Fate and Reincarnation
Eight years passed by like a river flowing quietly on the grassland.
Qi Diao Yanfei stood beneath a familiar redwood tree, the biography of Tsangyang Gyatso's poems in her hands fuzzy at the edges. For eight years, she and Tashi Phuntsok had lived a peaceful life on this grassland, but deep down, she felt an inexplicable emptiness, as if she had forgotten something crucial.
"Yanfei!" Tashi Phuntsok's voice came from a distance. He rode over on horseback with an anxious expression on his face. "Something unusual has happened over at the Holy Lake. The entire lake is glowing!"
Qi Diao Yanfei's heart skipped a beat, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over her. Without a word, she jumped onto the other horse Tashi Phuntsok had brought, and the two of them galloped towards the holy lake.
The sight of the holy lake astounded them. Like a giant mirror, its surface reflected not the sky but countless overlapping scenes of time and space: the bustling streets of Chang'an, the lotus-shaped buildings of a future Buddhist kingdom, the luminous corridors of the Xingchen Academy...
"These scenes..." Tashi Phuntsok covered his head, which was suddenly in great pain, "I seem to have seen them somewhere..."
Qi Diao Yanfei also felt dizzy, and the vague dreams of the past eight years became clear at this moment - those were not dreams, but sealed memories!
At that moment, a vortex appeared in the center of the lake, and Liana emerged from it. Her form was more solid than eight years ago, and she was surrounded by powerful space-time energy.
"The time has come, time travelers." Liana's voice echoed directly in their minds. "The seal is about to be lifted. You must awaken again."
Qi Diao Yanfei felt a huge stream of information pouring into her consciousness, and those sealed memories rushed out like a flood: the time travel, the crises of various civilizations, the balance they established, and finally the sacrifices made to repair time and space...
"I remember now..." she whispered, a complex light flashing in her eyes, "everything."
Tashi Phuntsok also regained his memory. He held Qi Diao Yanfei's hand and said, "This time, we will do better."
Liana nodded. "The Spacetime Council has discovered a new crisis. After the last repair, the fabric of spacetime has become extremely fragile and is now threatened with total collapse."
She unfolded a panoramic view of spacetime, revealing the merging and colliding of various timescales at an astonishing rate. Tang Dynasty palaces appeared in futuristic metropolises, immortal beasts roamed the technological landscape, and the laws of physics from different eras clashed, destabilizing the fabric of reality.
"This is the phenomenon of 'space-time collapse,'" Liana explained. "If it's not stopped, all of space and time will be completely annihilated within seventy-two standard hours."
Qi Diao Yanfei gazed at the panoramic view of the time and space they had visited before: "What do we need to do?"
"Find the source of time and space," Liana said. "That is the fundamental force that maintains the balance of all time and space. But no one knows the location of the source of time and space. You must rely on the connection with each time and space to find clues."
Tashi Phuntsok sensed the fluctuations of time and space: "The balance we once established may serve as a guide."
With their newly awakened memories and powers, the two set out on a journey through time and space again, but this time, they are no longer naive travelers, but experienced guardians of time and space.
Their first stop was Chang'an. The Tang Dynasty was on the eve of the An-Shi Rebellion, and the city was filled with tension. In his thatched cottage, Du Fu, concerned for his country and its people, composed poems that have been passed down through the ages.
The poet was not too surprised when Qidiao Yanfei and Tashi Pingcuo appeared before him.
"I dreamed of you," Du Fu said calmly. "In the dream, you told me that suffering is the soil for creation."
Qi Diao Yanfei smiled: "It seems that even if the memory is sealed, the subconscious connection still exists."
Tashi Phuntsok directly stated his purpose: "Mr. Du, we need to find the source of time and space. Do you know any clues?"
Du Fu pondered for a moment, then pulled out a scroll of his recently completed manuscript. "I recently had a revelation in a dream, and I wrote down these verses. Perhaps they will be of some help to you."
