Chapter 412 - Time and Space

The elder’s gaze fell on Long Tianming as he noncommittally replied, “Oh? So that’s the case.”

Long Tianming changed the topic, “I harvested quite a few spiritual stones this time, just enough to expand my forces. I sent quite a few Heavenly Axis Realm experts to Gu Heng earlier, but even still, he couldn’t accomplish it. But regardless, we can’t allow Gu Bei’s Demon League to grow any stronger. I must obtain the Sect Master position!”

The grey-robed elder responded in a cold voice, “I will help you ascend to the Sect Master’s position. But don’t forget what you’ve promised me!”

“I definitely won’t!” Long Tianming smiled.

While Gu Bei and co. were busy dealing with Gu Heng, they were completely unaware that someone already had their eyes on them.

Within the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting

Nie Li was still focusing on his cultivation. The violent and vigorous Heavenly Energy continued to rush into his soul realm.

The amount of Heavenly Energy within the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting was enormous and infinite.

Days passed. Thanks to the Primordial Bloodline, Nie Li didn’t need to worry as he absorbed the Heavenly Energy. His soul realm continued to expand, and it felt like it was constantly being rent apart. The intense pain turned his face pale and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. The Heavenly Energy tried to rupture his body.

*Boom!*

It seemed as if his soul realm had erupted.

*Buzzz!*

Nie Li entered a strange, but wonderful, state of mind. He sensed the vine in his soul realm growing larger and larger, like a massive tree reaching towards the sky. It continued to spread its branches, one line after another, as mysterious flowers bloomed in numbers.

Each flower bloomed with flawless white petals. The petals themselves had continuously snowed down.

Their fragrance permeated him, like a spring field filled with fresh flowers.

Nie Li vaguely sensed that in the space underneath the vine, time and space were stagnant.

In that manner, he sat below the vine and cultivated, continuously condensing his cultivation as time rapidly flowed around him.

A month passed in an instant. Inside Nie Li’s dantian, the third fate star formed.

Nie Li remained seated.

Three months later, the fourth star appeared.

He sat like a stone statue, silent and without movement. Nie Li’s concept of time had ceased entirely.

Six months later, the fifth fate star lit up within his soul realm.

A *Boom!* sounded in his mind, waking him from his trance. He was stunned for only a brief moment, before opening his eyes. This was bad. He never thought he’d end up cultivating inside the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting for such a long period of time!

Six months had passed. Nie Li wondered how Lu Piao, Gu Bei, and the others were doing.

He opened his eyes and saw Xiao Yu staring at him.

“Xiao Yu, why are you looking at me like that?” Nie Li asked in confusion. Xiao Yu looked like she’d seen a ghost.

“Why do you think? In the blink of an eye, your cultivation went from 9-fate Heavenly Fate to Heavenly Star Realm. On top of that, your cultivation went up several times in a row!” Xiao Yu exclaimed.

Nie Li was dumbfounded by her words. From his point of view, he’d been cultivating for six months. Why had it only been the blink of an eye for Xiao Yu?

Nie Li recalled the miraculous state that he’d entered. Could it have been thanks to the vine?

Nie Li carefully recalled the sensation from earlier. That feeling… could time have stopped?

In this life, he had a mysterious vine within his soul realm. That was different from his previous life. Could the vine be linked to the Temporal Demon Spirit Book?

Only that book possessed such power over time and space!

Nie Li thought about it. Yes, it was possible. After all, it was the Temporal Demon Spirit Book that had sent him back in time. And in this lifetime, the book could no longer be found in the Desert Palace!

Nie Li thought some more, then brought out one of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book’s remnant pages and injected it with his Heavenly Energy. The page turned into a streak of light, floated into his body, and merged with the vine.

It was true! The vine really was linked to the Temporal Demon Spirit Book!

After that page had went into the vine, Nie Li’s heart was beating wildly as space and time froze.

It was the same feeling from earlier!

Time and space had ceased! He let his intent fall to the bottom of the vine, where the petals swirled in the air. It was a beautiful scene.

There was ecstasy in Nie Li’s heart. The remnant pages of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book were actually one of the keys to freezing time and space!

He immediately sat back down and resumed cultivating.

Half a year later, the sixth fate star formed.

Another year passed and the seventh fate star formed.

Three years after that, the same thing happened again. The eighth fate star formed.

Nie Li remained seated without a single movement, fixed in his spot like an old monk. His soul realm constantly revolved, gathering all the Myriad Miles Rivers and Mountains Painting’s Heavenly Energy towards his direction.

Five years later, the ninth fate star formed.

The nine fate stars revolved around each other, then engulfed the nine fate souls. The nine stars glittered brightly as they endlessly morphed between shapes. Nie Li was only one step away from the Heavenly Axis Realm!

Nie Li continued his cultivation. By now, an entire decade had passed and Nie Li had reached the pinnacle of the Heavenly Star Realm. However, no matter how much he tried to raise his cultivation, it wouldn’t step above the 9-stage Heavenly Star Realm. If he wanted to reach the Heavenly Axis Realm, then he’d need help from the outside.

Nie Li suddenly woke to Xiao Yu’s voice calling him. “Nie Li? What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you answering me?”

Nie Li looked at her and asked, “What? Did you just ask me something? How long has it been?”

“Only a few minutes. Why didn’t you answer me?” Xiao Yu asked him. She was, again, filled with shock and questions. What was going on with Nie Li? It’d only been a moment, so why had his cultivation risen by so much? He was probably only a step away from the Heavenly Axis Realm!

Nie Li smiled bitterly. He couldn’t answer her. She probably wouldn’t understand, even if he explained.

Who could have imagined that Nie Li had just experienced nearly twenty years in just a short period of time.

The profound intent of the Temporal Demon Spirit Book was indeed unimaginable! Just a single remnant page actually froze the world for twenty years!

Nie Li looked over at the other two pages. Who knows if they might stop time for another forty years? But he wasn’t going to use them right now, since he’d reached a bottleneck. Bitterly cultivating would be meaningless. He had to search for the opportunity to break through to the Heavenly Axis Realm before using the remaining pages. It’d be more worth it that way!

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