Chapter 4: The Voyager Who Walks Above Time

The sudden activation of the Divine Domain Space left Chu Xiaoyu utterly stunned, shaken to his core both inside and out, a deep and abiding terror gripping his heart. Almost at once, he discovered a rule within this space—one that was both earth-shattering and terrifying. Within the Divine Domain Space, he could manipulate time at will, adjusting its speed as if he were the very master of time itself.

This accidental discovery filled Chu Xiaoyu with wild elation. With a simple snap of his fingers, he could accelerate or decelerate the flow of time, wielding control as he pleased. Anything encompassed by the Divine Domain Space, all things under heaven and earth, fell under this dominion.

On his first attempt, Chu Xiaoyu gave a snap of his fingers. Instantly, everything—whether people or objects in motion, anything moving in the vicinity—became eerily still, frozen in place. He could scarcely believe that such miraculous power could exist, so wondrous and extraordinary as to defy imagination.

But soon after, Chu Xiaoyu made another shocking, unsettling discovery. The things around him, seemingly frozen, were not truly motionless; instead, they were crawling forward at an unimaginably slow pace. Yes, moving at such a glacial rate that one would require a magnifying glass set to a thousand times, perhaps ten thousand times magnification, to perceive any movement at all.

Through this observation, Chu Xiaoyu began to understand what was happening. So-called “absolute stillness” was not truly still; rather, all things were in motion, their movements slowed down by a factor of a thousand, ten thousand, even a hundred million times. At such a pace, the human eye could not detect any activity, perceiving only utter stillness.

This realization sent tremors through Chu Xiaoyu’s body—a shock mingled with delight. He was, within this Divine Domain Space, the master of time, free to accelerate or decelerate it by any multiple he wished. This discovery was more exhilarating than winning the grand lottery.

He wondered: if this manipulation of time could be applied to a person’s biological clock—either hastening or slowing it—what horrifying consequences might result? If an adult’s biological clock were sped up by a staggering factor, would they not age and die in an instant? To possess such an ability was nothing short of being a supreme deity of the cosmos.

Chu Xiaoyu marveled at the sheer power he now held.

He later realized that the emergence of this skill followed a certain pattern.

He now had the ability to see a person’s astrological fate, including their fortune, blessings, and lifespan, with corresponding values for wealth, luck, and misfortune, each convertible into the other. Most astonishing was the “lifespan” skill, which allowed him to glimpse at will the remaining lifespan of any person—like holding the Book of Life and Death, striking a chord of profound dread.

Upon leaving the Divine Domain Space, the monkey remained huddled and trembling, deeply unsettled. He recalled how, within that ghostly space, he had been utterly paralyzed, his life and death beyond his own control, suffocated by a force both fierce and tyrannical.

Chu Xiaoyu cast a disdainful glance at the monkey, who was curled in a ball and shivering. A slight smile tugged at Chu Xiaoyu’s lips.

Ha! Was this the legendary Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, who once caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace? The Monkey King recorded in the books was said to fear nothing on heaven or earth, yet today, here he was, reduced to a quivering wreck.

Now, looking at this pitiful creature, he seemed little more than an ordinary monkey—albeit larger than most and capable of human speech.

“Wukong…”

“Your… your disciple is here!”

Sun Wukong shuddered violently and dropped to his knees, weak and prostrate.

The smile on Chu Xiaoyu’s lips deepened. “How did you find the divine skill I just displayed?”

He truly played the role to perfection.

Sun Wukong answered with utmost respect, “Reporting to Immortal Lord, your divine art is overwhelmingly powerful. The moment you restrained me, I was utterly helpless. Please rest assured, Immortal Lord, your disciple will never again dare show you the slightest disrespect.”

Recalling the terror he had felt within that space, Sun Wukong was nearly driven to lose control of his body, the sensation as if he might be torn apart at any moment—a fate worse than death.

Chu Xiaoyu glanced at the monkey with a faint air. It was clear the monkey’s fear was genuine, not feigned.

The sudden awakening of the Divine Domain Space was indeed an unexpected boon. The monkey seemed to have learned a profound lesson, and Chu Xiaoyu’s own inscrutable aura was now firmly established. There was no need to chastise the monkey further.

Looking outside the farmhouse, Chu Xiaoyu noticed the violet mist still lingered as thickly as before, coiling and refusing to dissipate. Tonight, the farmhouse had no diners at its tables.

But it was right after the May Day holiday, a slow season for the business. Sometimes, not even half a table of guests would show up. Occasionally a person or two would wander over from the nearby film studio—such slow business was entirely normal.

Checking the time, he saw it was nearly ten o’clock.

He looked at the monkey, who was clad in a filthy long robe and hadn’t bathed in days, the odor clinging to him.

Chu Xiaoyu wrinkled his nose and promptly tossed the monkey into the bath, personally teaching him how to use all the modern fixtures.

Remarkably, the monkey learned with astonishing speed—Chu Xiaoyu demonstrated once, and the monkey mastered it straight away, as if it were no challenge at all.

Born from stone, Sun Wukong was naturally gifted, his intelligence truly surpassing that of other animals—a singular being, unique in all creation.

Once the monkey had bathed and groomed himself, Chu Xiaoyu prepared a guest room for him. The farmhouse, though small, was well-equipped, with about ten guest rooms.

Lying on the soft bed, Sun Wukong sprang up in shock. “Immortal Lord! Why is this bed so soft? How can this be?”

Chu Xiaoyu rolled his eyes. “It’s called a Simmons mattress, made of fiber materials. What, are you not used to it?”

Sun Wukong scratched his head in bewilderment. “Simmons? What a strange name. But it really is comfortable, so soft…”

He remembered his early days, leaping out of stone, wandering hungry and exposed to the elements, living on raw food and sleeping in the wild.

And now, to meet the Immortal Lord—eating fragrant, hot meals, bathing in warm water, and sleeping on a soft bed. Such blissful days he had never known before; even the Heavenly Palace’s finest wine was paltry by comparison.

Tumbling through mountains since he left his stone mountain, stumbling and bewildered, bullied and scorned by other creatures—now the Immortal Lord treated him as precious.

The monkey felt his nose tingle and tears of gratitude welled in his eyes.