immortal King Dao Field, once again crossing the endless Star Sea and returning to the familiar, grand hall.
Space ripples spread, and the Palace-Attired Woman's figure arrived as expected, silently appearing. Her gaze fell upon Liu Qingtian, and on her exquisitely beautiful face, usually as calm as an ancient well, a hint of unconcealed surprise clearly appeared for the first time.
Her Divine Sense swept over Liu Qingtian like the softest gauze, instantly perceiving his immense aura, which was restrained to the extreme yet subtly resonated with the Great Dao, as well as his flawless, ten-tenths Dao Foundation at Perfection.
"Star Plucking Realm, ten-tenths Great Dao..." The Palace-Attired Woman spoke softly, a hint of imperceptible emotion in her tone. "It seems that Chaos Secret Realm was indeed a great Opportunity for you."
Liu Qingtian nodded slightly in response. He directly sat down cross-legged, his posture more composed and profound than before, and said, "How long was I inside?"
The Palace-Attired Woman glanced at him and said, "From the moment you entered the Secret Realm with the Chaos Trial Token until today, only twenty-one years have passed in the outside world."
Twenty-one years!
Liu Qingtian's heart once again confirmed the spatiotemporal dislocation. He felt he had spent fifty years of tempering and comprehending the Dao in the Secret Realm, plus the time before his Breakthrough, perceiving over a hundred years had passed, yet only twenty-one years had elapsed outside. The 'impermanence' of this Chaos Secret Realm indeed manifested in the flow of time.
"Twenty-one years..." Liu Qingtian repeated, then posed a more crucial question, "Luo Jiuxuan, how is he now?"
Hearing this name, the Palace-Attired Woman's gaze grew slightly more solemn. She was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Just twenty-one years ago, not long after you entered the Chaos Secret Realm, Luo Jiuxuan, in the 'Myriad Law Annihilation Abyss,' a Forbidden Ground in the 'Tianhua Great World,' triggered an unprecedented Great Dao phenomenon and successfully broke through to the Star Plucking Realm."
Indeed! Liu Qingtian's Demonic Pupils constricted slightly. His peculiar encounter with Luo Jiuxuan in the Sea of the Great Dao was not an illusion, but truly happened at the moment of the other party's Breakthrough! The two of them could almost be considered to have entered the Star Plucking Realm at the same time!
"His Breakthrough caused a great stir," the Palace-Attired Woman continued, her tone carrying a rare solemnity. "The Dao of Annihilation swept across half of the Tianhua Great World, all laws withered, and stars dimmed. It is said that he sustained the Great Dao phenomenon for a full eighty-one days, and his Foundation... is unfathomable."
Liu Qingtian was silent. Eighty-one days of phenomena, compared to his own arduous experience of bearing the Great Dao in the Dao Sea, Luo Jiuxuan's Breakthrough was clearly more composed, and his Foundation even more terrifying.
"In the Secret Realm, I perceived that one hundred and twenty-one years passed," Liu Qingtian suddenly said, revealing information that even made the Palace-Attired Woman look sideways.
"One hundred and twenty-one years?" The Palace-Attired Woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she quickly calculated. "The time sequence inside and outside the Secret Realm is so chaotic... When did you break through?"
"From my perception, it was about seventy years after entering the Secret Realm," Liu Qingtian said in a deep voice. "When I broke through to the Star Plucking Realm and bore the Great Dao, my consciousness was inexplicably drawn into the Sea of the Great Dao... There, I saw Luo Jiuxuan, who was also undergoing his Breakthrough."
He recounted the scene he witnessed in the Sea of the Great Dao, how Luo Jiuxuan devoured the ten-tenths Dao of Annihilation, how he forcibly extracted the Origin Power of Annihilation, and finally the dialogue about the hundred-year pact, all to the Palace-Attired Woman. He only omitted the detail of Luo Jiuxuan pointing out that he needed to 'cleanse his Demonic Essence and thoroughly comprehend the Dao,' as this was his personal obstacle and did not need to be fully known by outsiders.
The Palace-Attired Woman listened quietly. When she heard that Luo Jiuxuan could forcibly extract the Origin Power of Annihilation in the Sea of the Great Dao, a genuine tremor finally flashed deep in her eyes. This was no longer something an ordinary Genius could achieve; this was a prerogative almost akin to a 'Child of Dao'!
"He set the hundred-year pact based on his own perception of time," Liu Qingtian finally said. "I then cultivated in seclusion for another fifty years in the Secret Realm before emerging. According to his time, he gave me an extra twenty-nine years. Now, seventy-nine years remain."
Silence fell in the hall.
The Palace-Attired Woman stood with her hands behind her back, gazing at the stars in the dome, her eyes profound, evidently processing this conversation, which was immense in information and involved high-level spatiotemporal mysteries.
After a long while, she withdrew her gaze and looked at Liu Qingtian, her tone returning to its usual coldness, but with a different nuance:
"Spatiotemporal dislocation, a meeting in the Dao Sea... The Karma and entanglement between the two of you are far deeper and more complex than I imagined. Luo Jiuxuan's action, seemingly giving you time, is actually binding you completely to his war chariot, using you as a whetstone to sharpen his path to the Immortal Emperor realm."
"I understand." Liu Qingtian's tone was calm. "But this is also my Opportunity." Without Opportunity and pressure, he might never touch that highest scenery in his entire life.
"Seventy-nine years..." The Palace-Attired Woman pondered. "For you, it's neither long nor short. Although you have initially cleansed your Demonic Essence and comprehended fifty percent of the Great Dao, every step of the remaining path is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Since Luo Jiuxuan has already indicated Yun Dao Cliff, the number of spectators will likely not be small. If you don't have enough strength, even if you endure a thousand moves, you may not be able to retreat unscathed."
Her meaning was clear: forces coveting Luo Jiuxuan, or those interested in Liu Qingtian, would certainly not miss that Opportunity.
"I know." Liu Qingtian stood up, his gaze sharp. "Therefore, in these seventy-nine years, I need to find the chance to thoroughly comprehend the Great Dao and bring my combat power to Perfection."
The Palace-Attired Woman looked at him, and with a flick of her sleeve, a Jade Slip emitting a cool aura flew towards Liu Qingtian.
"This Jade Slip records some noteworthy developments in the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms over the past century, as well as information about several ancient ruins or peculiar places that might be useful to you. One of them, named 'Myriad Dao Origin Sea,' is rumored to be a fragmented Secret Realm opened by an ancient great power, imitating the Sea of the Great Dao. Although far inferior to the true Dao Sea, it may be beneficial for comprehending the Dao and might help you understand the remaining fifty percent of the Great Dao. However, it is also fraught with danger, and time and space are even more chaotic there. Whether you go or not, decide for yourself."
Liu Qingtian took the Jade Slip, swept it with his Divine Thought, and memorized the information, then solemnly said, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me," the Palace-Attired Woman said indifferently. "The stronger you are, the safer No Return will be, and I will have more confidence in dealing with future variables. Go, seventy-nine years, take care of yourself."
Liu Qingtian said no more, cupped his hands in a salute, turned, and stepped out, his figure disappearing from the great hall.
Looking in the direction where he disappeared, the Palace-Attired Woman stood alone for a long time, finally letting out an almost inaudible sigh.
"A hundred-year pact, Yun Dao Cliff... The Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms are probably about to stir up another monstrous wave. Liu Qingtian, I hope you can truly seize this path, which is both a crisis and your only way to ascend to heaven."