The dark vortex carried a mighty power capable of shredding everything.
Facing such a perilous place, Xiu Zhen naturally wouldn't enter rashly. Instead, he first condensed a strand of divine sense and tentatively sent it into the vortex.
Rumble!
In an instant, Xiu Zhen felt as if this strand of divine sense was being subjected to mighty power applied from countless directions simultaneously. A faint sensation of pain emerged.
Not only that, even his stature itself seemed to undergo an anomaly within this dark vortex. The originally clearly layered world collapsed and shattered within the vortex, and all statures ceased to exist. This change was equally dangerous to a Primordial Spirit; the slightest carelessness could result in being crushed.
However, it was still within a manageable range.
The Xiu Zhen took a deep breath. To him, Sisui's [Yin and Yang] was an absolute must-have. For this, taking a slight risk was acceptable.
In the next second, he stepped forward.
The essence of his Primordial Spirit was fully displayed at this moment. Overwhelming radiance gathered behind him, transforming into a supremely divine and holy halo that slowly rippled outward.
In an instant, heaven shook and earth moved.
The scenes within the [Heavenly Dao] all faded away, turning into nothingness.
Including Lu Yang, hitching a ride with Xiu Zhen, he successfully entered the dark vortex under his protection and began to size up the environment of this place.
'What... is this.'
In his line of sight was a dazzling, blinding radiance, divided into four colors. Earth, water, wind, and fire constructed the embryonic form of a world, only to shatter in the next second.
And above these four-colored radiances, there was a scene hanging high like the sun and moon, clear yet difficult to touch. What manifested within it was astonishingly a towering sea of light. Within the sea of light, world realm floated and sank, looking full of vitality with all things thriving, fiercely clashing with the chaotic radiance below.
This was a miraculous sight.
With a single colored light acting as a dividing line, above was the vast realm space that had already finished gestating, while below was the dark void chaos still being ravaged by earth, water, wind, and fire.
Future, present, past.
Time, which should have been abstract, was clearly visible at this moment. This was merely the result of observing from a broad perspective; upon closer inspection, there were many more changes.
"Let's continue walking."
Xiu Zhen slowly paced forward. However, with this single step, he and Lu Yang immediately felt an invisible fluctuation sweep over their entire bodies.
The position they were at just now was the [Present].
But this step took them to [A Hundred Years Later].
Xiu Zhen was naturally unaffected. But Lu Yang—specifically, the Foundation Establishment soul currently manipulated by Lu Yang—had its lifespan reduced by a hundred years out of thin air!
'Hiss!'
Lu Yang instantly realized the bizarre nature of this place: 'Time is shredded here. The previous step might be a hundred years ago, and the next step could be ten thousand years ago!'
Soon, Xiu Zhen verified his thought. With one wrong step, they once again moved from [A Hundred Years Later] to [Three Thousand Two Hundred Years Ago]. In an instant, the Foundation Establishment soul manipulated by Lu Yang became more than three thousand years younger. This wasn't an illusion; its lifespan truly had been reversed by that much!
'Not good!'
In the next second, Lu Yang immediately spoke: "Wait a moment, we cannot continue walking."
"...Indeed."
Xiu Zhen halted his steps, similarly frowning: "If we continue walking, it wouldn't be good if we accidentally traced back to a time before we were even born."
The Foundation Establishment soul manipulated by Lu Yang was at its prime. Because the Dharma Body Dao hadn't collapsed in the false history, Foundation Establishment Perfected Ones also had a lifespan of over a hundred thousand years.
Xiu Zhen was the same.
If they continued forward and took a wrong step, arriving at [Two Hundred Thousand Years Ago] or even [Three Hundred Thousand Years Ago], it was highly likely they would simply vanish!
But going on like this wasn't a solution either.
Lu Yang looked around at the densely packed fragments of light. Each fragment was a point in time, all gathered in one place.
Sisui was within one of those timelines.
Comparing it to the [Present], the precise [129,600 Years Ago], Sisui was highly likely inside the light fragment corresponding to that specific point in time.
