Chapter 749: Bottleneck

"I've also searched through all the records of my Dragon Clan," said Vice-Hall Master Azure Dragon. "The Hall Master's injuries were inflicted by an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation, making them very difficult to heal."

"There are only two ways to heal with external help," explained Hall Master White Bird with a smile. "First, a legendary Eternal Being could intervene. Eternal Beings are omnipotent, so healing would be effortless for them. Second, we could ask another Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert for help. An Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert should be able to expel the foreign power left by another Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert within my Yuanshen."

"Can't we find an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert?" Meng Chuan asked.

Since the Hall Master could even invite True Monarch Chining to intervene, perhaps there's a way to contact an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert.

"Dongning," Vice-Hall Master Azure Dragon replied, "The space beyond our universe is vast and boundless. The distance between one universe and another is immense; even an Eighth-Level powerful being would take a very long time to travel such distances. Moreover, Eighth-Level experts each have their own cultivation plans; sometimes a single period of slumber can last for billions of years or more. It's incredibly difficult for one Eighth-Level expert to even encounter another, let alone find an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert. Even if we could locate one, they wouldn't be willing to spend such a vast amount of time traveling to our universe just to heal the Hall Master."

"The most realistic approach would be to find an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert within our own universe," Vice-Hall Master Azure Dragon said, shaking his head. "However, merely seeking an audience with any Eighth-Level expert is already incredibly challenging. We have no means to seek out an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert in our own universe."

"The Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation experts born in our universe are exceedingly rare," Hall Master White Bird lamented. "Seeking an audience with an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert is over a hundred times more difficult than seeking a Physical Body Eighth-Level expert."

It's simply too difficult.

After all, there are still dozens of Physical Body Eighth-Level experts. While most are reclusive, some are relatively active.

For instance, Dragon Ancestor, Ancestor Black Demon, and Demon Mountain Master, who are concerned about their home universe, frequently make appearances.

However, not a single Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert ever appears frequently!

Hall Master White Bird had explored numerous options, but none proved effective. Meeting an Eighth-Level Yuanshen Tribulation expert is simply too difficult.

"Although Myriad Star has cultivated slightly longer than me, he isn't burdened by injuries. In fifty or sixty thousand years, I will die from my wounds. If there isn't a Half-Step Eighth-Level expert to oversee the formation, Myriad Star will break free," Hall Master White Bird stated. "Once released, Myriad Star, with only tens of thousands of years of lifespan left, will undoubtedly become even more unhinged, and the destruction he causes will likely be far more catastrophic than it is now."

Everyone present nodded in agreement.

"Meng Chuan," Hall Master White Bird said, looking at him with great solemnity. "It's up to you. Before I die, you must become a Half-Step Eighth-Level expert and take over my duty of guarding this grand formation."

Meng Chuan nodded.

He held the Hall Master in high regard, especially since the Hall Master had sacrificed so much to resolve the immense threat posed by Emperor Myriad Star.

The cost of inviting the Eighth-Level powerful being, True Monarch Chining, to intervene was undoubtedly immense.

Having his only outer-domain true body permanently stationed here, effectively destroying most of his cultivation path, was an even greater sacrifice.

It was clear that if the Hall Master had been even slightly lenient, Emperor Myriad Star would undoubtedly have offered him substantial benefits and promised not to target the White Bird Hall's forces.

Throughout this long river of time and space, many higher life worlds and even the Peach Mountain Master remained mere observers. Yet, Hall Master White Bird paid an enormous price to suppress Emperor Myriad Star, saving countless beings across numerous life worlds.

"I will devote myself entirely to my cultivation, so I can take over from the Hall Master as soon as possible," Meng Chuan stated.

Hall Master White Bird nodded slightly.

"It's just unfortunate that Dragon Ancestor promised the Peach Mountain Master three favors," Vice-Hall Master Fiery Sun said with a sigh of resignation. "No matter how much we tried to persuade him, the Peach Mountain Master refused to help."

"Don't blame him."

Hall Master White Bird shook his head. "Dragon Ancestor's promise is known to everyone in this era, and no one wishes to become an enemy of the Peach Mountain Master. Emperor Myriad Star, of course, went to great lengths long ago to befriend him. With their karmic ties and existing goodwill, it's only natural that the Peach Mountain Master wouldn't act against Emperor Myriad Star."

"A long-term strategy," commented the Shadow Demon Lord.

Meng Chuan nodded.

Myriad Star had also attempted to win him over. Even Meng Chuan himself, had he not joined the White Bird Hall and thus taken an opposing stance early on, might have found himself entangled in some karmic connection with Myriad Star.

