"Damn it," Tianyi said as he held clenched in his fist. In his other hand was the broken ruler. "Did that bastard escape while I was occupied?"
Tianyi looked around to see only water. Unlike the first time he had arrived, there weren't any landmasses, hidden or otherwise. After making sure there was no danger, he hid himself between the layers of space and inspected the broken artifact in his hand.
"This is a fragment of the Heaven Measuring Ruler?" Tianyi said aloud in shock.
According to legend, the Heaven Measuring Ruler originally was in the hand of the Qiankun God along with the more famous Qiankun Cauldron. Through many twists and turns, it fell into the hands of the then Burning Lamp Daoist. Using the Heaven Measuring Rulers, the Burning Lamp Daoist then formed twenty-four realms using the Twenty-Four Sea Calming Pearls.
This occurred during the Investiture of the Gods, and Burning Lamp Daoist had taken them after slaying one of the Supreme Pure One's, the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasure's, disciples. Logically, this should have been good for the Jade Pure Lineage that Tianyi was part of. However, Burning Lamp Daoist immediately betrayed the Jade Pure Lineage and converted to Buddhism, becoming Buddhism's Dipankara Buddha.
'No wonder it exhibited such a strong spacetime effect. It was a divine artifact, after all. Emperor Soulfish sure is willing. He even sacrificed this divine artifact fragment to escape. Just what is he planning?' Tianyi thought. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
First, he tried to contact the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Even if he failed, reporting and letting the sect deal with it should pose no problems. However, during the process, Tianyi frowned.
"Strange, did the sect change their cipher while I was gone?" He couldn't link the messaging talisman to contact the sect. The public line was shut down since it was wartime, so Tianyi took out the Xiyi Talisman. It only worked on some places in the Heaven Continent, but as the creator and master of spacetime, he could easily link it.
Or, at least, that should have been the case.
Tianyi discovered that he couldn't connect no matter what. Worse, the Xiyinet seemed to have disappeared entirely, and he couldn't sense the Temporal Void Domain.
He closed his eyes and carefully used his immortal sense and spacetime ability to inspect the world around him. "Strange, the time flow here seems to be a bit faster than I remembered. Is it because Emperor Soulfish used the Heaven Measuring Ruler's fragment to attack me, or..."
Tianyi sighed and flew back towards the Heaven Continent. To make sure, he had to return to Jade Peak first. For now, he split part of his attention inside his Nine Heavens Universe. It would do no good to worry Daoyi now, so he had her focus on comprehending the Laws of Death after he integrated the second Spectral Rising Jewel into her gestating divine avatar.
For now, although the divine level law was still incomplete, the avatar no longer had the danger of self-destructing after birth.
Along the way back, Tianyi also spent a portion of attention on learning the Law of Qiankun left in the Heaven Measuring Ruler Fragment. Honestly, aside from the Qiankun Law contained within, it held no appeal to Tianyi. 'Should I try refining it into an artifact?'
A month later, Tianyi reached Heaven Continent, and the sense of abnormality increased. The closer he got to the Central Region, the more sense of abnormality increased. First of all, many of the landscapes and environments that had changed due to war had reverted.
'Did Emperor Soulfish imprison in spacetime for too long? Otherwise, why are there so many changes? Did the war end already? No, that's impossible. The Anti-Heaven Aillance still exists, and Sect Master Xia already told me that the Anti-Heaven Alliance will cease to exist after this war.' Tianyi's question only increased the longer he flew. Worse of all, he couldn't contact his mother at all.
He increased his speed even more and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar peaks of the Buzhou Mountain Range. However, that relief did not last long.
"Halt, who are you!"
The moment Tianyi entered the airspace of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, a warning sounded in his mind. He stopped, and soon, over a hundred true immortals appeared in front of him.
'Well, one or two who don't recognize me, I can just chalk up to coincidence, but a hundred? Something is definitely wrong. Furthermore, I can't sense Nine Heavens Peak at all.' Still, Tianyi said. "I am Monarch Nine Heavens, a peak lord."
"We don't have a peak lord with the daoist title Nine Heavens. If you want to lie, at least make it convincing." The leader of the barrier guards said. "I warn you. If you don't leave and continue besmirching us, you'll regret the consequences!"
'I never realized the Buzhou Immortal Sect could be so annoying.' Tianyi shook his head. "Let me speak with Sect Master Xia."
"Hmpf, do you think anyone can just meet the Sect Master just because they want to?"
'Tianyi, don't teach him a lesson. You'll only make the situation worse. So, calm down.' After a few breaths, Tianyi spoke again. This time, he released the coercion and aura of a peak immortal monarch.
The leading true immortal's expression condensed as he felt Tianyi's powerful aura. Still, he didn't relent. "If you want to meet the Sect Master, we can set up a time. He's busy."
'I should have revealed my aura first. Strength speaks the loudest here, after all.' Ignoring the feeling that the true immortal had turned into a fantasy secretary, Tianyi continued. "Then what about Grand Elder Xi? She currently holds no responsibility. You won't tell me that I need to arrange a time with her, too? Right?"
