Fiancée Stolen by MC, I Trip Them up-Chapter 239 - 141: Sage of Time

Chapter 239: Chapter 141: Sage of Time
The old monk saw the protagonist disappear into the palace, and his face changed instantly.
"Why won’t you let me in?" the old monk was anxious.
The old monk’s divine soul was stored in a ring made from the Soul Nourishing Stone on the protagonist’s hand. It couldn’t remain outside for long, or else the soul power would deplete until it dissipated completely!
However, no one paid him any attention.
The old monk tried a few more times, but each time he was blocked by the Seven-Colored Barrier.
At this moment, the old monk’s soul body trembled.
He could clearly feel the soul power beginning to scatter.
"Little monk....."
The old monk shouted loudly towards the palace, both anxious and exasperated.
It was unclear whether the palace was blocking the old monk’s voice or if the protagonist was deliberately ignoring it.
The old monk’s soul power was rapidly dissipating, and his expression grew increasingly urgent.
But the protagonist never appeared.
Meanwhile.
The protagonist stepped into the palace, and the grand door behind him disappeared instantly.
In front of him was a dazzling Seven-Colored Lotus.
"Come here."
The Seven-Colored Lotus slightly trembled, and the old voice sounded once more.
The protagonist stepped forward, looking at the Seven-Colored Lotus, and curiously asked, "Who are you?"
"You can call me the Sage of Time," the old voice said.
The protagonist paused for a moment: "Sage of Time? Which sect are you from? Why have I never heard of it before?"
The Sage of Time’s tone softened, explaining, "I am not from your Cultivation World, I come from the world of Fighting Spirit and Magic."
"What’s that?" The protagonist was taken aback again.
The Sage of Time said, "Fighting Spirit and Magic, just like cultivation in your world, are forms of an advanced and brilliant cultivation civilization."
The protagonist asked skeptically, "So how did you come here?"
The Sage of Time replied, "We came at the invitation of the sages of your world, to defend against a common enemy of all Plane Worlds!"
"What is that enemy?"
The protagonist’s mind stirred, thinking of something, and said, "Do you mean ’Spirits’?"
The Sage of Time said, "’Spirits’ are manifestations of rule fragments. Although their peculiar ways sometimes bring us trouble, ’Spirits’ are our allies, not foes!"
The Sage of Time’s words completely overturned the protagonist’s understanding.
He always thought that ’Spirits’ were enslaving this world and were the common enemies of all, but unexpectedly, the Sage of Time claimed ’Spirits’ were allies of humankind.
The protagonist asked doubtfully, "If ’Spirits’ aren’t the enemy, then who is?"
The Sage of Time replied, "The Ancient Race!"
"What is ’Ancient’?" the protagonist asked.
The Sage of Time explained, "’Ancient’ is the origin of everything, the makers of rules. After the rules set by ’Ancient’ were shattered, the manifested fragments resulted in the birth of ’Spirits.’ With the emergence of ’Spirits,’ the Power of Rules was reflected in different planes, ultimately forming different cultivation civilizations such as Fighting Spirit and Magic in our world, and cultivation in yours."
It was the first time the protagonist heard about the development history of the Cultivation Realm.
He asked, perplexed, "Since ’Ancient’ are the rule makers, and the cultivation paths of cultivators have evolved from the rules, why oppose ’Ancient’?"
The Sage of Time explained, "Because ’Ancient’ intends to reshape the shattered rules."
The protagonist was puzzled, "What does that mean?"
The Sage of Time continued, "Whether it’s Fighting Spirit and Magic or Cultivation, all cultivation methods stem from the Power of Rules."
"Because the Power of Rules is shattered, there are many shortcuts on the cultivation path."
"For example, we sacrifice the ’Spirit’ of elements to gain the ability to manipulate magic elements; you sacrifice the ’Spirit’ of cultivation to improve your cultivation rapidly."
"Once ’Ancient’ reshapes all the shattered rules, those loopholes will be filled, and by then, there will be no shortcuts to take."
"Our world’s Magic Gods and Fighting Gods, your world’s ancestors of cultivation sects, all achieved their status through countless hardships. Would you want your descendants to cultivate step-by-step like commoners, even being replaced by them?"
Protagonist: "..."
He thought that with the title "Sage of Time," this person would be a transcendent figure, detached from worldly concerns.
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be a selfish and petty individual.
Instantly, the protagonist’s impression of those from the world of Fighting Spirit and Magic plummeted to the extreme.
The Sage of Time was unaware of the protagonist’s thoughts, he continued speaking to the protagonist:
"A hundred thousand years ago, the Three Thousand Plane Worlds gathered simultaneously. Countless top cultivators joined forces to design a layout in this world to annihilate the Ancient Race!"
"After succeeding, I mobilized the remaining cultivators to work together and, in the River of Time, witnessed a glimpse of the Ancient Race’s return."
"Then, I left behind this wisp of Divine Soul, specifically waiting for the Messenger of the Ancient Race’s return."
Hearing this, the protagonist strangely asked, "You mean I’m that Messenger, but I don’t even know who the Ancient Race is?"
Sage of Time: "That’s what puzzles me! According to the fleeting glimpse I caught in the River of Time years ago, the Ancient Race’s return should be years from now. You suddenly coming here, could there have been a change in the Cultivation Realm?"
A change in the Cultivation Realm?
The protagonist was about to shake his head, then suddenly recalled the recent Cultivation Conference.
The cultivation sect perished together with the Four Seas Dragon Race, gravely damaging the cultivation sect’s Primordial Energy. It would take a hundred years to recover its former prosperity.
