Chapter 182: Even among the Heavenly Dao, there’s bullying?

Chapter 182: Even the Laws of Heaven Can Bully One Another?

It's common to find hot springs in volcanoes, but a cold spring? That's not just rare—it’s downright bizarre.

Sheng Qingquan had never seen one before.

At first, he even mistook the steaming pool for a hot spring.

It wasn’t until he took a second look that he realized the water wasn’t hot.

It’s not just steaming hot springs that produce vapor—cold water can too, especially when surrounded by extreme heat. The temperature difference made the mist billow thicker. After all, that "smoke" was just water vapor condensing into fog.

After another glance, Sheng Qingquan not only confirmed it was a cold spring but also noticed something moving beneath its surface.

Although the swirling mist over the water obscured his view—normally making it impossible to see clearly—his keen eyes caught the details. The mist wasn’t static; it shifted and drifted.

In the gaps between the haze, Sheng Qingquan spotted unnatural ripples disturbing the surface.

Not caused by wind, nor by simple bubbling from the spring vent.

The water was clear as glass, with only small fish and shrimp swimming around—nothing that could cause such movement.

Remembering his true mission, Sheng Qingquan’s pulse spiked.

Fortunately, he’d left his mech cloaked. Even during the earlier call, he’d been inside it—completely soundproofed from the outside.

Otherwise, he might’ve already alerted whatever lurked below.

Instinctively activating his cloaking skill, he edged closer, holding his breath.

The surface appeared empty, aside from occasional splashes.

Sometimes, water would rise inexplicably from the pool, hanging in midair waist-high before crashing back down.

But it didn’t fall straight in—it splashed against thin air—no, something *there*. Small droplets scattered outward while the rest flowed down an invisible curve.

Though unseen, someone—or something—was definitely there.

They were cloaked, obviously trying to avoid detection.

Yet despite their caution, they acted carelessly—hidden in plain sight, cocky enough to think no one was watching.

They’d only bothered with invisibility, ignoring the little things.

The scene was unmistakable: a figure was soaking in the pool, lazily dribbling water over their limbs.

At times, four palmfuls of water floated midair at once.

Just like the records said—Liunian had four arms. A perfect match.

When only two or three palmfuls hovered, shrimp went flying—snatched mid-swim.

They weren’t jumping out on their own.

Clearly, the invisible figure had freed a hand to pop them like snacks.

Eating snacks while taking a bath.

Gotta admit, this dude really knows how to live it up.

Even in the bath, he’s gotta be munching on something.

But I thought time thieves only ate time? Why is he eating shrimp?

Sheng Qingquan started second-guessing—maybe he’d gotten the wrong guy.

However, aside from that, everything else fit perfectly.

This volcano had to be new—otherwise, people nearby would’ve noticed and reported it already. Folks on Tianlanxing can’t turn invisible. Though some half-demons or demons might pull it off.

Take chameleons—they can blend right into their surroundings, like they’re invisible.

But even the bravest half-demons or demons, if they found such a mountain, wouldn’t recklessly go soaking in a pool. Even if they didn’t rush to report it to special departments first, they’d gear up before going treasure hunting. They wouldn’t be so careless as to just jump into a hot spring and start playing around.

Sheng Qingquan felt surer about the thing in the pool. His doubts faded.

Hey, nobody said time thieves *only* eat time!

It’s like how everyone knows junk food’s bad for you—it clogs your arteries and all—but sales of spicy strips, chips, pickled chicken feet, and other snacks keep going up.

Snacking in the bath? That’s living the dream. And a big meal after? Even sweeter. Especially in a place as scorching as a volcano—soaking in a cold spring, then filling your belly? Doesn’t get better than that.

Beats sweating through a heatwave with ice cream, or hiding in an AC room pigging out on watermelon in summer.

No wonder it’s taking its sweet time. It’s already on Tianlanxing, but still waits until the next day to eat.

Probably the same reason people like eating after a hot spring bath.

Sheng Qingquan instantly got it.

Thank god this time thief’s a dude!

Otherwise, ambushing someone mid-bath would’ve felt sketchy.

Still, he braced himself to apologize if he’d messed up.

