# 2009
Chapter 2009
Reappearance of the River of Time
Clang——Clang——Clang！！！
The resonant toll of the bell surged forth from the Qilian Mountains, spreading to every corner of the Earth!
At that moment, the members of Great Xia who were racing toward the Qilian Mountains to provide reinforcements suddenly froze in mid-air...
"The Eastern Emperor Bell has rung... Did Mr. Shen succeed??"
Guan Zai's brow furrowed as he gazed toward the Qilian Mountains. "Quick, let's go check!"
Several streaks of light swept across the sky. Those who had come to reinforce the Qilian Mountains were all Human Apex-level experts. As the mountain range gradually drew closer in the distance, their hearts grew increasingly anxious...
If they guessed correctly, they would likely be facing the Key to the Gate, engaging in a fierce battle.
However, when their figures descended onto the mountain peaks, they found no one in sight... The anticipated great battle had not occurred. All that remained was a landscape devastated beyond recognition.
"Wu Quan?" Master Chen spotted a bloodied figure nearby and rushed over, only to discover he had already stopped breathing.
"We've come too late." His face was etched with bitterness.
"...What about Mr. Shen?"
The group scattered, searching in all directions.
"Why is there no sign of him? Even if he died in battle, there should be a body left behind?"
"And the Key to the Gate?"
They scoured the entire Qilian Mountains but found neither person... It was as if they had vanished into thin air, leaving not a single trace.
"Still nothing... What do we do now?" Lu Wuwei attempted to track the two individuals using his abilities, but even after writing their names in his order book, there was still no response... Helplessly, he could only turn to look at Guan Zai.
Guan Zai fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Bring Wu Quan back for a proper burial... Then raise all shelters to maximum alert status to prevent any surprise attacks from the Key to the Gate."
"...Understood."
...
Deep Space.
A unconscious figure drifted through the desolate void.
Clang——Clang——Clang...
The Eastern Emperor Bell's toll did not reach this corner of the universe, but恍惚中, Lin Qiye seemed to hear the sound.
"The Eastern Emperor Bell has rung... Is this a dream..."
Within the chaotic consciousness, a thought surfaced. He tried to bring his awareness back to clarity, gradually opening his eyes between sleep and waking...
At that moment, a soft exclamation rang in his ears.
The space around him rippled, and resplendent light surged forth!
Through the haze, Lin Qiye seemed to glimpse a figure cloaked in a magical robe, wearing a great wind hood, emerging from nothingness!
"...Director?"
...
Earth, Island.
Within the mist-shrouded waters, a black shadow tore through space and appeared out of nowhere.
An Qingyu, draped in a black robe, swept his gaze across this familiar island before quickly locking onto a certain direction and striding forward.
Not long ago, he had been imprisoned here by Chaos, and now neither Chaos nor the Black Goat existed anymore... This Island lay silently shrouded in gray mist.
As he advanced, the outline of a warehouse emerged from the mist.
Pushing open the warehouse doors, he found rows of instruments and equipment displayed within. After being completely saturated by the mist released by the Key to the Gate, most of the electronic devices here had malfunctioned, leaving the entire warehouse deathly silent.
On the other side of the warehouse, the specimen display chambers that once held numerous divine bodies had also been completely emptied by Chaos, repurposed for the Black Goat's corruption and control.
An Qingyu's gaze swept across the warehouse before he moved toward a certain corner, picking up a walkie-talkie from the dusty floor.
"Jiang Er, are you there?" he spoke softly.
From the dormant walkie-talkie, a burst of static suddenly crackled.
"...I'm here, Qingyu, I'm here!" Jiang Er's somewhat distorted voice transmitted through. "Are you okay? What's happening outside?"
"I'm fine... but my time is running out." An Qingyu spoke seriously. "I need your help."
"Help you? To do what?"
An Qingyu said nothing. Behind him, the outline of the Gate of Truth appeared once more from the void, and that magnificent gate slowly creaked open...
"Qingyu..." Jiang Er's confused voice came through the walkie-talkie.
Just as An Qingyu was about to explain, his pupils suddenly constricted. A soul-shattering impact nearly caused him to collapse on the spot...
"Don't be afraid, Jiang Er." An Qingyu's face was deathly pale as he spoke softly. "I can't explain now... but trust me, I will find you..."
With those words, he hurled the walkie-talkie in his hand directly into that open portal!
The heavy portal slammed shut with a thunderous boom!
Having completed this, An Qingyu's palm turned over, revealing a white stone that had been polished to an exceptionally smooth finish.
Gazing at this stone that resembled a white chess piece, he murmured to himself:
"Now, the final step remains..."
Gripping the chess piece tightly in his palm, he took a single step. The River of Time flowed from the void, and his figure instantly vanished from its original location.
When he reappeared, he had arrived above the surging, endless River of Time!
Cloaked in black robes, he stood calmly upon the River of Time, his gaze following the river's flow into the distance until it finally locked onto a certain region.
Splash——
A figure draped in a gray cloak emerged from that section of the River of Time.
The figure stood upon a canoe, silver-white hair dancing in the windless River of Time, a snow-white long blade strapped across the waist... It was Wang Mian, the God of Time from the past!
He steered the canoe upstream against the River of Time, seemingly searching for something.
At that moment, An Qingyu stepped forward, his form appearing like a specter before Wang Mian, blocking his upstream path.
"It's you?!" Upon seeing An Qingyu, Wang Mian's eyes narrowed slightly. "But you're not the An Qingyu from just now..."
An Qingyu glanced down at the River of Time beneath his feet. Wang Mian's destination was precisely over four years ago—the point in time when he had just been taken by Chaos and was about to become the vessel for the Key to the Gate...
He could not allow Wang Mian to alter this history, because if his past self was prevented from becoming the Key to the Gate's vessel, and instead the other party created a new "An Qingyu," then all the efforts he had made up to this point would be rendered meaningless.
"Go back." he said flatly.
"What?"
"You cannot interfere with my timeline."
An Qingyu slowly raised his palm. The River of Time that had been flowing quietly beneath his feet suddenly churned violently. Surging waves and whirlpools appeared before Wang Mian's canoe!
Wang Mian's canoe rocked violently beneath his feet. After all, he was merely a Chief God of Time—his strength was worlds apart from An Qingyu's current state. He was forced to drift backward along the river's current toward his original point in time...
"An Qingyu! Don't you want to save Jiang Er?!" he shouted.
"I will save her—but not in this manner..." An Qingyu's voice was utterly calm.
"I've warned you once. Do not attempt to change my timeline again. Next time, I will personally bury you within time."