Chapter 4050: Past, Future
"What's going on? Did I see wrong?"
Blood Butcher rubbed his eyes, then cautiously released a wisp of divine thought to probe.
But within the Wind Pavilion, there was no aura of any cultivator at all.
If it wasn't a mis-sight, what else could it be?
Beside him, Yan Ju's eyes blazed with sharp light. "Junior Brother brought us to the Wind Pavilion, are you planning to destroy this place directly? As expected, you're clever and alert. What use is destroying those ordinary Nether Towers? Destroying the Wind Pavilion and Thunder Altar is what will truly cripple the formations within the Nether Kingdom."
Before Blood Butcher could stop them, Yan Ju led the four Destiny Temple gods to strike out with divine abilities, looking every bit like they were about to dismantle the Wind Pavilion.
"Boom!"
Yan Ju's cultivation had reached the Infinite Realm; he was by no means weak.
But the formations of the Wind Pavilion could easily trap even an Indestructible Infinite. Though severely damaged, it was still not something ordinary God Kings or God Venerables could break.
The outcome was predictable.
Yan Ju exhausted all his strength, yet failed to budge even a single stone pillar outside the Wind Pavilion.
"Save your strength, everyone. This is a Nether Tower built by an Ancestor, the former residence of the Fate Ancestor. Forget you all, even I, a Great Unbound Infinite, cannot hope to shake it."
That silhouette from earlier lingered in Blood Butcher's mind. After much hesitation, seeing the aftershocks of the battle between Feng Tian and the Thunder Duke spreading this way, he finally mustered the courage to enter the Wind Pavilion.
"Rumble!"
Death Qi and thunderstorm winds swept up countless dust and rubble, crashing against the Wind Pavilion.
The main doors of the Wind Pavilion slammed shut with a bang.
Yan Ju and the four Destiny Temple gods, hot on Blood Butcher's heels, had taken shelter inside first.
Lightning, death energy, fate beams, rubble... continuously battered the doors and windows of the Wind Pavilion, blocked by the formation inscriptions. The impact sounds were terrifying, as if trying to tear the Wind Pavilion apart.
Once the Wind Pavilion shattered, the fate of those hiding inside was predictable.
Those rubble pieces were no ordinary stones; they crackled with lightning, fragments of the Thunder Clan's Ancestor Realm.
From this, it was evident that Feng Tian had not gained much advantage in this clash.
Blood Butcher leaped up, landing on the seventh floor of the Wind Pavilion. He opened a crack in the window to observe the battle situation in the sky.
Feng Tian stood atop a corner of the Thunder Clan's Ancestor Realm, as if treading on a continent, within a sea of death qi clouds, wielding several divine artifacts to strike in all directions.
The Thunder Duke's true form was nowhere to be seen; only lightning whips lashed out from the void, and waterfalls of lightning poured down.
Occasionally, dragon roars and thunderclaps could be heard, with glimpses of dragon claws and tails, but they vanished in a flash.
"Things look very bad. Master was too heavily injured from the earlier fight with Baal, and his combat power has severely declined. Losing the Origin Divine Temple and the Auspicious Artifact one after another has weakened both his offense and defense." Blood Butcher was anxious inside, but there was nothing he could do to help.
Yan Ju said, "We must step in and help. Let's charge out. Even if we have to self-detonate our Divine Sources, we can at least pose some threat to the Thunder Duke."
"..."
Blood Butcher pondered for a moment, then said, "Senior Brother mentioned that there is over ten percent of the Fate Esoterica in the Wind Pavilion. Let's collect that Esoterica first and hand it over to Master. It might be of greater help."
Yan Ju and the four Destiny Temple gods closed their eyes, released their Gates of Destiny, and sensed the Esoterica within the pavilion.
"Something's off. The Fate Esoterica here is indeed very dense, but it absolutely cannot reach ten percent," Yan Ju said.
This, how could Blood Butcher not know?
In fact, earlier, after Zhang Ruochen had unsealed them, Blood Butcher had sensed the Fate Esoterica in the Wind Pavilion, but had never found its source.
