Chapter 0546: Through Dusk
“Let’s go together.” Ning Cheng took out a jug of water from his ring and handed it to Shen Qinyu.
Shen Qinyu took a sip of water from the jug Ning Cheng gave her before looking at Ning Cheng in shock, “Can you use your Spiritual Consciousness in this place?”
Ning Cheng smiled and spoke, “This place greatly restricts my Spiritual Consciousness; however, I can still take out a few things from within my ring.”
“Thank you…..” Shen Qinyu, after drinking the water, felt some of her strength returning. She wanted to ask Ning Cheng to help her take out a set of robes from her ring; however, she immediately held back the thought considering the things she had inside her storage ring. As for requesting Ning Cheng for a set of robes, that idea never crossed her mind.
“If you can continue walking, then we can continue forward. I feel like if we stop walking, we would have no hope of escaping from this place. If we continue forward, maybe one day we’ll find our way out.” Ning Cheng looked at Shen Qinyu and spoke as slowly as possible.
In the beginning, Ning Cheng still thought about leaving Shen Qinyu in a relatively safe location before looking for an exit. Once he found a way out, he would then come back to take Shen Qinyu away. However, after five months of walking around, Ning Cheng realised that this idea would never come to fruition. He had no idea about the direction he travelled in for the past few months. As such, how could he come back in to find someone in the future?
Shen Qinyu took a breath and nodded, “I can go on.”
“Good.” Although Ning Cheng did not observe Shen Qinyu with his Spiritual Consciousness, Ning Cheng could tell that Shen Qinyu looked a little better. As such, he did not ask anything else.
Ning Cheng soon descended into trying to comprehend the flowing time. At first, he could only feel his longevity dissipating at a rapid speed; however, during this process, when he once again tried to understand it, Ning Cheng finally managed to obtain a vague sense about the source of this flowing time.
Not only had he managed to sense the passage of time, but also his Spiritual Consciousness could now extend over a broader range. In the end, Ning Cheng finally managed to extrapolate the general direction of the source of this flowing time. It seemed that the closer he got to the source, the faster the time flowed. At the same time, it also consumed his lifespan at a quicker rate.
Ning Cheng suddenly found himself sobering up. If it were any other place, Ning Cheng definitely would avoid any situation that had such a rapidly flowing time. However, currently, Ning Cheng decided to speed up towards the source of this flowing time. Perhaps this was his only way to get out of this place. At this moment, Ning Cheng no longer tried to conserve his Celestial Essence.
“Junior Apprentice Sister Shen, I think we should hurry…..” Ning Cheng turned around and only spoke half a sentence before immediately stopping.
Shen Qinyu had followed him mechanically, and it currently felt like even her consciousness had disappeared entirely. Replaced by only subconscious movements, repeated one-step at a time.
Not good, she looked like a lamp almost out of oil. Ning Cheng did not dare to think about it anymore, nor could he wait for anything else. He immediately put Shen Qinyu over his back; at the same time, he also took out a few medicinal pills and forced them down her mouth.
As Shen Qinyu’s breathing turning a little smoother, Ning Cheng stimulated his Celestial Essence. However, because of this, time no longer flowed slowly like before, as it even brought up dust from below his feet, indicating that the flow had turned ten times faster compared to the past.
As Ning Cheng started moving in the direction of the source, he sensed his lifespan depleting even quicker. Yet, he moved towards this source with even more fervour. Sometimes the most dangerous place was also the safest place. In any case, Ning Cheng knew that he had no choice right now.
At the same time, the strength of the Mysterious Yellow Formless also started to show its heaven-defying nature. Even if Ning Cheng dashed forward quickly, the Mysterious Yellow Formless continually tempered his Spiritual Consciousness. As his Spiritual Consciousness continued to grow, his senses and perception also deepened alongside his growing Spiritual Consciousness.
