12: Chapter 12: A Distorted Timeline – Four People Accidentally Travel to Ten Thousand Years Ago

Now was not the time for impulsiveness.

These two powerhouses were unfathomable; rather than dwelling on the insult of being a "crossbreed," it was better to use their hands to eliminate Lu Jing, this serious threat. As long as an Evil Spirit Master was not removed, they remained a hidden danger to the continent, not to mention that this guy had killed Xiao Ya...

He took a deep breath, bowed to Qian Daoliu and Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen, his tone filled with deliberately suppressed earnestness: "Two seniors, this junior knows my words carry little weight, but Evil Spirit Masters are cruel, and the corrosive power of the World-Destroying Black Lotus can pollute all living things. If he is allowed to leave today, he will surely become a major disaster in the future!"

"For the safety of the continent, I ask you seniors to take action and execute him here in the Star Dou Great Forest!"

His words were sonorous. His gaze swept over the withered vegetation caused by the aura of the World-Destroying Black Lotus, trying to convince the two with facts: "Seniors, please look. This is the evil nature of his Spirit. It can even corrode the vegetation of heaven and earth. If he is allowed to grow unchecked, who knows how many living beings will suffer!"

Lu Jing's eyelids twitched. Before Qian Daoliu and Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen could speak, he hurriedly retorted: "Stop slandering me! I am not an Evil Spirit Master at all!"

He pointed at his own nose, his voice trembling slightly from urgency: "You say I am an Evil Spirit Master just because my Spirit has a dark attribute! Do you know why there are so many Evil Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent? It is because people like you, who claim to be righteous, forced them into a dead end."

Despite saying this, he felt unsure inside. Once the label of Evil Spirit Master was slapped on, it was often impossible to clear one's name. But he still held onto a glimmer of hope—these two powerhouses didn't look like people who couldn't distinguish right from wrong. What if they had a different judgment?

Adhering to the principle that it's better to live than die, Lu Jing stiffened his neck, his eyes full of stubbornness, and continued: "Even if my Spirit has a dark attribute, so what? Does that alone make someone an Evil Spirit Master? Ten thousand years ago, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had an Elder whose Spirit was a Bone Dragon, and it was also a dark attribute. Is he an Evil Spirit Master too?"

Hearing the name "Gu Rong," Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen nodded subconsciously. He had dealt with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and knew that Gu Rong's Bone Dragon Spirit was indeed gloomy and eerie. If judged by attributes, it was probably more like an Evil Spirit Master than this child's Black Lotus.

He turned to look at Qian Daoliu and asked in a low voice: "High Priest, how do you think we should decide?"

Qian Daoliu's gaze lingered on the World-Destroying Black Lotus above Lu Jing's head for a moment, then swept over the withered vegetation, his expression calm without a ripple: "It's just that the Spirit attribute is a bit dark, what's the big deal?"

He spoke lightly, his tone carrying a detachment that pierced to the essence: "Whether one is an Evil Spirit Master depends on their character and actions, not other reasons. If one could judge based solely on attributes, wouldn't Bibi Dong be considered the leader of the Evil Spirit Masters?"

Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen understood instantly and agreed: "The High Priest is absolutely right!"

The forms and attributes of Spirits were strange and varied. If one judged good and evil solely by appearance, it would be too arbitrary. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was domineering and bloodthirsty; does that mean everyone who possesses this Spirit is a villain? Obviously not.

Lu Jing's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a straw: "This senior is absolutely right! Shouldn't judging whether someone is an Evil Spirit Master depend on what they have done? I, Lu Jing, have never killed an innocent person. On the contrary, it is Bei Bei and his group who call for killing at the slightest disagreement. Who is the one that looks like an Evil Spirit Master here?"

Not far away, Wang Donger quietly raised her head, a flash of agreement in her pale blue eyes, and nodded gently. She had seen the cruelty of Evil Spirit Masters and hated the scum who brought disaster to the world, but that did not mean one could judge a person's good or evil solely by their Spirit. What is the difference between killing an innocent person by mistake and being an Evil Spirit Master?

