The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 448. Forewarning

Chapter 448: 448. Forewarning

Tyler stood amidst the messy Garden with face tensed, his eyes fixed on a figure ahead.

A girl stood before him, cloaked in an aura both alluring and dangerous. Her tight-fitting black outfit shimmered with strange energy—mysterious, seductive, and almost divine. A Phantom Mask concealed her fac.

"Temptress?" Tyler muttered confused.

Behind her, Lily lay unconscious on the ground. Tyler’s heart skipped a beat and used his divine sense to scan her. He sighed of relief when he could feel Lily’s pulse — she was still alive— but the sight of another Lily, this Temptress before him, made his breath hitch.

The masked figure stepped forward, her presence suffocating.

Tyler’s guard rose, but he didn’t make a move. "Who are you?" he asked, voice low. "Why do you look like—"

The mask on the girl’s face flickered, then dissolved into particles of light.

Tyler’s eyes widened.

Just as he guessed it was Lily.

Or someone who looked just like her— down to the tiniest details. But her left eye had a long, jagged scar running across it. A scar that shouldn’t be there.

"...But how?" Tyler took a step back, trying to reconcile what he saw.

The scarred Lily gave him a sad, almost wistful smile. Then she suddenly vanished in a blur— and before he could react, she was hugging him. Tight.

He froze.

She was warm. Her body trembled in his arms. Something wet soaked into his shoulder.

"...You’re crying?" Tyler whispered.

"I thought I’d never see you again..." Her voice cracked, muffled against his chest.

Tyler slowly brought his hands to her shoulders and gently pushed her back. He looked into her eyes— her familiar eyes but one with scar— and saw tears streaming down both. The scarred one seemed to weep more than the other.

"Lily?" he whispered again.

"Yes. It’s me," she replied with a weak nod. "And no... I’m not a clone, not a puppet, not a disguise."

"Then what... what the hell is going on?"

She hesitated. Her eyes darted to the unconscious Lily behind her.

"I shouldn’t be here," she said. "This moment... wasn’t supposed to happen."

"You’re not making any sense."

She didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she gently touched his cheek, brushing away tears.

"You’re smart Tyler," she whispered. "You already guessed who am I."

Tyler furrowed his brows. "What do you mean still alive?"

She looked at him, her expression heavy with sorrow and guilt. "Because You will die... In the future."

Tyler’s breath caught in his throat.

She continued, "In my past. I never saw myself confront... me. So maybe I’m changing things. Maybe... maybe the past really can be changed."

"You’re from the future. I died in the future and you came back to say that to me?" he asked.

She didn’t answer for a second and said, "No this was an accident... I am glad this accident happened."

She laughed.

Tyler exhaled shakily. "Did Adam send you back?" he asked. "He’s the only one I know who ever bragged about time powers."

She let out a small laugh. "No... It wasn’t him."

"Then how?"

"It’s the Orion Cube," she finally revealed. "It’s going to appear in the Nox Pass a few years from now. Hidden in the plain sight that only appears under conditions."

Tyler frowned. "I’ve heard of it. It’s some sort of Project from the ancient civilization. The Orion Cube Project."

She nodded. "The key to accessing it... are the Orion Cube fragments. You’ll need to find atleast one of those."

As she spoke, her body flickered again —like a glitch in time. She noticed it, too.

"Damn it... I’ve already changed something," she muttered, half-laughing. "This timeline’s reacting to what I’ve told you."

"Wait!" Tyler stepped forward. "There’s so much I need to ask—"

But she was fading.

"Tyler." Her voice trembled as she grabbed his collar and pulled him close. "Listen carefully. Masha and Manhunter— those two you already know— they have one Orion Cube fragment. Find them."

Her face leaned closer.

Tyler was about to ask more— when her lips suddenly crushed into his. Her mouth opened hungrily, and her tongue pushed past his.

His eyes shot open in shock.

The kiss wasn’t just emotional— it was desperate. Wild. As if she was trying to burn a final memory into him.

She pulled back slowly, staring into his dazed eyes.

"Turn them into allies... And don’t trust the Angel..."

And then, like a gust of wind through scattered petals, she vanished —leaving only faint motes of lightning where she once stood.

