Chapter 397: Chapter 396 Emperor Shun

A massive hand stretched out from the void, casting a darkness that eclipsed the sun, misleading the ignorant humans into thinking it was an eclipse caused by a heavenly dog devouring the moon.

Blood dripping from the palm of the large hand, where flickering runes pulsed with prophetic symbols. Jiang Li recognized at least a dozen of these runes, each representing a different “Dao”. The rest of the runes also represented “Dao”, but these “Dao” did not spread in Jiuzhou, so Jiang Li could not recognize them.

“There are no runes for the Dao of Time.”

The large hand gripped the runes, the runes in the palm interacted with, and neutralized the Celestial Ascension Stairs, causing it to melt away rapidly, like snow meeting hot water.

Within a few short breaths, the Celestial Ascension Stairs vanished without a trace.

Jiang Li speculated that the Celestial Ascension Stairs of other worlds also disappeared in this manner, leaving only fragments behind, which he happened to discover.

“Who is the master of this large hand?”

Its ability to make the Celestial Ascension Stairs vanish with a single move confirmed for Jiang Li that the master of the hand was an entity far surpassing the Heavenly Immortals.

“Is it an Extra-dimensional Heavenly Demon…or an Immortal?”

Jiang Li wished to see the owner of the large hand, but the owner existed within the Void, extending only a hand into the Vey Gudu world.

In the River of Time, images could only be seen from within their own world and not the Void.

Jiang Li instinctively wanted to leap into the River of Time and explore the epoch in question, but he restrained himself.

Instead of going back six thousand years in the Vey Gudu world, it would be better to return to the Jiuzhou world nine thousand years ago.

Jiang Li continued walking upstream with a heavy heart. Halfway through his step, he sensed a shift in the land beneath him.

Although shrouded by chaotic mist, he could vaguely perceive what lay before him.

It was no longer apt to describe what lay ahead as the River of Time; it was more akin to the Sea of Time.

The Sea of Time was like the origin of time itself, with each River of Time being a tributary of this sea.

The River of Time flowed from the Sea of Time, and with varying rates of flow, it diverged into a unique timeline, separated from the other Rivers of Time by thick white walls.

Jiang Li understood. This was an era when the Celestial Ascension Stairs still existed. During this time, the flow of time in all other worlds was synchronized with the Immortal Realm. But after the Celestial Ascension Stairs disappeared, each world returned to its original flow of time, which was represented here by the splitting of the sea.

The riverbanks ended abruptly. From here on, it was all ocean, with nowhere for Jiang Li to tread.

Jiang Li crouched down and began talking to the white fish in the sea: “Could you all please let me step on you? I want to get to the other side.”

Unfortunately, the white fish had no intelligence and could not understand Jiang Li, leaving him behind as they swam away, tail fins swaying.

Just when Jiang Li was at a loss and planning on diving into the sea, a voice reverberated beside his ear.

“I would advise against that. Without knowing the exact time and location you wish to arrive at, you might end up millions of years away from your desired destination.”

Jiang Li looked up to see a person rowing towards him in a small boat, the mist parting automatically as the boat reached it.

There were not only white fish in this world, but also people?

“You must be the 72nd Human Emperor of Jiuzhou world, Jiang Li.” The approaching figure was impeccably dressed in olden styles. He greeted Jiang Li courteously, with a friendly smile and an intimately congenial manner.

“I have seen you on the River of Time before. Today is our first formal meeting.”

“It owes to your strike that I am here today; it knocked the Past and Present Sword into the river across space and time.”

“You are…” Jiang Li returned the greeting, a conjecture forming in his mind.

The visitor opened his eyes, his double pupils, like that of Ji Zhi, appearing capable of penetrating the past, present, and future.

“You must have heard of my title, Jiang Li. My name is Ji Shun. I founded the Great Zhou Dynasty. In my era, people called me Emperor Shun.”

“Emperor Shun!”

Jiang Li was taken aback. He had not expected to meet this renowned time-manipulator in the River of Time. This was a significant figure from thirty thousand years ago who single-handedly established the prosperous Great Zhou dynasty.

But upon reflection, it seemed quite reasonable. Emperor Shun had once transformed from a white fish into human form and come to Jiuzhou World.

Although his form had changed, his understanding of the Dao of Time remained. After his transformation, he could, of course, move freely between Jiuzhou World and the River of Time.

In the thirty thousand years that followed, numerous dynasties were buried in the dust of history. Some kingdoms experienced ups and downs within their power structure, almost getting annihilated.

Only the Great Zhou remained continuously prosperous, always ranking among the top three dynasties in Jiuzhou.

The fundamental reason lay in the well-established and impartial laws of the Great Zhou. While they could not ensure the best outcomes for the kingdom, they did prevent the worst.

The birth of the laws of the Great Zhou, and the legal framework that contributed to the kingdom’s fate, were all principles established by Emperor Shun.

The continued prosperity of the Great Zhou owed much to Emperor Shun.

“The fact that my title can elicit such a reaction from the famous Human Emperor Jiang Li proves that my name, Emperor Shun, is not empty.” Emperor Shun was visibly happy to meet Jiang Li.

“What brings Emperor Shun here?”

Emperor Shun didn’t answer but instead asked: “Does Human Emperor Jiang Li have a way to leave the River of Time?”

Jiang Li gave him a thought and cautiously replied: “Could I break through with a punch?”

Emperor Shun was relieved he came. Otherwise, the River of Time might have been breached.

He was well aware of Jiang Li’s formidable strength, more than capable of breaking through the River of Time.

“Haha, I was just joking. The River of Time matters greatly. How could I recklessly destroy it?” Jiang Li was well aware of the gravity of the situation.

“My original plan was to return to the past, clarify a few things, locate the Great Zhou royal family of that era, and ask them to open up a passage for me to leave.”

“But since Emperor Shun is here, you’re here to help me move on from the River of time, right?”

Emperor Shun quickly responded: “Please don’t refer to me as ‘you’. It’s too much honor for me to bear. Yes, I did come to help you move on from the River of Time, but not from here.”

“Then where?”

“I believe what you most want to see is Jiuzhou from nine thousand years ago. I can take you there. There are probably many doubts in your heart and while I can answer some of them, I think it’s best for you to see it with your own eyes.”

“I appreciate it very much.”

Emperor Shun’s arrival eased some of Jiang Li’s worries. He no longer needed to fret about the ideal swimming technique to use from Jiuzhou.

“Human Emperor Jiang Li, please board.”

As Jiang Li drifted on the ocean in the boat, he passed by countless mouths of the River of Time where countless white fish swam.

“I must thank the Yin Yang Heaven Seal for enabling me to gain consciousness and stand out from my peers.”

Jiang Li was curious: “How did the Past and Present Sword turn into a fish?”

“You don’t understand the Dao of Time very well, so I’ll give you a simple explanation. The creatures of the River of Time, or white fish, are immortal, for there’s no concept of death here. The Past and Present Sword was created from my bone, so it’s a native creature of the River of Time. When it returned to the River of Time, the River itself helped it reconstruct its body.”

Jiang Li felt that Emperor Shun was indeed Ji Zhi’s ancestor. His first sentence reflected his striking similarity to Ji Zhi.

“This is the place.” Emperor Shun stopped at a mouth of the River of Time.

“This will take you back nine thousand years to Jiuzhou, at the correct time and in the correct location. Jiang Li, you can jump in from here.”