"Details!" Tang Xiaotang's initial surprise quickly gave way to excitement as she set her teacup down on the table. "How did she poke it? What kind of leak are we talking about?"

Lei Jun replied, "Senior Sister went to the periphery of the Abyss of Time. Through her spells and attempts, the overall scale of the Abyss has shrunk. However, the Abyss of Time hasn't completely closed or healed. Instead, the chaos of time and space within has intensified, forming a nearly tangible 'tidal flood' that's overflowing beyond the Abyss."

Tang Xiaotang rubbed her hands together eagerly: "A spacetime turbulence overflow? She really did poke a hole in the heavens."

Lei Jun nodded, "Fortunately, Senior Sister was right there to prevent further dispersal of the Abyss's turbulence. But after this incident, the Abyss of Time has become less stable than before. Senior Sister remains there, carefully studying the spacetime turbulence, and has reportedly already made some discoveries."

After a brief pause, Lei Jun continued, "According to Senior Sister, most of those fragments of time and space appear to originate from ancient times. They're too scattered for us to gain much knowledge from them currently, but many things correspond with historical records and even mythological legends..."

Tang Xiaotang's eyes widened, "Ancient times? That far back?"

Lei Jun silently nodded.

Tang Xiaotang suddenly remembered something, "Isn't the true Heavenly Palace said to have existed during ancient times? Generally, it's believed that after the great calamity of the Three Realms, the Heavenly Palace perished, the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands appeared, marking the end of ancient times..."

Lei Jun continued nodding quietly, numerous conjectures and thoughts flashing through his mind.

Meanwhile, Tang Xiaotang stood up, hands behind her back, pacing in circles with shining eyes, "This sounds fascinating. I should go take a look too."

Lei Jun snapped out of his thoughts and smiled, "We don't have any spare stone knives at hand right now. Only Junior Brother Chu can take you in. He can only bring one person at a time, and after each return from there, he needs to wait before re-entering the Great Square. Whoever goes with him must enter and exit together."

Tang Xiaotang nodded repeatedly, "I'll send word to Chu Kun immediately."

Not long after, Chu Kun returned to the human realm to meet with Lei Jun, Tang Xiaotang, and Wang Guiyuan.

"Second Senior Brother, Senior Sister asked me to inquire - is the Time Blade Essence currently in your possession useful to you?" Chu Kun asked.

Lei Jun replied, "Senior Sister already mentioned this to me earlier. The Time Blade Essence is prepared - you can take it with you when you go back."

Tang Xiaotang meanwhile circled Chu Kun, examining him closely, "Why so listless?"

Chu Kun pointed at his own face, "Senior Sister Tang, this expression is called 'heart still trembling with fear.'"

Xu Yuanzhen's actions in the Great Square might have seemed contained without major disturbances, with her personally handling everything. Even the cultivators and commoners in places like Liuyan Country within the Great Square didn't notice any changes. But Chu Kun had perceived everything extremely clearly - he even felt his soul trembling at the time.

"From what you're saying, your connection to the Great Square is unexpectedly deep," Tang Xiaotang remarked with interest, continuing to circle Chu Kun.

Chu Kun spread his hands, "I only realized this in recent years as the Great Square underwent successive changes. It's not that my connection deepened as the Great Square changed - it was always like this. I just had lower cultivation before, and the Great Square's changes were smaller, so I didn't perceive it as clearly."

Wang Guiyuan, standing nearby, patted Chu Kun's shoulder. The two "brothers in hardship" exchanged a look, both wearing bitter smiles.

"Although Senior Sister caused some commotion, with her there and Junior Sister going in this time, they should be able to handle it," Lei Jun said. "Like the previous changes in the Abyss Valley, this might turn misfortune into blessing for you - perhaps leading to great opportunities that could accelerate your cultivation progress. It's just... rather heart-stopping..."

Chu Kun could only smile wryly repeatedly.

In a way, this could be considered another form of "substantial accumulation leading to sudden progress." But "heart-stopping" didn't even begin to cover it. That said, Chu Kun didn't blame Xu Yuanzhen for her earlier actions. Just because the Abyss of Time was quiet now didn't mean it would remain peaceful forever. Having higher-level cultivators like Xu Yuanzhen, Tang Xiaotang, and Lei Jun handle it now was far better than facing it alone later.

Later, Chu Kun took the Time Blade Essence and accompanied Tang Xiaotang to the Great Square. Along with Xu Yuanzhen who was already there, they remained for an extended period without returning. Fortunately, communication wasn't cut off - Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan regularly received messages from the Great Square.

