Past and Future
Floating candles surrounded Mu Yu in the new dimension, stacking up higher than the eyes could see. There was no exit in sight after ascending for half an hour.
“What is this place, and what formation is it this time?”
“What did you just see?” asked a spark from a candle, gradually emerging as Reverend Xuan Jizi.
“What memory do you have to share with me this time?”
“There is only you and I here, isn’t there?”
Realising he wasn’t speaking to an apparition but to a consciousness, Mu Yu hurriedly bowed. “Elder, I saw how White Ape Fiend King in addition to Desert Eagle Fiend King were sealed. Did everyone else who entered the pagoda see the same scenes?”
Reverend Xuan Jizi revealed a smile. “No. I showed them specifically to you as you have seen Chi Yue, are Sword Shadow Dust Gale’s disciple, have his sword spirit accompanying you and are the patriarch of Formation and Talisman Sect. I believe you need to learn about the past.”
Mu Yu, who had no motivation to be a world saviour, nodded. “What exactly is the lunar race? Why did they sabotage Second Heaven, and what was White Ape Fiend King opposing?”
Reverend Xuan Jizi summoned several candles towards his finger, orbiting them around said finger. “The lunar race is not part of this world. Secrets relevant to Second Heaven, Third Heaven and other worlds are linked. I don’t know what they are exactly because they are too strong. The Chi Yue you encountered is but a vanguard soldier tasked with breaking enemy ranks. I am afraid your shifu is likely the only person to know their true nature.”
“Shifu is already in trouble. Soon enough…” Mu Yu elaborated on what Third Heaven Palace had been up to as well as Celestial Prison.
“I didn’t expect that from the current lord of Third Heaven Palace. Their original goal was to serve humankind. Back in my era, they didn’t wield soul energy. One’s thoughts are forever elusive. It is sad to hear justice has become evil over the years.”
“Please tell me how I can find Third Heaven Palace’s location.”
“It’s located at the entrance of the reincarnation cycle. As guardians of the dead tasked with sending them back into the cycle of reincarnation, you can consider them as soul guides.”
“How do I find the entrance of the reincarnation cycle?”
“You only need to follow a soul. I can tell a solid formation has been cast on you. One of them is Heaven-Shrouding Bloody Guardian, a concealment formation. The other exceeds my comprehension.”
“Elder, is there any ability that can patch up damage to one’s soul?” inquired Mu Yu, showing Reverend Xuan Jizi Divine Soul Formation and the wound on Ku Mu’s chest.
Reverend Xuan Jizi flinched in surprise. “Who invented this formation?”
“The man in the formation.”
“Remarkable. This formation puts Ghost Gate’s soul manipulation skill to shame. This is my first time seeing this formation.”
“Is it possible for you to help him, Elder?” Mu Yu accompanied his question with a bow.
“Mm… You can either steal other’s souls to heal it as Ghost Gate does or you can use their treasure Walk-in Heart Genesis.”
“Do you have Walk-in Heart Genesis?” Mu Yu energetically asked.
“No, I don’t. It’s Ghost Gate’s property.”
“Ghost Gate’s group is here for it. Apparently, they lost it. I heard…”
After hearing what Mu Yu reported, Reverend Xuan Jizi conveyed, “I understand what they want now. They intend to return to the past to locate Walk-in Heart Genesis.”
“Return to the past? You can do that?”
“One of World Manifestation Samsara Cycle Seal’s abilities is to send one back to the past.”
Just as Mu Yu was thinking he could travel back to the past, prior to his shifu casting Celestial Prison, to inform Feng Haochen of Third Heaven Palace’s conspiracy, then all of the tragedies following could be prevented, Reverend Xuan Jizi seemingly read his mind and stated, “It’s extremely risky to alter the past.”
“Why is that so?”
“Everything is moving forward, so everything may undergo changes as a result of modifications to the past. You have no means of predicting what another timeline branch will lead to. The person who alters the past may also kill themselves. If that happened, the past wouldn’t change and can only be viewed.”
“It will not change? Oh, you mean that, if I accidentally kill myself when I was an infant in the past, my past self would not be here. By the same account, I would not have gone back to the past and, therefore, cannot kill myself.”
“Correct.”
Mu Yu inwardly said, Now I know why Gui Yuzi reminded Gui Ximing to only watch from the sidelines. I suppose they want to travel to the past to find out who robbed Walk-in Heart Genesis from them, then.
“You may not be able to leave traces of your visit to the past, but you can learn what happened as a spectator to change the future.”
“We cannot change the past but can change the future? That is quite the phenomenon. I guess it is akin to learning who a mysterious culprit is from past deeds and then using that knowledge to stop them before they can harm another. Preventing those who would have died without the knowledge from perishing certainly would qualify as having altered the future.”
Rather than saying one was changing the future, they were introducing more unpredictability to the future for changes could influence decisions, thereby leading the future down a different path.
“I don’t doubt Ghost Gate’s group will find the floor the seal is placed. Since it can be activated within the pagoda, they can return to the past to locate their treasure. Do what you can to stop them returning to the past and wreaking havoc.”
“Me? Are you not going to stop them, Elder?”
“I am but a vestige of my former self. I have no means of intervening or leaving this place. I can show you some things, but I cannot stop what will transpire.”
“Could you tell me which floor the seal is on?”
“The eighty-first floor. You are currently on the twenty-seventh floor. I can’t do much, and this fragmented conscious of mine won’t last much longer. Forge forward. If you are Sword Shadow Dust Gale’s disciple, you should take up your sword to defend this world. I won’t hand you Fiend-Sealing Pagoda on a silver platter. Use your own hands to get what you want. If you can’t do that much, you won’t be able to protect Third Heaven.”
“Where is the exit for this floor?” Mu Yu shouted out to the disappearing elder.
Mu Yu heard, “Your mind is your compass. Your compass knows where the exit is,” echoing.
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