Chapter 656:  Entering the River of Time, A Mysterious Phantom

　　The black planet exploded with a loud crash. The fragmented rocks transformed into flying meteorites which shot across the four directions in the Chaos. The group fixed their gazes at the center of the explosion and saw a head appear in Yanmo’s hand. The head was also pitch black like metal and the most surprising thing about it was the single giant eye situated vertically in the middle of its face. The eye was staring straight at the group with a red glint.

　　“Run!” shouted Blackie. He turned around without hesitation and the group followed closely behind him. They all shot out across the Chaos in trails of light. They were not stupid enough to think they would be able to take Yanmo down now that he had recovered his head. They had no doubt he could completely wipe them out with only the power in his pinkie.

　　Yanmo put his head back on his neck and instantly, endless fierce light engulfed the Chaos and a loud humming sound could be heard all around. Powerful energy began to flow through his body which caused the laws of the universe to vibrate non-stop. This was the return of the king and the only way to survive was to surrender. He quickly chased after Blackie while still remembering to absorb the Spiritual Qi around him.

　　Jiang Liu sensed Yanmo’s movement behind him and shouted in shock, “He’s coming at us fast!”

　　“We can see that, Captain Obvious. Keep running as fast as you can!” said Blackie. They were taking the route they previously took but their force was much more powerful than before, raising another ruckus amongst one of the planet’s locals.

　　“What’s happening? Why are they back?”

　　“This is too frightening. Compared to them, I’m as weak as an ant.”

　　“They’ve reversed their roles. The bald dog’s being chased after this time!”

　　“Look, the headless figure’s headless no more! No wonder they’re being chased after.”

　　It was at this time that Yanmo slowly raised his palm against the planet as he expanded his body to the extent he could seemingly hold up the whole Chaos with one hand. Mighty forces rolled out from his body which was already much bigger than the planet, making it seem like the planet was nothing but a toy. Yanmo grabbed hold of the planet and imbibed everything into his body. Immediately, a series of frightened screams could be heard as the planet was sucked dry.

　　While doing that, Yanmo never stopped moving his feet as he continued chasing after Blackie. His single eye, which was fixed on Blackie, glowed even redder as it turned blood-red. “You stupid dog, die! Supernatural power, Death Stare!”

　　Blackie, who was running for his life, felt a sudden chill in his body as if he could be wiped out from the face of the world any second. He wiggled his butt without hesitation and shouted, “Mosaic Light!” Instantly, mosaic light shot out from his butt and surrounded the group.

　　To Yanmo’s eyes, Blackie and the group were completely hidden by the mosaic light and so he found it difficult to know where they were at. The loss of the target meant that his Death Stare attack was useless as it landed on a nearby planet, causing it to disappear at a speed visible to the naked eye.

　　“That’s one hell of a supernatural power!”

　　“It’s a good thing the master gave me these leather pants. We’re still alive thanks to it. Long live the mosaic!”

　　“Make sure to avoid the light cause I don’t think we can deflect it at all!”

　　“This Wisdom Elite’s too powerful. We’re no match against him!”

　　They were all stunned by Yanmo’s terrifying power and wished they could flee even faster.

　　“I’ll increase our speed with the power of the wind,” said Shi Tuqin as she quickly wrote something in the air. Immediately, their speed was drastically increased.

　　“What should we do, Lord Dog? How long do you think your mosaic light can last?” asked Huang Deheng anxiously.

　　“Lord Dog, maybe we should ask for help from the expert,” said Jiang Liu.

　　With the mosaic light still flowing out from his butt, Blackie gave the thought some consideration. “No, Yanmo’s too strong. He might disturb the master if we lead him back there. Under no circumstances can we allow that to happen.” He shook his head vigorously. “Only a Wisdom Elite can take him down and I know just the person. Follow me!” With that, he led the group off in another direction.

　　Soon, they arrived at the ancient battleground, and not long after, so did Yanmo. He stared at the mosaic and started to rush toward it while throwing a punch at the same time. The force of the power pummelled everything to the ground. Blackie quickly brought everyone to the river and entered it without any hesitation.

