Before the Damo Secret Realm, as the special day arrived, dazzling light began to radiate from within.
The golden brilliance illuminated half the world—clearly, the Damo Secret Realm had officially opened.
"The Damo Secret Realm has now fully opened. This realm was left behind by the founder of Future Maitreya Mountain and contains an extremely unique Law of Time. Be cautious when entering."
"Law of Time?"
Su Min was slightly puzzled upon hearing the words of Kong Chen, the leader of the Great Thunder Temple.
"Only a few of us knew that the founder mastered the Law of Time. Even those within Future Maitreya Mountain were largely unaware. Moreover, the Buddhist sects are naturally secretive, so this knowledge never spread."
"I see."
Su Min didn't press further. It seemed she had been somewhat uninformed about this matter. But considering how early that figure had died—without leaving behind a renowned legacy—it made sense that the world, including her, had never learned of it.
"We will enter together. This realm contains many secret dimensions, but the most precious is the founder's legacy. For countless years, no one has ever glimpsed its full form."
As he spoke, Kong Chen gave Su Min a meaningful glance, clearly hinting at something deeper.
"Huh?"
Su Min was left confused, but since no one seemed inclined to explain further, she didn't ask.
"All disciples, pay attention! Once we enter, you must follow closely behind me."
Just as Su Min was puzzling over this, Hui Xing turned and addressed the gathered disciples. His cultivation had progressed well—likely due to consuming that Dao Comprehension Pill—and he had now reached the early Dao Comprehension stage, though his foundation was still unstable.
This trip was probably meant to temper his cultivation. As for Hui Ming, his progress was slower—only at the early Divine Transformation stage. It was clear that the Great Thunder Temple had mobilized a significant portion of its elite forces this time.
"Then let us depart."
Kong Chen nodded, taking the first step forward. Su Min and Kong Hui followed closely behind. In the blink of an eye, the hall was nearly empty.
But the next moment, Su Min felt the world spin around her. She lost contact with everyone else and found herself in an extremely peculiar space.
It was a chamber bathed in golden light, and beneath her feet flowed a strange, ethereal river.
"The River of Time?"
Su Min was shocked. This was one of the highest mysteries of the cultivation world. Gazing into it allowed one to see the past, present, and future—but at the cost of bearing immense karmic backlash.
However, she soon realized something was off. This river wasn't the real thing—it was more like a projection.
Compared to what she had glimpsed before, this was nothing more than a shadow.
"It seems you truly have comprehended the Law of Time… and even stepped into that place."
A calm voice suddenly rang in Su Min's ears, startling her. The fact that someone could evade her perception entirely was nearly impossible for someone of her status as the world's top alchemist.
But she quickly steadied herself—she had already guessed the speaker's identity.
"Future Maitreya Bell?"
"Correct. I am the Emperor-tier artifact of the Sinful Buddha—Future Maitreya Bell."
"Sinful Buddha?"
Su Min blinked. What kind of title was that?
"The Sinful Buddha, Wuxin—one who bore the sins of the world. He sought to create a paradise, and he was also the founder of Future Maitreya Mountain."
"Uh…"
Su Min's mind spun at the sudden information dump. She had never heard of this title before—there were no records of it. Still, she felt somewhat relieved. At least the artifact didn't seem hostile toward her, though its last remark carried some hidden meaning.
"That wasn't my doing."
Su Min chuckled awkwardly, offering a weak defense.
"That is irrelevant. The Sinful Buddha spent ten lifetimes comprehending the Law of Time, finally reaching the Dao Comprehension stage. But during his breakthrough, he entered a unique state of enlightenment—he peered into the future. Though I do not know exactly how, it must have been what you call the River of Time."
"Yeah."
Su Min saw no point in hiding it and nodded frankly.
"My core was constructed based on this river. I never knew what it truly was—until now. So I must ask you: what did you see?"
Silence fell over the scene. Su Min hadn't expected the artifact to be so direct. But since things had come to this, she couldn't just say nothing.
"Nothing. I could sense an overwhelming karmic force—something far beyond what a mere Dao Comprehension-stage cultivator like me could bear. So I didn't look—not at the past, the future, nor the present."
"Sigh…"
The ancient bell seemed to exhale in relief. Then, in a flash of light, a massive bell materialized beside Su Min.
"The past is locked—it cannot be changed. The future is fluid. The Sinful Buddha sought the Pure Land with all his heart, so he often lingered by the River of Time."
"Damn, that's insane…"
Even Su Min couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. This guy truly didn't value his life at all—he dared to peer into time repeatedly? She at least had the sense not to do that.
But at the same time, she was curious—what exactly had the Sinful Buddha seen?
The bell, however, didn't seem inclined to hide anything. As the artifact that had followed the Sinful Buddha for thousands of years, no one understood his past better. And now, Su Min was one of only two people in the world to have comprehended the Law of Time—the true successor the Sinful Buddha had hoped to find.
So, it began explaining in detail:
"The Sinful Buddha saw countless futures—a world fallen into silence, a shattered ruin after destruction, even one ruled by unfathomable horrors."
"Uh…"
Su Min froze, then subconsciously touched her nose. These scenarios perfectly matched several endings from the game's original storyline.
The "silent world" referred to one where everything had been consumed. The "shattered ruin" was the outcome if they lost the final battle against the Skeleton Emperor—where he would activate a grand formation to "reset" the heavens and earth.