Emperor Myriad Star must have invested even greater effort into befriending the Peach Mountain Master, as the Dragon Ancestor's promise, held by the Peach Mountain Master, posed a direct threat to Myriad Star's plans.

In a dimly lit, quiet room, Emperor Myriad Star sat cross-legged, his gaze cold and somber.

"White Bird is truly insane," Emperor Myriad Star muttered, feeling deeply frustrated and indignant. "He's willing to sacrifice most of his cultivation path, allowing an outer-domain true body to perpetually exhaust itself against me." He had offered Hall Master White Bird numerous concessions, but none had worked; it was clear that the Hall Master intended to suppress and imprison him until his demise. Although Emperor Myriad Star could perceive future timelines and knew the Hall Master would oppose him, the actions of an Eighth-Level powerful being, who transcends the long river of time and space, were beyond his calculations.

He had also never anticipated that Hall Master White Bird would be able to enlist True Monarch Chining to confront him.

"Am I to be trapped like this indefinitely?"

Emperor Myriad Star pondered, "Very well then, I shall treat this as an opportunity for secluded cultivation."

"I possess two volumes of the Eternal Method, 'Bloodline,' and have over a hundred thousand years of lifespan remaining. By dedicating myself entirely to cultivation, I am certain to grow even more powerful."

"Furthermore, I still have two Seventh-Level Tribulation life cores."

With a wave of his hand, Emperor Myriad Star conjured two life cores before him: a short dagger and a wooden hut.

"I had collected a total of eight Seventh-Level Tribulation life cores," Emperor Myriad Star said, his eyes cold as he made his decision. "I originally consumed five, leaving three. One fell into True Monarch Chining's hands, so only these two remain. Now, I will go all in and consume these last two life cores as well; it should further enhance my innate talent."

If his goal was merely to control forbidden creatures to consume life worlds, one or two would have been sufficient.

However, Emperor Myriad Star had successively gathered eight Seventh-Level Tribulation life cores.

This was because he was curious why the Demon Mountain Master collected life cores. He had acquired a Seventh-Level Tribulation life core and meticulously studied it, pondering its essence. In the boundless expanse of time and space, every phenomenon holds intrinsic mysteries. As Emperor Myriad Star had, after all, mastered the foundational laws of time and space, his careful deliberation allowed him to truly discern some profound principles. Later, the insights he gained from studying the first volume of 'Bloodline,' obtained through sacrifice, enabled him to completely perfect his 'devouring method.'

His devouring method, while perhaps not as potent as the Demon Mountain Master's, was already capable of absorbing some of the talents of Seventh-Level Tribulation forbidden creatures into his own being. This is why he had consistently targeted Seventh-Level Tribulation forbidden creatures in the Chaotic Turbid River. However, he had already captured all the easily obtainable ones, and the remaining creatures were fewer and increasingly difficult to capture.

He had long ago consumed five life cores, retaining only three for his immediate use.

This time... he would consume the final two remaining cores, fully intent on progressing further along his cultivation path!

"As long as I become more powerful."

"I might not even need to undergo a tribulation; simply by cultivating an Eighth-Level physical body, I should be able to completely shatter this sealing grand formation." Emperor Myriad Star cast aside all other thoughts and fully devoted himself to cultivation.

As time passed, Meng Chuan continued his cultivation in the distant Qianyuan Mountain.

"It has been six thousand years since I arrived at Qianyuan Mountain."

Meng Chuan sat at his desk, looking at the scroll he had been painting. He frowned slightly, not entirely satisfied, and the scroll reverted to a blank state.

"The Law of Time is still stuck right before the final bottleneck," Meng Chuan murmured, a frown on his face.

He had, of course, already mastered the three components of the Law of Time: past, present, and future. After all, the treasures from the Monsha Realm could be exchanged for numerous cultivation aids, and the opportunities gained from slaying chaotic creatures in Qianyuan Mountain had significantly boosted his talent in the time lineage. Combined with the secret painting technique passed down by the Eternal Being, and various other methods, mastering these three foundational components had been relatively straightforward.

However, combining these three to form the complete 'Law of Time' had proven to be Meng Chuan's stumbling block.

This stagnation had persisted for a thousand years, leaving Meng Chuan with endless perplexity.

"The Law of Time is indeed not so easily comprehended."

"It's time to go slay the next chaotic creature," Meng Chuan said. He rose, walked out of his wooden hut, and headed towards the confinement prison within Qianyuan Mountain.