Sheng Qingquan gave its luck a nudge.

The next moment, the little spring, which had been gently bubbling away, suddenly blasted into a full-on geyser.

The thing got yeeted out of the water, landing hard on the rocks by the poolside.

The hit broke its camouflage, exposing its real shape.

A four-armed, snake-tailed humanoid popped into view.

Dead ringer for a time thief, straight outta the books.

"I knew ten years of good luck couldn’t just amount to a few tiny wins!"

Sheng Qingquan moved fast, vines at the ready—then switched tactics last second. He retracted the vines and cast another skill at Flowing Years.

In the blink of an eye, Flowing Years vanished from the poolside—and in its place, a single shrimp appeared.

Under the searing heat of the rocks, the shrimp began to sizzle, its color gradually turning red, a faint savory scent drifting out.

"Success!"

Sheng Qingquan was thrilled.

He had acquired a skill long ago that could turn enemies into food. However, this skill was pretty lame, with tons of restrictions.

Not only could he only use it on weaker opponents, but it also didn’t let him choose what food they’d turn into—instead, they’d become whatever the target loved most.

As a time thief, Liunian survived by devouring time. You’d think its favorite food would be time itself.

What was he supposed to do with that? Time was invisible and intangible.

But then Sheng Qingquan remembered how Liunian had just eaten shrimp without even spitting out the shells, even scarfing down seven or eight in one go.

Does that sound like someone who hates shrimp?

Just because you need something doesn’t mean you enjoy it.

Maybe for Liunian, time was just survival fuel—or a power-up it had to choke down.

"If it really loved eating time, it wouldn’t be kicking back in a bath stuffing its face with shrimp right now. Yuan Zixuan and the others would’ve been in trouble already."

This thought flashed through Sheng Qingquan’s mind, and sure enough, things played out just like he figured.

Originally, he had a Plan B ready in case this failed, but it wasn’t needed.

Only after successfully turning Liunian into a shrimp did the realization hit him with a wave of dread: Liunian’s strength was much higher than he’d imagined.

It wasn’t stronger than him outright, but on paper, they were neck and neck.

Which meant under normal circumstances, this skill shouldn’t have worked at all.

But by dumb luck, he was under a lucky streak while Liunian was stuck with a curse debuff.

The water jet had struck its weakest spot.

It was in agony and had lost some health.

Its strength was affected—just enough to give him the edge.

Perfectly meeting the skill’s activation condition.

"Damn, it got nailed *there*?!"

"Picture what happens when a high-pressure stream blasts... *that* area."

"I remember reading about two news cases—one guy didn’t make it even after ER efforts. The woman got off ‘easier’—still lost her uterus though."

"Even a light tap there kills. Let alone a full-on blast."

"If this weren’t the bastard treating Tianlanxing like its personal buffet, I’d almost pity the bastard."

But now? Sheng Qingquan just thought: *Serves you right.*

He grabbed the shrimp, cooked most of the way through, by the feelers from the ground.

All of this happened too fast for Flowing Years to react.

The Azure Starians were truly treacherous, setting up traps in the water to ambush it.

Did they know it was coming?

How could they have predicted its thoughts so precisely?

Flowing Years wanted to curse, but the pain from being struck by the water jet left it speechless.

Before it could recover, it noticed a drastic change in its vision.

Its line of sight suddenly dropped—ridiculously low.

Everything around it seemed to have grown larger.

No, it was itself that had shrunk.

That would’ve been bad enough on its own, but what terrified Flowing Years the most was that its power had been utterly drained. No, "weakening" was too mild a word.

It had lost all strength, unable to even move its body.

Even worse, it could feel its life force leaking away like water.

It hadn’t noticed before, but the rocks by the pool were scorching hot. It was burning up, sure it was getting cooked alive.

Flowing Years struggled desperately to regain control of its body. The cool spring that could save it was just one damn step away.

Yet, it couldn’t even hop that distance.

Just as Flowing Years thought it was about to die, a hand suddenly scooped it up.

As its vision rose, it saw its own reflection in the calm pool surface.

It had turned into a shrimp!

The same tiny shrimp it could devour several at a time!

