Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 380 - 370: The Red-Haired Old Monster Living Beside Time

Chapter 380: Chapter 370: The Red-Haired Old Monster Living Beside Time

What appeared before his eyes were a pair of withered hands, devoid of flesh, looking as if a thin layer of skin was stretched over the bones.

The figure was emaciated, with deep-set eyes and a face full of wrinkles. In terms of appearance, he was fairly ordinary, with a typical nose and eyes, decent enough.

His most striking feature was his hair, blood-red and incredibly thick, cascading down like a red cloak, looking very strange and eerie.

After climbing out, the red-haired old man plopped onto the ground, leaning against the coffin behind him. He coughed repeatedly, each cough expelling mud and sand, and then gasping for breath, looking utterly exhausted.

Su Mu also stared in shock at the red-haired old man. What astonished him most was that the old man’s cultivation was quite high!

He was in the Unity Realm above the Sacrificial Dao, and even at Unity Perfection!

However, the aura he emitted was incredibly weak, nothing like the oppressive presence expected from someone at Unity Perfection. Instead, he seemed like an old man who had excessively exhausted himself, showing signs of aging and weariness.

"Who are you?"

Su Mu originally wanted to ask, "What are you?" but it seemed a bit impolite.

.....

Hearing these words, the red-haired old man, supporting himself against the coffin, shakily stood up. Facing Su Mu, he clasped his hands together, bowing, "I’ve seen you, Senior."

"Do we know each other?" Su Mu asked, puzzled by the tone, as if the other knew him.

"Senior might not know me, but I’ve heard of your great name long ago. Today, meeting you in person, you’re even younger than the rumors suggest." The red-haired old man’s voice was hoarse, as if squeezed out from sand.

Upon hearing this, Su Mu raised an eyebrow, surprised to learn that he had some fame.

As for the legendary Guardian of the River of Time, the red-haired old man had long heard of him and always held a reverence, never expecting to fall into his hands one day.

The question was, how did figures like Huang and Ye Fan know this Guardian, and why did they let him intervene?

Rumor had it that this senior, the Guardian of the River, generally did not meddle in the internal affairs of the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, did he?

"Why were you lying in the coffin?" Su Mu voiced his curiosity.

A living person, locking themselves inside a coffin with nothing better to do? Pretending to be dead?

"Well... it’s hard to explain. You could consider it... my hobby." The red-haired old man awkwardly laughed.

Su Mu was taken aback. There truly were people with such eccentric tastes. It seemed the higher one’s cultivation, the stranger their hobbies became.

"Lying in a coffin is fine, nothing wrong with that."

"But what was the meaning of releasing poison to pollute my waters?"

Su Mu cut straight to the point, addressing the crux of the issue.

Faced with the questioning, the red-haired old man shivered and then stammered an explanation, "I truly apologize for causing trouble, Senior."

This question was essentially asking why he polluted the worlds where slaves like Huang and Ye Fan resided.

Sometimes, when confronting a powerful existence, the best approach is not to argue but to admit fault proactively.

Seeing the old man’s sincere attitude in admitting his mistake, Su Mu did not delve further. Perhaps it was just his cultivation method; in any case, he polluted it, and Su Mu purified it, earning himself a wave of Favor Points.

"Forget it, it’s not a big deal."

Su Mu waved his hand, appearing very indifferent, as if he didn’t care much.

Seeing this, the red-haired old man was taken aback.

Polluting so many worlds was considered a trivial matter by this senior. Clearly, the mindset of this Guardian senior was truly "untainted," reaching a state of perfection.

What seemed significant to him might just be child’s play in Su Mu’s eyes.

This was the absolute difference in levels!

.....

"Thank you, Senior, for your understanding," the red-haired old man said, clasping his hands.

"It’s a small matter. Go back to where you came from, don’t linger and cause trouble on the river," Su Mu said, waving his hand, ready to leave and return to his normal patrol duties.

"Senior, please wait," seeing Su Mu about to leave, the red-haired old man called out.

.....

Su Mu turned back, puzzled.

"If you’re not busy, Senior, could you spare a little time to visit my home for a cup of tea?" the red-haired old man tentatively asked.

"No, I’m very busy." Su Mu waved his hand, declining.

"Senior, my home is nearby, just a few minutes away," seeing Su Mu turning to leave, the red-haired old man immediately called out.

"Do you live on the river too?" Su Mu suddenly showed interest and asked.

Hearing this, the red-haired old man awkwardly scratched the back of his head, waved his hand, and said, "Not exactly."

He did not have the privilege to reside on the River of Time, he merely had a small abode to retreat to during great calamities.

In the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, besides this Guardian in front, no one could permanently reside on the River of Time.

At most, one could temporarily stay to evade some causal catastrophes, then quickly leave the river once the body reached its limit to avoid life-threatening danger.

.....

Suddenly, an evil and bold plan arose in Su Mu’s mind.

"Lead the way then."

Su Mu nodded in agreement.

"Alright, Senior, please follow me," the red-haired old man waved a large hand, collecting the black coffin from the ground, and started walking toward a certain small river area ahead.

Just like that, Su Mu followed behind the red-haired old man, heading towards the water area ahead.

Walking, they reached a secluded water region, very clean and unpolluted, and harmonious.

In the middle of this water area was a floating small island with a simple wooden cabin on it.

The cabin wasn’t big, just a single story, and from the outside, looked like an ordinary small wooden cabin, fenced by a small lattice of picket woods forming a modest courtyard.

"Senior, my humble abode is small, I hope you won’t mind," the red-haired old man led Su Mu to the small courtyard on the island.

The courtyard was small and somewhat simplistic, with the small cabin made from discarded timber.

Although there was a courtyard, it was very basic, merely formed by a fence.

"It’s fine." Su Mu didn’t want to dismiss his host’s kindness.

.....

"You flatter me, Senior, it’s just a small place to stay," the red-haired old man said, waving his hand.

....

"Senior, I’ve been away for a long time, I fear this tea might be hard to swallow," the red-haired old man said with a smile after pouring the tea.

...

"It’s fine."

Su Mu, having tasted countless teas, found it quite fine.

...

"Do you usually live here?"

Su Mu asked.

Over the years, he hadn’t really noticed any neighbors or nearby residents, which was quite strange.

"Rarely come back, generally just for a while," the red-haired old man replied.

He only returned when faced with unavoidable calamities and causalities.

.....

"What’s this?"

Su Mu spotted something strange and asked.