Chapter 793: The Guidance of Time, the Thousand-Handed Buddha Statue

"Everyone would become as strong as dragons."

That thought alone—that it might be possible to draw upon these ancient body enhancement arts and create an art for all to cultivate—made even Chen Chu lick his lips in anticipation.

As a newly arrived civilization in the mythical world, humanity clearly stood at a disadvantage when compared to established races like the Purgatory Clan.

Above the Fourth Heavenly Realm, transcendent cultivators were exceedingly rare. Even after decades of accumulation, the entire Federation had only produced a few million such cultivators. Yet in the mythical world, the Fourth Heavenly Realm marked the baseline of an average lifeform.

Whether it was mutated beasts, alien races, or Purgatory True Demons, simply reaching adulthood granted them a physique comparable to cultivators of the Fourth Heavenly Realm, without the need to cultivate at all.

Under such conditions, the two Purgatory Clan empires had amassed over a hundred million demons. Excluding women and children, at least tens of millions were high-level cultivators—never mind their even more numerous vassal races.

However, humanity had its own strengths, namely time and technology.

Due to differing universal principles on the Blue Planet, the life imprint of humans was shorter than that of beings in the mythical world. Whether in cultivation or physical development, they grew much faster.

Moreover, when it came to technology, many sophisticated electronic components could only be produced on the Blue Planet due to its foundational physical principles. This formed the core of humanity’s technological advantage.

Otherwise, with the demonic gods' capabilities, they could have easily captured a few advanced cultivators on the battlefield, performed soul searches, and plundered all of their technological knowledge.

It wasn’t that the demons didn’t understand the value of technology; they actually couldn’t replicate it in the mythical world. Even smuggling machinery and devices through cultists wouldn’t work.

Another human advantage lay in numbers. Unlike transcendent beings, who struggled to reproduce, humanity could multiply rapidly. If they focused on population growth alone, their numbers could triple within a decade.

Currently, the population hovered around two billion only because the transcendent energy of the Blue Planet was too limited. Any more would dilute the overall quality, resulting in even fewer with the talent to cultivate.

However, if Chen Chu could solve the problem of needing transcendent energy for Foundation Building... If ordinary food alone could nourish the essence and qi, forging strength without any cultivation threshold...

It didn’t even need to be all two billion. If even a hundred million people could break through to the First Heavenly Realm, and the Federation offered just a bit of support based on their talents, a new explosion of high-level cultivators would follow.

After all, the Blue Planet did have transcendent energy, and its environment far outstripped that of the Lost World.

With a vast base of cultivators, the chances of producing powerful experts multiplied. If humanity could survive the Purgatory Clan’s threat, then within mere centuries, they could rise as overlords of the mythical world.

And as the one who pioneered this age where all became dragons, Chen Chu’s name would be sung for billions of years.

He cared little for fame or fortune, but the thought that he might one day be revered as a sage or ancestor by an entire cultivation civilization still stirred some excitement in his heart.

Chen Chu exhaled slowly. It was still too early to dream. Whether this plan could even succeed remained uncertain; after all, even Heavenly King Zhenwu had spent ten years perfecting the Body Refining Art that triggered humanity’s latest cultivation boom.

He turned toward Shi Feirou and her two companions at the doorway. "Ms. Shi, do you know if any bases or libraries nearby still hold body enhancement arts?"

Shi Feirou paused, a little confused. "Mr. Chen, with your level of cultivation, would our arts even be of any use to you?"

They had all sensed the surge of Red Sun vitality when Chen Chu broke through earlier. That was why she found his question puzzling.

Chen Chu shook his head lightly. "Why wouldn’t they be? Every cultivation art contains a path. Each one is the Dao of a powerful cultivator.

"When I advanced the Red Sun Art to the sixth stage, I began to perceive another form of fire—a deeper law of fire that, when mastered, would eventually condense the Divine Red Sun Body.

"Unfortunately, this art is incomplete. It can't serve as a reference to verify my own path. That’s why I need more body enhancement arts."

Ah, so that’s the reason.

The Shi Sisters’ eyes lit up with realization, followed by admiration.

They hadn’t expected someone as powerful as Chen Chu to remain so diligent and unwavering. He was truly worthy of being a mythical powerhouse from the Ancient Civilization.

"Complete body enhancement arts are generally stored only in national libraries, or perhaps hidden within ancient ruins," Shi Feirou said.

Mr. Jiang thought for a moment. "We’re currently in Tianxuan City of the Baili Empire. As one of the four major empires, Baili’s national library houses a vast collection of ancient texts.

"However, it’s over five thousand kilometers north of here, while we’re in the south. Along the way, we’d need to pass through dozens of cities overrun by mutated monsters—an extremely perilous journey."

His tone grew heavy as he said this. While humanity had managed to gain some power through cultivation over the years and developed a certain degree of self-preservation, the billions of mutated monsters had evolved to become even more formidable.

Even those colossal beast-like dinosaurs, which had already required heavy weaponry to slay, had become far more horrifying under the influence of the viral mutations.