Otherwise, with his cultivation, he would have already collected all of it.
"The Fate Esoterica in the pavilion definitely exceeds ten percent, but it should be concentrated in one place. Search carefully," Blood Butcher said.
"Bang!"
The Wind Pavilion's doors were blasted open by a mass of golden Buddha light.
The golden light stopped in the center of the hall. As the light faded, Bore's tall, cold figure appeared.
Blood Butcher was overjoyed. "Sister-in-law is truly clever. She must have guessed that the Wind Pavilion is a good place to take shelter, so she fled here."
"The Nether Sea has already entered the Nether Kingdom. We don't have much time left. Once it masters the formations, everyone will die. Only by gathering over fifty percent of the Fate Esoterica can we have a chance to change the battle situation."
Bore released a Gate of Destiny, suspending it above her head like a divine lamp, illuminating every corner of the Wind Pavilion.
Everyone in the pavilion was startled, rushing to the doors and windows to look outside. No one noticed that the Gate of Destiny floating above Bore's head did not belong to her.
It belonged to the Fate Ancestor, Ji Men.
Zhang Ruochen had given it to her for protection.
Using divine eyes to peer into the distance, through the thick clouds of Nether Qi, they could see a boundless ocean pressing down from the edge of the sky, wave after wave, exuding a terrifying pressure that shook the soul.
It was undoubtedly the Nether Sea.
Blood Butcher's face turned pale. "On the River of Time, Baal seized part of the Fate Esoterica. Even if we collect the Esoterica in the Wind Pavilion, the total won't reach fifty percent. Without fifty percent, we can't achieve a qualitative change."
"Only above fifty percent means surpassing the total Fate Esoterica elsewhere in the universe, granting the ability to dictate fate and reverse destiny."
"But even if we gather fifty percent of the Fate Esoterica, only a Half-Ancestor of the Path of Fate can fully utilize it, becoming the master of the Path of Fate, the ruler of fate."
Yan Ju said, "Baal? Besides the Demon Path, Baal's main cultivation is the Path of Fate. And he is a Half-Ancestor!"
Blood Butcher glanced at Yan Ju, not knowing what to say.
A familiar voice sounded in the Wind Pavilion: "Not necessarily! The Fate Ancestor's Divine Source and the Heavenly Cauldron are both in Feng Caiyi's hands. With these two supreme treasures of the Path of Fate, she has a chance to temporarily exert the power of a Fate Ruler."
That voice...
Bore and Blood Butcher followed the sound, looking at the relief sculpture of "Gong Nanfeng" on the wall.
The statue was lifelike, but it was definitely a dead object, without any life fluctuation.
Instead, on the Gate of Destiny, Ji Men, floating above Bore's head, a faint shadow appeared, flickering in and out of sight.
Blood Butcher had suffered greatly at Gong Nanfeng's hands. His eyes darted, and he immediately knelt on one knee, speaking with great excitement: "Destiny Temple, Fierce Awe Divine Palace Palace Lord, Blood Butcher, pays respects to the Fate Ancestor! I knew the Fate Ancestor had not fallen. Please, Fate Ancestor, take action and help us break through the Nether Kingdom."
The other Destiny Temple gods looked at each other, then bowed in salute.
Bore said, "Why doesn't the Fate Ancestor show himself?"
"I cannot! I have come to this era from the River of Time. Being able to transmit my voice for you to hear is already the result of various karmic blessings." The voice, belonging to Gong Nanfeng, sounded.
Bore observed the relief on the wall, then looked at the Gate of Destiny above her head, a look of sudden realization dawning on her face. "Has the Fate Ancestor come from the past?"
"What the—"
Blood Butcher was shocked. He never imagined Gong Nanfeng's mastery of time was so profound. Though he had already fallen, a full Eon later in the future, he had seen his past self.
Didn't that mean that while alive, he had gone to the future and then returned to the past?
Was this the "Past" and "Future" among the Twelve Phases of Fate?
