Seeing the high-spirited look on Huang Tian's face, Sovereign Chuheng smiled. "We who walk the path of cultivation cultivate Laws. If you can truly comprehend either Time or Space at the World Lord realm, you can skip the Eternal God realm and directly become a Time Supreme or a Space Supreme. And if you comprehend both, you will become a Spacetime Supreme—also known as a Peerless Supreme.
"Beyond that lies Sovereign. To become a Sovereign, one must fuse the Laws of Time and Space. Once fused by even ten percent, a breakthrough is achieved immediately.
"My expectation for you is to attain the realm of Sovereign. It has been far, far too long since our human race produced a new Sovereign..."
Hearing this, Huang Tian could not help but ask, "Master, is there still a path beyond Sovereign?"
Sovereign Chuheng fell silent for a moment before saying with a complex expression, "There should be. There are ten Laws in this world. Fusing the Laws of Time and Space allows one to attain Sovereign, and fusing further Laws advances one's strength even more. Generally speaking, fusing five or more Laws in total, including Time and Space, qualifies one as a Supreme Being.
"However, in my view, this 'Supreme Being' cannot be considered a true major realm. While a Supreme Being is indeed stronger than a Sovereign, the gap is not insurmountable; eight or nine Sovereigns joining forces could contend against one.
"Even the current number-one powerhouse of the universe—the progenitor of the Void God Race, Ji Mang, who has fused seven Laws—would find it difficult to withstand three thousand Sovereigns joining forces."
He sighed. "Perhaps only by fusing all ten Laws can one truly step into an entirely new realm. Yet, what mysteries that realm holds is something none of us know."
At this point, he shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh. "That is far too distant—or rather, utterly impossible to achieve. After all, those who can become Supreme Beings possess cosmic first-rate fortune, aptitude, and comprehension. Yet they have spent countless years without being able to fuse ten Laws, let alone ordinary mortals.
"Enough, let us speak no more of this; it only adds vexation. Focus well on your cultivation. If you need or desire anything, you may report to me at any time, and I will lend you a helping hand."
"Thank you, Master!" Huang Tian replied solemnly.
Sovereign Chuheng smiled and waved. "Go."
As the words fell, space twisted around Huang Tian in rippling waves. In the next second, he found himself back at his residence.
Sitting cross-legged on his mat, he took out the Years Stele and placed it before him for closer examination. The stele was only the size of a palm, engraved with numerous bizarre secret patterns, each exuding a wondrous, profound charm.
Focusing his mind on it, he was immediately transported into a trance. He seemed to see a sudden wind rising in the boundless cosmos, originating from who knew where, sweeping unrestrained across endless light-years. Wherever it passed, stars tumbled like rain, suns died into silence, vast galaxy clusters scattered before it, and river-like galaxies were overturned...
'This is... the Law of Wind!' Understanding dawned on Huang Tian, and he continued his contemplation.
Time drifted by. More than an hour passed before he stopped, as the fourth-rank Evolution Source Liquid he had ordered earlier had arrived.
Signing for the Evolution Source Liquid, he immediately returned to his room, consumed a vial of source liquid, and concentrated on comprehending the Years Stele.
Compared to Space and its five subordinate Laws, comprehending Wind, Lightning, Light, and Time was noticeably more difficult. Yet with the Years Stele in hand, his speed of comprehension was not the slightest bit slower than before.
In just nine days, he crossed the threshold of the Law of Wind!
Ten more days, and he crossed the threshold of the Law of Lightning!
Another ten days, and he crossed the threshold of the Law of Light!
Then, sixteen days later, he comprehended a wisp of the Law of Time!
"In a mere month and a half, His Highness has comprehended four more Laws!" The consecutive disturbances left Dong Liansha unable even to calm his mind and cultivate. He could only sit in a daze each day, tallying the time Huang Tian took to comprehend each Law.
'So far, His Highness has crossed the threshold of all ten Laws!' he speculated inwardly. 'Could His Highness be planning to comprehend all ten Laws simultaneously? But can that really work? Who in this world doesn't specialize in one or two Laws, striving to attain the Eternal rank before pursuing anything else?
'Yet His Highness's speed of cultivating ten Laws at once is faster than others specializing in just one or two... A path impassable to others might not be impassable to him.
'Furthermore, a World Lord's clarity of perception regarding the Laws is dozens or hundreds of times greater than before. Right now, His Highness is only at the Star Vortex rank, yet his comprehension is already so defying of the heavens. If he steps into the World Lord realm, to what terrifying heights will his comprehension speed soar?!'
To countless cultivators, the World Lord rank was crucial, because at this stage, a cultivator's clarity of perception regarding the Laws was exceedingly high—even higher than that of an Eternal God!
This was why many geniuses, even after thoroughly comprehending a subordinate Law, were in no hurry to break through to the Eternal rank. Staying an extra day at the World Lord rank meant comprehending another fraction of a Law to deepen their foundation.