As for the last one—that was the hidden ending, the one that connected to the official sequel. But since no one knew what it truly entailed, Su Min was in the dark.
"When the Sinful Buddha peered into the future… the future also peered back at him."
"???"
Su Min shuddered involuntarily. This was completely unexpected. Was the past not fixed after all? Or was it simply that she was too weak to perceive its immutability?
"Then, on that day, an unfathomable being from the future took action. It crossed the River of Time, enduring immeasurable karmic backlash just to descend into this era."
"!!!"
Su Min's expression turned horrified. She hadn't even dared to look, yet someone could actually cross the River of Time? What kind of existence was that? At the very least, a true immortal—and not just any ordinary one.
It might even be something beyond her comprehension. But she suppressed her curiosity and continued listening.
"The Sinful Buddha burned his very essence to repel that being. But before leaving, it scattered its blood across the land. That blood was strange and sinister—so much so that the Heavenly Dao had no choice but to seal itself off to recover."
"!!!"
At this moment, Su Min realized a critical truth—the sudden arrival of the Age of Decay might have been triggered by this very event.
In other words, the fallen ones were a direct result of that being's blood. No wonder the founder called himself the Sinful Buddha—he truly had borne the original sin.
Su Min felt a surge of gratitude that she had resisted the temptation to peer into the future back then.
"And then?"
"After that, combined with the accumulated karmic backlash, the Sinful Buddha's remaining lifespan was short. He perished before reaching ten thousand years of age, his soul scattered to the winds. But from that day onward, the world became plagued by malevolent spirits."
"Holy shit…"
Su Min couldn't help but exclaim. That guy had really been asking for death.
"Since you never gazed into the River of Time, that is excellent. No matter what, never attempt to peer into it—not the past, the future, nor even the present. Their mysteries must remain undisturbed."
"Of course. By the way, what exactly did the Sinful Buddha see? Logically, the past is fixed and recorded—it cannot be altered."
"Nothing is absolute. Some existences simply surpass our understanding. As for what the Sinful Buddha saw, I…"
The bell hesitated briefly, but seeing Su Min's curious expression—though to an artifact, even her beauty was no different from a skeleton—it eventually continued.
"He saw a withered world. He tried thousands of times to glimpse the best possible outcome. In the end, he saw a figure—only through that person's existence could the world be steered toward the brightest future."
"…Was it me?"
Su Min's mind blanked. What kind of damn fatalistic nonsense was this?
"I do not know. The Sinful Buddha did not know either. Perhaps it is you. Perhaps not. But it has no bearing on the present. According to the Sinful Buddha's final words… you may become my next master."
"Uh…"
Well, that was unexpected. An Emperor-tier artifact offering itself to her? What kind of price would that entail?
"Not now, of course. The power of an Emperor-tier artifact is far too immense."
The bell chuckled at Su Min's reaction. "You must pass a trial."
"A trial?"
Su Min calmed down slightly. Even if she obtained it now, she wouldn't be able to wield it freely.
"Correct. A trial."
The bell's tone was laden with meaning, sending an involuntary shiver down Su Min's spine.
At that moment, a screen unfolded before Su Min's eyes. On it, three figures were moving at incredible speeds—all of them at the late Dao Comprehension stage.
This lineup was incredibly formidable—even major factions would struggle to muster such strength on short notice.
"When that being scattered its blood across the world, Liao Xin was tainted by it. At first, we didn't realize the danger—we thought he had merely been severely injured."
A trace of killing intent seeped into the bell's voice.
No matter how powerful that being from the future was, crossing time required an unimaginable price. And since it hadn't fully descended, its strength was greatly diminished.
The Sinful Buddha had managed to drive it back, but the blood it left behind… perhaps it hadn't cared. Or perhaps it had been too injured to do anything about it.
"By the time I realized something was wrong and expelled Liao Xin, it was already too late. Future Maitreya Mountain had been corrupted."
"…"
Su Min could only remain silent. This was far beyond her current level of involvement.
She also understood now why the bell had stood by as she destroyed Future Maitreya Mountain without lifting a finger.
They had long since severed ties. That they hadn't turned openly hostile was already a miracle.
For a sect to fall out with its own Emperor-tier artifact… that was truly one of a kind.
"So what's my trial?"
Su Min grinned fiercely. Those distant matters weren't her concern right now. What she needed was to grow stronger—because that being from the future might return one day.
With the Sinful Buddha gone, she would be the only one left to face it.
There was no avoiding this. Not when she, too, had comprehended the Law of Time.
"Kill him. Purge the corruption. If you succeed, I will acknowledge you as my master. I will also give you a drop of my original master's blood. Though it has long since weakened, it should still grant you a significant breakthrough."
"Deal!"
Su Min agreed without hesitation.
The Future Maitreya Bell's core function was based on the Law of Time—making it a perfect match for her. It was countless times more suitable than the Golden Crow Bell.
The next moment, she vanished from the spot, reappearing—
"WHAT THE HELL?! YOU'RE THROWING ME INTO A 1V3 RIGHT OFF THE BAT? THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!"
Staring at the three bewildered late-stage Dao Comprehension experts before her, Su Min cursed with even greater bewilderment.
What kind of nonsense was this? A three-on-one fight right from the start?!