"Until that moment, Ash fully realized that he was no longer an ordinary life form."

"Ordinary life could never swim in the Flowing Gold River, let alone taste its golden liquid— which had no flavor, resembling the icy coolness of well water. Ash could only wonder what flavor the steamed durian-flavored milk custard of the Flowing Gold River might have."

"His previous 'sensory anticipation' was actually his body sensing the flow of the river, for the Flowing Gold River originated from the flow of all things in the world. Reality itself was the source of the river, and the reason everything ages and decays was due to the invisible erosion of the river—at least, that was how aging was defined in the world of mages."

"Ordinary people and even mages couldn't feel the flow of the Flowing Gold River, but trialists like Ash, with their ridiculously enhanced time talents, could vaguely sense this flow and even alter its course to some extent, thus generating an instinct similar to precognition."

"In a sense, Ash could no longer grow old and die. Now that he could swim in the Flowing Gold River, he naturally wouldn't be affected by time anymore, just as you wouldn't fear eating spicy hotpot if you could drink molten lava."

"However, from the reactions of Scatty and others, this 'extreme time talent' probably had its limitations, perhaps only maintainable for certain days, or it might disappear once he left this underground palace."

"If he wanted to maintain this state or even advance further, turning the Flowing Gold River into the Origin of Life, he would have to accommodate the real life of time—Fangyuan Cicada!"

"Eternal Life!"

"To say Ash didn't desire it would definitely be false, although there was also the philosophy of 'the suffering of eternal life.' But considering that several Divine Lords had governed the world for so many years without any of them hanging themselves but instead creating different forms of societal states in reality and arranging grand seals among six nations in the Void Realm, it showed that the joys of eternal life were unimaginable to ordinary people."

"And to attain eternal life just by taking a bite, missing out on such an opportunity would be too regrettable. Ash even wondered if this was too good a deal, questioning whether they should add some 'curses like being chased by snails' to make this eternal life feel more secure."

"Shortly after, they saw a huge Golden Cicada at the end of the passage. It stuck to the wall, about three meters long with two pairs of thin wings trembling slightly, its compound eyes on the sides of its head, and Ash noticed one pupil staring at him."

"Its head and tail segment were almost perfectly round, but its body and wings were angular rectangles, making it appear as if a child had drawn it, which explained its name, Fangyuan Cicada."

"Its position was exactly where Ash and Weiser had previously seen the cicada mural. Now that the mural had disappeared and the Fangyuan Cicada had appeared, it seemed it had been barely clinging to life on the wall until enough Flowing Gold River water irrigated it back to life from the mural."

"At that moment, the leading Beastman Legendary had already swum to the destination, he leaped up and hugged the Fangyuan Cicada, hesitating slightly—how does one eat such a huge cicada?"

"Nevertheless, he didn't stop and directly grabbed one of its wings, biting down hard!"

"Bang!"

"The Beastman Legendary's teeth could definitely crush marble, yet when biting the thin cicada wing, he ended up breaking his own tooth, chipping off a front one!"

"By then, the excited legendary mages finally calmed down, and Ash and Weiser also hastily stopped themselves."

"They realized a very serious problem."

"Your original plan wasn't to eat the Fangyuan Cicada amongst yourselves, was it?" Ash asked, "I remember that even a Great Skill can't be defeated by ordinary means; you either have to kill all its believers first or exhaust all the energy of its subordinated Hosted Gods…"

"In the original plan, we were supposed to wake up already at the dining table, feasting on the already processed Fangyuan Cicada," Scatty murmured in front. "If the experiment succeeded, a little bit of Fangyuan Cicada would be left, fed with Flowing Gold River water to revive, then continue to be eaten, thereby achieving eternal life, undying and unyielding…"

"But now that the Fangyuan Cicada sect is gone," said Ash, "don't you trialists have any backup plan?"

"Then Weiser suddenly asked, 'You're saying, Fangyuan Cicada's food is Flowing Gold River water?'"

"If it likes drinking Flowing Gold River water, then we, the trialists almost equivalent to time creatures with our connection to the Gate of Truth allowing us to swim freely in the river, what are we to it?"

"At that point, everyone noticed, as the Fangyuan Cicada made continuous chirping sounds, the Beastman Legendary holding it began to slowly dissolve."

"As if a straw had been stuck into him, rapidly sucking like yogurt, not only his insides being emptied but even his skin disappearing without a trace like a yogurt lid, all dissolving into the body of the Fangyuan Cicada. In a short while, the Beastman Legendary had vanished, but the Fangyuan Cicada seemed to grow slightly larger."

"As if finding the taste irresistible, the Fangyuan Cicada gently landed in the Flowing Gold River, its compound eyes fixed on the youngsters in the river."

"In that moment, Ash suddenly understood what steamed durian-flavored milk custard felt like."

"No need for further words, everyone immediately turned around and swam back against the Flowing Gold River. Although Ash and Weiser were behind the main group initially, turning around should have put them in the lead, yet these legendary mages not only surpassed them in realm but also greatly outdid them in swimming skills, and soon everyone had swum past the two of them."

"Weiser was somewhat okay, being second to last, because Ash was the last."

"Although Ash also knew 'the classes you skip will eventually need to be made up,' he hadn't expected that the swimming classes he skipped in the Sea of Knowledge would become his Achilles heel at this crucial moment of life and death!"

"He glanced back and was relieved to see that the Fangyuan Cicada was quite slow; even with his swimming speed, he should easily be able to get away—"

"Hmm!?"

