Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 235 - 229: Su Mu’s First Debt Collection, Celestial Emperor Ye’s Breakdown
Above the long river, three giant white lotuses appeared on the downstream waters. Each was in the shape of a lotus platform with a radius of one meter, gently floating on the river’s surface, flowing upstream against the current of the River of Time.
On each of the three lotus platforms stood a mysterious figure.
On the left lotus platform was an imposing man dressed in a simple, wide black robe. His brow exuded a sense of majesty, and his pupils held endless patterns of mystical order swirling and evolving. He was the legendary Emperor of Non-Beginning, whose tales were scattered throughout ancient history.
On the right lotus platform, a woman in a white celestial garment stood silently. Her face was hidden by a ghost face mask, making her features indistinguishable. The immortal charm clustered around her, exuding an unparalleled grace and splendor. She was the most brilliant Empress through the ages, the Fierce Emperor!
On the lotus platform in the center stood a tall man in a blue robe, with long, pitch-black hair. His brows and eyes were sharp as swords, displaying an untamed and domineering aura. He was the Celestial Emperor Ye!
However, at that moment, Ye Fan furrowed his brow as he gazed at the River of Time before him. His heart was pounding uncontrollably, and the further they traveled, the more familiar the sensation became!
Noticing Ye Fan’s unusual state, the Emperor of Non-Beginning asked, "Ye Fan, what’s wrong?"
After taking a deep breath, Ye Fan asked aloud while still staring at the River of Time in front of him, "Is this really the River of Time?"
Upon hearing this, the Fierce Empress responded with surprise, "Is this your first time here?"
...
"No, this should be my second time, but I never expected the river I passed by once before... to really be the River of Time!"
The further they went, the more restless he became inside; from the moment he set foot on this river, he realized that the encounter he once had wasn’t a dream but truly existed!
That meant... the mysterious man he once encountered also truly existed!
Which further implied... to pass through this River of Time again, he would meet him, his creditor!
"Ye Fan, are you saying... the river you passed before is the same as the River of Time before us now?" The Emperor of Non-Beginning recalled the experience Ye Fan had mentioned to him some time ago. Though he hadn’t given it much thought before, Ye Fan’s intense reaction prompted him to inquire further.
Ye Fan nodded and asked the two seniors, "Is there anyone who can reside on the River of Time for a long duration?"
In Ye Fan’s memory, the time in this mystical world when he first encountered that mysterious man on the River of Time had passed by tens of thousands of years, marking an exceedingly long period.
"By long duration, how long do you mean?" the Emperor of Non-Beginning inquired.
....
"Hundreds of thousands of years." Ye Fan’s face showed a reminiscent expression.
As soon as he spoke, the Emperor of Non-Beginning immediately shook his head, denying, "Impossible."
"For example, when we travel contrarily along the River of Time to return to the past, we can only stay on the river for no more than seven days at a time."
"Exceeding a seven-day stay on the River of Time leads to erosion by the time rules, causing harm to oneself."
"Of course, there are some powerful beings across the Ten Thousand Realms who rely on special secret techniques and cultivate special Time Techniques to stay on the River of Time for longer periods. Some manage ten days or half a month at a time."
"However, what’s more dangerous than rule erosion on the River of Time is causality."
"The longer you stay on the River of Time, the greater the perilous major causality you become entangled in, which is the most terrifying aspect."
Upon finishing.
The Fierce Empress also expressed her own views:
"Time on the River of Time flows differently from that in All Heavens and Myriad Realms. One day on the river could mean many years in All Heavens."
"But I haven’t verified this specifically."
...
"Well... have there been instances where one establishes their abode on the River of Time?" Ye Fan continued to ask, having thought of something.
When he met the mysterious man, the latter had established his abode on the riverbank.
Upon hearing this, both the Emperor of Non-Beginning and the Fierce Emperor shook their heads simultaneously.
"On the bank then?" Ye Fan pointed at the bank and continued.
"That’s even more impossible," replied the Emperor of Non-Beginning. "We can maintain human form above the water of the River of Time, but upon reaching the bank, we’d be compressed by the river into tiny animals."
Then, the Fierce Empress recalled something and added, "The main flow of the River of Time indeed wouldn’t allow this, but there are weakened rule tributaries where powerful beings have established their abodes. However, such cases are few and far between."
.....
"Are we on the main flow or a tributary right now?" Ye Fan pointed to the river course ahead and asked.
"Of course, it’s the main flow. If it were a tributary, we wouldn’t need the three of us to travel together," replied the Emperor of Non-Beginning.
Upon hearing this, Ye Fan became even more perplexed.
He had encountered the mysterious man on the main flow of this River of Time, and that man had indeed set up his abode on the riverbank of the main flow.
Based on the explanations of the Emperor of Non-Beginning and the Fierce Emperor, no one could dwell on the River of Time for long.
So, even if that mysterious man truly existed, given the passage of so many years, perhaps he was no longer on the River of Time, or might have even perished.
After all, no matter how patient a creditor might be, they couldn’t possibly wait tens of thousands of years to collect a debt, right?
Moreover, considering the annual interest rate when the debt was incurred, it qualifies as high-interest debt. After so many years, the amount must have ballooned into astronomical figures, so large that Ye Fan dared not imagine...
Ye Fan quickly shook his head, trying not to think about these headache-inducing issues.
.....
"How much further must we travel?" The Emperor of Non-Beginning asked the Fierce Empress.
For only the Fierce Empress knew the precise time point.
"Another three hours of travel, we’re almost there," murmured the Fierce Empress.
Thus, the three lotus platforms continued to reverse course along the River of Time...
Suddenly, the lotus platforms beneath the three abruptly halted, and they looked down at the river with surprised expressions.
They found the water had suddenly become static.
No matter how the three tried to propel the lotus platforms, they couldn’t move further.
All of a sudden.
Thud—
A slow, rhythmic sound of water splashing emanated from the mist ahead, as if someone stepped gracefully on the water surface, approaching them gradually.
At this moment, a surge of strong familiarity overwhelmed Ye Fan. His pupils contracted sharply as he watched the approaching mist.
