After a moment of pondering, Wu Ji took his time to say, “I don’t know what I want yet, but I hope your sect will return the favor when I’m in need. For example, help me find the materials I need.”

Wei Lai and Yan Zhan exchanged a glance with the other elders.

Dou Tianchen, Wang Meijia, and Fang Yuan also looked at each other. They pondered in silence for a few seconds, then nodded at Wu Ji.

Seeing this, the elders nodded as well.

“Deal,” Wei Lai said the word.

From what he could tell, a friendly relationship between the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace and Wu Ji would be helpful to them.

Wu Ji was Nie Tian’s master, and an expert in time power. Having a good relationship with him could only benefit the sect.

Besides, Wu Ji didn’t have any powerful enemies in the Domain of the Falling Stars. It didn’t matter from which point of view they considered this, they felt it would be rewarding, and even necessary, to maintain a close relationship with him.

Not to mention that Nie Tian might very well become the next Lord of the Stars.

“I’ll have to return to the river of time if I want to peek into the future,” Wu Ji said.

At this moment, Qi Lianshan from the Void Spirit Society, who was at the middle Saint domain and well-versed in spatial power, stepped forward and asked, “May I ask where that mysterious river is?”

Wu Ji briefly explained the location to him.

Eyes narrowed, Qi Lianshan pondered briefly, then nodded. “I can take you there right now.”

“That’d be good,” Wu Ji said without hesitation. “Nie Tian will come with me.”

“Okay!” Qi Lianshan said, flying towards the mountaintop. As he did, he summoned spatial power and split open a slender rift in the air with a silver sword.

Wu Ji shot a glance at Nie Tian.

Nie Tian chuckled softly and flew into it without the slightest hesitation.

Wu Ji and Qi Lianshan followed along.

As curious as the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace elders and Sons of the Stars were, since they weren’t invited, they had to stay back and wait. The same went for the experts from the other sects.

...

In a secluded corner of the Shatter Battlefield.

The sky was originally misty, gray, and empty.

After Wu Ji arrived with Nie Tian and Qi Lianshan, bits of glorious light gradually appeared in the depths of the grayish-brown heavens.

Before long, a glorious river of light revealed itself, looming in the heavens.

Bright lights flashed past in the long, winding river from time to time, as if they recorded pieces of lost history and scenes that had happened in the past.

Standing underneath the river, both Qi Lianshan and Nie Tian were hit by a peculiar feeling that they were switching back and forth between the past and the present.

Qi Lianshan took a deep breath and looked raptly at the mysterious river that was in many legends. “The river of time!”

Countless experts of different races had entered the Shatter Battlefield.

However, very few of them had had the privilege of seeing this river of time.

Those who could not only find it, but also channel power from it to build their inner domains, probably only appeared once in a few hundred millennia.

Wu Ji was one of them.

“Please give us some time alone,” Wu Ji asked Qi Lianshan without exchanging any pleasantries first.

Qi Lianshan fixed Nie Tian with a begging look and said, “You know our relationship...”

Nie Tian shook his head. “As close as we are, you can’t stay this time.”

Even though he was dying to see through what profound means Wu Ji would channel power from the river of time in order to peek into the future, he could only turn around and head back.

As he left, Wu Ji’s voice echoed in his ears. “We’ll just need an hour.”

Qi Lianshan gave an affirmative answer, then vanished into the glowing spatial rift, which rapidly healed.

Then, Wu Ji’s eyes suddenly lit up as he said to Nie Tian, “Your bloodline allows you to extend others’ lifespan?! Kid, I’m telling you, your bloodline is the most incredible and unique bloodline I’ve ever seen.”

Nie Tian smiled. “You saw everything indeed, Master.”

Now that the two of them were the only ones in this place, Wu Ji opened up. “I’ve never tried to peek into the future yet. The reason why is I don’t know how much of my lifespan will be consumed. Especially if I’m going to see the future of peak figures like Mo Heng and Grand Monarch Primal Demon. The mere thought of it makes me uneasy.”

Nie Tian understood his concerns. “If it weren’t for the fact that my bloodline allows me to extend your lifespan, you probably wouldn’t have agreed to do this favor for the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace, right?”

“Of course I wouldn’t have,” Wu Ji answered. “Lifespan is far too important for human cultivators, and there are far too few things in heaven and earth that can help extend it. I can’t ruin everything I have just to sneak a peek into the future.”

“So do you know what you want in return from my sect?” Nie Tian asked curiously.

“I haven’t given it much thought. I’ll leave it for later.” With these words, Wu Ji grew somewhat excited. “Now, I want to see what kind of experience it is to peek into the future.”

BOOOOM!

His unique time domain burst forth from within him.

As numerous streaks of light swirled within it, and time seemed to stop at this very moment.

Nie Tian, who was standing right next to him, had a strong feeling that heaven and earth around him seemed to collapse, plunging time and space into chaos.

A large amount of mysterious sand then appeared within Wu Ji’s time domain.

It grew dim and bright from time to time, echoing the changes in the river of time that was floating over Wu Ji.

All of a sudden, a stream was separated from the floating river, and poured down into Wu Ji’s time domain.

Enveloped in his time domain, Wu Ji started to experience changes as he gained control of time. Gradually, his gray hair turned white, and his face became dry and covered in wrinkles.

He was burning his lifespan at an alarming rate.

Then, his eyes suddenly absorbed the mysterious sand that had poured into his domain, and turned into bright lights that could illuminate everything in heaven and earth, and shine into the past, present, and future.

Images of Grand Monarch Primal Demon and Mo Heng kept flashing across his eyes.

Every detail of their battle, including even the most subtle clashes of flesh power and spiritual power, was displayed in his eyes. Even Nie Tian could see them with great clarity.

However, all of this happened in a split second.

BZZZ!

Tiny veins suddenly burst in Wu Ji’s eyes, painting his eyes red.

A bloody aura rapidly masked his pupils, stopping him from seeing anything.

With a pained exclamation, he covered his eyes with both hands. Wisps of bright aura poured madly from his hands into his eyes. Blood slowly flowed out from between his fingers.

Seeing him in agony, Nie Tian wanted to do something, only to find that he couldn’t move at all.

He could only watch Wu Ji heal himself in his own way. Covering his eyes with his hands, he let out miserable cries from time to time.

This lasted about ten seconds before Wu Ji passed out and collapsed to the ground, looking much older than before.

As soon as he did, his time domain was canceled, and the stream pouring into it from the river of time also vanished.

Nie Tian hurried to his side and woke him. “What did you see, Master?”

Regaining a smidgen of consciousness, Wu Ji whispered weakly, “The Shatter Battlefield... is completely destroyed... People are dead... Most of those who came here are dead.”