The collapse of the first temporally distorted space signified the collapse of Mars' chaotic situation as a whole. It marked the end of the future's intervention to the present.
Shi Tian was the first to be sent back to reality. He arrived at the exact place where he left. Only, Leylah was nowhere to be seen. It elicited a frown in his face, a bad premonition kicking in. He overlooked one abnormality back when he was busy dealing with the future Leylah—Senadina.
At first glance, she was completely normal. She was someone created by Leylah's Dao of Blossoming Heart. She was a 'past' projection reeled into the present. Both the authority of Remembrance and his mind as a Void Refinement Realm cultivator confirmed that.
However, Shi Tian couldn't help but think about that fleeting look Senadina gave him. That kind of morbid and obsessive look was something she shouldn't give him at all!
It filled his heart with unease, as if something bad is going to happen to Leylah.
Gurgle-!
He covered his mouth with his right hand. He coughed out a pool of golden blood, which seeped between his fingers. A sense of hollowness assaulted him physically, followed by his mind turning extremely sluggish. The three golden Dao Lotuses floating atop his head dissipated into the air. The purple scales above his skin were absorbed back into his true body.
Shi Tian could no longer maintain control over the overwhelming medicinal power as it exploded inside his body!
"Kuk…"
Before long, all seven of his orifices leaked out blood. His remaining meager power was enough to utilize All Creation once. Even his eighth-level Tao Heart is in a dormant state after slashing across the concept of nigh-infinity. The swathe of gray fog entered his nostrils. It wasn't long before he stopped bleeding; the medicinal power regained its guiding force. It was weaker compared to direct mind guidance, but it was better than nothing.
The medicinal power's healing function gradually started working. His pale complexion reflected the severe injuries at the conceptual-level. Fortunately, the pill took effect. His pale complexion was replaced with a healthy glow. As he willed it, the blood spilled on Oxia City's concrete sidewalks floated to his palm before being melted away by a pale purple fire.
'Ten percent…' He shook his head at the thought. 'It's better than nothing.'
Had it been others, they would have died already, if not in comatose. Shi Tian's twin high-grade Tao Bodies helped a lot in this regard. His ultimate-grade spirit root's special capability could only be used once. It came with severe repercussions too.
After all, it could enable Shi Tian to temporarily become a true Dao Integration Realm Venerable.
That was his final card against all odds. Aeons are comparable to 'fake' cultivators. They possessed limitations that Venerables did not have. Simultaneously, their status relied on the Imaginary Tree. External statuses could be affected in various ways. Becoming a Dao Integration Realm Venerable is enough to easily deal with them—even Finality.
'I need to look more into it.'
Shi Tian resolved to investigate the cause behind his future self's "fall". For now, dealing with the 'trouble' in front of him takes precedent.
'If it's what I thought…'
He readied himself to fight an uphill battle. The eighth-grade Dao Pill saved his life. In exchange, he had to properly channel its power—both physical and conceptual—to ensure he wouldn't die from the pill's effects.
Before, he used his enhanced mind to control it. The purple scales' empowerment brought him to the pinnacle of the Dao Integration Realm. Meanwhile, the three Dao Lotuses allowed his usage of All Creation to momentarily reach the level of Dao Integration Realm. These two enhancements allowed him to easily control the eighth-grade Dao Pill.
In his current overloaded state, Shi Tian was forced to use All Creation to do the same. His mind and a fraction of his spiritual qi was continuously being spent to maintain that control. Only his physical body remained unaffected as well as the remaining portion of his spiritual qi. He couldn't utilize All Creation for anything else at this moment.
These kinds of injuries were supposed to be immediately dealt with in seclusion, yet he did not do so. The ominous feeling in his heart wouldn't disappear. Leylah is in some kind of deep trouble…
And she needs his help.
Sensing his current state, Shi Tian shook his head.
'As expected, it will fall down to Remembrance in the end.'
He wasn't without any choices. The newly-seized authority of Remembrance could be used by him unimpeded. Moreover, the intense clash against the tribulation energy caused his two Tao Bodies to merge at the last moment. They are currently undergoing a special fusion state inside his body. It was extremely similar to the one experienced by his Yin and Yang spirit roots—which led to the Ten Elements ultimate-grade spirit root. Unfortunately, he couldn't pinpoint when this would end.
He wiped the last bits of blood in his lips before moving. The Martian Supercomputer anchored an entire Bubble World, and then partitioned them into several parts. That was how the cities came to be. Every city existed within an independent space. To move from one city to another, Shi Tian has the choice of going through its proper 'channels' or to break the power that divided them all.
He chose to do the former. Shi Tian went through the proper 'checkpoints', spawning in each city. Without his mind, he utilized his extremely fast speed to search through them all. It wasn't long before he circled the entirety of Mars Bubble World back and forth, but to no avail.
Leylah was nowhere to be seen.
Gritting his teeth, he took out the familiar copper coin with a box-shaped hole at its center. It is an eighth-grade Dao Artifact used by diviners to assist in their hexagrams. The act of divination requires the presence of mind. Other than that, there is only one other option.
Lifespan.
Hum-!
The copper coin was covered with a pale red glow. Several drops of golden blood seeped out from his thumb before being absorbed by the coin. The pale red film gained a streak of gold.
Swoosh-!
Shi Tian flicked it high up in the air with his thumb. After spinning five times, the world around him turned dark. When he came back to his senses, he was surrounded by countless shard-like fragments. Each of them were shrouded by a white fog. Faint silhouettes could be seen beyond them.
It is the characteristic of the space he was currently in—something that could be entered by the most accomplished diviners. If he wanted to see the past, he would see the past. If he wanted to divine the future, he would get the future. Such is the capability of a diviner.
'I need to find her before that heart tribulation obliterates her..!'