Chapter 823: The Power of Time

Li Yi advanced cautiously, avoiding the influence of temporal power, trying to reach the precise location in the shortest time possible; yet despite his caution, he suffered several incursions of temporal power.

Fortunately, his stays were brief, and the temporal power he encountered was not overly strong—it struggled to snatch away his entire lifespan in an instant.

Yet the dangers within this region were not limited to these.

Across countless timelines, extraordinary terrors could always emerge.

Soon, Li Yi's steps halted once more.

He saw upon the branches of a towering ancient tree a transcendent creature, resembling both leopard and dog, with twin horns on its head—outside this place, it wouldn't even qualify as a mythic beast.

But here, having endured the erosion of time without dying, and having come into contact with cultivation, its aura was even more terrifying than that of a great demon.

"Withdraw, or I'll slay you," Li Yi barked, and in an instant, the Crimson Gold Shattered Star Spear appeared in his hand.

Creatures of this caliber possessed intelligence; even if they couldn't understand human speech, they grasped Li Yi's intent—so he now displayed sufficient dominance, hoping to intimidate it into retreating.

If possible, he didn't wish to fight here, lest one move trigger a chain reaction and summon some great calamity.

Yet the transcendent creature's ancient, wise eyes studied Li Yi, weighing whether to attack and devour him; though the weapon he revealed had warned it of danger, it still believed it could prevail.

But the creature noticed the Jade Lotus Master beside him—the woman who only bowed her head in chanting—whose presence stirred in the fearsome beast a thread of extreme peril.

Finally, the transcendent creature let out a low growl, leapt from the ancient tree, and vanished instantly.

Clearly, it had abandoned the idea of attacking.

Li Yi observed briefly, confirmed it had truly left, then continued forward; he thought this place could lure beasts from the Wildlands—if resources were sufficient, he might gain a powerful ally at the Mountain Lord level in short order.

After walking a while longer,

the cluster of floating stones ahead was now within sight, yet he did not rush—this final stretch, he refused to fail.

Yet as he continued to probe forward,

suddenly,

the heavens above darkened abruptly, and a colossal creature appeared out of nowhere directly above Li Yi, while an extraordinarily terrifying aura surged forth—he snapped his head upward in shock.

There, half a dragon's body loomed, blotting out the sky.

"Mythic beast—a true dragon? Or some dragon lineage?" Li Yi's eyelids twitched.

To be honest, in all his years of cultivation, across multiple worlds, he had never seen a true dragon—only jiaolong, or creatures with partial dragon blood; for in any world, true dragons were supreme beings, embodying absolute power.

Even in the Wildlands where gods appeared, true dragons were nearly impossible to find.

Could a true dragon be wandering through this chaotic realm of temporal power?

The sudden appearance of such a being caused even the Jade Lotus Master, who had been chanting continuously, to fall silent; she slowly raised her gaze toward the sky: "I never expected this world of yours to harbor a heavenly dragon."

"I thought you only knew how to chant and couldn't speak," Li Yi glanced at her. "So in the Fanjie, true dragons are called heavenly dragons?"

"Heavenly dragons have always been extraordinary; merely reaching adulthood grants them the position of Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva," Jade Lotus said slowly. "Unlike us monastics, who must uphold precepts, cultivate purity of the six senses, evaporate the Golden Sea, to attain Bodhi."

"Bodhisattva position—its power must surpass that of a demon king," Li Yi mused internally.

This Jade Lotus, barehanded, had caught a Crimson Gold Arrow—her strength likely equaled that of a demon king; yet she stood merely one step from true enlightenment, so it was clear the Bodhisattva position was far higher than the demon king's.

The Unbreakable Master he had killed—if he attained the World-Abiding Vajra state—would have reached demon king level.

Thus, Vajra and Bodhisattva, though both attain true enlightenment, differ vastly in power.

Vajra is easy to cultivate; Bodhi is hard to prove.

Beyond that, there seemed yet another position: Buddha. The dragon above merely passed through, not attacking any creature, yet Li Yi dared not gamble—he waited until the dragon flew away before proceeding.

