As for giving advance notice to the other three gods of the future, so they could protect Atabia's traverse and descent, and prevent others from taking the chance to ambush him, traversing to their own present world?

No way.

Time is essentially another dimension. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The other three really can't guard those unseen time channels.

The four Authorities, to be honest, are all a bit off in their own direction; each fights their own fight, plays their own game, and none can really do anything to the others.

If you do a Space Jump, how are the other three supposed to stop you?

You can only jump however you like, play by yourself, and the three of us can only watch—there's really nothing we can do to you.

You do Time Travel?

That's also you playing solo, and we still can't stop you.

On their own power, they can only traverse seven or eight seconds into the past, but since you already opened the channel, they really can crawl along that channel all the way to some distant present.

"That's way too tragic." Sylvie couldn't help being speechless; even he felt Atabia was miserably unlucky.

Li Qing also shook his head.

The future, at least for now, should basically be unplayable.

Once he opens that door, who knows how many future monsters, protagonists, will come roaring over—some Celestial Burning Emperor, some Lord of the Four Directions, all of them have secretly ruled their own eras for tens of thousands of years, coming over to beg for an Eternal...

So change the way you play: since the [Future] can't be played anymore, what if Atabia traverses to a much more distant [Past], revising an even earlier time segment?

He doesn't want to, and doesn't dare!

He's always used his new Authority of traversal, the [Future], to stir up trouble because the side effects of traversing the [Past] are way, way too huge.

He long ago eliminated it from his standard toolkit.

Yes, its side effects are even bigger than this [Future] one that brings over a pile of freeloading beggars who scam food and drink!

If you traverse the [Future], the [Present] does not change.

Because the future you traverse to is only one possible future; once you come back, under the butterfly effect, the future you previously traversed to has already shifted.

But if you traverse the [Past], what you change is the [Present]!

You might casually kill some living being in the past, and through a chain reaction, when you return to the [Present], you find the entire Cosmos has changed!

Things and people are all different; even the name of the dynasty has changed.

Take it a bit further—not even talking about how far you go—if you traverse back just five thousand years, you might influence the outcome of that great war with the God of Light, and that battle might end up as their defeat instead.

All four of those powerhouses fall in battle, dead!

Atabia, in that history, is killed by the Light Ancient God as well, so when he then returns to the [Present]?

He discovers he has already truly died, becoming a lonely wandering ghost on the time line, turning into the greatest paradox in the Cosmos itself!

In that case, Atabia becomes the next Dream Garment!

On another time line, he gradually fades away, like rootless water with no energy replenishment; once his power is exhausted, that's the day he dies!

As a lonely wandering ghost, he can only use his last remaining energy to traverse the [Past]again and again, doing something special before he dies.

At that point, he's crazily jumping along the time axis; people have already forgotten your existence, your birth, your origin...

You are the paradox butterfly of the Cosmos, gradually vanishing into the Long River of Time.

Paradox is terrifying.

Even he himself might be erased by causality!

So this primitive method of traversing the [Past] was long since discarded.

"Dream Garment should have died like this, and of course he took warning from it. Unless cornered to the absolute brink, he won't choose mutual destruction and walk the path of the [Past]."

Sunlight spilled through the trees, forming mottled, scattered gold before the pavilion.

The breeze blew gently; in the midst of that stillness, Li Qing's discourse and explanation made Sylvie and Sylph increasingly understand the essence of time.

This is necessary.

Because next comes the era of chaotic time currents, which means the Cosmos is entering a new node, and people have already begun stepping into the Pilgrimage Era.

The era is advancing; the top powerhouses may all have roughly mastered some type of Initial-level Authority.

Whatever happens, they must understand it to be able to respond.

"Atabia traverses the future in order to explore the unknown."

"But if he traverses the past, that's creating the unknown."

"Turning the [Present] into an easter egg—each time he comes back, he won't know if it's good or bad. How could he dare to bet on that?"

Li Qing smiled slightly and said with meaning:

"That so-called Transmigrator named Eliminate Traces is actually dying for Atabia to make that bet."

"After all, that guy is broke and has nothing to lose... Now that he's locked down the [Future] like this, it's very likely he's forcing Atabia to jump the wall like a cornered dog and go traverse the [Past]."

"To negate the established [Now] and start over; who knows, once Atabia returns from a traversal, maybe it'll be Eliminate Traces himself who stands at the top of the present world? Time has infinite possibilities."

Sylvie sighed as she listened.

That guy is filthy as hell too.

He's obviously just a tiny nobody you could crush to death with a flick of the wrist, yet in the shadows he dares to scheme against an omnipotent Supreme Ancient God who traverses the Long River of Time!

A Time God who traverses the Long River of Time and overlooks past and present has really been locked down by him!

This is so damn "Thai cool spicy"!

Even though he's an enemy, Sylph couldn't help but admire this mysterious man; his plays are simply god-level.

In reality, though, every god has a weak point.

Who in this world does not die?

After all, that's what fits the natural laws of the Cosmos the best.

The four of them are merely the first "Celestial Venerable" existences to step beyond the Ancient Gods' Realm; it's not like there can't be latecomers.

Before they return to Level-0 Origin God, anyone can be overthrown.

Right now the four of them are the Light Ancient God of back then, being used as target dummies, with everyone dreaming of toppling them.

They have to guard their own Authority, not allow others to Cultivate it and replace their might, while also striving to open up the era and continue taking that final step.

"Then what about Atabia? What's he going to do?" Sylvie was deeply worried, her brows knotted with unresolved anxiety. "Shouldn't we be convening a Celestial Venerables' council or something? That guy's already brazenly jumping up to our faces."

"As for Atabia's business, if he doesn't call a meeting, we naturally don't need to rush to call one." Li Qing shook his head.

That guy clearly chose to go for him first; he has to make his own counterattack.

"Whatever happens, this matter comes first! I'll give you a hundred thousand elite Celestial River Navy troops to control public opinion and wipe out the spread of that banned book, keep the trending topics under control. Can you do it?" Li Qing looked at the two of them.

"By your command!"

Sylvie's expression instantly hardened. "Reporting to Your Majesty! My Celestial River Navy are all elite, battle-proven, and exceptionally skilled in the Eight Trigrams Battle Array. We will surely win this battle, crush the rebels, and win beautifully!"

So that very day, Sylvie secretly ran off to the Moon Palace, searching for the private photos of the Celestial Realm's number one beauty, compiling all sorts of gossip as Casting Materials for the hundred thousand-strong navy.

After all, in this era, that's the meaning of the Celestial River Navy: maintaining cosmic law and order, and suppressing enemies.

Because if they were real enemies, would it even be their turn, these small fry, to take action?

Just the Material God alone could, with a single thought from afar, cause the enemies of the All Heavens and Myriads of Realms to lose their great power.

Solar Calendar, Year 13098.

The Celestial River Navy set out; the circulation of the time-banned book was prohibited; all kinds of public opinion quieted down under surveillance and stopped appearing on the surface.

But in the shadows, big and small secret societies and organizations sprang up, carrying out illegal activities and plotting mischief.

This was already the limit of what could be done.

Once that book has spread, anyone would secretly keep a backup. The Cosmos is so vast—who could wipe out the legacy of words completely?

If there's anyone who could completely forbid it, it would only be life itself.

That day, Atabia still hadn't come by; instead it was Elis who showed up, ready to take part in suppressing these rebels.

She volunteered and said, "Recently, Bai Lin and I have developed a new Dharma Method that can definitely control public opinion!"