　　He planned to ask the Soul Master for help. It was the best plan he could come up with on such short notice. He was sure the Soul Master would be able to handle Yanmo for she was also of the Wisdom level. Not to mention, she had the Elite King’s corpse with her, too.

　　Once inside the River of Time, they knew they had entered a completely different world. A horrible pressure caused their minds to go into a trance and inexplicably gave birth to a sense of confusion as a deluge of chaotic voices crashed around in their ears. The river seemed peaceful on the surface but below that, it was kicking up angry foams against the sides.

　　“We have to be extra careful while here. The River of Time contains scenes and sounds from infinite periods of time. We must keep our Dao Hearts stabilized for it’s the end of the road if we lose it,” warned Blackie gravely.

　　Huang Deheng and Old Ling’s hearts began to beat wildly at the mention of the River of Time. The name sounded very familiar to them and instantly brought about a round of mixed feelings which caused them to shudder. No one had ever been able to confirm the existence of the River of Time. Now that they were faced with it, they became awestruck at the thought that the ability to go back in time itself was before them.

　　They walked along the river and scenes from their past floated before their eyes. There were times of happiness, sadness, anger, and regrets. The scenes were so temptingly close to them that they wished they could enter it and change the course of their histories.

　　Suddenly, they were brought back to the present by a crisp whipping sound. What greeted them was the sight of Qin Manyun looking at them sternly with a glowing willow branch in her hand. “Don’t lose yourself in the River of Time. What you see before you are nothing but illusions. There’s no way we can break through the barrier of time with our power.”

　　“That was a close shave. Thank you for saving us, Miss Qin,” said Huang Deheng and others. One would need to pay a heavy price to change the course of history. Even a Wisdom Elite would run into a risk of being engulfed by the River of Time. What was more to say about them?

　　Qin Manyun and Shi Tuqin became more and more awestruck as they delved deeper into the River of Time. When they first heard of Li Nianfan’s plan of resurrection, they felt his power to be beyond their imaginations, but now that they were walking inside the River of Time, they had a better understanding of what it would really take for Li Nianfan to do so. They nearly fell into despair at the thought of how much stronger Li Nianfan really was compared to an ordinary human being. This caused them to realize without a doubt that no one was comparable to the expert.

　　They realized Yanmo, too, had entered the River of Time when the waves around them thrashed even more wildly. The force of his entrance caused the water level to recede as one water pillar shot up to the sky.

　　“Run!” shouted Blackie decisively.

　　Yanmo did not immediately chase after them. He stood where he was with his trembling body as confusion began to fill his eyes. All the while, he ignored the water crashing against his body. Before his very eyes was the scene of the destruction of his world. The planets were dying, the sun and moon dimmed, and many living creatures were wiped out. He was reliving the past again—of the Eldritchs plundering and slaughtering.

　　He gave out an angry roar and an infinite aura erupted from within him, causing the River of Time to shake. He maniacally punched the air which caused no more than a little ripple here and there as if the scenes were protected by an invisible barrier. He kept on roaring and punching, punching and roaring while wishing vehemently to break the barrier and go back in time.

　　Meanwhile, Blackie and the rest of the group kept moving forward while the scenes changed before them. They saw the end of planets, the breaking apart of the heavens, the pitiful plight of many living creatures, the countless people who died in battle, skies stained red with their blood, and of course, the Eldritchs. There were no words to describe just how destitute those times were.

　　“I, Qing Di, killed twelve Chaos Daluo Golden Immortals of the Eldritch Clan. I asked the Elite, though dead, our clan will never perish!”

　　“I, Zhantian Dijun, killed three Wisdom level fighters of the Eldritch Clan. I pledge my loyalty to the human race to fight off all enemies!”

　　“I, Yu Linglong, will go into the Chaos Ocean in pursuit of the Eldritch Clan! I won’t back down in the face of danger!”

　　Qin Manyun was crying her heart out. “Why does this all have to happen? Why can’t we all live together in peace?”

　　“It was a tragic time. A total disaster for the Chaos. No one got away unaffected,” said Huang Deheng in a low voice.

