# Chapter 2600: Crossing the River of Time, Journeying to the Past
"Brother Ruochen, I've been chasing you for so long."
Gong Nanfeng's voice came from the distant starry sky.
A moment later, he flew breathlessly to Zhang Ruochen's side, looking utterly exhausted, and said, "Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving! It's so tiring, how did you run so far..."
Zhang Ruochen stared blankly at Gong Nanfeng, then glanced at Yunshen Daozhu. He pursed his lips, hesitated for a long time before regaining his composure, and took a sacred medicine from his Space Ring, handing it over.
Gong Nanfeng looked at the fragrant sacred medicine and frowned, saying, "This stuff doesn't taste good either."
"Understood."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the sacred medicine and took out a pouch of green spirit fruits, a jug of rich divine brew, and a piece of dried barbarian beast meat.
Gong Nanfeng was overjoyed and began devouring the food ravenously.
While chewing, he mumbled, "Brother Ruochen really understands me."
Zhang Ruochen's eyes were still filled with doubt, and he said, "Weren't you captured by Bai Qinger?"
Gong Nanfeng, with one hand gnawing on a fist-sized Liyu sacred fruit and the other holding the wine jug, his face distorted from eating, said, "She said that the Celestial Pivot Needle is with you, so keeping me was useless, and she let me go! Did you really take back the Celestial Pivot Needle from her? How did you do it?"
The Dragon Lord had indeed already returned the Celestial Pivot Needle to Zhang Ruochen, and of course, had also taken back the Divine Dragon Sun-Moon Chaos Cauldron.
Zhang Ruochen pondered for a long moment, then said, "Yes."
Zhang Ruochen suddenly realized that the Celestial Pivot Needle and Gong Nanfeng might be the key to his return to the Hell Realm and gaining the trust of the Destiny Temple.
Although the Celestial Pivot Needle was a divine artifact, it could not be exposed.
Once exposed, it would inevitably invite condemnation from the Hell Realm and the Destiny Temple.
In that case, it would be better to return it to the Destiny Temple.
No matter how good a divine artifact was, in Zhang Ruochen's heart, its importance was far less than that of the Ming Emperor.
Gong Nanfeng looked at Zhang Ruochen with admiration and said, "Brother Ruochen truly deserves to be the unparalleled genius of the Hell Realm. That Bai Qinger has already become a god, yet you could still take back the divine artifact from her. This is simply a miracle, almost impossible to accomplish."
Zhang Ruochen knew that Gong Nanfeng would inevitably have doubts.
After all, for a Great Saint to take back a divine artifact from a god was simply a fantasy. Even Gong Nanfeng didn't believe it, so how could the gods of the Destiny Temple possibly believe it?
Zhang Ruochen let out a long sigh and said, "That demoness is indeed formidable, so I had to use a strategy. Ah, in any case, the sacrifice was great."
"What sacrifice?"
Gong Nanfeng stared intently at Zhang Ruochen, his interest piqued.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, "It's beneath dignity, hard to explain in a few words. Perhaps soon, I'll have to go to the Goddess Twelve Pavilions and marry her."
Gong Nanfeng trembled all over, put down the food in his hands, and bowed deeply to Zhang Ruochen, saying, "Brother Ruochen, to retrieve the divine artifact, you actually sacrificed yourself to that demoness. This tactic of using your charm is indeed beneath dignity, but it moves me deeply. On behalf of the Destiny Temple and the Heavenly Fate Department, I express my sincere gratitude."
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand and said, "Please keep this secret for me. This matter is the greatest stain on my life."
"Understood."
Gong Nanfeng's eyes reddened, and his emotions were hard to calm for a long time.
Although Gong Nanfeng was a cultivator of the Destiny Temple, Yunshen Daozhu had no intention of killing him. Standing at the height of a Tai Shang, one would not vent one's emotions on a junior.
Yunshen Daozhu stood calmly on the side the entire time, and although Gong Nanfeng was said to know everything and be able to calculate anything, he seemed completely unable to see Yunshen Daozhu. This made Zhang Ruochen even more amazed at his Grandmaster's terrifying spiritual power.
After eating his fill, Gong Nanfeng finally noticed the ancient temple before him, and his eyes burst with bright light. Shocked, he said, "Xumi Temple, this... could this be?"
On the temple's plaque were indeed three Buddhist characters reading "Xumi Temple," full of the charm of antiquity.
Zhang Ruochen did not hide it from him and said, "That's right, the place where Xumi Saint Monk once preached and meditated."
Gong Nanfeng knew that Zhang Ruochen was the heir of Xumi Saint Monk, so it was not strange that he could find Xumi Temple. Naturally, he also held reverence for Xumi Saint Monk, a former supreme great power, and quickly clasped his hands together and bowed.
Whether cultivators of the Heavenly Court or the Hell Realm, when they came to the former site of a powerhouse of Xumi Saint Monk's level, it was worth a bow.
When one became powerful enough, as long as there was no direct enmity between the two sides, later generations would certainly develop respect.
Gong Nanfeng said in a low voice, "Chen, can I go in with you?"
Perhaps it was because Zhang Ruochen had not hesitated to use a beauty tactic to retrieve the divine artifact for him, which moved Gong Nanfeng deeply, that even his address had become more intimate.
"Aren't you returning to the Destiny Temple?" Zhang Ruochen took out the Celestial Pivot Needle and handed it to him.
Gong Nanfeng took the Celestial Pivot Needle and said with a bitter face, "I'm too weak. What if someone steals the divine artifact on the way? Chen, you can't abandon me."
Zhang Ruochen felt a bit creeped out but had no choice, saying, "Fine! But this is my first time at Xumi Temple as well. I don't know if there's any danger inside."
