NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 321: The Supreme Being of Time
Chapter 321: The Supreme Being of Time
“Boom!”
Above the heavens, the chaotic lightning clouds finally coalesced into their full form. The majestic Heavenly Palace became slightly clearer, and the ethereal figures within it became more tangible. Although the thunder was not loud, the destructive aura it carried sent chills down everyone’s spines – even the Supreme Beings trembled as if they were witnessing the divine.
“Could the Heavenly Palace and the ethereal figures in the chaotic thunderclouds really be a glimpse of the Immortal Realm?”
Everyone had this question. If this was indeed the Immortal Realm, it seemed far too simplistic-perhaps only a fragment of it?
Within the chaotic clouds of lightning, arcs of electricity grew larger and eventually formed into a tribulation true dragon. Amidst the resounding roar of a dragon, it descended upon the Goddess of Time with ferocious intent!
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands felt a deep concern. The tribulation true dragon radiated a terrifying Supreme-level pressure. The first bolt of lightning was equivalent to a Supreme Being’s full-strength attack, and the subsequent bolts were unimaginable!
Could the Goddess of Time withstand them?
The Goddess of Time did not dodge. The tribulation had already locked onto her, leaving no room for escape. She ascended into the air, her jade-like hand extending to summon a river of time – a shimmering, translucent ribbon that met the descending true dragon of tribulation head-on.
Of course, this wasn’t a true river of time, but rather an embodiment of her mastery over Time Dao.
“Whoosh!”
As the true dragon of tribulation plunged into the river of time, its scales, flesh, and blood rapidly withered, decayed, and fell away – eroded by the power of Time Dao until only a skeletal dragon remained. Eventually, even its bones crumbled into ash!
The three Supreme Beings from the Divine Thunder Sect Alliance and the eleven others coveting the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands all changed their expressions. A true dragon’s tribulation, equivalent to a Supreme Being’s full-strength attack, had been effortlessly neutralized by the Goddess of Time. Clearly, her combat prowess was extraordinary.
Rumors had long circulated that even at the high stages of the Sage Realm, she possessed the strength of a Supreme Being due to her mastery of Time Dao. Most factions believed that since she wasn’t a true Supreme yet, her strength would fall into the category of a “weak” Supreme Being.
But now, seeing her firsthand, this was no “weak” Supreme Being – it was undoubtedly the strength of a powerful Supreme Being!
This revelation left them cursing inwardly, berating the old bastards and cunning schemers of the various factions. Fortunately, they hadn’t tested the strength of the Goddess of Time before, or else their faces would have been utterly humiliated. A Supreme Being defeated by a sage would have become the laughing stock of the entire world.
At this moment, they began to reconsider their plans. Once the Goddess of Time completed the chaotic lightning tribulation, if her injuries weren’t too severe, it would be best to retreat.
“Woah, it’s been a while, and you’re about to ascend to Supremacy.”
Suddenly, a little girl who looked exactly like the Goddess of Time appeared, her beautiful face adorned with a mischievous, eerie grin.
Next, a middle-aged beauty appeared, identical to the Goddess of Time, also wearing an eerie smile. “We have returned. You cannot escape us. We are you and you are us. We are one and the same.”
Then an elderly version of the Goddess of Time appeared, her silver hair cascading like a waterfall, her smile sinister and chilling.
Finally, a white bone skeleton materialized, its bones emitting a cold, menacing glow.
Aside from the Goddess of Time herself and Xu Lian, everyone else gasped in shock. What kind of weird transformation was this? It seemed to be different from the usual transformations of supreme beings. Moreover, judging by their words, it seemed that the Goddess of Time had already undergone these transformations long ago-she had merely forcefully suppressed them.
With her icy demeanor, the Goddess of Time paid no heed to these four eerie manifestations, focusing entirely on the chaotic lightning tribulation.
Ignoring her, the four eerie manifestations busied themselves with idle chatter.
“She’s undergoing the chaotic lightning tribulation. Should we help her?”
“She is us, and we are her. Her undergoing the tribulation means that we are undergoing it too. If she dies to the lightning, we’ll dissipate as well. But judging by her remaining strength, she should be able to endure it. We don’t need to help her-let her handle it herself. Only if she gets injured will she appreciate our worth.”
“Hmm, so many Supreme Beings are watching. They don’t seem to have good intentions. How convenient – they’ve arrived just in time for us to feast on some Supreme Beings and replenish ourselves.”
“Great idea.”
The little girl acted first, immediately appearing behind the unnamed Supreme Being of the Darkmoon Holy Land. She bit into his thigh, tearing off a chunk of flesh and devouring it with blood dripping from her lips, her beautiful face twisted into a chilling grin.
