Chapter 755: Destiny

Although the White Bird Pavilion Master had expectations for Meng Chuan, the speed of Meng Chuan's growth still far exceeded his predictions. How long had it been since he reached the Seventh Tribulation realm? And now he was already a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm?

"It's only been a little over a hundred years since I suppressed Emperor Wanxing and began overseeing this formation," the White Bird Pavilion Master said with a chuckle, his composure still strong. "I had prepared myself to spend a long time with Emperor Wanxing, even if it meant delaying my own cultivation. Yet today, you're here to take over. Your cultivation speed has truly caught me by surprise."

Though the White Bird Pavilion Master claimed to be caught off guard, in truth, he was beaming with delight.

"My cultivation breakthrough was also a bit fortunate," Meng Chuan chuckled. "After comprehending the three fundamental principles of the time rule, I entered a bottleneck and remained stuck for nearly five thousand years. I only broke through after visiting Demonic Mountain and seeing its peak."

"I can only vaguely estimate your cultivation period now... it's no more than twenty thousand years," the White Bird Pavilion Master sighed. "Becoming a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm in just over ten thousand years of cultivation, and then saying you were stuck in a bottleneck for nearly five millennia—if other Seventh Tribulation realms heard you, they'd likely secretly curse you for excessive boasting."

"Actually... I am indeed boasting," Meng Chuan said with a smile. "After cultivating for so many years, working so hard to finally become a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm, I think a little boasting is justified."

"In a few days, we'll hold a grand celebration for you at Nebula Palace, where you can boast as much as you like," the White Bird Pavilion Master said with an uncontrollable laugh.

With Emperor Wanxing suppressed, they were the only two Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realms of their era. They held the power to shape the order of the entire Space-Time River, leading to a much more relaxed state of mind than before.

"A celebration won't be necessary," Meng Chuan said, shaking his head. "There's no need."

"Very well, as you wish," the White Bird Pavilion Master nodded.

While Half-Step Seventh Tribulation realms or ordinary Seventh Tribulation realms might benefit from a celebration, becoming a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm eliminated the need for such superficial ceremonies. Which force in the entire Space-Time River would dare to disrespect a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm?

"Come, let me teach you how to control this grand formation," the White Bird Pavilion Master said.

"Understood," Meng Chuan replied, following along to learn how to control the formation.

Inside the suppressed living world.

At the summit of a high mountain, Emperor Wanxing materialized, gazing up at the world's membrane. He observed the chains appearing on its surface and noticed a change in the aura emanating from the sealing formation.

"The energy signature of this formation has changed?" Emperor Wanxing's face paled. "Is this... Meng Chuan's aura?"

At that moment, he felt bewildered, even a sense of despair washing over him.

"White Bird was clearly in control of the formation, so how did it become Meng Chuan?"

"Has Meng Chuan also mastered the Space-Time rule?"

Emperor Wanxing felt a surge of panic.

As a Primordial Spirit Tribulation realm expert, Meng Chuan could easily dispatch a Primordial Spirit avatar to oversee the formation without it affecting his cultivation. Moreover, Meng Chuan was still very young, meaning he could maintain this state indefinitely.

"He became a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm so quickly. Given his growth rate, how can I ever break free from his obstruction?" Emperor Wanxing felt a deep sense of unwillingness.

"I had foreseen the future and calculated that Meng Chuan's potential was immense, reaching the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm with ease. That's why I dared not delay and launched my plans preemptively, specifically to avoid his interference!" Emperor Wanxing had long ago analyzed the future; he knew that if he procrastinated, once Meng Chuan became a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm, his 'devouring living worlds' scheme would face insurmountable obstacles.

With his numerous Primordial Spirit avatars, Meng Chuan's threat as a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm expert far surpassed that of the White Bird Pavilion Master. For instance, he could permanently assign a Primordial Spirit avatar to shadow Emperor Wanxing's outer realm true form, constantly harassing him with formations.

All Primordial Spirit Tribulation realms are skilled in formations.

"I initiated my plan ahead of schedule, yet White Bird invited an Eighth Tribulation mighty expert to set up a formation and suppress me."

"It's only been a little over a hundred years since I was suppressed, and Meng Chuan is already a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm. Must I still face both of them blocking my path?" Emperor Wanxing felt a surge of grief and indignation. This was fate; no matter how he tried to evade, Meng Chuan and the White Bird Pavilion Master remained two insurmountable mountains in his way.

"Meng Chuan!"

His voice pierced through the world's membrane and the formation.

"Emperor Wanxing," a calm voice replied.

