If the proper way doesn't work, then I'll have to resort to some improper methods

Inside the Celestial Robe Stele, Cui Changsheng's true spirit consciousness was in a state of deep hibernation, impervious to ordinary stimuli. This showed just how much trust he placed in Chen Yi—believing that with Chen Yi guarding the Celestial Robe Stele, there was nothing left to worry about. His sense of security was utterly unshakable!

Yet, he never could have imagined that Chen Yi would stab him in the back!

In an instant, an invasion occurred!

An overwhelmingly domineering will forcibly surged into the depths of the Celestial Robe Stele, ruthlessly forcing its way into Cui Changsheng's still-drowsy true spirit!

Everything happened far too quickly. By the time Cui Changsheng realized what was happening, it was already too late.

His consciousness felt as though it was being violently yanked upward, as if a supercharged booster had been strapped to his backside, launching him straight into the heavens in an instant!

Dazed and disoriented, his mind flickered in and out of awareness...

Then, abruptly, a dazzling, nine-colored radiance burst before his eyes!

This light... Cui Changsheng recognized it immediately. It was the Time Veil—the luminous barrier shrouding the main current of the Immortal Realm's River of Time!

In that moment, overwhelming terror consumed him.

"Wait... the Immortal Realm's River of Time? How could my consciousness appear here? Has my true self perished, requiring my guidance to return?"

"No!"

"I can clearly sense that my true self still exists. Though his aura is weakened, it’s nowhere near the point of annihilation. So why am I here? What in the world is happening?!"

"Where is Chen Yi? Where is he?!"

Utterly bewildered, Cui Changsheng instinctively sought Chen Yi's help.

But Chen Yi remained silent, only continuing to forcefully take control.

Using his four-star avatar within the Immortal Realm's River of Time as an anchor, his will—unhindered by the passage of time—as the conduit, and the connection between Cui Changsheng's true spirit and his true self as the guide, Chen Yi forcibly reestablished contact with Cui Changsheng's lost true self and locked onto his spatiotemporal coordinates!

"Oooohhh!!!"

"Chen Yi?! Is that you?!"

"What are you doing?! Wait, wait, I—"

The sudden acceleration was too much for Cui Changsheng. His true spirit traversed endless time and space in an instant, the sheer force of the thrust unbearable. Were it not for Chen Yi's tyrannical will shielding him, his fragile spirit would have been torn apart by the crushing pressure of the infinite void!

A will capable of piercing through time without delay was an absurdly overpowered ability. And aside from the freak who possessed it, few could withstand the relentless pressure of the endless epochs bearing down upon them!

This was nothing like walking upon the River of Time in person. When physically traversing the river, one could rely on specific methods to counteract the erosion of time, minimizing the pressure endured.

But forcibly projecting one's will into the past meant bearing the full weight of history—enduring the impact of countless heroic wills etched into the annals of time!

It was the difference between rowing a boat along the river and diving straight into the water to swim.

Walking the River of Time was like rowing. Piercing through time with sheer will was like swimming against the current!

This pressure was something even Cui Changsheng's true self couldn’t withstand, let alone a mere wisp of his spirit.

So, after just two and a half years' worth of temporal thickness, Cui Changsheng's true spirit triggered its self-preservation mechanism and blacked out completely.

"Good. Now, nothing can interfere with my operations."

Chen Yi smirked, gripping Cui Changsheng's spirit tightly as he followed the sensed direction, traversing the boundless void in an instant.

As he had said before—Cui Changsheng had lag. Chen Yi did not.

Across the endless barriers of time and space, even the slightest delay could lead to catastrophic deviations. Having Cui Changsheng's spirit awake would only hinder his movements!

Buzz—!!!

His domineering will surged forth, crossing infinite time and space in the blink of an eye!

When the distances of time and space were erased, the forgotten annals of history would inevitably be remembered once more!

"Found you!"

Chen Yi's eyes blazed as he flipped forward and plunged into the Immortal Realm's River of Time, pinpointing a single droplet of water drifting within the vast currents of time.

Forgotten histories did not merge with the flow of time. They existed independently, isolated. Unless one was part of that history, they could observe but never enter.

"Heh, interesting. Another lock to pick, huh? Let me see..."

Chen Yi rubbed against the droplet, probing its surface. Though a thin membrane of causality separated it—impenetrable without the right cause and effect—he eventually found a tiny gap and slipped in, just a little.

Of course, he only managed to wedge himself in slightly. To fully enter, he needed to locate the precise moment in time and form a causal contract.

Forcing his way in risked disrupting the chain of causality, potentially causing the entire forgotten history to collapse!

That was unacceptable—because Cui Changsheng was still inside!

So...

Plop—

The heavy currents of time slapped against his face as Chen Yi peered closely. The forgotten history unfolded before him like a dynamic scroll.

This scroll was long, every inch representing the passage of time within it.

Yet it was also short—its beginning and end overlapping, cycling endlessly, a testament to its forgotten nature.

Chen Yi observed the history like watching a video, freely adjusting the playback speed, skipping the unimportant parts and focusing only on the key moments.

Soon, he saw it—

Cui Changsheng, in his pursuit of refining a primordial Dao mark, had accidentally stumbled into the Chi Tian Cavern. Discovering that this history had been forgotten, completely hidden from the Immortal Realm, he was overjoyed!

This was a turning point. But Chen Yi couldn’t form a causal contract here to fully enter the history.

He had to keep scrolling.

Soon, he saw another scene—

Cui Changsheng receiving a message from two ghostly envoys of the Divine Realm, cautiously linking with the Celestial Robe Stele to relay information. Then, suddenly, Chi Tian himself leaped out, seizing Cui Changsheng in an attempt to refine him!

"Keh keh keh!"

"I never thought the Indestructible Celestial Court would be so full of fatal flaws! This is my chance—you shall all become my tools!"

"Keh keh keh!!!"

Chen Yi: "..."

Is this really an Immortal Emperor?

Oh, right—a scavenger Immortal Emperor. That explains it.

The only downside was that this turning point had been thrown into chaos by Chi Tian's appearance, making it impossible for Chen Yi to form a causal contract.

He had to keep scrolling, searching for the next opportunity.

But there were no more turning points left.

Cui Changsheng had only entered this forgotten history because he had tampered with Chi Tian's primordial Dao mark, forming a causal contract that led him into the Chi Tian Cavern.

And as everyone knew—Chen Yi couldn’t refine primordial Dao marks. So he couldn’t form the contract.

All he could do was helplessly watch as Cui Changsheng, locked in battle with Chi Tian, grew weaker and weaker, until he was finally exhausted and refined...

At the end of the history’s timeline, the cycle simply repeated.

The only difference was that Chi Tian had begun erasing the turning points, wiping away all traces of Cui Changsheng's presence and settling the causal debts.

If he succeeded in eliminating the last remnants of Cui Changsheng, then Cui Changsheng would truly perish. Even if he could eventually return using the failsafes left in the Celestial Robe Stele, his primordial Dao mark—once lost—would be gone forever!

How could this be allowed?!

Chen Yi's gaze darkened as he swiftly removed the 2.0 version of the Heaven-Shielding Robe from his body and began warming up.

Since he couldn't enter this ancient history through proper channels, he would have to resort to some... less orthodox methods!