Everyone was stunned, their pupils constricting in disbelief. This was a Supreme Being!
“Evil thing, get off me!”
The unnamed Supreme Being of the Dark Moon Holy Land cursed loudly, kicking violently to shake her off before turning to flee in panic.
“Come back.”
The little girl refused to let go, grabbing onto the unnamed Supreme Being’s leg to prevent his escape.
Enraged, the unnamed Supreme Being retrieved his Supreme Artifact and engaged in a fierce battle with the eerie entity for several rounds before finally breaking free and hastily retreating.
“Where did he run off to?”
The little girl looked around in confusion, unable to locate him. Then she turned her gaze toward the indescribable Supreme Being of the Divine Thunder Sect and the grotesque Supreme Being of the Fuyao Holy Land, seemingly selecting her next meal.
The faces of the two supreme beings paled, and they quickly fled.
Seeing the situation turn sour, the other eleven Supreme Beings who had coveted the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands also swiftly vanished.
“Now that the crisis facing the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands has been resolved, I’ll take my leave.”
The Supreme Being of the Blazing Flame Sect hastily excused himself and fled without delay.
The female Supreme Being of the Divine Flower Palace didn’t even bother to say goodbye before leaving. This place had become a battleground for sinister entities – it would be unwise to stay any longer!
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands was dumbfounded. A Supreme Being bitten by a creepy creature? This was unheard of! These eerie entities were terrifying-they had reached the level of Supreme Beings and were incredibly difficult to deal with, causing even other Supreme Beings to tremble in fear.
Had the crisis facing the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands really ended so comically?
From a certain perspective, they owed a debt of gratitude to those sinister entities.
“Where did they all go?”
The little girl screamed like someone possessed, her mischievous grin replaced by a ferocious snarl.
“There’s an old Supreme Being about to undergo a Dao transformation here. It would be such a waste not to eat him.”
The middle-aged beauty locked onto the thirty-third stage of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land and lunged forward with her claws extended.
“…” The old Supreme Being’s hair stood on end as he fiercely fought back. He couldn’t believe that he was being targeted by an eerie entity just before his Dao transformation – he didn’t want to end up as nothing but dust!
Meanwhile, in the first subworld, the elderly sinister manifestation targeted Xu Lian. “The boy we saw earlier is here too. He possesses the power of laws, which is nourishing. If we consume the power of laws, we can evolve.”
“?” Xu Lian was confused. When the eerie beings went berserk, they really did not distinguish between friend and foe!
Before he could react, the elderly eerie manifestation appeared in front of him, sinking its fangs into his neck.
Fortunately, the divine laws that protected him erupted and blocked the creepy creature. Otherwise, he would have been killed instantly without any chance to resist.
The elderly ghostly being winced in pain. “These divine laws are strange and hard to digest. Come help me.”
“Boom!”
At this moment, the Goddess of Time was fully occupied with the chaotic lightning tribulation and couldn’t spare any effort to restrain the four eerie manifestations.
The middle-aged beauty and the skeletal eerie manifestation joined forces to attack the old Supreme Being, attempting to capture and devour him.
This brought the old Supreme Being to the brink of tears. Was he going to be eaten before completing his Dao transformation?
The elderly eerie manifestation and the little girl focused their efforts on tearing apart the divine laws protecting Xu Lian.
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands was paralyzed with shock, utterly helpless. Even the Supreme Beings had fled – what could they do against these sinister entities?
“Whoosh!”
Finally, the Goddess of Time managed to free a hand. With a flick of her finger, her Time Dao transformed into a chain of order, temporarily binding the middle-aged beauty and the skeletal eerie manifestations.
The old Supreme Being breathed a sigh of relief. His arm was bloody and missing chunks of flesh. More terrifying still, the wounds inflicted by the eerie entities continued to corrode, preventing even his Supreme-level body from healing. This sent a shiver down his spine.
He felt deeply disturbed. For himself, it didn’t matter – he was about to undergo the Dao Transformation anyway. What worried him was the Goddess of Time.
After all, the strength of those terrifying entities increased along with the cultivation of the main body. Now that the Goddess of Time had just ascended through the tribulation, these eerie entities already possessed terrifying strength. Once her cultivation stabilized and further improved, these entities would become even harder to control.
“O, focus on enduring the tribulation. Don’t worry about me.”
Seeing the Goddess of Time preparing to divert her attention to restrain the eerie entities, Xu Lian quickly called out, “The divine laws protecting me are strong enough. These two eerie entities won’t be able to harm me for now.”
Reassured by his words, the Goddess of Time refocused on enduring the tribulation.
When she had briefly intervened to assist the old Supreme Being earlier, she had diverted some of her strength and was injured by the chaotic lightning tribulation. Her white dress was stained red with blood-her injuries were severe.
