Guarding the River of Time

Chapter 421 - 411: Lifespan on the Reincarnation Stele, Unseeable Future

When the first flood of the River of Time occurred, she immediately noticed that the marks on the Reincarnation Stele suddenly decreased to only three.

This meant that after this time flood, the Ten Thousand Realms would have only three epochs of lifespan left.

But her true form couldn’t ascend to the River of Time, and she had no means to stop this time flood. She could only watch helplessly as the flood destroyed countless worlds.....

However, to her surprise,

The one she considered the greatest "anomaly", the River Guardian Su Mu, who would destroy the Ten Thousand Realms in the future, actually intervened to prevent this time flood!

After he successfully stopped it, the marks on the Reincarnation Stele were restored, and not only restored, but they increased from nine to ten!

This meant that Su Mu successfully extended the lifespan of All Heavens and Myriad Realms by one more epoch.

At that moment, Lady Houtu was stunned, a bit confused, unable to see through it.

When Su Mu appeared on the River of Time, the marks on the Reincarnation Stele were down to nine.

But he stopped the time flood, saving countless worlds, extending the lifespan of the Ten Thousand Realms by one epoch.

So..... would Su Mu really be the one to destroy the Ten Thousand Realms in the future, or was it someone else?

If it’s someone else, who could it be?

Those who initiated the time flood, she had contacted once long ago. Although they have now leapt out of reincarnation, outside her jurisdiction, they shouldn’t have the capability to destroy the entire Ten Thousand Realms.....

Actually, within All Heavens and Myriad Realms, some beings exist who are even more "ancient" than Lady Houtu herself.

To be precise, Lady Houtu became one with the Reincarnation Dao 150 million epochs ago, but before that, the Reincarnation Dao had always existed. She simply merged with it and did not create it.

She is merely a spokesperson for the Reincarnation Dao, and throughout history, there have been several spokespeople for it, and she’s just one of them.

Therefore, if the Ten Thousand Realms are indeed destroyed by certain "beings",

Those "beings" should be the ancient creatures that existed before Houtu became one with the Reincarnation Dao, which was 150 million epochs ago.

Because up to now, how many "beings" have leapt out of reincarnation in the Ten Thousand Realms, she does not know.

She knows what has happened since she became one with the Reincarnation Dao, but she does not know how many leapt out of reincarnation 150 million epochs ago.

.....

Of the three "beings" who initiated the first time flood, Lady Houtu knows two of them, but there is one she does not know.

The one she does not know should have already leapt out of reincarnation before she became one with the Reincarnation Dao, not within reincarnation.

So, the "anomaly" leading the Ten Thousand Realms to its end is either one of those three or Su Mu!

...

To quickly determine who the "anomaly" truly was,

She continuously tested Su Mu.

Gradually, she discovered that Su Mu seemed genuinely to be maintaining the order of the River of Time, although some of his actions were confusing.

For instance, he would intercept some reincarnated creatures, extorting them and making them owe him "debts", favors.

She couldn’t understand why he did that.

Later, she observed those reincarnated creatures whom Su Mu extorted, and found that almost every one of them had a very prosperous reincarnation, all becoming children of fortune.

To further verify,

She even split a bit of her consciousness, transforming into the form of a creature, went to the River of Time, and sure enough, was intercepted by him.

After interception, he didn’t make things difficult, just asked for a "crossing fee". Sometimes, even without valuable treasures, just a token gesture would suffice for her to pass.

In summary, his interception of these reincarnated ones seemed genuinely to bring "order" to the River of Time, with a "principle" he established!

And his daily activities were very consistent.

From beginning to end, he adhered to one principle: maintaining the order of the River of Time, ensuring its stability and peace, never wavering.

If he were the "anomaly" leading the Ten Thousand Realms to their end, why would he painstakingly maintain the River of Time’s stability?

It made no sense; it was contradictory.

Until a few years later, when an even more turbulent second time flood erupted, Lady Houtu finally dispelled her doubts about Su Mu.

Due to the second time flood, there was only one mark left on the Reincarnation Stele!

This meant that after the second time flood, the Ten Thousand Realms would only have one epoch of lifespan left.

Yet, Su Mu again blocked the second time flood, forcefully extending the Ten Thousand Realms’ lifespan by ten epochs, finally fixing the marks at eleven.

This is why Lady Houtu would choose to intervene and stand on Su Mu’s side.

It also involved an element of gambling, because Su Mu was not entirely free from suspicion. He could be a savior or a destroyer, all depending on his choice.

With only eleven marks left on the Reincarnation Stele, she didn’t have time to guess or test further.

A decision needed to be made.

Thus, she bet everything on Su Mu.

The future results she left to fate and destiny.

Although she was one with the Reincarnation Dao, able to observe the fate and destiny of countless creatures, she couldn’t see the fate on Su Mu, nor on some ancient beings, and certainly not the greatest fate of the future.

The Reincarnation Dao is not the highest law; it is merely one among the Three Thousand Great Dao, not the supreme.

The Time Dao, Causal Dao, and Fate Dao are all stronger than the Reincarnation Dao.

When a person becomes powerful enough, they can leap out of reincarnation, avoiding its torment, but they cannot escape fate and causality, nor time!

So, many things, even Lady Houtu herself, cannot see clearly.....

Since it’s unclear, leave "it" to those who can see clearly. Over the years, she seemed somewhat weary, finding only solitude. If she lost the gamble, annihilation might just be liberation for her.

So today, she prepared to entrust "it" to Su Mu.

It was not just a gamble for herself, but for All Heavens and Myriad Realms.

.....

"One, two, three.... eleven."

"A total of eleven marks."

Su Mu murmured as he looked at the stele.

His voice also pulled Lady Houtu’s thoughts back to reality.

....

"Stand over here."

Lady Houtu came to the base of the stele and spoke to Su Mu.

Hearing this, Su Mu walked to the base of the stele, standing shoulder to shoulder with Lady Houtu, facing the stone stele before them.