Chapter 19: Passing Through Old Times

Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged on the ground, his hands forming seals, his eyes tightly shut. The blood and Qi within his body churned violently, like a surging river, crashing and roaring.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of light passing through his gaze.

"Although I have regained my cultivation, the injuries to my soul and body are too severe. I'm afraid it will take some time to fully recover."

Zhang Ruochen let out a light sigh, then stood up and looked around.

This was a vast and boundless wasteland, overgrown with weeds, desolate and uninhabited. In the distance, a few dilapidated city walls could be faintly seen, covered in moss, bearing the marks of time.

"This is... the outskirts of Yunwu Commandery City?"

Zhang Ruochen was slightly stunned. He had lived in Yunwu Commandery for over a decade and was very familiar with this place.

"How did I end up here?"

He frowned slightly, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes. He clearly remembered that before he fell into a coma, he was in the Kunlun Realm's Central Domain, fighting a life-and-death battle with the Heavenly Realm's experts.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened. He immediately circulated his spiritual power, trying to sense the passage of time.

But the next moment, his expression changed drastically.

"The flow of time here... is different from the Kunlun Realm!"

He could clearly feel that the time rules in this space were extremely chaotic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, completely different from the outside world.

"This is... a fragment of the River of Time?"

Zhang Ruochen's pupils constricted slightly. He had once cultivated the Space-Time Secret Scripture and was very familiar with the power of time.

Only fragments of the River of Time could produce such a strange phenomenon.

"Could it be that I was swept into a fragment of the River of Time during that battle?"

Zhang Ruochen's heart sank. If that were the case, it would be troublesome. Time flowed differently in fragments of the River of Time than in the outside world. Perhaps only a few days had passed here, but outside, several years, or even decades, might have gone by.

"No, I have to find a way out of here quickly."

Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath, suppressing the anxiety in his heart, and began to carefully observe his surroundings.

This fragment of the River of Time was not large, only about a hundred miles in radius. The space within was extremely unstable, with space rifts appearing from time to time, emitting a terrifying devouring force.

"These space rifts are very dangerous. If I'm not careful, I could be torn apart by the void."

Zhang Ruochen was secretly vigilant. He activated the Space Rule and carefully avoided those space rifts, moving forward.

After walking for about an hour, a city appeared before him.

The city walls were mottled, covered with sword marks and claw marks, clearly having experienced fierce battles.

"This is... Yunwu Commandery City?"

Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. He felt that this city looked familiar, yet somewhat strange.

The Yunwu Commandery City he remembered was not this dilapidated, nor this desolate.

"Could it be that this is the Yunwu Commandery City from a thousand years ago?"

A bold guess suddenly emerged in Zhang Ruochen's mind.

He had heard that fragments of the River of Time often preserved scenes from ancient times. Perhaps the scene before him was a projection of Yunwu Commandery City from a thousand years ago.

"Let's go in and take a look."

Zhang Ruochen hesitated for a moment, then still decided to enter the city to investigate.

The city gates were wide open, but there was not a single guard. The streets were empty, with fallen leaves scattered everywhere, giving off a desolate and decaying atmosphere.

Zhang Ruochen walked along the street, carefully observing the surroundings.

He found that the buildings in the city were mostly intact, but there were signs of battle everywhere. The walls were covered in sword marks, and the ground was stained with dark red bloodstains (xue ji), clearly left from a fierce battle long ago.

"What exactly happened here?"

Zhang Ruochen's brow furrowed deeply. He had a vague feeling that this place was related to him.

Just then, a faint sound of fighting suddenly came from ahead.

Zhang Ruochen's heart moved, and he immediately rushed toward the source of the sound.

Soon, he arrived in front of a grand palace.

At this moment, the palace was surrounded by densely packed black-armored soldiers. These soldiers were all covered in deathly aura (si qi), their eyes vacant, clearly having been refined into corpse puppets.