"I didn't expect you to reach the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm so swiftly; I'm impressed," Emperor Wanxing stated. "Meng Chuan, I, Wanxing, have never been your enemy all these years. In fact, I've always wanted to befriend you. Why are you pushing me like this?"

"I'm not forcing you; you're forcing yourself," Meng Chuan's voice descended. "You are insatiably greedy, driving forbidden creatures to wantonly devour living worlds. Even True Monarch Chining's appearance couldn't stop you, forcing the True Monarch to set up a formation to trap you. Who can you blame? If you hadn't devoured living worlds, would the White Bird Pavilion Master, I, or even World Ancestor, have pursued you? Even if you had ceased halfway, you wouldn't have met this end."

"I understand."

Emperor Wanxing calmly replied, "However, don't you think you're being overly meddlesome? If it's not threatening your home worlds, why do you concern yourselves so much?"

"Wanxing, the operating rules of Space-Time inherently include 'protecting living worlds' as a fundamental principle. This is the absolute bottom line. Living worlds are the cradles of countless lives," Meng Chuan's voice resounded. "If you try to breach even this bottom line, your very existence becomes a calamity; you deserve to die."

"Haha, I deserve to die!" Emperor Wanxing cackled maniacally. "If you have the power, come and kill me! Otherwise, you can only linger outside and waste your time with me. The day I break through this formation and escape, I will make all of you busybodies pay the price! Even if you perish, your home worlds will be annihilated one by one."

Emperor Wanxing's eyes were filled with madness.

He now had only one goal: to devise an Eighth Tribulation realm physical body technique and break free!

"Rest assured, we will kill you," Meng Chuan's cold voice replied. No matter what else Emperor Wanxing said, he no longer bothered to respond.

It was widely known that the White Bird Pavilion Master, by overseeing the formation and suppressing Emperor Wanxing, had spared the entire Space-Time River from a grave calamity.

However, various forces now sensed that the White Bird Pavilion Master had departed from the formation's location, and one of Meng Chuan's avatars had appeared there in his stead.

"I heard that grand formation requires mastery of the Space-Time rule to control. The White Bird Pavilion Master has left? Is Dongning controlling it now?"

"Has City Lord Dongning become a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm?"

All parties naturally began to speculate.

Soon after, the White Bird Pavilion publicly announced:

City Lord Dongning has achieved the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm in the Primordial Spirit lineage! He has now dispatched a Primordial Spirit avatar to take responsibility for suppressing Emperor Wanxing.

This news sent ripples of shock across the entire Space-Time River.

A Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm? This era now boasted three Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realms in total, an exceptionally rare occurrence in the history of the Space-Time River.

What was even more significant was that he belonged to the Primordial Spirit lineage! Moreover, Meng Chuan's cultivation period was far shorter than that of White Bird or Wanxing, indicating even more terrifying talent.

"He became a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm after only a little over ten thousand years of cultivation?" The highly self-regarded leader of the Original Realm, who had anticipated becoming the strongest Primordial Spirit Tribulation realm expert of his era after the World Ancestor's demise, now found a 'Primordial Spirit Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm' appearing while the World Ancestor was still alive.

"What a monster," the leader of the Original Realm muttered.

"He's already a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm?" Before the bamboo forest lake, the World Ancestor felt the impermanence of existence more acutely.

He wasn't even dead yet.

"It's only been about nine hundred years since I first met him, hasn't it?" The World Ancestor also found everything moving too quickly. "Back then, he hadn't even undergone his sixth heavenly tribulation. I only met him on an impromptu whim because the Cang Alliance rarely produced someone so talented."

"Nine hundred years have passed, and he's a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm?"

The World Ancestor was aware that due to opportunities like the Kunyun Secret Realm, Meng Chuan's true cultivation time was significantly longer.

However, for the World Ancestor, who was already nearing his end with only a few millennia of life remaining, this rapid progress was particularly stark.

While nine hundred years passed and he remained in the final stages of his lifespan, Meng Chuan had already ascended to the pinnacle of power, standing alongside the White Bird Pavilion Master and Emperor Wanxing.

"I once plundered Meng Chuan," mused the 'Dark Star Alliance Master,' a black rock man in a gray robe, as he sat cross-legged in his private chamber, vexed. "In the blink of an eye, he's already a Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm. He could easily crush this outer realm true form of mine if he wished. What am I to do?"

The entire Space-Time River was shaken by the news of Meng Chuan's ascension to the Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm.

All factions now had to consider how to appropriately face this Half-Step Eighth Tribulation realm expert of the Primordial Spirit lineage.