THE TIME

THIS AND THE NEXT SEVERAL CHAPTERS WILL BE THE LAST CHAPTERS OF THIS BOOK. THE EMOTION FLUCTUATION WILL BE PAINFUL🥺. PLEASE, BEAR WITH ME🫂. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE🌸🌸🌸

"Wait a minute." Zhao YunLan stopped Ying Chun who already strode to the entrance. "Blue Tree Meadow you said?"

"Don't you think this is not the right time to argue?" Zhang Shi meddled.

Zhao YunLan tightened his grip around Zhao MingAn's arm when the young man resisted. "Shen Wei, what do you think?" He asked. Eyes did not leave the flower tribe's leader. "Shen Wei..." He repeated when he did not hear any reply. "Shen-"

Zhao YunLan's words floated in the air when he turned his head only to find Shen Wei standing in a blank stare. "Are you okay?" He asked the man.

"Ah Wei... What happened? Are you all right?" Shen YongZheng grabbed his son's shoulder to wake the man from the daze. Shen Wei blinked for a moment before he nodded. But Zhao YunLan saw through him.

"Hold him," Zhao YunLan released his grip on Zhao MingAn. Nobody knew who he talked to, but Zhu Jiu and the Chu brothers took his place. "What is it?" Zhao YunLan asked Shen Wei after he nich their distance.

Shen Wei lifted his eyes, staring at Zhao YunLan's. "I'm not sure." He averted his eyes.

"What are you not sure about?" Zhao YunLan frowned.

"I just saw someone pull Ya Qing into a black hole." Shen Wei rubbed his face.

"Black hole?" Zhao YunLan lowered his gaze. "Is there another person who can perform the teleportation besides you?" He frowned.

"That's why I said that I'm not sure."

Zhao YunLan's face tensed. "Do you want to say... Is it the old YeZun?" Zhao YunLan's voice volume decreased to the lowest as he mentioned the last name. Shen Wei did not reply, but his gulp spoke louder. "Are you sure?" Zhao YunLan asked again.

"The present YeZun doesn't have the power to create the interdimensional gate." Shen Wei stared at his lover. His eyes trembled.

"Do you want to say he got all his power and knowledge?" Now, Zhao YunLan tensed.

"With Ma TiHua's ability, that could be the possibility." Again, Shen Wei gulped.

"Hey, I don't know what are you both discussing. But don't you think we should go now?" Shen YongZheng interrupted. His eyes caught the sheer panic sparked in both men's faces, but did not get the real meaning. However, as a man with experience, he knew this was not the right time to interrogate them.

"Yes, sure." Zhao YunLan turned his face at the senior. "Where is Ah Ming?" He asked when he could not find his younger brother.

"Outside," Zhu Jiu answered from the entrance as if he was in a rush. "Uncle Zhao... I meant Elder Zhang stops him from being rushed. Commander Chu and Officer Chu are with him."

"We better go now." Zhao YunLan patted Shen Wei's shoulder before he ran outside.

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

"Let me go," Zhao MingAn pulled his arm from Chu NianZhi's grip. Strings of energy swathed his entire body. Many of the strings were ripped apart as his movements were too powerful.

"Xiao Zhao, calm down!" Chu NianZhi exerted all his might to stop the young man. They were just through a tough situation that drained their energy already and they did not have any time to rest, yet it seemed like the problems kept plunging their way relentlessly.

"I will be fine finding him by myself. I'm not as weak as I used to be."

"You are no longer weak indeed, but Ma TiHua is not stupid either." Chu ShuZhi grabbed the young man's neck to subdue him. "How many people his soldiers are do you think? They are all enhanced humans and well-trained soldiers. To beat you down is easier than smashing a potato."

"But I can't stay here. Anything could happen to Professor Shen," Zhao MingAn resisted.

"Ah Ming!" Zhao YunLan shouted. He was already stressed out about YeZun's kidnap, his lover's distraught, and now his baby brother was out of control. "Calm down," he pulled Zhao MingAn's collar, facing his younger brother's face.

