Permanent Martial Arts Chapter 1971: Cycle of Oblivion

Lin Feng departed after providing the Spacetime Swordmaster with a magnificent gift and ensuring his safety.

In succession, he visited the Black Ink Master, the Barbarian God Master, the Blood Sea Master, and the other Overlords who had ventured into the Eternal Realm alongside him in the past.

Fortune had favored this group; not a single one had perished or been forced to retreat back to the Eternal Realm. Several among them had even successfully acquired a Spacetime Heart and gained mastery over at least one timeline.

For those who had not yet obtained a Spacetime Heart or mastered a timeline, Lin Feng presented them with a Spacetime Heart as a significant tribute.

Possessing this Spacetime Heart allowed them to essentially govern a timeline and seize the initiative. Even if they were confronted by a formidable foe, they could simply retreat into their timeline and wait out the ages. Hope would endure, and they would be shielded from death.

Having settled these matters, Lin Feng was free of lingering attachments or regrets. Consequently, he triggered the Eternal True Seal and made his return to the Eternal Realm.

The moment he stepped back into the Eternal Realm, Lin Feng sensed a profound shift in the atmosphere.

He could distinctly perceive that the Eternal Realm before him was saturated with the spacetime rules of the "present," which acted as a firm "binding" for the entire realm.

Because of this, spacetime was frozen entirely within the singular moment of the "now."

Lin Feng had already succeeded in severing the future. His subsequent tasks were to sever the present and the past. Only by achieving this could he truly transcend spacetime.

Nevertheless, deep within his soul, many uncertainties remained. He sought out the guide to obtain clarity on these matters.

Thus, Lin Feng went directly to the white-haired elder, the guide of the Eternal Realm and the loyal servant of Dawn, the one who had already transcended spacetime.

“Huh?”

The white-haired elder appeared genuinely startled to find Lin Feng standing before him.

“You have actually managed to sever the future already. Remarkable, truly remarkable. Throughout the eons, I have served as a guide to countless spacetime cultivators, yet you are the very first to sever the future with such speed!”

The white-haired elder could not hide his amazement.

Lin Feng’s current progress was something no one could overlook.

With a grave expression, Lin Feng looked at the white-haired elder and asked in a low tone, “The future has been severed. My next steps involve severing the present and the past. However, I cannot possibly be the only one to have severed the future in all these years, can I? Where are the other spacetime cultivators who achieved this? Why is it that I cannot sense their presence at all?”

This was the question that troubled Lin Feng the most.

At his current level of Cultivation, very little could be hidden from him. If there were other spacetime cultivators who had severed their future, Lin Feng should have been able to catch a faint trace of them.

Yet, he had detected nothing, a fact that was deeply significant.

The white-haired elder gazed intensely at Lin Feng, let out a weary sigh, and replied, “Indeed. While they are rare, there have been other spacetime cultivators who severed the future. However, you are the only one currently remaining within spacetime. The others have likely all been ensnared within the spacetime of the past, falling into eternal oblivion…”

“Ensnared within the past spacetime?”

Lin Feng’s heart jolted as a realization began to dawn on him.

“That is correct. They are trapped in the past. Most had reached the final threshold, which is the act of severing the past to achieve total transcendence over spacetime. Sadly, that final step is the most treacherous. Returning to the past may seem trivial, but in truth, a single lapse in focus leads to total assimilation. One becomes lost in the past spacetime, never to wake again, sinking forever into the void.”

Lin Feng still struggled to fully grasp the elder’s meaning.

What did it truly mean to be lost in the past and sink into oblivion without the hope of awakening?

“I shall explain it to you. Over the ages, I have witnessed many brilliant spacetime cultivators. They severed both the future and the present, entering the spacetime of the past. However, the past is fundamentally different from the present or the future. The future is fluid, teeming with endless potential. The present is the heartbeat of our existence. Severing these two is relatively straightforward. In contrast, the past is fixed and immutable, possessing a massive inertia. The most powerful spacetime rules are those governing the past.

“When a spacetime cultivator journeys back and becomes their past self, their powers vanish. In the past, all strength is stripped away. At times, even their memories begin to erode. The past is eternal and cannot be changed. No one, save for those who have already transcended spacetime, can alter what has been.

“Consequently, when those spacetime cultivators return to the past, they eventually revert to who they once were. They grow again, step by step, following a predetermined path. Eventually, they reach the Eternal Realm, sever the future and the present, and return to the past once more, sinking deeper into oblivion.

“This cycle repeats itself, an endless loop that never terminates…”

Lin Feng’s frame trembled as a wave of intense emotion surged within him.

It was staggering. Truly beyond belief.

Lin Feng envisioned that horrific scenario: repeating every action of his past self over and over again. The horror of it was unimaginable.

Furthermore, one would be oblivious to the cycle. There would be no way to wake oneself up.

“Have you… Have you witnessed this personally?” Lin Feng inquired with caution.

“I have seen it occur many times…”

The white-haired elder sighed deeply once more.

He saw no harm in informing Lin Feng. Within the Eternal Realm, he would share this knowledge with any spacetime cultivator who sought it. Unfortunately, few ever thought to ask.

Besides, what difference did knowing make?

Once they stepped back into the past, the overwhelming inertia of that era would ensure they lost themselves exactly as they were destined to. Nothing would change.

The elder had watched countless cultivators fall into this trap.

Each time, they repeated their lives like a form of “reincarnation,” yet they remained blissfully unaware of their plight.

Even when the white-haired elder attempted to warn them, it proved futile.

This was far more terrifying than any standard reincarnation.

Such was the true power of spacetime!

Lin Feng was lost in thought for a moment before asking, “Am I among those who have already sunk into oblivion?”

“No, not for now. In this Eternal Realm, I have only encountered you once. Thus, a chance still remains for you,” the white-haired elder said, offering a small smile.

Lin Feng still had an opportunity, yet in truth, the elder harbored little real hope.

He was aware that his master, “Dawn,” yearned for another being to achieve transcendence. Dawn was the solitary occupant of the vast spacetime, and such existence was profoundly lonely.

Yet, despite the passage of countless years and the emergence of many genius cultivators, not a single one had succeeded in transcending.

This man, Lin Feng, had only managed to sever the future. Could he truly be the one to succeed?

Even Lin Feng himself likely lacked the confidence to say for certain.