This era was even more dangerous than ancient times. No one knew what they might encounter in the wild; a step too far from safety could mean a final farewell.

For Chen Chu, however, a journey of five thousand kilometers was trivial. He could cross such a distance in moments. The only real issue was the lack of a map to guide the way.

As he pondered whether to bring someone along, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.

"Uncle Li! Uncle Li, what happened to you!?"

At the entrance of the base, three bloodied figures came rushing back. The young cultivators training nearby were startled and scrambled over in panic.

The young man leading the group had blood all over his face. He glanced around anxiously. "Where’s Captain Shi? Captain Gao and the others are trapped and need backup!"

Zhuo Xinyue tensed up. "Big Sis Rou went to the warehouse. I’ll call her right now—"

"No need."

A red fire-like glow rippled from the distance. In just a few flickers, Shi Feirou, radiating vitality like crimson fire, appeared before them.

Seeing the severe injuries, Shi Feirou's expression turned grave. "Chang Xiong, what happened?"

The young man bitterly smiled. "Two days ago, we went hunting with Captain Gao. We found tracks of a Gaoliang Dragon and followed them.

"It was nesting about 190 kilometers away in a canyon, and was roughly late-stage tier 5. After a grueling battle, we managed to kill it.

"But just as we thought it was over, something unexpected happened. We must have triggered something underground during the fight. The entire canyon floor collapsed, and everyone fell.

"There was an underground river below. Only a few of us were injured, but Captain Gao made a discovery. It seemed to be a ruin."

"A ruin!?" Shi Feitong, who had just arrived, gasped in shock, then beamed with excitement.

Back in the day, many ancient powerhouses had fallen into this world, some even reaching the mythical level.

Unfortunately, with the declination era, the life essence of the world could no longer sustain them. Their law-condensed true forms were suppressed and grew increasingly frail. The longest-lived mythical war general had only survived a thousand years.

Before their deaths, many of these peak level 9 quasi-mythical beings and mythical war generals had sealed their palaces and expeditionary warships using the last of their power, burying them deep underground.

After ten thousand years, most seals had faded with time. Many had risen to fortune overnight simply by discovering a ruin. Now, in this era where cultivation had re-emerged under viral mutation, finding a ruin meant an enormous opportunity—possibly even a shortcut to the peak of the world.

Even Chen Chu was slightly surprised that a ruin had appeared so close by. He appeared out of thin air, turned to Chang Xiong, and asked, "Tell me—where exactly is that ruin located?"

"You are...?" Chang Xiong stared at the youth who had suddenly appeared before him, whose handsomeness could make even a man feel envy.

Shi Feirou stepped in solemnly. "This is Mr. Chen, a formidable powerhouse. If he steps in, Captain Gao and the others will be fine.

"Chang Xiong, describe the situation in detail—especially Captain Gao’s current condition."

Not daring to delay, Chang Xiong took a breath and quickly replied, "It’s located to the left of the base entrance. Cross the small mountain range about forty kilometers ahead, and you’ll see the canyon and rift.

"There are a lot of Earth Crawlers in the relic. Their tunnels are everywhere. We hadn’t gone far before we were ambushed. Only we managed to escape."

"I’ll go take a look." Once he had the coordinates, Chen Chu vanished in an instant. With his Heaven-Stepping Divine Movement ability, it was as if he had teleported.

"We’ll go too," Shi Feirou said, her vitality erupting. She shot forward like a red arrow, reaching near supersonic speed.

Thanks to her body enhancement, her close combat power and speed surpassed that of cultivators at the same level.

Boom!

In the fading light of dusk, the forest exploded, trees splintered apart, and a phantom figure tore through the terrain at over ten times the speed of sound. In less than a minute, they had crossed two hundred kilometers.

The shockwave generated from such high velocity carved a passage through the landscape, over ten meters wide and nearly two hundred kilometers long.

"This is the place." By the edge of a canyon, several kilometers long and hundreds of meters wide, Chen Chu appeared out of nowhere. In a blink, he plunged several hundred meters into the ground.

Roar!

In the darkness, several red eyes lit up, filled with bloodlust as they locked onto Chen Chu.

Three mutated beasts, each over ten meters long, emerged. They had slender bodies covered in black scales, with four thick, stubby legs and heads as grotesque as dinosaurs.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Earth Crawlers roared and launched themselves forward with explosive power, winds howling behind them as they pounced like shadows.

Chen Chu didn’t even glance at them. After expanding his mental perception and sharpening his five senses to assess the subterranean environment, he vanished with a flicker.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three Earth Crawlers exploded mid-air into a mist of blood. Their remains showered down across a hundred-meter radius, filling the air with the thick stench of gore.

Boom!

A tunnel over twenty meters high and more than ten meters wide echoed with a sonic boom, as a figure bathed in red and blue plasma fire streaked through the darkness. Chen Chu’s body was moving so fast that friction with the air ignited a plasma shockwave in his wake.

