Troubled times: Start practicing spiritual practice by taking care of your sister-in-law.

As Cang Xuan finished speaking in the Void Realm, the entire underground palace fell into a brief silence.

Chen Mo raised his head, his eyes flashing with a complex light. He already knew something about the Spirit Race, who controlled the fundamental power of the laws of time.

As hybrid descendants of humans and spirits, the Spirit Clan is naturally close to the laws of time. Their ancestors were the most powerful branch of the Spirit Clan, even daring to attempt intermarriage with the Golden Crow of the Demon Clan, merging the bloodlines of the three races into one.

"Senior, what is needed for the awakening of the Spirit Clan's bloodline?" Chen Mo asked.

Cang Xuan slowly raised his hand, and a gray-white light appeared in his palm. The light was different from the fiery light of the Golden Crow Essence Blood. Instead, it was like the cold mist of deep winter, cold and eerie, yet containing a heart-palpitating power.

Within the light, countless fine runes could be faintly seen flowing, each rune seemingly carrying the mysteries of time, the speed of flow, and the reversal of time.

"This is the original power passed down through generations of my Spirit Clan." Cang Xuan's voice became solemn and dignified: "It is not an external object, but a seed of inheritance formed by my ancestors with their own bloodline. If you consume it, the Spirit Clan bloodline within you will be completely activated. At that time, you will truly grasp the core of the Law of Time, not just a superficial understanding or a fragment learned by stealing, but a complete power originating from the Spirit Clan's origin."

Chen Mo stared at the grayish-white light, sensing the terrifying aura contained within it. It was a power completely different from the Golden Crow's essence blood. If the Golden Crow's essence blood was the masculine energy of the blazing sun, burning everything in its path, then this seed was the timeless and eternally unchanging essence of the ages.

The two seemingly contradictory elements resonated subtly within him at this moment.

"After consuming the power of origin, you will fall into a deep sleep," Cang Xuan continued. "The awakening of the Spirit Clan bloodline touches something deep within the soul. Your consciousness will sink into the river of time, where you will see fragments of the past, present, and future intertwined, and you will undergo the test of the laws of time. Only by passing the test can you truly control this power."

"How long will it take?" Chen Mo asked.

Cang Xuan shook his head: "I don't know. It may be a few days, or it may be a few years. Time in the Guixu Realm is different from that in the outside world. If you stay here for three years, only three months may have passed in the outside world. But in any case, when you wake up, you will no longer be who you are now."

Chen Mo took a deep breath, and without hesitation, reached out and took the ball of grayish-white light, putting it into his mouth.

In an instant, a strange power surged into my limbs and bones. It was neither cold nor hot, but an indescribable sense of "dislocation".

It was as if his body was placed on countless parallel timelines, and he was experiencing different lives on each timeline. Scenes of the past, present, and future flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern. There were fragments of his childhood wandering the streets, scenes of him fighting bloody battles in the Starry Sky World, and even a fleeting, blurry image of him standing side by side with Huang Yi at the top of the sky.

Chen Mo felt as if his consciousness was being grasped by an invisible hand and slowly pulled toward a bottomless abyss.

The last thing he saw was the expectation and solemnity flickering in Cang Xuan's gray-white eyes.

Then, darkness engulfed everything.

……

Consciousness drifted in the endless void.

There was no light, no sound, no direction, but Chen Mo could clearly feel that time had lost its meaning here.

There is no passing, no order; the past and the future exist simultaneously, yet are simultaneously nothingness.

I don't know how much time passed, perhaps a moment, perhaps eternity, when suddenly a glimmer of light appeared ahead.

The light was extremely faint, yet it stood out starkly against the absolute nothingness.

Chen Mo's consciousness involuntarily drifted toward the light, getting closer and closer.

The light suddenly intensified, engulfing him entirely.

The world before my eyes changed in an instant.

Chen Mo found himself standing in the middle of a vast, boundless river. The river water was not a liquid, but a torrent formed by countless points of light, each point representing a moment, an event, a life. The river stretched as far as the eye could see, with the infinite past upstream and the infinite future downstream.

"This is the essence of time."

An aged voice came from behind. Chen Mo turned around abruptly and saw an old man standing not far away. The old man wore a gray-white robe, and his face bore some resemblance to Cang Xuan, but was even more ancient and weathered. His eyes were completely gray-white, without pupils or focus, yet they seemed to see through everything.

