Chapter 811: Carving Out Hope, Departing with Time Beneath His Feet (II)

"

Zzzz!

This is Mount Kawapode. We have discovered the means to save the world. All surviving humans are to gather and establish the City of Hope."

"

Zzzz!

This is Mount Kawapode. Three days ago, an ancient monarch descended and carved open a passage of hope. Here, the path of cultivation has been reopened..."

Carried by a few still-functioning signal towers, the broadcast from Kawapode spread across the central continent. In numerous survivor bases, radios buzzed back to life after being silent for two years.

The message they heard left everyone excited, awestruck, shocked, or skeptical.

However, in a world of utter despair, even the faintest hope could drive people to madness—let alone the news that an ancient monarch had descended to save the world.

Before long, small bases began migrating. Disregarding danger, they set out on pilgrimages toward Kawapode.

Several large bases with tier 8 powerhouses stationed within also dispatched elite squads to investigate the truth of Mount Kawapode.

At present, the strongest survivors in this world had reached tier 8—stronger than Shi Feirou, who had only just broken into tier 6.

However, with the vine that rivaled even ordinary mythical-level beings now under her command, she wasn’t afraid of any powerhouses. She declared the transformation of Mount Kawapode to the world.

The passage of hope that Chen Chu had carved out didn’t belong to her or to any one person. It belonged to everyone in the Lost World.

***

Boom!

Within the silver, endless stream of turbulent time currents, Chen Chu spun like a leaf caught in a storm, utterly disoriented and without direction.

However, unlike the last time he had been swept into the temporal maelstrom, he now possessed a sliver of resistance.

Behind him, a silver ring of reincarnation slowly revolved. The invisible force of time radiating from it took the shape of a pair of magnificent silver wings, shielding him from the ravaging currents of time.

Though the main function of the Temporal Reincarnation divine ability was to condense the Marks of Temporal Reincarnation, with nine marks granting the ability of reincarnation, Chen Chu had also grasped a fragment of time power.

However, in the face of the temporal storm, that little power offered almost no protection. It was barely enough to keep him intact, but he didn’t mind. At worst, he’d just be swept into another time and space again.

Once the Hell’s Eye was eventually unsealed, he could always use the hell coordinate to jump back, even though the price he’d pay would likely be steep.

Suddenly, a deep dragon’s roar thundered through the turbulent currents of time. In the distance, time itself rippled as a white colossal dragon, three thousand meters long, emerged.

The massive white dragon stood upon the river of time, silver light coursing over its body. With its wings spread wide, it exuded an air of majesty and grandeur.

Don’t resist, human. I’ll get you out,

the Time Dragon bellowed as its radiant wings flared. Hundreds of dragon scales burst forth, releasing dazzling silver light.

Bathed in that formless brilliance, all things stilled. It was the Time Dragon’s law-based ability—Time Pause.

Even the turbulent currents of time momentarily froze under the control of this divine gift, which touched upon the profound truths of time’s laws.

Yet the frozen segment of the temporal storm lasted for only a fraction of a millisecond before roaring to life once again, sweeping through everything. Countless phantom shadows of worlds flickered within the flowing river of time.

By then, Chen Chu had vanished without a trace.

On a clear, lake-like surface, the massive white dragon now lay like a mountain, breathing heavily.

In front of its massive head, Chen Chu stood, slightly surprised as he took in his surroundings, especially the calm, mirror-like flow of time below. The winds here were still, unlike the raging chaos in the distance.

The Time Dragon panted briefly, then parted its fearsome jaws to emit a low, resonating growl that shook the space around them.

This is a time hollow—a bubble within the endless river of time. It won’t be affected for now.

Chen Chu slowly replied, "For now... meaning it could collapse at any moment?"

The Time Dragon let out a low roar.

Correct. I’m sustaining this hollow with my grasp over the principles of time. Once I falter, it will collapse. Because you detonated the time crystal core, I was also thrown into this space-time. But instead of entering that world, I waited for you outside.

Compared to Chen Chu, who had once been completely powerless against the temporal currents, the Time Dragon, who had one foot in the realm of the ancient titan and controlled a fragment of time’s laws, was far stronger. It could even halt its own fall.

The dragon continued in a weary growl.

However, I still can’t return. Without a precise time coordinate, I would be lost forever if I re-enter the current.

Chen Chu sounded a little regretful. "I didn’t expect even you, Lord Kurapavida, to be unable to return."

The Time Dragon lowered its massive head to gaze at the speck-like human before it.

Human, I know you have a way back.

"Uh... isn’t Your Highness placing a little too much faith in me? I’m only at the middle stage of the mythical level, while you’ve nearly an ancient titan. If even you can’t return, how could I possibly have a way?" Chen Chu didn’t want to admit the hell coordinate’s limitations.