As he passed through, one Earth Crawler after another, each spanning ten or even twenty meters, was torn apart before they could even scream. Their bodies exploded instantly from the shockwaves and force.

***

Thousands of meters underground, clusters of blue mushrooms grew from the cavern ceiling, casting a faint glow.

Below them stood a massive white stone gate, five hundred meters tall and carved with the image of a Thousand-Handed Buddha. The Buddha's gaze hung low, its expression cold and detached, like a silent warden guarding the gates of hell.

Before the stone gate, more than a dozen blood-soaked figures sat slumped against the wall. They clutched broadswords, spears, and high-powered rifles as they gasped heavily for breath.

Just over a hundred meters away, more than a hundred Earth Crawlers surrounded them. Each was over ten meters long, with the largest stretching past forty meters. Their eyes gleamed with savage cruelty as they stared down the humans.

Yet, for some reason—perhaps out of fear of the stone gate—none dared to step closer, though they continued to roar and screech with bloodthirsty rage.

The man holding a rifle glanced at the massive Earth Crawler in the lead, its body shrouded in black light, and bitterly smiled. "Captain Gao... do you think we still have a chance to make it out alive?"

At the front of the group, a burly middle-aged man wielding a broadsword over two meters long said in a low, steady voice, "Don’t lose heart. As long as we’re still breathing, there’s always hope.

"We’ve survived so many dangers over the years. Are we going to be afraid of a bunch of beasts now?"

His words instantly lifted the spirits of the others. "That’s right—Captain Gao is right. Until the very end, we don’t give up. Even if we die here, there’s still Captain Shi and the others back at the base."

Suddenly, someone paused. "Wait... I hear something."

Before they could sense anything further, a streak of blue-red light flashed in the darkness. A thunderous blast followed, and the ground shook violently.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Flesh and blood exploded in all directions amid the Earth Crawlers’ shrill howls. In the blink of an eye, dozens of Earth Crawlers—including level 4, 5, and even the beginning-stage level 7 Earth Crawler King—were all annihilated.

A young man with black hair stood tall on the pile of shredded flesh and torn limbs, his body still faintly glowing with red and blue light. An invisible, suffocating pressure radiated from him.

Gao Tianxiang and the others trembled from head to toe, completely frozen in place.

This young man... was terrifying—unimaginably terrifying.

The black-haired youth calmly said, "No need to be afraid. Shi Feirou asked me to come save you. I’ve already killed all the Earth Crawlers. You’re free to leave."

With those words, Chen Chu no longer paid them any attention. Instead, his eyes fell upon the massive stone gate behind them.

From the moment he arrived, the Insightful Void-Slashing Eye at the center of his brow had begun to throb faintly. Even the power of time that had eroded the left half of his body began to stir.

It felt as if something beyond the gate was linked to time—perhaps even the key to resolving his temporal affliction.

No wonder he had been drawn here. Clearly, this was what the Time Dragon had meant when it said time would guide him.

Gao Tianxiang and the others watched as Chen Chu stepped forward with a thoughtful expression. In the blink of an eye, he was standing before the Thousand-Handed Buddha Gate.

Gao Tianxiang quickly called out, "Sir, we don’t know what this stone gate is made from, but it’s incredibly heavy. All of us combined couldn’t move it an in—"

Boom!

Before Gao Tianxiang could finish his sentence, Chen Chu extended his right hand and gave a gentle push. The entire mountainside, including the cavern itself, shook violently.

Massive boulders rained down from above, crashing with earth-shattering force. It was as if the world were crumbling apart.

The Thousand-Handed Buddha’s eyes lit up with divine brilliance, and an awe-inspiring, chilling pressure swept forth. From behind the statue, a thousand arms extended through the stone gate.

Boom!

The entire world seemed to tremble. A great power was awakening, pulled down by the Thousand-Handed Buddha. The arms moved with devastating force, aiming to crush everything in sight to dust.

Even Chen Chu was stirred by the immense power. He tensed, his muscles and bones quivering as his vitality surged with a tidal roar.

A world-shaking force erupted from within him. The unleashed energy twisted the space around him, collapsing the ground beneath his feet as if some ancient monster had awakened.

Boom!

With a single punch, Chen Chu shattered the fabric of reality. Space crumbled layer by layer in a spreading black fan-shaped tide of annihilation.

Under that absolute, tyrannical force of destruction—one that had already touched the threshold of the mythical level—the Thousand-Handed Buddha, capable of obliterating the entire underground cavern, collapsed in an instant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosions echoed endlessly. The earth itself quaked under that single punch. The violent explosions’ shockwaves became tangible waves of devastation, battering everything in their path.

Gao Tianxiang and the others coughed up blood and screamed in agony as they were thrown through the air by the turbulent backlash.

As the Thousand-Handed Buddha was obliterated, the massive white stone gate, interlinked with the entire underground structure, shuddered violently. Cracks spread across its surface like spiderwebs before it finally exploded with a thunderous roar.