　　Suddenly, they heard loud crashing sounds coming from in front of them. Terrible forces of energy erupted around them and made them jump.

　　“A fight must’ve broken out in the River of Time.”

　　“What a frightening aura. The fighters are definitely more powerful than us.”

　　“Could it be the Soul Master?”

　　The group was shocked and quickly rushed toward the location of the fight.

　　What greeted them were three figures flying above the river’s surface. An infinite amount of aura poured out of them which caused the water around them to flow in an opposite direction. Two of the figures belonged to the Soul Master and the Elite King. They could not see who the other person was but he must be strong to be able to go head-to-head against the Soul Master and the Elite King.

　　The Soul Master waved the Chaos Flag and the River of Time exploded. The water shot up to create a wall. The light of destruction from the Chaos Flag transformed into a black tornado that was aiming straight for the mysterious phantom. The mysterious phantom took out his hand from behind his back and pointed at the black tornado. Instantly, the power of Wisdom poured out from his finger and transformed into a ripple, freezing the black tornado.

　　“We’ve been at it for a long time now so why don’t you give up this futile attempt? There’s no way the two of you can stop me,” said the mysterious phantom with a cold laugh. He received an answer in the form of the Elite King’s attack. “Earth-Shattering Fist!” Although one could sense the Wisdom power pulsating within, it was infinitely more powerful than any Wisdom attack. Even brushing against it would cause a thousand planets to explode.

　　The mysterious phantom did not seem to be afraid and threw a punch, too. The impact of the collision between the two attacks parted the River of Time. If this was any other ordinary river, the water would have been completely evaporated by the impact. However, this was the River of Time after all. There was only a small ripple in the water before settling back to its original form.

　　“I can’t believe there’s another person in the River of Time. Do you think that mysterious phantom’s one of the Eldritchs?” asked Shi Tuqin in shock.

　　Qin Manyun knitted her brows together and answered, “It’s obvious the Soul Master and Elite King aren’t at the peak of their powers. Surely they would’ve defeated the mysterious phantom by now if they were.”

　　“I remember the Soul Master saying something about someone wanting to go back in time to kill the young Elite King. That mysterious phantom must be the person she was talking about! She came here to stop him!” said Blackie.

　　“Where did the mysterious phantom come from and how did it manage to enter the River of Time?” asked Shi Tuqin with a puzzled expression on her face.

　　The River of Time was in the ancient battleground which was situated in Chaos. It was obvious that the mysterious phantom was not in the Chaos, so how did it enter the River of Time?

　　“I think I can answer your question. Strictly speaking, the River of Time doesn’t exist. It can only be manifested using great power so it can appear anywhere the manifester wishes. However, I haven’t heard of anyone who could manifest the River of Time so it’s odd how there suddenly seems to be two people who can do that now,” explained Huang Deheng. “That mysterious phantom’s real body’s probably somewhere else. He must’ve used a special method to enter the River of Time.”

　　In actuality, he was extremely frightened at the thought of the mysterious phantom’s power. The mysterious phantom not only managed to enter the River of Time but his combat power had already reached the realm of a Wisdom Elite. That meant that with his real body, he could even surpass a Wisdom Elite! The mysterious phantom probably had a hand in all the catastrophes that ever occurred in the Chaos.

　　Suddenly, they heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind them. It was Yanmo striding quickly and causing a mini-wave to rise with every step. His single eye was completely red and his whole body was emitting a cold murderous aura.

　　“We’re doomed,” said Jiang Liu with a low voice. They were hoping to be rescued by the Soul Master. It never crossed their minds that she herself would also be engaged in a desperate battle. Now, there were enemies on both sides. This would not end well for them.

　　“Lord Dog, what should we do?” asked the dispirited group.

　　“I’ll try to buy some time with my leather pants but after that, we’re on our own,” said Blackie with resignation in his voice.

　　“It’s you!” shouted Yanmo suddenly when he laid his eyes on the mysterious phantom. Instantly, he was filled with a powerful murderous intent as he rushed toward the mysterious phantom. “I’m going to kill you!”

