"Hmm..."
Mr. You raised his hand, as if about to calculate something.
But his movement paused for a moment, then he lowered his hand.
He could not afford to provoke sixty thousand years of karmic consequence.
Moreover, eight thousand years of that karma came from the future era.
Peeking into future causes and effects would bring consequences and backlash far, far worse than merely probing past events that had already occurred.
"If the future me let you return to this current age, then it means you were always supposed to return to this era."
Mr. You muttered to himself, then glanced up at Chen Yan's external incarnation:
"You understand what I'm saying, right?"
Chen Yan nodded.
History formed a complete closed loop.
The moment he returned from eight thousand years later to this era eight thousand years earlier meant he was always meant to leave the traces he should leave in the present era.
Just like the destruction of Heavenly Summit Mountain over sixty thousand years ago.
His contact with the "Li Haowen" of more than sixty thousand years ago through the Heavenly Summit Mirror was the fuse that ignited Heavenly Summit Mountain's destruction.
In other words, everything was predestined.
Because of this, Chen Yan felt an incredible sense of emptiness after returning to this era.
No matter what he did, he could not change the future he already knew.
Heaven’s Dao would correct a wrong path.
Even the karmic backlash caused by that wrong path would have to be borne by him.
Nothing was more desperate than knowing the future yet being unable to change it.
What, after all, would his ending be like?
Chen Yan had pondered this question more than once before returning to this era eight thousand years ago.
Especially after Si Youyou's personality had been completely replaced by Qiu Siruo, becoming nothing more than a dream.
Since he came to this world, there had been countless people who crossed paths with him.
Cheng Ziying, Lin Qifeng, Yue Chi, Lin Xinyang, Ding Qiu, Li Haowen, Chu Xiyao...
This was only a small portion.
Many of those people had once held significant places in Chen Yan's heart.
But those past importances had gradually faded.
Chen Yan felt he was slowly losing his humanity.
He did not want that, because he believed losing his humanity would mean he was no longer himself.
Until he met Su Hongzhen.
The one he had once admired—no, whom all cultivators across Chenping Continent could only admire—the future foremost Sword Immortal of Chenping Continent.
To Chen Yan's eyes, he was just an ordinary thirteen-year-old boy.
He was passionate and full of hope for life.
Even if his life had never been lucky, even if it was filled with hardship and wandering.
Although Chen Yan had not fully realized it, witnessing the growth of this young man had indeed preserved Chen Yan's humanity.
Chen Yan returned to this era only to complete the historical closed loop.
But being able to watch Su Hongzhen grow brought him comfort.
However, what after he completed the closed loop of history?
Would he have fulfilled Heaven’s Dao mission, or...
No, that wasn't right.
The Mr. You from eight thousand years later risked everything to send him into Fusheng City.
His purpose was certainly not only to send him back eight thousand years to complete an already-destined destruction ending.
If history truly could not be changed,
then...
"I will return to the era where I truly belong."
Chen Yan told Mr. You.
Mr. You looked up at Chen Yan with some curiosity, then said:
"How will you go back?"
"I don't know, but I came to this current era to change the era I should belong to."
Chen Yan said.
An already-destined history could not be altered.
But the future was not fixed.
Chenping Continent should not have only that one path leading to destruction.
He had returned eight thousand years earlier to complete history's loop, then return again to change the future.
The stone platform in Fusheng City.
Since the version of him eight thousand years later could use that stone platform to go back eight thousand years,
then he should also be able to use that same platform to return eight thousand years into the future.
And the reason Mr. You had established Fusheng City was because...
"Mr. You, do you know that roughly sixty thousand years ago there was a Sword Master Elder of the Water Mirror Pavilion on Heavenly Summit Mountain named Wen Mian?"
Chen Yan began.
Mr. You showed no expression, but inside he was slightly surprised, then he nodded:
"I know."
"Once, Elder Wen said something: 'Everyone knows cause is cause, effect is effect, but is there a possibility that because of an effect, the effect becomes the cause?'"
Chen Yan said.
Mr. You laughed, shaking his head:
"It seems the me from eight thousand years later trusted you a lot."
Chen Yan neither confirmed nor denied.
In fact, the Mr. You from eight thousand years later had no other choice—he could only trust himself.
In the next moment, Mr. You turned his gaze to the platform:
"Other matters can wait until later."
Chen Yan's external incarnation nodded, and he too turned his sight toward the platform.
Accompanied by several Mirage Palace disciples, a spirit-energized middle-aged man in deep green Mirage Palace elder robes, looking vigorous, stepped onto the tea house hall's platform and became the focus of the room.
A Myriad Transformations Realm cultivator, his innate true energy was about two thousand strands.
The token at his waist was not a Peak Elder's token.
He was an offering elder of Mirage Palace, and from subtle differences in his robe, he belonged to the Ten Directions Tower of Mirage Palace's six departments.
"Fellow Daoists."
The middle-aged man stood on the platform, shook his sleeve, and then spoke:
"I am the offering elder of Mirage Palace's Ten Directions Tower, Huangfu Han. Today I have come to this Wushi Town to gather with you fellow Daoists because I have an immodest request. I hope you can help me."
In a room where the highest openly displayed cultivation level belonged only to Passable God Realm cultivators, this man calling himself "I" in humble terms showed genuine sincerity.
Ma Huwei on the side wanted to stand, but Han Qianshan beat him to it.
"Elder Huangfu, you are too polite. Whatever you need, Elder Huangfu just say it. We, the cultivators of Moxu Mountain, will not refuse!"
Han Qianshan declared loudly.
Ma Huwei's expression first turned slightly stern, then quickly smoothed as he rose to his feet:
"Elder Huangfu, give the order. I will lead every cultivator of Moxu Mountain to carry it out!"
These two Passable God Realm cultivators began to compete energetically.
The Han Crow Sect and the Jiugong Sect had been warring openly and covertly for a hundred years.
Both sect leaders knew that no matter how much they had fought before, none of their efforts mattered compared to a single word from this Mirage Palace offering elder.
This Mirage Palace offering named Huangfu Han could designate whoever would make decisions for Moxu Mountain, and that person would hold sway.
This was only the tip of the iceberg of Mirage Palace's power in the Western Region of Chenping Continent.
Huangfu Han, being a Myriad Transformations Realm great power and an offering elder of Mirage Palace, of course understood the calculations of the two Passable God Realm cultivators in front of him.
"Very well. I, Huangfu Han, thank both sect leaders for their goodwill."
Saying so, Huangfu Han reached out to a squinty-eyed Mirage Palace disciple beside him.
The disciple respectfully produced a piece of sheepskin parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Huangfu Han.
"I have heard that around Moxu Mountain there is a seven-thousand-year Rain-Lin Pearl Vine that has appeared. This spirit herb is crucial to my cultivation. I earnestly ask you fellow Daoists to help me find it. As a reward, I will give you this sheepskin parchment that records a fragment of the Heavenly Summit Mountain scripture."
Huangfu Han announced loudly.
A fragment of Heavenly Summit Mountain scripture?
Chen Yan looked at the sheepskin parchment in Huangfu Han's hand, nearly identical to the one he had seen previously in the Kang Family and the fragment Elder Zheng had given to Kang Zongdan, and fell into thought.