From Fanwu to Xinghai

Three days later, an urgent report was sent to the Qingyun Sect.

The letter was delivered by a royal envoy overnight on horseback, bypassing the outer gate and going straight to the inner elders' council hall. It was signed and stamped with the Imperial Seal, a seal reserved for documents personally reviewed by the emperor, signifying the highest level of urgent military intelligence.

Lin Chen didn't know what was written in the letter.

He only heard the commotion coming from afar after his morning classes ended.

"What happened?" he asked Chu Qing, who was standing beside him.

Chu Qing frowned. "It looks like the border?"

Before she could finish speaking, an inner disciple hurried past, muttering, "Something's happened at Yanhuang Pass, the Thunder Legion's garrison..."

The sound was carried away by the wind, and Lin Chen only heard this one sentence.

Yanhuang Pass.

That was the northernmost fortress of the empire, said to be an ancient border remnant from the era of Fanwu. Further north lay the legendary, desolate land where the sun never shone. No civilization had ever established itself there.

Thunder Legion.

That was the empire's most elite martial arts army, commanded by a Dan Yuan realm expert, with all three thousand soldiers under his command possessing cultivation levels above the Body Tempering realm.

What happened?

Lin Chen suppressed his doubts and turned to find Qin Mo.

Qin Mo was better informed than him.

He had a habit in the inner sect. Every morning before cultivating in the spirit array area, he would go to the inner sect bulletin board to read all the announcements, whether it was sect affairs notices or anything else.

"North of Yanhuang Pass, a group of extremely powerful demonic beasts has appeared." Qin Mo told Lin Chen what he knew. "The first line of defense held by the Thunder Legion was breached overnight."

"A horde of demonic beasts?" Lin Chen frowned. "Demonic beasts have always been active in the Yanhuang Pass area; this is nothing new."

"It's different." Qin Mo shook his head. "This time, several of the demonic beasts are at least at the Nascent Soul Realm."

Lin Chen was taken aback.

Nascent Soul Realm.

That's already a high-end realm in the cultivation world. Ordinary sect elders are only at the Dan Yuan realm, and there are very few people in the entire Qingyun Sect who have truly reached the Yuan Ying realm.

A demonic beast has appeared at the Nascent Soul stage?

"That's impossible," Lin Chen said. "What could possibly give birth to a Nascent Soul Realm demon beast north of Yanhuang Pass?"

"I don't know," Qin Mo said, "but the urgent report has already been sent to the sect. Elder Shen convened a meeting of inner sect elders this morning, which reportedly lasted for a full two hours."

"What were the meeting minutes?"

"It was not made public."

Lin Chen thought about it a lot.

Nascent Soul Realm demonic beasts emerged from the desolate northern lands where no civilization had ever existed.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the forbidden area. The dimensional rift, Shi Ying's words, the suppression of a higher-dimensional civilization.

If a higher-dimensional civilization decides to intervene, in what way?

Direct suppression? Or leveraging existing forces, such as summoning monsters from this dimension as tools?

The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became.

In the afternoon, he went to find Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan remained as leisurely as ever, sitting in the courtyard of Jia Yi. But this time, he didn't take a book; instead, he stared at the spiritual herbs in the courtyard, as if he were thinking about something.

"Do you know about Yanhuang Pass?" Lin Chen asked.

"Um."

"Is this related to higher-dimensional civilizations?"

Lin Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Maybe, maybe not."

Speak like a human.

Lin Yuan looked up at Lin Chen. "Last time, this happened later, when you had reached the Foundation Establishment stage." He paused. "But this time, it happened earlier, a full five years earlier."

Lin Chen's breathing stopped.

"Five years ahead of schedule?"

"yes."

"What does it mean?"

"This means someone knows the window of opportunity is opening earlier and is coordinating their actions." Lin Yuan's voice was calm, but beneath that calm lay a suppressed sense of crisis. "It's not a problem with the monsters themselves; it's that someone, or some kind of force, is driving them."

"who?"

"I don't know," Lin Yuan said. "Last time, we died without ever figuring out who was behind it all."

These words, spoken lightly, struck Lin Chen's heart like a heavy stone.

He never figured it out until he died.

Last time, Lin Chen died, and he died in a confused state. He didn't know who the enemy was, where the enemy was, or what he was fighting against.

"So you came back," Lin Chen said slowly, "to resolve this matter ahead of schedule."

"Yes." Lin Yuan nodded, "But my time is also limited." He spoke in an unusually calm tone, a calmness that sent a chill down Lin Chen's spine. "Time travel comes at a price; every time you reverse the flow for a period of time, it consumes a portion of your... lifespan."