'...How to find it?'
Lu Yang was in a bit of a bind. The time in this place was completely shattered, the fragments scattered. Trying to find the precise point in time was simply like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The most annoying part was that unlike Karmic Scenes, these light fragments retained no physical objects; only the purest power of time operated within them. Therefore, he had no way to peek into antiquity or even more distant history through these fragments, yet he had to endure the effects of the power of time.
On the other side, Xiu Zhen was equally annoyed.
'This body of mine only possesses the essence of a Primordial Spirit, lacking a foundation to exist in the world. If I could obtain a matching true body, how could I possibly be affected by these time fragments...'
For a moment, both of them were actually somewhat at their wits' end.
But right at this moment.
"Rumble!"
A fluctuation abruptly erupted from the scene before them. Like a stone thrown into a lake, it stirred up ripples, instantly shaking the entire dark vortex region.
This fluctuation passed through the dark vortex just like that, spreading towards the outside world and transforming into a deafening lingering echo.
'This is... Sisui assaulting the seal!'
Lu Yang instantly realized the change. Xiu Zhen's reaction was also very fast; he immediately began pinching his fingers to deduce, attempting to find the location where this fluctuation appeared.
Seeing this, Lu Yang understood perfectly.
'Sisui... also believes someone will come to save him?'
Just imagine, if Sisui hadn't endlessly assaulted the seal, there would be fundamentally no way to infiltrate the [Heavenly Dao], much less find him.
Then the question arose:
'Is it hope in his heart, or a premeditated plan?'
If it was the former, it was worthy of admiration. If it was the latter, then the appearance of Xiu Zhen might truly be Sisui's doing, just as he had guessed!
Thinking of this, Lu Yang glanced at Xiu Zhen, only to see the other party's expression was quite gloomy, clearly harboring the same doubts as Lu Yang.
"Fellow Daoist?" Lu Yang spoke intentionally.
Xiu Zhen finally snapped back to his senses and subsequently adjusted his state of mind: 'Never mind, I have to meet him eventually. Otherwise, what will I use to steal [Yin and Yang]...'
'Rumble!'
Another loud bang. It was still Sisui assaulting the seal. And this time, Xiu Zhen finally locked his gaze onto a light fragment.
"...Let's go!"
Xiu Zhen's thoughts raced. He immediately took a step forward, directly stepping into that light fragment.
Instantly, Lu Yang's expression changed slightly!
Because the time of [129,600 Years Ago], even in the era where the Dharma Body Dao existed, was not something a mere Foundation Establishment Perfected One could endure!
'A miscalculation.'
Lu Yang furrowed his brows tightly, watching the Foundation Establishment soul manipulated under [Marionette] become illusory bit by bit, about to have its existence erased by the power of time.
But that being said, he wasn't panicked either.
After all, they had arrived at the destination. And based on his understanding of a certain someone, theoretically speaking, the other party wouldn't just ignore a Foundation Establishment soul about to perish.
—And the reality was indeed so.
In the next second, Lu Yang felt the Foundation Establishment soul under his manipulation suddenly receive the amplification of a certain vast mighty power. Its lifespan skyrocketed with a boom!
In an instant, it was elevated to over two hundred thousand years!
The originally illusory soul also regained its solidity, rendering the scouring of time ineffective, and allowing him to see clearly the environment of this fragment.
"Rustle..."
A gentle breeze blew past, carrying a refreshing warmth. What met his eyes were singing birds and fragrant flowers. A three-story pavilion stood on a mound of earth.
From within the pavilion, the clear sound of reading drifted over.
In front of the pavilion, a young man wearing a tall hat, square shoes, and spacious robes, holding a ferule in his hand, looked over with a face full of curiosity.
At this moment, both Lu Yang and Xiu Zhen gained an understanding.
However, before they could speak, the young man took a step forward first and smiled:
"This poor Daoist is Sisui."
"Greetings, two Fellow Daoists."