The palm of the Black Heavenly Emperor was deep and dark, as if carved from gemstone, capable of absorbing all light. It broke free from the constraints of time, reaching into the past moments before, aiming to seize Meng Qi as he was then.
With the characteristics of the Other Shore, the Cause of All Effects, and the foresight of danger from the *Eight-Nine Arcane Art*, Meng Qi “saw” the anomaly in the River of Time and sensed the impending alteration of history. Yet, faced with this, he was utterly powerless, unable to prevent it—just like when he first opened his apertures and encountered a Dharmakaya, the gap now was even greater. It seemed he could only watch helplessly as the Black Heavenly Emperor’s hand reached toward his past self.
This was a difference in level, a distinction in essence. Only an Other Shore being could oppose another Other Shore being. For all others, no matter how numerous or united, it was utterly futile!
Ripples shimmered across the River of Time, beautiful as a dream. The gemstone-black hand was about to touch Meng Qi from moments before.
At that moment, the chaotic singularity that was Meng Qi suddenly expanded, as if unfolding into a canopy of auspicious clouds. Then, blade light and sword energy emerged, slashing toward the upstream and downstream of the River of Time.
The blade light was dark, as if cleaving through illusory causality. The sword energy crisscrossed, as if born from the rivers of time and fate.
All past events dissipated like smoke—this blade asked not of past lives!
Of all future fates, only one path was taken—this sword sought not the afterlife!
*Splash!*
The ripples in the River of Time intensified, slightly affected by Meng Qi’s full-powered *Blade That Asks Not of Past Lives* and *Sword That Seeks Not the Afterlife*. Then, the blade light and sword energy rapidly contracted, collapsing together with the *Supreme Primordial Auspicious Cloud*, pulling everything around them back to the beginning.
*Splash!*
The concept of infinite chaos tugged at the illusory River of Time, creating visible waves. The void bent, the flow of time slowed, all converging toward that singular point—a profound point without up or down, left or right, where past, present, and future would lose their definitions!
When the *Primordial Chaos Seal* was cultivated to the Perfection of Creation, its incorporation of the Great Dao of Time allowed it to influence the illusory River of Time within a certain range, much like a peak-level grand divine ability master specializing in time-based techniques. It could withstand limited alterations to history and glimpse the future, similar to the *Seven Killings Tablet*. However, their principles were fundamentally different—the latter truly reversed time and altered the past, while the *Primordial Chaos Seal* pulled and curled a segment of history and future into the present, making the practitioner “one across three ages” to resist external influences, primarily for defense.
In contrast, the *Heaven-Opening Seal* and *Dao-Unity Seal*, when used together, could sever the constraints and turbulence of time. If cultivated to Perfection of Creation, they would possess the divine wonder of the *Seven Killings Tablet*, making the present the cause and the past the effect, inverting logic!
This was the might of the first three seals of the *Primordial Golden Chapter*. In terms of time-related abilities before reaching the Other Shore, they even surpassed some of the *Tathāgata Divine Palm* and *Severing Heaven Seven Swords*.
In this critical moment, Meng Qi did not place all his hopes on the Green Emperor’s intervention. Instead, he exhausted all his capabilities, first using his self-created killing moves—*Blade That Asks Not of Past Lives* and *Sword That Seeks Not the Afterlife*—to pry open the past and future, creating an opportunity for the *Primordial Chaos Seal* to curl ten moments of the River of Time in full force!
Originally, Meng Qi’s *Primordial Chaos Seal* was far from capable of affecting time to this degree. Even after refining part of the *Origin of Life and Death* and condensing the illusory Great Dao of Chaos, equivalent to an initial Creation-level attainment, it was still insufficient. But now, within the Nine Nether, his characteristics of change allowed him to deceive heaven and cross the sea, elevating his realm from Legend to Creation. The *Primordial Chaos Seal* thus reached mid-tier Creation level.
Of course, this was still far from Perfection of Creation. Yet coincidentally, Meng Qi’s pre-Dharmakaya accumulations, insights, and breakthroughs involved past causality and future fate, leading to his self-created blade and sword techniques. Upon reaching the Creation level, these techniques also underwent qualitative improvements—strengthening interference with fate and deepening connections to the past beyond mere past lives. Thus, they could slightly influence the River of Time, creating ripples to pave the way for the *Primordial Chaos Seal*.
*Splash!*
The River of Time seemed to bend, warping toward the chaotic singularity that was Meng Qi. His past and future selves from five moments before and after began converging toward that point in order of proximity, merging into one, making them immune to further alteration!
*Splash!*
The “past Meng Qi” about to be seized by the Black Heavenly Emperor’s hand was slowly “washed” toward the present node by the suddenly turbulent river, causing the dark hand to miss its direct grasp!
The sound of the River of Time’s waves echoed in Meng Qi’s ears, shaking his mind. He felt his Dao power deplete instantly, his Dharmakaya on the verge of collapsing into a chaotic singularity, never to recover. As the illusory river washed over him, his consciousness blurred, as if all memories were being erased—this was the price of transcending levels to influence time and resist historical changes!