At this time, Ning Cheng completely forgot about the passage of time, even the concept of time had seemed to disappear from within his mind. Immersed in a walking epiphany, the flowing time consistently helped him understand a few things about life, allowing him to grasp something esoteric within the years that flowed by him. At the same time, under such circumstances, his Spiritual Consciousness soared unceasingly.
Shen Qinyu suddenly woke up under the influence of this incredibly esoteric aura. She opened her eyes and found herself on Ning Cheng’s back, while Ning Cheng continued running forward under some seemingly unconscious madness.
Coming from a well-established and prominent clan, Shen Qinyu, who also had an excellent master, understood Ning Cheng’s actions in just an instant. An epiphany, and not just an ordinary epiphany, Ning Cheng was caught up in a walking epiphany.
Shen Qinyu already felt incredibly grateful towards Ning Cheng; however, at this moment, she felt nothing but incredulous shock. She had come from what one could consider as the centre of this plane and had seen many geniuses. However, she had never encountered anyone like Ning Cheng. Carrying a person while running wildly towards the deepest part of the Sea of Twilight, yet also experiencing epiphany while in constant motion.
What kind of talent was this? Was this not too terrifying? No wonder he did not have any master, and yet, he could still cultivate all the way to the Celestial Shatterer Realm by himself. Not only did this fellow reach the Celestial Shatterer Realm by himself, but this fellow’s combat effectiveness had also reached incredulous levels.
As a powerful perceptive aura washed over her, Shen Qinyu suddenly closed her eyes and found herself immersed within an epiphany. Previously, the reason she had closed her eyes was that she had almost run out of Celestial Essence, and was akin to a lamp running on the last dregs of oil. However, she closed her eyes right now due to Ning Cheng’s own epiphany,
In other words, Ning Cheng’s epiphany also allowed her to experience an epiphany.
Time around them flowed without end, highlighting the never-ending flow of time. When Shen Qinyu finally opened her eyes again, her eyes showed the excitement she currently felt. She had unexpectedly touched upon something mysterious and as profound as the Laws of Time. At this moment, Shen Qinyu believed that if she had enough time, not only could she quickly advance to the Celestial Bridge Realm, she would also become the only person within the entire starry skies to touch the Laws of Time below the Celestial River Realm.
No, it should be the second person. She immediately realised that Ning Cheng’s epiphany was what allowed her to touch the laws about the flowing time, which meant that Ning Cheng’s understanding definitely had reached a much deeper level compared to her own knowledge. Perhaps, Ning Cheng had not only touched the Laws of Time but had even grasped something that only those experts at the Eternal-level could ever understand.
As Shen Qinyu thought of this, she felt even more shaken in her heart. For a cultivator in the Celestial Shatterer Realm who touched the surface of the Laws of Time could the word genius be enough to describe him or her?
From ancient times to the present moment, which genius could manage to touch the surface of the Laws of Time while in the Celestial Scryer Realm? Not to mention about touching the surface of the Laws of Time, even sensing the Laws of Space was something rarely encountered.
After Shen Qinyu thought through this, she finally reeled in her thoughts, and her gaze fell on Ning Cheng’s back. Previously, when she had touched upon the Laws of Time, she had not noticed the changes in Ning Cheng. However, by the time she retracted her thoughts and saw the changes in Ning Cheng, she almost screamed out.
Ning Cheng’s originally greyish hair had turned entirely white, and even his skin had become much older and wrinkly.
This instantly sobered up Shen Qinyu, only to discover that even her hair had turned silver. The years flew by so fast, she thought. Did this not mean that this unknown wanderer had carried her on his back for two or three years while running? She just could not figure out why this fellow decided to run towards the place where time flowed even faster. If it continued like this, not to mention their lifespan running out in ten years, they might end up running out of longevity.
However, at this moment, Shen Qinyu did not hold on to the desolation and loneliness that she felt in her heart at the start. Sensing the changes, she knew that she only had a one-year worth of lifespan. Yet, during the moment of her impending death, she managed to touch upon the surface of the Laws of Time. Despite the loss of lifespan, for a starry skies cultivator, what could make them happier than this?
