Advance Notice

What would become of the world's future? Xu Yuan had no answer to this question, but it allowed him to understand why so many had laid down their lives one after another for the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion, and it completely dispelled any lingering disdain he held toward this once-dominant hegemon. Yet, those who walked different paths could make no common cause. Amidst the silence, a faint, ethereal woman's voice drifted down from a floating islet on the horizon: "The answer to this question shouldn't be difficult for you, should it, Brother Xu Yuan?" As she spoke, a golden-eyed girl clad in the daily robes of the Pavilion Master stepped across the void, arriving before the two within a few blinks of an eye. The moment Tianyan saw Tianye, her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, seemingly displeased by the other's breach of faith. Tianye flashed her a faint smile: "After learning all this, he won't run. As for what comes next, it's better that I tell him myself." "..." Though reluctant, Tianyan considered it for a moment and chose to remain silent. Listening to the exchange between the two women and watching Tianye, who had suddenly appeared, Xu Yuan indeed made no move to flee, offering only a complicated smile. Just as they understood him, he understood these two 'formidable foes' belonging to the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion equally well. If they wanted to kill him, Tianye and Tianyan would never have gone to such great lengths to share these hidden truths with him. Tianye's beautiful eyes curved slightly as she spoke softly: "Truth be told, I thought you would refute us immediately. But judging by your expression, you seem to agree with the path of our Overseeing Heaven Pavilion?" Xu Yuan neither denied nor affirmed it, saying: "I merely understand it. The path your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion walks is indeed a viable way. After all, this world has no karmic retribution like in storybooks, much less fairy tales of punishment for taking lives. There is only the harsh reality of the strong preying on the weak, where the victors become kings and the vanquished are branded outlaws. "Advancing through cultivation realms does not make a person's morals noble. When individual might completely rises above the collective, the fate of this world hangs upon their single whim. "In benevolence, all things fall into order. "In malice, innocent lives are plunged into misery. "Your Overseeing Heaven Pavilion possesses the ability to prevent others from breaking through, and choosing to sever this path to avert such a future is actually quite admirable. "But that is all. "Those who walk different paths make no common cause. Each holds their own torch, and I, too, have a path I wish to walk." Gazing into his tranquil black eyes, Tianye pondered for a moment before murmuring: "Xu Yuan, I know that to people of your and your father's caliber, the actions of our Overseeing Heaven Pavilion and Him seem unfair. Allowing idealists like you to break through to higher realms might indeed benefit the human race, but have you ever considered what will become of this world after you are gone? "Or rather, "what if time causes you to degenerate? What would become of the world then? "Those who carry out ideals are forever the few. For the vast majority of time, the vast majority of rulers in this world are a band of selfish scoundrels, and the same holds true for the cultivators under heaven. Allowing them to break through to the Saint Realm is a consequence humanity cannot afford to bear. "The system of the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion has already been tested through endless ages—forging absolutely rational leaders through our cultivation arts, and detecting future calamities through His existence. "During the ages when the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion reigned supreme, many wars certainly broke out over resources and interests, but except when the Evernight Calamity descended, the world never once suffered such devastation as nine out of ten homes standing desolate during the dynastic transitions of today's imperial realm." "..." Silence followed her words. Listening to her measured, deliberate explanation, Xu Yuan exhaled a long breath of stale air and smiled helplessly: "I know all of what you just said. People change, and no one is an exception. But in telling me all this, you can't possibly expect to persuade me with your grand speech and have me end my own life, can you?" With that, Xu Yuan also glanced toward the collapsed Tianmen Mountain and whispered: "Besides, Tianye, "I don't think being so diligent and devoted to the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion fits your character at all." Her broad, holy white robes fluttering in the wind, Tianye gradually shed the solemnity on her face and rolled her eyes: "I knew you wouldn't waver. And who told you I did all this for the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion? My rebirth owes a debt of karma to Tianyuan, but that doesn't mean I cannot act for myself. Everything I am doing now is also for the future of you and me." "What do you mean?" "Mmhmm~ You can try guessing. If you guess right, I'll tell you." "..." Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. Tianye was likely still concealing secrets she hadn't fully revealed, and whatever she was hiding was perhaps some amusement she was brewing. Yet as things stood, he could only take each move as it came. Xu Yuan steered the conversation back on track: "Since you know I won't give up, why tell me so much?" Tianye crossed her arms habitually, her fingertips lightly tapping against her fair cheek: "I wanted to give you a hint—or rather, a notice." "A notice?" "Mhm." Tianye strolled leisurely up to Xu Yuan, lifting a slender index finger to tilt his chin upward, and said with a blooming, carefree smile: "Do you know? This era is truly exceptional, unlike any Evernight Calamity I know of." A fragrant breeze brushed against him. Paying no mind to her flirtatious teasing, Xu Yuan half-narrowed his eyes and swatted her hand away: "Because there are too many beyond the Saint Realm?" "Indeed." Rubbing her slender hand without the slightest care, Tianye readily admitted, "In the past when the Evernight Calamity descended, even during an era of surging Source Qi, at most two beings beyond the Saint Realm would emerge: that generation's 'Tianyan' and the 'Calamity.' Yet in this era, there seem to be far too many people with the potential to break through beyond the Saint Realm." As she spoke, Tianye counted on her fingers: "Setting aside the late Li Yaoxuan, as well as your father and Wen Xinyun who have already gone beyond the Saint Realm, Feng Jiuxuan, the White Emperor, and even Ran Qingmo and that new Great Yan Emperor all possess celestial talent capable of taking another step beyond the Saint Realm." Xu Yuan frowned, staring at the indolent woman: "What on earth are you trying to say?" Tianye tilted her golden eyes toward the sky: "In order to turn everything back onto the proper track, He intends to descend in person." "..." Xu Yuan's pupils constricted slightly, but Tianye's voice continued. Her red lips were vivid as blood, her smile radiant as blooming flowers: "And as the Overseeing Heaven Pavilion Master of this generation, I intend to designate Di'an City as the location for His descent." Xu Yuan clenched his fists subconsciously. Meeting his gaze, Tianye showed no intention of saying any more. She waved her hand casually: "Everything that needs to be said has been said, and it's time for us to leave. The next time we meet might be when everything comes to an end. I hope you'll be well-prepared, Brother Xu Yuan~" "Wait," Xu Yuan called out to stop her. Tianye did not halt her steps, yet she replied via voice transmission: "What is it?" Xu Yuan murmured in silence: "Who won here?" "..." After a moment of silence, Tianye glanced back toward the battlefield where heaven and earth seemed inverted, and said with profound meaning: "For that answer, you'd better return to Di'an and ask your father~"