Da Xuan Martial Saint
Chapter 1019 - 1019: 508 Fire of Time_2

Swish.

After putting away the Qiankun Bottle, Chen Mu casually fastened the Broken Sword to his waist, then glanced over the entire Secret Vault before stepping forward and vanishing instantly.

After Chen Mu's departure, the Secret Vault of the Foreign Race once again fell into darkness and silence.

Just like that.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Accompanied by a fleeting spark of Spiritual Light, a wave of Spirit Patterns appeared throughout the Secret Vault, gradually dissipating.

A figure stepped in from the entrance of the Secret Vault. This person was tall and robust, none other than Qiu Xiang, the Great Progenitor of the Foreign Race.

Qiu Xiang stepped into the Secret Vault, took just one step forward, then stopped and cast his gaze toward the center of the vault, before sweeping his eyes over the entire place, slightly shaking his head, letting out a sigh.

The Heaven Severing Sword was acquired by chance by one of the Foreign Race's former Great Progenitors. However, after acquiring it, that Great Progenitor felt deceived, for the sword was completely unusable and nothing could be comprehended from it. Furthermore, it would only bring unnecessary trouble; once exposed, it would immediately attract the covetous eyes of countless strong figures.

The original force that obtained the Heaven Severing Sword probably realized that the sword was useless, and holding onto it was just a burden, which is why they got rid of it. After several turns, it eventually ended up in the hands of the Foreign Race.

Upon realizing this,

the Foreign Race's Great Progenitor hid the Heaven Severing Sword in the Secret Vault.

He later became the Great Progenitor, took over the Secret Vault, and discovered this Heaven Severing Sword. However, after years of research, he gained nothing and had no choice but to hide this burden away.

Now, with the sudden disappearance of the Heaven Severing Sword, and the Secret Vault showing no signs of damage, only one person in this world could accomplish this — Martial Saint Chen Mu. The fact that the Heaven Severing Sword ended up in Chen Mu's hands seemed like destiny.

...

Having left the Ancestral Lands of the Foreign Race.

Chen Mu did not further involve himself in the affairs of the Foreign Race.

He had already subdued the Foreign Race and had a piece of the Divine Fire in control. Moreover, with the great catastrophe ahead, all living beings in this world shared the same fate. If Yuan Hong couldn't handle it well, then he wouldn't deserve the title of King of North Garrison.

On the vast Wasteland, Chen Mu strode forward, his mind merging with the heavens and earth, encompassing the thousands of miles of landscape into his perception.

At this moment, it seemed as if his vision extended infinitely high, overlooking the boundless territory. Wherever his thoughts focused, that place would immediately be magnified until even the flutter of a fly's wings was visible.

"The frontier..."

Chen Mu cast his gaze toward the Extreme North, murmuring to himself.

At this moment, he stood outside the Da Xuan, in the northwest of the Ice State. Here, when looking further north, the frontier he spoke of was naturally not the border of the Da Xuan Dynasty, but the boundary of this world.

From here, two thousand li north would lead to the vast frozen land, a thousand li of snowy plains, places where ordinary living beings could not tread. Such cold exceeded the limits of what ordinary people could endure.

And beyond the snowfield lies a broken desolation. No snow exists there, only darkness akin to an abyss; it's terrifying. White void rifts could be seen everywhere, posing extreme danger even for Blood Exchange Experts.

And a thousand li further from here, nearing the edge of Chen Mu's perception, lies a completely shattered scene. Pieces of land floated in the air like islands, scattered around, with small chunks occasionally crumbling away.

Suddenly.

Chen Mu's gaze sharpened.

In such a place, there was actually a living being present!

To call it a living being might be inappropriate, as it was shrouded entirely in the aura of death, just a step away from dying.

It was a creature resembling a moose. One would think it was a demon, yet it bore no Demon Qi; all Chen Mu sensed from it was nearly withered Power of Heaven and Earth.

As if sensing Chen Mu's gaze.

The moose-like creature suddenly raised its head, looking toward Chen Mu's direction, as one man and one moose gazed at each other from thousands of li away.

