Chapter 200: The Unwanted Future
Meanwhile, in the void pocket, Liu Meiyun, Xu Qianghua's mother, sat comfortably in her luxurious palace.
The palace was made of shimmering materials that radiated a warm glow. If discovered, every material used here could spark wars.
Each material was among the rarest in the void, enhancing the cultivators who came into contact with it, making them all the more desirable.
The palace was lavishly decorated with ancient treasures, delicate ornaments, and an unmistakable air of authority.
But right now, Liu Meiyun was preoccupied with an important task—searching for potential wives for her son.
Liu Meiyun leaned back on a velvet couch, casually flipping through an infinite catalog of potential daughters-in-law.
Floating images of young cultivators glided past her, each with detailed profiles listing their backgrounds, cultivation levels, and family histories.
Her sharp, experienced eyes moved from one profile to another, clearly unimpressed with most of them.
"Hmmm, not bad, but too frail-looking. Qianghua needs someone strong but gentle," she murmured to herself, swiping away a profile.
"Oh, this one seems interesting... but no, her family history is too complicated."
A sudden ripple in the void caught her attention as she scrolled through the endless list of candidates.
But she could tell who they were just from a glance.
Four figures stepped through a portal into the palace. They were Hu Liwei, her mother, Hu Xiang, Tian Meifeng, and her mother, Tian Lifen.
Hu Xiang's face was already flushed with anger. She wasted no time. "Liu Meiyun!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the palace's luxurious walls.
Liu Meiyun barely glanced up, her fingers still lazily flipping through profiles. "Yes, yes, give me a moment. I'm busy," she responded, her tone filled with casual indifference.
Tian Lifen, looking equally furious, marched forward with her hands clenched into fists.
"Busy?" she repeated, incredulity lacing her tone. "Busy throwing the timeline into chaos, more like! Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Liu Meiyun finally lifted her gaze, raising an eyebrow in mild curiosity.
"Timeline? Oh, you mean that little adjustment I made? Hardly worth fussing over." She flicked her hand, and the catalog of potential wives vanished into thin air.
Then she sighed, thinking, 'I forgot about these two. I should have told them the reason before I sent the items in and let him go back in time, but my husband and I were in a hurry.'
Meanwhile, Hu Liwei and Tian Meifeng exchanged worried glances and stepped forward to calm their mothers.
Hu Liwei gently grabbed her mother's arm. "Mother, please, mother-in-law must have a reason for doing this. Let's listen to her before jumping to conclusions."
"Yes, Mother," Tian Meifeng added, trying to soothe her furious mother. "Sister Liwei and I have already met Qianghua in the old timeline. Let's be calm and discuss this."
But Hu Xiang was not in the mood for calm. Her eyes burned with anger.
"Do you know how long we've been waiting for this? You shifted the timeline right before I was going to meet him! How could you interfere like this?"
Liu Meiyun sighed, seemingly unfazed. "Oh, come now. It's not like I've stopped you from meeting him forever. You'll still meet him—just a little later."
Tian Lifen stepped forward, her voice sharp and cold. "Later isn't good enough. We spent years preparing for this, and now you've thrown everything off course. Why?"
Liu Meiyun chuckled lightly, enjoying the tension in the room.
"Why? Well, I was simply giving Qianghua more options, that's all. It's every mother's right to ensure her son has the best possible future."
Hu Liwei sighed, rubbing her forehead as she tried to keep her mother from exploding further.
"We understand you want the best for him, but why did we have to reset the timeline?"
Meifeng nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We've already met him. We know our futures are tied to his. But this interference is making things more complicated."
Liu Meiyun crossed her arms, studying the two young women thoughtfully.
"I know, darlings, but you must understand. Qianghua's future can't be taken lightly. There's more at play than you realize."
Tian Lifen's frustration boiled over. "More at play? What could possibly justify meddling with fate like this?"
Liu Meiyun's playful demeanor darkened. Her eyes sharpened, and her tone dropped. "Because," she said slowly,
"In the original timeline, Qianghua sacrificed his life to save all of us. And when I say 'us,' I mean me, my husband, and the entire void itself."
The room fell into stunned silence. The four women stared at Xu Meilan, their anger momentarily forgotten.
Liu Meiyun sighed deeply, the weight of her words sinking into the air.
"He gave everything for us. Do you remember when we ventured into the new secret realm that opened at the edge of this sector?"
The ladies nodded, listening intently as Liu Meiyun continued.
"In the deepest part of that secret realm, we discovered an artifact beyond the void's laws. When we tried to learn more about it, it absorbed a drop of our blood essence.
Then, it revealed all the possible futures—each one ending with Qianghua's death. We tried countless ways to change that outcome, but each time, we failed."
She paused, her voice thick with emotion.
"Just as we were about to reveal our true strength and bring him back to the clan, we saw a different future. In this future, he does not die.
Instead, he leads the entire void to a much higher realm. That is why I was willing to be away from him for so long."
Liu Meiyun's tone softened. "I should have warned you both, but I wanted to reset the timeline as quickly as possible.
I was worried that knowing the future—something even the Supreme Will does not know—might change the present."
The four women were speechless, struggling to process what Xu Meilan had just revealed.
The more they thought about it, the more confusing it became. The whole void could be at stake, and Xu Qianghua appeared to be at the center of it all.