The Demon God was to kill Xu Mu, but he had yet to reach the third level.
This was because he had just experienced a time that felt like an eternity.
The sun, the sea, the golden dragon.
Charles stood at the edge of the Wind Thunder Platform, his eyes narrowed as he watched the receding ocean.
Fuxi's phantom, with a flick of his finger, stirred the wheel of time, and thus they spent ten spring and autumn seasons on this Wind Thunder Platform, no more than a few dozen meters in circumference.
The scorching sun shone, yet snowflakes fell through Charles's form in the sky.
He then turned his head and saw that Xu Mu had woken up.
He sat cross-legged on the illusory Eight Trigrams Dao Disk, facing the character "Kan."
Charles frowned slightly. Water could manifest as snow; he was no longer surprised.
This was because the innate Eight Trigrams Dao Disk had sixty-four layers, inside and out.
Each layer contained endless characters, each representing its own meaning.
And when Xu Mu sat in the Kan position and manipulated the Dao disk, these endless characters would combine to create endless changes related to water, such as the falling snowflake at this moment.
Or the blizzard that had occurred a year ago.
"You are awake."
Fuxi's figure emerged from the space, standing before Xu Mu.
His body was nearly transparent, as if it could dissipate at any moment.
"Mhm."
Xu Mu responded. His eyes, beneath his weed-like hair, opened, clear and bright.
After nearly ten years of cultivation, he had finally mastered the Innate Eight Trigrams.
Although it was only an introductory level, he could now manipulate the trigram disk skillfully. With time, he would surely master myriad magical arts. All of this was thanks to Fuxi's patient guidance.
"Thank you, Senior."
The Eight Trigrams disk beneath Xu Mu's buttocks retracted in response, disappearing as a streak of light. He rose, cupped his hands, and with unprecedented reverence, knelt on one knee, bowing to the phantom before him.
Xu Mu believed this was his due, a mark of respect for a teacher, regardless of the other party's identity as a Human Emperor.
"No need for such formality."
Fuxi's phantom drifted slowly to the head of the golden dragon.
The art of time was extremely draining of spiritual energy, and coupled with the consumption from manipulating the Eight Trigrams over these ten years, he, a rootless duckweed, had exhausted himself and could dissipate at any moment.
"I am not your teacher."
"This divine soul was not originally prepared for you. It was only bestowed upon you because of the Demon God."
Fuxi stood on the golden dragon's head, gazing at Xu Mu with a calm expression.
Though he was a spiritual clone, he possessed independent thought and had not forgotten the mission left by his main body. However, he now had to pour all his efforts into imparting his abilities to Xu Mu, solely for the purpose of sealing the Demon God.
And he himself, as a clone, was rootless duckweed, unable to absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
The more he used, the less he had. Thus, now that the flow of time had returned to normal, it was time for him to depart.
However, would the growth of his disciple, whom he had never met, be hindered because of this, making it difficult for him to master the Innate Eight Trigrams?
Pondering these thoughts, Fuxi spoke:
"Xu Mu, in the future, if you encounter my successor, you must act as my teacher in his stead."
"Though he has inherited my legacy, if no one is there to guide him, I fear he will struggle to master the Lian Shan Yi."
Xu Mu heard this and nodded with a solemn expression:
"Senior, please rest assured. After all, I have snatched a fortune that rightfully belonged to him. If I meet him in the future, I will wholeheartedly impart the Innate Eight Trigrams, withholding nothing!"
"Mhm, that is good."
Fuxi nodded. He crouched down and gently stroked the golden dragon's long whiskers, which felt incredibly soft, like clouds, making him feel drowsy.
Xu Mu couldn't help but walk to the edge of the Wind Thunder Platform and stand shoulder to shoulder with Charles.
Perhaps it was because the dragon scales were too dazzling, or perhaps Fuxi's form was too faint, but he had to concentrate intensely to perceive a vague shadow.
Thus, he knew that the phantom of this peerless Human Emperor, left in this palace, was about to disappear.
"If fate allows, will I see you again, Senior?"
Xu Mu's eyes flickered, his expression somewhat worried.
His question was, in fact, asking Fuxi if he was truly dead.
If he could speak of seeing him again, it implied he was still alive; if not, he was dead.
