Lin Wan stood in the void, surrounded by coiling immortal light.
Her hands formed seals, and a brilliant immortal pattern surfaced on her brow. Her divine sense surged into the river of time like a tide.
As an Immortal Venerable, although she could not, like the Zhu Long, master the rules of time to truly reverse it and change the past, briefly looking back at history and glimpsing past fragments was not a difficult feat for her.
Before her, fragments of time rapidly reversed, ten thousand years of history flowing through her fingertips. The image of the profound ice constantly changed, sometimes whole, sometimes melting.
Finally, it settled on twelve thousand and three hundred years ago.
At that time, the ancient profound ice was still intact, standing quietly in the center of the Witch Clan's sacred land.
Lin Wan's divine sense condensed, and her gaze was directed towards the inside of the profound ice. Embedded in the middle and lower layers of the crystal-clear ice, there was indeed a fist-sized five-colored stone.
The surface of the stone shimmered with colorful light, and within it, a faint shadow of a slender little snake could be seen curled up, sleeping peacefully.
Time continued to flow.
About three thousand years later, the Northern Witch Clan began to try roasting the profound ice with fierce flames. Due to the five-colored stone's lower position, the heat of the flames was concentrated at the bottom, and the ice layer gradually began to show signs of melting.
Lin Wan held her breath, her gaze locked tightly on the five-colored stone.
Then, one day, the five-colored stone suddenly burst with dazzling light! Fine cracks appeared on the stone's surface, and a pitch-black little snake struggled out from within.
It was only as thick as a finger, its scales not yet fully hardened, but it already revealed extraordinary spiritual intelligence.
The little snake seemed to sense the changes in the outside world and began to continuously ram against the bottom of the ice layer. That area had been baked the thinnest by the flames, and each impact caused tiny cracks to appear on the ice surface.
However, how hard was the ancient profound ice? Even after being roasted for ten thousand years, it was not something a newly born little snake could easily break through.
Lin Wan watched as the little snake rammed the ice surface again and again, its scales flaking off, its body covered in blood. But it refused to give up at all, stubbornly repeating this action, day after day, year after year...
Finally, after who knows how many attempts, an extremely small hole appeared at the bottom of the ice layer.
The little snake was overjoyed and immediately tried to drill out.
But the hole was too small, its body got stuck, and its scales scraped against the ice surface, making a teeth-grinding sound. Blood flowed down the ice surface, staining a large area red.
Lin Wan unconsciously clenched her fists.
The little snake twisted its body in pain, but it never shrank back. It inched forward bit by bit, each inch costing it a huge price.
Finally, after exhausting all its strength, it broke free from the constraints of the profound ice!
Lin Wan's gaze followed the heavily wounded little snake. It crawled weakly, leaving a shocking bloodstain on the ice surface. But its eyes were exceptionally bright, filled with a longing for freedom.
Just as the little snake was about to leave the range of the profound ice, Lin Wan suddenly noticed—a faint golden hoop shadow seemed to be floating above its head!
"The Golden Hoop?!"
Lin Wan's heart lurched. It seemed those people had indeed made their move before the little snake took form.
But strangely, the golden hoop's light flickered, seemingly unstable. The little snake also seemed to notice the abnormality, shaking its head in pain, and with a bang, it shattered the phantom of the golden hoop.
And with this jolt, its already weakened aura wilted a bit more.
Fortunately, it was also this jolt that completely opened the small hole on the ground. In the end, the little snake fiercely burrowed into the earth and disappeared from view in the river of time...
Lin Wan's divine sense returned to reality, but she was still immersed in the scene she had just witnessed.
The stubborn figure of the little snake would not leave her mind—its appearance, covered in blood but refusing to give up, the light in its eyes as it broke free, and the faint golden hoop above its head...
What shocked Lin Wan the most was that she was all too familiar with the appearance of that little snake. Although its size was tiny and it was covered in wounds, those pitch-black scales, that spirited look, were clearly...
"Wife..."
She murmured to herself, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
The five-colored stone her father had left behind, after ten thousand years, had finally successfully taken form, and by some strange twist of fate, had come to her side. Was this fate ordained by heaven?
Lin Wan lowered her gaze to the few black scales in her palm, and suddenly they became incredibly precious to her. She finally understood why she had felt this aura was familiar.
It turned out that the gears of destiny had already begun to turn ten thousand years ago...
Before the Profound Ice Stove, Lin Wan stood quietly. Her gaze followed the little snake's retreating figure, and a hard-to-describe pang of heartache welled up in her chest.
