Without hesitation, Lu Xuan slashed upwards with his sword. A fiery red sword aura, simulating dragon flames, soared into the sky, scattering the swarming crows.
Dozens of crows turned into burning fragments, scattering from mid-air. But the next second, the vortex formed again. Lu Xuan instinctively sensed something was wrong. He sprang backward, preparing to escape the vortex's reach.
But the next second, he felt the scene before him change. When he came to his senses again, he found himself in a boundless, icy, and snowy landscape.
"This is..." Lu Xuan's expression changed slightly. He had unknowingly been trapped by some kind of illusion.
"Note that this is not just an illusion. You are now in a projection of the river of time. Or rather, your consciousness is roaming through timelines."
The old dragon soul in his mind warned Lu Xuan in an unprecedentedly serious tone. Lu Xuan instantly thought of the Three-Eyed Raven's ability. It was famous for its ability to spread its spiritual form across timelines. Although it couldn't directly interfere, it was still an extremely powerful ability.
Lu Xuan tried, but found that he could not bring his consciousness back.
"Don't waste your energy. Time travel is the power of the Old Gods. You are now essentially in the realm of that Green Prophet. Unless you find him and defeat him, you cannot escape from here. Your spirit will gradually be lost in this endless river of time."
"If this really is its divine realm, then the Green Prophet should be able to kill me easily, right? But it didn't, and it didn't even dare to come out to see me! So, I guess it can't actually harm me in this divine realm, right?"
"No, not entirely. You two are currently existing in the river of time in a spiritual state. So, from a spiritual perspective, you are both capable of being injured. But I feel that the Green Prophet may not intend to come out and fight you. After all, this is its domain, and it only needs to stall for time."
Lu Xuan glanced down; the longsword in his hand was still there. His foundation lay in the Daoist mental cultivation method. The Ape Strike Technique he later practiced was also a Daoist method of cultivating Qi. Moreover, he followed the Daoist path of guarding the primordial unity, fusing spirit and body for mutual progress. This was probably why the Green Prophet dared not appear before him. Lu Xuan's spiritual body might be even more terrifying than his physical body.
"Is there any way to find the Green Prophet, or to get me out of here?"
"The simplest way is for you to stay where you are and wait for the river of time to flow. When your spiritual body synchronizes with the time of your physical body in reality, you will naturally be able to leave this place."
Lu Xuan: "...You mean, if my spirit is manifested in a timeline that is a thousand years ago, then I have to wait here for a thousand years?"
"That's one way to understand it. Also, I need to correct something: the timeline you're currently in isn't a thousand years ago. If I'm not mistaken, you're at least eight thousand years ago, or even earlier!"
Lu Xuan: "...Just tell me another method."
"There is another method. You need to use your spiritual body to interfere with the timeline sufficiently. The moment the interference occurs, the timeline will automatically eject you."
"We can interfere with the timeline in this state? If so, wouldn't the Green Prophet be invincible by now?"
"It dares not arbitrarily alter the timeline. The reason the Green Prophet can freely roam the timeline is because it has a special coexistence with the timeline. I can't explain the details clearly. Because this is the root of the Green Prophet's divinity. It is the core secret of every divine being."
For this reason, it can freely roam the timeline and know all the secrets. However, it cannot arbitrarily alter anything. Because any change would create the butterfly effect you mentioned, ultimately causing unpredictable consequences for it.
Lu Xuan understood the old dragon soul's meaning. But the frustrating thing was, when he looked around, he found himself in a vast, icy wasteland. There wasn't a single sign of human habitation. The endless ice plains were devoid of even a single tree. What could he do to change the timeline?
It seemed the Green Prophet had taken precautions against this possibility. He deliberately led Lu Xuan to a deserted location. This was likely further north of the Ghost Shadow Forest, in the icy plains known as the Land of Eternal Winter. Stretching for thousands of miles, it was devoid of even a single tree—an absolute forbidden zone for humans.
As expected, Lu Xuan should be in the core of the Eternal Winter Land. No matter which direction he goes, it's almost impossible to see any signs of human habitation in the short term.
At this moment, in the real world.
Lu Xuan, within the river of time, was unable to perceive the flow of time in the real world. However, the flow of time in the real world continued as normal.
Lu Xuan remained standing still, but a pair of eerie green eyes were slowly approaching from a distance. It was a Shadow Lynx, a creature that shouldn't exist in this area. But now, not only had it appeared, but it was clearly coming for Lu Xuan.
Not only the Shadow Lynx, but also two pairs of eerie blue eyes were slowly approaching from afar. They were Ice Wolves, and two of them. Both creatures were top hunters in the Northern Territory. Of course, under normal circumstances, these creatures wouldn't even have a chance to get close to Lu Xuan. But now, with his mind trapped, Lu Xuan's body lacked the necessary adaptability.