"I am not sure either," Fuxi's phantom sighed. "My main body dispersed some spiritual energy back then and left me here to teach my successor. I never expected to encounter you."
"And after that, he left and never came back to find me."
"What did he do?" Xu Mu's eyes narrowed. He was curious what could have compelled that peerless Human Emperor to teach his descendants in such a manner, as if entrusting a child.
"What did he do?" Fuxi's lower body had become transparent, and his last shadow was becoming ethereal. "I can't remember either."
"If fate allows, we shall meet again. Remember your words."
Xu Mu stood stunned, as Fuxi's form had completely vanished from this space.
The Human Emperor who had taught him for ten years, who manipulated the ebb and flow of time, had finally dissipated.
But the dragon remained.
Xu Mu had no time to grieve, and Charles quickly drifted into his body, for the golden dragon was now staring at them with eyes as fierce as the sun.
"Isn't he also a phantom? Why hasn't he disappeared?"
Charles felt uneasy. This dragon was Fuxi's mount, which had quietly stayed in this space for ten years. Whenever it was Fuxi's turn to conceal the Eight Trigrams for Xu Mu, he would hold the character "Li" and swim freely with the endless seawater.
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed. He stared at the other party silently, neither yielding to the other, as if in a contest.
After an unknown amount of time, Xu Mu spoke:
"The golden dragon embraces fire and swims in the sea. Now that Fuxi is gone and the Eight Trigrams have vanished, what are you still doing here?"
His beard, a thousand times longer than his body, stirred in the air. The divine dragon looked down, offering no reply.
A mere human dared to speak to him like this?
The golden dragon grew angry. Its scales flashed with golden light, and its maw opened slightly, as if ready to devour Xu Mu at any moment.
This startled Charles greatly.
But for some reason, perhaps because of Fuxi, Xu Mu was not alarmed at all.
Having spent so much time with that Human Emperor, how could he be afraid of his mount?
Moreover, he had been personally taught by Fuxi for ten years. Although not a disciple, he could be considered a half-inheritor and bore the mission of sealing the Demon God. Would this dragon dare to kill him?
Xu Mu thought this, but when the dragon opened its mouth, he still took two steps back.
The dragon breathed, and waves of heat emanated from its mouth. From it, a dragon egg slowly floated out.
It was the size of an ordinary water bucket, its surface a noble matte deep gold, engraved with vine-like patterns. Following a phantom current of air, it floated towards Xu Mu.
The latter's expression was slightly dazed. He looked at the floating egg before him and instinctively reached out to catch it. However, the airflow was extremely hot, as viscous as lava, adhering to his skin and burning it, melting the origin energy on his surface.
"Hiss!"
Xu Mu gasped and quickly withdrew his hand.
He looked at the golden egg before him, unsure what to do.
"For me?"
He asked the dragon somewhat uncertainly.
The golden dragon still showed no reaction, merely retracting the airflow.
No longer scalding to the touch, the egg slowly drifted downwards.
"Uh..." Xu Mu glanced at the golden egg before him and reached out again.
"So heavy!"
The moment he caught the golden egg, Xu Mu's muscles tensed instantly.
The young man's forehead veins bulged. Gritting his teeth, he squatted down and then gently placed it on the ground.
"What kind of egg is this? It must weigh ten thousand jin."
Xu Mu straightened up, placing his hands on his hips. An egg this heavy was comparable to the weight of an adult large beast; it was somewhat preposterous.
"What kind of egg? A dragon gave it to you, do you think it's a chicken egg?"
Xu Mu's forehead was covered in black lines.
"Charles, I think you lack respect for me. You seem to treat that guy in the Heavenly Palace differently," he said, his eyes narrowing. Why did this fellow call him "Your Honor" when he met someone with grey-white pupils, but act so presumptuously towards him?
Was he judging people by their appearance?
"Hmph, from now on, I will treat everyone the same!"
Charles snorted. He had favored Grey-White Pupil before because he possessed talents and strength that Xu Mu could not match. But now, after Xu Mu had been taught by Fuxi for ten years, although his realm remained at the second stage, the gap between them was no longer as vast.
In fact, Grey-White Pupil might not even know about these events, as he remained in the Heavenly Palace, which claimed to be a world unto itself, unaffected by the flow of time.
