The Man Who Makes Time Stop

"Hm? Oh, you're talking about that tower? That's the Tower of Time."

The Wind Dragon glanced at it and said leisurely, seemingly a bit dismissive.

"Tower of Time? What's that?"

Hearing the Wind Dragon's disdainful tone, Lu Chen felt a bit curious.

"The Tower of Time is a Magic Treasure that the Seventh Ancestor found in an ancient Secret Realm."

"Inside the Tower of Time, time flows faster. For every level you go up, the flow of time speeds up by a hundred times."

"Moreover, each level is the entire lifespan of a Small World. The Twin Fish Plate Small World found its crafting method from this tower."

Hearing the Wind Dragon's explanation, Lu Chen's eyes darted around, staring intently at the Wind Dragon.

"Little Lu, are you plotting something devious again?"

The Wind Dragon felt a bit unnerved by Lu Chen's stare and spoke.

"Hahaha, I was thinking, the time flow in the Small World is already fifty times faster than outside, and the time flow inside the Tower of Time is even faster than in the Small World. So wouldn't that be a double bonus?"

"And the Small World hasn't even fully formed yet. Once it does, if I cultivate for tens of thousands of years in the Tower of Time, it will only be one day in the outside world."

"This way, starting today, I'll be the king of time, the man who can stop time!"

"When I find Grandpa later, we can open a shop and do business, wouldn't that be incredibly profitable? Hahaha, I, Lu Chen, am truly a genius."

Lu Chen's imagination ran wild with the life he would lead after activating the Tower of Time, his mouth splitting into a grin that reached his ears.

"Heh, you're thinking a bit too much."

The Wind Dragon's tail flicked Lu Chen's back, interrupting his daydream.

"Huh? Hearing your voice, why do I feel a hint of disdain?"

Lu Chen heard no downside in the Wind Dragon's words, only disdain, which made his curiosity deepen.

"Hmph, this Magic Treasure was decent in ancient times, but now it's just a chicken rib."

The Wind Dragon replied helplessly to Lu Chen's inquiry.

"Back then, the Azure Emperor, along with his ten avatars, only managed to activate the first level for half a day."

"They were the top powers in the world at that time, and the Spiritual Energy was hundreds of times more abundant than it is now. Tell me, isn't this Magic Treasure a chicken rib?"

Listening to the Wind Dragon's explanation, combined with his memories of Feng Tiancheng, Lu Chen finally understood the general idea.

However, he still felt a bit unconvinced that such a powerful Magic Treasure couldn't be used simply because there wasn't enough Spiritual Energy.

"I don't believe it, I want to try!"

Lu Chen quickly entered the Tower of Time with Nantian Wan'er.

Before they could even enter, they were repelled by a force.

"Huh? What's going on? I can't get close to it."

Hearing this, the Wind Dragon gave Lu Chen a look.

"Big dummy, Little Lu, with that brain of yours, you still want to be a man who stops time?"

"Don't you see the barrier set by the Seventh Ancestor hasn't dissipated yet?"

Seeing Lu Chen's embarrassment, the Wind Dragon began to mock him mercilessly.

"Oh, it seems so. I was a bit too hasty."

Lu Chen looked at the thin layer of mist before him and chuckled foolishly, scratching his head.

"Then how can I activate the Tower of Time? After all this time, someone must have figured out a way, right?"

Lu Chen looked at the treasure right before him, feeling a sense of unwillingness.

"No, if the memories the Seventh Ancestor left you didn't mention it, then I wouldn't know either."

As the Wind Dragon was explaining, it saw the Fire Phoenix flying over and suddenly thought of something.

"I think you can try. Since the Azure Emperor Divine Tree's spiritual power can sustain the Fire Phoenix, activating the Tower of Time shouldn't be too difficult."

Lu Chen: "Sigh... That's still a long way off. Are there any other requirements to activate the Tower of Time?"

"It seems like some special materials are also needed, but I'm not entirely sure about that."

The Wind Dragon's understanding of the Tower of Time wasn't very deep.

"Sigh... Then we'll only be able to figure it out after this region opens."

"The treasure is right before my eyes, fertile land is right before my eyes, but I can't obtain it. It's truly frustrating."

Seeing that he couldn't enter the Tower of Time for the moment, Lu Chen had no choice but to give up for now.

"What is that? I think I saw a silhouette flash by."

Nantian Wan'er pointed in the direction of the Tower of Time.

"What? I don't see anything."

Lu Chen looked in the direction Nantian Wan'er was pointing, but there was no change.

"I just saw a figure emerge from the Tower of Time."

"Really?"

Lu Chen, who now controlled the Small World, didn't sense any changes within it.

The Wind Dragon thought for a moment before speaking, "Wan'er, what she said might be possible. The higher a cultivator's realm, the longer their lifespan."

"Some of the envoys who followed the Azure Emperor back then also had access to the Small World. With their cultivation, it's quite normal for them to live within the Small World without you noticing."

Hearing the Wind Dragon's explanation, Lu Chen felt that this situation was indeed possible.

"Then these people, could they..."