This exchange of glances confirmed the being's identity to Chen Mu — an Innate Living Being.

In Da Xuan's history, not even any records mention Innate Living Beings, as in the Primordial Era, the Human Race was still incredibly weak, unable to distinguish Innate Living Beings from demons, thus labeling all Innate Living Beings as powerful demons.

But the reality was different.

Innate Living Beings were born with the unfolding of the heavens and earth, as manifestations of the Will of Heaven and Earth when heaven and earth first divided.

Though they are innately powerful, as coexistent beings of the world, they have no possibility of transcending it.

"You are very strong."

"Has this world already birthed postnatal beings as powerful as you?"

As the man and the deer gazed at each other from thousands of miles apart, the deer suddenly spoke.

To say it spoke is inaccurate, as it made no actual movement nor uttered human speech, merely touching Chen Mu's consciousness slightly, communicating directly in thought.

Chen Mu was not surprised by the transmitted thoughts, for the wisdom of a Heavenly Demon at the Ninth Rank was not much inferior to that of the Human Race, not to mention it was an Innate Lifeform that had existed since the world first opened, persisting until now.

"Fortunate to have achieved this... Are you an Innate Lifeform that has existed since the birth of this world, senior?"

"Fortune? Haha, weak beings born after the cosmos, reaching the very edge of near-transcendence, isn't achieved by luck; that such a being like you could emerge indicates that this world is at last entering its 'prime.'

The deer spirit spoke slowly.

"Prime?"

Chen Mu wore a thoughtful expression.

"All beings experience birth, growth, maturity, and decay; so too does the world. As postnatal beings flourish, we Innate Beings, and even the Will of Heaven and Earth, will naturally perish with time."

The deer spirit said indifferently.

"Will the Will of Heaven and Earth also perish?"

Chen Mu asked.

The deer spirit replied: "Of course, after the prime comes decay, just like a living being dies and its body slowly decays, returning to the earth. The Will of Heaven and Earth will naturally decline along with the world."

Chen Mu pondered for a moment and asked: "Do you know of the Ancient Demon Clan, senior?"

"Hmm, that was long ago. That clan came from beyond the sky, beings invading this world, they were powerful, and we exerted all our might to stop them... though they could have continued to assault, some unknown factors halted them."

The deer spirit responded.

Chen Mu said: "They are returning."

The deer spirit showed slight surprise, then fell into brief contemplation before responding: "You will have to defend against them yourselves; I am the last Innate Being, and we can no longer guard this boundary."

Saying this,

it paused, then suddenly opened its mouth and spat out a strange object, which floated suspended in the air.

"This may be of use to you."

This peculiar object was a magnificent glow; upon closer look, it seemed like a flickering candle flame in its center, emitting radiant colors beyond description by mere language, surpassing all earthly beauty, not matching up even slightly to this flicker of flame.

Chen Mu gazed at that single dazzling flame, and despite their separation by thousands of miles, he could sense an aura, one utterly different from void and creation.

Time!

This was the aura of time, the flickering flame seemed like a burning Fire of Time!

After spitting out this wisp of the Fire of Time, the deathly aura on the deer spirit intensified visibly, spreading at a speed perceptible to the naked eye.

"This is..."

Chen Mu exclaimed in surprise.

"Throughout countless epochs, some things inevitably cross the vast void and fall into this world. This object is one of them, acquired by me long ages ago, allowing me to live without perishing until today, all due to obtaining this fire, which embodies the power of time, and I named it the Fire of Time."

The deer spirit slowly said: "Now, my life comes to an end, even possessing this object holds no meaning; I shall entrust it to you. As for the extraterrestrial demon clan's resurgence, this time, you can only rely on yourselves."

With the end of those words,

the body of the deer spirit swiftly disintegrated, not decaying like a demon but dissipating into particles of spiritual light, finally extinguishing completely into the world.

In the void remained only that flickering Fire of Time, still blossoming with dazzling radiance, seemingly everlasting and unchanging.