At this moment, on the river, a broken little boat drifts aimlessly like a rootless lotus seedpod, floating slowly along the water's flow.

On the broken little boat, a man with a bare upper body sits sternly, his skin bronzed, muscles like molten gold. On his back is an exaggerated bronze great bow.

Looking closely, one can see the man is covered in fearsome scars, with blood continuously seeping out, and in some places, even the ghastly white bone is visible.

Though the man's cultivation aura is immensely strong, his vitality is extremely weak, clearly having sustained severe wounds.

In the next second, he slowly opens his eyes, with faint red pupils filled with decayed black spots, surveying the surrounding scene and letting out a gentle sigh.

It seems he has narrowly escaped the pursuit and miraculously arrived upon the River of Time.

At this point, he gazes at the endless River of Time ahead, his eyes falling into a dazed confusion.

In his current state, with vitality feeble, stepping into the River of Time has exhausted his last bit of strength, leaving him no energy to seek "Heavens Above" anymore.

Nor can he follow "him" to battle the Heavens.

Being attacked by dozens of bizarre Immortal Kings, surviving and escaping is already a miracle.

The man's identity is quite notorious; people outside have given him a fierce nickname, calling him "Butcher."

This "Butcher," of course, is named so because of his reputation as an unrivaled Immortal King Giant across the Ten Thousand Realms, having slaughtered countless Immortal Kings to earn this title.

Alas... this legendary "Butcher" has now become nothing but a drifting weed on the River of Time, unaware of the fate that awaits him.

.....

Butcher gazes at the River of Time before him, the confusion in his eyes deepening.

He doesn't even know where he will drift to, as he is already running on fumes, possibly ending up endlessly wandering and floating on the River of Time, eventually being devoured by the Water of Time.

After a long while, a circle of ripples rose on the quiet river surface.

Butcher lowered his head, looking at the ripples, raising his gaze slowly towards the front, seeing a blurred figure walking towards him on the River of Time.

And before he knew it, the water in the section where he was had stopped flowing.

He stared intently at the approaching figure, pupils contracting sharply, taking up the bow on his back, left hand on the bow arm, right hand on the string, ready to confront at any moment.

As the figure came closer, Butcher finally saw the face clearly.

The man was tall and slender, wearing a clean pale blue Immortal Robe, with sharp features and a striking appearance, his pupils like a deep abyss containing countless stars.

He simply walked on the Water of Time with hands behind his back, and perhaps it was Butcher's illusion, but he felt... this man had a sense of harmony with the River of Time.

The Time Mist rising from the river surface also clustered around him.

Most terrifyingly, the man stood right in front of him, stopping the flow of the River of Time, leaving him static.

...

Butcher, having roamed the All Heavens and Ten Thousand Realms for countless eras and almost reaching the Quasi-Immortal Emperor cultivation, had seen countless powerful beings throughout the Ancient World.

But none had ever given him such a strong sense of oppression as the man before him, incomparable to anyone, even making him uncontrollably feel small.

He couldn't discern the man's cultivation, but judging from his actions, it was likely beyond his understanding.

Definitely not an Immortal Emperor, for he had felt the pressure from afar, nowhere near as strong as this man.

So... the man's cultivation was at least above an Immortal Emperor!

...

Su Mu immediately discerned the cultivation level of the bare-chested man holding the great bow.

Though his vitality was weak, the aura suggested his true cultivation might be above his own.

His cultivation was at Celestial Immortal Perfection, so... the opposite was at the Immortal King Realm?

.....

Not a legendary Immortal King, but a legendary Supreme Great Power, traversing heaven and earth, crossing the nine skies unimpeded, casually encountering one?

Nevertheless, Su Mu would not break his principles, even if the other was an Immortal King.

Having guarded the river for so many years, the crossing fee is a must.

.....

"May I ask what intention the senior has in stopping me here?"

After a long pause, Butcher's hoarse and weak voice slowly sounded.

"This river is under my guardianship; if you wish to cross, you must pay the crossing fee," Su Mu leisurely replied to the bare-chested man.

It's been a long time since encountering a Cross River Man, yet the business was still very proficient.

Hearing the obscure term "crossing fee," Butcher's eyes widened with disbelief, him guarding the River of Time?!

Since when did the River of Time have a River Guardian?!

Even the well-seasoned Butcher was stunned in place.

Seeing the bare-chested man looking bewildered and not answering for a long time, Su Mu frowned and said, "Don't want to pay?"

The words carried a thick threat.

Su Mu wasn't encountering his first time with someone refusing to pay the crossing fee; initially, who wouldn't be arrogant, but in the end, they had to be beaten to submission.

Moreover, this man's cultivation should be exceptionally high, but severely injured, not a match for him.

This was the perfect opportunity to extort a hefty amount; it had been too long without business, and he wouldn't let this fat sheep get away.

"Dare I ask, how should the senior collect the crossing fee?"

Butcher came to his senses, probing with his question.

In his current weak state, let alone his prime, he wouldn't stand a chance against this man.

"Two treasures I find to be decent."

Su Mu slowly spoke.

Actually, Su Mu's standard was one item, but... having not had business for so long, encountering a fat sheep, taking an extra item wasn't too excessive, was it?

Hearing this, Butcher fell into contemplation, thinking... what treasures he could offer.

Many of his talents were destroyed in the escape.

After much deliberation, he swung his hand, handing over the bronze ancient bow to Su Mu, and said, "This is my Lifebound Treasure; would it meet senior's eyes?"

Su Mu took the ancient bow, looked it over, then tossed it back to him.

Such a level of magical treasure was something Su Mu had no shortage of, and... taking someone's Lifebound Treasure was a bit too inhumane.

At that moment, Butcher took a deep breath; after much hesitation, he took out "that item," the reason he was pursued by countless bizarre Immortal Kings.

....

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