"I am Lingyuan, the progenitor of the Spirit Clan." The old man's voice was calm and distant, as if it came from ancient times: "My bloodline inheritor, you have come."

Chen Mo was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Junior Chen Mo greets the Ancestor."

Ling Yuan waved his hand, his gaze falling on him as if scrutinizing something. After a moment, he nodded slightly: "The bloodline of three races is indeed rare. I intermarried with the Spirit Clan and gave birth to the Spirit Clan. My offspring then intermarried with the Golden Crow, incorporating the bloodline of the Demon Clan into them."

He paused, then continued, "Do you know why the Spirit Race is so powerful?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "Because the Spirit Race controls the laws of time?"

“That’s right.” Ling Yuan nodded. “But the laws of time are not unique to the Spirit Race. All things in heaven and earth flow through time; this is an unchanging truth.”

The Spirit Race can control time because they are born and raised in the Void, naturally close to the origin of time. Humans, on the other hand, are born and raised in Heaven and Earth, naturally close to space and life. While seemingly opposed, they are actually complementary.

With a wave of his hand, the river of time around him instantly shifted, and countless scenes flashed by like a revolving lantern: the birth of the human race, the rise of the spirit race, the great war between the two races, the emergence of the spirit race, the betrayal and encirclement after the war... Every scene was vivid, as if it were right before his eyes.

"The mission of the Spirit Clan is to balance time and space, past and future," Ling Yuan said. "You already possess the Golden Crow bloodline, the most yang and powerful force of the demon race, representing life and light. What you must awaken now is the Spirit Clan bloodline, the most yin and gentle force of time, representing flow and eternity. When the two merge, you will truly grasp the supreme mystery of the Spirit Clan—not controlling time, but transcending time."

"Beyond time?" Chen Mo repeated these four words, a subtle stirring in his heart.

Ling Yuan looked at him, a hint of relief flashing in his greyish-white eyes: "It seems you understand. The next test will be for you to personally experience the cycle of time. If you pass, you will become the true successor of my Spirit Clan; if you fail..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and straightened his back: "Please enlighten me, Ancestor."

Ling Yuan nodded slightly and waved his hand.

In an instant, the river of time roared, countless points of light shooting forth and enveloping Chen Mo. He felt as if he were being torn into countless fragments, each fragment carrying a memory, a life. He saw himself as Ling Yuan, the progenitor of the Spirit Clan, intermarrying with the Spirit Clan and giving birth to offspring; he saw himself as the ancestor of the Golden Crow Clan, soaring through the nine heavens, burning all things with the true fire of the sun; he saw himself as a warrior of the human race, fighting bloody battles on the battlefield; he saw himself as a speck of dust in the Void, waiting for ten thousand years in endless time…

Countless lives, countless memories, flooded his consciousness like a tidal wave. There was joy, there was pain, there was hope, there was despair, there was life, there was death, there was reunion, there was separation.

He drifted through these memories, sometimes lucid, sometimes lost. Sometimes, he couldn't distinguish whether he was Chen Mo, Ling Yuan, Jin Wu, or that nameless human warrior. All boundaries blurred, all identities became unimportant.

In the midst of utter chaos, he suddenly saw a scene.

That's Huang Yi.

She stood atop Danxue Mountain, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a long shadow upon her. Her wings were slightly spread, their colorful plumage swaying gently in the wind. Her face lacked its usual coldness, instead displaying a deep, indescribable sorrow.

Her lips were slightly parted, as if she were saying something.

Chen Mo listened intently and finally heard those two words clearly.

"Chen Mo..."

That was his name. The voice was very soft, yet it resonated like a thunderclap deep within his consciousness.

In an instant, all the chaotic fragments of memory fell silent. Those memories—belonging to others, to the past, to the future—slowly dissipated like receding tides. Only he, Chen Mo, remained, standing in the center of the river of time, with only one thought in his mind.

Go back, go back to her side.

Ling Yuan's figure reappeared before him, and this time, a genuine smile appeared on the old man's face.

"Congratulations, you have passed the test."

As soon as he finished speaking, the strange power of time within Chen Mo's body suddenly erupted, intertwining with the fiery power of the Golden Crow bloodline to form an unprecedented new power. That power was neither the past nor the future, but an existence that transcended time.