The Time Dragon snorted in irritation.

Stop pretending. You were bold enough to plunge straight into the temporal currents. You must have some way to locate your original space-time, or some other power to return.

Yeah, this one isn't as easy to fool as Saixitia. In fact, it is annoyingly perceptive.

Chen Chu couldn’t understand how such sharp parents had a daughter that was so guileless.

He could only helplessly smile in response to the dragon’s penetrative gaze. "It’s not that I meant to hide it from you, Your Highness. I do have a method to return, but it can only take me back, and the cost is considerable.

"Besides, that power is currently sealed by that demon god’s final strike. It’ll take some time before I can break the seal."

The Time Dragon calmly rumbled,

That doesn’t matter. Time has long lost its meaning to me.

Consider it repayment for the help I’ve given you. I’ll maintain this time hollow as long as I can—until the seal on your body is undone. When the time comes, just take one of my reverse scales back with you.

Upon hearing it was only asking for a single scale, Chen Chu immediately grinned. "No problem at all. After all, we’re friends, aren’t we?"

Friends...

The Time Dragon stared at the tiny human before it, thinking this guy was thicker than its own scales. No wonder even that fearsome demon god had suffered so much at his hands.

Chen Chu then respectfully said, "Your Highness, I’ll begin breaking the seal. I’ll have to trouble you to maintain the stability of this time hollow."

With that, he gently floated toward the lake-like surface ahead, crossing his legs and sitting down.

The Hell’s Eye seal was still slowly eroding and would need some time to unravel—just enough for Chen Chu to take this opportunity to cultivate. While he remained in this time-dense zone, he could fully condense the Mark of Temporal Reincarnation. Once that was done, his combat strength would soar once again.

Beyond that, he could devote this period to contemplating the foundations of his body enhancement art. The past few days had been too short, and despite thousands of trials, he had only completed the construction of the first stage.

However, with the foundation now solid, the derivation of the following eight stages would be much simpler. All he needed to do was combine the core insights from true martial arts and the seven other body enhancement arts he had cultivated, and add to the structure bit by bit.

His goal in developing this foundational art wasn’t to take everyone to the peak—it was to allow anyone to build their foundation and step into the realm of transcendence. How far they progressed from there, whether they transitioned to true martial arts, gene martial arts, or mech martial arts, would be up to the individual.

Hum!

Silver light flowed across Chen Chu’s brow, and the wing-shaped Mark of Temporal Reincarnation surfaced, forming a transparent stream over ten meters long behind him, atop which three phantom figures of himself stood.

Of the three, the first wore black imperial robes, and upon his head sat the Imperial Crown of the Twenty-Four Heavens. His expression was aloof, and he stood behind Chen Chu like a sovereign who tread upon the flow of time, radiating an indescribable majesty.

Seeing the towering phantoms and the temporal stream beneath his feet, the Time Dragon’s eyes widened in astonishment as it thought to itself,

A temporal divine ability... This human actually acquired a method to resolve his curse through time’s guidance.

It had only casually mentioned the concept of time’s guidance when it suggested that Chen Chu try it. It never imagined the human would actually gain something from it.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

This kind of fate was terrifying, and this human was already absurdly powerful. Even at only the middle stage of the mythical level, he could leap across entire major realms and battle peak titan-level demon kings head-on.

His means and trump cards were so numerous, even it, a dragon on the verge of stepping into the ancient titan level, felt overwhelmed.

Now, after being swept into a past era, he had acquired a potent time-based divine ability.

At that moment, the Time Dragon couldn’t help but feel a flicker of awe toward this human. This was someone not to be trifled with. It had a strong feeling that this human would rise with terrifying speed, at a level no less exaggerated than the black-and-red colossal beast.

That beast was only at the beginning stage of the titan level, yet it could clash head-on with two middle-stage ancient-titan-level demon gods. Its combat strength was utterly monstrous.

Thinking about that, the Time Dragon felt a headache coming on. It had dominated its realm for years with its Time Pause ability, but compared to this human and the black-and-red colossal beast, it suddenly seemed... not so invincible.

Of course, that was assuming they were all on the same level. As things stood, the Time Dragon still had the confidence to suppress this human.

Just as it regained a sliver of pride, arcs of blue lightning, thick as chopsticks, suddenly crackled across Chen Chu’s body, radiating the power of high-level laws. Then came golden flames, burning along his long hair.

Before long, darkness began to spread around him, followed by the emergence of death, and a formless, crushing pressure emanated from the high-level law of the soul.

The combined aura of five high-level laws once again made the Time Dragon’s eyes bulge in shock.

Through this recent period of accumulation, even without entering a state of epiphany, Chen Chu could feel himself steadily solidify his foundation. With another month or so of focused cultivation, he’d likely break through to the late stage of the mythical level.