"How much lifespan do you have left?" Lin Chen asked directly.

Lin Yuan didn't answer, only gave a slight smirk, "It's enough."

enough.

This word is too vague, so vague that it's unsettling.

Lin Chen stared at him, a strange emotion welling up inside him. It wasn't just sympathy for the boy, but something more complex, like the heartache that only exists between family members.

"You're not my brother," Lin Chen said slowly, "but you're not just a stranger either, are you?"

Lin Yuan paused for a moment, a flicker of emotion crossing his eyes, which he quickly suppressed. "...Think what you want."

"tell me."

"You'll know when the time comes." Lin Yuan stood up, his back to Lin Chen, looking towards the mountains outside the courtyard. "But there's one thing I can tell you now. Regardless of our relationship, my goal is the same as yours."

"Dimensional ascension."

"Ascend to a higher dimension," Lin Yuan said, "to save your mother. And... find your father."

Find your father.

Lin Chen was taken aback. "Father is still alive?"

Lin Yuan turned around, and there was something very deep in his eyes, a mixture of sadness and hope, like a state of mind that had survived countless hardships.

"I'm not sure," he said softly, "but one of the reasons I came here... was to confirm this."

That night, at the main peak of the Qingyun Sect.

Shen Qingluan stood on the summit, looking north.

The moonlight was cold and clear, and the sea of ​​clouds surged.

Chu Li walked up from behind and leaned lazily against her.

"What do you plan to do with the news from Yanhuang Pass?" he asked.

"I won't handle it." Shen Qingluan's voice was calm. "This isn't something we should concern ourselves with."

"Those two children in that sect..."

"Now is not the time to concern myself with this." Shen Qingluan turned around and looked south. "Chu Li, do you think the times are about to change?"

Chu Li thought for a moment, then sighed, "Logically speaking, change is a good thing."

"Yes," Shen Qingluan said softly, "but before every major upheaval, many people always die."

Chu Li fell silent.

"That boy named Lin Yuan," Shen Qingluan suddenly said, "what were your impressions after you met him?"

"The eyes are too old," Chu Li said. "Those eyes don't look like those of someone who's lived for fifteen years. They're more like... someone who's lived for hundreds of years, compressed into the body of a fifteen-year-old."

"Yes." Shen Qingluan looked up at the night sky. "He's older than me."

Chu Li was slightly startled, "You're this age..."

"Three hundred and twenty years old," Shen Qingluan said calmly, "and he..."

She didn't finish speaking.

Chu Li did not press further.

The night wind blew by, carrying the unspoken words into the depths of the sea of ​​clouds.

That night, Lin Chen had a dream.

There are no specific scenes in the dream, only an endless river of time.

He stood in the middle of the river, the water flowing silently beneath his feet, each ripple reflecting countless moments in time. There were scenes he had seen, futures he had never reached, and faces he had never met before, yet which felt strangely familiar.

Then, he saw a person.

The person stood with their back to him at the farthest end of the river of time, wearing an ordinary gray robe, with a thin figure and some gray hair.

Lin Chen called out, "Father."

The person didn't turn around, but simply raised their hand slightly.

That gesture seemed like a response, yet also like a farewell.

Then a silent wave surged from the depths of the river, engulfing the figure.

Lin Chen suddenly woke up and sat on the cultivation platform, his palms sweating.

Outside the window, the first rays of dawn were breaking on the eastern horizon.

A new day has begun.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and located the Time Compass in his mind.

The faint light from the fourth pointer was a little brighter than yesterday.

Resonance over time is accumulated.

His cultivation had only just truly begun.

Three days later, at dusk, Lin Chen overheard some news in the inner sect's cultivation area.

Yanhuang Pass is in dire need of attention once again.

This time, it wasn't just monsters.

The messenger brought a broken piece of spirit jade, containing the last fragment of spiritual energy information from the Thunder Legion's commander-in-chief—just a few words.

"There are people in the north."

someone.

It was not a demonic beast, not a natural disaster, and not a natural phenomenon that any cultivation world could explain.

There are people in the north.

That person's level of understanding is immeasurable.

The origins of that person are unknown.

It was as if he suddenly emerged from the void and casually annihilated an elite force of Dan Yuan Realm or higher.

The news circulated quietly among the inner disciples, and each of them wore a solemn expression.

Lin Chen stood outside the crowd, clenching his fist.

He doesn't need anyone to tell him what it is.

He already knows.

The agents of higher-dimensional civilizations.

They arrived, and earlier than anyone expected.

The window of opportunity is thirty years, and it may be even shorter.

