Chapter 12: The River of Time – A Gateway to Past, Present, and Future

  "Come to me... Come to me... Come to me..."

  A terrifying whisper echoed through my mind, shaking my very soul. The voice was feminine, reverberating like an echo through mountains—strangely familiar yet inexplicable.

  When I awoke, my mind cleared as vast knowledge flooded into me—understanding of time's true nature. Indescribable in words, beyond mortal comprehension.

  "She's calling me... to the past... But how?"

  For years I studied this knowledge, debating whether to accept the mysterious summons. Finally, despite the risks, I answered. With my newfound understanding, I crafted a new High Magic.

  Kneeling on the scorched earth, I began carving with mana-soaked hands—a massive circle first, then twelve equidistant lines, each marked with a number. In Ilhari script, I sang praises to time itself:

  "O thou whose nature transcends mortal grasp,

  O unseen truth of this world,

  O that which tongues cannot utter,

  O eternal and everlasting existence—

  Hear my plea, obey my command!

  I seek to walk the path of time.

  I offer my mana, I pay its price.

  I shall not err, nor alter the world's lifespan..."

  The more reverent the incantation, the lesser the backlash.

  Primer stood at the center of his glowing clockwork array, closed his eyes, and uttered the spell's true name:

  "Zhisai Atraim (Guest of Time)."

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  As the final mana surged into the formation, earth and sky trembled. The fabric of reality tore as darkness swallowed everything—including me.

  For a terrifying moment, I thought the spell had failed, that the cost would be my annihilation. But then—

  I was plunged into an endless river.

  Its waters were not water, but liquid time itself—golden as honey yet fluid as air. Unholdable. Unstoppable. It carried me forward relentlessly, permitting no resistance against its flow.

  Then—a rock. A single protrusion breaking the current. A one-in-a-thousand chance.

  I fought with all my strength, clawing through the temporal tides until—

  "At last... progress."

  I clung to the stone, gasping.

  ---

  Meanwhile: The Heavenly Court's Downfall

  "Li Yuanhao! Today marks your end!" An elder with flowing white beard shouted. "Surrender, and we'll grant you a merciful death!"

  To everyone's shock, Li Yuanhao laughed like a demon, baring razor-sharp teeth. "Old fool, you think I'd waver? I, the Supreme Devil of this era? Your 'righteous' court is full of backstabbing vermin! Don't speak of mercy—you don't even know what death truly is!"

  Twenty kilometers away, a crimson-robed Taoist drew his steel bow. The arrow—perfected over centuries—ignited as he pulled the string to its limit.

  Whoosh!

  The projectile streaked like a bloody meteor toward Li Yuanhao. A strike that would cripple even peak masters.

  Yet Li Yuanhao's grin widened. His right hand flashed—a celestial blade of qi slashing outward.

  The gathered masters paled as they felt it—the aura of an Immortal.

  The arrow vaporized instantly. The blade continued toward the archer.

  Shu Xuan, the Southern Border's guardian, barely activated his defenses in time. Crimson shields materialized in layers—yet all shattered. His reforged steel bow cracked under the impact, sending him plummeting like a broken bird.

  Gasps erupted:

  "Shu Xuan... defeated in one strike?!"

  "An Immortal?! Since when?!"

  Li Yuanhao's mad laughter shook the heavens. "This is just the beginning of this cursed world's reckoning!"

  His sword left its sheath—plunging the world into darkness.

  The elder, Huan Ming, barely reacted in time. His treasure—the Golden Bell of Time—opened a rift to the River of Time, swallowing part of the attack before collapsing.

  Blood dripped from Huan Ming's teeth as he snarled: "You monster..."

  Li Yuanhao licked his lips. "Your despair tastes exquisite."

  ---

  Back in the River of Time

  As Primer rested on the rock, he peered into the temporal waters—witnessing countless lives, histories, and worlds unfolding simultaneously.

  This place is astonishing... Entire universes visible in its flow. Different realms. Different laws. Different—

  "Huh?!"

  A blinding white blade erupted from the river, hurtling toward him.

  Are you kidding me?! I just found this rock!

  "BOOM!"

  The stone shattered.

  Damn whoever caused this misfortune—*

  Primer was swallowed by the currents once more.