A small room filled to the brim with purple mist. Within it, a man with green hair had a young face that can only be described as unrivaled, walked to the center of this small room.
"Here it is, after seven hundred years of my life." He spoke with a whisper so subtle that it can be ignored like a gust of wind.
"I'm losing strength." He muttered, his gait turning more difficult, hunching his back.
This is the backlash of Time. Even though he is a powerful expert, the laws of the universe are crushing him. Trying to reverse the flow of time is considered a sin against the Heavens.
Slowly, step by step he approached closer to the center of the room, his body was shivering madly. Until he sat down in a lotus position, crossing his legs when he finally arrived in the center of the room.
Three heads appeared before him, looking perfectly identical to his, each with differing expressions.
"The depravity of time. Come unto me." He recited to the face that had a grimacing expression. This head vanished in a gust of black that was equally gentle, aggressive, friendly, hostile, quick, and slow.
This is decay, aging, and the inevitable rot time brings to all living things. Sometimes it comes slow, other times not. Other deaths are as gentle as the summer breeze, some are filled with struggle. Others are more easily accepted, some against it to their last breath. By absorbing this, he accepts the weight of his 700 years. It is his Future.
"The devourer of time's creation." He recited to the face that had a paranoid expression. This head vanished in a breeze of red with it being terrified, worried, anxious, distrust, insecure, and resentment.
This is the anxiety and ruthlessness required to survive in a world where time eats its children. Experts kill other experts for resources, requiring vigilance. Learning from experiences, one becomes guarded. Absorbing this, he retains his memories. It is the baggage of his past experiences. This is his Past.
"Here comes the hard part..." He whispered to himself as he braced, fully knowing to take his time on the next one.
"How could you do this!?" A voice of helpless dissapointment.
"Traitor! You are scheming! Disgusting!" A voice of utter revulsion.
Put Yong!" A voice of rage.
Numerous loud and reverberating voices was heard outside the small room.
"That's me. I'm Put Yong." Put Yong smirked, hearing those voices did not change his heart.
"I betrayed everyone, fellow cultivators." Put Yong said casually, his heart still and focused.
His full attention was actually in the head in front of him, his response was entirely intentional to buy time for himself.
"Put Yong! Imbecile!" Another voice shouted.
Outside the small purple mist room, multiple figures were shouting, speaking in rage and dissapointment.
Some sighed, others were decisively trying to destroy the small room. Noticing this, the others gradually cooperated. It only resulted in nothing, not a dent remains to appear, the experts were baffled.
"This attention is too much. One at a time fellow experts, I beg of you." Put Yong said unimpressed, his provocation fell on deaf ears. These experts realized something was amiss.
After a few minutes they decided to combine their different abilities into one move to hurriedly open the small room.
"Right now." Put Yong said in a subtle whisper. He was talking to not put a strain on his focus from his head's conciousness.
"The perfect moment of time. Come unto me." He recited to the face that had an excited expression. This head vanished in a waft of gold carrying audacity, boldness, decisiveness, conviction, and resolve.
This is the now, carrying audacity and resolve. Requiring the most focus to pinpoint the exact moment in the past he wants to land in. This is his Present.
"Hurry and interrupt him!" The cultivators outside finally focused their one combined attack.
With a soundless, speedy beam of light that had mixed properties, it shot. Only milimeters before it could shoot through Put Yong's forehead, he dissapeared.
... ...
The scent of autumn lavishly spread on the grassy plains of The Peng Steppe. Dried leaves fell on the pastures, the endless steppe inducing a sense of life.
This was within Trial Purification Subcontinent, Zhao village had such meager land that it could easily be named as fourth rate. It lived on the outskirts of the large subcontinent, leading them to be the first line of defense should any threat appear on their region. The landmass comprises several subcontinents, each divided into ruling territories.
The starry sky of the night dimmed the less than hundred houses of the village. However, some lights stayed on regardless if most of the residents were asleep.
Paticularly, in the Patriarch's pavillion a ceremony was being held silently. Incense smoke rising, a pristine air gathered in the place. However, the elders were in a heated discussion about the future of their village.
"Trial Purification Kingdom is seeking experts to help with creating formations, when will we give birth to such a genius?" An elder said after a few seconds of thought for the future, peeking at the others reactions.