At night, Lin Chen sat alone on the edge of the cliff, looking at the dark northern horizon in the distance.

Footsteps came from behind him, and Lin Yuan sat down next to him.

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time.

"Last time," Lin Chen spoke first, "when you arrived, they hadn't shown up yet?"

"No," Lin Yuan said calmly. "They appeared two full years after your death."

"And now, they've done it seven years ahead of schedule."

"yes."

"This means they sensed something."

"Or," Lin Yuan said softly, "it's because of you."

Lin Chen turned his head and looked at him.

"I?"

"Your bloodline," Lin Yuan said, "the combination of the Time Guardian and the Dimensional Ruler—this combination has only appeared once in the entire history of the universe. It was... the one who created that ancient attempt at dimensional ascension."

"Then that person failed."

"It failed, but it left behind a spark." Lin Yuan paused. "The higher-dimensional civilizations detected the existence of this spark a long time ago. However, as long as it didn't awaken, they had no need to take action."

"But I have awakened."

"yes."

"So they came."

Lin Yuan didn't say anything more, he just nodded.

The night breeze gently lifted their robes. The distant northern horizon remained dark and gloomy, nothing could be seen, yet it seemed to be hiding something, silently pressing down below the horizon.

Lin Chen lowered his head and looked at his hands.

That hand, I wonder if it will one day be able to support the advancement of a civilization.

"I want to get stronger quickly," he said, his voice a little hoarse, "but I don't know how fast is fast enough."

"There's never enough," Lin Yuan said softly. "You can only take it one step at a time."

He paused for a moment, then said something strange.

"But there's one thing you must remember."

"What?"

"You are not alone." Lin Yuan's voice was low, but firm. "Never."

Lin Chen looked at him, at this mysterious young man whose origins and background were unknown, and suddenly felt something indescribable surging in his chest. It wasn't emotion, nor gratitude, but a more ancient feeling, like some ancient resonance deep in his blood, quietly touching each other through the mists of time.

He didn't say anything.

But he nodded.

Ok.

I know.

The next morning, Lin Chen asked Shen Qingluan for a favor.

Special guidance to accelerate cultivation progress.

Shen Qingluan looked at him for a long time, then said, "You already know."

"We knew they were coming."

"Hmm." Shen Qingluan was silent for a moment. "Are you ready?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, "No."

This answer softened Shen Qingluan's gaze.

"But I don't plan to wait until I'm fully prepared before starting," Lin Chen continued, "because time waits for no one."

Shen Qingluan looked at him, her eyes holding something profound, as if she were seeing a familiar shadow. It was the shadow of the young man who had left thirty years ago.

"Tomorrow," she said, "we'll begin with the Foundation Establishment stage techniques."

"good."

"There's one more thing." She took a token from her sleeve and placed it in Lin Chen's hand. "This is the sect's key token; it allows you to enter the third floor of the Scripture Pavilion."

Lin Chen took the token. The token had a warm and smooth texture and was engraved with the character "时" (time).

"The third floor," Shen Qingluan said, "contains all the manuscripts your father left behind when he was cultivating at the Qingyun Sect."

Lin Chen's fingers tightened.

"thank you."

"You're welcome." Shen Qingluan turned around. "Go, child."

Lin Chen walked steadily up the stone steps leading to the third floor of the Sutra Repository, holding the token in his hand.

With each step up the stone steps, the concentration of spiritual energy increases, and by the third level, one can almost see the spiritual energy threads flowing in the air.

The third-floor bookshelves span the entire floor, densely packed with countless volumes.

Lin Chen did not rush to find his father's manuscript.

He first walked among the bookshelves, getting a feel for the space. Here were stored the accumulated cultivation of the Qingyun Sect over two thousand years, the imprints left by countless predecessors.

Then, he found a bookshelf in the innermost corner.

The bookshelf was small, with only three shelves, but the booklets on it were bound differently from those elsewhere. They were wrapped in a yellow spiritual cloth, and each one exuded a faint aura of time.

It was left by my father.

Lin Chen reached out and took down the first book from the top shelf.

On the cover, a few words were written in a familiar handwriting.

He had never seen that handwriting before, but for some reason, it felt very familiar. It was like something he knew from his very blood.

The words read:

To my future children.

Time will tell you everything, but you don't have to wait for time.

Lin Chen stood in a corner on the third floor of the Sutra Repository, holding a booklet written by his father thirty years ago. The Qingyun Mountains outside the window were faintly visible in the clouds and mist. The northern horizon remained silent, but within that silence lay a storm brewing.

He turned to the first page.