And it was mostly cooked, way more mouthwatering than raw—its aroma stronger, its appearance more delicious.

So it hadn’t been an illusion—it had nearly been roasted to completion.

Flowing Years was completely broken.

It was a mighty Time Thief, part of a legendary cosmic lineage. Even if unknown, its predecessors were forces that could wipe out entire galaxies with a snap of their fingers.

Though it wasn’t powerful enough to steal the time of an entire galaxy’s inhabitants at once—or even a single planet’s, having to take them in small bites to avoid indigestion—it was still a major player in the universe.

Even if it had avoided fame and never revealed its identity, those who knew it still gave it props.

Flowing Years figured it might buy it someday—maybe ambushed by someone it shouldn’t have crossed, putting up a fight before going down.

But it had never imagined dying in such a pathetic way.

Not even getting a chance to unleash its full power.

It was like spending ages leveling up a character in a star-net game, equipping it with divine gear, filling its inventory with potions and scrolls, skill trees worth of moves—all ready to take on a world boss. Then logging in one day to find the account banned. How was this any different?

Even more infuriating!

Liu Nian was absolutely fuming.

These little shrimp that lived in the cold spring were just like the ones in the streams—small in size, with a pair of long claws.

Liu Nian desperately wanted to raise those claws and give the hand holding it a vicious snap.

But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t move its limbs.

It could only watch helplessly as it was locked inside a small box.

The shrimp was too small, and there was a risk of accidentally killing it. Sheng Qingquan had no choice but to exit his mech and personally catch the shrimp, placing it into a custom-made container.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear to see Liu Nian die.

He just thought death would be letting it off too easy.

"Time thieves survive by consuming time. Without time, humans die."

"How is that any different from eating people?"

Since it lived by devouring lives,

Sheng Qingquan felt it was only fair to let it experience being eaten as well.

"An eye for an eye."

"Perfect for giving the lab rats a change of menu."

Sheng Qingquan took the shrimp to the lab in his mech and handed it over to the researchers.

"Just in time to observe the mice’s reaction after eating the shrimp," the researcher said eagerly, carefully selecting a healthy lab rat to feed it to.

What the hell is this thing?!

Liu Nian stared in horror as the white beast approached step by step. Those terrifying, gleaming fangs gave it a terrible sinking feeling.

The next moment, that premonition came true.

The huge creature opened its jaws wide.

Liu Nian clearly felt its body being crunched in half by the monster's teeth.

Compared to this, the water jet's impact was nothing compared to this.

With each chew, it felt like being crushed in a grinder. Earlier, it had still been steeping in humiliation, resentment, and indignation at being captured so unfairly. But now? It couldn’t spare a single thought for any of that. Only one idea remained in its mind.

Just kill me already! Make it quick!

Fortunately, the torment didn’t last long. Though every moment dragged on forever to Liu Nian, in reality, it took the rat only two or three seconds to gobble up the shrimp.

The researcher put the mouse in isolation for observation.

At the moment of Liu Nian’s death, the loot dropped.

"Time Manipulator. Though it’s called ‘control,’ it can only affect time in a limited way—up to three days."

"Either rolling back time up to three days or skipping ahead up to three days."

"Hold on—who says there's no cure for regret in this world? Here it is!"

"Sure, I can't affect a huge crowd at once, but rewinding time for a hundred or so people? Totally doable."

"Can't mess with massive areas either, but tweaking time for a single neighborhood? No problem—as long as it’s not some sprawling mega-complex."

"So basically, next time we run into a boss we can’t beat, some unbeatable enemy… I can just keep rewinding time. Like save-scumming in a game—load the same save over and over until we finally take them down."

"Isn’t that straight-up cheating?" someone blurted out.

But…

"Hell yeah, cheat smarter!"

"And if humans get hurt again, no need to panic about saving them. Just rewind their timeline to before they got hit—problem solved."

"Wonder if it works on someone going through their heavenly trial. If it does, then after failing one, we could roll back time right before they croak. That person would live, right?"

"They wouldn’t just survive—they wouldn’t even get hurt."

"No way! Really?"

"Damn, that’s OP! If that’s true, everyone could go for breakthroughs risk-free."