The manuscript reads:
"The source of heaven and earth is the Tao, the root of time and space is the boundless heart.
Where do all things return to? The bright moon and fresh breeze are my homeland."
Qi Diao Yanfei pondered, "The bright moon and gentle breeze are my hometown... Is this suggesting that the origin of time and space is related to the essence of nature?"
Before leaving Chang'an, they saw that the flames of the An-Shi Rebellion had begun to spread. But this time, they did not intervene, but just watched history unfold according to its original trajectory.
“Sometimes, the greatest wisdom is to accept the natural process,” Tashi Phuntsok said softly.
Their second stop was the future Buddhist kingdom. At this point, the Buddhist kingdom was at a critical juncture in the integration of technology and Buddhist teachings. To their amazement, they discovered a massive tree of wisdom in the center of the kingdom—grown from the very seed Xuanjian had gifted them.
The Wisdom Tree sensed their arrival, and its branches and leaves emitted a soft glow. Xuanjian's figure emerged from the tree, now completely fused with the Wisdom Tree, becoming a part of the Buddha's consciousness.
"Welcome back, old friend." Xuan Jian's voice rang directly in their minds, "I had a feeling you would come."
Qi Diao Yanfei stroked the trunk of the Tree of Wisdom: "We need to find the source of time and space and stop the collapse of time and space."
Xuan Jian was silent for a moment. "The source of time and space... I sensed its existence during my last communication with the void. It is not in any specific time and space, but at the junction of all time and space."
He extended a branch and tapped Qi Diao Yan Fei's forehead: "This is the time-space connection map I sensed. Perhaps it will be helpful to you."
Instantly, an extremely complex diagram emerged in Qi Diao Yanfei's mind, showing the connections between all time and space. At the intersection of these connecting lines, there was a particularly bright node.
"Is this the location of the origin of time and space?" asked Tashi Phuntsok.
Xuan Jian shook his head: "This is just one of the connection points. The source of time and space is like the center of a maze. There are countless paths to reach it, but each path requires a specific key."
When they left the future Buddha Kingdom, the Wisdom Tree gave them a glowing leaf: "When you approach the source of time and space, this leaf will emit light."
The third stop was the Secret Realm of Mountains and Seas. Under the governance of the Daughter of Chaos, this secret realm had achieved an unprecedented balance. Order and chaos flowed harmoniously like yin and yang, creating countless new life forms.
The Daughter of Chaos sensed their arrival and personally came to the border of the secret realm to greet them.
"I knew you would come back," she said, her eyes gleaming with wisdom. "The vibrations of time and space have spread throughout all dimensions."
Tashi Phuntsok asked directly: "We are searching for the source of time and space. Do you know any clues?"
The Daughter of Chaos nodded. "The memories of Chaos hold fragments of the origins of time and space. According to these memories, the source of time and space is not fixed; it changes form depending on the nature of those who seek it."
She took out a Chaos Crystal: "With this, it can help you sense the energy characteristics of the source of time and space."
Taking the crystal, Qi Diao Yanfei felt a primitive and powerful energy flowing in his palm.
Just as they were about to leave, the entire secret realm suddenly shook violently. A massive crack appeared in the sky, revealing scenes from another time and space.
"The collapse of spacetime is accelerating," the Daughter of Chaos said solemnly, "You must hurry."
On the following journey, they revisited every time and space they had visited, each place revealing a clue to the origins of time and space. Baima Zhuoga of the Redwood Monastery gave them an eternal lamp, symbolizing the radiance of wisdom; Su Li of the Three Realms Inn gifted them with a dagger capable of opening any door in time and space; and the instructors of the Star Academy combined their magic to enhance their ability to perceive the connections between time and space.
As more and more clues are collected, the true appearance of the source of time and space gradually becomes clear.
"The origin of time and space is not a place, but a state," Qi Diao Yanfei concluded after analyzing all the clues. "It is the moment when all things are in balance."
Tashi Phuntsok nodded. "That is to say, we need to reach a state of equilibrium in all time and space at the same time before we can touch the source of time and space."