In the center of the palace, a young man in white was wielding a long sword, fighting fiercely with a black-armored general.

The young man's swordsmanship was exquisite, his sword aura crisscrossing, forcing the black-armored general to retreat step by step.

But the black-armored general was extremely powerful, his body as hard as iron, and the long sword slashing at him only left a few white marks.

"Not good, that young man is no match for that black-armored general."

Zhang Ruochen's expression changed slightly. He could see that the young man's cultivation was only at the Fish-Dragon Realm, while the black-armored general was at the Half-Saint Realm. The gap between them was like a chasm.

Sure enough, after just a few more moves, the young man's sword technique began to falter, and he was forced into a dangerous position by the black-armored general.

"Die!"

The black-armored general let out a low roar, the long spear in his hand transforming into a black dragon as it stabbed straight at the young man's chest.

This strike was swift and fierce, impossible to dodge.

The young man's face turned pale, and he closed his eyes in despair.

But at that moment, a figure suddenly flashed and appeared in front of him.

It was Zhang Ruochen.

He reached out and grabbed the tip of the black-armored general's spear, then exerted a slight force with his five fingers.

*Crack!*

With a crisp sound, the long spear was snapped by him.

The black-armored general's expression changed greatly, and he quickly retreated.

But how could Zhang Ruochen give him the chance? He flipped his palm, and a golden palm print slammed down heavily on the black-armored general's chest.

*Boom!*

With a muffled sound, the black-armored general flew backward, heavily crashing into the palace wall, creating a large hole.

"Who are you?"

The black-armored general climbed out of the rubble, staring at Zhang Ruochen with a fierce gaze.

"Someone who takes your life."

Zhang Ruochen said calmly, then his figure flickered and appeared in front of the black-armored general. He struck out with another palm, imprinting it on his head.

*Bang!*

The black-armored general's head exploded like a watermelon, and his body slowly fell to the ground.

After killing the black-armored general, Zhang Ruochen turned around and looked at the young man behind him.

"You... who are you?"

The young man looked at Zhang Ruochen with a face full of shock. He had never expected that this suddenly appearing young man would be so powerful, easily killing a Half-Saint realm corpse puppet.

"My name is Zhang Ruochen. And you?"

Zhang Ruochen asked with a smile.

"Zhang Ruochen?"

The young man was stunned, then his face showed a look of disbelief, "You... you are the Ninth Prince of Yunwu Commandery?"

"You know me?"

Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised. He had never seen this young man before.

"I am Yunwu Commandery's... no, I am a soldier under your command!"

The young man suddenly knelt on one knee, his voice choked with emotion, "I am Zhang Xuan, a member of the Zhang family's collateral branch (pang zhi). I followed you in the rebellion against the imperial court back then!"

"Rebellion against the imperial court?"

Zhang Ruochen was stunned, then his expression changed dramatically.

He suddenly remembered that a thousand years ago, he had indeed led the Yunwu Commandery army in a rebellion against the First Central Empire's tyranny (bao zheng).

But that rebellion ultimately failed. He was betrayed by his close friend, and the entire army was wiped out.

"Could it be that this is... the scene from a thousand years ago?"

Zhang Ruochen's heart trembled violently. He finally understood that the fragment of the River of Time he was in preserved the scene of the Yunwu Commandery rebellion a thousand years ago.

"Your Highness, the imperial army has already surrounded the city. Please leave quickly. I will cover your retreat!"

Zhang Xuan said urgently.

"Leave?"

Zhang Ruochen smiled bitterly and shook his head. He knew that in this historical scene, he would ultimately fail to escape and would be captured alive by the imperial army.

But since he had returned to this time and space, could he change history?

"Zhang Xuan, take me to see the other brothers."

Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

Zhang Xuan responded, then led Zhang Ruochen toward the depths of the palace.

Along the way, Zhang Ruochen saw many familiar faces. They were all his former subordinates, now covered in wounds, but still fighting stubbornly.

