Legend Management Bureau Chapter 429

[ … words ]

“I don’t understand,” Du Yu declared firmly. “Even if everyone in this world were lying to me, I would naturally learn my lesson the hard way. Who are you to point fingers? What is the purpose behind everything you do?”

Hearing this, Time fell silent for a moment. Instead of directly answering Du Yu’s question, he countered,

“Du Yu, what do you think ‘Time’ is?”

“‘Time’?” Du Yu felt this question bordered on the philosophical. He pondered for a moment before answering, “I think time is a mighty river flowing relentlessly forward.”

“Many people in this world believe time is a river, constantly flowing in a single direction,” Time remarked, looking at Du Yu meaningfully. “But such an idea is far too narrow. If ‘Time’ were a ‘river’, how could you possibly return to the past? Which drop of water in a river can flow upstream?”

Hearing this, Du Yu asked impassively, “Then what do you say time is?”

“Those who have truly comprehended ‘Time’ see it as a ‘Thread’. It does not flow; it has existed right here from the very beginning. You can stand outside this Thread and examine the contents of any segment along its length.”

Du Yu frowned, falling into silence.

Time added, “But is ‘Time’ really a Thread? In my heart, time is a ‘web’, composed of countless such ‘Threads’, constantly intertwining and connecting with one another.”

Time smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, “Me…? You think I am ‘Time’, but in truth, the concept of ‘Time’ does not exist in this world at all. What humans call ‘Time’ is entirely a fallacy. Do you know how humans record ‘Time’?”

Du Yu thought for a moment and said, “Speak, I’m listening.”

Time nodded. “A ‘second’ is the distance the second hand moves by one tick. A ‘day’ is the distance of the Earth’s rotation for one full circle. A ‘year’ is the distance of the Earth’s revolution around the sun for one full circle. Have you realized it…? When humans try to record time, they are actually using units of distance.”

“So what are you trying to convey?” Du Yu frowned, his mind already calculating.

“It’s simple,” Time said. “The concept of ‘Time’ simply does not exist in this world, nor can people ever capture ‘Time’. The reason I exist is merely due to humanity’s obsession.”

Du Yu seemed to grasp Time’s meaning. “Are you saying… you are an entity born from a certain obsession?”

“How can you say that?” Time smiled faintly. “You are quite impolite. Do you… not have any obsessions yourself?”

“Me…?” Du Yu blinked, unsure of how to answer.

Time waved his hand, and a bloody corpse drifted over from the distance. Du Yu took one look and jumped in shock.

It was actually He Suoyi’s corpse.

“I killed this person for you. Does that soothe the resentment in your heart?” Time asked with a smile.

For some reason, Du Yu felt that Time’s appearance was quietly changing… He seemed to have grown a bit younger.

Looking at He Suoyi’s corpse, Du Yu felt a sense of melancholy.

Even with him dead, what did it change?

What was lost remained lost; what had vanished remained vanished.

Du Yu had constantly rushed through this spacetime rift simply to kill He Suoyi.

But now that he was truly dead, the outcome hadn’t changed at all.

“If I’m not mistaken…” Time shook his head. “Even seeing He Suoyi’s corpse, you still won’t let go of your obsession. So, where does your obsession truly lie?”

He waved his hand again, and a small fragment of spacetime flew over from the dazzling galaxy.

Time caught the fragment in his hand and gave it a gentle wave. The scenery surrounding the two of them instantly transformed.

They had returned to the battlefield of the great war.

This was the scene after He Suoyi’s explosion. At this moment, only a sparse few dozen immortal beings stood on the ground. However, their time had been paused; they remained completely motionless.

High above in the sky, billions of Threads were frozen in place, interspersed with countless Thread spirits that had transformed into nature spirits.

Time smiled and said, “Once this scene resumes moving, everyone in the world will die.”

“You…!” Du Yu gritted his teeth as he took in the sight. The dark cloud that had been lingering in his mind for the past few days finally surfaced. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

“It’s simple,” Time replied. “Do you want to save them?”

“Save them?” Du Yu sharply sensed something amiss. “If I’m not mistaken, this is a ruinous question.”

“Oh?” Time suddenly became intrigued. “Do tell, why is this question ruinous?”

Du Yu sneered, then replied, “If I say I want to save them, I will become you… right?”

“Ha, hahahaha!” Time instantly burst into boisterous laughter, clutching his stomach as if he had heard the most amusing joke. “Oh my… Du Yu, you are absolutely hilarious.”

“Hilarious?!” Du Yu glared fiercely at Time. “What’s so funny about it? You are no different from You Si. Everything you’ve done is just to find a new ‘Time’ so you can be replaced. Am I right?”

Time’s smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a profound expression. “You Si will never succeed.”

“What?” Du Yu was taken aback. “If You Si can’t succeed, does that mean you can?”

“Exactly.” Time suddenly grew serious, telling Du Yu, “Only by finding someone ‘willing’ to become Time can I finally leave.”

“‘Willing’…” Du Yu muttered the word under his breath, a bizarre feeling washing over him. “No wonder You Si won’t succeed… So you think I’ll willingly become Time?! On what grounds, and for what reason?”

Time pointed at the frozen figures in the distance and said slowly, “Because only by becoming ‘Time’ can you save them.”

“Oh?” Du Yu curled his lip. “Then this requires even more scrutiny. You say I can save them by becoming ‘Time’, but I clearly have other methods.”

“Is that so?” Time slowly walked forward, and Du Yu noticed his appearance changing once more. “Du Yu, do you really have a way? You think you can change this ending without becoming ‘Time’?”

“That’s right,” Du Yu scoffed. “I can just have you do it for me. After all, you are already ‘Time’. I can make a deal with you. Whatever you want to do, I’ll do it in your stead, and in return, you help me reverse this outcome.”

“Pfft!” Time couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst into roaring laughter. “Hahahahaha!”

Time laughed uproariously for a long time, stomping his feet and thumping his chest. Then, in a flash, he grabbed Du Yu by the collar and snarled viciously,

“Do you have any idea how many years I’ve sat on that stone bench to atone for the mistakes I’ve made, young kid?!”