Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Situ Rui sat to the side, suddenly startled.

No wonder Master said that the East Sea Star fell in broad daylight; according to astrology, that should have been an omen of death and the end of life...

However, it is also said that Xie Lingyun's appearance shows that he has an extraordinary destiny and his brilliance has not faded, showing no signs of a short life.

One falls, the other flourishes; one lives, the other dies—two diametrically opposed phenomena that even the master couldn't fathom.

Only now did he fully understand—

It's not that the celestial signs are inaccurate; it's clear that Xie Lingyun didn't die at all, but simply temporarily left the mortal world!

He looked at his master, his admiration growing even stronger.

Xie Daoyun raised his eyes and glanced at Xie Xiaoyi, his tone calm and unwavering: "Although Xie Lingyun is alive, he is not considered to be in the mortal realm."

Xie Xiaoyi was stunned, finding it unbelievable.

Senior Xie said that Auntie entered the Primordial Illusion?

Primordial Illusion!

He seemed to have thought of something, and then spoke:

"Senior, I once consumed Turtle Spirit and Qilin Marrow to refine my cultivation. During the process, I unexpectedly fell into a deep sleep and dreamt of entering a strange place."

The place was shrouded in celestial mists and teeming with auspicious beasts, resembling an ancient fairyland. There was also a woman there who told me personally that it was the Primordial Illusionary Realm.

"Is this true?" Situ Rui was startled again, turning to Xie Daoyun. "Master, what's going on here?"

Xie Daoyun took a sip of tea and glanced at the two of them:

"The Primordial Illusion—calling it an illusion is both right and wrong! You can think of it as... a 'fold' in the universe."

This explanation only fueled Situ Rui's curiosity, and he continued to ask, "Master, you said that the Primordial Illusion is the 'wrinkle' of heaven and earth?"

But I've heard that the 'wrinkles' recorded in the ancient scrolls are actually small grotto-heavens left over from before the separation of heaven and earth?

Xie Xiaoyi stared intently at Xie Daoyun with a look of curiosity.

Xie Daoyun smiled slightly and explained to the two of them:

"To put it bluntly, the Primordial Illusion is an independent little world, not a fake illusion, but a real world that exists elsewhere."

Upon hearing this, Xie Xiaoyi immediately pressed, "A small grotto-heaven? How could my aunt have been sent inside with a single sword strike?"

"In that battle, their sword energy was so powerful that it tore open the gap between reality and the small cave, and people may have been caught in it."

"Senior, what happened when my soul entered that place before?"

Xie Daoyun nodded slightly and continued to explain:

"Because you have the blessing of tortoise spirit, qilin marrow, dragon essence, phoenix blood, and the true energy of the ancestral dragon in your body."

These spiritual beings originated from that small grotto-heaven. The power within you resonated with them, which is why you entered the primordial chaos in an instant.

"Senior, how did you conclude from the beginning that Aunt was caught up in the Primordial Illusion, and not...?"

"It's simple, because the place where they fought swords was in the East China Sea."

"East China Sea?"

Xie Daoyun nodded slightly: "The East Sea has been home to many auspicious beasts since ancient times, and is close to the origin of heaven and earth. It is connected to the Hongmeng Illusionary Cave Heaven."

Just now, I performed divination for Xie Lingyun. The hexagrams Qian (☰), Li (☲), and Kun (☷) appeared together, signifying the breaking of the void and the emergence of a hidden celestial realm. Therefore, I make this deduction.

Situ Rui listened intently, then suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. It was the area that was torn apart by the sword energy that created the small cave."

Xie Xiaoyi suddenly had a whimsical thought: "Senior, if I enter the Primordial Illusionary Realm again in my dream, will I be able to see my aunt?"

Xie Daoyun shook his head, a hint of regret in his eyes:

"That time you were able to enter was because your soul was drawn by a spiritual object and you happened to have the right opportunity, which allowed you to break through a crack. It was a chance encounter given to you by heaven and earth, not a path."

Moreover, the Primordial Illusionary Realm does not connect with mortal dreams; it only responds to destiny, spiritual connection, and great changes in the world.

Your mind is now stable, and your spiritual awareness is focused; it's impossible for you to force your way in through sleep anymore.

What should we do then?

Xie Xiaoyi stood up and stepped forward, bowing deeply: "Senior, do you know exactly how to enter the Primordial Illusionary Realm?"

Xie Daoyun stroked his beard, stood up, and helped him up:

"It's easier said than done! All we need to do is use an even stronger sword intent to tear open that void rift in the East Sea once more!"

"An even stronger sword intent?" Xie Xiaoyi was taken aback. "How strong? As strong as an Earth Immortal in the Dao Inquiry Realm?"

"Not enough!" Xie Daoyun shook his head. "We need to reach the Immortal Dao Inquiry Realm to reliably break through the barrier of that cave heaven."

"It needs to surpass even the Earthly Immortal Realm?"

"It took the combined power of Cui Juqing's supreme sword strike and Xie Lingyun's borrowed power to enter the Earth Immortal realm to tear open the cave."

Just think about it, what level of sword intent did the two of them possess combined at that time?

Xie Xiaoyi thought of his grandmaster Hua Youwu's explanation of martial arts realms, and he had a general idea in mind.

"Beyond the Earthly Immortal Realm... that must be the Realm of Unity between Heaven and Man, right?"

"Still far from it," Xie Daoyun continued, shaking his head. "The Unity of Heaven and Man realm isn't enough. It needs to be a level higher."

"Even higher?!"

Xie Xiaoyi was completely dumbfounded: "Senior, isn't it said in the martial arts world that the ceiling of the peak of martial arts is the Upper Five Realms?"

"Isn't the unity of heaven and man already the pinnacle of martial arts? Is there something even higher?"

Xie Daoyun pondered for a moment, then explained softly, "The Upper Five Realms are merely the limits of martial arts in the human realm, not the end of the way of the sword."

It cultivates the physical body, true qi, swordsmanship, and supernatural powers. Beyond that, it aims to master the laws of heaven and earth, resonate with the primordial chaos, and pursue the Great Dao.

This realm has no fixed name; it transcends the mortal realm and can be considered a half-step master of a grotto-heaven. Only by reaching this point can one freely enter and exit the Primordial Illusionary Realm.

Situ Rui was deeply shaken and couldn't help but interject, "Master, is there truly anyone in this world who can reach such a level?"

Xie Daoyun looked out the window at the vast sea of ​​clouds and said calmly, "Just because it didn't exist in the past doesn't mean it doesn't exist today; just because it doesn't exist in the human world doesn't mean it doesn't exist in the heavens."

There are no fixed rules in martial arts, and no high walls in terms of realm. The fact that predecessors have not reached a certain level does not mean that successors cannot reach it.

Roads are always made by people walking, step by step.

Situ Rui got up and walked to the window, unable to help but sigh softly:

"The realm of the Lord of the Grotto-Heavens... it sounds so far away. I wonder if anyone throughout history has ever come close to that realm?"

Xie Xiaoyi stood frozen in place, with only one thought in his mind.

He must become stronger, he must reach the highest point, he must break through that void.

No matter how difficult it is, no matter what price he has to pay, he will find his aunt.

He was a time traveler and clearly remembered the bitterness of Yang Guo and Xiaolongnu's sixteen-year separation in the novel The Return of the Condor Heroes.

He absolutely did not want that kind of waiting, much less that kind of regret.

Not even for one day...