What are you doing over there Could it be that you've spotted me

The River of Time in the immortal realm is the main current, while the mortal realms are countless tributaries branching out.

Wuji acted ruthlessly—not only did he seal the gates to the immortal realm in the present era, but he also dispatched numerous Time-Space Inspectors to patrol the River of Time. He even severed and isolated all convergence points between the immortal realm’s main current and the mortal realms’ tributaries, stationing heavy guards to prevent Ling Xiao from exploiting any loopholes.

To put it bluntly, sealing the immortal gates in the present was the most cost-effective solution, while sending forces back to block the flow of time became the greatest expenditure of the Wuji Celestial Court.

But Wuji had no choice. To maintain stability in the immortal realm, he had to dump all the idle elements into the River of Time to keep them occupied.

So what if the costs were high? At least they weren’t loitering around the immortal realm, stirring up trouble out of sheer boredom!

"Hmm, not bad. Though a bit lazy, at least none have abandoned their posts. It’s worth the celestial court spending so much immortal essence to sustain them..."

Wuji, the Immortal Emperor, descended to the mortal realms in his avatar, conducting incognito inspections at various tributary points. Seeing the Time-Space Inspectors dutifully stationed, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of satisfaction.

Truth be told, after uncovering the true nature of that freak ‘Chen Yi,’ his perpetually tense mood had eased considerably. There was no longer a need to rush for immediate gains—he even had the leisure to admire the empire he had built!

Though the immortal realm had just returned to order after a great upheaval and had yet to fully recover, and though remnants of Ling Xiao’s malignant influence still festered in the lower realms, the vibrant vitality of all things competing to thrive was already palpable!

Wuji was convinced he would surpass Ling Xiao’s legacy.

Once he achieved transcendence and proved his path as the Chaos Sovereign, he would leave behind a flourishing immortal realm—not the lifeless stagnation of Ling Xiao’s reign!

But restoring the immortal realm’s vitality required massive resource investment.

Yet after years of exploitation, the Void Expanse had been stripped barren, with hardly a decent mineral vein left. To find new resources, they had to venture deeper.

The cost, however, was staggering. If they struck a major deposit, the returns would justify the expense.

But if they found nothing... the celestial treasury wouldn’t even have the funds to organize another expedition!

And the reality was, out of a hundred treasure-hunting expeditions sent into the uncharted depths of the Void Expanse, ninety-eight returned empty-handed.

Times were tough—truly tough for the Wuji Celestial Court.

So desperate was Wuji that he turned his gaze to the ancient immortal clans.

One round of "harvesting" left him half-satiated, but never fully satisfied. After all, you couldn’t keep reaping the same field—these clans were vital to the immortal realm’s ecosystem. The harvest had to be slow, methodical, prioritized, and sustainable. Start with the plumpest, then the robust, allowing the weaker ones time to grow. Let the early harvests pave the way for later ones, adjusting tactics as needed...

Yet no matter how they cut it, this was still internal consumption. Even if it briefly revived the realm, it was a false prosperity—eventually, overexploitation would drain their reserves dry.

How could this be allowed?

Wuji had sworn to become the greatest Immortal Emperor in history!

And so, Ling Xiao—who had fled with the accumulated wealth of nine epochs—became an irresistible temptation.

That treasure hoard was enough to sustain the immortal realm’s glory for at least three more epochs!

If he could seize it, the Wuji Celestial Court would no longer need to scrimp and save. The treasury could fund countless expeditions to tap new resources!

"Just get my hands on it, just get my hands on it!"

"Ling Xiao, you can’t handle the Epoch Vault. Leave it to me. Your time is over—resistance is futile!"

"I’m coming for you, Ling Xiao. This time, I’ll crush any hope of your return from the annals of history. Once I digest the Epoch Vault, deal with that freak ‘Chen Yi,’ and eliminate all threats... I’ll personally journey through time to deliver your final end!"

"......"

As Wuji’s thoughts wandered, Chen Yi—trailing far behind—couldn’t help but twitch his lips.

"Uh... what’s Wuji muttering about? Why isn’t he going after Ling Xiao? Did I just hear something about a ‘freak’ and ‘Yi’? Hope he’s not bad-mouthing me on the sly..."

"No idea what he’s dawdling for. Could he have spotted me?"

"Doesn’t seem like it..."

"Why’s he wandering around again? Ling Xiao couldn’t possibly be over there."

"Is this an inspection tour? At a time like this, he’s got the nerve to sightsee?"

"Delays breed chaos, Brother Wuji! If Ling Xiao really slips away, you’re screwed!"

"Wait—is he actually onto me? Leading me on a wild goose chase?"

"......"

Chen Yi was losing patience. Watching Wuji drag his feet instead of getting to the point, his grip tightened on his halberd.

Though he’d covered his tracks flawlessly, an Immortal Emperor’s mind was inscrutable. If Wuji had indeed detected him and was toying with him... then it was time for a direct clash!

A single strand of primordial dao trace manifested as an Immortal Emperor’s avatar—could his six-star clone handle it?

Fortunately, Wuji remained oblivious to the ‘freak’ tailing him. After another bout of meandering, he finally picked up a lead and charged out of the River of Time, chasing the fading scent of Ling Xiao with single-minded fervor.

Relieved, Chen Yi exhaled deeply. Then, gripping his halberd, he carefully pried open a temporal rift and slipped through, silently following Wuji into the unknown void.