Qian Daoliu noticed Wang Donger's small movement, a flash of surprise in his eyes, then turned to look at Qian Renxue beside him, his tone softening slightly: "Xue'er, how do you think we should handle this?"

Qian Renxue tilted her head and thought, her golden eyes shining with seriousness: "I think... we shouldn't take action."

She pointed at Lu Jing: "He doesn't look like a bad person, and the other side only said he killed someone, but didn't explain the cause and effect clearly. What if it's really a misunderstanding?"

She paused and added: "Didn't Grandfather say that the duty of an angel is to protect justice, not to easily judge the life and death of others?"

Upon hearing this, a faint, imperceptible smile appeared at the corner of Qian Daoliu's mouth, and he nodded: "You are right."

Bei Bei's face darkened completely. He didn't expect these two powerhouses to not only not help him but to defend Lu Jing at every turn, and even that little blonde girl was siding with the outsider. A sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart. He looked at Lu Jing, the hatred in his eyes almost overflowing.

Just then, Lu Jing suddenly frowned, his gaze circling between Qian Daoliu, Qian Renxue, and Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen, as if he had suddenly realized something, and couldn't help but tentatively ask: "Forgive my presumption... three seniors, may I ask for your identities?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

These three people not only didn't know that the Spirit Hall had been destroyed, but they also knew nothing about figures from ten thousand years ago like "Ancestor Tang San" or "Angel God Qian Renxue," and Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen even treated Bei Bei, who possessed the Holy Dragon of Light Spirit, as a "crossbreed"... This completely did not fit normal historical knowledge.

Especially the blonde man, who kept saying "the Spirit Hall is perfectly fine," and even mentioned Bibi Dong... Could their identities be extraordinary?

Qian Daoliu glanced at him and didn't hide it, saying lightly: "This old man is Qian Daoliu, High Priest of the Spirit Hall."

He pointed to the young girl beside him: "This is my granddaughter, Qian Renxue."

Then he looked at Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen: "This is the Clan Leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, Yu Yuanzhen."

"What?!"

Lu Jing, Bei Bei, the man in black, and Wang Donger all exclaimed at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief.

Qian Daoliu?! The High Priest of the Spirit Hall, that legendary Limit Douluo who lived for over a hundred years, the spokesperson of the Angel God? Didn't he sacrifice himself ten thousand years ago to help Qian Renxue become a god? How could he be standing here alive?

And Qian Renxue... Isn't she the Angel God? Didn't she disappear after the final battle? How could she appear here in the form of a little girl, and still be absorbing a spirit ring?

What shocked Bei Bei the most was Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen—the Clan Leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan? The powerhouse who fell when the Spirit Hall was destroyed? How could he be here, and even questioning his own background?

For a moment, the dense forest was silent, with only the "rustling" sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.

Lu Jing opened his mouth, his mind in chaos. He suddenly thought of an absurd yet only reasonable explanation—did they seem to have come to the Douluo Continent ten thousand years ago?

As soon as this thought appeared, all the blood in his body seemed to freeze.

If this was true, then everything in front of him made sense—why they didn't know about the destruction of the Spirit Hall, why Qian Daoliu and Clan Leader Yu Yuanzhen were still alive, why Bei Bei's Holy Dragon of Light was treated as a "crossbreed"...

Bei Bei and Wang Donger obviously thought of this too, looking at the three people in front of them with pale faces, their lips trembling, unable to say a single word.

Qian Daoliu looked at their shocked reactions and frowned slightly: "What? Do you know this old man?"

Lu Jing swallowed, feeling his throat dry and smoking.

Know him? Not only did they know him, his name was like thunder to their ears!

Just... how should he explain to this big shot from ten thousand years ago that they were "future people" from ten thousand years later?