Divine Beast Creator

Chapter 2344 - 2345: High Priest

"So, it really is the old site of Kastantos. I didn’t expect that even with our joint efforts, we’d still be discovered."

Before even approaching the new city, Feng Yuan noticed a man in a yellowish-brown priestly robe walking towards their direction.

Even before getting close, Feng Yuan had already guessed that the man was coming for them. Of course, Feng Yuan wasn’t worried about any unexpected incidents since it seemed the man had no intention to engage in a fight.

"Travelers from afar, would you show yourselves so we can have an open and frank discussion?"

Although he couldn’t see Feng Yuan and his group, the priest spoke to the air confidently. Spatial fluctuations occurred, and Feng Yuan and his party emerged from the subspace.

At this moment, besides the priest and them, there were no others present, so Feng Yuan wasn’t concerned about any unexpected events.

Of course, even if something did happen, Feng Yuan was not worried. The corrective force of time was incredibly strong for those not appearing directly in the history books.

Even if they were acting as secret manipulators, causing upheaval, the corrective force of the Time River would restore the disruptions they caused once Feng Yuan and his party disappeared from the original timeline.

That’s exactly why Feng Yuan wasn’t too worried about engaging in a big fight. Naturally, if they could avoid conflict, it would be ideal, as the corrective force only ensured the overarching trend, leaving almost no corrections or restorations for the details.

As long as the major trend wasn’t affected, changes in those details were of no consequence to the Time River.

"Hmm?"

Seeing the newly arrived visitors, the priest looked surprised. Veronia huffed lightly and summoned the Crystal Luminace Stone to circle around herself while sitting on a Rainbow Bubble, ready to show her might if the opponent dared to make a move.

"You all... don’t belong to this era?"

"Oh, you can tell?"

Feng Yuan looked at the priest in surprise, and the other smiled and said,

"The aura from other eras is too strong on you all. Although your attire is disguised, the aura can’t be deceived."

"What brings you here?"

Scratching his head, Feng Yuan realized the priest was somewhat different from what he had imagined, at least not the kind to shout and attack upon meeting. After thinking, Feng Yuan said,

"Well, we have something we want to clarify."

"I’m all ears."

"It’s about the actions of the Kashantuosi Remnants. What exactly is your purpose? You claim to be causing trouble everywhere yet like to hide behind the scenes, and your actions are... quite contradictory."

Staring at the other, Feng Yuan spoke bluntly, not afraid of the other turning hostile, thinking that he could just alter history if needed.

The priest was not angered. Startled by Feng Yuan’s words, he thought for a moment and, touching his chin, said,

"Because of this?"

"I can assure you, we from the Holy City have no intention of interfering in external affairs proactively. This time, it’s merely for self-preservation."

Turning his back on Feng Yuan and others, the priest looked towards the new city and the dome, and said calmly,

"If we don’t stop their war, in an all-out battle, even the Holy City risks being drawn into the conflict. As for the innocent lives lost in this blizzard, I won’t apologize to them."

"If you want to avenge them, go ahead, we’re ready."

Turning to face Feng Yuan, the priest spoke with firm resolve. Feng Yuan merely shrugged, saying,

"We have no intent of revenge. Of course, they might, but that’s a contradiction from your Mythical Era and has nothing to do with me."

"I’m here just to figure out what you’ve been up to, given that you’ve stirred up quite a lot of trouble. Surely it can’t always be for self-preservation?"

Staring at the priest, Feng Yuan suspected that the other was trying to downplay the issue, seeing as he had no plans to meddle with the blizzard matter.

Although the blizzard caused considerable casualties and losses, compared to a war, it might not be significant. Feng Yuan didn’t feel qualified to judge whether stopping a war with a blizzard was right or wrong since it all had nothing to do with him from the start.

Compared to that, Feng Yuan was more concerned with their actions, specifically those involving parallel worlds, which made him wary of this group.

The priest noticed Agunas’s hostility and, after a moment of silence, said,

"I can’t give you an answer. Besides the Holy City, there are also a group of Ascetic Cultivators wandering outside. We can’t control their actions. We can only ensure that we don’t enjoy the benefits they bring, but... as for how long that will last, I don’t know."

He already guessed that Feng Yuan and his party were likely from the future. No, to be precise, they should now reside in history.

Unlike ordinary people, the priest had some understanding of concepts like timelines, being a part of the once Mythical Era civilization. Although they lost a lot of important data due to the Great Destruction, they were still incomparable to typical civilizations.

From Feng Yuan’s words alone, he deduced that they came from the future. However, the future is fundamentally untouchable, so the only possibility for Feng Yuan’s party was returning to the past from what is the present for the Time River.

Knowing that they were in the past, the priest showed no unease. Their appearance signified that the Kashantuosi Remnants survived at least up to modern times.

This allowed him some relief, knowing at least a slight possibility of the future, sparing him the worry that a minor mishap could lead to their extinction.

"If you don’t believe me, you can investigate on your own. I believe that even if I provide evidence, you might not necessarily trust it."

Relaxing his expression, the priest lightly waved his scepter, causing several jade pendants bearing the Kashantuosi emblem to appear out of nowhere. Only Feng Yuan accepted a pendant, while Veronia and Agunas did not touch it. Veronia even snorted in disdain.

"One person holding it should suffice, right? They... uh, have you heard of Agunas and Veronia?"

Feng Yuan glanced at Agunas and Veronia with an awkward smile. The priest was taken aback and offered a helpless smile and said,

"I see, I didn’t think it through, my apologies."

Retrieving the other emblems, the priest said,

"One person holding it is certainly fine. With the emblem, people in the city won’t trouble you. If anything arises, you can come to the Temple to find me."

After speaking, the priest turned and left without waiting for Feng Yuan to say anything. Veronia huffed with dissatisfaction, saying,

"Can’t even recognize me, how annoying."

"But he has heard of you, that’s what’s interesting."

Rubbing his chin, Feng Yuan curiously looked at the retreating priest. It seemed normal for the priest not to recognize Veronia and Agunas.

After all, the priest was not a Divine Being. Future generations might not know the appearance of Divine Beasts from the Mythical Era, but recognizing them by name piqued Feng Yuan’s interest.

The Mythical Era had long passed. In theory, they wouldn’t recall the names of Divine Beasts and Beings from that era.

Of course, it’s possible for Divine Beasts and Beings from their own civilization to appear in historical records, but neither Veronia nor Agunas belonged to the Kingdom of Kastantos.

The possibility of them being documented is not high. Veronia, maybe; Agunas, though...

Agunas, though a beast of time, wasn’t particularly famous among a large group of Divine Beasts and Beings during the Mythical Era.

"The culture hasn’t broken; perhaps some old acquaintances survived. Unfortunately, I can’t sense their aura here."

Veronia, glancing towards the direction of the new city, commented. The old acquaintances of Kastantos were numerous, and Veronia was naturally familiar with their aura, yet she felt none of those familiar presences here.

"Perhaps they left with that group of so-called Ascetic Cultivators? Never mind, since we have this, why not enter the city and see the differences between the original Kastantos and the current one."

Feng Yuan smiled, deciding not to dwell on it. Perhaps the priest’s words weren’t necessarily believable, but Feng Yuan felt the priest wasn’t lying.

The Kashantuosi Remnants had indeed split into two factions. Otherwise, the priest wouldn’t have said those words. Of course, there’s a chance the priest was deceiving Feng Yuan, but Feng Yuan thought there wasn’t much point in it.

Doing so wouldn’t yield significant benefits, and it might easily provoke Feng Yuan and his party’s displeasure.

As for the truth, Feng Yuan felt that even in the city, answers might not be found.