Typically, the paragons among World Lords only chose to break through when only about a million years remained before their lifespan limit. And because of their profound foundations, once they broke through, they were considered powerhouses even among Eternal Gods!
While Dong Liansha was lost in reverie, a month slipped quietly by.
On this day:
Boom!
Above the manor where Huang Tian resided, boundless crimson light suddenly emerged. The vast Law of Fire enveloped the surroundings like an ocean, illuminating everything in a sea of red and causing the servants inside and outside the manor to tremble.
"This is... the descent of the Law of Fire's origin!" Dong Liansha flew out from his palace and looked at the fiery sea in the sky. "In merely a month, His Highness has gained acknowledgment from the Law of Fire!"
This speed was simply too fast!
Crossing the threshold of a Law and gaining acknowledgment from a Law differed vastly in difficulty. If the former was like calculating 1 + 1, the latter was like solving advanced calculus problems. Yet for Huang Tian, there seemed to be little difference—it was merely a matter of spending three times as long...
"And beyond gaining acknowledgment from the Law of Fire, His Highness has also broken through to the Domain Master realm!" Dong Liansha's eyes burned with excitement. "For the geniuses of the Yuanchu Secret Realm, delaying breakthrough allows them to enjoy more resources. But for His Highness, delaying advancement holds little meaning. Breaking through to World Lord early is the right path!"
Buzz...
Inside his room in the manor, Huang Tian sat with eyes closed. Above his head, the Law of Fire interwove, giving birth to a crimson droplet that fell downward and seeped into his mind.
Before long, a crimson pattern emerged between his eyebrows, signifying that he had officially gained acknowledgment from the Law of Fire.
"Phew..."
He opened his eyes, fiery light flashing across them before both the fiery glow and the pattern between his eyebrows receded from view.
"Taking roughly a month just to gain acknowledgment from one Law... this speed is barely acceptable."
He muttered to himself, then tapped his finger in midair, bringing up a light screen. "After ascending to Domain Master, it's time to take fifth-rank source liquid. But before that, I need to update my realm information."
Following his inputs, ripples spread across the light screen, and a faint blue light cast down, scanning over him. "Beep. Domain Master rank verified without error. Identity information update and upload complete!"
Having certified his realm, he proceeded to place an order for Evolution Source Liquid. A moment later:
"Order complete. Ten units of fifth-rank source liquid will be delivered within two hours."
With the source liquid purchased, he wasted not a single moment, continuing to comprehend the Laws of the world...
Meanwhile, right after he updated his realm information, the geniuses across the three secret realms of the Zhouguang Domain all learned of it, every one of them struck with astonishment.
"Why is this Huang Tian in such a rush to break through? There are so many perks and opportunities for a Star Vortex-rank Yuanchu member. Is he just abandoning them?"
"Perhaps he looks down on them? After all, he is a Sovereign's disciple."
"Even if he looks down on those resources, he should still go out to temper himself and solidify his foundation. What good is empty realm without cultivating combat techniques and methods?"
"If he hadn't broken through this time, he likely would have had no trouble taking top ten in the Star Vortex Rank Grand Competition eighty years from now, securing his place as a Yuanchu member. But now that he's advanced to the Domain Master rank, his strength will certainly rank dead last compared to secret realm members of the same realm. After the next Domain Master Rank Grand Competition, he might get kicked out of the Yuanchu Secret Realm and tumble into the Taixuan Secret Realm."
"Hiss... if he truly falls out of the Yuanchu Secret Realm, I wonder if the Sovereign will be angered?"
"I think he will. That's why I believe he was overly rash. Breaking through quickly doesn't mean having high talent. Which of us couldn't rapidly break through to the World Lord realm? Yet why hasn't any of us broken through? Isn't it precisely to firmly anchor our foundations? Acting like this, he'll suffer for it sooner or later."
"I think you're all underestimating Huang Tian. There must be a reason he chose to break through so quickly. If he were truly a fool, how could he have been taken as a personal disciple by a Sovereign?"
While discussions raged in the outside world, Huang Tian remained engrossed in his cultivation, ingesting fifth-rank Evolution Source Liquid on one hand while contemplating the nine other Laws besides the Law of Fire on the other.
As for Dong Liansha, upon hearing some of the idle gossip, he was thoroughly contemptuous. "How could the Great Sun in the heavens care about the opinions of worms and birds on the ground?"
Time flew, and more than half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
Throughout these six-plus months, Dong Liansha marveled almost every month. For with each passing month, Huang Tian gained acknowledgment from another Law—until now, aside from the Laws of Space and Time, he had already gained acknowledgment from eight Laws!
Poof...
Inside the manor room, accompanied by an almost imperceptible pop, Huang Tian broke through another realm, advancing to World Lord!
The instant he broke through, he felt the world become crystal clear. The Laws that had previously felt somewhat blurred in his perception suddenly grew vividly distinct, all manner of inspirations welling up in his mind.