His cultivation level began to rise rapidly!
The bottleneck at the peak of the fifth realm shattered under the impact of this power, and the gateway to the sixth realm slowly opened.

Chen Mo's consciousness returned to his body from the deepest part of the River of Time. He felt as if his dantian had become a bottomless abyss, greedily devouring the primordial power between reality and illusion within the Void Realm. The spiritual energy in his meridians surged like a river bursting its banks. His bones emitted a series of crackling sounds, and every inch of muscle and every fiber was being reshaped and strengthened by this newfound power.

Sixth Realm, Nirvana Realm, broken through!
But this was just the beginning. The complete awakening of the Spirit Clan bloodline brought not only an improvement in cultivation level, but also a transformation in the essence of life. Chen Mo felt something deep within his soul being awakened.

That was an instinctive control over the laws of time, an innate talent. He could vaguely sense the flow of time around him, see the trajectory of things on the timeline, and even touch that invisible string that manipulates the order of time.

He slowly opened his eyes.

His left eye was a deep, grayish-white, like the end of the river of time; his right eye was a blazing crimson gold, like an undying sun. Two completely different forces intertwined and flowed in his eyes, eventually merging into one, transforming into an unprecedented chaotic color.

Cang Xuan stood aside, watching Chen Mo's transformation, his gray-white eyes filled with relief and awe.

"Three races' bloodlines, time and space united, child, you have done it."

Chen Mo stood up, feeling the surging power within him that was almost overflowing. He clenched his fist, and the cracking sound of his bones echoed in the empty underground palace. He felt that every inch of his flesh and blood was filled with explosive power.

The sixth realm is not separated from the fifth realm by quantitative accumulation, but by qualitative leap. At this moment, he is confident that he can fight any Nirvana Realm expert, and may even be able to fight against an expert in the early stage of the Law Domain Realm.

"Senior, how long have I been in seclusion?" Chen Mo asked.

Cang Xuan calculated with his fingers: "Three years have passed in the Guixu Realm, while three months have passed in the outside world."

Three months.

Chen Mo's heart tightened. Three months was enough time for many things to happen. Had his teacher, who had been captured by Ancestor Tianpeng, been rescued? Were the people of the Chiyuan Clan safe? Was Ni Chang still waiting for him?
"Senior, I should go now." His voice was firm.

Cang Xuan nodded, not trying to stop him. He took out a grayish-white jade slip from his robes and handed it to Chen Mo: "This is the complete inheritance of my Spirit Clan, recording all the mysteries of the Law of Time. Keep it safe and study it slowly in the future. Also, you are now in the sixth realm, with the bloodlines of the three races fused. Ordinary Nirvana Realm cultivators are no match for you, but you still need to be cautious when facing Law Domain Realm cultivators. The Immortal Sect Master, Bai Qin, Jia Ye, and Jia Nan are all outstanding individuals in the Law Domain Realm, and you are not yet their match."

Chen Mo took the jade slip and solemnly put it into his pocket: "I understand."

Cang Xuan raised his hand and waved it, and the runes in the center of the underground palace lit up, slowly opening a rotating spatial passage.

At the other end of the passage, the sunlight and clouds of Danxue Mountain can be faintly seen.

"Go." Cang Xuan's voice returned to its original calm and aged tone. "Remember, no matter what, the gates of the Guixu Realm will always be open for you."

Chen Mo bowed deeply, then turned and stepped into the spatial passage.

The light engulfed his figure.

……

Meanwhile, in the Celestial Realm.

The great battle three months ago ended with the withdrawal of all parties involved. However, the pursuit of Ancestor Tianpeng by the Chiyuan Clan has never ceased.

Like two burning meteors, Feng Qi and Feng Zhi streaked across the sky, leaving long trails of flame as they relentlessly pursued the golden figure ahead.

"You old scoundrel Tianpeng, you can't escape!" Feng Qi's roar echoed through the clouds, and the Phoenix True Fire transformed into a fire dragon, rushing straight at Tianpeng Ancestor's back. Tianpeng Ancestor gritted his teeth and dodged, several pieces of his golden feathers charred, emitting a burnt smell. He was both shocked and furious. If it weren't for his injured right wing, how could he have been chased so badly by these two opponents of equal strength?
"Feng Qi, Feng Zhi, do you really intend to fight me to the death?" Ancestor Tianpeng said sternly.