Hearing this, the true immortal showed an embarrassed expression. "Actually, she's entered secluded cultivation. And the Sect Master ordered that no one should be disturbed under any circumstances."
"Sect Master Xia's order?" Tianyi furrowed his brows. Why would it be Sect Master Xia's orders and not Mengfei's orders?
"Just inform me of the earliest time when Sect Master Xia can meet me. I'll be over there, waiting." Tianyi said, pointing towards a direction not too far from the Buzhou Immortal Sect. But the area there had sparse spiritual qi in comparison to the rest of the Central Region, so it was considered barren.
After the unknown immortal monarch left, the true immortal leader released a sigh of relief. The moment the foreign immortal monarch released his aura, the true immortal knew that the self-proclaimed Monarch Nine Heavens wasn't simple.
He could sense that the mysterious immortal monarch had merged all five elemental qi and was at the final junction between the Seamless Immortal Realm and Extremity Immortal Realm. The stranger thing was that the immortal monarch had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
As one of the squad leaders protecting the Buzhou Immortal Sect, he had extensive knowledge of all the immortal experts in the Heaven Continent and beyond, but the immortal monarch had appeared out of nowhere and was at the peak of the Seamless Immortal Realm. Stranger still was the fact that he had no recollection of such an expert.
"You, go inform the sect master," After dispatching the messenger, the true immortal face changed and stared at the location Monarch Nine Heavens said he would wait. He, along with all the other immortals, could sense the massive spatial fluctuations emanating from that direction.
'Hey, although this isn't technically part of our sect's territory, causing such a ruckus is just asking for trouble, right?! Just because you want to meet the sect master doesn't mean you act like this!'
Unaware of the true immortal's trouble, Tianyi sat in a lotus position in the air. The space and time around Tianyi twisted and distorted under his power. Finally, the distortions stopped, and Tianyi opened his eyes.
"I can't sense Ba Shifang either. I'm in a different timeline," Tianyi muttered. "Compared to my original timeline, the time here is actually a hundred years more advanced."
Tianyi regretted it. He regretted not leaving one of his incarnations inside the Buzhou Immortal Sect when he left. His Nine Heavens Universe existed outside of the Three Thousand Immortal Realms System Multiverse, and as long as he had a conduit in one of the timelines, he could teleport at will. It would just cost some energy. After all, it wasn't like he was directly teleporting the universe.
He could vaguely sense the differing timeline thanks to his clone Ba Shifang and Juedai Fenghua, but his second clone, Donghai Longzi, was inside the Nine Heavens Universe getting restructured. 'For now, I'll call my main timeline the Sword Sovereign Timeline. As for what I'll call this timeline, I'll wait a bit.'
"You must be Monarch Nine Heavens."
Tianyi turned around to see the familiar face of Sect Master Xia. It was still the same face, but instead of the kind elder expression, Sect Master Xia was looking at Tianyi like they were peers. "Yes. I didn't expect you to meet me so soon."
Sect Master Xia glanced at the surrounding that had been destroyed by Tianyi's earlier display of power. "Well, with all the commotion you've made, I had to make time for you."
Tianyi also glanced at the surroundings and gave a dry laugh.
"This place isn't appropriate. Let's talk more on Core Peak," Sect Master Xia said.
Tianyi nodded and followed after. Not long after, Tianyi and Sect Master Xia were alone in Sect Master Xia's mansion.
"You are an elder from the Buzhou Immortal Sect from another timeline, aren't you?" Sect Master Xia's first words caused Tianyi's body to shake for a moment.
"How did you know?" Tianyi asked before he could stop himself.
Sect Master Xia laughed and stroked his beard. "You carry one of the Buzhou Immortal Sect's identification tokens. Outside, I couldn't tell, but inside, I could. Adding that to the fact the sect has no records of you, you must be from another timeline."
Tianyi sighed. "Sect Master Xia is wise. Tell me, does Sword Empress Xi still exist here?"
Hearing this, Sect Master Xia's jovial smile disappeared. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke the truth. "No. She suddenly disappeared over ten years ago."
Tianyi nodded. "I just wanted to confirm. If there were another version of her here, then it would have been strange. In my timeline, she reached the Origin Immortal Realm."
"I see, no wonder," Sect Master Xia said. "I imagine that your timeline hasn't as passed this period of time?"
Tianyi stayed silent.
"You don't need to say anything. I understand. The slower time is, the more stable the realm or space is. Since our timeline's time is faster, it has less importance than the main timeline. So, we advance faster towards the destruction of our timeline."
"Why are you so calm?" Tianyi finally asked.
"Are you asking me why I'm so calm knowing that my timeline is likely to be destroyed? It's simple. There is always hope. Who is to say that the situation won't change? Besides, even if our timeline is destined to be destroyed, I'll probably have died by then even if I reach the Origin Immortal Realm. What is there for me to worry about?"