Chapter 657: The Elite’s Arrival, The Expert Went Fishing

　　“What’s a cyclops doing in the River of Time?” asked the mysterious phantom in disbelief when he saw Yanmo. How could he not be surprised when faced with so many people in such a short time? It was illogical for them to be here for he had first-hand experience of the price he had to pay for his phantom to enter the River of Time. He had been here for many, many years and it was all due to his effort that the Eldritch clan could rule over the world.

　　Yanmo ignored his question and erupted with another wave of murderous intent “Die!” he screamed with a bloody eye. He violently slammed down his palm and the sky was immediately blanketed by thunder and lightning which pressed down against the mysterious phantom.

　　The mysterious phantom’s expression became fierce and with his mana, he summoned some flames which then transformed into a flaming lance. The power of the flame was terrifying and seemed to possess its own will. The increase in temperature stained the River of Time red. This was a fire force of the Wisdom level, and it had the ability to burn everything to the ground.

　　The mysterious phantom threw the flaming lance at Yanmo which he deflected with his fist. The impact caused an explosion. Yanmo’s right arm was completely burned off. The flames continued to work up his stump to burn off his Primordial Spirit. The mysterious phantom did not fare any better as he was sent flying violently along the river water, creating mini tidal waves while his flaming lance was completely destroyed.

　　Seeing this, Qin Manyun and the rest of the group gave out involuntary gasps. “They’re so strong!”

　　“Is it really that easy to burn off Yanmo’s right arm?” asked Jiang Liu in disbelief. He thought back to not long ago when they only managed to leave some inconsequential scratches on Yanmo even after they all attacked at the same time. The mysterious phantom must be more powerful than all of them combined to easily burn off Yanmo’s right arm. He suddenly perceived his power to be of insignificance.

　　Yanmo’s eye was completely red and with a roar, he shouted, “Death Stare!” Terrifying beams of red began to envelop the mysterious phantom which caused him to shake violently as he screamed in pain. His ‘body’ started to disappear. First, his legs were gone, then half his belly was gone. Suddenly, he gave out a loud roar and with a burst of light, his body materialized again.

　　“I don’t care how you all got here as long as you don’t go out alive. Die!” said the mysterious phantom coldly. He manifested the flaming lance again and with one step forward, he appeared in front of Yanmo. He pierced Yanmo’s eye with the flaming lance and black blood began to spray out of Yanmo’s face. The mysterious phantom kept his hold on the lance while pushing it deeper into the eye, burning it even further.

　　Yanmo roared with pain and grabbed hold of the mysterious phantom with both his hands. Like a python, he began to squeeze the mysterious phantom until its ‘body’ exploded. The mysterious phantom’s Origins of Life flashed and in a blink of an eye, completely healed himself again. No traces of any injury could be seen on his ‘body’. So, he was not that different from the rest of them, too, in the sense that he relied on the Origins of Life to heal himself. He stood mid-air and stared down at them coldly.

　　He had already decided that he would kill them no matter how they got here. He would not allow other people to exist in the River of Time. The fight between the mysterious phantom and Yanmo was very short. All this while, the Soul Master and the Elite King only watched from the sidelines. There was a hint of recognition in the Soul Master’s eyes when she saw Yanmo for it was her who sealed him away. She never expected him to ever break out from under the seal.

　　Although Yanmo did help them in fighting off the Eldritchs, by then, she had sensed that someone was messing with the River of Time and was putting in motion his plan to kill off the young Elite King. She had no choice but to send a piece of herself into the River of Time to stop the plan. In doing so, she realized that her power was greatly diminished and became worried that she would not be able to control Yanmo from indiscriminately killing off those in the Chaos since he was not of this world. She could only rest easy after sealing him away.

　　She came to the River of Time for two reasons. One, to find the person responsible for messing with the River of Time, and two, to get back the piece of her soul she sent here eons ago. The Soul Master’s eyes fell on Blackie and the rest of the group with a thoughtful expression. Could it be that the expert had requested them to release Yanmo so that they could bring them there to fight off the mysterious phantom?

