Guarding the River of Time

Chapter 433 - 423: Outsider, A World Entered by Mistake

The next day, Su Mu slowly opened his eyes, exhaling a breath of turbid air. In his pupils, there were specks of Holy Light being nurtured and dissipated. The aura on his body underwent a subtle change.

This Reincarnation Dream Realm had ended. Although his cultivation strength hadn’t changed much, his mindset and soul had undergone some transformation.

This time’s dream was completely different from the last, the only similarity being that both incarnations were ’disabled’, each body having a defect.

The first time, it was a broken hand; this time, he was a cripple.

What left Su Mu with a deep impression in this dream was his encounter with the "Heaven Shepherd Divine Alliance" once again, appearing twice consecutively, which was quite strange.

These days, Su Mu would leave early and return late. After patrolling the river during the day, he would meditate and cultivate at night.

....

It was night.

Su Mu sat cross-legged beneath a tree, closing his eyes. In his sea of consciousness, that stone bridge appeared faintly.

Soon, he drifted into the dream realm.

This was the third dream, and this time he had become a mute, born of humble origin, following a barefoot doctor across regions as an apprentice.

The conclusion of this dream was his master’s peaceful passing. He buried him with his own hands and inherited his master’s teachings, wandering across lands and healing countless people.

Eventually, when he saved the hundred-thousandth human life, he regained his memory, ending the Reincarnation Dream Realm.

After the perfect conclusion of the third Reincarnation Dream Realm,

the stone bridge in his mind became a little more solid.

...

That day, Su Mu patrolled the river aimlessly, just as usual.

For some reason, his luck seemed to have worsened recently. Or perhaps, strange occurrences on the river had become fewer. The more peaceful it was, the fewer favor points Su Mu could earn in a day.

Although the river surface was quiet and calm, Su Mu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. It was a tranquility that felt eerie, like the calm before a storm.

In search of new occurrences, Su Mu ventured into unfamiliar waters, far from his own cave. Even at full speed, it would take him at least half a day to reach there, showcasing just how great the distance was.

Walking on the water’s surface, he continued until he suddenly sensed something was off.

There was warmth beneath his feet.

As he crouched down to touch the river water with his hand, he was shocked to find the water temperature surprisingly high?!

This warmth wasn’t the scorching heat he felt encountering the two Golden Crows before. It was a comfortable warmth, just right, like a hot spring.

Feeling the water’s heat, he discovered the "heat source" was coming from ahead.

...

Following the "heat source", Su Mu walked forward. The deeper he went, the narrower the riverbed became, and the denser the surrounding trees grew.

Eventually, the river narrowed to just a meter, just enough for one person to pass through. The surrounding trees formed an "arch bridge", much like a tunnel.

Walking through this tunnel, the dense trees caused the passage to grow dim.

After walking for about half an hour, he saw an exit ahead, with light shining through.

Heading toward the light and stepping out of the tunnel, his view suddenly opened up.

Surprised by the scene before him, Su Mu stood frozen on the spot.

.....

Before his eyes, clusters of "mushrooms" rose from the ground. Upon closer inspection, these mushrooms were actually tall trees, their canopies round and covered in rainbow hues, as if in a dream.

On green grass fields, massive vines wound around oddly-shaped trees, with small huts hanging from them, like little lamps from afar, creating a fantastic scene.

Streams crisscrossed the ground like veins coursing through this serene little town.

The air was filled with the fragrance of earth, providing an involuntary sense of delight and tranquility.

"Who are you?"

A timid voice pulled Su Mu’s thoughts back to reality.

Who?

Who was speaking?

Lowering his head, Su Mu saw a little girl standing before him, tilting her head, curiously observing him.

This little girl was wearing a small dress made of some unknown material, thin like gossamer silk.

She was petite, yet her face was as delicately crafted as a porcelain doll, her eyes sparkling like gems, lively and bright. Each feature of her face was naturally harmonious, like a flawless spirit, unstained by the world.

Su Mu’s first impression was that she appeared impeccably clean, spotless.

......

"I accidentally stumbled into your territory."

"Don’t be afraid, I mean no harm."

Seeing the little girl’s furrowed brows, likely from fear and anxiety, Su Mu clarified his intentions, assuring her of his harmlessness.

After hearing this, the girl’s tightly knit brows relaxed, with no trace of fear or tension left on her face.

"Do you have a name?"

The little girl blinked at the ’outsider’ before her, inquiring curiously.

"Su Mu," Su Mu replied with a smile.

"I am Wuguo, but you can call me Xiaoguo," the little girl introduced herself.

Su Mu could sense the emotional shift in the little girl before him. After he explained his purpose, all her inner restlessness and insecurity evaporated, replaced by a certain friendliness and curiosity towards him.

Clearly, this little girl had likely never left this place, her purity akin to a blank page.

So..... Su Mu deduced that this place should be an isolated ’hidden village’.

....

The surname "Wu" was something Su Mu had never heard of. It turns out, there existed such a surname in the world.

"Brother Su, how did you get in here?" Wuguo looked past Su Mu, asking curiously.

Hearing this, Su Mu was taken aback, pointing behind him, "I came through that path."

"Path?"

"What path?"

Wuguo tilted her head, looking behind Su Mu.

Seeing this, Su Mu quickly turned around, discovering that the tunnel path he had just entered was gone. Behind him stood a forest of trees, with the same scenery, but no path at all.

Immediately, he attempted to activate his Divine Sense, only to find, shockingly, that it seemed... he had no Divine Sense?!

Inspecting within himself, he found nothing visible or any spiritual power sensed.

At this moment, he felt as if he had become a human, a regular person without cultivation.

Su Mu had to admit, at this moment, he was not calm, even experiencing a fleeting sense of panic. However, his strong mentality quickly calmed him down, prompting him to analyze the current situation.

He retained complete memory, which indicated... he wasn’t in a "Reincarnation Dream Realm", meaning this was real, and this place was real.

So, why couldn’t he sense his own cultivation?

It wasn’t being suppressed or sealed; it had completely vanished, as if it never existed.