Zhao MingAn stared at Zhao YunLan for a while before he broke down. He screamed in his brother's hug. Zhao YunLan could not suppress his tears. Seeing his younger brother broken ruined his heart more than being burned inside the guardian's lamp.

"I know he was not a good person, Ge. But that happened in his previous life." Zhao MingAn sobbed. "Why? Why do all bad things happen to him now when he lives as a good person?"

Everyone around them lowered their gaze. They did not have any words in their vocabulary that could ease Zhao MingAn's pain. Zhu Hong squeezed Zhu Jiu's arm. Zhu Jiu gulped. His hand caressed Zhu Hong's belly. He was ready to die to pay for his crimes in his past life. However, he was afraid his bad karma would affect his children.

Zhang Shi patted Shen YongZheng's shoulder to support Zhao XinChi's disheartened friend. Chu NianZhi and Chu ShuZhi released the young man from their hold, letting him cry as much as he needed. Wang Zheng hid her face in Sang Zan's shoulder. In the past, she condemned YeZun for the cruelty he did. But in this life, she witnessed how Shen YeZun grew into a gentle and caring person. If this was indeed karma, why did karma come so late and at an inappropriate time?

Zhao YunLan tightened his hug around his brother, taking a deep breath. His eyes caught the sight of his lover. Shen Wei stood near the door with sadness reigned on his handsome face.

"This is not karma." Zhao YunLan patted his younger brother's head. "All bad things happen to a nice person to make them stronger." He lifted Zhao MingAn's face. "We'll get him back. I promise."

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

Zhao YunLan drove his car to the Blue Tree Meadow. His eyes glanced repeatedly to the street, his brother beside him, and Shen Wei in the back seat while half of his mind wondered about YeZun. Half of his heart was angry at Gwang Li, and half of it blamed himself.

"Are you all right?" Zhao YunLan asked his baby brother when the young man crunched in his seat.

"Yes..." Zhao MingAn nodded. "I will be just fine."

"Look-"

"Stay behind will make me more anxious." Zhao MingAn squeezed his chest.

"Are you sure you can keep your cool?" Zhu Jiu asked. "We need to move in synergy. If you mess up, Professor Shen will be in great danger."

"I'm fine, Ge." Zhao MingAn peeked at his childhood friend through the rear mirror. "I promise Professor Shen I will control myself. That I will not be your and Director Shen's burden," Zhao MingAn took a deep breath, glancing at Zhao YunLan. "I'll keep my word."

Zhao YunLan's smile lifted, but at the same time, he glanced at Shen Wei. There was no word he could say to encourage his lover. "We got him back, Shen Wei. You know that. You can feel that he is all right... Right?" He said.

"Mm-hmm," Shen Wei nodded, hand squeezing his chest.

"The other YeZun is just a cyborg now. He isn't alive anymore. Don't let it influence you."

"What the other YeZun?" Zhao MingAn frowned at his brother. "Do you want to say that thing returned?" This time, not only Zhao MingAn but both Zhu Jiu and Lin Jing whipped their head toward Zhao YunLan.

"The one who saves Ya Qing could create the black hole. We suspect that he could be the old YeZun." Zhao YunLan finally decided not to cover anything from his brother.

"What?" Zhu Jiu and Lin Jing jumped from their seats.

Zhao MingAn clenched his jaws, throwing his eyes to the road. "Let's get the Blue Tree Meadow as soon as possible," he said.

"Sure," Zhao YunLan nodded.

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

Two cars stopped near the rocky path that led to the eerie forest known as the Blue Tree Meadow. Several men stepped down from the cars, peering at the rows of gigantic trees. Something was missing, Zhao YunLan and Shen Wei could not shake the feeling of impending doom.

"Is it only my feeling, or is it the forest lost the gleam?" Guo ChangCheng peered around.

"Now that you mention it. I can smell danger," Da Qing sniffed. Chu ShuZhi clenched his jaws. He regretted his decision to let Guo ChangCheng go with them. Maybe it would be better if the young man stayed with Zhu Hong and Sha Ya under the protection of the Hanga tribe.