"With you here, I feel very safe," Gong Nanfeng said.
Yunshen Daozhu saw that Zhang Ruochen intended to use Gong Nanfeng to return to the Hell Realm and said, "It's fine, let him follow."
Yunshen Daozhu walked at the front, stepping on pieces of space fragments, and arrived at the wasteland outside the ancient temple.
Zhang Ruochen and Gong Nanfeng passed through layers of shattered space, landing on the wasteland, and only then did they truly feel the boundless Buddhist aura. Even though the scene before them was broken and dilapidated, it still made one want to kneel and bow.
In their ears, it seemed as if ancient Buddhist sounds were crossing the River of Time to reach the present world.
Zhang Ruochen lifted his robe, knelt on the ground, and bowed deeply.
If not for Xumi Saint Monk, Zhang Ruochen would likely have been killed by the awakened ones of the Kunlun Realm eight hundred years ago. How could he have had a second life?
If not for Xumi Saint Monk's teachings, Zhang Ruochen could not have achieved what he had today.
This kneeling, this bowing, represented not only Zhang Ruochen's respect for Xumi Saint Monk but also his gratitude in his heart.
Yunshen Daozhu's eyes were misty, his thoughts myriad, and he said, "Ruochen, from the moment Xumi Saint Monk chose you, he had already set the path for you to condense a First-rank Sacred Intent. He placed all his hopes on you. He hoped you could become a second Immovable Bright King Great Venerable, or even stronger than the Great Venerable."
"Is that possible?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "As long as you condense a First-rank Sacred Intent, there is a glimmer of hope."
The Immovable Bright King Great Venerable was regarded as the pride of every Kunlun Realm cultivator. Even after ten eons, in the hearts of cultivators of Yunshen Daozhu and Xumi Saint Monk's generation, he remained irreplaceable, an eternal monument.
Yunshen Daozhu said, "Eight hundred years ago, the cultivator chosen by the Kunlun Realm was Chi Yao. But the one chosen by the Saint Monk was you. His expectations for you were not limited to revitalizing the Kunlun Realm; he held even greater hopes."
"That you have been able to reach this point, I believe he must be very gratified."
"The opportunity for you to condense a First-rank Sacred Intent lies inside. No one can predict the outcome, but along this journey, I have seen in you many qualities that other cultivators lack. Your Grandmaster has confidence in you."
A First-rank Sacred Intent was too illusory. Yunshen Daozhu actually did not hold much hope in his heart, but he had to give Zhang Ruochen confidence. He could not deny the result from the start.
Zhang Ruochen walked on the wasteland, stepped through the gate of Xumi Temple, and his gaze was unprecedentedly firm.
Gong Nanfeng wanted to follow but was blocked by a scripture on the door. He stepped back and said, "Chen, I'll wait for you outside. Be careful!"
Stepping through the temple gate, the scene before Zhang Ruochen changed dramatically.
"Rustle, rustle."
The sound of rushing water reached his ears. Looking around, the entire broken ancient temple was actually located in a long river.
The temple was like a boat, sailing upstream, heading to an unknown destination.
Above his head, stars flickered in and out of existence, and space continuously shattered and reformed.
Ahead in the temple, Buddhist light radiated outward.
Zhang Ruochen calmed his mind and walked toward the source of the Buddhist light, arriving at an ancient, elegant main hall.
In the hall stood six Buddha statues. One had a thousand arms and a thousand eyes, with a kind face. Another was tall and sturdy, with blazing eyes, riding a white elephant...
...
The six Buddha statues were each different, yet all were sacred and divine, as if true Buddhas were present, making one dare not harbor a single evil thought in their heart.
"You have finally come."
A faint voice sounded in the hall.
The voice did not seem to be from the present world, as if it had come from ancient times.
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the area below the six Buddha platforms.
There, a monk with a broken body sat cross-legged on the ground. His body bore many wounds, and his chest had been pierced by something, revealing golden bones.
He seemed still alive, emitting a soft Buddhist light from his body.
Centered around where he sat, mysterious golden scriptures flowed on the ground, each character possessing the terrifying power to kill a Great Saint.
Without needing to guess, Zhang Ruochen knew whose broken remains this was.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes welled with tears, his heart surging with emotion. He bowed and said, "Paying respects to the Saint Monk."
The voice sounded again: "Your path must be walked by yourself. I only gave you a beginning, never intending to interfere too much in your journey. The future is in your own hands."
Zhang Ruochen knew that the Saint Monk had long passed away, even his divine power exhausted.
These words were likely left behind when he was still alive, traveling to the future. It was hard to imagine what the Saint Monk felt when he saw his own future as such a broken corpse.
Would he despair?
But the future was full of variables; perhaps this was only one direction.
Logically, since the Saint Monk's voice appeared here, he must have come to this point in time in the past.
The Saint Monk did not appear here, only leaving some words. Did this mean that this future had already deviated somewhat from the future the Saint Monk had visited?
The Saint Monk's voice sounded again: "To condense a First-rank Sacred Intent, the key lies in time and space. Now, we are traveling on the River of Time, returning to the past, to the beginning of time, to when space was still a singularity."
"But you must be careful. When this ancient temple begins to perish, you must immediately return. The way back, using my corpse as a vessel, will allow you to accurately return to the present point in time. Whether or not you can condense a First-rank Sacred Intent, you must remember this."
Zhang Ruochen immediately rushed out of the main hall, looking at the surging river outside the ancient temple, his eyes dazed, his heart shocked to the extreme.
Was this being on the River of Time?
Returning to the past?
...
There will be another chapter tonight.