"According to Senior Sister's words, the Abyss of Time didn't just appear around the time of the Han Dynasty's calamity - it has existed for much longer," Lei Jun discussed with Wang Guiyuan. "In that case, I wonder how much Yan Rizhong and the other martial immortals who previously controlled the Great Square discovered?"

Wang Guiyuan considered, "Are you suggesting that compared to Bìluò, the Great Square was the true starting point for the remnants of the Heavenly Palace?"

Lei Jun replied, "Yes and no. The Heavenly Palace remnants originated from Bìluò initially, and Bìluò contains some ruins of the former Heavenly Palace. But many things there were interrupted due to the ancient upheavals. The Great Square, however, seems to have a thread - a thread of time - connecting from ancient times to the present."

Wang Guiyuan sighed, "Unfortunately, Yan Rizhong and the others perished under the divine abilities of our sect's Ancestor Zhuang, and Ancestor Zhuang himself can no longer give us answers. As for that thread of time in the Great Square now... its fortune or misfortune is hard to predict..."

Lei Jun fell into quiet contemplation.

…………………………

Time passed swiftly.

Xu Yuanzhen remained in the Great Square without leaving. Tang Xiaotang and Chu Kun went in and out several times. At one point, Lei Jun also replaced Tang Xiaotang to enter the Great Square and observe the Abyss of Time more carefully. However, Lei Jun spent most of his time outside the Great Square - either handling daily affairs of the Tianshi Mansion at Mount Longhu in the human realm, or traveling between the Saha World, Guizang, Penglai, the Yellow Springs, and other places.

The branch of the Wutong Divine Tree in Penglai was beginning to show promise. Lei Jun carefully tended to it, patiently waiting for the divine tree branch to propagate to meet his requirements. Additionally, he continuously refined and adjusted the Shangqing Thunder Mansion Grotto-Heaven, Taishing Salvation Grotto-Heaven, and Yuqing Miluo Grotto-Heaven, striving for perfection.

Spring gave way to summer. During this time, Celestial Master Lei passed his ninety-third birthday. Xu Yuanzhen had already returned the Time Blade Essence, allowing Lei Jun to continue his cultivation, silently accumulating the Azure Spiritual Nine Qi.

"Senior Sister's cultivation and power have probably reached the point where she could attempt to break through beyond the Ninth Heaven like His Majesty the Tang Emperor, right?" Wang Guiyuan asked.

Lei Jun nodded, "It should be soon. However, Senior Sister might not take that step immediately."

Wang Guiyuan remarked, "I initially thought Junior Sister Tang, obsessed with everyone being at the Ninth Heaven's perfection, would definitely challenge Senior Sister again, but she didn't."

Lei Jun explained, "There are two factors at play. One is because of Venerable Zhao in Kunlun's Qingwei Heaven. The other is that Junior Sister has gradually come to understand something."

Wang Guiyuan laughed, "If you don't care about winning, you won't lose."

Lei Jun nodded in agreement.

Tang Xiaotang had always prided herself on her extraordinary innate talents, especially her rare natural aptitude. Then she encountered Zhao Chanyang, who possessed both a natural Dao Body foundation and natural comprehension ability - achieving immortality through refining qi and returning to spirit at just over seventy years old. While Tang Xiaotang's personality wasn't the type to be severely discouraged, she did experience the realization that there's always someone better.

Thus, even after advancing further in her cultivation to reach the same Ninth Heaven Perfection Five Qi Facing the Mysterious realm as Xu Yuanzhen, she no longer seemed intent on competing with Xu Yuanzhen. It wasn't that she had switched competitive targets - rather, she had become slightly more detached about such matters compared to before.

Although Tang Xiaotang remained as competitive as ever, there was now a sense of a divine weapon being tempered, its sharpness sheathed. Just slightly - but enough to change her perspective on certain things. Like how the key to victory or defeat in her contests with Xu Yuanzhen lay more with herself than with Xu Yuanzhen. Her desperate desire to win was what gave Xu Yuanzhen opportunities to exploit her openings. If she could remain calm from start to finish and properly utilize the Heavenly Heart Insight Talisman, at worst it would be a draw.

This principle was known to Xu Yuanzhen, Lei Jun, Wang Guiyuan - and Tang Xiaotang herself might not have been completely unaware of it before. She just refused to believe it. Now... she still didn't exactly believe it. But Daoist Tang had become slightly more patient than before. Though she still acted with fiery enthusiasm, she decided this time to prepare, prepare again, and then act with fiery enthusiasm.

