The Courtyard Hidden Deep in the Illusory Star Paradise, Where History Autonomously Corrects Itself

After stepping out of ancient history, Chen Yi returned to the banks of the River of Time.

Looking back, he saw faint ripples spreading across the once-calm river surface.

This was the phenomenon of subtle changes occurring in the established course of history.

It was like tossing a pebble upstream—though it only splashed briefly at first, the ripples could amplify layer by layer, potentially swelling into a tidal wave by the time they reached the downstream.

Fortunately, the past Chen Yi had altered was insignificant to the grand flow of history. The earliest change traced back over 800 years, leaving ripples so faint they were barely discernible.

The most recent adjustment was 18 years ago. Though the disturbance was noticeable, it had little impact on history’s trajectory. Moreover, since Chen Yi shouldered all the resulting karma himself, the turbulence in this stretch of the River of Time subsided after a few years, returning to stillness.

"Hahaha! I saved the old man, mended the regrets of my youth, and even encountered the Tribulation of Immortal Ascension again—this trip was a resounding success!"

Chen Yi laughed heartily, arcs of lightning crackling around him—unrefined Chaos Divine Thunder forcibly stuffed into his body was now detonating.

The gains from this venture were substantial. Once fully digested, they would allow him to create at least 300 more clones!

With this, even without summoning clones from elsewhere, he’d have enough to dispatch in search of the Heavenly Key in the Divine Realm!

"Xie Buruo, the Holy Son of the Eastern Sea’s Merfolk and a Great Luo Realm cultivator—I wonder if you can handle a five-star clone?"

Chen Yi’s gaze turned profound as he summoned a vortex of time and space, parting the shimmering node before stepping through.

Zzzzt—!

Crackle—!

Amidst a storm of lightning, Chen Yi returned to his original timeline, reappearing before the Ziwei Heavenly Dao after just a second’s absence.

"Hahaha, exhilarating!"

The Ziwei Heavenly Dao: "......"

After a pause, it spoke again, its tone a mix of delight and bewilderment:

"Congratulations on your success, Brother Yi. But for some reason, my memories seem slightly altered—specifically regarding Chen Dalei. Did you... do something?"

Chen Dalei had died during Chen Yi’s humble beginnings. After rising to power, Chen Yi had once asked the Heavenly Dao to trace Chen Dalei’s reincarnations, hoping to amend the regrets of his youth.

The Heavenly Dao remembered searching meticulously back then, only to confirm that Chen Dalei’s soul had dissipated after multiple cycles of reincarnation, unable to withstand the erosion of time.

Chen Yi had been deeply disheartened, though he never voiced it. Instead, he began delving into the Dao of Time, ostensibly to revisit his past tribulations—but the Heavenly Dao alone knew his true motive was to see Chen Dalei again.

Because this regret weighed heavily on Chen Yi, the Heavenly Dao had committed the details to memory.

Yet now, after Chen Yi’s journey through the River of Time, those memories had grown hazy, as if rewritten.

Chen Dalei’s soul, which should have reincarnated, was now marked as "missing," and the Heavenly Dao’s mind had seamlessly filled in the gaps...

"You remember all that so clearly?" Chen Yi smiled faintly. "And now?"

This was merely history self-correcting—minor discrepancies would soon resolve.

The Ziwei Heavenly Dao, now in the form of a cat, crouched pensively before shaking its head. "Huh? What was I just thinking about?"

"Oh right—Chen Dalei! Brother Yi, when you traveled back through the River of Time... did you secretly take his soul with you?"

Chen Yi gave a slight nod, retrieving a divine pearl from the depths of his consciousness. "He’s right here."

The cat’s round eyes gleamed with understanding. "That explains it! I knew a Foundation Establishment eighth-layer cultivator’s soul wouldn’t just vanish without a trace. I searched for ages and found nothing..."

Evidently, history’s revisions had led the Heavenly Dao to accept this new reality, seamlessly overwriting the past.

Had the changes impacted history’s course more severely, the Heavenly Dao would’ve resisted, causing dissonance or even catastrophic upheaval.

But of course, Chen Yi would never allow such a scenario.

He was far too meticulous—always planning before acting, weighing every move, never engaging in battles he couldn’t win!

"Come, follow me inside!"

With a wave, Chen Yi unsealed the deepest restrictions of the Illusory Star Cave Heaven, revealing a lush green mountain.

At its base stood a thatched cottage, its fenced yard housing a solitary grave.

The grave was overgrown with grass—three meters tall, yet neatly trimmed, swaying like a cascading mane.

Though verdant, it wasn’t a symbol of betrayal. The vibrant, thriving foliage instead represented the living’s longing for the departed, a hope for resurrection.

A breeze rustled through.

The grass swayed gently, as if greeting the newcomers.

Yet the visitor showed no reverence.

Chen Yi unceremoniously swept aside the burial mound, then pried open the coffin—crafted from Eternal Life Wood—exposing its occupant: a white-haired youth with rosy, lifelike skin, as if merely asleep.

His identity was unmistakable.

This was Chen Dalei, his body restored to its youthful prime.

Eternal Life Wood brimmed with boundless vitality, capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh.

Even if the coffin had held only a handful of ashes, the wood would’ve reconstructed the original body at its peak condition.

A treasure among life-type artifacts—though effective only for those below the Nascent Soul stage.

Its drawback was severe: the revived flesh often developed sentience, reanimating as a mindless corpse—a "living dead" or revenant—lacking a complete soul.

But to a powerhouse like Chen Yi, this flaw was negligible. He would never permit the old man’s body to awaken as a revenant.

"Old man, you always boasted about your youthful strength—how you could kill an ox with one punch before even cultivating..."

"Now, it’s your time to shine!"

Eyes brimming with nostalgia, Chen Yi melted the divine pearl, releasing the slumbering soul within and returning it to its rightful vessel.