Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 381 - 371: Striking a Deal, Unwittingly Sparking the Turmoil!

Chapter 381: Chapter 371: Striking a Deal, Unwittingly Sparking the Turmoil!

"What is this?"

Su Mu pointed to the large pile of black wood piled up next to the yard and asked.

Hearing this, the red-haired old man got up, walked to the front of the wood, and explained with a smile, "All of this is wood used for making coffins."

"My old coffin has been in use for a very, very long time, so it’s time to make a new one."

.....

"Is this your method of cultivation?" Su Mu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"You could say that." The red-haired old man chuckled.

The two sat at the wooden table, sipping tea. Su Mu, recalling something, asked, "So you lie in the coffin to cultivate, and then uncontrollably pollute the river?"

"Yes, but it won’t happen in the future. I won’t cause trouble for the elder anymore."

The red-haired old man thought Su Mu was warning him, so he hurriedly waved his hand to say.

"I want to make a deal with you."

Su Mu got straight to the point.

"A deal?"

"Since this is your cultivation method, I won’t interfere."

"You can continue cultivating like this, but... I have a condition." Su Mu said carefully, word by word.

"Please tell me, Elder," said the red-haired old man seriously.

...

"You cannot pollute the main river channel; you can only cultivate in the tributary waters."

"And, you cannot keep cultivating in the same place. When you’ve cultivated for a certain period, you need to change places — no turning the place into a miasma-filled, lifeless locale."

"After you leave, I’ll go to purify the polluted waters, which won’t interfere with your normal cultivation. How about it?"

Su Mu laid out three conditions to the red-haired old man.

His thinking was simple: allow the red-haired old man to cultivate on the river and pollute the waters to some extent, but not excessively. Once it reaches a certain extent, he must move to a new spot. Then Su Mu would go for purification, which would invisibly increase the pace of Su Mu’s earning Favor Points.

After hearing this, the red-haired old man was stunned, somewhat shocked.

Wasn’t Elder supposed to maintain the peace of the River of Time?

Why would he allow pollution of the world?

He was bewildered, not knowing how to respond.

"Elder, are you serious about what you said?" the red-haired old man asked to confirm.

"Yes." Su Mu nodded slightly.

"But you can’t pollute the main channel, only select some tributaries," Su Mu reiterated.

"That’s not a problem!"

How could he possibly have the capability to pollute the main flow of the River of Time?

He didn’t have that kind of strength!

Then, the red-haired old man stood up, went to the small house next to them, picked up a hoe, dug a small pit, and took out a jar of wine from it.

"Does the elder drink?"

"This jar of wine has been treasured for many years. I’ve never found the right occasion to drink it. Since the elder has graced my humble abode today, if you don’t mind, shall I fill you up?"

The red-haired old man asked with a smile.

"Then, let’s have a taste."

Once the wine was poured into the bowl, it emitted a very rich and intense fragrance, a very unique wine aroma.

After Su Mu took a gentle sip, his eyes lit up: "Good wine!"

Truly, it was good wine — in all these years, Su Mu had tasted all sorts of wines, but this was the first time tasting such wine. Once it passed down his throat, a gentle, soothing sensation nourished his body through the meridians, making him feel comfortable beyond words.

Wine that could make Su Mu feel this way was indeed excellent!

.....

"Take care, Elder."

The red-haired old man cupped his fists in farewell.

Su Mu left the place, remembering the red-haired old man’s aura. As long as he continued to cultivate on this river, Su Mu could find him anytime. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

.....

In the Ten Thousand Realms, atop the Highland.

"All resolved," Ye Fan reflected emotionally upon receiving the news from the world behind.

The Mysterious Plateau had vanished, and the threat from behind was also gone. This meant the eerie source had been completely cut off.

"Elder Huang, are you coming back with us?"

Ye Fan asked Huang.

Huang looked at the highland, lost in thought, and softly said, "You go ahead. I’d like to stay here alone to heal."

He feared the root hadn’t been entirely severed, so he intended to continue guarding this place for a few hundred years, healing in the process.

.....

Ten strange Immortal Emperors stood dumbfounded on the ground, all their cultivation was gone, and they had fallen to the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Because their growth to this stage had depended on the blood of "that master," now that he was captured, everything was cleansed and purified, so the cultivation they gained disappeared.

"I’ll take them away,"

Ye Fan waved his hand, storing the ten strange ancestors in his sleeve.

These ten strange ancestors had always been a towering mountain over the world behind them. Taking them back to be imprisoned was a form of accountability, marking the war that lasted countless years as finally concluded.

Thanks to Elder Su’s intervention, otherwise, who knows how many more years this war would last...

They would continue living their lives in pursuit of higher realms. This battle made them realize that even something as mighty as the Black Coffin was insignificant against true power, showing them their own smallness and inadequacies. They had to grow stronger to be worthy of seeing higher levels of existence, at the very least, not becoming someone else’s pawn unwittingly...

....

Ye Fan and two others passed by the River of Time, solemnly bidding farewell to Su Mu, for they likely wouldn’t cross the River of Time many more times in the future.

They remembered Elder Su’s great kindness deeply and planned to repay this vast favor once they became genuinely strong enough in the future.

....

The night fell.

Su Mu sat in meditation under the Phoebe Tree, cultivating.

The Favor Points had accumulated to a million. He planned to use them all at once to enhance his Affinity.

[Favor Points - 1000000]

[River Affinity: 60%] → [River Affinity: 70%]

As the Affinity increased to seventy percent, Su Mu felt his connection with the river grow more harmonious, as if he had touched upon its essence.

This sensation was somewhat mystical, difficult for Su Mu to describe.

In short, whereas before his bond with the river was on the "surface," now he was gradually reaching its "inner essence."

Still three million Favor Points short!

At the current pace, he estimated, in the best-case scenario, it wouldn’t take more than two years, and certainly not more than three years, to completely refine the river and leave it behind.

Thinking of this filled Su Mu with motivation and enthusiasm!

.....

Next day.

Su Mu got up early to start working.

Just then, the five little ones in the backyard rushed to him with anxious expressions, waving and making noises for quite some time.

"Can’t find it?"

Su Mu furrowed his brows slightly.

"I’ll go take a look."

After speaking, Su Mu went to the backyard, looked around, but indeed found nothing.

"When did it go missing?"

Su Mu asked the Little Groundhog.