The treasure-seeking mouse scurried about in panic, causing the surrounding restrictive runes to change drastically.
When they looked again, countless spatial rifts appeared, and the treasure-seeking mouse vanished without a trace.
Wu Tao's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gasped, gaining a deeper understanding of the tower master's personality.
If You Meng hadn't assured him with a pat on the chest that her dream power could虚化 (xūhuà - materialize/dematerialize) spatial rifts, Wu Tao would never have dared to challenge such a formation that was both real and illusory.
After finally passing through this formation, another river of space appeared ahead, with a terrifying power that could swallow everything, constantly flowing and making people hesitate to step forward.
Taking a deep breath, the purple halo around Wu Tao distorted the surrounding space. Soon, Wu Tao, with a hard heart, waded across this river of space.
As Wu Tao continued forward and reached the center of the tower, a sword cry echoed from afar. In the next second, a sword light filled with spatial energy suddenly appeared in the distance.
Beneath the pure white sword light, the surrounding space began to shatter, and the sword light, carrying countless spatial fragments, flew rapidly towards Wu Tao.
The moment he saw the pure white sword light, Wu Tao was utterly shocked, his expression frozen on his face.
This swordsmanship, which borrowed the power of heaven and earth for its own use, was very similar to the supreme swordsmanship described in the ancient sword cultivator inheritances, and it seemed to possess something more, something ineffable!
However, at this moment, Wu Tao had no time to ponder these matters. You Meng was going all out in his sea of consciousness.
As the pure white sword light, carrying countless spatial fragments, struck Wu Tao's body, Wu Tao vanished from his original spot out of thin air.
In the next second, he appeared in another location.
"Heh heh, kid, you and that little purple cat actually signed a life-and-death contract. From this point of view, I have to admire your courage."
Just as Wu Tao dodged the pure white sword light, a familiar voice rang out from behind.
Wu Tao turned abruptly at the sound and saw an old Taoist standing behind him. Who else could it be but Wu Kongzi?
Looking at Wu Kongzi, whose face was creased with a smile, Wu Tao truly wanted to smash his face with a fist. Yet, he didn't dare to lay a hand on this mastermind who had been toying with him.
As if guessing Wu Tao's thoughts, Wu Kongzi, without moving a muscle, made Wu Tao feel as if a mountain was about to collapse before him.
This was an aura that suppressed the world, a pressure that could shock a person to death.
As the aura emanating from Wu Kongzi continuously increased, Wu Tao felt his heart beating at a speed beyond his endurance.
"Fall, and it won't be so painful anymore..."
An invisible voice echoed in Wu Tao's mind. The moment he heard it, Wu Tao's body began to involuntarily fall backward.
But in the next second, the Chuxi sword trembled, and Wu Tao's sword heart suddenly shook. He gritted his teeth and stubbornly held himself upright.
"Interesting... truly interesting... you and your little purple cat are both very strange..." Wu Kongzi uttered "interesting" twice.
Clearing his throat, Wu Kongzi spoke, "What is the name of your little purple cat? Such a heaven-defying race, yet my human records contain not a single mention of it."
Facing Wu Kongzi's question, Wu Tao naturally would not speak the truth. If he did, wouldn't he be confessing? The spiritual treasures he possessed would instantly become someone else's spoils.
Therefore, Wu Tao looked around evasively and babbled incoherently for a long time, until in the end, even Wu Tao himself didn't know what he was saying.
Wu Kongzi, who had lived for thousands of years, was not a fool. The smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a chilling solemnity.
Facing such a Wu Kongzi, Wu Tao still gritted his teeth and held his ground. Whether he spoke or not, he would still die, so it was better not to speak.
"Good... very good... little fellow, I retract my previous assessment of you. You are indeed very good..."
"Don't worry, I will not kill someone who might bear the burden of humanity in the future."
Wu Kongzi's expression flickered for a moment, and he murmured, "A thousand years of waiting... yet destiny is not with me. This matter has already borne fruit, but I am too deeply entangled with the Great Dao of Space..."
"Your name is Wu Tao, right..."
...
After Wu Kongzi retracted his aura, Wu Tao clearly let out a sigh of relief. Hearing Wu Kongzi's words, he nodded.
Wu Kongzi came back to his senses, looked at Wu Tao, and slowly asked, "Who taught you your swordsmanship and your Buddhist heritage?"
...
Wu Tao rubbed his head and said somewhat sheepishly, "Well, junior obtained them from two secret realms..."
Wu Kongzi waved his hand at Wu Tao, signaling him to come closer.