“Boom!”
The chaotic lightning tribulation continued, each bolt taking on the forms of true dragons, divine phoenixes, humanoid shapes, and eerie manifestations. Each form was terrifying beyond measure, seemingly endless. Even more frightening was the fact that their power increased exponentially with no apparent limit – enough to drive even the supreme beings who had walked the path for years to despair.
Fortunately, the Goddess of Time was no ordinary Supreme Being. She was a rare Supreme Being who had mastered Time Dao!
Each of her strikes carried the essence of Time Dao. Although her injuries grew more severe, her icy demeanor remained unchanged throughout, calm to the extreme. Like a snow lotus born amidst tribulation, no matter how vast or fierce the chaotic lightning tribulation became, it could never knock her down.
“According to ancient records, the chaotic lightning tribulation consists of forty-nine layers. This is the forty-first layer. The Goddess of Time must endure it-she absolutely must!”
“Forty-two!”
“Forty-three!”
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands watched with tear-filled eyes as the white figure battling the chaotic lightning tribulation above the heavens endured blow after devastating blow. Although her body was battered beyond recognition, she remained as steadfast as a mountain, as if holding up the entire sky.
“Forty-six!”
“Forty-seven!”
As the old Supreme Being was about to undergo the Dao Transformation, she was the sky of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands-she absolutely could not fail. Everyone in the sect clenched their teeth and fists tightly, shouting and cheering together to encourage the Goddess of Time.
“Boom!”
The final layer of the chaotic lightning tribulation descended like eternal apocalyptic light. The tattered body of the Goddess of Time could no longer endure and shattered into pieces, accompanied by a rain of blood that fell from the sky.
“Goddess of Time!”
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands turned pale, their hearts leaping into their throats.
As the chaotic lightning tribulation dissipated, a nine-colored light descended. The shattered pieces of the Goddess of Time’s body seemed to reverse time and ascend back into the heavens. She reappeared unscathed, floating gracefully in the air, her white dress pristine as snow, her presence even closer to the divine.
Everyone was mesmerized.
Had she become a Supreme Being, or had she ascended to immortality?
Of course, this was just an illusion-she had simply become a Supreme Being.
From this day forward, she was no longer the Goddess of Time. She was now the Supreme Being of Time!
“O, are you all right?”
In the first subworld of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, Xu Lian seized the moment when the divine laws erupted to shake off the two sinister entities. He crossed space and appeared above the heavens, tightly embracing the Goddess of Time. “You scared me to death! I’m glad you’re okay!”
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands twitched their mouths in disbelief. What was he doing? Did he have no shame?
The newly ascended Supreme Being of Time froze. Even when facing over a dozen Supreme Beings earlier, she hadn’t reacted like this.
After a brief embrace, Xu Lian quickly released her, fearing retaliation. Smiling awkwardly, he reiterated, “You… you’re fine, that’s all that matters.”
The icy gaze of the Supreme Being of Time pierced through him. “Leave.”
“Yes, yes.”
Xu Lian decided to leave and jumped directly from the sky to the ground. His landing was surprisingly bouncy.
The elderly eerie manifestation and the little girl rushed at him, biting and clawing.
“…” Xu Lian sighed in despair. These creepy creatures were stubborn.
The Supreme Being of Time flicked her finger, and her Time Dao transformed into chains of order, binding the two eerie entities.
After struggling for a moment and realizing that they couldn’t break free, the eerie entities disappeared. Before disappearing, they let out an eerie laugh. “You can’t kill us. As you grow stronger, so will we when we return next time.”
Everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands felt a tingle in their scalps. These sinister entities were already difficult to deal with-what would happen if they grew stronger?
“Supreme Being of Time, heed my command! As the Nine Heavenly Supreme Being, I hand over my position to you. From now on, you shall lead the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands!”
From the thirty-third stage of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land, the old Supreme Being’s aged voice echoed. He was nearing his limits and was about to undergo the Dao Transformation.
All the Grand Elder Lords, Holy Masters, Elders, and Disciples of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands knelt on one knee and shouted in unison:
“Supreme Being of Time, accept the Nine Heavenly Supreme Position!”
“Supreme Being of Time, accept the Nine Heavenly Supreme Position!”
Aside from a dozen individuals whose cultivation approached that of Supreme Beings who remained silent, the Supreme Being of Time’s leadership of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands was widely supported.
The Goddess of Time spoke calmly. “I have already severed my ties with the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. I am no longer part of it and am unsuitable to assume the position of Nine Heavenly Supreme”.