It wasn't just these wild beasts. Further away, a figure in red robes was slowly approaching. It was Melisandre, who was holding a red gem the size of an egg in her hand, and walked gracefully to Lu Xuan's side.
The deadly trap set against Lu Xuan was actually a joint effort by the King of Light and the Green Prophet. Lu Xuan had overlooked one crucial point. In the original story, the King of Light was always portrayed as an evil god. Yet, everything he did genuinely helped humanity defeat the Night King.
While the Green Prophet may seem mystical, he is absolutely formidable in his fight against the Night King. Although their character portrayals differ—the Green Prophet has done little harm and appears more positive, while R'hllor frequently resorts to human sacrifice—their goal is the same: to fight the Night King, or rather, the God of the Cold.
Lu Xuan never believed that two truly divine beings would go to such lengths simply to unconditionally save the human world. Just look at how the Green Prophet ultimately ascended the throne. They might share some common goal and have cooperated to a certain extent.
7017k
------------
Chapter 298 For the Dragon Queen (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
The surrounding wild beasts attacked first. The shadow lynx transformed into a black blur and pounced on Lu Xuan. But the next second, it was repelled by an invisible force. Although Lu Xuan couldn't react on his own, his protective aura still automatically shielded him. The two ice wolves were also repelled by his protective aura. Within three feet of Lu Xuan, an aura barrier formed, blocking all attacks.
Melisandre watched silently as the beasts failed. She frowned slightly. Then, she took a deep breath and, without hesitation, crushed the gem in her hand. With a deafening boom, flames instantly erupted around Lu Xuan's body.
However, the flames were blocked by Lu Xuan's protective aura. But these flames were hotter and more persistent than the flames that had burned the Others to death during the day. They created a stalemate with Lu Xuan's protective aura.
In the long river of time, Lu Xuan was running frantically with his head down. He felt like he had run hundreds of kilometers, but the scenery around him didn't seem to have changed at all.
“I feel that this is not just a matter of time. Even though there are no obvious reference points around me, I can still feel that I should be spinning in place. It must be exerting some kind of influence on me in some subtle way. But why can’t I feel anything unusual?”
"After all, it is an ancient god walking among humans. It will always have all sorts of hidden methods. The Green Prophets are never known for direct confrontation. But you cannot deny their power. They have seen too many secrets in the long river of history. You can never imagine what methods they actually possess."
"Interesting. Since their main objective is to trap me, they must have another force targeting my physical body. My spirit is currently unharmed, so my body's protective aura should not have been breached. In this castle, there aren't many forces qualified to cooperate with the Green Prophet. Daenerys is one of them. I won't completely rule her out, but I must admit that it's highly unlikely to be her."
Besides that, there's only one choice: R'hllor, the Lord of Light. To be precise, it should be Stannis and his group, including Melisandre. This puzzles me; shouldn't the Green Prophet and the Lord of Light be enemies?
"Heh, who gave you the confidence to think that two gods must be enemies? Think about it carefully. Rahlo's Song of Laws is a song of shadows and a song of fire. The Green Prophet, on the other hand, is a song of life and nature. Their demands are not conflicting at all. What makes you think they are enemies?"
..............
In the real world, Daenerys awoke with a start. An instinctive sense of foreboding washed over her. She leaped from the bed, quickly donned her armor, grabbed Blackfire, and headed for the door. But just as she reached the doorway, her expression suddenly changed. She retreated rapidly. The next second, the door shattered. A massive crossbow bolt, as thick as a baby's arm, burst through the door, grazing her chest, piercing the wall, and flying to an unknown destination.
Daenerys's expression changed drastically, and with a thought, she prepared to awaken Drogon and Viserion. But the next second, her face darkened. She discovered that her mental link with Drogon and Viserion was being suppressed by some force.
Daenerys took a step back, raising her left hand. A ball of crimson flame appeared in her palm. The flame rapidly expanded, transforming into the form of a fire dragon.
The deafening explosion shook the entire Black Castle. All the awakened Night's Watchmen watched in horror as the Commander-in-Chief's chamber was reduced to ashes by a massive fire dragon. The dragon soared into the sky, then swooped down, crashing down upon the hundreds of Knights of the Hearts below.
Unbeknownst to her, Stannis's Knights of the Hearts had already laid a trap around Daenerys, determined to kill her. Six ballistae were even positioned around her, aimed at Daenerys who stood rooted to the spot.
“Stannis, I swear on the honor of House Targaryen, after tonight, I will wipe House Baratheon out completely.”