Wu Tao stood in place, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards Wu Kongzi.
Wu Kongzi stroked his head and lamented again, "Heh heh, I didn't notice it before, but after you said that and I took a closer look, your luck is truly immense..."
...
Clearing his throat, Wu Kongzi's expression was solemn as he spoke,
"Little fellow, I have a fated connection with you. Today, I will bestow upon you a great fortune. However, there is no free lunch in this world..."
"Along with fortune comes danger. The greater the fortune, the greater the danger. You must be prepared!"
"Fortune? What fortune? Senior, you must finish speaking..."
Before Wu Tao could even think, Wu Kongzi swatted him away with a palm.
Spatial energy coiled around him, accelerating his movement. At this moment, Wu Tao saw the entire world as a blur.
"I have guarded this small world for several thousand years, waiting for millennia. Unfortunately, I have no fate with this Source of Time. Kid, if you can merge with this Source of Time, you will at least be a Purple Mansion stage cultivator in the future."
When Wu Kongzi's words reappeared in Wu Tao's mind as a telepathic message, both Wu Tao and You Meng, the human and the cat, thought they had misheard.
The Source of Time, a legendary seed born from the world, containing the Great Dao of Time, was the most precious treasure.
Treasures like the Source of Time, also known as the Fruit of the World, would be fiercely contested the moment they appeared. Priceless treasures.
At this moment, a vast heavenly rift appeared before Wu Tao and You Meng, within which lurked terrifying powers such as wind, fire, thunder, and lightning.
Wu Tao and You Meng stared at this rift, the depth of which was utterly immeasurable by sight, senses, or even divine consciousness.
Suddenly, both Wu Tao and You Meng felt a sense of dread, a fear of the unknown.
Even what they could observe sent shivers down their spines.
For instance, the thunderclouds in that rift were condensed from destructive lightning. Even a single bolt of such lightning striking Wu Tao would be enough to cripple him.
Or the heavenly fire, which was also a flame with an extraordinary origin, the fire of stars generated by colliding meteorites.
Or the fierce winds, which were the winds from the Nine Heavens, capable of destroying everything.
Most terrifyingly, these natural disaster-like phenomena were not isolated. They formed a cohesive unit, their destructive power more than ten times greater than when they existed individually.
If Wu Tao and You Meng were to collide with them unprepared, it would be no different from committing suicide.
Fortunately, due to the heaven-defying divine ability left to You Meng by the Nightmare race, Wu Tao and You Meng could jump to a similar, relatively safe space by traversing spatial dimensions.
It was precisely because he discovered You Meng's heaven-defying divine ability that Wu Kongzi had some confidence in Wu Tao; otherwise, he would not have sent Wu Tao to his death.
Although Wu Kongzi was naturally bloodthirsty, he did not like to harm his own kind. His sword was meant for fighting external races.
Meanwhile!
Originally, with the heaven-defying divine ability of the Nightmare race, even if tens of thousands of destructive wars occurred in the cultivation world, the Nightmare race should not have been wiped out.
However, everything in the world has its counter. One thing overcomes another. The Nightmare race also had their greatest nemesis, the Luotuo Roc.
The Luotuo Roc was a natural darling of space and destruction. Existing since the Primordial Era, they could not only traverse space at will but also destroy dreams, void, space, and more, making them the nemesis of the Nightmare race.
Wu Tao and You Meng passed through the end of the heavenly rift and began to approach the Source of Time.
The moment they stepped near the Source of Time, Wu Tao felt his time speeding up, or rather, his lifespan was rapidly diminishing.
It was then that Wu Tao understood why Wu Kongzi had said that the greater the fortune, the greater the danger.
The closer they got to the Source of Time, the faster the flow of time around them became. It was possible that before Wu Tao and You Meng could even touch the Source of Time, their lifespans would have been exhausted, and they would have died halfway.
Lingering near the Source of Time for a single second could be equivalent to a year, or even a decade, in the outside world.
In just the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Wu Tao had already become a white-haired, decrepit old man, prone to collapse at the slightest breeze.
On the other hand, You Meng showed no significant changes.
However, Wu Tao and You Meng's lives were intertwined. If Wu Tao were to die of old age, You Meng would also die.
Therefore, both Wu Tao and You Meng, the human and the cat, were in a hurry. This was a life-and-death race related to time!
To touch the Source of Time, speed was paramount. Realizing this, Wu Tao hurriedly used his遁法 (dùnfǎ - escape technique) to increase his speed, finally reaching the Source of Time before his life reached its end.