Fortunately, the guards didn’t notice the two of them.

Lin Chen followed behind Jiang Liqian, traversing through the intricate Jiang Country Palace. They didn’t dare to move too quickly, fearing that any fluctuation in their aura might draw attention.

After walking for nearly half a two-hour, Jiang Liqian suddenly stopped and turned to hold Lin Chen’s hand.

"Senior Brother Lin, forgive me... Ahead lies the forbidden zone of the palace, one must have direct lineage of the Jiang Country Royal Family to pass through, or we’ll be detected." Jiang Liqian explained, her face slightly flushed.

Lin Chen looked up, indeed seeing an invisible barrier standing before them.

Without hesitation, he took Jiang Liqian’s hand, feeling its soft warmth, carrying a faint fragrance.

With Jiang Liqian’s help, Lin Chen crossed the barrier safely and soundly.

However, shortly after crossing the barrier, they encountered a man in blue.

The man stared intently at Jiang Liqian and Lin Chen, and their hearts tightened.

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Liqian revealed herself, and Lin Chen followed suit.

The man in blue remained calm, yet his eyes stayed fixed on the two of them.

Jiang Liqian retrieved a jade seal from her bosom, causing the man in blue to hesitate, opening his mouth as if to speak but finally saying nothing, merely gesturing for them to continue.

Jiang Liqian bowed slightly and gave Lin Chen a glance. Although Lin Chen didn’t fully understand, he followed closely behind.

Soon, they passed through the barrier and proceeded for several more minutes before arriving at a quiet courtyard. Among the magnificent imperial palace, this courtyard appeared extraordinarily ordinary, even somewhat out of place with its surroundings.

Jiang Liqian took out a key and opened the courtyard door.

Inside the courtyard, apart from an osmanthus tree, there was only a dry well.

"No wonder Junior Sister Jiang likes osmanthus trees..." Lin Chen thought to himself.

This little courtyard seemed to have some roots, seemingly related to Jiang Liqian’s biological mother.

"Senior Brother Lin, the Jiang Country’s Legacy Vault is here." Jiang Liqian pointed to the osmanthus tree.

Lin Chen showed a puzzled expression, and as his Divine Sense scanned the tree, his face suddenly turned grave.

Jiang Liqian once again retrieved the jade seal, tossing it lightly, allowing it to float mid-air. Instantly, the towering old osmanthus tree turned into a mass of light and merged into the jade seal.

"Senior Brother Ning, the Jiang Country’s Legacy Vault is obtained." Jiang Liqian spoke softly.

Lin Chen nodded, though somewhat puzzled: acquiring the Jiang Country’s Legacy Vault seemed almost too easy.

But saving trouble is always good. Without much hesitation, they retraced their steps smoothly and left the Jiang Country Palace unhindered.

...

Meanwhile, in the Jiang Country Imperial Palace.

The grand Hall of Emperor Jiang was empty.

Yet in a tower somewhere in the palace, a figure dressed in white quietly stood.

His gaze was piercing as if seeing through everything, witnessing the figures of Lin Chen and Jiang Liqian.

,

"Heh, indeed something unusual."

The man in white whispered to himself, then extended his right hand and gently clapped.

A stream of light sliced through the sky, instantly striking a figure high above.

The figure was terrified and tried to resist, but it was futile; after a mournful cry, it fell.

With a beckoning gesture from the man in white, the person’s flesh body turned to dust, their Divine Soul drawn into his palm.

If Lin Chen were present, he would be shocked: this mysterious figure, whose body was destroyed, was a Mahayana Cultivator.

The man in blue, who had earlier noticed Lin Chen and Jiang Liqian, swiftly approached the tower.

"Brother Huang, did you lose your jade seal? I just saw someone with your jade seal heading for the palace..." the man in blue said anxiously.

This man in white was none other than the current era’s Emperor of Jiang Country, the foremost cultivator of the Human Race—Jiang Baiyi.

"Yes, I’m aware." Jiang Baiyi’s expression remained calm.

The Divine Soul of the mysterious individual at his fingertips had already dispersed, countless memories flooding into his mind.

For Jiang Baiyi, who mastered the Reincarnation Path, probing other people’s memories was as easy as lifting a finger.

"You may withdraw." Jiang Baiyi said flatly, lost in thought.

After the man in blue departed, Jiang Baiyi took a step and vanished from his spot.

