Li Qiye returned to the wooden nest after the dark star’s departure. The others finally relaxed with the pressure gone. The aura from that being suffocated them earlier.

“Young Master, was, was he the master of Black Tides?” Yang Ling spoke softly, still intimidated by that being’s power.

“No, Black Tides has no master.” Li Qiye casually responded.

“So in history, multiple dao lords underwent expeditions against Black Tides. What was their goal?” She continued since the public didn’t have access to this information.

“Uncertainties.” Li Qiye said.

“Uncertainties of dao search.” The old man’s eyes narrowed since he knew a little about this matter.

“There are many uncertainties and Black Tides is one of them. The curtain will drop eventually.” Li Qiye added.

The old man contemplated. He had the chance to look at existences at the dao realm before and understood some of the reasons.

On the other hand, the two girls couldn’t follow the conversation.

Li Qiye turned his focus towards the box, gently rubbing it. It was old and had spots everywhere, looking quite damaged. It resembled an heirloom item that has been around for too long, being dropped on the ground every once in a while.

Of course, the damages had nothing to do with it being dropped. They stemmed from a terrible suppression.

The group became curious about the thing inside the box. It had to be something magnificent in order to be worth their young master’s time and effort.

Moreover, that being inside the coffin reluctantly handed it over. It should be priceless and peerless.

“Young Master, may I ask what is inside?” Yang Ling asked.

“Longevity Loop.” Li Qiye glanced at her and responded. [1]

“Longevity Loop?” The group has never heard of it before, not even the old servant.

He thought that this precious artifact should be well known yet there were no legends regarding it.

Of course, if it wasn’t for Li Qiye, they wouldn’t have found out about this dark star hidden in Black Tides and the origin of the skeletal creatures. Thus, certain things were clearly above their station.

Li Qiye opened the box and out came a lustrous glow. Time came to a halt as a result. Everything affected by this light became infinitely slow.

The group saw tiny particles barely moving as a result while being bathed by the light. This light seemed to be a pathway towards a different timeline and era.

They didn’t get to see the item, only its light. Nonetheless, they were still lost in awe.

Li Qiye took a quick look before closing the box and said: “Longevity Loop, a wondrous creation. Unfortunately, it is of no use to me.”

Few in Eight Desolaces knew of this item, the same could be said about those from the Nine World Epoch. Only characters similar to Li Qiye were privy to its existence.

The loop first belonged to the Ancient Ming but it wasn’t created by them. It granted immense benefits to their race.

Their Immortal Emperors and lords were extremely hard to kill because they possessed the loop.

Later on, the Dark Crow successfully used the Immortal Emperor Slaughtering Formation to suppress the loop and crucified its master. Many eras later, the seal of the Ancient Ming was finally erased by the suppression.

Li Qiye then fought above the firmaments and died. Some of his treasures became lost and forgotten with his death. The being inside the dark star somehow obtained the loop.

Others might have been unaware of the loop’s effect but this eternal being had lived long enough to know. It helped him see the way, allowing him to recover.

It was of paramount importance. He wouldn’t let anyone else touch this treasure and a fight to the death would ensue.

Alas, Li Qiye was a different story. It had nothing to do with Li Qiye being the original owner of the loop. The problem was - Li Qiye was simply terrifying in this generation and he didn’t want to die. His neighbor had been killed by Li Qiye; following the same path would be stupidity.

The loop returned to Li Qiye once more after so many years. However, it was no longer useful to him. 

The only thing it gave him was resurfacing memories of the bloody war. The Ancient Ming era was arduous. Numerous heroes and brothers died but their sacrifice heralded prosperity to the nine worlds.

Now, the Ancient Ming was no longer around, the same with the nine worlds. This epoch named Eight Desolaces was so familiar yet not.

He became sentimental while gently rubbing the box. After experiencing the torture of time, he could understand why so many lords and top existences fell to the darkness.

They have lived for too long and everything became foreign to them. The world was no longer “theirs”, so scruples became unnecessary. The only thing that mattered became their own survival, hence their eventual decision.

“I.. am still me.” He murmured.

He didn’t belong to this world, or any other for that matter. This would apply to the future epochs as well. But as long as his dao heart remained the same, so would he as a person.

Li Qiye, the Dark Crow, didn’t soar for anyone or anything. He simply wanted to fly even higher so he must continue flapping his wings. Keeping this mindset allowed him to endure the torment of time without succumbing. Stopping was not an option.

1. Could be a bracelet or a ring/loop ☜