At his current strength, he couldn’t endure such consumption and backlash for even three moments!
The Black Heavenly Emperor paused slightly, then adjusted his grasp, still accurately targeting the “past Meng Qi.” This level of temporal resistance was nothing to Him.
*”This is the chance!”*
A low roar erupted in Meng Qi’s heart as he abruptly released his curling of the River of Time, allowing his past and future selves to return to their original positions. The *Primordial Chaos Seal* unfolded once more into the *Primordial Auspicious Cloud*, atop which the shadow of the *Pangu Banner* emerged, surrounded by chaos, the intent of creation taking form—this was the enhancement granted by the Nine Nether.
*Splash!*
The River of Time returned to normal. The Black Heavenly Emperor’s redirected hand missed the “past Meng Qi” once more. Then, a purple light flashed before His eyes—a slash that seemed to cleave the void, the Nine Nether, and time itself, aiming straight for His consciousness!
Meng Qi had pushed himself and the *Overlord’s Absolute Blade* to their limits, unleashing a world-shattering strike of creation!
“Hmph, the struggle of an ant.” The Black Heavenly Emperor flicked a finger, and as time flowed, the blade light faded without a trace.
Perhaps, in the eyes of a being at His level, Meng Qi’s strike truly was nothing more than an ant’s struggle.
As the blade light dissipated, a trace of surprise flickered in the Black Heavenly Emperor’s indifferent eyes—Meng Qi had vanished completely!
Of course, at His level, He undoubtedly sensed fluctuations in causality, yet the endpoint was elusive, impossible to discern!
By then, Meng Qi had already appeared within the *Origin of Life and Death*!
Whether it was activating the *Primordial Chaos Seal* to endure the backlash of the River of Time across realms or unleashing the world-shattering strike of creation, all were meant to conceal his true life-saving method—avoiding detection by the Black Heavenly Emperor.
That method was leveraging the *Wheel of Life and Death Across the Heavens* and the *Cause of All Effects* to descend directly into the *Origin of Life and Death*, evading the search of pseudo-Other Shore beings.
This was a place near the Dao, where space and time were one, capable of blocking the gaze of Other Shore beings. In the current era, fewer than ten knew how to enter it—the Black Heavenly Emperor, the Dark Ghost Emperor, and others were clearly not among them. The *Origin of Life and Death* could disrupt the past and future within ten breaths, blurring and destabilizing corresponding figures in the River of Time. Without this ability, Other Shore powerhouses would have long scrutinized the river’s history, deducing its location from scenes before and after others’ entries.
The Black Heavenly Emperor gazed deeply at where Meng Qi had vanished, His right hand probing the illusory river, attempting to touch Meng Qi’s past selves. Yet they were like reflections in water—disappearing at a touch, reappearing upon withdrawal.
Further back, the Crimson Mountain Range and the Demon Emperor’s Claw, favored by the Nine Nether, rendered everything indistinct and unreadable.
As for earlier times, Meng Qi had been outside the Nine Nether—His influence over the past was limited.
This was the constraint of pseudo-Other Shore beings in the Nine Nether. Had it been a true Other Shore being, Meng Qi within the *Origin of Life and Death* would have died instantly!
The sequence of events unfolded in a flash. By the time the Nine Chaos Heavenly Venerable, the Dark Ghost Emperor, and others recovered from the self-destruction of Meng Qi’s two avatars and scanned the area with their consciousness, it was already over.
“That was the Jade Void Palace’s Primordial Emperor, Su Meng. He took the *Fengshen Bang*,” the Black Heavenly Emperor’s icy voice transmitted via consciousness. “Hmph, he must be hiding somewhere, still within the Nine Nether—likely the *Origin of Life and Death*. Spread your consciousness everywhere and wait patiently for him to emerge.”
The Yellow Springs’ two disturbances, combined with recognizing Meng Qi’s identity, easily linked these events to the *Origin of Life and Death*.
Yet, He had actually detected Meng Qi’s possession of the *Fengshen Bang*!
Hearing “Origin of Life and Death,” the Dark Ghost Emperor’s eyes flickered with a cold laugh. “Good!”
……
Within the *Origin of Life and Death*, Meng Qi hastily plunged into the surging vitality, circulating the *Yin-Yang Seal* to heal himself. The backlash from the River of Time had nearly shattered his Dharmakaya, leaving him severely wounded.
Recalling the thrilling ordeal, Meng Qi felt a wave of relief.
He had actually managed a temporary escape from a pseudo-Other Shore being—how exhilarating!
“Ha ha!” His laughter dispelled much of the earlier tension, no longer forcibly suppressed.
He truly relished challenging the strong, but too many such encounters would inevitably lead to death—this was a one-time feat, not to be repeated.
As his body gradually recovered, Meng Qi’s laughter suddenly ceased. His lips twitched as he mocked himself, “Don’t imitate Cao Mengde, lest you laugh a new enemy into existence.”
No sooner had he spoken than he spotted a pair of feet—feet standing deep within the *Origin of Life and Death*, clad in boots forged from dragon scales!
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