As everyone started getting more and more hyped, Sheng Qingquan was thinking the same thing—until he realized:

"Turns out… it doesn’t work."

"The Heavenly Dao flags it as cheating."

"You might save the person, but afterward, when their tribulation comes again, either it never shows up and they’re stuck forever… or it hits ten times harder, smiting them into oblivion."

"Tribulations are brutal enough already. With this? It becomes a guaranteed death sentence."

"So better not try it."

"Aight, I’ll play by the rules." Those who had been tempted now completely dropped the idea.

"Sigh, cheat codes get your account nuked. I knew that all along—but still hoped I’d be the exception. Shouldn’t have even thought about it," someone muttered in self-reflection.

"But even so, this skill’s still insane."

"You gotta appreciate what you’ve got." Sheng Qingquan couldn’t say he wasn’t disappointed—he *was* kinda bummed—but deep down, he knew this made sense. So overall, he was satisfied.

"Hold up—what’s this now?"

After wrapping his head around the skill, he'd been a little bummed it couldn’t be tested ahead of time. He figured he’d just have to see how it plays out in real time when the moment came.

Just as he snapped out of it—remembering he still hadn’t reported that volcano location for the authorities to secure—it suddenly hit him.

After processing the skill, something else surfaced in his mind.

Not just a memory.

A letter.

"What?! Tianlan’s got so many disasters because of *this*?"

"I *knew* that vortex was shady! But this? Damn."

Sheng Qingquan was furious.

When they suddenly heard this, everyone—people who hadn’t questioned their hearing in a long time—instinctively rubbed their ears, wondering if they had misheard.

"What did the mental voice just say?"

"Tianlan Star keeps getting hit with Doomsday events in rapid succession. At times, two disasters even pile on top of each other, as if there’s no end. Could there actually be a reason behind it all?"

"I thought it was just Tianlan Star being unlucky..."

"I always felt something was off, but I couldn’t figure out what exactly. Is this long-standing mystery finally going to be solved?" one staff member said excitedly.

Yes, they’ve managed to turn disasters into advantages, survive calamities, and even used these Doomsdays to develop Tianlan Star further, making it seem like the endless crises haven’t really harmed the planet.

In fact, rather than crises, they’ve been opportunities.

But deep down, many people still wish to end this way of life as soon as possible.

Even with the Magic Brush and Sheng Qingquan’s ability to rewind time, the room for error is already significant. If they slip up one day, the consequences wouldn’t be too severe.

But living on edge is something only those who experience it truly understand.

The Magic Brush and time rewinding aren’t all-powerful. Each has its own limitations. What if one day, even using both can’t change the outcome?

What if, despite using every last resource, Tianlan Star is still destroyed?

Such a scenario isn’t entirely impossible.

If they can uncover the reason behind the frequent Doomsdays, perhaps they can resolve everything at its root and put an end to all disasters once and for all.

Thinking this, everyone suppressed their excitement and listened intently.

The previously noisy room fell into a deafening silence.

"In a way, Tianlan Star is actually a dumping ground planet."

"Who would’ve thought even Heavenly Dao could bully each other?"

"In a high-level Immortal Cultivation realm, when too much 'garbage' accumulates, and accidentally leaks into the mortal realm, it can cause chaos. That world’s Heavenly Dao considered this a problem and, upon discovering the existence of Tianlan Star—a planet poised for ascension—opted to offload all its trash there."

"This not only easily disposed of the garbage but also passed it off as a 'trial,' leaving no blowback."

"That spatial vortex is the channel through which the Heavenly Dao dumps waste."

"The earlier boxes filled with mushroom spores, that weird vine segment, the Magic Brush… they’re all products of the Immortal Cultivation realm."

"Because the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Cultivation realm opened a channel, Tianlan Star—originally in a state of ascension—had its balance shattered, becoming extremely unstable."

"It became a lightning rod for disasters, turning into a disaster magnet."

"At its core, this occurred because Tianlan Star wanted to ascend quickly, but under this influence, its Heavenly Dao’s will was twisted into this form."

"Wanted to ascend successfully? Here's your chance—plenty of them."