　　It was obvious Yanmo held a deep grudge against the mysterious phantom, a grudge so deep that he had no eyes for anyone else but the mysterious phantom. “You despicable fool! How dare you kill three of our Elites in the River of Time? I’m going to kill you for that!” shouted Yanmo as he rushed toward the mysterious phantom again.

　　The mysterious phantom laughed coldly. “The sixth dimension’s no more. What can you alone do to me?”

　　“Let’s fight him together!” shouted the Soul Master. She and the Elite King then rushed toward the mysterious phantom with their mighty aura.

　　“The mysterious phantom alone is worth three Elites!”

　　“We needed the expert’s help to come here and yet, that mysterious phantom could enter with his own power!”

　　“I can’t believe he killed three from the Cyclops Clan in the River of Time. I’d go crazy with revenge if that were to happen to me, too.”

　　No matter what world they were in, a Wisdom Elite was the peak of a clan’s battle power. Anyone would have mourned the loss of a Wisdom Elite, what more to say for three Wisdom Elites.

　　“The sixth dimension? Is this where Yanmo came from? Which dimension is the Chaos?”

　　Although they were observing from the sidelines, they made sure to glean as much information as possible from their conversations. After a round of discussion, they turned their attention back to the fight with grave expressions on their faces.

　　“That mysterious phantom is truly despicable. He’s been pulling strings from the River of Time all this while. How could we possibly win if he does that? Do you think the Soul Master and others could win this fight?” asked Shi Tuqin worriedly.

　　Blackie smiled faintly and stood up proudly. “In times like this, you can rely on me!” With that, he suddenly opened his eyes wide in focus and all the mana in his body exploded which caused their surroundings to become distorted as countless laws of the universe shook around them. One terrifying manifestation appeared after one another.

　　“Ultimate supernatural power, Leather Pants Detach!” shouted Blackie and instantly took off his leather pants which flew off in a burst of light, aiming straight at the mysterious phantom and landing squarely on top of his head. The leather pants were surrounded by the mosaic light which acted as a barrier against sight and other senses.

　　The mysterious phantom was strutting around cockily with the fact that he was about to win in a fight against three Wisdom Elites when he found himself suddenly blinded by the leather pants. He started to question whether things were happening as they were.

　　“Huh? What’s this? How did this happen?” He began to panic and involuntarily took a few steps back. All he could see was mosaic, mosaic, and mosaic. He was completely cut off from the world outside.

　　“Hahaha, die!” shouted Yanmo. He was not going to let this chance slip by him. The same could be said for the Soul Master and the Elite King.

　　“Destroy Everything Into Silence!” said the Soul Master while pointing gracefully at the mysterious phantom.

　　“Earth-Shattering Fist,” shouted the Elite King as he threw a punch.

　　The destructive power combined with the supernatural power made the mysterious phantom scream in pain. He could not stop his body from shaking.

　　“Die! Death Stare!” shouted Yanmo as blood-red beams shot out from his eye again.

　　Their three supernatural powers were strong enough to tear down Heaven and Earth. It was so strong that the space around them began to distort as if their bodies were being reflected in a fun-house mirror. Infinite lights were bursting out from within the mysterious phantom and his Origins of Life began to flicker. Just as it seemed as if he was on his last dying breath, his Origins of Life exploded brightly and a weird aura began to surround them.

　　“Deity, I summon thee!” said the mysterious phantom in a low voice before it completely disappeared into the thin air.

　　However, that was not the end for they sensed an extremely horrifying force coming down on them. The force landed on the River of Time with a loud crash and the space around them became even more distorted. They found themselves unable to resist the force.

　　After that, there was complete silence. Even the ripples in the River of Time were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, a giant hand appeared in the sky. They had no idea where it came from and no idea how it got there. All they knew was it was coming for them. The giant hand seemed to contain all the worlds in the universe and though its power was not evident, they could feel an unassailable aura coming off it.

　　They wanted to hide from the incoming giant hand but found themselves unable to do so.

　　‘The strongest of the Eldritch Clan’s here. That hand belongs to the mysterious phantom’s Deity!’

