Hum—
Behind Fang You, two colossal wheels of light materialized, embedded with gem after gem, each symbolizing a source of power.
The inner ring displayed more than ten source authorities, including the Authority of Time, the Authority of Thunder, the Authority of Destiny, the Authority of Space, the Authority of Light, the Authority of Wood, and so forth, appearing in sequence.
The outer ring manifested over a dozen complete, ordinary authorities such as the Authority of Annihilation, the Authority of Flow, the Authority of Seasons, and the Authority of Growth.
Fang You gazed at the Authority of Thunder, as if grasping all power related to lightning in the entire universe.
"The third tidal wave of disaster has descended for four years now."
"And I have finally cultivated the Authority of Thunder to 49.9%."
Authority power had major bottlenecks at 0.1%, 1%, 10%, 50%, and 99.9%. In the early stages, it was difficult to wield even 0.01% of authority power. However, once one possessed vast authority power, it became much easier to increase it.
Yet, cultivating the Authority of Thunder to 49.9% in a mere "three to four years" was somewhat beyond his expectations.
He had encountered almost no bottlenecks throughout the entire process; it had been exceptionally smooth, as if he were not cultivating the Authority of Thunder for the first time.
This was entirely different from Yue Zhu cultivating, where even 0.1% could cause immense suffering.
Until Fang You got stuck at the bottleneck of 49.99...9%. This stagnation lasted for...
"Three years, then another three years!"
"I have been cultivating in the Secret Realm of Time for nine years, and I still cannot overcome this hurdle!"
With little time remaining, Fang You felt a sense of urgency. He knew that urgency was useless, and he could maintain a peaceful state of mind, but he still wished to be faster, much faster.
Unfortunately, he could not.
Fang You began to understand why ancient beings like Yue Zhu and the Lord of Stars often chose to idle—cultivating for hundreds of years without making progress was unbearable for anyone.
"If the Tenth Realm of Origin were divided into minor ranks, with newcomers at Rank One, Ghost-Masked Revered Elder at Rank Two, Mother of Nature at Rank Three, Lord of Infinite Radiance at Rank Four, and the former Yue Zhu at Rank Five, then I would currently be at Rank Eight, with Rank Ten being the maximum."
Of course, the maximum rank referred only to the Authority of Thunder.
The power possessed by a maxed-out single line was insufficient to contend with evil gods.
He needed to wield more power.
***
In the Illusionary Realm, outside the walls of Oasis City, within a completely dead and desolate oasis.
A slender figure walked here. Amidst countless colossal and monstrous illusions, these illusions were oblivious, as if to them, this fragile, slender human girl was one of their own.
No, she was their superior. When An Jianyou revealed her form, the illusions, formed entirely from corrupt power, actually generated a sense of fear.
This was because her corrupt power surpassed theirs!
An Jianyou's own pollution level was zero, but her eyes, glowing with a faint, ethereal blue light, contained a vast and boundless world, within which grey mist drifted, surging like rivers and seas.
[Core Skill: Nether Envoy (Crimson · Three Stars)]
She had once, through her own strength, propelled the 'Nether Envoy' skill from Legendary to Divine-Demonic level, pioneering the path of skill advancement. Years passed, and with the help of her mentor and her own efforts, she had pushed this skill to a very profound level.
Perhaps, she was not far from advancement!
With a single glance, she could leave a mark within a high-ranking illusion, enslaving it.
The Netherworld within her body was impossibly vast, constantly absorbing external grey mist and corruption, and autonomously generating illusions within the Netherworld.
"Hoo~ Hoo~!"
Centered on An Jianyou, a region spanning hundreds of kilometers transformed into an ink-black expanse, from which no light could escape.
An invisible attractive force emanated from the dark Netherworld ground.
Instantly, the surrounding grey mist seemed to be drawn in, pouring into the Netherworld.
In the blink of an eye, the grey mist within millions of miles radius became visibly sparse.
The attacks of high-level realms could temporarily dispel the grey mist, but the essence of grey mist was mystery and corruption; they always existed and their total amount never decreased.
High-level realm attacks were akin to parting hair with a comb, briefly pushing the grey mist aside.
An Jianyou's absorption, however, truly reduced the total amount of grey mist.
"Roar!"
The sea of grey mist in the entire vast domain churned violently, as if a living behemoth was roaring in anger.