As for Xu Yuanzhen possibly advancing further... whatever. She would just advance further too.

"With Junior Sister Tang like this, Senior Sister can rest content in this life," Wang Guiyuan remarked.

Lei Jun looked up at the sky, "Hmm, probably..."

Wang Guiyuan's gaze turned to him.

Lei Jun gestured vaguely, "To use Senior Sister's words - she's now starting to look forward to a match with Junior Sister."

Wang Guiyuan opened his mouth but no sound came out. But Lei Jun knew him well enough - he felt what Wang Guiyuan wanted to say was probably:

I really can't play along with them...

"How about your own cultivation progress, Senior Brother?" Lei Jun changed the subject, his gaze sweeping across their surroundings in the Saha World.

Wang Guiyuan had been here for quite some time. Compared to Sumeru controlled by the Buddhist Mudra lineage, the Thunderclap Monastery tradition in the Saha World belonged to the Central Plains Buddhist system. Although not identical to what Wang Guiyuan had studied, Lei Jun could see he had gained much here.

"I've benefited greatly, but still need to carefully contemplate," Wang Guiyuan said. Then looking at Lei Jun, he added, "Meanwhile, you're progressing by leaps and bounds."

"Senior Sister began cultivating much earlier, so she might still be slightly ahead of you, though she's in no hurry now to attempt immortality. As for Junior Sister Tang, she doesn't seem to be progressing much faster than you anymore - the ten-year head start she had is about to be caught up."

Lei Jun responded, "It's still too early to say - the key lies in the next few years."

Wang Guiyuan smiled, "When you transcend the mundane to reach immortality, all your life-bound talismans can be sublimated. Given your personality, you must already have plans for them. I'm just curious - do you have any conception of your first immortal formula?"

Lei Jun admitted, "To be honest with you, Senior Brother, I do have conceptions, but they're castles in the air right now. The actual situation will only become clear after achieving immortality. Any guesses now would likely be half-right at best."

This was the advantage of coming from a sacred land sect. Regardless of current circumstances, their ancestors had been glorious. Before the Han Dynasty's calamity, the Tianshi Mansion's history included many immortal masters who left fragmentary records that served as true transmissions for later generations, offering glimpses beyond the immortal gate.

Just as lower three heavens cultivators practiced techniques, middle three heavens practiced methods, and upper three heavens practiced divine abilities, those who attained immortality practiced what were called Immortal Formulas. In the Daoist Talisman tradition, they were also called Immortal Talismans. At this stage, there was little distinction between life-bound and non-life-bound talismans, because Immortal Talismans typically originated from a cultivator's own practice and understanding of heavenly principles - most suited to themselves and different from others. Thus, not just the Tianshi Mansion at Mount Longhu, but all traditions lacked publicly transmitted Immortal Formulas.

If cultivation in the human realm always remained within the scope of "teachers open the door," what came after was truly "progress depends on the individual." Even the boundaries between different Daoist traditions like Talisman, Elixir, and Artifact Refining gradually blurred, with increasing commonalities.

"The Great Dao returns to simplicity and truth. The higher one goes, the more this holds true," Lei Jun said with a smile.

Wang Guiyuan asked, "After attaining immortality, if the human realms haven't merged yet, do you have considerations similar to Senior Sister's?"

Lei Jun replied, "Relatively speaking, mine align more with His Majesty the Tang Emperor's conception."

…………………………

While Lei Jun and his senior brother cultivated quietly in the Saha World...

In the human realm of the Great Ming.

Abbot Guangshu of Bodhi Temple, who had been at the forefront of resisting and pacifying the White Lotus Rebellion, temporarily came to the capital. Although Ming imperial forces still maintained heavy pressure, this development significantly eased things for the Great Ming White Lotus Sect. While the White Lotus Holy Master couldn't divide his attention, the Great Ming's Future Maitreya, Monk Tianshu, secretly traveled elsewhere.

Later, he met again with Feng Wensu from the Abyssal Border. This time, it was the Great Ming's Future Maitreya Monk Tianshu who handed a Confucian Jingwei Box to Feng Wensu.

"The item you wanted, benefactor," Monk Tianshu said with his usual sorrowful, solemn expression. "This settles our previous karma."

"Master is too kind. I'm endlessly grateful and will repay this generously later," Feng Wensu replied.