　　‘Mummy, I’m scared. Is he a Wisdom Elite or perhaps…stronger than that?’

　　‘Ahhhhhh—’

　　The giant hand continuously inched down on them when suddenly, Yanmo roared loudly as his hair flew around his face. His body quickly expanded and in a blink of an eye, became a hundred miles tall with no sign of stopping. He held both of his hands high above his head to counter the falling giant hand. The Soul Master and the Elite King got to work, too, raising their hands above their heads while activating their supernatural powers.

　　Meanwhile, back in the four-part architecture, Li Nianfan was trying his hand at fishing with Dragin and Nanan accompanying him.

　　“It shouldn’t take long,” he said with a smile. He cast the line and the hook landed with a plop into the pond. He was confident he would be able to catch something since not long ago, he had dumped many fishes there. He stared intently at the middle of the pond with eyes filled with anticipation. “I hope I catch a big one!”

　　At the bottom of the pond, the school of fishes stared blankly at the fish hook as it sank. They were immediately filled with mixed feelings. They wondered what they should do now that the expert had begun fishing. Although they had mentally prepared for this day, they still did not expect it to arrive this fast.

　　“What are you all waiting for? Isn’t it worth sacrificing a little bit of our flesh in return for the expert’s favor? Go bite the hook now!” scolded the Old Dragon. Then, he pointed at a random fish and said, “You! Get hooked!”

　　Said fish swam slowly to where the hook was with tears in its eyes. Finally, it hardened its heart and bit the hook with its opened mouth. He had decided it was an honor to be eaten by the expert for it meant he would be closer to him. However, it was not meant to be for the fish hook had dodged the fish’s opened mouth.

　　They were all stunned by what had happened. Each of them tried to bite the hook with the end result being the same. They discovered the hook to be imbued with some kind of weird power that allowed it to dodge the fishes’ opened mouths. They were deeply puzzled and wondered exactly what the expert was hoping to catch.

　　Back at the River of Time, the giant hand was not slowed down by Yanmo and the others’ attacks. It made contact with Yanmo and at that slightest touch, Yanmo was completely blown into smithereens. His fragmented lumpy flesh landed with a squish against the walls and floor while his blood sprayed out. What was worse was his Origins of Life had broken apart.

　　The Soul Master and the Elite King’s attack was futile against the giant hand and the backlash from the impact caused them to spew out blood as their bodies were sent flying into the River of Time. The giant hand continued on its path. It was not even that close to them, but Blackie and the group could already feel the unimaginably strong power it was emitting—weighing down on them until they could not even lift their heads. Their bodies began to break apart and a fine mist of blood sprayed out. The giant hand did not even need to descend completely for them to turn into dust.

　　“I’m afraid this is the end for us. He is just too strong.”

　　“We’re gonna die. We’re gonna die.”

　　“I no longer wonder how he could mess with the River of Time. But I do wonder who’s more powerful—the expert or the owner of this giant hand.”

　　“I’m sorry, Master, for failing to bring back the fruit tree.”

　　“Save me, Master! I don’t want to die just yet.”

　　They wanted to resist to the very end to die with a little dignity, but how could they when they could not even lift their little finger? They had to turn to the next best thing which was to create scenarios in their mind.

　　Suddenly, a weird ripple appeared in the air, and out peeked a fish hook. It had bypassed the normal laws of time to end up here. The line connected to the fish hook seemed to be from somewhere else. The entire sky began to vibrate and the fish hook had captured everyone’s full attention.

　　Compared to the giant hand, the fish hook seemed laughably weak. The fact that it was not giving off any weird aura made it all the more attractive. Its appearance made all the other things seemingly disappear from their sight. The fish hook swept through the sky, aiming straight for the giant. Its speed was not fast but contained the determination to break through any barrier.

　　“What’s this? How’s this possible?” screamed a voice in the sky in surprise. The voice belonged to none other than the giant hand’s owner. It appeared the fish hook had frightened him from the way he was trying to escape with all his effort. However, he realized that his fate had been sealed.

　　“No, no—” His frustrated scream rang through the air as he helplessly watched the fish hook dig into the giant hand.