"You have harmed my clan's prodigy, which means you have become an enemy of my entire clan!" Feng Zhi's voice was like thunder, carrying an undeniable determination. "Release Huang Yi, and I may spare your life."

"Dream on!" Ancestor Tianpeng sneered. Huang Yi, whom he held in his claws, had been unconscious for some time and was barely breathing. He could not possibly give up the phoenix bloodline he had obtained; it was his only hope for extending his lifespan and breaking through to the next level.

The chase lasted for three days and three nights.

Tianpeng Ancestor finally couldn't hold on any longer.

Feng Qi and Feng Zhi seized this opportunity.

"Feng Qi, block his retreat!" Feng Zhi shouted, his body crackling with lightning, transforming into a purple bolt of lightning that slammed head-on into Tianpeng Ancestor.

Feng Qi transformed into a line of fire, circled around to the rear of Tianpeng Ancestor, and formed a giant net with Phoenix True Fire, sealing off all his escape routes.

A flicker of despair flashed in Tianpeng Ancestor's eyes. He gritted his teeth and made a decision—he looked down at the unconscious Huang Yi in his claws, his eyes flashing with intense resentment, but ultimately he dared not gamble with his own life.

"Here you go!"

He suddenly flung Huang Yi towards Feng Qi, simultaneously burning his essence blood and disregarding the injury on his right wing, transforming into a streak of blood-red golden light and fleeing madly in the opposite direction.

Feng Qi quickly caught Huang Yi, feeling her weak breath and broken wings, his heart filled with both anger and pain. He wanted to continue the pursuit, but was stopped by Feng Zhi.

"Save her first," Feng Zhi said in a deep voice. "That old thief Tianpeng is badly injured and can't go far. We'll have plenty of opportunities to settle scores later."

Feng Qi suppressed his killing intent, embraced Huang Yi, and returned with Feng Zhi.

……

When Huang Yi was brought back to Danxue Mountain, she was already on the verge of death.

She had burned too much of her essence and soul, her wings were broken, her meridians were severed in many places, and her vital energy was greatly depleted. If she hadn't been a phoenix, with a physique far exceeding that of ordinary people, she would probably have perished long ago.

When Feng Nian, Huang Su, and the other members of the clan saw her like this, their eyes all welled up with tears.

"Elder Huang Yi..." Huang Su knelt before Huang Yi's bedside, her voice choked with sobs, "You must hold on..."

The entire Owl Clan mobilized its resources, employing all sorts of rare and precious materials to heal Huang Yi's injuries. The three Supreme Elders, Feng Qi, Feng He, and Feng Zhi, took turns using their own spiritual power to unblock her meridians and stabilize her vital essence.

A month later, Huang Yi was finally out of danger.

Two months later, she was able to sit up with difficulty, but she still couldn't spread her wings, and her spiritual power had only recovered to 10%.

Three months later, her condition stabilized, but a full recovery was still a long way off.

On this day, Huang Su carried a bowl of medicinal soup into Huang Yi's cave.

"Elder, it's time to take your medicine."

Huang Yi leaned against the stone wall, her face pale, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders, making her look exceptionally haggard. She took the medicinal soup and drank it all in one gulp, the bitter taste spreading in her mouth, but she seemed completely oblivious.

"Elder, are you worried about Chen Mo?" Huang Su asked cautiously.

Huang Yi remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

For the past three months, she has thought of that young man every day and night.

His dedication and everything he had done flashed through my mind.

At that moment, it felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

She didn't know when it started, but the young man's place in her heart had already transcended the boundaries of master and disciple.

Perhaps it was the first time she saw the stubbornness and unyielding spirit in his eyes, perhaps it was when he risked his life for her, or perhaps it was the last image that flashed through her mind when she thought she was going to die—his face.

But she refused to admit it.

She told herself it was just guilt, because that young man had faced life-or-death situations several times for her sake. As his teacher, she hadn't protected him; instead, he had been injured time and again while trying to protect her. This guilt made her care for him all the more.

It must be guilt, nothing else.

"Elder Huangyi, what do you think of Chen Mo..." Huang Su hesitated before speaking.