One high-ranking illusion after another emerged from the mist, and billions of other illusions surged towards An Jianyou, as if she had committed a grave taboo.
Bang—
The next moment, several colossal palms, tens of thousands of meters long, emerged from the Netherworld ground, gripping those high-ranking illusions and crushing them on the spot.
The remaining illusions, upon stepping within the hundreds of kilometers radius of the Netherworld ground, were instantly consumed, leaving no trace.
With An Jianyou's current strength, as long as she did not enter the middle Illusionary Realm, she could move about with impunity. Even if targeted by an ambush from the evil god faction, she could still escape easily by relying on the abilities of her Nether Eyes.
However, her delicate eyebrows still furrowed.
She could ignore the illusions, and with a little caution, she could deal with the servants and followers of evil gods. Yet, her heart still sounded a warning bell; a great crisis was coming!
That was the grey mist that was "gradually coming alive"!
Her intuition told her that this could not be resisted head-on; the essence of the grey mist was inextricably linked to the evil gods.
"Xiao Hong, Xiao Bai, let's go."
An Jianyou recalled the two illusion babies who had been silently guarding her surroundings. Her slender figure sank into the terrifyingly dark Netherworld ground, and then, the entire pitch-black ground retracted and disappeared.
A moment later, An Jianyou appeared in another location, many vast domains away.
She looked into the distance, the ethereal blue glow of her eyes reflecting the scenes of over a dozen vast domains.
Her brows tightened again.
The grey mist was still churning violently, and the great terror within it, like colossal waves, spread and pursued her.
She dared not return to Oasis City, fearing that these colossal waves would bring damage to the city walls. She could only continuously traverse between vast domains and inter-domains until she escaped the Illusionary Realm and stood in the depths of space, finally shaking off the lock of this great terror.
However, when An Jianyou returned to the Illusionary Realm and chose a vast domain to absorb grey mist, she was quickly locked onto by the great terror again.
She could not absorb much grey mist before she had to retreat.
One month, two months, three months…
"This won't do. This method is too inefficient. It's impossible to break through the skill's limits before the catastrophe arrives."
"Should I go back and cultivate authorities?"
An Jianyou shook her head again.
Her comprehension ranked among the top of everyone, and she did not learn laws slowly. However, within her own combat system, laws and authorities did not have as significant an impact on combat power.
If she wanted to reach the pinnacle, she would inevitably need to wield more authorities. This was the righteous path, and the only road to the end.
But she had no time!
What she needed now was combat power, even if it was the demonic path, even if… she had to merge with illusions and become terrifying, she would not flinch.
Only by mastering greater power could she help her mentor and contend with the catastrophe.
And absorbing grey mist was not enough!
An Jianyou stood on the desolate, dead land, head lowered, gazing at her toes, and made a decision.
"Since absorbing grey mist is too slow, then… then I'll devour the entire vast domain."
"This vast domain is completely desolate, filled with illusions, corrupt substances, and sources of disaster. If I can devour it, it will be enough to help the Netherworld advance."
"However, I cannot devour it bit by bit. I must… I must swallow it all at once!"
Her fists slowly clenched.
Her chest rose and fell slightly with each inhale and exhale. An Jianyou closed her eyes for a long moment before slowly opening them again.
The ink-black expanse began to spread again.
This time, it continued to spread for hundreds of kilometers without stopping.
Thousands of kilometers, tens of thousands of kilometers, hundreds of thousands of kilometers.
An Jianyou's Netherworld was approximately this large, which was merely an insignificant corner of a vast domain.
It was not enough.
For a minnow to devour a great shark, it must have sufficient patience and willpower.
The Netherworld continued to spread, though its speed gradually slowed.
In the center of the pitch-black land, the black-haired girl sat with her legs curled. Her eyes were closed, and all her power was dedicated to the spread of the Netherworld. Beside her, several red and white illusions guarded her, amidst the surging illusions in this uninhabited vast domain.
***
On the banks of the vast, endlessly flowing River of Time, a figure approached.
He was clad in black, wearing a black mask, and exuded an aura of icy coldness.
"The place connecting the present, the past, and the future, the land of time."
"Countless heroes."
Branching out below, countless streams flowed, beyond his current power of time authority to discern.
Ascending above, the source was singular, yet it exerted an overwhelming pressure that was suffocating.
Heikui's expression remained unchanged. Bearing the oncoming pressure, he raised his foot and slowly stepped down.