But achieving this goal is nearly impossible. The balance point varies from plane to plane. Some require conflict to stimulate growth, others peace to promote development, others chaos to foster creativity, and still others order to maintain stability.
"Unless..." Qi Diao Yanfei suddenly had an idea, "We create a new dimension of time and space to serve as the balance point of all time and space."
Tashi Phuntsok was shocked by this bold idea: "Creating time and space? That would require unimaginable energy!"
"We have this ability," Qi Diao Yanfei looked at him, "don't forget, we are travelers who have experienced countless baptisms of time and space, and our bodies have accumulated energies from various time and space. And..."
She took out all the items she had collected: the leaves of the Tree of Wisdom, the Chaos Crystal, the Eternal Light, the □□... "These are not just clues, they are also the materials for constructing a new time and space."
With the assistance of Liana and the Council of Time and Space, they began an unprecedented attempt to create the world.
The chosen location is at the intersection of all time and space - a realm known as the "Sea of Nothingness". Here, there is no matter, energy or space-time structure, and it is the only absolute blank in the multiverse.
Qi Diao Yanfei and Tashi Phuntsok floated in the sea of nothingness, surrounded by members of the Spacetime Council and allies from across time and space: Liyana represented the Council, Xuanjian represented the Future Buddhist Kingdom, the Daughter of Chaos represented the Secret Realm of Mountains and Seas, Baima Zhuoga represented the Redwood Monastery, Suli represented the Three Realms Inn, and the seven instructors of the Xingchen Academy...
"Let's start." Liana nodded.
Qi Diao Yanfei and Tashi Phuntsok held hands, releasing all the accumulated space-time energy within their bodies. The leaves of the Tree of Wisdom became the foundation of a new space-time, the Chaos Crystal provided the raw material, the bright lamp became the light source, and the key opened the door to creation...
Allies from across time and space also contribute their own strengths: the Buddhist energy of the Future Buddha Kingdom, the chaotic essence of the Mountain and Sea Secret Realm, the wisdom of life and death from the Redwood Zen Temple, the time and space connection of the Three Realms Inn, the essence of knowledge from the Star Academy...
The creative process was incredibly difficult. Each formation of a new dimension required a delicate balance; the slightest misstep could lead to the collapse of the entire structure. Qi Diao Yanfei and Tashi Phuntsok's spirits were nearly torn apart, their consciousnesses traversing the various dimensions of this new dimension, reconciling the conflicting laws.
“Hold on,” Tashi Phuntsok encouraged her in a spiritual connection. “We’re almost there.”
Just as the new space-time was about to take shape, an accident occurred. A powerful dark energy suddenly invaded the Sea of Nothingness, attempting to seize control of the new space-time.
"Outlander demons!" Liana exclaimed. "They want to use this new dimension as a springboard to control all of space and time!"
Qi Diao Yanfei immediately recognized this energy—it was the dark force they had encountered in many time and space. But this time, it was stronger than ever before, clearly the combined power of all their clones.
"We can't let it succeed!" Tashi Phuntsok mobilized all the energy of time and space to confront the dark forces head-on.
But the dark forces were too powerful and soon overwhelmed his resistance. The new space-time began to distort and deform, the balance was broken, and the creative process was on the verge of failure.
At this critical moment, Qi Diao Yanfei made a decision. She threw the "Poetry Biography of Tsangyang Gyatso" in her hand into the center of the new time and space, and recited the familiar poem:
"That day, with my eyes closed in the fragrant mist of the scriptures, I suddenly heard the true words in your chanting;
That month, I shook all the prayer wheels, not for salvation, but just to touch your fingertips;
That year, I kowtowed and crawled on the mountain road, not to see you, but just to feel your warmth;
In that life, I circumambulated mountains, rivers, and pagodas, not to cultivate my next life, but simply to meet you along the way.
The power of poetry resonated with her soul-ferrying abilities, transforming into countless golden words that entangled the dark forces like chains. Even more astonishingly, these words resonated with the wisdom of various time and space, forming an unprecedented purifying energy.