Huang Yi gave her a cold look: "Don't talk nonsense. He is my disciple."

Huang Su lowered her head, not daring to say anything more. But she knew in her heart that the elder's gaze towards Chen Mo was not just out of concern for his disciple.

Another two weeks have passed.

On this day, Huang Yi was meditating in her cave when she suddenly sensed a familiar aura rapidly approaching Danxue Mountain.

Her heart skipped a beat.

That aura belonged to Chen Mo.

There was no mistake. Although it was several times stronger than it had been three months ago, she would never mistake that unique spiritual energy fluctuation.

"Elder Huang Yi, Chen Mo is back." Huang Su's voice came from outside the cave, filled with undisguised joy.

Huang Yi instinctively tried to stand up, but found her whole body trembling slightly. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, leaned back against the stone wall, and tried her best to maintain her usual cold expression.

"Let him in." Her voice was devoid of any emotion.

The sound of footsteps grew louder as they approached.

A tall, slender figure appeared at the entrance of the cave.

In the backlight, Chen Mo's face was somewhat blurred, but his familiar figure and those deep, unfathomable eyes, which had now concealed their strange appearance, made Huang Yi's heart race once again.

Chen Mo strode into the cave and stopped in front of Huang Yi's bed. He looked at her pale yet still stunningly beautiful face, at her broken wings that had just been reattached and were still wrapped in bandages, and at the fleeting surprise and the coldness she tried to maintain in her eyes.

“Teacher.” His voice was deep, carrying all the emotions that had been suppressed in his heart for the past three months: “I’m back.”

Huang Yi looked at him, her lips moving slightly as if she wanted to say something, but found herself unable to utter a word. She wanted to question him about where he had been all this time, to ask if his injuries had healed, if he had broken through to a higher realm. A thousand words stuck in her throat, and in the end, they all turned into one sentence:
"It's good that you're... alright."

The voice was very soft, almost inaudible. But Chen Mo heard it.

He knelt down on one knee, took Huang Yi's hand, and pressed it against his cheek. Her hand was cold and trembling slightly.

“Teacher, I’m sorry to have worried you,” Chen Mo gazed into her eyes. “My injuries have healed and I’ve broken through to a higher realm. For the past three months, I’ve thought about you every day.”

Huang Yi's heart skipped a beat. She wanted to pull her hand back, but found that she couldn't bear to.

"You...don't talk nonsense." Her voice sounded somewhat unnatural.

Chen Mo looked at her, his deep eyes seeming to see through all her pretenses.

"Is it just guilt?" he asked softly.

Huang Yi's body stiffened slightly.

"You care about me because of guilt, you worry about me because of guilt, you..." Chen Mo paused, "...and lose sleep and appetite because of guilt?"

Huang Yi's expression changed. She wanted to refute, but found herself speechless.

"Teacher." Chen Mo stood up and leaned closer to her, "I don't want to wait any longer."

Huang Yi's pupils suddenly dilated. She realized something and subconsciously wanted to back away, but Chen Mo grabbed her shoulder.

"What...what are you going to do?" Her voice was tinged with panic.

Chen Mo did not answer. He simply stared into her eyes, which were usually cold but were now filled with panic, confusion, struggle, and a trace of deep-seated emotion that he had caught.

He lowered his head and kissed her lips.

Huang Yi froze. Her mind went blank; she couldn't think of anything, couldn't think of anything at all. She could only feel the warm touch on her lips and the frantic pounding of her heart in her chest.

She should have pushed him away; she should have reprimanded him sternly. She should have told him that she was his teacher, that they were teacher and student, and that this was unacceptable.

But she didn't.

Her hand slowly rose and climbed onto his shoulder. Instead of pushing him away, she gently and clumsily responded to the kiss.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

At that moment, she finally understood.

That wasn't guilt, it never was.

That was love.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Chen Mo pressed his forehead against hers, looking at her swollen eyes and tear stains on her face, and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Teacher,” he said softly.

"Still calling me teacher?" Huang Yi's voice was choked with emotion, but it was no longer the coldness of the past; instead, it was gentler than ever before.

Chen Mo smiled slightly: "Yi'er."

Huang Yi's lips curled up slightly, revealing a long-lost smile, a smile as warm and bright as the first melting of snow. (End of Chapter)