Tyler stood frozen in place, his fingers still raised, lips tingling from her kiss.

A stack of plants fell from Lily as she vanished. Tyler glanced at them, but couldn’t identify the species. Shrugging, he stored them away— he’d ask Darla, Taka, or Mathilda about it later.

The unconscious Lily behind him stirred, groaning faintly.

Mana, who had been trapped earlier, slowly floated toward him, still rubbing her fingers after being zapped.

"...So..." Mana said, raising a brow, "should Mana be jealous or worried?"

Tyler didn’t answer. His thoughts were spinning.

Two Lilies. One from this time. One from a future where he had died.

The Orion Cube. Time travel. And fragments held by familiar faces.

"Seriously... Bruh...." Tyler muttered and took Lily in his arms.

Lily groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Her head ached, and her mind felt foggy.

"Where... Where am I?" she mumbled, trying to sit up.

"You’re safe," Tyler said, gently placing her on the ground . "The garden array held the flood back. Sea creatures won’t able to swarm in."

Tyler looked at the barrier that was forming cracks because of the sea creatures.

"Won’t able to swarm in yet."

Lily blinked, her vision clearing. She saw Mana hovering in the air nearby and the aftermath of chaos on the distant shore.

"I passed out? Where is that woman?" she asked.

"More like knocked out," Tyler replied with a grin. "You were out cold when we found you getting absolutely beaten by that woman."

Lily tilted her head, her expression sharpening. "What happened? It seems like you didn’t fight her."

"It’s actually the Future You," Tyler then explained everything.

Lily frowned. "That doesn’t make sense."

Then Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "That doesn’t sound like me. If it was me from the future, shouldn’t I have explained things properly? Instead of just... emotionally talking to you?"

Tyler shrugged. "Well, yeah. Probably because you saw me alive again. Come on you are not that cold hearted."

"So?" Lily crossed her arms ignored Tyler’s comment and said. "How do we confirm whether that was me or not?"

Tyler smirked. "There’s one way to find out."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Without warning, Tyler leaned in and kissed her. Deeply. His lips lingered against hers, his hand gently brushing the back of her neck. The kiss went on far longer than necessary —until Lily suddenly shoved him away, face burning red.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" she shouted, stepping back with her hand over her lips.

Tyler casually wiped his mouth with his thumb and grinned. "Yup. The kiss tastes the same."

Lily glared at him, utterly flustered. "You idiot! You can’t just go around kissing people for ’research’!"

Tyler shrugged. "Worked, didn’t it? And the Future you didn’t even hesitate and she was a good kisser. Looks like we practiced kissing a lot."

"You—!!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Tyler had already flown away, laughing. Lily chased after him, fists balled, her face still red. "COME BACK HERE!"

Mana hovered in place, watching the chaotic duo disappear into the distance. She sighed and muttered, "And here Mana thought she finally got some screen time... Mana is just a the third wheel now."

As the three flew toward the White Pearl.. Su Fei stood on the deck, tugging on a glowing blue fishing rod. With a final yank, she triumphantly pulled up a wriggling creature the size of a half adult.

"I finally got it! Rabbit Fish!" she declared proudly, holding it high.

The creature flopped around, its body soft and round with what looked like rabbit ears on its head.

Taka, standing nearby with his arms—tentacles— crossed, shook his head slowly.

"That’s not a Rabbit Fish," he said in his deep voice. "That’s a Jorunna parva. Also known as Sea Bunnies. Rabbit Fish look different."

Su Fei pouted. "It has bunny ears!"

"It’s a sea slug," Taka deadpanned. "Admittedly, an adorable one."

"Can we eat it?" She asked innocently.

Lily landed next to them, panting, still glaring at Tyler. "You are so dead."

Tyler winked at her ." That’s what she said."

"Stop right there..." Su Fei suddenly said, her tone serious.

Tyler, Lily, and Mana froze, turning toward her.

Su Fei handed the fishing rod to Taka and stepped forward.

She glanced at each of them in turn, her fox ears twitching, along with her three swaying tails.

"I knew it. There’s a remnant of Temporal Aura on all three of you," Su Fei said.