845 Don't meddle with the past I
Kyle's eyebrows twitched. They were truly friends. Like him, Jian was violating nature. He wondered if others had done the same, but knowing Alec and the rest, he knew they had definitely broken nature's rules.
"Okay, but don't meddle with the past. Just deepen your understanding and watch the past from the sidelines."
Jian nodded quickly, and the white hue filling his eyes intensified further.
He could feel his understanding of time deepening the more he focused. Soon, he felt as if he was standing at a boundary he couldn't cross until a certain moment.
He had told Kyle he wouldn't interfere with the past. However, would he truly be Jian if he didn't do what he was told not to?
Naturally, he did exactly what Kyle had strictly instructed him not to do. Just like his good friend, he went ahead and violated the first rule of the natural law of time and traversed the fabric of time. The space in front of him trembled, and he reached out to tear it apart with his bare hands. The next instant, his body slipped through the crack that formed in front of him.
Kyle was left speechless.
Old Fedric, Garrick, and Ma also noticed when Jian tore through the fabric of time. Alec's understanding of time was fickle, but he too saw what Jian had just done.
'Ah... he wants to get beaten up by Kyle. May your body parts stay intact, Jian.'
This was Alec's last prayer for Jian. Nine and the others present in the tent weren't able to move since Jian had halted time for them and could only watch in silence.
Old Ma, Fedric, and Garrick didn't dare to interfere either. They had spent two months with Jian in the Sea of Consciousness and knew he loved to stir up trouble. So, the trio chose to remain silent, hoping only that the Celestial wouldn't beat him to death.
Only a few seconds had passed for everyone, but for the excited Jian, an eternity of difficulty had gone by.
Completely unaware of how Kyle was rolling up his sleeves to drag him back, his body slipped through the crack filled with gray currents. Newfound knowledge of the natural law of time entered his mind as he broke through the final boundary. He didn't know which point in the past he would end up in, but he just wanted to go back!
Jian stepped out from the other side of the crack with a grin. He was surprised to see another version of himself before him, but that didn't deter him from raising his fist to the sky with a triumphant expression.
"Finally, I did it! And that jerk Kyle believed he was the only one capable of mastering the natural laws of time and space!"
He cackled with glee but then coughed out blood. Instantly, crimson liquid seeped from his ears, nose, and every pore of his skin.
"Darn it! I definitely can't stay here for too long, or the nature's going to kill me for messing with the universe's balance and traveling through a time layer!"
He glanced at the other version of himself. Unlike him, who wore a luxurious outfit and was much more muscular and taller due to his powerful physique, the 'Jian' floating before him was smaller and weaker.
It didn't take him long to recall an old memory of the past and understand just where he currently was. He was in the 'Lost Treasure Tomb', which was crumbling at the time when he was blindly charging toward Azazeal to avenge Kyle, who had vanished.
'Right, that damn bad luck divine artifact Zron put in my body! I need to get it out!'
The past version of Jian looked very startled to see him, but before he could react, Jian swiftly extended his hand and grabbed his shoulder with lightning speed. Blood seeped from every pore of his body, and the past version of him gasped.
"What??"
The past version tried to resist, but Jian used his power to immobilize him. He rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue at how foolish he had been in the past.
"Stay still! I am just taking away something you no longer need."
Jian positioned his other hand between the collarbones of his past self, igniting a fiery sensation that traveled through the latter's body. Soon, a nail-sized red orb enveloped in ominous energy emerged from the other him's skin with a menacing sound.
The other him staggered back in mid-air as Jian released him, hastily trying to heal the little hole between his collarbones. He shot a fierce glare at Jian, only to see that Jian's condition was more critical than his own, with blood drenching his entire body.
08:41
A smirk lit up Jian's face.
"That's it... This darn artifact Zron gave me really made my whole life difficult. Now that it's gone, your luck stat should improve!"
The other him staggered back in mid-air as Jian released him, hastily trying to heal the little hole between his collarbones. He shot a fierce glare at Jian, only to see that Jian's condition was more critical than his own, with blood drenching his entire body.
However, Jian was satisfied and quickly crushed the squirming orb in his hand. He noticed his past self looking at him with sharp eyes and saw the questions in his gaze, along with the fact that he knew the answers to those questions. At least, his younger self wasn't entirely foolish.
His past self suddenly moved, unable to waste time, as his priority at that moment was to rescue Kyle, and he asked aloud.
"What are... you? Me!?"
Hearing his other self's words, Jian chuckled with amusement in his eyes.
"You are not a fool. So, guess on your own. Now leave this tomb, or else you and I both will cease to exist."
He blinked and utilized the natural law of space, and the area behind his younger self cracked open, forcefully pulling him inside. His past self's eyes widened, and he tried to quickly prevent himself from being sucked into the gap that opened up behind him.
"Wait! wait! What about Kyle!? I need to find his body at least!"