"Time, Space..."
With a solemn expression, he relaxed his mind and carefully contemplated the two superior Laws.
One day passed.
Rumble...
The Law of Space's origin descended. Another pattern appeared between Huang Tian's eyebrows, fading shortly afterward.
Another day slipped by. The Law of Time's origin descended. Once again, a pattern emerged between his eyebrows, vanishing after several breaths.
At this point, all ten Laws had granted their acknowledgment!
And next, as long as he thoroughly comprehended the Laws, he would soar straight into the heavens!
"Ha!"
With a sudden long cry, he soared up from the manor and gave a hearty laugh toward Dong Liansha not far away. "Come test your skills against me!"
Dong Liansha started, then laughed aloud. "If Your Highness is inclined, how could I refuse to keep you company?"
Under the awed and excited gazes of tens of thousands of guards and attendants, the two flew higher, arriving in outer space.
Amid a field of meteorites and stellar dust, the two stood facing each other from a distance.
Huang Tian held his war saber, its blade bright as a crescent moon.
Dong Liansha held a black spear, angled downward, his entire presence exuding an imposing aura as heavy and unyielding as a mountain.
Their eyes met.
Boom!
Both made their move simultaneously. Huang Tian drew his saber, and the instant the blade light burst forth, the entire void seemed split open by a bolt of lightning. Dong Liansha thrust his spear straight forward, the spear momentum immensely heavy.
The instant spear and saber clashed, a vast shockwave swept outward. Wherever it passed, meteorites crumbled into dust, and stellar dust scattered wildly!
The first strike ended without a victor. Their figures crossed, colliding again in the very next instant!
Blade light poured without pause like cascading silver waterfalls. The spear flicked, thrust, and swept, layers of spear shadows overlapping like a black flood dragon weaving and churning!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Hundreds and thousands of shockwave rings spread wildly, shaking the void. Meteorites and asteroids across tens of thousands of kilometers shattered one after another, streaking across the sky like shooting stars!
Clang!
After another clash, Huang Tian retreated rapidly for tens of kilometers, then shifted his form. In the next second, all around—above and below—ten thousand Huang Tians suddenly materialized!
They assumed varying stances: some held their sabers overhead, poised to slash; some held them across their chests, building momentum; others had already unleashed half their arc of rainbow-like blade light...
This was an application of the Law of Space—projecting ten thousand illusory bodies across various planes of space in an instant!
Whoosh!
All ten thousand moved together!
Ten thousand beams of blade light cascaded simultaneously, each piercing like a rainbow spanning the sun. They interlaced into a web of brilliance, radiant colors reflecting off one another until the void held nothing but a vast, dazzling ocean of blade light!
Dong Liansha's expression shifted drastically. After breaking through to the Eternal rank, he had spent over five million years studying the Law of Space without ever gaining its acknowledgment. He was fundamentally incapable of manifesting ten thousand illusory bodies; managing a thousand was his absolute limit. 'Moreover, when on earth did His Highness master such a saber secret art? Resplendent like a heavenly blade, it's even stronger than my Eternal-grade spearmanship!'
He drew a deep breath and shifted his body. Instantly, a thousand illusory bodies split off, resembling a black lotus suddenly bursting into bloom, each petal a spear-wielding figure.
Boom!
A thousand spears thrust out together to meet the overwhelming blade light!
Blade light like rainbows, spear shadows like a forest—rainbow and forest collided, bursting forth countless blinding flares of light across the void!
Those flares rose and fell, flickering like hundreds of millions of stars igniting and extinguishing at once, illuminating the entire expanse of space as bright as day!
The guards and attendants on the floating island looked up at the sky-obscuring spear shadows and blade light, their hearts swaying in rapt, feverish awe.
None of them had imagined that their Highness could actually fight Lord Dong Liansha to a standstill. That was a bona fide God, and one considered strong even among Gods!
Swoosh!
Forced once more to meet a blade light that was both heavy and swift head-on, Dong Liansha's spear-wielding hand trembled by a fraction. And in that very fraction of an opening, Huang Tian crossed the expanse of sky in an instant, a frost-white blade light soaring like a silver dragon as it slashed fiercely down toward Dong Liansha!
'Not good!'
A surge of panic gripped Dong Liansha, and he hurriedly raised his spear horizontally to block.
Clang!
With an earth-shattering reverberation, a boundless force like the Heavenly River spilling downward or hundreds of millions of mountains crashing down sent Dong Liansha tumbling backward in an instant. Like a falling star, he cut across the sky, plowing through pulverized meteorites, flying backward for thousands of kilometers before barely halting his momentum.
His arms trembled and his face was slightly pale. Looking toward Huang Tian in the distance, who had already sheathed his saber, Dong Liansha fell into a daze.
'I... actually lost to His Highness, who only just advanced to World Lord?!!'
Chapter 278