It must be known that, up to now, Blood Butcher had only seen and heard of people escaping to the future via the River of Time. But it was absolutely irreversible; no matter how high one's cultivation, one could not return to a past time node.
Bore, however, knew that Zhang Ruochen had once traveled upstream on the River of Time, but he could not leave the river or change the real world.
For the Fate Ancestor to leave a voice in this era and communicate with them was already a change to the world.
He would surely suffer the backlash of time power!
The more he changed, the more severe the backlash, even facing execution by the rules of heaven and earth.
Blood Butcher quickly calmed down. "Since the Fate Ancestor has spoken from the vast River of Time, bearing the backlash of time, it must be to help us escape this predicament. This Nether Kingdom's eighty thousand towers were built by you. You must have a way to break the formations. Please guide us, your juniors."
"Gather over fifty percent of the Fate Esoterica and strike it into the relief on the wall. There may be a chance to change the deadly situation today." Gong Nanfeng's voice was scattered and elusive, profound and unfathomable.
Bore reached out a finger and lightly touched the relief of Gong Nanfeng on the wall.
Immediately, a powerful and inexplicable force of fate erupted, light dazzling, as countless Fate Rules converged toward the relief.
"So that ten percent of the Fate Esoterica is inside this relief," she said.
Blood Butcher said, "I have already sent a voice transmission to Master, informing him of the situation here. However, to gather over fifty percent of the Fate Esoterica, we must seize the portion Baal holds."
"I will immediately send a message to tell the Imperial Dust. No matter how strong Baal is, he is no match for him," Bore said.
The Destiny Temple gods present did not share her confidence.
After all, Baal was a Half-Ancestor. Defeating him was already as hard as reaching the heavens. To suppress Baal and seize the Fate Esoterica from him would require an Ancestor in person.
"Don't be so downcast, everyone. As long as my Senior Brother learns of the situation here, he will go all out."
Blood Butcher certainly had great confidence in Zhang Ruochen, but his eyes were still full of worry, because the waters of the Nether Sea had already spread above the Wind Pavilion.
They had no time left!
Pillars of water descended from the sky, falling toward the Wind Pavilion.
Blood Butcher, Bore, and the others could not sense the temporal fluctuations and subtle heavenly mechanisms, but the Nether Sea could. It had already discovered Gong Nanfeng, who had come from the past, and sensed a trace of dangerous heavenly opportunity.
Therefore, even if it meant temporarily not suppressing Feng Tian, it would first eliminate this variable in the heavenly opportunity.
"Return my Sword Source Divine Tree!"
Void Heaven's roar sounded as he arrived, driving hundreds of thousands of war swords, cutting off all the water pillars falling toward the Wind Pavilion.
His hair was disheveled, his expression ferocious, his killing intent soaring to the sky as he charged straight into the depths of the Nether Sea, shouting again: "Return my Heavenly Mechanism Brush!"
Void Heaven was truly mad!
He had never suffered such a great loss—not only was he suppressed, but he also lost all the treasures he had collected over a million years.
He had been arrogant all his life. If he didn't get his revenge, what face would he have left to live in this world?
"Void Heaven is here! Excellent! I knew the Hall Master had a backup plan."
The Destiny Temple gods on the Nether Kingdom's land were all invigorated.
The few in the Wind Pavilion were also overjoyed.
Bore said, "Void Heaven is definitely no match for the Nether Sea, but he can stall it, buying time for the Imperial Dust's side."
"Void Heaven's combat power is indeed inferior to the Nether Sea's, after all, he's a realm behind. But as long as he can prevent the Nether Sea from mastering the formations, there is still a chance for a turnaround," Yan Ju said.
Void Heaven's spiritual power was strong; how could he not hear Bore and Yan Ju's words?
He almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
Couldn't beat the Nether Sea's spirit, but could he not beat its avatar?
"Feng Caiyi, give me the 'Fate Heavenly Scripture.' Today, I will use the Heavenly Scripture to split the Nether Sea into six parts." Void Heaven's sword intent raged across the sky, and hundreds of thousands of war swords evolved into tens of trillions of sword qi, clashing fiercely with the Nether Sea.
