Chapter 2001 - Riding the Wind Through the Waves, Traveling Upstream

Outside the Immortal Realm, there lay an endlessly far away void. It flowed like a grand, coursing river. No one knew its origins, and no one knew where it ended.

The current consisted of the power of time, and the auras of numerous epoch civilizations coursed through its waters.

This was the River of Epochs!

In the Immortal Realm, only experts of the Great Realm were capable of sloughing off the fetters of their world’s natural order to explore the mysterious River of Epochs.

The River of Epochs was incomparably perilous, and it was home to numerous unknown and mysterious danger zones and strange beings. Of them, none induced more fear than the inauspicious spirits known as ghost gods!

The River of Epochs was a risky venture even for Great Profound Stage experts. Wang Ye's experiences proved that; he'd once explored the River of Epochs, but he’d been there for less than ten years before a group of gods chased and almost killed him.

Whoosh!

A ten-foot Dao Sword appeared over the River of Epochs, floating against the current. A tall, upright figure sat cross-legged on the flat of the blade, sipping wine and enjoying the scenery.

This was none other than Su Yi.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Although the River of Epochs was called a river, it was far more enormous than the Immortal Realm’s Eastern Sea. Compared to the River of Epochs, even stars seemed as miniscule as grains of sand.

Those who traversed it took in the boundlessly grand majesty of the flowing current of time. It extended as far as the eye could see, and those who gazed upon it felt tiny, alone, and suffocated. It was to the point that those who lacked strong wills were at risk of losing themselves to the current.

But this posed no difficulties to Su Yi. He’d explored the River of Epochs before, and he knew that there was only one way to go—against the current!

If you simply let the current carry you away, you’d lose yourself to the passage of time and sink into oblivion. That was true even for gods!

In truth, the River of Epochs was terrifying beyond imagination. Only gods could traverse it as they pleased, without fear of being washed away or corroded by the current.

When Great Realm experts explored the River of Epochs, they had to rely on treasures to defend themselves. If the current enveloped them, they’d get dragged down to the riverbed, and the power of the ages would tear them to shreds!

The Sword of Proximity can easily neutralize the impact of the river’s power,

thought Su Yi.

The Sword of Proximity was a secret chaos treasure, and it was imbued with an Epoch Law. It was far mightier than most Epoch Treasures, and it was unbelievably useful when traversing the River of Epochs.

But although the Sword of Proximity could protect him for a while, as time passed, it too would reach its limit.

Su Yi silently did a few calculations.

If I make good time, I ought to be able to reach the Fire Crow Watershed within three days. I can take the opportunity to replenish my strength, and I can gather some information while I’m at it.

The Fire Crow Watershed was one of the numerous danger zones in the River of Epochs. At the same time, it was at least relatively safe.

Over the years, the Fire Crow Watershed was the first place those experts who left the Immortal Realm to venture into the River of Epochs stopped to rest.

Actually, places like the Fire Crow Watershed were commonplace in the River of Epochs. People called them “outposts.”

It wasn’t at all unusual for Great Realm cultivators to take up residence or cultivate at these outposts.

Should the opportunity arise as I explore the River of Epochs, I’ve got to visit the Path of Ancient Gods.

Su Yi’s eyes shone with a hint of anticipation.

The Path of Ancient Gods.

Rumor had it that the most ancient path of trials existed somewhere in the River of Epochs. No one could determine its origins, but they said it was a path of trials that traversed the alternating of the epochs, an eternal existence.

The rumors also said that the most fundamental secrets of achieving divinity were hidden there, and that those who overcame its trials could temper the best possible foundations for achieving divinity!

But the Path of Ancient Gods wasn’t at all easy to find.

Wang Ye had explored the River of Epochs, and he searched for years, only to uncover a few scattered leads regarding the Path of Ancient Gods.

Su Yi planned to continue Wang Ye’s search as he traversed the River of Epochs.

He needed to go through the River of Epochs to reach the God Domain anyway. After all, he’d yet to become a god, and thus couldn’t use his Godhead to sense the God Domain’s spacetime coordinates. If he wanted to go there, he had no choice but to traverse the River of Epochs.

Over the years, the Great Realm experts who left the Immortal Realm and ventured into the River of Epochs almost all did it in hopes of reaching the God Domain.

But first, I have to stop by the City of the Lost.

Su Yi rubbed his forehead.

Before his death, Nan Pingtian told him that three of Wang Ye’s closest friends, Xiao Ruyi, Ye Chunqiu, and Xu Fushi, had vanished in the City of the Lost after leaving the Immortal Realm.

They’d vanished prior to the Age of Fallen Immortals. An enormous amount of time had passed, and Su Yi had no way of knowing if he’d be able to find information regarding his dear friends, but no matter what, he had to try.

“Your Excellency, I successfully refined a piece of an Undying Material!” The Divine Replenishment Furnace cried out excitedly. “Your hypothesis was right on the mark! As a treasure born of chaos, so long as I refine an Undying Material, I can condense divinity and gain the potential to transform into a true Epoch Treasure!”

Su Yi was briefly stunned. “Is that so?”

Undying Materials were so precious that even gods would scramble over them. They could only be found by chance.