"It is no use, our master in formations is going insane. We cannot give him any more disciples to simply be led to torture." Another old elder responded.
Everyone's gaze fell on the man beside the patriarch, having grey hair and a sunken face, looking more like a beggar than an elder. The bones on this man was very prominent, anyone without prior knowledge would treat him like a servant.
This was Gau Gou, the Patriarch's brother, drinking alcohol carrying the bitter stench. The man's robes were open, sitting on the ground like a beggar.
Patriarch Xianmu's back is to the crowd, bowing before the sculptures that had the Ancestor Clan Leader's appearance. Bowing from dawn to sunset, until it became night, this was to bring fortune on the children. Imbuing his spiritual essence through the golden sculptures, bringing out luck to the upcoming ceremony.
The elders were in continued heated discussion in hushed voices, they were waiting for fifteen minutes until the Patriarch would stop bowing, for them to talk about the awakening ceremony.
"This year is different from most, the elders' most talented heirs with almost roughly the same age was going to be present." A cultivator that recently became an elder spoke, his tone discontent.
"Indeed, not just roughly, it is the same ages. I heard those old men had planned with their own wives the same day to settle their rivalries through their heirs. Absolutely disgusting." A righteous young looking elder responded with the same discontent, speaking hushed to not be heard.
"I wonder what youths would appear, is that right?" The old bearded man chuckled as he looked up above the wall to glance at the time.
"The neighboring villages will be surprised this time, talents appearing in more than one digit would shock them." Another responded.
Minutes later, the Patriarch collapsed. Gau Gou caught him smoothly, and the elders helped him sit. They handed him spirit stones to recover.
The elders got back in a formation, then kowtowed to the Patriarch at the same time. After a few seconds the Patriarch said, "Lets begin."
"Lets add more investigations before the ceremony to ensure no one cheats."
"Patriarch, this year is an age of geniuses, I give my sincere respects."
"We will topple the other clans. It is an honor to be witnessing it."
"Patriarch, we should kick out Put Yong from the ceremony."
The elders were free to give suggestions, compliments, and gifts in this meeting, being given freedom to voice out their thoughts. The Patriarch allowed the extra precautions before the ceremony, and smiled at the compliments. The moment Put Yong's name was heard on one of the elders lips, the others were staying still to look at the Clan Head's response.
"That would not be necessary, whether his father sullied our reputation or not, we share the same blood as the Clan Ancestor." The Patriarch said calmly, the question caught him off guard, the elders are being very vigilant this year.
This was due to Put Yong's father having been banned without reason to enter Trial Purification Kingdom. Some rumors say the man insulted the emperor, or had relations with a princess there. Regardless, he was a stain for their clan. The elders had already used many methods to search the man's soul and memories of what he did. These all failed, leading them to either call him a threat or someone useless.
After a few more assigning of tasks from the Patriarch, the elders left in good moods, looking forward for the awakening ceremony.
In another side of the Peng Steppe, where a large house seperated by blocks from the other ones, was the best view of the plains.
"Bawk bawk bawk!" This chicken had escaped from the fence and was roaming around in the dead of night.
A lightning struck the chicken pecking the ground for worms, the body burnt into a crisp, perfectly cooked meal. The meal smoothly turned into a heap of wet trash, the rain falling languidly upon it.
This was simply a coincedence that the chicken was struck by lightning.
This is the fickleness of Fate. Just as the chicken was lucky to be cooked, immediately ruined by rain. Put Yong's previous life was a peak of power that turned into a heap of trash, non existent except for his own memories.
A single green leaf moved, dropping to a youth with green hair. He had striking features, eyes laden with pale emerald glow. Brown robes stained in mud, he sat back on the grass.
The lightning strike was a miniscule Heavenly Tribulation. Usually, lightning strikes cultivators when they break the laws of nature. The fact that a chicken was hit right as he arrived, Heaven was looking for him and missed.
A large grin gradually formed on this boy's features. It looked haunting, more similar to a creeping figure on the dark than a human. This was due to his face's wrinkles twisting uncomfortably, meshing together.
"686 years into the past. This is directly challenging the heavens." Put Yong's grin gradually dissapeared, he chuckled by himself.
A light breeze made his robe flutter, drying the wet mud on his clothing weakly. It revealed skin similar to ivory, body lacking in defined muscles.
"How should I live this one?" Put Yong asked the scenery in front of him.