"Chu... Chu Ge," Guo ChangCheng tugged Chu ShuZhi's sleeve.

"What?" Chu ShuZhi grunted.

"My hand hurts." Guo ChangCheng pointed at his hand in Chu ShuZhi's grip.

"Oh, sorry." Chu ShuZhi released the poor young man's hand from his grasp. Chu NianZhi rubbed his face. If only the situation was not this urgent, he would laugh at his brother's nervousness. He glanced at Lin Jing. The young man pursed his lips and shook his head. It seemed like this scientist was also annoyed.

Shen YongZheng glanced at Zhao XinChi. Zhao XinChi nodded at the unspoken question. The senior general strode to the largest tree and touched the trunk. "What?" Zhao XinChi asked when his best friend frowned.

"Why can't I feel the energy barrier?" Shen YongZheng pulled his hand.

"What?" Zhu Jiu sharpened his senses.

"This place indeed is no longer shining as it used to be." Zhao XinChi peered at the dark brown tree trunks and branches. "What happened in this place?"

"That's because Madame Gwang is not staying in the forest anymore." A female voice answered Zhao XinChi's wonder. Ying Chun appeared next to the seniors.

"What? But why?" Golden light flashed in Zhao XinChi's eyes, glaring at Ying Chun.

"Because there is nothing left she should protect." Ying Chun stared at the dark jungle.

"Then why we are here?" Zhao YunLan glared at the leader of the flower tribe.

"To achieve your objective. To end this all fiasco." Ying Chun strode inside the forest.

"Then why don't you do that since the beginning?" Zhao YunLan screamed at the lady as he followed her.

Ying Chun stopped. She turned around and stared at the men lined up behind her. "That's because not me the one who will stop this catastrophe. But you. All of you." She whirled her body and walked among the trees, leaving the confused men.

"All of us?" Zhao YunLan chased the lady. "What do you mean?"

"Zhao YunLan." Shen Wei grabbed his lover's hand. He shook his head, asking Zhao YunLan to not push Ying Chun further.

"You said there is no more Madame Gwang should protect in this forest," Chu NianZhi meddled. "What did she initially protect in this place?"

"We are here," Ying Chun said, ignoring the question.

"This..." Shen Wei frowned as he approached the eternal frozen lake. "The Western Lake." He remembered the place Gwang Li used to help him recover his old memory.

Again, Ying Chun did not answer. She peered at the trees around the lake, nodding at them. The trees, like alive, responded. They slid from their spot, circling the frozen lake. They waved their branches, intertwining the thin parts at each other and creating a thin barrier surrounding the lake.

"Hei Pao. Step back," Ying Chun said to Shen Wei. Shen Wei followed the instruction. The intertwined branches shone and glittering dust fell from the top of the trees like drizzle.

"That's..." Chu NianZhi sharpened his eyes when he saw a shadow of a gate appear behind the raindrops of glittering dust.

"The gate is opened. Now you can go." Ying Chun stepped aside.

"You are not coming with us?" Chu ShuZhi asked.

"No," Shen Wei answered, eyes staring at the shadow gate. "There is something she needs to handle."

Zhao YunLan stared at Shen Wei and Ying Chun in turn. He wanted to ask the meaning behind those words but gulped down his curiosity when he saw Shen Wei clench his jaws.

"Let's go then." Zhao MingAn gritted his teeth. "We can't afford to spend too much time here idle."

Zhao YunLan took a deep breath as he stared at the gate. "Let's go," he said.

Shen Wei unleashed his power. Chu ShuZhi and Chu NianZhi did not hold back either. Zhao YunLan stepped right behind Shen Wei. Shen YongZheng glanced at his best friend and together, they strode into the gate.

"Good luck, everyone." Ying Chun followed them with her eyes.

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

"What kind of place is this?" Zhao YunLan frowned as soon as he reached the land across the gate.

The place they entered was not a majestic place like the DiXing realm, not a magical forest like the old Blue Tree Meadow, and not an eerie land like the realm of the four perils. But a murky spacious chamber with stone walls and floor surrounded them.