Soon, he appeared several hundred miles above the location of Lin Chen and Jiang Liqian, undetected by anyone.

"So it is, did I fail?" Jiang Baiyi murmured, his eyes holding a hint of sorrow.

As the era’s strongest, the inheritor of the Jiang Country Dynasty and the foremost cultivator of the Human Race, accepting future failure was not an easy task...

Just then, a rift opened in the sky, and another figure dressed in white appeared before Jiang Baiyi.

The figure was faintly discernible, yet on closer inspection, identical to Jiang Baiyi.

Seeing the arrival, Jiang Baiyi had already guessed most of it: "Did you lose?"

Jiang Baiyi’s tone was calm, though there seemed to be a slight trace of unwillingness deep in his brows.

The other Jiang Baiyi nodded without saying much.

"It’s always necessary to leave something for future generations." The other Jiang Baiyi said, tossing out a jade seal.

Jiang Baiyi caught the jade seal, speaking softly, "You could survive."

He slightly frowned, noticing the faint scent of blood on the other himself, seemingly heavily injured.

The other Jiang Baiyi calmly said, "Jiang Country has emperors that die in battle, none that flee."

Within that calm tone was resoluteness.

With those words, he turned and entered the space rift, disappearing.

Jiang Baiyi was left alone at the original spot.

After a long moment of daze, he looked towards the already vanished space rift.

Then he turned his gaze, seemingly able to see Jiang Liqian who was cultivating through an endless distance.

"Is she my daughter?" Jiang Baiyi suddenly spoke to himself. "No wonder, a child with her..."

His eyes held a hint of a smile.

In this timeline, Jiang Liqian hadn’t been born yet.

In a brief moment, he accepted a fact:

He, Jiang Baiyi, the foremost cultivator of the Human Race, born with heavenly omens and endowed with extraordinary talent.

Embarked on the path of cultivation at three, refined Qi overnight, and established foundation in a hundred days.

At six, he formed a Golden Core, and at twelve, he condensed a Nascent Soul...

Even before a millennium, he reached the Mahayana Stage, and before three thousand years, he broke through to the Tribulation Crossing Stage, becoming the youngest emperor in Jiang Country’s history.

There were even rumors of him having the potential for Becoming an Immortal, the first Immortal in history.

Yet all of this was in the past.

Jiang Baiyi stood silently.

Though he didn’t know why his future self failed, since his future self came to him, it seemed the future was already determined.

"No, I haven’t lost yet, at least not in this timeline." Jiang Baiyi suddenly thought of something, muttering to himself.

He looked towards the distant Jiang Liqian, with both imperial majesty and a faint imperceptible gentleness in his eyes.

"Hope, after all, lies in the future."

"For one who cultivates the Reincarnation Law, their sight must not be limited to one era, to establish a legacy for tens of thousands of generations; the one who laughs last is the victor..."

Jiang Baiyi seemed to have realized something.

His gaze rested on Jiang Liqian for a while before finally settling on Lin Chen.

"Daughter, is he the person you chose?"

Jiang Baiyi murmured, then snorted softly, "He’s far behind what I was back then... But his aptitude is barely acceptable..."

Jiang Baiyi felt a sudden sense of loss.

This feeling of loss was even more uncomfortable than foreknowing his future failure...

—The little cabbage he had nurtured for thousands of years was ultimately going to be plucked by someone else.

Even though the little cabbage hadn’t been born yet, Jiang Baiyi was still upset...

"However, based on your current state... it seems you cannot win the final victory, right?"

After his eyes lingered on the two for a long time, Jiang Baiyi suddenly said.

Then, with a wave of his hand, two items appeared in his hand.

A jade seal, symbolizing the emperor of Jiang Country, was an object that suppressed the fortune of the entire Jiang Country.

The other item was a mirror...

The Ten Thousand Laws Celestial Mirror!

With a wave of his hand, a large portion of the incredibly dense fortune on the jade seal dispersed.

Half of it surged into Jiang Liqian’s body, while the other half surged into Lin Chen’s body.

"Hmph, you’re quite fortunate... But as her father, I must prepare a dowry of some sort..."

Jiang Baiyi snorted.

Then he waved his hand over the Ten Thousand Laws Celestial Mirror.

Soon after, another mysterious energy surged into Lin Chen’s body...