Ash's body suddenly stalled, almost being swept into Fangyuan Cicada's jaws by the Flowing Gold River.

He forcibly stabilized his form, struggling hard against the current, but he felt an ever-increasing resistance—the indescribable loneliness, despair, and gloom slowly gnawed at his spirit.

Insignificant.

Each droplet of the Flowing Gold River represented a mortal's lifetime. The waters he swept through with his hand embodied the pasts of millions, a single step forward crossed the rise and fall of a city, and all he cherished or loathed was less than a droplet in comparison.

It was then that Ash recalled the ordeal he and Sword Witch had faced when they infiltrated the Flowing Gold River. With the limited span of mortal lifetimes, it was hardly possible to withstand the river's assault—if one merely drifted or remained still it might be manageable, but moving against the Flowing Gold River was like a droplet trying to move against millions.

When swimming against the Flowing Gold River, he and Sword Witch supported each other, their combined lifespans barely sustaining their selves in the vast and mighty currents.

But alone, how could one persist under the lengthy onslaught of time?

He looked up and saw Silver Lamp still ahead of him. Although her pace had slowed, she continued inching forward, her determination uneroded by the river, her confidence unshaved.

Ahead of Silver Lamp, the Legendary Mages also made difficult progress. Although their lifespans far exceeded that of Ash and his companion, they likely lacked any experience of swimming against the Flowing Gold River and would need much time to adapt to such a profound assault on their consciousness.

Suddenly, Silver Lamp stopped. Despite her intense efforts to advance, she couldn't move further, her body naturally weakened and pushed back each time she gained a little ground.

But Ash had reached his limit earlier. In the Flowing Gold River, he drifted and bobbed—he wasn't washed away yet unable to forge ahead. This was no longer about steadfast will, simply put, his lifespan was insufficient; even the sharpest blade needed a robust body to rely on.

Both knew what had to be done, but both were waiting.

After a brief hesitation, Fangyuan Cicada let out a chirp. Ash immediately reached forward, and Weiser reached backward, their actions nearly seamlessly coordinated. They then swiftly pushed against the current, quickly catching up to the advancing Legendary division!

Just then, they saw splashing ahead; clearly, a fight was taking place.

Someone roared, "Mesis, have you gone mad! It's been two hundred years outside, is now really the time to settle scores!?"

"I'm not mad," Mesis retorted, "Our only way out is to swim through the Flowing Gold River, and the river's flow is tied to the number of tributaries... even though we're all seeds of Divine Fire, and the Gate of Truth opened by Resonance can't be closed, as soon as someone dies, the Gate of Truth has to close no matter what!"

"And besides, it takes time for Fangyuan Cicada to consume a person!"

As a roar erupted, a middle-aged mage was suddenly kicked into the air; Ash and Weiser quickly dodged, watching as he was swept towards Fangyuan Cicada's jaws. True enough, Fangyuan Cicada halted, and even though the middle-aged mage tried to swim back, Fangyuan Cicada's three pairs of limbs had firmly bound him.

There was no scream, no wail, only cheerful cicada song that expressed the joy of its owner.

The flow of the Flowing Gold River seemed indeed to slow down a little, allowing the Trialists to push significantly forward before facing another bottleneck.

This time, while the Legends confronted each other, two among the Legends looked back towards this pair of weakest ones.

Even Weiser quietly let go of Ash's hand, her eyes behind the fox mask filled with vigilance.

With a splash!

As water flew everywhere, the Fishman Legendary approached Ash, and the combat between the Holy Sanctuary Mage and the Legendary Mage in the Flowing Gold River erupted devoid of any miracle.

At the outset of their clash, Ash felt a crushing pressure—since all senses were resisting the temporal erosion of the Flowing Gold River's waters, his sensory anticipation was almost completely ineffective, and so were the others'.

However, apart from being more proficient in aquatic combat, the Fishman Legendary's physical condition also surpassed Ash's natural body. Silver Lamp had used silver dragon blood to enhance her body; how could these true Legendary Mages from the Gray Fox Era not have used fantasy creations to enhance their bodies?

Faced with the dual pressures of technique and physical superiority, Ash quickly fell into disadvantage, relying only on constant movement to buy time.

At that moment, he saw Weiser also struggling. Seizing an opportunity, he suddenly entered Weiser's fray, teaming up with her to attack the Bear-man Legendary!

Caught off-guard, the Bear-man was rapidly forced back, but the Fishman also closed in. Ash retreated and executed Sword Drawing Slash, but swinging a sword underwater was too sluggish, utterly exposing his undefended left flank to a fierce strike by the Fishman!

However, Weiser timely covered his vulnerability, her expertly handled chain tightly grasping the Fishman's arm, Ash's sword coming perilously close to severing the Fishman's throat!

The Fishman and Bear-man retreated to regroup, their gazes suggesting a recalibration of their tactics, while Ash and Weiser stood shoulder-to-shoulder in battle, yet both turned their heads to the side, avoiding eye contact.

In the scenario where their sensory anticipation was ineffective, they realized that the only viable team members were each other, having fought side by side for four days. Not just because they were the first targets of these Legends, but more importantly, because after so many days of fighting, they completely understood each other's tactical approaches—to the point where one's slightest movement revealed if they had to relieve themselves, thus no teamwork adjustment was necessary.

"Observer died just an hour ago and you're already this close to me, isn't he going to be jealous?" Weiser never missed an opportunity to needle Ash.

"Once we get out, I'll chop you up and feed you to LaLa," Ash responded.

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