Guarding the River of Time

Chapter 441 - 431: Incense That Won’t Burn, Fate That Won’t Return

Upon hearing this, the old man said nothing and sat down on the gray cushion beside him.

Seeing this, the young man also did not ask further questions. He took three green incense sticks from his bag and inserted them into the incense burner in front of him. Then he took out two pieces of flint.

A gentle rub sparked a flame, but no matter how he tried to light them, the three sticks of incense for the ritual wouldn’t catch fire.

He tried several times, but they still wouldn’t ignite.

"Hm?"

"Is the incense damp?"

As the young man murmured to himself, he examined the incense and found it wasn’t damp at all.

He held the three green incense sticks in his hand and managed to light them.

The moment he inserted them into the incense burner before the statue, they went out instantly!

It was very strange.

He took them down, held them in his hand, and relit them. But as soon as he inserted them into the incense burner, they extinguished immediately.

After several attempts, it was still the same.

"There’s no need to light them, for now, they won’t catch fire,"

The old man’s voice drifted over, calm and slow.

"Why?" The young man was very puzzled.

The green incense would burn normally in his hand, but would extinguish the moment it was for the ritual.

He took out incense paper from his bag, placed it before the statue, and tried lighting it with flint; the same situation occurred—no matter how he tried, it wouldn’t burn.

According to folklore, worshipping the statue required lighting green incense and incense paper, followed by a sincere kowtow, for the divine to respond.

But now, even the incense paper couldn’t be lit, so how could the ritual proceed?

So was this trip all for nothing?

"Old Sir, what should we do about this?" the young man asked the old man who was sitting on the cushion.

"Sit down."

Hearing this, the young man sat on the cushion: "And then?"

"Wait."

The old man murmured while looking at the statue in front of him.

Wait??

Wait for what?

The young man was perplexed, the sky was getting dark, and the snow outside was getting heavier—if they didn’t finish the ritual soon and descend the mountain early, they might not be able to leave if the snow blocked the way.

Moreover, it was said that there were many fierce beasts on Black and White Divine Mountain, some of which were even rumored to possess certain powers. Encountering them would be certain death.

"Wait for him to determine the winner,"

The old man gazed at the statue before him, his eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight....

"Determine the winner?" the young man frowned slightly, questioning if he had misheard: "Wait for whom to determine the winner?"

Upon hearing this, the old man didn’t reply, but continued to calmly watch the statue in front of him, waiting...

Whhhooooo—

The wind and snow howled outside, continuously rattling the wooden door, creaking with noise.

The snow was falling harder and more violently....

A gust of wind rushed into the temple, extinguishing two of the three candles the old man had lit.

Instantly, the temple dimmed.

Seeing this scene, the old man’s gaze fell on that last candle flame, his pupils flickered with dark light, revealing his slightly erratic breathing.

Suddenly

A fierce gust swept the wooden door, extinguishing the last candle flame directly.

The entire temple plunged into darkness.

The next second, the statue emitted a golden light, illuminating the entire temple.

Seeing this, the young man’s face was filled with shock, was this.... the manifestation of a deity?!

Crash—

The sound of shattering resonated, especially clear in the quiet temple.

The statue radiating golden light developed a crack.

Quickly, the crack spread across the entire statue, including the Divine Tree Platform it was seated on, all splitting into two halves.

In an instant, the statue dimmed down.

The snow outside the temple also halted at this moment.....

The old man stared at the shattered statue, seemingly petrified, frozen in place, so silent that only his gradually heavy breathing and the sound of the melting ice and snow outside remained.

The young man looked at the old man’s back, in a daze.... he seemed to see the same golden glow emanating from the old man’s body as from the statue.

Upon closer inspection, the golden light vanished, and the old man’s silhouette faded into the darkness.

The scene quieted down.

The young man said nothing, not daring to disturb him; he also noticed something wrong with the old man, so he just silently watched him.

After a long time.

The old man slowly turned around and limped toward the temple’s exit. Each step he took made him wobble as if he would collapse at any moment.

The young man stood up as well and followed behind the old man.

The old man stepped out of the temple, finding thick snow covering outside.

He walked, step by step, onto the thick snow, which was gradually melting....

After a long silence, he slowly turned back, looked at the confused young man in front of the temple, and slowly said: "I can answer your earlier question now."

"Even if one becomes an almighty Immortal, even if standing high above, one cannot control one’s own destiny."

"So, do not pursue Cultivation, for it is the wrong path."

Upon hearing this, the young man was stunned; he never expected the old man to say such words.

Because in his memory, the old man had always, both directly and indirectly, subtly tried to make him take him as a master and wanted to teach him Cultivation.

But now..... why say that Cultivation is the wrong path?

Though he was young, he was bright and extremely insightful; otherwise, the old man wouldn’t have taken a liking to him.

Precisely because of his wisdom, he could detect the grief in the old man’s words.

Although the old man was very calm now, he could feel the profound silent grief within him...

.....

"In fact, your path is the correct one."

"It should be said, they are all the same."

Though the old man spoke to the young man, it seemed as if he was talking to himself: "Some people in Cultivation achieve great heights, reaching incredibly high positions."

"But in the end, they still cannot control their destiny."

"Some people merely live as ordinary mortals, pursuing examinations in the capital city, earning fame, leading mundane and ordinary lives. Although they too cannot control their fate, they become nothing more than insects when faced with powerful Immortals."

"But..... even the mighty Great Immortals, in the eyes of stronger beings, are they not but insects as well?"

"In the end, all are insects, the difference being some are larger, some smaller, all are the same, ultimately they cannot control their destiny."

The old man’s words, seemingly addressing the young man’s confusion, were also responses to himself, answering his inner doubts, and were a form of self-mockery.

....

"So, just follow your heart and live your life as you wish."

"Whether you want to be an ordinary mortal or embark on the Cultivation path, remember, it’s the same for all; they cannot control their destiny."

"Following your heart is enough."

Upon saying this, the old man paused, slowly turned around.

"I will escort you down the mountain, I have to leave now."

He then raised his right hand,

Hearing this, the young man called out to him: "Master.... where are you going?"