109: Chapter 109 Thinking he could control time, he was ultimately manipulated by the God of Time.

"Guardian Beasts?"

"Yes."

Black-Robed Shen Ye nodded:

"Those Guardian Beasts were gentle by nature and born with strong physiques. They possessed a natural affinity and loyalty toward humans."

"In our vision, these Guardian Beasts would not only help people defend against potential future dangers but also assist with much of the manual labor."

"At first, things truly went as we wished. People loved the existence of the Guardian Beasts, treating them as their best friends and partners."

"But before long, everything changed."

Black-Robed Shen Ye's voice became bone-chillingly cold, carrying a deep disappointment in human nature:

"As time passed, a group of people with cruel natures emerged."

"They discovered that while these Guardian Beasts would not resist humans, they were tough and resilient—perfect sandbags. So, they began hitting the Guardian Beasts for fun whenever they were bored."

"What's even more terrifying is that some people, in the process of torturing and killing Guardian Beasts, actually managed to unexpectedly comprehend new combat techniques and even farmed a small amount of experience points!"

Xia Qing felt his hands and feet go cold, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his magic staff:

"This... isn't this just using living creatures as training dummies to level up?"

"Exactly."

Black-Robed Shen Ye sneered:

"Once the Pandora's box of becoming stronger through slaughter was opened, human greed spiraled completely out of control."

"People began to frantically hunt, imprison, and abuse those Guardian Beasts who were once regarded as friends."

"They used fire to burn them, blades to hack them, and various skills to bombard them... all just to test their damage numbers, all just to comprehend a new skill."

"And those Guardian Beasts... because Ye Fei had written an underlying directive never to harm humans when she created them, they could only wail and flee, never daring to strike back."

A trace of helplessness and sorrow flashed in Shen Ye's eyes.

He could imagine the scene.

A group of innocent beings, born to protect humanity, only to die miserably under human greed.

"You must understand, every single one of those Guardian Beasts was molded by Ye Fei with her heart's blood."

Black-Robed Shen Ye sighed:

"She could feel the pain of every Guardian Beast. Watching her creations being so cruelly slaughtered by the very subjects they were meant to protect, Ye Fei simply couldn't accept it."

"She broke down, and she grew furious."

"In a fit of rage, she wanted to take away all the remaining Guardian Beasts and leave those people to fend for themselves."

"The result... the people at the time refused."

"They had tasted the benefits; how could they let these Guardian Beasts go? They even began to besiege us."

"I had no choice."

Black-Robed Shen Ye raised his hand, looking at his palm as if the spatial fluctuations of that year still lingered there:

"To protect Ye Fei, and to save those few remaining Guardian Beasts."

"I could only take those surviving, battered, and resentment-filled Guardian Beasts... and throw them all into a wasteland of that time."

"Which is—deep within the current Southern Outside the Border."

Hearing this, both Shen Ye and Xia Qing had a sudden realization, feeling a chill run down their spines.

"In other words..."

Shen Ye's voice was somewhat dry as he looked at the peril-filled forest around them:

"Those Guardian Beasts you threw into the wasteland... they didn't die. Instead, they thrived and multiplied here, eventually becoming... the first generation of Ferocious Beasts?"

Black-Robed Shen Ye nodded heavily:

"Yes."

"But that's not right!"

Xia Qing was full of confusion:

"Wasn't it said that Guardian Beasts were hardcoded with an absolute loyalty directive? Even if they were thrown here, their habits should still be gentle, right?"

"Why is it that current Ferocious Beasts look at humans like they're looking at their father's murderer, fighting to the death?"

Xia Qing pointed toward the roars coming from the distant forest:

"This isn't just wildness being hard to tame; this is practically hatred etched into their very bones!"

Black-Robed Shen Ye shook his head bitterly:

"The situation was urgent back then. I just tossed them away casually, as long as it kept them far from humans."

"I don't know what they encountered in that barren wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew."

"Later, Ye Fei and I stayed in that era for a few years. We traveled all the way toward the wasteland where I had thrown them, wanting to bring them back."

"In the end... we found nothing."

"The original Guardian Beasts had disappeared."

Black-Robed Shen Ye turned around and pointed at the altar behind him:

"When we finally arrived here, we only saw... this altar."

"They forgot everything, forgot their original purpose of protection."

"They only remembered... the 'Mother' who created them."

"So, they built this altar, allowing no ordinary beast to approach, and never attacking anyone who looks like 'Mother'."

Hearing this, Shen Ye lowered his head deeply and let out a bitter sigh:

"Time... is truly a miraculous yet cruel thing."

"Those who think they can control time end up being toyed with in the palm of the God of Time's hand."

"We wanted to save our parents, but we personally created the murderers who killed them."

"We wanted to protect humanity, but we personally created humanity's greatest natural enemy."

Is this the closed loop of fate?

Shen Ye felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

However, there was one more question Shen Ye urgently wanted to know.

He stared at Black-Robed Shen Ye's intact eyes:

"Then, why can you control time without using a Forbidden Curse or sacrificing your eyes?"

"Since you experienced all of this in that era, it means your power should have been overextended long ago."

Upon hearing this, a trace of nostalgia, or even what could be called a look of worship, appeared on Black-Robed Shen Ye's face.

"I said before, Ye Fei and I were in a team back then."

"And our captain... he was a true god."

Black-Robed Shen Ye's tone was full of respect:

"He was a Card Maker."

"Card Maker?"

Shen Ye was stunned. Although this profession was rare, it was considered common among the support classes, usually making consumables or low-level equipment cards.

"No, he was different."

Black-Robed Shen Ye shook his head:

"He was able to create divine objects called class core cards. Those are heaven-defying items that can directly change a Professional's underlying logic and cause a qualitative evolution in their class."

"I completed a direct advancement back then through the 'Heart of Space-Time' core card he specifically tailored for me."

"From a Time-Space Traveler, I evolved into a—Space-Time Magician—who can use time-based rule skills without any loss."

"It's precisely because of that card that I didn't end up blind from the backlash of forcibly tampering with the rules like you did."

Speaking to this point, Black-Robed Shen Ye glanced at his younger self, his eyes carrying a hint of apology:

"Unfortunately, even after advancing, my attributes were still insufficient to support multiple, ultra-long-distance targeted traversals."

"To accurately locate you from thirty years in the future, I required your cooperation."

"Out of necessity... I had to induce you to activate that Forbidden Curse, using your eyes as the price to tear open a rift to act as a beacon, helping me complete this space-time dialogue across thirty years."