He opened the Jingwei Box to find ancient scrolls and books inside, emanating thick literary and virtuous energy. Besides the title "Phoenix Songs Collection," there was a detailed signature: He Xuan Shan Ren.

"So it really is He Xuan Shan Ren's calligraphy," Feng Wensu nodded repeatedly.

The Great Ming's Future Maitreya Monk Tianshu pressed his palms together in salute before turning to leave: "In that case, this poor monk takes his leave."

Feng Wensu watched him depart while carefully storing the "Phoenix Songs Collection" scroll alongside what appeared to be a rather worn, slightly bald ink brush.

"Even with this, it might still not be enough..." Feng Wensu's expression turned solemn.

That ink brush had been bestowed upon him by the Abyssal Emperor before he left the Abyssal Border. It and this "Phoenix Songs Collection" scroll came from the same hand - the renowned Confucian sage of late Han times, He Xuan Shan Ren, Jiang Fengge.

In that era, he was better known by another name - Ye Fengge. Originally surnamed Jiang, he later married into the Ye clan of Qingzhou. Before the Ye clan split into eastern and western branches, they controlled one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands - Lian Mountain. But after the division, Lian Mountain was lost. Both the Qingzhou Ye and Jinzhou Ye branches spent enormous resources over the years searching for Lian Mountain.

Who would have thought it would end up in the hands of a mere son-in-law? But after all these years, no one knew Lian Mountain's current state.

"All I can do is follow His Majesty's guidance and try my best," Feng Wensu murmured as his figure vanished between heaven and earth.

…………………………

Meanwhile, in Southern Wu of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms human realm.

The current ruler of Southern Wu, Tang Gong, was instructing his son Tang Chongye: "Only you can go. The news absolutely must not leak!"

Southern Wu's heir Tang Chongye responded solemnly, "Understood, Father."

Traveling alone through secret passages, he crossed through a portal to arrive at an extremely secret small grotto-heaven privately owned by the Southern Wu royal family. There, a middle-aged monk stood waiting vigilantly.

In the past, Southern Wu had revered Buddhism, with the Saha World's portal located within its borders and the Five Dynasties' Small Western Heaven also situated here - monks traveled continuously throughout Southern Wu. But now that the Daoist lineage controlled the Saha World, the Southern Wu heir secretly meeting with monks seemed rather unusual. Especially since the monk waiting there was none other than Venerable Duming - former abbot of Southern Wu's Small Western Heaven and one of the Thunderclap Monastery's top masters second only to Venerable Puguang.

"Abbot Master," the Southern Wu heir Tang Chongye bowed to him. The two weren't strangers - both Tang Gong and Tang Chongye, though martial artists, had frequently visited Southern Wu's Small Western Heaven to worship and offer incense in the past.

"Heir-apparent need not stand on ceremony," Venerable Duming said serenely, his dignified appearance unchanged as he calmly stated, "Southern Wu's Small Western Heaven has become yesterday's bubble. This humble monk has now returned to the Thunderclap Monastery, just an ordinary monk there."

Tang Chongye said softly, "Though only two or three years have passed since we last heard the Master's teachings, my father and I feel as if we've spent half our lives in darkness, day and night begging for the Venerable and Master to show us the way."

Venerable Duming replied, "That Prince Wu and the heir-apparent turn their hearts to Buddha is precisely why this humble monk has come."

That said, Venerable Duming knew full well that Tang Gong and Tang Chongye's devotion to Buddha stemmed mainly from the Daoist lineage having no place for them. In the war-torn Five Dynasties human realm where city walls constantly changed hands between warlords, both Buddhist and Witch lineages had supported various states while continuously scheming against each other. For ambitious rulers like them, choosing between Buddhist and Witch factions depended purely on which offered more support and advantage.

With the Saha World's portal located in Southern Wu, whichever family ruled this land naturally became the Small Western Heaven's representatives. Southern Wu's reverence for Buddhism in recent years had brought relative stability to the Tang royal family's rule - perhaps making them complacent. Who could have imagined the Saha World changing hands overnight? Not that it mattered - Southern Wu could simply switch allegiances.

Ironically, the former site of Mount Longhu's Tianshi Mansion also lay within Southern Wu's borders. Unfortunately, they seemed to have backed the wrong horse this time - or rather, found no door to knock on. While the Talisman lineage's Mount Longhu controlled the Saha World, few of its disciples walked the human realm. Instead, the Elixir lineage's True Martial Temple actively engaged with the world, establishing itself in this chaotic human realm - but they chose the Later Han dynasty.