They were wondrously useful in fending off Divine Tribulations.

Still, Su Yi hadn’t anticipated that refining Undying Materials would give the Divine Replenishment Furnace the potential to transform into an Epoch Treasure.

“I’m eager to see just how much you can transform,” laughed Su Yi.

The Divine Replenishment Furnace was a wondrous treasure for refining medicine and weapons. If it evolved into an Epoch Treasure, it would be even more wondrously useful.

And Su Yi had no shortage of Undying Materials. If he added his Undying Bright Gold and Undying Demon Gold together, he had over sixty pieces in total!

Including several rare chunks of top quality material.

When Su Yi left for the River of Epochs, he left the vast majority of the treasures he’d gathered to the Academy of Eternal Night. All he brought with him were the Sword of the Proximity, the Divine Replenishment Furnace, some divine materials and medicines, and his Undying Materials.

That aside, he brought items of extraordinary significance to him, like the swords he’d used over the years. He still had every last one of them in storage.

There was also the Carefree Medallion that Shen Jue, otherwise known as Divine Severing, had given him, the talisman Lin Jinhong had given him, and the token Xi Ning had given him, among other things.

And, of course, an enormous collection of fine wines from all over the Immortal Realm.

Su Yi tossed another piece of Undying Material to the Divine Replenishment Furnace, then sank into thought.

If he fused with Li Fuyou’s Dao Imprint, it’d be like giving wings to a tiger. He’d understand the River of Epochs like the back of his hand, and it would make his exploration much easier.

After all, Li Fuyou once left the Immortal Realm alone save for his sword, traversing the River of Epochs to reach the God Domain. When he died, it was as the Swordmaster of Spiritual Desolation, a man feared even by the gods. There was even a group of Master Gods who referred to him as their Daoist Brother!

His cultivation knowledge and travel experiences could benefit Su Yi enormously.

But Su Yi was proud to his very bones. He’d decided to reach the very pinnacle of the Great Profound Stage before fusing with his fifth incarnation’s Dao Imprint, and he wouldn’t change his mind lightly.

He was a man of his word—even when the only person he’d given his word to was himself.

Furthermore, Su Yi’s current strength was far beyond Li Fuyou’s when he first ventured into the River of Epochs. He naturally wasn’t worried about running into any insurmountable perils.

The river coursed without end, stirring up towering waves. They brought with them the mottled aura of the epochs. It was enough to corrode the cultivation base of even Great Realm experts.

Suddenly, a bundle of red flame appeared on a distant stretch of current. Upon closer inspection, it was a ten-foot lotus with twelve petals. It spurted a resplendent rain of firelight, forming a wondrous defensive wall.

A woman in purple stood atop the lotus, gripping a fishing rod. There was a fishing basket by her feet.

She was fishing in the River of Epochs!

Su Yi looked over just in time to see her raise her wrist. The surface of the river broke, and an almost transparent fishing line pulled a black fish from the water’s depths.

The fish had a strange, hideous face. Its eyes bulged, and its mouth was full of sharp fangs. Its back was like the edge of a knife, and it had two fat, meaty wings on its sides.

The fish struggled like mad, its entire body billowing with black, baleful qi as it roared like an enraged bull.

Su Yi understood.

So, she’s fishing for Soul-Eater Ghost Fish.

Soul-Eater Ghost Fish were among the countless strange life forms that made the River of Epochs their home. They were vicious, violent creatures shrouded in mottled, baleful energies.

These strange fish were typically hidden in the river’s depths. When enraged, they could threaten even Great Realm experts, and for most people, they were extremely difficult to catch.

However, it wasn’t too difficult for those Great Realm experts long accustomed to traversing the River of Epochs. Once you shattered the fish’s wings, it no longer presented a threat.

Indeed, Su Yi watched the woman draw a glistening knife and deftly slice off the fish’s wings. Then, she reeled in her fishing line and plopped the strange fish into the basket.

The bodies of Soul-Eater Ghost Fish contained treasures known as Baleful Current Pearls. They could be used to make medicines, and they were immensely useful in Great Realm cultivators’ cultivation. Thus, they were shockingly precious.

When experts who traversed the River of Epochs found themselves short on resources and medicine, they often used Baleful Current Pearls to replenish themselves and temper their cultivation bases.

At the same time, the pearls served as a currency of sorts; many cultivators used them to trade for other goods.

“You’d best hurry up and leave, sir. Don’t make me suspect you harbor malicious intentions. Swords don’t have eyes; don’t blame me for my poor manners!” the woman in purple called out from afar.

She faced away from Su Yi and shifted her wrist, casting her fishing line into the river once more.

Su Yi laughed, said nothing, and continued around her. The River of Epochs was boundlessly, incomparably vast. Even a group of ten thousand people wouldn’t be the least bit conspicuous here.

Moments later, a shocking commotion arose behind him, followed by a high-pitched shriek.

Su Yi turned, then saw a massive wave on the distant surface of the river. It swept out like a windstorm with shocking momentum.

The woman in purple was rushing toward him on her fiery lotus. A black line chased her through the water, drawing closer and closer, stirring up shocking waves. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a massive organism.

Only a section of its back was visible over the water’s surface, but even just that was a full ten thousand feet long!