The Era of Gods

Chapter 664: Chapter 664: Power of Time

The shadow flickered between human form, beast form, and various other shapes, including the Dragon Whale and other members of the Sea Clan.

These were the souls of all the enemies Neola had killed over the years, and the reason he had remained at large until now: he could use his own abilities to perfectly simulate the powers and strengths of any enemy he killed.

Although he was only of Rank 4, if he killed a Fifth Level powerhouse, he could perfectly simulate the entirety of that Fifth Level powerhouse’s strength and abilities; combined with his own powers, challenging beyond one’s rank was not a dream.

Unfortunately, his carefree days had come to an end, and, pursued by the full force of the Sea King Empire, he was finally cornered here.

“Neola, you have failed!”

An ancient voice resounded out of nowhere.

“Shut up!”

A neurotic voice murmured incessantly:

“No, I haven’t failed, time will prove everything…”

The ancient voice spoke again:

“You’re still looking for a new heir? Everyone here is our enemy, and all the mortals are dead; you won’t find a new one!”

“No, there is one more!”

“Are you referring to that human?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Ɲονǥօ.сօ

The ancient voice spoke:

“That human is extremely powerful, stronger than any of them; we can’t control him. If we fail, we will vanish into the river of time, never to cause a ripple again.”

“No, I follow the guidance of time and can see fragments of the future. I have already broken destiny once, and I can break it again. By uniting with that human, we can be reborn!”

Neola spoke with both mania and confidence, his figure flickering out of sight in an instant.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Whale in the sky showed no panic but turned to look at the sky and shouted:

“What are you waiting for, begin!”

The next second, the Vault of Heaven twisted in a certain place, revealing two towering Sea Clan powerhouses standing side by side, the Sea King and the Tide Sea King. The Sea King held a huge net made of light threads in his hand and threw it down, the net swiftly expanding as it fell towards a particular direction.

“Wait, what is this?”

Another Sea Clan powerhouse exclaimed in surprise as he saw the net of light encase Lin Xiao, who stood suspended several kilometers away from the sea, and asked the Sea King beside him:

“What are you doing?”

The Sea King immediately shook his head:

“It’s not me, the Dragon Net responded to Neola’s presence right there.”

“He’s cunning; he’s escaped using this method many times before and aims to do so again this time.”

The Tide Sea King spoke with some concern:

“But that human is Lin Xiao, if he interferes, we’ll have a hard time catching Neola.”

The Sea King snorted coldly:

“The Sea Emperor has been watching this area all along. If Lin Xiao wants to interfere, now is a great opportunity to eliminate him while the Empire’s powerhouses are gathered here.”

“The Emperor has always been wary of his existence, but until now has not found a suitable opportunity; this time is a good chance.”

“But…”

The Tide Sea King opened his mouth but eventually sighed without saying anything.

The Sea King glanced at him with a smirk:

“I know what you’re worried about. Rest assured, with both of us plus Uncle Dragon King here, the Emperor’s distant watchful eyes can descend at any moment. Neola always escapes in this manner, eventually possessing and reincarnating through a new body. Right now, they are probably caught up in infighting, and I am highly confident that we can eliminate two major threats within the Empire at once!”

“Let’s hope so!”

“Definitely!”

The Sea King coldly watched as the figure that had just staggered and then stood motionless, letting the net of light descend from the sky and trap him, as many Empire powerhouses quickly gathered around. Under Uncle Dragon King’s command, more defensive arrays were set up in the surroundings.

But Lin Xiao, heavily enveloped… did not fall into crisis as they had expected.

When Neola charged at him, Lin Xiao was momentarily stunned, and to outsiders, it seemed as if he let Neola merge into him unguarded.

But in reality, the moment Neola entered his body and rushed toward his brain’s sea of consciousness, he dove right into the already opened Creation Rubik’s Cube inside his mind.

If the possession had come from the flesh, it might have been troublesome, but a soul possession…

Let’s put it this way, even the will of the true ancestor of the Underworld couldn’t stir up any trouble inside the Creation Rubik’s Cube; how could a being that couldn’t even defeat the Sea King Empire do anything but play the little brother inside the Creation Rubik’s Cube?

Thus, to outsiders, it seemed that he was immobilized, caught in an internal struggle for control of his body, but in reality, he had no issues at all. He was just shockingly observing Neola, who had been locked inside the Creation Rubik’s Cube, filled with astonishment, so much so that he didn’t return to his senses and recognize the danger he was in until he was ensnared in a crisis.

“It’s actually the Power of Time!”

Lin Xiao murmured in shock; he had never expected that this wanted individual called Neola actually possessed the Power of Time, no wonder it took the Empire hundreds of years to capture him.

In the countless cosmic timelines, the Power of Time is supreme, never had there been anyone below the level of great divine power who could wield the Power of Time.

Even the time powers held by those supreme beings are just their immense strengths forcibly influencing time, not true command over the Power of Time. Their wills can go against the Mother River of Time, but they cannot change history.

They can artificially alter time on a small scale, speeding up, stopping, or even reversing it, but they cannot make time flow backward.

In the infinite worlds of the Chaotic Void Sea, among countless powerhouses, no one has ever truly mastered the Power of Time.

Yet at this moment, on a mere Rank 4 being, the Power of Time was manifest, a nuclear blast to Lin Xiao’s worldview that left him momentarily at a loss.