Since ascending the throne, Later Han's Zhou Pu had governed relatively mildly, focusing on internal consolidation and eliminating various Buddhist temples. The True Martial Temple similarly prioritized establishing its foundations. But recently, Zhou Pu had begun baring his fangs - not first targeting other Witch-supported states, but turning north toward the formerly Buddhist-supported Northern Liang. This sent chills down Southern Wu's spine.

"Zhou Pu has the ambition to swallow the world whole," Venerable Duming said slowly. "But the root lies in the current Saha World."

Tang Chongye nodded lightly, "The Master speaks truly."

Venerable Duming continued, "If you and your father sincerely petition the Saha World, willingly submitting to Zhou Pu, you likely wouldn't face mortal danger. When the new dynasty is established, you might even obtain cultivation lands to continue living in peace? Your lives don't truly rest in Zhou Pu's hands."

Tang Chongye took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his tone remained respectful but no longer evasive: "My father and I truly don't understand why the outcome was predetermined without even giving Southern Wu a chance?"

Venerable Duming's gaze remained placid, "Perhaps simply because you've revered Buddha too long to be tolerated by the Daoist lineage."

Tang Chongye bowed deeply to the dignified middle-aged monk, "We beg the Master to instruct us."

Venerable Duming helped him up, "The heir-apparent exaggerates." He then seemingly changed to a completely unrelated topic: "You once entered the Great Square. Please describe your experience there to this humble monk in detail again."

Tang Chongye looked surprised. He had indeed entered the Great Square representing Southern Wu before, but due to limited cultivation and cautiousness, hadn't approached the Hanging Abyss Valley, instead searching for opportunities on the periphery. His perspective on events in the Hanging Abyss Valley had been limited. After exiting last time, he had recounted his experiences to Venerable Duming and Southern Wu's Small Western Heaven.

Now, carefully avoiding embellishment, he repeated only what he had personally witnessed. After listening attentively, Venerable Duming asked a previously unmentioned question: "You never saw any Daoist practitioners?"

Tang Chongye answered cautiously, "Based solely on what I saw - none."

Venerable Duming nodded slightly. As a Ninth Heaven Dharma Body Perfection master of the Buddhist Chan Martial lineage with profound Mind-Reading abilities, he could easily discern the truth from an Eighth Heaven cultivator like Tang Chongye.

"One more thing - the True Martial Temple's abbot has reached Five Qi Returning to Origin, correct?" Venerable Duming asked.

Tang Chongye replied, "That seems accurate. He briefly clashed with Witch Zhen Jia Xianting, who retreated first."

Venerable Duming nodded again - this was another angle to confirm the information.

"Mu Chunyang hides his depths well," Venerable Duming remarked. Just as Witch Zhen Jia Xianting hadn't used his full power, neither had this Mu Chunyang revealed his true cultivation. Back in the Great Ming, some had even claimed his abilities were mediocre, dying easily despite being a Five Qi Returning to Origin expert of the Daoist Elixir lineage whose individual defense nearly matched Buddhist Precept masters of the same level.

This had led Venerable Shanzhihui to misjudge, dragging everyone else into the mire. Mu Chunyang couldn't have died inside Sumeru back then - he must have escaped to the human realm, faking death at Venerable Shanzhihui's hands and using the void between realms to conceal himself from the Venerable's detection. And now this person had come to the Five Dynasties human realm...

After asking several questions without further comment, Venerable Duming stood to leave: "You and your father's devotion to Buddha is steadfast - you will both attain liberation. Don't worry about temporary hardships. Right now, the lotus seed merely hides in mud." Pressing his palms together, he took his leave.

Traveling onward, he soon left Southern Wu's borders. Ahead, two figures awaited him - one Buddhist, one Daoist. The former was his Thunderclap Monastery colleague Venerable Baoneng;

the latter, Daoist Zhou Tian's disciple Cen Ruopu.

After hearing Venerable Duming's report, Cen Ruopu said, "The Great Square is as important as Bìluò."

Venerable Baoneng asked, "What does Venerable Zhou Tian advise?"

Cen Ruopu replied, "My teacher says Venerables Shanzhihui and Puguang were both Buddhist masters of great wisdom who accelerated spiritual energy tides in a human realm - a tremendous good deed. Now, the urgent task is to go further..."

Venerables Baoneng and Duming's eyes gleamed: "To hasten the merging of human realms?"