Hearing this, Tianyi also laughed. That's right; this timeline won't be destroyed so soon. Like how he knew about the heat death of the universe back on Earth, but he didn't worry either. The time it would take was far too long for him to concern himself with. By then, humanity may have already gone extinct.
"I assume you sought me out for a method to return to your timeline?" Sect Master Xia asked.
Tianyi nodded.
"I'm afraid that I have to disappoint you. The sect does not currently possess a way to send you back. How about you stay here as a guest elder for now? In the future, I can make you an official elder later. We have to keep the existence of the timeline a secret. I'm sure you understand," Sect Master Xia said.
Tianyi nodded. "Then I'll have to trouble Sect Master Xia to inform me if you discover any methods."
"No worries. For now, I'll arrange a place for you to stay." Sect Master Xia glanced towards the hall's entrance and called out. "Yushan, come here and lead Monarch Nine Heavens to Rites Peak."
Tianyi stared at this timeline's Xia Yushan. Compared to the emotionless Xia Yushan from his timeline, this Xia Yushan resembled the Xia Yushan in Tianyi's memories from over fifty years ago.
"Senior Nine Heavens, please follow Junior."
Tianyi didn't say anything and followed Xia Yushan. Xia Yushan took Tianyi to a guest palace on Rites Peak called Honored Lotus Palace.
"Senior, if you have any needs, just summon the servant-disciples. If there is nothing else, Junior will leave now."
Tianyi waved his hands, and Xia Yushan left. Once alone, Tianyi inspected the palace, and after making sure nothing was wrong, he released Daoyi.
"And you just accepted Sect Master Xia's offer to talk inside the sect?" Daoyi asked after Tianyi got her up to date on the situation. After getting over the shock, far more quickly than Tianyi thought she would, she immediately analyzed the situation. "I know you trust him, but this is another timeline. He doesn't have the same relationship with our timeline's sect master. What if he wanted to harm you?"
"I thought of that too, but I'm not worried. Sect Master Xia, the one in our timeline, has given me the Buzhou Immortal Sect's guardian formation. That means I know the formation just as well, if not better than Sect Master Xia. If he wanted to try anything, I can easily take control or at least disrupt his control."
"Why would Sect Master Xia do that?" Daoyi asked.
Tianyi smirked. "You'll find out after we win the war."
"Assuming that we can return," Daoyi said, dousing Tianyi's enthusiasm.
"Don't worry. I'll find a way. If not, I'll just have to grow strong enough to accomplish it myself. The sect probably has a method, but they aren't willing to pay the price." Tianyi sighed and glanced at Daoyi. "It's just that you will have to undergo your Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation here."
"Will it work? Will I have to undergo a second heavenly tribulation like your clone?" Daoyi asked.
"No worries. The Heavenly Dao here is an exact copy of our timelines. Once you attain immortality here, you gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao in all timelines," Tianyi said. "For now, let's focus on cultivating. You still haven't digested the gains from the second Spectral Rising Jewel yet, right?"
Daoyi nodded. "I feel like I'm just a hair's breadth away from mastering the complete Law of Death. Even if I can't master it, I'll undergo my Immortal Ascension Heavenly Tribulation soon. My current comprehension should be on par with immortal lords."
"Good for you," Tianyi said with a smile.
The two settled down and focused wholeheartedly on cultivation. However, a year later, Xia Yushan invited the two to watch the Young Immortals Conference.
The Young Immortal Conference was a competition hosted by the Buzhou Immortal Sect once every hundred years. The participants included disciples from the Buzhou Immortal Sect and all forces under it and loose cultivators. Even disciples from the Anti-Heaven Alliance could participate.
The winners would receive riches and honor. If they were a loose cultivator, they might be offered a chance to join a first-rate or even the Buzhou Immortal Sect as a core disciple.
In Tianyi's timeline, the Buzhou Immortal Sect did not host a Young Immortal Conference due to the state of war. Since that was the case, Tianyi agreed to watch since he had never watched it before and was quite interested. He even dragged Daoyi to watch.
"Haha, Monarch Nine Heavens. If any of the participants catch your eye, how about taking him as your disciple?" Sect Master Xia asked as he glanced at Daoyi. He had heard that a woman had appeared in Honored Lotus Palace.
"Perhaps," Tianyi said. 'Does he want to tie me down to this timeline?'
After Tianyi was seated down with the other immortal monarchs of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, he traded greetings and pleasantries. After promising to discuss their insights into the worldly laws, Tianyi glanced at the guest, particularly the ones from the Anti-Heaven Alliance.
In this timeline, the Tripartite Alliance had yet to form, so the Leakless Sect was still nominally under the Buzhou Immortal Sect. While scanning the Cloud Goddess Cult, Drifting Feather Sect, and Five Element Sect, Tianyi's eyes paused.
'I'll call this timeline the Silent Lightning Timeline.' Tianyi thought with twitching lips. 'I never expected to see you again, Lei Jingye.'