"That’s why Tianlan Star, which had gone centuries or even millennia without a single extraterrestrial encounter, started being discovered by aliens over and over again."

"The once thick and sturdy world barrier also became riddled with gaps, making it easy to penetrate."

"That’s why systems keep flocking to Tianlan Star to mark their territory."

"Although it's been bullied, the Heavenly Blue Star's Natural Order is still fighting to save itself."

"My very existence is one of the ways the Heavenly Blue Star is trying to save itself."

I was transported here because the Heavenly Blue Star needed help.

It's like a corporation on the verge of collapse hiring an outside CEO with a high salary to save the company. Sometimes external intervention works better than internal reform.

"I received this Golden Finger (special ability) because it originally belonged to me—the future version of myself."

"The future me created this Golden Finger and, with assistance from the Heavenly Blue Star's Natural Order, sent it back to a time before everything began."

"Only by intervening at this point can the disasters' harm to the Heavenly Blue Star be minimized. While saving the world, it will also help the Heavenly Blue Star grow stronger and allow it to complete its ascension."

"It's like treating an illness. Preventative treatment is best for the patient. Alternatively, treating it at the early stage also minimizes harm. Once the disease progresses, not only is recovery uncertain, but even if you manage to save the patient through extraordinary means, they'll require extensive rehabilitation. The damage to the patient would be severe."

"This is the same principle."

"The future me and the Heavenly Blue Star worked hard to establish the prerequisites. Although we couldn't intervene before problems arose, we succeeded in treating them at the earliest stage possible."

"All my skills are actually upgradeable. The Time Sovereign, when fully developed, will truly live up to its name."

"This time, it's because I obtained the Time Sovereign Ability that the future me sensed it and took the chance to transmit the truth."

"Timing, ability, and good fortune—that's why I succeeded."

Sheng Qingquan suddenly remembered it wasn't even 12:30 AM yet, and the luck he'd activated earlier was still active.

Though ten years of accumulated fortune might not seem like much—especially after some had already been spent—a small nudge of fortune was sometimes all that was needed.

*Phew,* at least there's some good news."

"At least the skills are upgradeable. Since the Heavenly Blue Star's problem stems from this, continuing our efforts should resolve it eventually."

"Everything will work out once the Heavenly Blue Star completes its ascension."

"'I'm currently hunting down that Immortal Cultivation Realm's Cosmic Will to teach it a lesson. You keep working hard too—let's not hold ourselves back!'"

Sheng Qingquan, who had been filled with anger moments ago, found all his rage transforming into motivation upon reading this.

Having gained the Time Sovereign Ability, he naturally understood that although they were the same person, they likely no longer existed on the same timeline. He couldn't possibly hinder his future self.

"This is probably just meant as a pep talk."

"But it really got to me!"

"If my future self can hunt down cosmic forces and discipline them, shouldn't I aim for that capability too?"

"Anyway, no matter how many times that Natural Order gets punished, it deserves every bit of it!"

"Wait a minute!"

As he relaxed, Sheng Qingquan suddenly realized something horrifying.

*If the Golden Finger came from my future self, does that mean those cringeworthy novels—always speaking in riddles instead of giving clear clues—were written by me?*

*All this time... have I actually been roasting myself?!*

Sheng Qingquan's reality shattered...!

The heavens fell too early.

Sheng Qingquan kept reading and finally understood what true cataclysm meant.

“'By the way, to help you better save the world, Tianlan Star has also given you a special advantage.'"

The people who had just been cheered up by Sheng Qingquan's humor immediately lost their smiles upon hearing this.

They already knew what was coming.

“'When it came time to choose that advantage, Tianlan Star offered many options. For instance, starting with a combat ability or healing power—I didn’t pick any of those because they can be acquired later anyway.’”

“'At the beginning, not having skills isn’t a big deal. So I chose Thought Broadcast for us.’”

“You chose WHAT?”

“Thought Broadcast?!”

Sheng Qingquan’s eyes widened in shock.

“Seriously, out of all the abilities you could’ve picked, you chose this one?”

“I’ve seen people betray their fathers, mothers, children, and friends, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone betray themselves!”