Feng Tian drew six volumes of the Fate Heavenly Scripture from within the Gate of Destiny and sent them flying toward Void Heaven.
"Roar!"
The Thunder Duke's dragon claw reached out from the black clouds, grabbing at two of the volumes.
"You've finally shown your true form. I've been waiting for you!"
Feng Tian spread her phoenix wings, her speed rising several levels. Her entire body erupted with Ancestral radiance as she urged the Heavenly Cauldron, smashing it heavily onto that dragon claw.
"Pfft!"
The dragon claw exploded, corpse blood raining down to the ground.
Then, Feng Tian chased into the clouds. Her armor of Death Esoterica released countless Death Rules.
In that instant, she possessed the combat power of a Death Ruler. She reached out her arm, and a massive phoenix claw condensed in front of her five fingers, pressing down on the Thunder Duke's dragon body.
"Boom!"
The phoenix captured the dragon.
The Thunder Duke, with a dragon body and a human head, crashed heavily to the ground, firmly suppressed by the phoenix claw woven from Death Rules.
"Master, I'll help you!"
Blood Butcher drove the Fierce Awe Divine Palace out of the Wind Pavilion, using the divine palace to suppress the Thunder Duke's tail.
Moments later, Que drove the Future Divine Palace, pressing down on the Thunder Duke's head.
"Swish!"
Lian Xi moved with incredible speed, like a streak of light, crossing thousands of mountains and rivers across the Nether Kingdom's land, thrusting the Eternal Spear into the Thunder Duke's brow.
"Boom!"
The Demon Ancestor Ridge moved quickly out of Feng Tian's Divine Realm World, pressing down onto the Thunder Duke's body.
Gradually, the Thunder Duke's struggles grew weaker, and the lightning he released grew fainter.
But he did not yield. He said in a deep voice, "Feng Caiyi, the Nether Sea has arrived. None of you will leave the Nether Kingdom today."
...
Zhang Ruochen received Bore's voice transmission and was momentarily stunned.
That fellow Gong Nanfeng had actually come to this era from the River of Time and interfered with it.
Was he that formidable?
The last person able to interfere with the future was Xumi Saint Monk, but he had done so by relying on over fifty percent of the Time Esoterica.
Zhang Ruochen certainly acknowledged Gong Nanfeng's cultivation and strength.
After all, back then, when Baal ambushed him and shot the Hongtian Arrow, Gong Nanfeng had easily neutralized it and even taken the Hongtian Arrow. His cultivation and strength were definitely above Baal's.
Moreover, the "Past" and "Future" among the Twelve Phases of Fate represented time.
But Gong Nanfeng did not have over fifty percent of the Time Esoterica!
"What does he want with over fifty percent of the Fate Esoterica? Is he trying to break the time rules and descend into this era?" Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Baal, who was fighting Zhang Ruochen, suddenly laughed loudly: "This battle is definitely of great importance. Even the Fate Ancestor has sensed the heavenly opportunity of this era and wishes to descend. Unfortunately, as long as you cannot obtain the Fate Esoterica on me, he cannot descend!"
Bore and Zhang Ruochen were far apart, and the voice transmission would naturally be sensed by Baal.
"Who said the Fate Ancestor wants to descend?" Zhang Ruochen probed.
Baal, a former Hall Master of the Destiny Temple, clearly knew more about the Path of Fate and the Fate Ancestor.
Baal said, "The Fate Ancestor long left a mark within the Wind Pavilion and left the Ji Men and Xi Men to you and Feng Caiyi. Wasn't it for today? Using the Past Divine Palace, Future Divine Palace, Wind Pavilion, Fate Ancestor's Divine Source, and fifty percent of the Fate Esoterica as a bridge, he has a chance to break the rules of heaven and earth and reverse his fate."
"Zhang Ruochen, you are still too young. The Fate Ancestor is far too calculating. When he descends, the first to die will be you and Feng Caiyi."
(End of this chapter)