"Is this... the power of love?" The dark force screamed in horror. "Impossible! Love is just a fragile emotion!"
Qi Diao Yanfei's voice was firm and clear: "You are wrong. Love is the most powerful force in the universe, because it connects everything, embraces everything, and balances everything."
In the face of the power of love, the dark force began to crumble. But it refused to accept defeat and launched a final counterattack - it tried to detonate itself and destroy the entire Sea of Nothingness.
At this crucial moment, the new plane was finally completed. It was a perfectly balanced entity, encompassing the characteristics of all planes, yet transcending their limitations. In this plane, conflict and peace, chaos and order, knowledge and ignorance, existence and nothingness, were all perfectly balanced.
This balance produced a powerful stabilizing effect, instantly quelling the dark forces' urge to self-destruct. The extraterritorial demons completely dissipated in the light of balance, transforming into nutrients for the new dimension.
"Success..." Liana looked at the new space-time in disbelief, "You created... the origin of space-time!"
It turns out that the Origin of Space and Time is not some pre-existing entity, but a phenomenon that naturally arises when all space and time reach perfect balance. By creating this new, all-encompassing space and time, Qi Diao Yanfei and Tashi Phuntsok have effectively become the creators of the Origin of Space and Time.
In the center of the new space-time, they saw a shocking sight—a huge mirror was suspended there, and what was reflected in the mirror was not their reflection, but the harmonious operation of all space-time.
"This is the Mirror of Balance," Tashi Phuntsok sensed its essence, "through it, we can maintain the balance of all time and space."
Qi Diao Yanfei gently touched the mirror, feeling the infinite time and space flowing through her fingertips: "From now on, we are the guardians of the source of time and space."
Allies from all time and space expressed their congratulations and gratitude. With the establishment of the Source of Time and Space, the collapse of all time and space stopped, and was replaced by an unprecedented harmony and stability.
Before the Mirror of Balance, Qi Diao Yanfei recorded his final realization in the Records of Three Realms:
“That day, we rekindled our memories and embarked on our journey again;
That month, we gathered our wisdom and sought the source;
That year, we created balance and averted danger;
In that life, we became the source and guarded eternity.
We have finally fulfilled our promise to live up to the Buddha and to you.
Not by giving up, but by including;
Not by choice, but by balance.
Now, I have let go of the world, but I have never let go of you;
And this time, we don't have to let go of anything.
Because true balance embraces everything;
True love transcends all.”
Closing the record, she and Tashi Phuntsok looked at each other and smiled. Their hands clasped tightly, they stood before the mirror of balance, gazing at the harmonious operation of infinite time and space.
Liana and the members of the Spacetime Council saluted them: "From now on, you are the masters of the source of time and space, and the balancers of the multiverse."
Qi Diao Yanfei shook his head: "We are not masters, but guardians. Balance belongs to all time and space, to all life."
She and Tashi Phuntsok jointly wield the Mirror of Balance and begin their eternal mission as guardians of the source of time and space.
At a certain peaceful moment, they returned to the grassland where they had come from. The geraniums were still in full bloom, the prayer flags were still fluttering, but this time, there was no more emptiness and confusion in their hearts.
“Remember?” Tashi Phuntsok said softly, “We started it all here eight years ago.”
Qi Diao Yanfei nodded, her eyes gleaming with wisdom. "And now, we finally understand that every journey is for the purpose of returning home."
As the sun set, the two figures stretched out across the grassland. But within their figures, countless scenes of time and space could be vaguely seen flowing like light and shadow.
They are Qidiao Yanfei and Tashi Pingcuo, loving partners, travelers of time and space, guardians of balance, and incarnations of the source of time and space.
Under their protection, the multiverse will always remain balanced and all things will coexist in harmony.
Because the true destination is not in any specific time and space, but in the balance of all time and space.
And love is the fulcrum of balance and the source of eternity.
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