One step, two steps, three steps.
His pace was slow, but he steadily moved upstream.
He did not step into the River of Time, but merely walked along its banks, his gaze fixed on the surging river surface, never wavering.
"The first one."
The majestic projection of the Immortal Legion appeared from the distant sky. Heikui, with the legion at his back, used the collective power of countless heroic spirits to fish a phantom image from the river's edge.
This was not true resurrection.
Heikui did not dare to step into the River of Time, much less dare to alter the timeline and resurrect a historical figure.
The phantom image he fished up was not even a remnant soul; it was merely an imprint left by some great figures in the historical timeline.
Imprints had no power, but within the Immortal Legion, imprints possessed infinite possibilities.
The imprint merged into the Immortal Legion in the sky, vaguely transforming into a humanoid figure, adorned with a crown, exuding an aura of majesty with every movement.
Heikui continued upstream, walking and stopping, occasionally fishing out more imprints.
He also paused from time to time, emitting low breaths from beneath his mask, but after a brief rest, Heikui would continue onward.
No, there was no rest.
Under the pressure of time, his physical body would grow tired and feel the strain. Sometimes, he needed to ease the pressure, and Heikui would close his eyes to comprehend laws or mentally simulate the deployment of troops for the legion.
Rest was impossible. The word "rest" was absent from Heikui's vocabulary.
He had torn it out.
Moments later, he continued walking, continued fishing. In this special place where there was no sunrise or sunset, he repeated the same actions, like a tireless puppet.
It was as if time had entered a cycle, unchanging.
Only the projection of the Immortal Legion, suspended in the sky, gradually filled.
It was the power of heroes from past eras, gathered here to leave their legends in this era.
At the same time, on Blue Star.
The great Blue Star revolved around the edge of the Illusionary Realm, exuding immense world power.
It had become the most dazzling world outside the Illusionary Realm.
The vast membrane of the world stretched endlessly, radiating power that even ancient beings revered.
Within Blue Star, more and more cities were built. On some newly formed continents, traces of non-human life could even be seen.
A pair of eyes gazed down upon everything within Blue Star, gentle and pleased, yet filled with curiosity for all things.
She was everywhere.
She was great and ethereal.
Her vast consciousness drifted above Blue Star and finally converged before Fang You, transforming into a figure.
"Regarding Blue Star..."
"The oasis... the dormant will of the Illusionary Realm..."
"Leave it to me~"
The figure dissipated with a bang, yet remained ubiquitous, like a wisp of air, a cat, affectionately rubbing against his shoulder.
Fang You gazed at Blue Star, then towards the locations of An Jianyou, Heikui, and others, finally focusing his gaze on the River of Time.
"There is still some time left. It's time for me to do my own things."
He summoned the Pavilion of Time and, piloting this small boat, plunged into the vast River of Time, heading rapidly upstream.
Swish—
Swish—
Within the River of Time, time lost its meaning.
There was no sun or moon, no spring or autumn; the scenery was of unchanging waves all around.
However, as he continued to travel upstream, the already rapid river became increasingly turbulent, containing great lethal intent, occasionally shaking the Pavilion of Time.
He had entered and exited the River of Time many times, traveled through various spacetime nodes, and left behind ethereal legends.
He was very familiar with this place.
Yet, he was not entirely familiar.
At least, he had never reached such an upstream position.
He had no intention of finding the end of the River of Time; his power was not yet sufficient. He merely wanted to trace back and find the moment the evil gods descended.
There were many questions that could only be answered by witnessing them firsthand.
He piloted the Pavilion of Time, resolutely traveling against the waves.
It was as if he had been flowing against the current for a hundred years, a thousand years, ten thousand years. Unconsciously, the hair at his temples had turned slightly white, filled with the vicissitudes of time.
Hum—
Fang You's expression jolted.
The surging, turbulent waves of time suddenly disappeared.
The River of Time had become eerily calm.
"No, wrong, it's not calm!"
He stared wide-eyed into the distance, an irrepressible surge rising in his heart.
The vast, great, and seemingly endless River of Time before his eyes…
Had broken!
Further ahead, history still flowed, the true Divine Era before the arrival of the evil gods.
And beneath his feet was the beginning of the Illusionary Realm and the Mysterious Era, after the arrival of the evil gods.
What about in between?
What about that period of history that even countless ancient beings could not clearly explain?
As it turned out, there was no history!