"I don't know. I have never been in this kind of place." Shen Wei peered through the darkness.

"This place is even darker than the DiJun Palace." Zhang Shi learned about his surroundings.

"The place is not important, but what should we do here?" Zhao MingAn peered at the rough stones around him. Somehow, the darkness did not bother his vision. "How we can find Professor Shen?"

"Do you know?" Shen YongZheng asked the man beside him.

"I'm not sure," Zhang Shi dragged his feet with the help of the walking stick. "But..."

"What?" Zhao YunLan asked when Zhang Shi's tone floated.

"I don't know if I'm right, but this place could be the first door to the two chambers." Yellow flash gleamed in the two old eyes as Zhang Shi scrutinized his surroundings. "The realm of the four holly beasts."

"The first door to the two chambers?" Zhu Jiu frowned.

"You are correct." A voice echoed in the closed chamber.

The stones rearranged, creating several layers above them. The chamber was not only becoming more spacious but also higher. Shen Wei waves his hands, creating a circle of fire above their heads. In response to his action, the room absorbed the light and separated the circle into several light balls hung in a tidy line along the walls.

"You!" Zhao MingAn gritted his teeth when he saw who was talking. Ma TiHua climbed down the stairs created by the rearranging rocks.

"Calm down." Zhao YunLan held his brother's chest. His eyes caught those who strode behind Ma TiHua. Two familiar identical faces followed by tens of humans covered in white coats.

"Those are...,"

"Cyborgs." Chu NianZhi completed his twin's words. He tightened his jaws. Even his power and his brother's combined would not be enough to beat one cyborg, now there were over ten cyborgs.

"YeZun!" Shen Wei called his younger brother's name when he saw Shen YeZun dragged by Ye Zun.

"Da Ge." Shen YeZun's voice stuck as Ye Zun tightened his lock around the poor man's neck.

"We have what you want. Now let him go!" Zhao YunLan shouted.

"So... You are not here to get the antitoxin for your younger brother?" Ma TiHua smirked.

"Is there any antiserum for his mutation?" Zhao YunLan's voice squeezed through his gritted teeth.

Ma TiHua laughed at the question. "If I said I have, what you can offer me to barter it?" He asked. An evil smile crept, tarnishing the handsome face.

Zhao YunLan's eyebrows twitched. "You want to say you have one?" He squinted his eyes. He did not believe this man, but if there was a chance to save his younger brother, even a little, he would take it in a heartbeat.

"As I said," Ma TiHua crossed his arms. "What do you have to barter it?"

"Don't waste your time, Ge. Instead of medicine, he will give us more problems than we can handle." Zhao MingAn clenched his fist as he cut Zhao YunLan's thought.

"We have what you want, now let that young man go," Zhang Shi said.

"The one who has the power to trade with me is not here," Ma TiHua lifted his chin. "You have no right to demand anything from me." His condescending eyes probed the people standing below him.

"It seems like the situation can't be more conducive for us," Shen YongZheng manifested an iron stick in his right hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, General Shen." Ma TiHua shifted his look to the senior.

"My son may be weak, but he is not that fragile to the point he can't survive some beatings." Shen YongZheng jumped at the man. He swung his stick in the air.

Strange. Despite having so many bodyguards, nobody stood against the attack. Ye Zun threw Shen YeZun into Ma TiHua's clutch as he stood before the man. The splash of power hit Ye Zun, scratching his unblemished cheek. Shen YongZheng leaped back to his spot, frowning. Everyone's confusion still floated in the air when Shen YeZun spat some blood.

"YeZun!" Shen YongZheng shouted.

Ma TiHua tightened his grip around YeZun's arms to keep the man on his feet. Not only YeZun was weakened, but the most shocking was the scratch on his cheek identical to the scratch on Ye Zun's.

"Impossible," Shen YongZheng gasped. His eyes widened. His whole body tensed.

"YeZun!" Shen Wei almost jumped from his spot but Zhu Jiu and Zhao YunLan grabbed his shoulders from both sides.

