25: Whispers of the Abyss and the Secrets of Time
The gains from the Black Fiend Abyss significantly boosted Liu Qingtian's death origin, making his Wither and Flourish Domain even more profound and unfathomable. While maintaining a steady absorption of the Yin Fiend Death Qi from the abyss, he immersed more of his mind into the two root-markings connecting to other Realms, especially the "Bone Abyss" from which ancient pulsations continuously emanated.
As his understanding of the Law of death deepened and his own strength increased, the whispers from the deepest parts of the demonic abyss seemed to become a little clearer. No longer was it a completely incomprehensible chaotic information stream; occasionally, he could catch fragments containing more profound truths of death.
These fragments pointed to some inconceivable Realms—the Annihilation of Stars, the Return to Nothingness of the Void Realm, and even... the End of Time.
Through these fragments, combined with the common knowledge about Realm divisions he obtained from Lin Feng, Liu Qingtian formed a vague yet heart-pounding conjecture about the strength of the existence deep within the demonic abyss.
That ancient existence, having turned over, the trace of Origin Qi it emanated, its rank had probably long surpassed the so-called Star Shattering Realm of the Sumeru Spirit Realm, reaching an unimaginable level—perhaps comparable to the Star Plucking Realm or even the Star River Realm in the System Lin Feng spoke of!
That was an incredible Realm where one could pluck stars with bare hands and use star rivers as a canvas! To such an existence, the birth and death of a Major Thousand Worlds might be as common as the withering and flourishing of plants.
And through the subtle hints from the whispers of the demonic abyss and the tip of the iceberg revealed by the Heavenly Knowledge System, Liu Qingtian also vaguely understood that in the vast Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms, existences capable of reaching the Realm of Universe Cleaving to open up the embryonic form of their own Universe were as rare as Phoenix feathers and Qilin horns, truly giants of their own domain.
As for the Dao Mastery Realm above it, which controls a complete Great Dao; the Samsara Realm, which transcends the Reincarnation of life and death and can interfere with one's past self; the Guiyi Realm, where all Laws return to one, "I am the only one," consolidating all timelines, perfectly whole; and the Eternity Realm, truly immortal and indestructible, impossible to erase or kill, even if all people of the same Realm attack together, they cannot kill or even Seal—these are truly legends among legends.
And above the Dao Mastery Realm, those who touch the pinnacle of the Myriad Heavens, reaching the latter five Realms of Universe Cleaving, Dao Mastery, Reincarnation, Guiyi, and Eternity, especially existences above the sixteenth Realm (Guiyi Realm), their number across the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms would absolutely not exceed the count of ten fingers!
Every such existence is a living legend, an Incarnation of Law; their very name contains supreme power, and ordinary Cultivators don't even have the qualification to know of their existence.
Thinking of this, Liu Qingtian's tree soul involuntarily "looked" at the silent zang youming great halberd beside him.
According to Lin Feng's hesitant hints, and the terrifying Power of Annihilation displayed by the halberd itself, the identity of its Original Owner... was likely a supreme existence standing at one of the pinnacles of the Myriad Heavens!
Moreover, not an old-guard supreme being. Lin Feng's words subtly hinted that this Halberd Master... seemed to be in a special period of "growth" or "transformation."
Liu Qingtian combined the subtle clues about the Law of time from the demonic abyss's whispers with Lin Feng's System's evaluation of the Halberd Master as "indescribable" and "whose name itself is inauspicious," and a startling conjecture gradually emerged—
The "current" cultivation Realm of the owner of the burying netherworld, perhaps, is not as absolutely invincible as the imprint suggests. He might be in a critical ascent period, for example... around the Sea Overturning Realm or even the Profound Void Realm?
But, he possesses undeniable potential and status, destined to reach the absolute peak! He is one of the "future" pinnacles of the Myriad Heavens!
And what Liu Qingtian found most unbelievable, even somewhat paradigm-shifting, was that from the fragmented information about the Origin of time in the demonic abyss's whispers, he vaguely understood: for existences of such height, "time" is not a single-flowing river.
When an existence becomes powerful to a certain extent, roughly the fifteenth Realm of Reincarnation, they can initially transcend linear temporal constraints and can flow upstream to perform limited intervention and influence on the "past."
And if one steps into the sixteenth Realm, Guiyi Realm, it is truly consolidating all of one's timelines; "past," "present," and "future" merge into one, with no distinction! Reaching this Realm means truly achieving "my thoughts are Eternity, omnipresent, timeless"!
What does this mean?
It means that the owner of the burying netherworld, even though he might currently be a "small Cultivator" of the Sea Overturning Realm or Profound Void Realm, because he is destined to ascend above the fifteenth Realm in the "future," from a higher dimension, he "already" is that supreme existence who has consolidated all timelines!
His "past" is protected and defined by his "future." Any attempt to eradicate him during his weak period could trigger a terrifying strike from his "future self" along the timeline! This is also why Lin Feng warned him not to get too deeply entangled with the Halberd Master, as his Karma is too vast.
In other words, the him you see might just be an insignificant "slice" of his endless Eternity. Threatening this "slice" could mean facing the perfectly whole, unique "him" who stands at the pinnacle of the Myriad Heavens across all timelines!
This is simply... a bug!
A hint of bitterness arose in Liu Qingtian's tree soul. He was still struggling for the Heaven Enlightenment and Golden Body Realm, while others were already strategizing from a supreme perspective. This gap was even greater than the gap between an ant and a star.
He finally understood why the imprint of the burying netherworld was so terrifying, and its Power of Annihilation so absolute. Because it contained the true meaning of the Law of a "future supreme being"!
At the same time, he also understood why the struggle of the nascent Halberd Spirit was so difficult. It was trying to give birth to an independent sentience under the imprint of a "supreme being," which was almost Heaven-Defying. His ability to help it sever that trace of connection was already a stroke of extreme luck.
Pressure descended like a mountain, but Liu Qingtian's Dao Heart was not crushed; instead, it ignited an even stronger fighting spirit.
What if they are supreme? What if they are eternal?
I, Liu Qingtian, with the body of a common tree, steal the Origin of the Myriad Realms, walking an unprecedented Heaven-Defying path!
You may look down upon the ages from the river of time, but I will take root in the present, devour the Myriad Heavens, and prove the Dao with strength!
One day, my roots will entwine the Myriad Realms, and my will shall pierce through time and space; even the Eternity Realm shall bow before me!
His conviction grew stronger, and his speed of energy absorption increased. The Death Qi from the Black Fiend Abyss, the Origin from the demonic abyss, and the essence from the Dream Realm, like three surging rivers, flowed into his tree body, being frantically refined by the Spiritual Ripple vortex.
That willow leaf grotto-heaven, under the infusion of vast energy, slowly expanded again. The circulation of the Qi of Life and Death within became even more mysterious, as if it truly wanted to evolve into the embryonic form of a world.
And in a dimension he did not perceive, the zang youming great halberd, the faint nascent sentience within it, after absorbing the unyielding fighting spirit and will emanating from Liu Qingtian, seemed to solidify ever so slightly. The purplish-black luster of the halberd body flickered imperceptibly, as if responding to something.
In the distant streets of Earth, which was undergoing a Spiritual Qi resurgence, the seemingly ordinary young man suddenly felt something, looked up at the sky, and then lowered his head again, continuing to munch on the jianbing guozi in his hand, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
In the Myriad Heavens and Myriad Realms, Karma, past and future, were quietly intertwining in a way ordinary people could not comprehend.
And the core of the storm seemed to be slowly converging towards the Sumeru Spirit Realm, towards this Borderland.
Heaven Enlightenment