“I’m not mute, why can’t I speak?”

The tortoise lay back down, not even moving. Only its mouth started to move.

Milk Cow curiously asked, “What did you mean by what you said earlier?”

When it saw that the tortoise shut its eyes again, seemingly about to return to its unmoving snake, Milk Cow hurriedly said, “Don’t be so secretive. You’ve drunk my milk before!”

The peacock said hurriedly, “That’s right, you ate my eggs before too!”

Hearing that, the tortoise slowly opened its eyes.

It said, “During the last lifetime, there was a great war of Wisdom. The fact that the gray mist wasn’t thoroughly cleansed meant we lost. That’s because, when the corruption rises again, there won’t be anyone left that can control it. So, at the last moment in the past life, Wisdom chose a path that no one could think about. It was an all-or-nothing choice that had uncountable risks.”

Golden Dragon and the others widened their eyes as they looked at Lao Gui in shock.

Golden Dragon could not help but say, “Lao Gui, you know so much. Could you… have been alive since the past lifetime?”

The branches of the willow tree suddenly moved.

She seemed to have awakened to a certain memory as she said excitedly, “Are… you the Divine Years Tortoise?”

Lao Gui did not deny it.

Suddenly, everyone took a sharp breath.

“The Divine Years Tortoise walked in time and space. It lives in the river of time and is never seen. At the same time, it’s the existence that protects the river of time! It’s you?!”

The peacock flew onto Lao Gui’s shell as it said in disbelief.

Stories and legends of the Divine Years Tortoise were all etched in their memories. It was incredibly strange because those legends were never proven. Yet, it was passed down from generation to generation, never fading away.

The memories were long sealed into the deepest parts of their minds. They could not believe that the memories were stirred at such a moment.

The Divine Years tortoise preserved the flow of time. It controlled the past, present, and future. It was no exaggeration to call it the first divine beast. It existed!

No wonder it was so lazy, not even bothering to move. It was because just a movement from him was enough to fluctuate space and time. It would cause immeasurably disturbances. It protected the river of time for countless years. It was like a statue, naturally quiet!

“It is you! My owner one fought by your side,” The willow tree’s voice was heard again. She thought back to the war back then. The memory was engraved in her mind, so she could still recognize the Divine Years Tortoise.

Golden Dragon said, “Why are you even..”

“That madman fused into Wisdom back then. If he wanted to disrupt the river of time, the first one he needed to deal with was me.”

Lao Gui said helplessly, “I thought I would’ve died, but I was saved by the master. I preserved my life. How many people are still alive from back then?”

Its tone was filled with sadness as he looked through the years.

Milk Cow widened its eyes, “Could master be… Wisdom?”

“Yes, and maybe not. I don’t know either. This is a path that has never been walked. Wisdom is formless. Even Wisdom itself can’t explain itself, so who is to say?”

Lao Gui shut his eyes back after saying that. He stopped moving as if he turned to stone.

Golden Dragon and the others knew why it would not move, so they did not waste their breath.

The willow tree’s branches waved as it coolly said, “It doesn’t matter if the master is Wisdom or not. He’s gathering the powers of the protectors back then. He needs the powers of the past lifetimes. Even if the last time was a failure, I… believe he won’t fail this time!”

“Yes, the willow tree is right!”

Milf Cow shouted out, “Woman, quickly produce more milk with me. Let’s do our best for the master!”

“Moo-”

At the same time, Yang Jian arrived at the residence. He respectfully said, “Is Lord Saint at home?”

“Ah,” Xiao Bai opened the door and led Yang Jian inside.

He politely said, “Hail, Lord Saint. Daji, Fire Phoenix.”

“Oh? Lord Erlang is here. Please sit,” Li Nianfan welcomed with a smile.

He felt like it was a little strange. Normally, the Heavenly Palace would come together. It was rare for them to come alone. He did not know why Yang Jian was here as well.

Right, he suddenly remembered that Little Fox went out with them, and was yet to return.

He immediately asked, “How is Little Fox? Can she not come back yet?”

Yang Jian answered, “Little Fox was immersed in a chess game. She still can’t come out.”

Immersed in a chess game?

He was surprised to see that there were still chess experts outside that could gain Little Fox’s attention like that.

Li Nianfan nodded before he asked, “Then what are you here for, Lord Erlang?”

Yang Jian said respectfully, “Lord Saint, I have something I can’t figure out. I came to ask you about it.”

“Oh? Let’s see what the problem is.”

Li Nianfan was taken aback. He was curious what sort of question Lord Erlang had. At the same time, he prepared himself. It would be awkward if he could not find the answer.

“I heard a story. There was a cultivator who, after his lover died, did everything he could to revive her…” Yang Jian slowly told the story of Madman Chu. As he spoke, his eyebrows furrowed, clearly still conflicted about the question.

They were trapped in the cycle Madman Chu planted. Even if they managed to leave, they were still somewhat affected. If they did not clear that doubt, it would stick with them forever. That was how amazing Madman Chu was. There were incredibly few who could walk out of the altar unscathed.

“Lord Saint, I don’t know who… is right, or who is wrong.”

“Defying the heavens to save someone…”

Li Nianfan was deep in thought. He never expected he would hear such a story. Why was Lord Erlang even thinking about this instead of cultivating?

He could see how much Yang Jian wanted the answer, so he smiled, “The most devastating thing in the world isn’t a lack of emotion, but a tainted love. So many people, in the name of love, compete, control, conquer and fight. Sometimes, it’s better to forget the love, and let it happen naturally. A lot of the time, the greatest form of compassion is ruthlessness. If the strong could revive those they held dear, wouldn’t it be unfair to the weak?”

“The heavens treat everything evenly. Wisdom is emotionless. It judges everything the same way. That is truly the fairest thing. Going against the heavens and throwing everything into chaos for one’s selfish desires might look heroic from a personal standpoint, but it is still evil when you look at things as a whole.

“The moment Wisdom has its thoughts, any biases could disturb the balance of the world. Then, no one would be at peace.

Yang Jian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stood stunned for a moment. After that, he bowed, “I understand now. Thank you for clearing my doubts, Lord Saint.”