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness is here!"

Seeing Zhang Ruochen, these soldiers were all excited, their eyes burning with hope.

"Brothers, I'm sorry I'm late."

Zhang Ruochen looked at these soldiers who had followed him through life and death, his eyes slightly red.

He knew that these people would all die in this battle, but he couldn't bear to watch them die in vain.

"Everyone, listen up, follow me and break out of the encirclement!"

Zhang Ruochen shouted in a deep voice.

"Break out!"

The soldiers roared in unison, their morale soaring.

Zhang Ruochen took the lead, charging toward the city gate.

He was now at the Saint King Realm, and these ordinary soldiers were no match for him. He was like a tiger among sheep, cutting down the imperial army blocking the way.

Soon, he led the soldiers to rush out of the city gate.

But just as they were about to escape far away, a powerful aura suddenly descended from the sky.

"Zhang Ruochen, where do you think you're going?"

An old voice, cold and stern, echoed through the heavens and earth.

Zhang Ruochen looked up and saw an old man in golden armor standing in the void, looking down at him with a gaze as cold as ice.

"Imperial Preceptor!"

Zhang Ruochen's pupils constricted. He recognized this old man. He was the Imperial Preceptor of the First Central Empire, a peerless powerhouse at the Great Saint Realm.

"Zhang Ruochen, you rebel against the imperial court, commit treason, and your crimes are unforgivable. Today, I will personally capture you and take you back to the capital for trial!"

The Imperial Preceptor said coldly, then reached out with a large hand, transforming into a giant golden palm that grabbed toward Zhang Ruochen.

This palm covered the sky and the sun, containing terrifying power, making it impossible for Zhang Ruochen to resist.

"Is this the power of a Great Saint?"

Zhang Ruochen's face turned pale. He knew that with his current cultivation, he was absolutely no match for the Imperial Preceptor.

But he was unwilling to give up. He had just reunited with his brothers; how could he watch them die again?

"Ah!"

Zhang Ruochen let out a furious roar, his body erupting with dazzling golden light. He activated the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm to its limit, striking out with a palm to meet the giant golden hand.

*Boom!*

With a deafening boom, Zhang Ruochen's palm print shattered instantly upon contact with the giant golden hand. The terrifying force sent him flying backward, heavily crashing to the ground, creating a large crater.

"Your Highness!"

Seeing Zhang Ruochen injured, the soldiers all cried out in alarm.

"Hmph, an ant daring to oppose a giant tree, overestimating yourself."

The Imperial Preceptor snorted coldly, then reached out again, about to capture Zhang Ruochen.

But at that moment, a strange scene occurred.

The space around suddenly began to twist and distort, and the figure of the Imperial Preceptor gradually became blurry, as if about to disappear.

"This is..."

Zhang Ruochen was stunned. He suddenly realized that this fragment of the River of Time was about to collapse.

"No, I can't let history repeat itself!"

Zhang Ruochen gritted his teeth, struggling to stand up, wanting to rush forward to save those soldiers.

But his body was too severely injured, and he had no strength left.

"Your Highness, take care!"

"Your Highness, we will meet again in the next life!"

Those soldiers seemed to sense something, all turning around to look at Zhang Ruochen, their faces showing relieved smiles.

Then, their figures, along with the entire city, began to gradually become transparent, eventually dissipating like smoke.

"No!"

Zhang Ruochen let out a heart-wrenching roar, reaching out his hand, trying to grab something, but only grasping emptiness.

The scene before him changed, and he returned to that desolate wasteland.

Everything around was still the same, as if nothing had happened.

But Zhang Ruochen knew that everything he had just experienced was real.

He had truly returned to the scene of a thousand years ago and witnessed the tragedy of his former subordinates being slaughtered.

"Imperial Preceptor! First Central Empire! I will make you pay with blood!"

Zhang Ruochen clenched his fists, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

He swore that one day, he would make the First Central Empire pay the price for what they did back then!