Chapter 210 - 209: Not a Tortoise, But She Can Also Live for 10,000 Years

With the space tunnel, Chu Liangyu reached the vicinity of Void Island in just a few moments.

To prevent the torn space from affecting Void Island, Chu Liangyu stopped in the Thundercloud Area, just as she always did.

Recalling how the lightning had chased and struck only her the last time she was here with the old man, Chu Liangyu couldn’t help but smile.

With a beat of her wings, she entered the thunderclouds.

Out of habit, the bolts of thunder tried to strike her, but they froze the instant they sensed a subtle change in her aura.

Seeing this, Chu Liangyu wasn’t about to let it go. "What’s wrong? Not striking anymore?" she taunted. "You love chasing me down, don’t you?"

She had the gloating look of someone who’d finally gotten their way.

Although the thunder was indignant, there was nothing it could do about her.

With a FIZZLE, like a dying spark, the thunder obediently retreated back into the clouds.

Chu Liangyu snorted, taking in the thunder’s reaction. The resentment she felt from its past preferential treatment finally dissipated.

After flying through the Thundercloud Area, a space tunnel appeared before her. It had likely been created by Tu Bai, the Barrier Guardian Spirit of Void Island, who must have sensed her arrival.

Unlike the violent tunnels Chu Liangyu ripped open, this one was constructed by Tu Bai using his own power and understanding of space, built without damaging the surrounding area.

It was essentially a vehicle crafted by Tu Bai, one that could even be disassembled and reassembled.

This was why Tu Bai was the only one who could construct space tunnels at will within Void Island.

"Old man, how have you been?"

Chu Liangyu spotted the figure standing by the sea from a distance and called out, a smile in her voice.

"If you hadn’t shown up soon, that fellow was about to tie you up and drag you over himself."

The old man glanced at her. Despite his words, a look of satisfaction flashed in his eyes the moment he saw her.

"I just managed to trick him into going back. But don’t worry, I’ve already sent word. He should be here shortly."

Chu Liangyu flopped down onto his chair and replied nonchalantly, "How unfortunate. Looks like we’ll have to trouble Elder Yu to run back and forth a few more times."

"The flow of time is different. Only one night has passed for us here, while two days have likely passed over there. So, it’s not like he just left."

The old man produced another chair from who knows where, dragged it over next to her, and lay down as well.

The old man and the young woman swayed gently in their chairs, chatting and watching the sea as they waited for Elder Yu to arrive.

"Time passes so quickly in the Cultivation World. If I go there in my real body and stay for too long, won’t my life be cut short?"

Their lifespans were long, but not infinite. As a Beast God, for instance, Chu Liangyu had a lifespan of ten thousand years.

A soft-shelled turtle lives a thousand years, a tortoise ten thousand.

She wasn’t a tortoise, but she could still live for ten thousand years.

Time was almost meaningless to them, but it wasn’t something to be wasted lightly.

If she visited a few more worlds like that, Chu Liangyu was genuinely afraid her life would be cut short.

"Hahahahaha..."

The old man started laughing and couldn’t seem to stop. Annoyed, Chu Liangyu shot him a glare.

"What’s so funny?"

The old man pursed his lips, stifling his laughter. "Don’t worry about that," he explained. "Even if you go to the Cultivation World, your personal flow of time will remain linked to the Beast World."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Chu Liangyu pondered for a moment. She thought she understood what he meant.

"You mean my own lifespan will pass at a constant rate, and it’s just the relative speed of time between worlds that’s different?"

"It’s like when Elder Yu comes here. His original lifespan is what it is; it doesn’t increase just because he’s in a world where time flows more slowly."

The old man’s eyes lit up. "Clever!" he praised.

He had thought it would take her a while to understand, but she had grasped his meaning surprisingly quickly and could even draw further conclusions.

"All right, I was worrying for nothing." Chu Liangyu breathed a sigh of relief, finding the whole concept rather interesting. "Speaking of which, when I go to the Cultivation World, what will happen to the person there who looks exactly like me?"

’After all, you can’t have two identical-looking but separate individuals existing in the same world, can you?’

’This isn’t like the relationship between me and my avatars. It could throw the whole Cultivation World into chaos.’

Clearly, the old man had expected this question.

"You know about parallel dimensions, right?"

Chu Liangyu nodded. Lou Sang, the World Spirit, had explained this to her before.

"Throughout the cosmos, there are countless Little Worlds. Many of them have similar settings, or even people and animals who look identical."

"These are known as parallel worlds. But there’s an unwritten rule: when an intelligent being from one world enters a parallel one, only one version of them can exist there at a time."

Chu Liangyu listened intently to his explanation. After a moment’s thought, she understood. "You’re saying that if I’m there, the ’me’ from the Cultivation World will cease to exist?"

"So, will she die? Or will she just... temporarily vanish because I’ve arrived?"

Chu Liangyu had a lot of questions, but the old man answered each one patiently.

"She only vanishes temporarily. After you leave, as long as she wasn’t already dead at the point in the timeline when you arrived, she will reappear.

She’ll continue on from where you left off, the only difference being that she’ll have the memories of what you did there."

"And the version of you in the Cultivation World won’t notice anything amiss. She’ll just think she was the one who experienced all those things."

Chu Liangyu nodded again and again, summarizing it in her mind.

’Only one of us can exist at a time,’ she concluded. ’It all depends on when I enter. If she’s already dead by that point, then after I’m done, no one who looks like me will appear there.’

’But if she’s alive, she’ll just continue living after I leave.’

"A good summary. So, are you ready?"

Elder Yu materialized out of thin air behind them. His silent appearance gave Chu Liangyu a start.

The old man, in contrast, seemed to have sensed his arrival long ago.

Recalling Lou Sang’s warning to be careful, Chu Liangyu hesitated before asking, "Elder Yu, when I enter the Cultivation World, will my powers be sealed?"

"Of course. It’s just like when I came here. If my powers weren’t sealed, your Heavenly Dao wouldn’t have let me in."

’Just as I thought...’

"Are you worried about your safety after you enter?"

Chu Liangyu didn’t try to hide her concern; her question made her thoughts easy to guess.

Elder Yu understood her concern. After a moment of thought, he said, "How about this? I’ll speak with the Heavenly Dao on my side and have her ensure your safety."

"And if you’re still worried, I can give you a few treasures for self-defense. How does that sound?"

With the protection of a world’s Heavenly Dao, her life would certainly be safe.

Chu Liangyu no longer hesitated. "Alright," she said directly. "Since you’ve put it that way, Elder Yu, let’s go."