Of course, the Power of Time that Neola currently possessed was still very weak, or perhaps it was just a seed; it wasn’t omnipotent, otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to capture him.

But a seed promises an infinite future, and that’s precisely what many supreme beings lack—a seed.

Suppressing the surge of excitement in his heart, he looked up at the massive figure outside the multiple layers of light screens—Uncle Dragon King—and asked:

“May I know what this is all about?”

The Dragon King, who had reverted to his human form, said gravely:

“By His Majesty’s command, I am here to capture the Shadow Child, Neola!”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“Neola has merged with you.”

“Do you have proof?”

“I saw it with my own eyes!”

“I see.”

With a thought, the space around Lin Xiao suddenly collapsed, releasing a suffocating gravitational pull. The net of light that bound him and the layers of light screen barriers rapidly crumbled and dispersed, quickly forming a vast black hole centered on him, emitting a gravitational force that caused the hearts of the surrounding Sea Clan strongmen to palpitate.

“This…”

This was a scene they had never witnessed before, leaving them completely unprepared as they helplessly watched their painstakingly laid confinements shatter.

The strong attraction and the rapidly expanding collapsing space scared them, prompting them to retreat instinctively.

Once the black hole destroyed the bindings, it disappeared just as quickly, and the Space Law descended to rapidly restore the destroyed space. Lin Xiao’s figure slowly emerged; he didn’t even glance at the Empire’s strongmen nearby. Instead, he looked up towards the Vault of Heaven and shouted loudly:

“If no one offends me, I do not offend anyone. Your Majesty has broken the rules!”

After a short while, blue lights converged rapidly in the void, forming a massive face that looked down upon him, its voice booming like a great bell:

“Hand over Neola, and I shall grant you the title of Sea King.”

Lin Xiao shook his head and said:

“It’s too late, he tried to take over my body, and I killed him.”

The expressionless colossal face stared at him. After several seconds, the resounding voice spoke again:

“In the name of the Emperor of the Empire, your titles and positions are hereby stripped, and you are to leave the Empire’s territories within one month.”

After speaking, the massive face slowly dissipated. The surrounding Empire’s strongmen displayed looks of surprise, but the surprise soon faded. They cast a deep glance at Lin Xiao, bowed their heads silently, and left, leaving Lin Xiao, who was somewhat taken aback, alone in the area.

He had been prepared to face off against the Empire, yet nothing had happened, which took him by surprise.

The Empire had been hunting Neola for hundreds of years, losing no less than twenty to thirty Rank 4 warriors in the process. Several Legion level Rank 5 strongmen had also perished. They had gone to great lengths to capture him—even the Sea Emperor had taken action personally. Could they really let bygones be bygones?

Lin Xiao didn’t believe it.

Looking up at the Vault of Heaven, he sensed an imperceptible will emanating from above—a presence that even Rank 6 powerhouses might struggle to detect. Unless he was mistaken, the Sea Emperor was using some method to monitor him.

Just because of this, he didn’t believe the Sea Emperor would let him go.

After pondering for a while, Lin Xiao felt it was time to leave the Sea King World.

Informed by a premonition from his Extraordinary Ability, the Prophetic Art, he sensed that the Sea Emperor wouldn’t let him leave so easily. The reason he hadn’t taken action earlier was only because the Incarnation as a black hole ability he’d demonstrated was far too shocking. The Sea Emperor simply hadn’t been ready.

Once preparations were complete, it would surely be a Thunder Strike.

Although he wasn’t particularly afraid—having merged with his True Body’s Strength, or rather, as it was at that moment, he was akin to his True Body reborn, about to advance to Rank 7—facing an Empire that spanned dozens of worlds and within the heart of the Main World was no small matter. Who knows what unconventional means they might possess, and there was a possibility that he could be overturned.

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Xiao’s figure flashed and disappeared.

Within the Creation Rubik’s Cube, Neola frantically spun around in the Magic Cube Space, muttering like a madman:

“This is impossible; why didn’t I foresee the danger, why didn’t the Power of Time warn me?”

An ancient voice once again echoed within him:

“The fact proves, you cannot see through everything! Nor can you break the destined fate!”

Neola continued shaking his head:

“That’s impossible, I don’t believe it.”

The ancient voice spoke again:

“I see our destiny ending here, and so can you.”

Neola fell silent, but after a short while, he became even more frantic inside the Creation Rubik’s Cube, roaring wildly:

“I don’t believe in fate. If there is such a thing as fate, I will break it by hand, just as I once did… ”

The ancient voice did not attempt to argue or persuade; it simply stated dispassionately:

“Then we shall see.”

The voice slowly quieted down, fading into silence.

At that moment, Lin Xiao’s will arrived noiselessly, observing Neola’s madness. He couldn’t wait to activate the Creation Rubik’s Cube, as strands of invisible and intangible Creation Energy slowly descended into the space, permeating into Neola’s body without his knowledge.

However, as soon as the Creation Energy touched Neola, he jolted, looked up at the sky, and said loudly:

“Spare me, and I will grant you the Power of Time.”

Lin Xiao shook his head:

“Even if I kill you, it will be mine.”

“Without my consent, you cannot inherit the Power of Time!”

“Not necessarily!”