Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 296 - 287: Subverting Su Mu’s Existence—Will He Win?

Chapter 296: Chapter 287: Subverting Su Mu’s Existence—Will He Win?

Although this woman stood in front of him, he couldn’t sense anything, unlike a true body, more like a projection or a reflection.

"We will meet again in the future."

"I hope that day comes soon."

The mysterious woman in dark attire did not answer Su Mu’s question. After saying this, she disappeared from the spot.

"Make good use of the fruit you just picked. It might be of some help to you at this stage." Before leaving, she remembered something and left this final statement,

...

Regarding Su Mu’s question, she could not and would not answer.

Is she a true being?

Is she still considered a "creature," a "life"?

Even she didn’t know. From the moment she became one with the Underworld and Reincarnation, she might no longer have been a pure life form, as if she had transformed into a sentient law.

The only difference was that laws are emotionless and thoughtless, but she could still maintain her thoughts, her mind, and this was the greatest difference.

Perhaps one day in the future, her thoughts might have been erased in the endless ages, even losing the most basic thinking, turning into a cold and merciless law.

At that time, anyone wishing to replace her only needed to destroy her will to take control of Reincarnation.

Then she, devoid of thought, would be nothing more than a lamb to be slaughtered. No matter from which side, as long as they had the power, they could overthrow her.

If the one who overthrows her is utterly evil and fosters chaos and Reincarnation, then would the creatures of the Ten Thousand Realms still have a way to survive?

By then, she would have already become a cold law body, unable to resist, only waiting for the other’s replacement.

Therefore, while she still had thoughts and the ability to think, she started her plans.

The man guarding the River of Time is one of the most likely existences to overthrow her in the future, so... she asked Su Mu this question.

In a way, she was betting, while still possessing thoughts and being able to influence the chessboard, to help the successor she deemed worthy as much as possible.

.....

She didn’t just ask Su Mu that question.

She also asked several other beings of the same caliber as Su Mu.

They all had the ability to overthrow Reincarnation and replace her in the future.

Their responses were mostly the second type, ensuring not to disturb the order of Reincarnation, promising fairness and selflessness once they mastered it.

The more such answers she received, the more unreal they felt. Did they truly have no selfish motives?

It wasn’t until Su Mu’s answer that she made her choice.

Because Su Mu’s response did not deliberately conceal his selfish motives; alongside them, he had principles, which was the perfect answer.

.....

The only thing that worried her was whether Su Mu could fight "them" alone.

In her eyes, although Su Mu currently guards the River of Time, his cultivation and strength are too feeble.

She also didn’t understand how Su Mu could, with a cultivation not even reaching an "Immortal Emperor," manipulate a part of the River of Time, but even so, his current cultivation and strength are far from being their match.

However, the only thing that made him instill fear in "them" was his... gradual increase in control over the River of Time, which was incredibly terrifying and beyond their understanding.

Once he fully mastered the River of Time, everything in front of Su Mu would become a joke!

Thus, "they" seem to have reached an agreement, slowly banding together, planning to topple Su Mu, this "anomaly," first.

.....

Even though the mysterious woman considered Su Mu a good ruler, her faith in him was not strong enough.

After all, his enemies were too powerful, existing for too long, while Su Mu had only been at the River of Time for a few years; his foundation and methods were no match for "them."

The previous flood was a minor test.

To this, the mysterious woman could only silently wish Su Mu the best, hoping he could win this tough game of chess...

.....

The words of the mysterious woman left Su Mu somewhat perplexed for a moment.

But he firmly kept them in mind.

For him, the same principle applied: at this stage, nothing else mattered more than refining this river and completing the system’s first task.

....

On his way home, Su Mu patrolled all the way.

Since he was far from home and it was his first visit, many areas were unfamiliar waters to Su Mu, presenting numerous situations for him to handle.

Thus, Su Mu "picked up money" as he went back.

Finally, before nightfall, Su Mu made it home.

Throughout this journey, Su Mu successfully acquired twenty thousand Favor Points.

In addition to the twenty-eight thousand Favor Points from repairing the bridge, he accumulated a total of thirty thousand Favor Points in these two days!

After setting aside three thousand Favor Points for emergencies, he spent thirty thousand to raise the River Affinity to 36%.

There was still 64% to go for complete refinement, and it was a long road ahead.

.....

As Su Mu walked step by step toward his courtyard, he noticed the Little Fox always outside the courtyard, holding its head, looking into the distance, waiting for him.

Upon seeing him return, it silently returned to the base of the tree in the courtyard, continuing to lie there and nap.

....

Nannan now could take care of herself and handle responsibilities single-handedly.

Also, during the two days he was away, she managed the household impeccably.

.....

After dinner, Su Mu still sat under the Phoebe Tree, meditating as usual.

From his sleeve, he slowly took out the Lantern Fruit, placing it on his palm and examining it closely.

The touch in his palm was cold, even when plucked, it still emitted a faint yellow glow.

The mysterious woman said, this fruit would greatly help him...

But the problem was...

I completely forgot to ask her how to use it!

It’s unlikely just to eat it, right??

Not everything is meant for direct consumption.

After a few incidents from the past where Su Mu ate things indiscriminately and got poisoned, he had stopped testing everything with a bite.

...

What if I tried refining it?

Saying this, Su Mu activated his cultivation technique to start refining the Lantern Fruit.

However, after three full hours, sweating profusely, it yielded no results.

It seemed the fruit was neither for eating nor refining, so how to use it??

.....

"How about... planting it?"

Outside the courtyard gate, Su Mu dug a small pit, planting the Lantern Fruit.

Then, with a large sweep of his hand, he poured ample river water over it. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The next second.

Squeak—

A subtle sound emanated from the soil.