Her wife's past continuously flashed through her mind, and the pain and suffering she endured felt as if she were experiencing it herself.
Suddenly, a slight tremor came, and the ancient profound ice began to crack. Lin Wan's attention was drawn over. She watched as the cracks grew larger and larger, until the entire ancient profound ice shattered completely.
With the shattering of the profound ice, the phantom of past time gradually blurred and finally disappeared into the air.
After a long time, Lin Wan came back to her senses and sighed lightly. The next moment, her figure had vanished into the air.
The Wu Tribe's Reunion
Just then, an old man slowly walked into the room. He looked at the empty Xuanbing Cauldron, first froze in surprise, then his face lit up with an ecstatic expression.
"It's done! It's finally done!" The old man shouted excitedly, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably.
With the old man's shout, more and more Wu tribesmen flooded into the room. Seeing the empty Xuanbing Cauldron, they also cheered excitedly. The entire room was filled with an atmosphere of joy and celebration.
However, there was still one thing the old man had not told Lin Wan. The Wu tribe was divided into the Southern and Northern Wu, and this was not merely due to internal strife, but for a deeper reason.
In truth, the Northern Wu were the true sacrifice.
When the Northern Wu melted the Xuanbing, violating their pact with the Holy Sovereign, they had already been destined to suffer heavenly punishment. And all of this was to protect the Southern Wu, allowing them to continue their legacy.
If the day of heavenly punishment truly arrived, the Northern Wu would step forward and bear all the consequences with their own strength. The Southern Wu, in turn, could continue to survive and develop.
This was a cruel reality, but also a helpless choice for the survival of the Wu tribe.
But now, with the Xuanbing gone, the burden weighing on the entire Wu tribe had finally vanished.
Soon, within the Wu tribe's sacred land, bonfires roared, filled with joyous songs and laughter. The tribespeople of the Southern and Northern Wu sat together, sharing fine wine and food.
The young people danced the ancient Wu tribe dances, the drums shaking the sky and the bells ringing clear. The elderly embraced each other, weeping as they spoke of their longing and perseverance over these past hundred thousand years.
"It's finally... over."
The Southern Wu chieftain—that withered old man—trembled as he raised his wine cup, clashing it heavily with his own brother, the Northern Wu chieftain.
"Brother, we did it," the Northern Wu chieftain said, tears in his eyes, his voice choked. "The Northern Wu... did not fail our mission."
The Southern Wu chieftain nodded heavily, murky tears tracing the wrinkles on his face. They were, after all, of the same flesh and blood. And now, with the Xuanbing gone, their fate had finally ended.
"A toast to the Holy Sovereign!"
"A toast to the Holy Son!"
Cheers resounded through the night sky, the aroma of wine filling the air. The young of the Southern and Northern Wu embraced each other, children played and frolicked, and the elders sat together, telling ancient legends.
They could finally stand together openly, no longer burdened by heavy oaths, no longer shackled by ancient vows. The future of the Wu tribe would be written by their own hands...
On a distant mountain peak, Lin Wan quietly watched all of this. The night wind blew her long hair, and moonlight spilled across her shoulders.
There was no turmoil in her eyes; she just watched the celebrating Wu tribespeople calmly, like a detached observer on the outside.
"System."
She called out softly, and a semi-transparent interface immediately appeared before her.
[Ding!]
[Host has completed the "Downworld Loafer" achievement]
[Reward being distributed...]
[Obtained: Law Heavenly, Earthly Image (Complete Version)]
In an instant, a massive torrent of information flooded Lin Wan's sea of consciousness. Countless ancient talismans flowed before her eyes, condensing into a complete divine ability.
Her divine soul suddenly shot up, as if overlooking ten thousand ages. Her body became ten thousand zhang tall, her breath formed clouds, and her stomp could split a continent.
Every gesture and movement could move the laws of heaven and earth; a single fist could shatter stars, a single kick could sever rivers and seas. Above her, the blue heavens were immune to the nine-layered gale winds; beneath her feet, the Yellow Springs feared not the corrosive bone-rot of the underworld.
This was a true supreme immortal method, a top-tier divine ability.
Lin Wan closed her eyes to digest this divine art, a slight smile touching her lips. With it, her strength would rise to another level.
When she opened her eyes again, the Wu tribe's celebration in the distance had reached its climax. The firelight dyed half the sky red, and the songs echoed through the valley.
Lin Wan took one last look, then turned and vanished into the night...
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