The old Supreme Being pleaded almost desperately. “O, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands currently has no other Supreme Being besides you. If you don’t take on the position of Nine Heavenly Supreme, who else can lead the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands? For the sake of the sect, I beg you. Do you want me to die with regret?”
The Goddess of Time was silent for a moment. “Master, I am truly unsuited to lead the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. If you are concerned, I can temporarily assume the position of Nine Heavenly Supreme until a new Supreme Being emerges. Then I will step down.”
Knowing that her resolve was firm, the old Supreme Being had no choice but to relent. “Very well, temporary it is. Come here-I have some matters to entrust to you.”
The old Supreme Being summoned the Goddess of Time to the thirty-third stage of the Heavenly Mystic Sacred Land. No one knew what was said.
However, it could be guessed that it pertained to the “Hidden Strength” of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands-the highest secret of every top-level faction, known only to the successive leaders.
“Xu Lian, come here as well.”
The old Supreme Being’s voice echoed from the thirty-third stage, leaving everyone in the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands stunned. It was understandable that the Supreme Being of Time, as the acting Supreme of the Nine Heavens, needed to know the sect’s hidden strength. But why call Xu Lian?
Xu Lian was also puzzled. He stepped onto the thirty-third stage. No one could enter here without the permission of the old Supreme Being.
Inside, the chamber was shrouded in a chaotic mist, as simple and unadorned as before.
The old Supreme Being’s current appearance was pitiful beyond description – indescribable, unnameable, grotesque – all inadequate words to describe his state. Xu Lian couldn’t bear to look at him and stared at his toes instead.
“Xu Lian, before you joined the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands, O was the most talented individual the sect had ever seen, stunning the entire Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. And in just a century of cultivation, you have reached the eighth stage of Origin Tracing. Your cultivation talent has surpassed even hers, shaking the ancient and modern eras. I am eager to see what heights you will reach. Unfortunately, I won’t live to witness it.”
The old Supreme Being’s aged voice carried a weary smile.
To surpass O? Wasn’t that inevitable? Xu Lian bowed deeply. “The disciple will continue to strive, taking the revitalization of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands as my duty.”
The old Supreme Being raised his hand slightly, presenting fifty beams of Origin Tracing Light before him.
This… Xu Lian hesitated. This wasn’t enough! Could he ask for more? But he couldn’t bring himself to say it, so he accepted the fifty Beams of Origin Tracing Light and expressed his gratitude.
Seemingly sensing his thoughts, the old Supreme Being sighed. “Even though I sit on the Nine Heavens Supreme Position, the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands isn’t mine alone. Your consumption of cultivation resources is simply too great. The sect cannot sustain you indefinitely. I cannot provide you with enough resources at the expense of cutting off everyone else’s path to progress. I hope you understand.
“These fifty beams of Origin Tracing Light are from my personal stockpile, originally intended for the geniuses among my descendants. Unfortunately, my descendants lack your talent, so it would be better for you to use it. If it’s still insufficient, then you’ll have to find a way yourself,”
Xu Lian was truly moved. “Your dedication to the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands commands my respect, Supreme Being.”
The old Supreme Being chuckled. “Personally, I’d prefer to pour all of the sect’s high-level cultivation resources into you alone.
“Cultivating a swarm of loaches is less worthwhile than pouring everything into raising a single true dragon.
“No matter how many loaches there are, they’re still loaches. One true dragon is enough.
“Unfortunately, I can only say this here. If the Sages and Quasi-Supreme Beings of the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands heard this, they’d surely feel disheartened.
“So I have to inconvenience you. I believe you can gather the necessary cultivation resources on your own and ascend to become a Supreme Being like O.”
A meeting of minds! Xu Lian felt like crying. Finally, he had found someone who understood him, but it was too late. His kindred spirit was about to undergo the Dao Transformation.
The old Supreme Being continued, “Regarding the Supreme Beings who came to threaten the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands today, aside from the three from the Divine Thunder Sect Alliance, do you know the identities of the other eleven?”
Xu Lian shook his head. “The disciples’ cultivation is shallow. I couldn’t sense their identities.”
The old Supreme Being snorted coldly. “Even though they hid deep, they couldn’t hide from me. Remember this-when you ascend to become a Supreme Being, you must settle accounts with them.”
The old Supreme Being listed the identities and origins of the eleven Supreme Beings. Xu Lian silently memorized them, jotting them down in his “little notebook”. It seemed that the old Supreme Being was quite vengeful.
Next…
The old Supreme Being made a shocking decision that reverberated throughout the Nine Heavenly Sacred Lands. Everyone was astonished – he intended to challenge the indescribable Supreme Being of the Divine Thunder Sect to a life-and-death battle. This would be his final battle before undergoing the Dao Transformation!