A roar immediately roused Shen Qinyu from her thoughts. Ning Cheng had come to a stop and had released that sudden roar from before. Shen Qinyu felt her heart tremble; this roar gave off the feeling of vicissitudes mixed with a sense of joy. Shen Qinyu could not release such a roar; however, the moment she heard this roar, she felt a one-of-a-kind resonance from her Spiritual Soul, originating from the similar epiphany shared by both she and Ning Cheng.
At the same time, she felt stunned at sight in front of her, resulting from a peerlessly magnificent rainbow that had appeared in front of them. One could even see a faint glow in the middle of this rainbow resembling a setting sun. She had never witnessed such a rainbow, nor had she ever experienced such a soul-stirring sunset.
Beautiful, it was just too exquisite for words.
Even the frenzied drain of her longevity could not stop Shen Qinyu from admiring this beautiful scene. This admiration for its beauty came entirely from her heart; no, it came from the deepest recesses of her soul. She did not care if she died the next moment under this beautiful sunset; at the same time, she also did not want to abandon such a mesmerising scene.
“Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow…..” Shen Qinyu murmured the phrase to herself, seemingly understanding some of the underlying meanings and implications.
“Life is as short as the time it takes for a white horse to cross a small gap…[1]” After the roar, Ning Cheng suddenly spoke aloud with a resonant voice.
He finally understood the meaning of this sentence, existing within heaven and earth, this was it exactly meant. Within heaven and earth, a hundred years could just be the time it takes for a finger snap.
“What if I cross this world?” Ning Cheng laughed and unexpectedly dived right into the setting sun, into the most beautiful rainbow under a sunset he had ever seen……
Shen Qinyu’s heart gave out a cry, wanting to stop Ning Cheng. This place felt so beautiful, even if it meant standing in this place looking at this beautiful sunset till she falls, she felt willing enough to stay behind without any regrets. However, this Wanderer had to take her through this beautiful scenery, destroying this beautiful twilight sunset.
Snow-white hair immediately flew up and splashed across Shen Qinyu’s face, allowing Shen Qinyu to sober up and suppress the impulse.
The next moment, an icy-cold aura suddenly hit her and Shen Qinyu felt a cold shiver run through her body as if she had plunged headfirst into icy-cold water. However, she soon felt that something was wrong. The time flowing around them had disappeared without any trace left behind. At the same time, a world covered in snow and ice materialised in front of her eyes.
“I can bring out my Spiritual Consciousness for now, but it’s still restricted to around ten feet. I can at least take out a few things from inside my storage ring…… ” Shen Qinyu could not complete her sentence when her feet landed over the ground.
Ning Cheng put her down; however, she had completely forgotten what she had just said. She looked at Ning Cheng, standing next to her, and felt even more shocked.
In the distant horizon, clouds glowed with gentle sunlight permeating through them while the rainbow reflecting the light of the sun looked even more beautiful. However, this was not the soft red glow of the sunset, nor was the rainbow reflecting the setting sun; instead, it was reflecting the rising sun, the glimmers of dawn.[2]
“That is from where we entered. We entered through the dusk’s setting sun and after wading through the sunset, we emerged from the sunrise, through the glimmers of dawn. Although we are very close to where we passed through, looking back, it feels like a distant memory.” Ning Cheng looked at the red glow in the distant horizon and spoke with a hint of excitement.
Even if he could not obtain anything within the Sea of Twilight, Ning Cheng still felt satisfied. Passing through dusk to emerge from dawn, no one understood this concept better than he did. Moreover, it was something that Ning Cheng had grasped by himself. Combined with walking through the Sea of Twilight for several months, Ning Cheng believed that he could now touch the surface of those unreachable and unattainable Laws of Time without much effort.
At the same moment, he also understood what the phrase ‘Sublime is the beauty of the sun yet to set; so soon, alas, shall the dusky evening follow’ meant.
[1] The actual idiom in Chinese is very short but becomes long when translated into English.
[2] This kind of reminded me of this scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End