Those were the distant events; the imminent ones were right before his eyes.
Outside the Treasure Tower Secret Realm, the Imperial Guard of Great Xia was slaughtering monks on Sumeru Mountain.
The calamity that would annihilate the Little Leiyin Temple, which had been passed down for millennia, was right before his eyes.
The protagonist was about to inform the Sage of Time about these events, but the words returned to his mouth just as he was about to speak.
For some reason, he suddenly had a premonition in his heart.
The person in front of him may not harm him, but these matters shouldn’t be revealed to him.
The protagonist said, "Everything is normal outside. I only stumbled upon this place accidently while participating in the Buddhist Sect’s trial."
After speaking, he added, "By the way, this place is now a Secret Realm of the Buddhist Sect, and disciples often come here for trials."
Sage of Time: "Is that so? I know of the trials you mentioned, indeed, over the years many human cultivators have entered, but you can enter here. There’s no doubt you’re the Messenger. Once you leave, you must be cautious. If you discover traces of the Ancient Race, you must immediately light the beacon signal to summon all the strong ones from the Plane Worlds to eliminate the enemy!"
The protagonist asked, "Where is the beacon signal?"
Sage of Time: "The beacon signal is on the ninth floor of this Tower of Trial. This tower was built with the combined power of all the strong ones from the Three Thousand Worlds and has sixteen floors in total, corresponding to the sixteen cultivation realms of your Cultivation World. As long as you cultivate to the Tier Nine Saint King Realm, you can go directly to the ninth floor to light the beacon signal!"
"Wait!" The protagonist suddenly interrupted him, "You said there are sixteen cultivation realms in our Cultivation World? But I’ve only heard of nine layers. What are the seven remaining stages?"
Sage of Time: "The seven remaining stages are Tier Ten Void Realm, Tier Eleven Void King Realm, Tier Twelve Dao Origin Realm, Tier Thirteen Emperor Venerable Realm, Tier Fourteen Great Emperor Realm, Tier Fifteen Qiankun Realm, and Tier Sixteen Heaven-Opening Realm."
The protagonist was immediately astonished: "So many realms, why have I never heard of them in the Cultivation Realm?"
Sage of Time: "Because after the ’War against the Ancient Ones’ back then, we all joined forces to seal the upper limits of the Cultivation World!"
"Why?" The protagonist’s face was grim.
Sage of Time: "Because the cultivation speed of the people in your Cultivation Realm is too fast. If we don’t restrain you, you’d all soon ascend to the Spirit Realm. The place of the Ancient Ones’ revival is in your Cultivation Realm. If you all ascend, no one would guard it. When the Ancient Race returns, the order of all Plane Worlds would collapse! So, for the greater good of the Three Thousand Worlds, we had to sacrifice your Cultivation Realm!"
"Damn it!"
The protagonist almost couldn’t hold back from cursing out loud upon hearing this.
Originally, he only thought this Sage of Time was selfish, but now it seemed he was also despicable and shameless, completely without limits!
"Why sacrifice our Cultivation Realm?"
With a dark expression, the protagonist said discontentedly, "People from other worlds, if they’re worried about the revival of the Ancient Race, could have done exactly as you’re doing now, sending people to guard it!"
Sage of Time: "I know you’re angry, but don’t be, things aren’t as you think."
The protagonist couldn’t help but mock, "You scammed the entire Cultivation Realm for tens of thousands of years, are you now going to say there’s actually another hidden story behind all this?"
Sage of Time: "Not so much a hidden story, but we did offer corresponding rewards!"
"Rewards?" The protagonist was momentarily confused, "What rewards?"
Sage of Time: "All the strong ones of the Three Thousand Worlds joined forces to forge six ultimate treasures for your Cultivation World. The first is this Treasure Tower Secret Realm. The others are the Immortal Slaying Sword, Demon Refining Pot, Mountain and River Map, Ten Thousand Immortals Array, and Ancient Strange Fire."
The protagonist was shocked: "The treasures of the major sects in the Cultivation Realm were actually gifts from you? The Immortal Slaying Sword of the Sword Sect, the Demon Refining Pot of the Medicine Sect, the Mountain and River Map of the Beast Taming Sect, and the Ancient Strange Fire of the Artifact Sect. I haven’t heard of the Ten Thousand Immortals Array; I don’t know who holds it."
After speaking, the protagonist regrettably said, "Unfortunately, all the treasures of the major sects have been lost. Otherwise, the Cultivation Realm today would surely be even more prosperous."
Sage of Time: "They weren’t lost, they were taken away!"
The protagonist was startled: "Who took the treasures of the major sects, and where were they taken?"
Sage of Time: "Of course, people from those sects themselves took them away. As for where they were taken, they should have ascended to the Spirit Realm."
The protagonist frowned: "Didn’t you say the ascension channels of the Cultivation Realm were sealed by the top experts of the Three Thousand Worlds tens of thousands of years ago?"
Sage of Time: "There are always exceptions in this world, like those Great Cultivators who participated in the War against the Ancient Ones and their descendants, those you mentioned as cultivators of major sects. They were given a backdoor to the ascension channel, allowing them to ascend normally, with the intensity of the Tribulation Thunder only one-tenth of the normal. Their ancestors fought desperately against the Ancient Ones to secure these resources, which I believe you can understand?"
The protagonist’s face immediately turned extremely grim.
"Those people, for their own benefit, went as far as to betray the entire Cultivation Realm?"
"Where did they place ordinary people?"
"How absurd, how laughable, how shameless!"
Sage of Time: "...Perhaps, this is destiny!"
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