He might not have realized that after merely a period of closed-door cultivation, he would face a Xu Mu who had undergone a complete transformation.
"Roar!"
Charles and Xu Mu's bickering was merely an interlude; neither was truly angry.
The golden dragon roared fiercely at Xu Mu, its eyes as blazing as the sun filled with threat. Its strong breath forced Xu Mu back dozens of steps.
Xu Mu promptly manipulated the Eight Trigrams, holding the character "Gen" in his embrace, and then stood firm on the spot like a mountain.
"He is..."
This was a warning, not an intent to kill.
Xu Mu gazed at the scene before him in surprise. After opening its mouth that time, the dragon flipped over and flew towards the distance.
Soon, it disappeared from this space.
Where it went, Xu Mu did not know.
Xu Mu stood in silence, the character "Gen" vanishing.
He silently raised his hand, wiped the blood seeping from his ear with his finger, and then walked before the dragon egg, gently stroking the patterns on its surface, murmuring to himself:
"Is it warning me to take good care of this golden egg?"
Lost in doubt, Xu Mu gently caressed the dragon egg. Its noble, matte texture allowed him to sense that within it, a great life seemed to be gestating.
—A true dragon.
And the moment he touched the dragon egg, the glass-like blood remaining on his index finger also smeared onto it.
As if a ladle of water had been poured into a parched desert, the dragon egg absorbed Xu Mu's blood and then trembled violently. Golden light surged from its surface, the patterns seemed to writhe, and chirping sounds emanated from within, much like the sounds made by a young animal when its mother is nurturing it.
Young, and full of life.
Xu Mu raised an eyebrow. His blood had been eaten by this egg.
And it seemed very happy about it?
"I'll raise it. I can't cook and eat it anyway."
Looking at the colossal object before him, Xu Mu shrugged, then waved his hand, activating the Eight Trigrams array. The character "Qian" was placed under his foot.
With a single thought, the dragon egg was stored in his spatial ring.
This spatial ring was also a gift from Fuxi, a very noble item, capable of storing a considerable amount of items out of thin air.
It was worn on Xu Mu's left index finger.
After completing all this, Xu Mu saw a dazzling golden gate appear before him.
This time, he would definitely enter.
But he did not move, merely looking back at the place where he had lived for ten years with a complex and bewildered expression.
The sea had calmed, the trigram banners had vanished, Fuxi had dissipated, the dragon had flown away, and there was no wind or thunder on the Wind Thunder Platform.
Only the brilliant sun shone, as always.
"Hoo!"
Xu Mu exhaled heavily. He walked to the edge of the Wind Thunder Platform and looked at his bearded face in the reflection on the ground.
He reached out and touched it, sensing the sharp and messy texture, and was slightly lost in thought.
Was all this real or not? Had Fuxi truly been here?
"Charles, how many days has it been?"
Looking at his own reflection, with long beard and messy hair, yet young skin around the eyes, Xu Mu was unsure and asked Charles.
"Ten years, but also seven days."
Charles thought for a moment, then answered seriously.
"Is there a difference between the two?" Xu Mu's eyes were blank. "What is the concept of time?"
The young man's heart was complex. He was still as young as before, but his beard had grown considerably.
Though both were part of him, time had not unified them.
His surface aged, but his blood still boiled.
This was not in accordance with the rules; it made no sense.
"That's a very philosophical question you're asking."
Charles also knew this was a question beyond his understanding.
As he pondered, the light screen had already enveloped Xu Mu's figure.
The scene shifted. The bright sun was gone.
The surroundings were pitch black, with only heavy stairs before him.
Of course, there was also the sound of Xu Mu's steady ascent.
Charles's low voice:
"Time will pierce the beauty and exquisiteness of youth, and etch lines onto the foreheads of beauties."
Xu Mu recalled Wu Kui lying in the coffin and Fuxi who had just disappeared. His footsteps paused, and he forced a smile, mockingly saying:
"That's not science, it's philosophy."
"When did you start liking liberal arts?"
Charles ignored him, sighed wistfully, and continued:
"Time will devour natural beauty and rare treasures."
"Nothing can escape its sweeping sickle."
...