"No, those who obtained access were definitely trusted by the Great Ones and wouldn't harm you. You can rest assured about that."

The Wind Dragon saw Lu Chen's worry and said.

"That's good, hahaha."

Lu Chen chuckled awkwardly, his thoughts exposed.

The Wind Dragon looked at Lu Chen, thought for a moment, and continued, "The reason they aren't coming out to see you is probably because the Great Ones have some arrangements. You should keep this in mind too."

"I understand. Shall we go then? We can't enter this place for now."

Unable to enter the Tower of Time, Lu Chen felt an itch of impatience and urged everyone to turn and leave.

After Lu Chen and the other two left, two figures appeared below the Tower of Time.

"Haha, you were almost discovered. I told you to be more careful."

This Giant Dragon, entirely black, exuded a ferocious aura. Its form and appearance were somewhat similar to the Wind Dragon.

The Giant Dragon circled the entrance of the Tower of Time, constantly mocking the figure beside it.

"Sigh... I didn't expect Wan'er's senses to be so sharp even from a young age. We were almost discovered."

The figure looked somewhat weary.

"Isn't it just fate? Who told you to be such a straight arrow since you were a kid, hahaha."

The Giant Dragon felt the man's awkwardness and continued to mock him.

"You..."

The man seemed to have touched upon some unpleasant memories and was a little annoyed. He turned and wrestled with the Giant Dragon.

A few minutes later, the man and the Giant Dragon lay on the ground, breathing heavily.

"Where are we going next? He's already obtained your Azure Emperor Divine Tree. I suppose the outcome will change too."

The Giant Dragon said, sensing the constant changes in the Small World's aura.

"Sigh... Now their Celestial Pools have merged. Wan'er's fate can be said to have changed."

The man thought for a moment and then said, "My spiritual energy can still support us staying in this world for a while longer. I want to see other places; after all, it's not easy to come back."

"Then..."

The Giant Dragon hesitated, seemingly reluctant to speak.

"What is it?"

The man turned to look at the Giant Dragon.

"Alas... aren't you going to tell him about the Lord of Ceremonies? You're still dwelling on that matter."

The Giant Dragon thought it over and decided to speak.

"This..."

The man seemed lost in thought.

"Let him decide for himself. If I tell him now, he won't be able to accept it."

The man thought for a moment and said to the Giant Dragon.

"Alas... why must you go through all this?"

The Giant Dragon shook its head, sighed, and transformed into its true dragon form.

"However, his path of development is now different from ours. The future is uncertain. This time, we will definitely succeed."

"Hahaha, you're right."

As they spoke, the Giant Dragon carried the man and soared into the sky, disappearing.

At the same moment, Nantian Wan'er looked up at the spot where the man and the Giant Dragon had vanished.

Lu Chen: "Wan'er, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just felt a very familiar presence leave."

Nantian Wan'er: "Let's go."

Three hours later, beneath the Innate Azure Emperor Divine Tree.

Lu Chen and the other two had already explored every corner of the Small World.

"Brother Lu, the restraint seems to have been lifted?"

Nantian Wan'er said as she felt her own aura.

"Yes, the restraint is gone, but the evolution of the Innate Eight Trigrams Diagram doesn't seem to be over yet."

"The flow of time here is different from the outside world. The Heavenly Blessing is almost over, let's head out first."

Lu Chen felt that his body was no longer bound by the Small World. He led Nantian Wan'er out of the Twin Fish Plate world, allowing the Innate Eight Trigrams Diagram to continue its evolution.

A resonant chime echoed through the sky, and the last Golden Lotus vanished.

The aura between heaven and earth gradually returned to calm. Various factions and Demonic Beast leaders began to move towards the Fire Prison, all eager to see who had caused such a celestial phenomenon.

"Youngster, Wan'er, you two are truly amazing. To have overcome such a powerful Heavenly Tribulation."

Nantian Xiu rushed over from a distance, speaking to the two of them.

However, his astonishment was clearly directed at Lu Chen, or rather, at the background behind Lu Chen.

"But we must leave this place first. The might of this celestial phenomenon is too strong. I fear others might notice the Youngster's Talent and harbor ill intentions."

Although Lu Chen had always insisted he was just a village child, Nantian Xiu believed this was merely a guise and didn't press the issue.

"Youngster, where are you planning to go next? Wan'er's injuries have almost healed. Let me see if we can travel together for a while longer."

Nantian Xiu, concerned for Nantian Wan'er, wanted to investigate Lu Chen's background.

"Grandpa Xiu, I plan to head deeper into the Fire Prison."

"Wan'er has been suffering from the Cold Poison for over a decade. I want to find a higher quality Fire Essence to help condition her body. While we're at it, I can also test my cultivation progress along the way."

Lu Chen replied without hesitation.

"Hahaha, good. It's rare to see such thoughtfulness."

Nantian Xiu chuckled and nodded upon hearing Lu Chen's unhesitating words. His thoughts had already changed.

He was an old monster who had lived for thousands of years and could tell at a glance that Lu Chen's words came from the heart.