Sheng Qingquan knew himself well—he wasn’t much of a talker, but his mind never stopped running, and his imagination ran wild.

If no one could hear it, fine. But if it leaked out…

His world went black.

He raised his hand as if to slap himself, then hesitated and let it drop.

“Hitting myself now would only hurt me—it wouldn’t affect him at all.”

“Aaaaaaahhhhhh!”

Sheng Qingquan went berserk.

“'No matter what happens later, at the start we were just ordinary people. We were average intelligence—not smarter than anyone else. Even with this advantage, it’s hard to be omniscient, plan everything perfectly, and handle every situation flawlessly.’”

“'Saving the world isn’t something you can do alone. If you want allies, your best bet is the government.’”

“'But earning the government’s trust isn’t easy. You could build it slowly over time, but why not take a shortcut if there is one?'”

“'Besides, in an emergency, there’s no time for adjustment. A moment of doubt at the wrong time could lead to catastrophic results.’”

“'To avoid that, I had no choice but to find a way to make you bare your souls to each other.’”

“Some ‘openness’ this is!”

Sheng Qingquan was utterly dumbfounded.

“This is like projecting my innermost thoughts for everyone to see—how is it any different from standing there naked in front of them?”

“'I believe there’s nothing I can’t say to others. It’s the most straightforward approach.’”

Reading this, Sheng Qingquan paused, stunned.

“Even if we’re the same person, draw the line somewhere, will you!”

"It's no good when someone knows you too well."

It was only then that Sheng Qingquan realized, even though he now knew his inner thoughts would be overheard, he had no intention of holding back.

He kept right on rambling in his head.

Well, this was just...

"'Sometimes, when inner thoughts are overheard, the ones who end up embarrassed aren't necessarily us. Eh, don't sweat the small stuff!'"

Silence. Absolute silence.

Everyone had been worried about how Sheng Qingquan would take it—whether he’d struggle to accept it. Just imagining themselves in his place, they already felt uneasy.

Feeling for him, they’d been stressing over how to explain things later and ease his concerns.

Then they heard *that*.

...Damn, he had a point. Now *they* were the awkward ones, unsure how to justify things to Sheng Qingquan.

Sheng Qingquan may have freaked out at first, but after the initial shock, he didn’t actually take it too seriously.

Especially after reading the letter’s explanation:

"'Not *everything* in your head gets leaked. During plot-related moments, sure, but otherwise, it depends on you. If you don’t mind, it’s hit or miss. And private thoughts won’t come out. There are still protections in place. Ultimately, it’s up to you.'"

"'The rest of the rules, you’ll pick up as you go.'"

"'By now, there’s already trust between us. Whether or not your thoughts are shared doesn’t really matter anymore.'"

Sheng Qingquan closed his eyes and tested it, confirming that this was indeed the case.

He *could* turn it off, but for now, he left it on.

"'Handy for when you can’t be bothered to talk.'"

"Tch, sounds like you’re speaking from experience."

"Wait, does this mean I won’t have to painstakingly summarize the plot when reading novels in the future?"

Huh. Maybe this wasn’t so bad, Sheng Qingquan thought.

Talk about a time-saver!

"That’s lazy people logic for you."

Just as Sheng Qingquan was musing over this, a new *Doomsday* novel popped into view.

"Perfect timing!"

Sheng Qingquan brightened.

"My inner thoughts have been leaking for so long—there must be someone assigned to listen, right?"

"Then I won’t bother memorizing and retelling it. You guys take it from here!"

He opened the novel, and barely after finishing the first chapter, he couldn’t help but blurt out mentally, *"Whoa—"*

"What? What happened?" The others grew anxious, fearing another major crisis.

Now that Sheng Qingquan knows the truth, some people were so panicked they'd already bolted for the door, ready to storm straight to his house.

Then they heard—

"Damn, I'm good. The writing’s killer, the plot flows perfectly. In just one chapter, the villain’s true face is laid bare, every ugly detail nailed."

...

The room went dead silent. The staff member who had already reached the door slumped back into their seat, face blank.

Some people… never talked like this before!

Fortunately, after his little ego stroke, Sheng Qingquan didn’t forget the main task.

"This time, the apocalypse is like this..."