Chapter 1024: Going to the Western Paradise

Escaping the torrent of time, Lu Yang found himself riding upon the back of the Nian beast patriarch, surrounded by fiery red clouds that mirrored the beast's own hue.

Enwrapped in these blazing clouds, the Nian beasts traversed the world, indulging in their revelry completely unseen by anyone.

"Fairy, did you see that image just now?" A tremor shook Lu Yang's heart. At some point in the future, the box world would open. Did this mean the five ancient immortals' Dao fruits had all been gathered to defeat the mastermind, or had the Great Qian forces gathered them?

"Ah, ah? What did you just say?" The Immortal Fairy seemed as though she had not yet woken up, her consciousness drifting.

"I asked if you saw that image just now," Lu Yang said, not thinking much of it; it was not the first day the fairy had been like this.

"The image just now refers to this immortal... Wait, what did you see?" The Immortal Fairy suddenly remembered the Time Immortal mentioning these observations of the future, noting that the future seen by each person was not necessarily the same.

"Just that the box world opened. What, did we see different things?"

"The same, of course it's the same."

"The Time Immortal told this immortal about this phenomenon. He said if one falls into the torrent of time, they can see things of the past and future. Past events are fixed, while future events are uncertain; the future we see is merely one possibility."

"So that's how it is."

"Well, how was it? Did you see the future?" The Nian beast patriarch carrying Lu Yang chuckled.

"I told you long ago, being able to see us Nian beasts is a stroke of fortune that countless people could never beg for."

"Well then, what did you see, kid? Did you see yourself becoming a great cultivator, or did you see yourself with a flock of wives and concubines?" The patriarch laughed and asked, having no intention of prying, but simply finding the topic amusing. Lu Yang pondered for a moment; though the patriarch looked terrifying, he was a good beast at heart, so there was no need to hide this from him.

"I saw the box world being opened."

The moment Lu Yang's words fell, he felt the patriarch beneath him abruptly halt his steps. The sheer inertia sent Lu Yang flying straight forward, tumbling a few times before landing right in front of the patriarch.

"What did you say?!" The patriarch stared at Lu Yang in astonishment. Experience dictated that the future seen by anyone entering the torrent of time was intimately bound to their own destiny.

The other Nian beasts showed equally incredulous expressions upon hearing this.

Even though the future Lu Yang saw was merely a single possibility, even a possibility was terrifying enough.

Could it be that the opening of the box world was inexplicably linked to this kid?!

What on earth did this kid do in the future?

"The world was opened, is there a problem with that?" Lu Yang was thoroughly perplexed, unable to comprehend why the Nian beasts were reacting so strongly.

"Fairy, do you know the reason?"

"No idea." The Immortal Fairy did not think it was a big deal. Little Yangzi had first resurrected her, then found the Yingtian Immortal, and who knew who else he would find later. Wasn't it perfectly normal for Little Yangzi to share a causal bond with the opening of the box world?

"It's nothing, nothing." The patriarch realized his loss of composure and repeatedly claimed it was fine.

Their Nian clan loved freedom above all else; what they feared most was associating with individuals of heavy karma like Lu Yang, lest they be contaminated by it.

"By the way, I forgot to ask earlier, are you from the Cloud Chaser Sect?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then do you know that great demon—ah, no, do you know Yun Zhi?"

"I do, she is my Eldest Senior Sister."

"Hahaha, I see, excuse my disrespect! Well then, may our paths cross again, farewell!"

The patriarch no longer had any desire to take Lu Yang along on their travels. A person of heavy karma, and the junior brother of that great demon—he had to distance himself from this guy immediately!

The Nian clan fled in an instant aboard the fiery clouds, leaving Lu Yang entirely alone on the spot.

"Wait a minute, send me back first!" Lu Yang stepped onto the Sword Washing Pool to chase the fiery clouds. The patriarch had flown with him for a long time; where on earth had he brought him?

Yet, even Yun Zhi could not catch up with the Nian clan who traversed through time, so how could Lu Yang hope to manage it?

Lu Yang gave chase for only a short while before the Nian clan vanished from sight, forcing him to give up.

"Speaking of which, where is this?"

Lu Yang noticed a great city not far away. The city was bustling with immense activity, with fireworks bursting in vibrant, colorful arrays—some in the shape of characters, some like lotuses, others like prayer beads, exceptionally beautiful. From Lu Yang's position, the sound of firecrackers within the city could be clearly heard.

Surrounding the great city was a boundless, infinite desert.

Lu Yang descended, approaching the city gates, and looked up to see two large characters carved above.

West Heaven.

...

"Oh no, the Second Chief has been snatched away by a Nian beast!" Yun Mengmeng saw the Second Chief vanish from before her eyes, and remembering how he had just claimed to be fighting a Nian beast, she instantly fell into a panic.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... Right, when in trouble, look for Little Zhi."

The moment this thought struck her, Yun Mengmeng flew out of the Cloud Chaser Sect like the wind, leaving Li Haoran dazed on the spot.

To this moment, he still had not figured out why Lu Yang had brought him over.

"Senior Brother Lu was snatched by a Nian beast? Is there such a custom during the New Year?"

Deeply worried for Lu Yang, Yun Mengmeng dashed straight toward her hometown, the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, after leaving the sect.

She flew over a lake and plunged into the water with a splash, swimming straight to the bottom.

The Peach Blossom Secret Realm sensed her arrival; a vortex appeared at the lakebed, sucking her inside.

Returning to her hometown, Yun Mengmeng caught the familiar scent of peach blossoms. The secret realm enjoyed eternal spring, warm and pleasant, with vast expanses of peach trees blooming across the mountains, their fragrance striking the nose.

Rivers branched out everywhere like tree limbs, and a dense mist of spiritual energy wafted over the water's surface to maintain its concentration. The spiritual energy of the entire realm was easily comparable to the Five Great Immortal Sects.

"Mengmeng." The clansmen of the secret realm smiled and waved at her. The realm was likewise celebrating the New Year, with people playing and frolicking to welcome the turn of the year.

"Sister Niao'er, where is Little Zhi?" Yun Mengmeng asked in a hurry.

"Little Zhi? She should be with Grandma. Is something the matter that you're looking for her so urgently?"

"It's extremely urgent, I'll tell you guys later."

When Yun Mengmeng found Yun Zhi, the latter was leisurely chatting with Grandma, recounting interesting anecdotes from the outside world.

"Mengmeng is back? Come, sit by Grandma's side." Grandma smiled and gestured.

Though addressed as Grandma, her appearance was remarkably young, looking to be in her early twenties, and she carried herself with absolute composure.

"Hmm? Mengmeng, why are you here?" Yun Zhi set down her teacup, slightly puzzled.

"Happy New Year, Grandma. I have an emergency, so I won't sit."

"Disaster has struck, Little Zhi! The Second Chief was snatched away by a Nian beast!"

"To think such a thing happened. Tell me the details?"

"Well, the Second Chief and I were watching fireworks, when suddenly he went 'clatter' and started rolling on the ground. Then, with a 'swoosh', he pinned something down, saying it was a Nian beast. Later, for some reason, he stood up with a 'snap' and fetched Li Haoran with a 'whoosh', as if introducing him to someone. Finally, the Second Chief went 'whoosh', looking like he was snatched up by something's mouth, and then he was gone."

Yun Zhi set down her teacup, automatically filtering out the onomatopoeias in Yun Mengmeng's description, and fell into thought. "So that is how it is. No matter, nothing bad will come of it."