Chapter 2958: A Signal Beyond the Heavens
At that moment, the Celestial Thearch and Song Shuhang were only about a meter apart—a distance so insignificant to those of their caliber that it was practically nonexistent.
Moreover, the Celestial Thearch had been resurrected in perfect form. At such a close range, if she were to make a move, thrusting her sword, no one across the myriad realms could evade it!
Just as the Celestial Thearch prepared to strike...
The Phoenix Master hastily explained, "It's coming—this is the Celestial Thearch's ultimate move—'Senile Dementia Sword!' Anyone struck by this blade is doomed to wither into senility over the endless passage of time!"
Song Shuhang: "!!!"
See, this is why names are so important.
The same move, the same power, the same effect, but change the name, and the gravitas changes by an entire plane of existence.
'Senile Dementia Sword' compared to the Celestial Thearch's announced 'Sword of Time—Fleeting Clouds, Flowing Water for Ten Years'—both have the same nature, but the difference in prestige is staggering.
If my "Basic Fist Techniques, Part II" were renamed to "Meteor Fist—Shattering the Moon and Splitting the Mountain Peaks, Meteor Sweeping the Dawn Sky," its prestige would probably shoot through the roof as well!
Even when facing the Celestial Thearch's sword, Song Shuhang's mind, enhanced by his "Slaying Three Corpses Tribulation Immortal" level, was still able to flash through these unrelated thoughts.
Of course, he hadn't given up on resisting. His body instinctively tried to dodge as the Celestial Thearch struck.
But the one-meter range was too small, fully within the domain of the Celestial Thearch's "Time Dao."
The Celestial Thearch's finger finally touched Song Shuhang!
Time and the force of years were violently propelled.
Under the influence of this strike, Song Shuhang's body stiffened, unable to move.
In his pupils, countless streams of information rapidly processed—that was the Confucian Sage's Eye, receiving information and converting it, feeding it back to Song Shuhang.
A few breaths later.
"Hahh~" The Celestial Thearch exhaled softly, withdrawing her finger.
"What did you do to Shuhang?" Pavilion Master Chu's hair strand asked.
Pavilion Master Chu didn't seem intent on attacking the Celestial Thearch. Given her level, she could naturally tell that the Celestial Thearch's strike hadn't harmed Song Shuhang.
"First, I poked Senior Song, who's currently in Cheng Lin's form, to collect some interest~ And, of course, to practice my technique for when I slice through the real Cheng Lin later. I'll be more proficient by then." The Celestial Thearch replied.
Pavilion Master Chu's hair strand: "..."
"And also, I used that strike to end Senior Song's long-standing 'enlightenment' state and give him part of the answer." The Celestial Thearch continued.
Since Song Shuhang had cut her down once before, he'd been affected by the Celestial Thearch's earlier primordial spirit's "obliteration," leaving him in a prolonged state of "enlightenment plus Dao comprehension."
However, the problem with "enlightenment" is that if it lasts too long, it can lose its soul, the critical "flash of insight" during the moment of realization.
Thus, the Celestial Thearch took this opportunity to provide Song Shuhang with part of the correct answer, allowing him to exit the soulless state of enlightenment.
"What information did you give to Shuhang?" the Scarlet Heaven Sword asked.
It could feel the "Path of Longevity" aura on Song Shuhang becoming more complete. Was the Celestial Thearch giving Song Shuhang information that would complete his "Path of Longevity"?
"The ancient Heavenly Court, aside from a few constraints, has some similarities with Senior Song's 'Repair Chat System.' The information I gave him was the complete details of that portion, along with my personal insights." The Celestial Thearch replied.
The Stele Spirit spoke up, "Are you sure you have no ulterior motives towards Shuhang?"
"If I say I have no ulterior motives towards Senior Song, would you believe me?" the Celestial Thearch responded.
The Phoenix Master immediately chimed in, "I believe you!"
In modern terms, the Phoenix Master was practically a die-hard fan of the Celestial Thearch.
"Thank you for your trust, Phoenix Immortal." The Celestial Thearch smiled and added, "But I don't even believe myself~"
Phoenix Master's claws trembled: "!!!"
"Well, I'm off. I'll be back in a few days." The Celestial Thearch thought for a moment, reached out to Song Shuhang, and snatched away his blanket, which hadn't yet been used, draping it over herself.
After wrapping the blanket around herself, she dispelled the illusion on her body.
"Where are you going?" the Scarlet Heaven Sword asked, puzzled.
The Celestial Thearch: "Like I said, I'm going to cut Cheng Lin."
"Uh-huh. Do you even know where Cheng Lin is?" the Scarlet Heaven Sword questioned.
The Celestial Thearch: "Don't worry... I have a lead."
With that, the Celestial Thearch kicked her long legs into the void, opened a spatial gate, and disappeared.
The Scarlet Heaven Sword: "..."
After some thought, it contacted Daoist Scarlet Heaven.
Scarlet Heaven: "???"
What kind of weird nickname is 'Ashao'?
The Scarlet Heaven Sword explained, [I noticed that Fairy Sound Bamboo calls Shuhang 'Ashu' so affectionately, so I figured I'd change things up. But if I called you 'Achi,' it'd sound like an insult. So, I went with 'Ashao.']
Scarlet Heaven: "..."
[Anyway, on a serious note, Ashao, the Celestial Thearch is going to cut Cheng Lin. You might want to warn Cheng Lin to be careful.] The Scarlet Heaven Sword advised.
Daoist Scarlet Heaven thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you just tell the Celestial Thearch that Cheng Lin has gone to the mysterious island?"
The Scarlet Heaven Sword: [???]
Isn't that selling out your teammate?
"The truth is, Cheng Lin has also been looking for the Celestial Thearch. If the Celestial Thearch wants to cut Cheng Lin, it'll fulfill both of their wishes. Isn't that perfect?" Daoist Scarlet Heaven replied.
The Scarlet Heaven Sword: [That actually makes a lot of sense.]
But by now, the Celestial Thearch was already gone.
...
...
Meanwhile, in the temporary chat group Song Shuhang was part of.
"Fairy Cheng Lin, do you think you can handle the Celestial Thearch?" Senior White casually asked.
He knew Fairy Cheng Lin had been keeping tabs on Song Shuhang's situation, so she was undoubtedly aware of the Celestial Thearch's resurrection.
"Not really, but it doesn't matter, Senior White... I've already died more than once." Fairy Cheng Lin replied, "Besides, the Celestial Thearch looking for Fairy Cheng Lin has nothing to do with me, Cheng Goudan. Who's Cheng Lin anyway? Never heard of her."
"Good to hear." Senior White responded calmly.
Members of the "Nine Provinces Number One Group" had a knack for maintaining composure during the wildest of conversations.
"By the way, Song Shuhang, how are you holding up?" Fairy Cheng Lin asked.
After taking a strike from the Celestial Thearch, his physical body was frozen in place, unable to move. It was unclear if his consciousness was still communicative.
[System Alert: Tyrannical Song has crashed... Please try again later.]
"You've crashed again? Not to be harsh, but you really need to upgrade your hardware to keep up with the times." Fairy Cheng Lin remarked.
But at that moment, Song Shuhang was unable to respond.
Under the influence of the Celestial Thearch's "Sword of Time—Fleeting Clouds, Flowing Water for Ten Years," he realized that his signal seemed to be syncing with another signal from the void.
The reason they were syncing was because both signals originated from the same source.
One was Song Shuhang's own signal, while the other... transcended the myriad realms, existing high above the heavens.