"Resident, if you could comprehend the flesh form of the Heavenly Dragon Vajra Bodhisattva and practice the White Bone Contemplation, you too shall one day attain Bodhi. Why struggle in this turbid world? Come with me back to the Fanjie—gain great stillness, great freedom."

Jade Lotus urged again, seizing every chance to convert Li Yi.

Only by successfully converting Li Yi could her Chan heart be repaired, allowing her to take the final step.

Thus, no matter how far she had to travel, she would never abandon this goal.

"Why don't you follow me in the Dao?" Li Yi countered. "With your potential and talent, combined with the temporal power here, you need not long to achieve the Three Flowers Converging on the Crown, the Five Qi Aligning at the Origin—then you'd live forever, your lifespan equal to heaven and earth, roaming the heavens and earth—wouldn't that be blissful? Why be a wooden idol in a temple?"

"Without enlightenment, even immortality remains shackled, never true stillness. What joy is there in roaming this turbid world? Merely witnessing birth, aging, sickness, death, enduring all human suffering—then turning back, all is empty, all a dream, a bubble, a phantom," Jade Lotus said slowly, palms together.

Li Yi said, "Your Dharma is profound, but how do you know my path won't lead to great stillness and freedom in the end?"

"The Buddha illuminates the path ahead; the Bodhisattva dwells in the world to guide beings—I shall never be lost," Jade Lotus said. "But who guides the cultivator?"

"There are so many worlds—can your Bodhisattvas save them all? If salvation depends entirely on Bodhisattvas, then who saved the first Buddha of the Fanjie? Relying on Buddhas to save you is inferior to saving yourself," Li Yi said, then realized something: "So you wish to convert me, this demon, to complete your merit, cross the final threshold, attain Bodhi, and achieve the Bodhisattva position?"

Jade Lotus clasped her palms: "Buddha and demon are but a single thought apart—it depends on your choice. I merely cannot bear to see you fall into demonic ways, hence I risk myself to save you—that is all."

"Then keep trying," Li Yi understood her intent, but due to his own weaker strength, he could do nothing—so he let it drop.

As the heavenly dragon above departed,

he finally reached the coordinates without further incident—he stepped forward onto a floating stone in midair, and immediately felt his body aging at an unimaginable speed.

Yet Li Yi's realm was already high, his lifespan long; though the decay was rapid, it remained within his tolerance.

Even so, his blood and qi rapidly dried, his internal magic power plummeted wildly.

Cultivators constantly consume blood, lifespan, and internal magic power to maintain normal function; normally, this is negligible—but here, time flows too swiftly, making ordinary consumption terrifyingly intense.

Before his bodily energy was fully depleted, Li Yi swiftly retreated.

In less than a minute, he had endured what felt like an immense span of time—his flesh dried, his lifespan diminished.

Yet he withdrew the Tianyi Palace, drew a deep breath, and a torrent of life essence surged into his body; his withered form visibly restored, his divine blood churned like thunder, the thunderous patterns on his skin radiated divine light, becoming even more extraordinary.

Moreover, several new lightning divine patterns emerged on other parts of his body.

This meant that after enduring this span of time, Li Yi's divine blood had grown denser again, his physique and strength directly enhanced.

"Thirteen dragon, thirteen tiger strength."

After recovering, Li Yi clenched his fist—his physical power had increased by one dragon and one tiger strength; this transformation was truly terrifying.

Nothing needed to be done—merely allowing time to pass, the divine blood's direct descendants would naturally grow stronger.

Clearly, Li Yi's physical strength still had vast untapped potential—he had not reached his peak.

"Yet this stone is unsuitable for cultivation—the temporal power is still too strong; I couldn't even absorb cosmic energy," Li Yi thought inwardly.

He needed to find another location better suited to his cultivation.

For he must not only strengthen his physique but also nurture his Primordial Spirit manifestation, preparing thoroughly for the future convergence of the Three Flowers.

(End of Chapter)