"Calm down," Zhao YunLan pushed some words through his tightened jaws. This situation was too tricky.

"We already got what you ask but why do you do this?" Chu NianZhi asked. "What do you want actually?"

"I told you that I'm waiting for the one who I need. Stay in your place quietly." Ma TiHua stared at them. But not for long. Suddenly, the wind whistled around them, blowing from eight directions. Ma TiHua lifted his eyes and his smirk rose once again when his eyes caught a glimpse of a silhouette behind them. "There you are," he said.

Everyone turned their faces to their back as they followed Ma TiHua's gaze, wondering who he was talking to. All eyes widened when Gwang Li's figure emerged from the darkness. Her long black jet hair and white robe fluttered as she walked through the rotation of the wind.

"Madame Gwang" Shen Wei's words floated in confusion.

"Wu FeiTian." Instead of answering Shen Wei's curiosity, Gwang Li glared at Ma TiHua. "I told you once that you don't have to do this."

"And I told you once what I want." Ma TiHua glared back at the lady in white. This time, those who stood in the middle of the two powers looked at both sides in turn. From their conversations, it was not likely they both stood in the same boat. "Now... Let's do it." Ma TiHua beckoned at Ye Zun. Ye Zun nodded and waved his hands. His energy wafted and healed him and YeZun.

"Ye Zun, don't do this." Shen Wei begged his dead brother. But as cold as he used to Ye Zun smirked, waving his hands once again.

"It's useless to talk to a corpse, Director Shen. He was dead since a long time ago. Don't you forget about that!" Gwang Li said.

Zhao YunLan scoffed as he heard it. "So, Madame Gwang is aware of everything that happened. Why do you let this thing occur and claim so many lives?" He snapped.

"Zhao YunLan... Smart people tend to be trapped by their sharpness. I told you once that the truth is not as it seems. The universe always creates a balance," Gwang Li answered the upset man nonchalantly.

Zhao YunLan was about to retort when the chamber shook. The stones rearranged once again. The floor cracked and created a rift between Ma TiHua and Gwang Li. Those in the middle had no choice but to jump at Gwang Li's side. They did not have any time to recover yet when two jade stands, flashing in the light, appeared near the rift.

"You know the risk if the door to the two chambers is opened, don't you?" Gwang Li said to Ma TiHua as if asking the man to reconsider his decision.

"I know what I want." Ma TiHua grabbed YeZun's hand, forcing the weak man to hold the cracked jewel.

"Give me the stone." Gwang Li opened her palm, asking for the other round jewel. Zhao YunLan glanced at his group. When they nodded in approval, Shen Wei strode to Gwang Li. He waved his fingers and the round diamond appeared in his hand.

"Madame Gwang..."

"We'll get YeZun back. I promise." Gwang Li assured the man.

Shen Wei nodded and put the jewel in Gwang Li's palm. The lady walked toward the jade stand together with Ma TiHua who dragged YeZun to the other jade stand. Ma TiHua shoved YeZun's hand that held the jewel to the stand along with Gwang Li put hers.

Bright light flared from the rift and sprang toward them. "Close your eyes!" Ma TiHua shouted as he covered YeZun's eyes with his palm. His smile lifted as if he secured his victory.

"Close your eyes!" Gwang Li screamed.

Shen YongZheng and Zhang Shi followed the instructions without fail, but the youngsters were not listening. Instead of clenched shut their eyes, they peeked through their fingers, sleeves, and coats. And that was the time when the nightmare began...

Time... The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

The older and younger generations were separated by era where their language definition and paradigm contrasted with each other. Most of the younger ones were more vocal and spirited, regarding the elders' mindset as obsolete.

However, no matter how youngsters refused to listen, they could not deny one thing: the elders possessed something they did not. Something that could only obtained through time and maturity. Those things were experiences and wisdom...

**********THIS STORY IS STOLEN BY NOVELHD, PLEASE JUST READ THE ORIGINAL IN WATTPAD OR AO3 **************

Picture credit to Nathan Durnlao

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